Majors Larry and Evelyn Repass | Preaching Mission-Mindedness Pt. 1

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life to redirect the course of the family's future or under the direction of the child to change the way a mother feeds her children and it took him in the bed at night. It doesn't take much. In fact, for families and artist by the pandemic. Politics is a little help you give to the Salvation Army you support those working tirelessly to keep a roof over $25 a month to get a different visit Salvation Army USA.org offer your support. Welcome back to the words of life.

I'm sure I'll get a lot when I'm with Carol Siler and Bernie Dake hi well, so glad you're in the studio today. If you miss the past episodes were in our fourth week of a series on missions throughout this series will be sharing some Salvation Army insights on how we prioritize and go about doing mission work effectively in this episode were discussing how we encourage the congregation to be mission minded from our preaching and leadership, how do we use a common saying build them up and send them out without worrying about filling seats in our church buildings. This discussion, we were joined by Majors Evelyn and Larry repass.

The Salvation Army's global ambassadors that retired officers during their active service served as missionaries throughout Central and South America majors Evelyn and Larry repass. They retired Salvation Army officers may serve as our global ambassadors for the Salvation Army, they do so much for missions.

Let's get to know you majors repass Larry Evelyn where are you from, how did you come to the Army and give us all of the details. Well, that would be a long, long story short version is, I'm from Washington DC and non-came to the Army's Sunday school got invited to you know all the programs there and eventually became a corker that God spoke to my heart that he wanted me to work in Spanish-speaking country and I didn't want to do it and so I never told anybody but I finally went to training hoping that God would forget about the Spanish part and that's where we met.

I came in the put into her second year in we when we found out that we liked each other would begin to talk seriously eventually and when I said to her, if we get married you have to go to Bolivia with me. That's when she had come up against her call again, I realize you know God was making that clear to me that I had to do and I had peace about it after that. Never. Never question it again although we didn't get to stay in Bolivia. We did go there and that was unusual to get to go where you want to go but our son was born while we were there and we have a daughter already that we took with us. We wound up down in Chile and then came back to the states for a while and then went to some other countries. All told, we were in eight different countries where we have opportunity to work that sounds like an incredible opportunity.

But for the four listeners I just want to back up a smidge now you met in training and just as a good reminder to our non-Salvation Army friends that the training is our seminary program but then you got to go to Bolivia but why Bolivia was that your home major Larry where you from from West Virginia near Bolivia.

But anyway, I became a Christian when I was 13 and 16 minutes ER man knew God wanted me to be an officer so in my last year before going to training. I read an article in the war cry about India and it was my habit to say a prayer for people. I read about so I prayed for India and then I read an article about Bolivia and it was as if God nudged me in. I just knew while so this time rather than pray I just knelt and said I'll go have never doubted that beautiful so often as pastors, not just in the Salvation Army, but worldwide are so much pressure to fill seats in the church building and building up a correlation spiritually to send them out. You think were losing our congregation in the sense I don't think so at all because the mission minded church is doing something locally is active, trying to win the world right around them and it's only natural that you your thinking about the rest of the world outside. I think though we are in danger. Sometimes losing the congregation by sending some of our promising young people out too quickly. We believe that the you need a few years and your congregation working to reach the community and grow in Christ. If we send them out too early.

I think we miss misjudged because they have not the solid through four years of learning and doing, but other than that, yes, I think we are not losing any time you send someone out. God is going to replace and not with someone like them but he got healed that local church is still going to grow or swing referring here are now going out all over our out of the United States, but I like the sign I saw her church story that said, you're now entering the mission field as you leave the church so the mission field is right here so at the time of this recording, the Salvation Army, serving in over 130 countries worldwide and when I think of that ability for us to reach into communities that other people may not have that sort of access to.

You think it's important that is were equipping them locally were sharing information with what's happening and maybe a country that appeals to them or the Lord is putting on their heart. It is, it's part of the, the duty of the local congregation to be educated about the needs I know in our core every Sunday there is a mention of someone who serving in somewhere in the world, and a little bit about what they're doing and then we pray for them.

How you feel about the idea of partnering with other churches or denominations. That is a powerful mix. I will definitely it is and I would even say it's necessary if we try to do it all ourselves.

We never get it all done and if we trying only did look at what we're doing. We we don't see that wider picture. I so I think it's necessary that we partner with churches and other groups majors. Repass can you give us some examples of initiatives that you've been a part of with other churches and denominations were even Salvation Army congregations that supported you while you were the one thing that comes to mind while we were in South America, there was a campaign like a Billy Graham campaign, and we did participate in that the planning of it is happened to be in Montevideo, Uruguay, and we were, you know, part of that and in a sense, and then the with the results on their a lot of young people make decisions for Christ and not they came to the core and I was the core officer at the moment my husband was at the international headquarters are international college for some studies. Then add that was in England and here I am in Montevideo, Uruguay, and all these young people are coming in and so I just decided that give them all the Sunday school class to teach and so I ran out of kids and then I just said go find some kids and they did and it worked.

I think getting him involved in. It was the real key. But that was so that was quite an experience.

And some of those folks are in ministry today because of how and all that worked out. Majors are one initiative that sticks out in your brain is sort of a highlight of your opportunity for ministry. I was just thinking about the fact that we and one point I was able to do a favor for the Catholic priest and after that was done and he showed how appreciative he was.

He said it cannot help you in any way and I said well I been trying to visit an old woman who was in the women's prison, but they won't let me. There are nuns who were running that prison for women and so they said that all our prisons are Catholics, so you can't come to visit and I asked him and he said I'll get you in. So I was able to visit the old lady whom I had had association with when she was in interior town, small prison. It's beautiful majors. If you are trying to encourage a local church or someone interested in supporting the mission field.

What would you suggest to them what are their next steps for a pastor that wants her church to do more. Outside of their own walls.

Prayer is important and that needs to be encouraged and as one who encourages other you yourself have to be up-to-date and in your prayer life and encourage others to pray we can send money we can, you know, communicate, and all that but that prayer support is so important and and you can discuss the needs.

Once you find that out those needs but I think we have to be very careful in or just get people involved and don't make them feel like in as a guilt trip or anything like that.

It has to be calling. It has to be something that you just have to do. And if God puts it calling in your life like he did in mine. You not going to have any peace to you, do it get out.

I mean, you can find some content on and so forth that real peace and real contentment account when you doing what God wanted man. I was going to say another precaution. A pastor doesn't need to and shouldn't at all. Harangue the congregation about you need to be interested in mission and outreach because that never works. You can't. You can't motivate correctly that way. But when the pastor or the officer is interested in is in the community and doing that's what will inspire someone else will. Maj. Larry repass. I think it would be appropriate if we offered a prayer for our listeners, and particularly for those that are already serving in those that might be feeling a call to serve on the mission field wherever God would want them. Let's pray Lord, we know you well enough to know that you are in charge and that you've already been speaking to all of those who listen to this broadcast and we know that you are speaking when when you speak your clear so we trust you. Those who are called to something or somewhere, or to someone you know that and you will make it known and we pray that all of us will continue to listen to your voice and obey so that we can participate in saving the world.

Christ in his name we pray. Amen and amen. Thank you for listening.

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