Colonels Kelly and Donna Igleheart | What Are the Risks?

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life by making half and I want to invite you to check out another show brought to you by the Salvation Army heartbeat is a one minute show about real life heartbeat touches on topics ranging from finances and prayer to dating and mental health is important to God, to us, only having and feeling like my life was on auto pilot.

The alarm goes off, ready for the morning rush to get home. If you are looking for a short message of hope to challenge you and brighten up your day. Subscribe to heartbeat wherever you get your podcast or visit Salvation Army downcast. For back to words of life. I'm Cheryl Gilman I'm in the studio today with Carol Siler and Bernie Dick welcome.

Now this is our final episode of her series on missions and we want to wrap the series with an obvious question that everyone in mission work needs to address at some point.

What are the risks Les missionaries. We know that the communities we enter often far different from our own and in many cases, some of these communities may even be dangerous only think about these risks, we usually think about our own personal safety, but our guest today remind us that there are risks and not going in for this conversation. Carol was joined by Colonels Kelly and Donna I the heart who are currently serving as chief secretaries in the USA Western territory and for this episode there to be discussing their time in South Africa to start off the welcome you Colonels Kelly and Donna Michael Hart. We thank you so much for being here with us today. Just tell us a little bit about yourselves and what brings you to where you are right now will kill and Donna Hart were delighted to be on the show today. Thank you for the impatient. We were commissioned 29 years ago when the officer's first several years now, 10 years core appointments in the southern territory followed by a succession of headquarters appointments. Most recently we just retire from Southern Africa territory for Don and I served there for five years in my role as chief secretary and Donna's role as territory, secretary for women's ministries and then in July 2020. We arrived in the Western territory will be taken up similar roles here and you just love being near home a lot closer than you were when you were in South Africa a lot class.

One of the questions that I'd like to ask you is what emotions did you have when you first learn that you would be serving in the Salvation Army so far away from home.

About the first time. I guess that initial emotion as surprise and excitement and on many things start to to go through your mind at four I said was I think that what had been preparing our hearts.

Even though we had never as you say waste on hand to say yes we we want to do this but I believe the light had through the years have serving as territory, youth leaders, setting up mission trips on this team different mission teams throughout the world.

The Lord was planting the seed stand and so initially there was a lot of excitement and then you began to really process.

What this means violating family and that we are just so thrilled at how the Lord just worked out all of those mixed emotions really and time where just we look back on that day. That initial day when we were rarely asked is there any reason why you couldn't serve overseas and immediately we looked at each other and said there is no reason that we could not. So you served in many other places and each time you left one community and entered a new community and you had to leave behind what you had started somewhere and then enter a new place and any with each place, there's a some things that you had to learn but specifically with your service overseas. What are some ways that you found you could enter that new appointment that new location that new community with grace and peace is a very good question that a needle in many ways and become a Salvation Army officer moved from one appointment to another, change culture may be from one state to another, or even from a one type of appointment to another, and so changing cultures is an officer is a skill that you will need over and over again. But, of course, changing to a different country does require a little bit different.

Talked a different approach to that in philosophy really is about practicing. Ephesians chapter 4 being humble and the best way really what we found was us to go in and to listen and join the team that's already there and to allow the Lord the Holy Spirit to speak through those voices for us to respond humbly and the two determined that were there to learn as well.

Our responsibility was not to take Jesus there because he was already there as well. We dread what we cut on our part only on boarding even before arriving and South Africa as we did have a few months waiting on our faces attempt to read what we could to watch movies about the apartheid about Nelson Mandela to read stories about missionaries who had served in Africa and to try the best way that we cut we knew that it wouldn't be like it no actually being there that we did our homework. We try to educate ourselves as much as we could, and really a lot of time spent on her knees a lot of time asking the lawyer to prepare and soften our hearts and to give us on already a deep love for people and a country that would soon become family and I would say to you that we really morning to leaving before arriving because we knew how we just knew that the Lord had a beautiful journey waiting for us when you accepted your call to serve as missionaries. There might've been some fears and some uncertainties.

What kind of risks do you think people have to consider if they are if they feel that their call to the mission field and habit they prepare themselves for that good question, and the word risk really is so wide definition wide definition, a suppose of that, the risk of not going would be would be a terrible thing to have to realize the privileged Donna and I had to go and serve was was beautiful, but when you think of risk.

Maybe we think of personal safety is one example. And to be truthful much of Johannesburg in South Africa.

There are people who are economically living in depression whose opportunities aren't there.

Perhaps like they are here in the US with unemployment rate for young people will exceed 70%. So when you have those kind of conditions people have to make difficult decisions to feed their family to do things that perhaps others wouldn't have to consider. So we were left works in those type of communities, and by the grace of God we were Safe for almost 5 years. The whole time that we were there, but I will say that many people that we serve alongside of did end up sometimes being attacked of having things taken from them cell phones in cars and things that could be replaced.

At other times there were people who were held at gunpoint and threatened and so there are certain risk that one must consider, but those risk and the reward will serve in the reward goes well beyond the risk, so the risk for me would've been not going the reward. Well we saw firsthand and we trusted what ever we were able to accomplish their will add value to the kingdom of God � if you think say Scana I remember I use events right before we laughed and questioned why his son asked me to stage and for 500 youth workers in front of me and I went. I just really leaned into the Lord. I knew at that point what ever I might answer went on the somewhat significant to the listeners and salad. The largest I felt like he was just getting meet these worries that my calling my cabinet outweighs the fear and the unknown, and that is the truth that became more reality that wasn't always easy. You know it's a paradox at some that are the best of days and there were some very hard day's that looking back on it now, you just wouldn't. I can imagine our journey with life in our marriage and our family without the southern Africa territory the people. It's always for us it has to be about the people and we can delete that Jos� met Mel regrets.

We wanted to embrace the culture we went and brace our surroundings that might anything they wanted to embrace the people they are changed. We are no longer the same. Kelly and Donna, who left in 2015 and so I believe there is any time that you say yes.

Even though you don't know what it's gonna look like at that moment, you just trust you trust in you go one step 1 foot in front of the other and you get there and you just take one day at a time and on his proven faithful over and over each and every day.

If you could speak to someone right now who was preparing to leave their their culture where they feel safe and going to a place that might be more dangerous or that they might anticipate being more dangerous. What would you say that what words would you speak into them and over them right now while it's dispersing the first two letters of the word Gospels go and two thirds of the word God is go so how we are going and sending people. Certainly the Lord never called us to safety the think of the life of Christ in the life of those early disciples.

They were called and they were faithful and they went in and the places that were not safe, but you know I think for me it's in those valleys of the shadow it's in those places. Since God even closer than this places of safety and the Lord will also protect you. His holy angels.

I have no doubt were were busy with us the whole town that we were way but I would just suggest an urge anyone who's considering or feels that the Lord may be calling you in the service outside of your culture, or even outside of your country that you go that you never second-guess and I believe that you will always cinching your heart that it was the right decision. I like to thank you Col. Kelly and Donna Michael Hart for joining us today. We appreciate your perspective and on the rich experience that you have shared with us today. Thank you. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us@radiouss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 Midas PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer request or share your testimony. Would love to use your story here.

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