Sixteen Seasons

David James

Description

How would a young American missionary family react when immersed in the heart of remote Tajikistan?
Follow the James family’s adventures in an ancient Persian city an hour north of Afghanistan. Through the humor and pain of these vignettes you will discover not only a new people and their culture but will examine anew your own culture and faith.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Growth
• Christian Church

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 27 juin 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645080442
• Langue: English

Extrait

A little over a decade ago, a shy, unassuming, and tenderhearted young man left a profound impression on me when I first met him among a classroom full of students on the first day of class at Wheaton College. It was simply unmistakable how David embodied Christ’s love. For the next few years, I had the privilege to witness him blossoming in the Lord with integrity, simplicity, purity, and singularity to delight in the Lord and His people.
Then, I learned that he was going to embark on a “low-profile” cross-cultural ministry in an “undisclosed” part of the world with Ann, his newlywed wife. I wished them Godspeed, not knowing whether I would ever hear from them again. To my delight, David and Ann have “emerged” to grace us with ten short poignant episodes narrating how God has graciously met them and faithfully made His presence known through them.
In this book, David invites his readers to walk alongside of him as he masterfully describes the complexity of his encounters with a people and culture so foreign to him, yet very much the object of God’s love. With self-reflective and audacious honesty, David offers God’s transforming work in and through him in that “remote” part of the world as a reminder for us Christians in the West that His light still shines bright in darkness. In this book, David in his unassuming manner causes me to reflect deeply on whether that same light shines bright in my life and through the church in a post-Christian, Western world. Thank you, David, for teaching me through your life.
S. Steve Kang, PhD, professor of Educational Ministries and Interdisciplinary Studies, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Having devoted my life to missionary service, I love a good read that captures the heart of another culture. Now I have a new favorite— Sixteen Seasons by David James. The author combines the storytelling of Hosseini ( The Kite Runner ) with the observation of Dalrymple ( From the Holy Mountain ) and adds his own spiritual reflection to the cultural interplay. The result is an insightful, entertaining account of the infusion of good news into a dark environment.
Don Eenigenburg, church planting director, Christar
This book captures what happens when youthful enthusiasm encounters the day-to-day grind of very ordinary mission work. The author has a remarkable eye for observing and noting the events of everyday life with humor and insight. He has chosen to follow the adage of “show don’t tell” as he communicates his message without being the least bit preachy. This eye-opening narrative shows the reality of life in a post-Soviet country.
James C. Wilhoit, PhD, Scripture Press professor of Christian Formation and Ministry, Wheaton College



Sixteen Seasons: Stories from a missionary family in Tajikistan Copyright © 2011 by David James
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission of The Lockman Foundation. www.lockman.org
Published by William Carey Library 1605 E. Elizabeth Street Pasadena, CA 91104 | www. missionbooks.org
Kelley K. Wolfe, editor Kate Hegland, copyeditor Josie Leung, interior design Alyssa E. Force, cover design Mikhail Romanyuk, cover photo
William Carey Library is a ministry of the US Center for World Mission Pasadena, CA | www.uscwm.org
Digital eBook Release Primalogue 2015 ISBN 978-0-87808-983-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
James, David. Sixteen seasons : stories from a missionary family in Tajikistan / David James. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-87808-473-9 1. Missionary stories. 2. Missions--Tajikistan. 3. Tajikistan--Social life and customs. 4. Tajikistan--Social conditions. I. Title. BV2087.J36 2011 266.0092--dc23 [B] 2011023905

To my love Ann and to my beautiful Grace and Silas. Though Tajikistan was very difficult, I would not change anything. I consider it a treasure beyond measure to have seen your perseverance lead to character and character to hope. Though we settled on the far side of the sea, we never left His hands.


CONTENTS
FOREWORD
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A DAY IN PURSUIT OF AIR CONDITIONING
TO GET AN UZI
THE GIANT SAINT
NORMAL LIFE
100% UNNATURAL
THIS OLD TAJIK HOUSE
A WINTER’S NIGHT
BAHRIDDIN’S WEDDING
SCHOOL DAYS
UNITY IN CHRIST
EPILOGUE
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY


FOREWORD
Sixteen Seasons contains captivating vignettes taken from the life of a young missionary, David James. The reader is transported into a world unknown, strange, wonderful, often confusing, and surprisingly illuminating as the author provides cultural understanding. This book is not only a good read, a page-turner, really, but filled with color, warmth, and cultural charm. Tajikistan was home to the James family for several years and we are invited to share in their story—one filled with customs, traditions, daily patterns, politics, transportation, and experiences that both challenge and intrigue. Life in Tajikistan could hardly have been more opposite than the American life the author knew and loved. But success in cultural adjustment—never easy—begins with suspending judgment, embracing the differences, and learning to “dance to the rhythm” that makes life meaningful and sensible to the people who will soon be neighbors, friends, colleagues, and, by God’s grace, followers of Jesus.
James takes the routine and turns it into the wondrous, humorous, and sometimes sad—much in the tradition of James Herriot, the English veterinarian surgeon ( All Creatures Great and Small ) who drew us into his world of animals with both laughter and pathos. Both Herriot and James possess the gift of creating images that explode in the reader’s mind, creating the wonder of “experiencing” the very event itself. From observing a “goat pull” match to dealing with electrical outages, from fussing with a temperamental air conditioner to being spontaneously inducted into a wedding party as a groomsman, James helps us see the mundane and the oddities of life with an inquisitive, but discerning eye.
While fighting the natural tendency to dismiss, even criticize, many of these cultural peculiarities, he keeps an open mind, seeks to understand, and, in time, makes sense out of seeming chaos. Learning to “dance to the rhythm” demands patience, mental tenacity, and physical and emotional engagement—rare commodities among those settling into such an exotic culture for the first time. Perhaps even more rare is the respect and love evidenced in James’ captivating account of living among the Tajiks. Yet, he does not shy away from marking the deficiencies, dangers, and biblically unacceptable practices. People living in a new culture often come to see more clearly the defects in their own (home) culture and those among the Western Christian community as well. With the same grace in describing failings in Tajik society, he helps us see more clearly where we, too, fall short in being Christ-followers.
One chapter recounts the astonishing circumstances surrounding a Tajik wedding. Getting married is the author’s friend, Bahriddin. After describing all the customs of parental matchmaking leading to the bride and groom’s marriage, James finds himself stuffed in a taxi with Tajik music blasting at an ear-splitting level. It is the night before the wedding.
The taxi driver flipped the tape over, which gave me a moment to assess the severity of the ringing in my ears. Maybe the Mullah [in the front seat] was already deaf or surely he would have been complaining. . . . As the music started in again Bahriddin leaned over and yelled something in my ear. “What?! Speak English!” I yelled at Bahriddin hoping that would give me a better shot at understanding him over the music. “Will you be my second man?!” Had I heard that right? “You mean tonight and tomorrow for your wedding?!” I screamed hoping I had heard incorrectly. “Yes!” Bahriddin screamed back, smiling. “Uhhhhh, okay!” I said. Drat. What just happened? Was I a groomsman now? What am I wearing anyway. . . . I was having serious doubts that I was a good choice.
Such are the wondrous adventures of the James family.
Some stories are marked by sadness. The author expresses sorrow on a number of fronts: the historic Russian domination of Tajikistan that has limited its ability to grow and experience the freedoms such a country might expect; the grip of Islam on the minds of people who understand so little, but pay homage nonetheless; the corruption that keeps the masses in poverty; the oppressive government that dictates life in severe ways. The sadness goes beyond these daily realities to signal the ultimate sadness—that the Tajiks face a Christless eternity unless someone tells them about the God who sent his Son, Jesus, to die for the forgiveness of their sins.
By way of James’ amazing powers of observation and description, it is my hope that the reader will be drawn into the drama of daily life and the romance of learning to love a new culture, a new people. Additionally, that the reader might become deeply connected with the present state of pioneer missions among least-reached peoples and in so doing be spurred on toward greater engagement in our Lord’s Great Commission.
Throughout these stories, one is constantly aware that only by God’s presence and the work of the Holy Spirit is the otherwis