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Toneys Update November 2020

Chris and Lynn Toney


In one of the strangest years in memory, life and ministry goes on for us and we are thriving. Here’s a bit of a look into our lives for Fall 2020.  Blessings!  

Celebrating Life and Death 
Months and months before leaving Belize back in 2015 there was much in the way of preparations for handing over our mantel as base leaders, restructuring staff roles, rebuilding a new way of leadership as plans where underway for us personally. A couple things where really clear and that stood out to me within my quiet times in hearing God. One, I was to get more certifications for my role as counselor to YWAM staff. Second, was the feeling/sense that in addition to counseling, I would somehow work with the very young and the very old. The Lord has helped me orchestrate two beautiful and two very distinct ministry roles coming to pass during 2020. What was spoken many years ago, has finally come to pass.
 
Dou·la (do͞olə) Life. 
Defined in the ancient Greek, meaning “the women who serves”.
    
I have the joy to provide emotional, physical and informational support to women in the later part of their pregnancy and postpartum; once baby is born. With Covid and doors closing within ministry, a new door and ministry opportunity swung wide open. I have been able to be trained as a postpartum doula for the mamas in our community. This role intertwines not only counseling which I love but hands on practical support to women and their newborn babies during their most fragile, yet exciting time of life.
 ___________________________________________________________________ 
Hos·pice (häspəs) Celebration of life in death.

Hospice provides compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable diseases and end of life care.. Patients at the Nakamaru Hale residency home have taught me so much about being present, to talk story, to pray with, to ease their suffering, support family members and to truly cherish a person in their final days. Words cannot convey how this role as volunteer has touched and impacted me personally. Christ was the example for us all to show… Care. Comfort. Compassion. Newness of life in a newborn and its mama and life celebrated as we pass onto into eternity. We have reassurance and can take great consolation in knowing God sees us in every moment, every season and every aspect of our lives. 
   
Isaiah 32:17: “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.”YWAM is 60!In December this year, Youth With a Mission is celebrating 60 years of listening to the Lord and doing what He says; transforming nations and individuals, serving, loving, teaching, equipping, proclaiming, and co-creating with God in every nation on the planet.  Our journey in missions has seen us intimately and enthusiastically involved with YWAM by land, sea and air in over 100 nations for nearly 25 of YWAM’s 60 years! We hope and pray that we are being a bright light in the darkness as we bring hope, comfort, peace and love around the world. Jesus said, “as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21. We invite you to take a moment and praise God with us for this wonderful global family and powerful, transformational ministry.
 


Counseling During a Pandemic
People often ask me if my role as counselor has changed much due to the COVID-19 crisis that has rocked all of us throughout the world.  The answer is, “let’s just say, it’s complicated in a simple sort of way”.  Let me explain. The biggest thing I am seeing is that so often, we go about life, on cruise control.  We have our routines, our schedules, what we like, how we pray, who we see, how we recreate, where we go to church… All of those represent our “normal”.  With stressors like COVID, we are forced to create a “new normal.” molasses brain and a fatigue we cannot shake are common, which is exhausting. Our cruise control isn’t on cruise anymore as there are new things on the road, having us to expend more energy, more thinking that effects the realms of mental, emotional and spiritual processes. Can I share something with you? It’s what I tell so many staff who are wrestling with the same things. What you’re feeling, what you’re going through, and how your body and mind are responding is normal. You are not alone. Give yourself permission to be ok with what is happening! God is at work in this season, more than you can ever imagine.

 
As we are all experiencing, COVID seeps into every aspect of our lives; bubbling just under the surface; sometimes very subtle, yet always in our faces. Much like spiritual warfare, we know it’s happening all around us, (like COVID) but we don’t always want to see, engage or know what to do…so we don’t do anything and we get stuck. COVID is out of our control, out of arms reach but we still have to engage it on an everyday basis. But I want to encourage you, like I do with those who I see in counseling. You can get through this season, by leaning on Gods strength, to come against weariness and see where the Lord, your circles of fellowship/friends and good old getting down to a “new normal” gets you back on track. We need an extra measure of strength in these unsettled times. 
The book of Ephesians, has three richly distinct sections, that we can use to bring definition to our fatigued minds. 
 
Who is God? (Eph 1: 17-21) We pray.  We remind ourselves that God is good, loving, just and kind We sit in His presence. We sit at His feet. Before we can walk or stand, we sitWe sit when we are tired, resting and giving our cares over to the LordWhat do I believe about God? (Eph 4:1, Eph 5:8,10)He will never leave me, nor forsake me.We gain strength (sit) so we can begin to walk8 times the word walk is in the book of EphesiansWe build our confidence in Him, with every step we takeThe Holy Spirit’s power enables us to walk worthyHow do I take the Theology of Truth? (Eph 6:10)Greek word for stand means to hold your groundJesus has done the fight for us, our job it to keep what is oursI will choose to trust God, no matter the battleSitting with Christ. Walking with Him. Standing for Him.
 
In any crisis including COVID, we can have a tendency to have fears and doubts. I truly believe that God is okay with all of our strong emotions.  It is our responsibility to avoid becoming “stuck” in the swirl of the mess we face and to rely on the Lord of Lords to usher in “newness” each and every day.  We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed (Heb 10:39). Stand tall..


Engaging Conversations
Chris is hard at work with the SourceView Bible Project.  This fantastic YWAM work has brought the first significant format change to scripture in over 500 years!  We are all familiar with the “book, chapter, verse” format of God’s word, but the scriptures did not have chapters or verses until the 12th Century AD. 

When you spend time reading the bible and really getting into the stories, you will see that a great portion of what is written is dialogue – conversations between people.  The format the bible is currently found in, does not reveal these conversations vividly and much of the power, interesting takes, character development and overall storyline is lost amidst the dust that is collected as the bible sits on the shelf.  

The SourceView Bible brings a thrilling change to the way we read the bible – it comes alive!  We have not changed any of the words of scripture – they are God’s after all.  But we have changed the format into something very familiar to most of the world.  Also, color distinguishes the type of speaker:  Black is the Narrator; Red is God; Green is the lead character in that book; and Blue is everyone else.  Here’s a look at Luke 5:8-13.
Our team has enlisted the help of a great many dedicated folks from many nations and are diligently “Sourcifying” the scriptures into many languages and in many different versions.  Each language also has extensive introductions and a great deal of additional material available in it – but the main focus is scripture, not supporting material.  

With Chris’ background in the original languages of the bible, his focus has been on Hebrew and Greek. in addition to working to promote bible engagement, there are still over 1400 languages in the world that have no portion of scripture translated into it – meaning that there are still millions of people who cannot read or hear God’s work in their heart language.  The SourceView bible has become an invaluable tool in the translation of the Bible due to the high engagement of the narrative and ground breaking innovations in oral translation. Here is that same passage from above in Luke, done in Greek:
 
And Jonah chapter 3 in Hebrew:
Needless to say, Chris’ work with SourceView Bile is quite fulfilling and has a global and everlasting impact.  


Where is YWAM in the World: Mongolia (Update)

In our last newsletter update, we told you about a worldwide effort to give the Scriptures to every person in the country of Mongolia.  Scores of dedicated women, men, young and old scoured that beautiful nation bringing hope in the form of God’s word in many different formats.  Have a look at a short video that might inspire you, as it has thousands of others, to share God’s Word with everyone, everywhere.  
  
End Bible Poverty Now is a collaborative global ministry of YWAM, Wycliffe, SIL, SBC, CRU, Faith Comes by Hearing, United Bible Society, Tyndale, and thousands of ministries, bible translators, churches, bible societies, and others united with a mandate to enable every person on earth to be able to read or hear the Word of God in their mother tongue. Part of this task is to bring the bible to all people everywhere.  Another is to see that God’s Word is translated into every mother tongue on the planet. There are still a little over 1400 languages on earth that have no portion of scripture translated and End Bible Poverty Now will bring this number down to 0!
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What A Decade!

Chris & Lynn and the PandemicYou may be wondering how does one do missions work while there is pandemic going on? Now more than ever the work of full-time missions is critical for those struggling with the world wide pandemic. Everyone needs easy access to the Bible to brings comfort, answers and light. 

Chris is able to work from home, enabling his work with original biblical languages to be an immediate benefit to reach the lost and dramatically aid in translation work. 

For Lynn, counseling has moved from face to face, in person counseling to talking over FaceTime and Zoom with those who need a listening ear and prayer.

The beauty of technology provides much needed times of, encouragement and prayer for staff but also to the greater community we live in where people are fearful, stressed and need Gods love to see them through the days ahead as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with our day to day lives.  

~ The bible transforms individual lives, but it can also change nations.~ 

New Life

They say that things change within your heart when your kid, has a kid. That has certainly been the case with the arrival of William Cylas Toney. Cylas was born on Valentines Day to our oldest son Will ( goes by his first name now) and his lovely wife Adrienne.  Lynn was able to fly right before things got tricky with the virus to help out with baby and help Will and Adrienne move We are so blessed with our first grandson and couldn’t be more proud of Will.  Can’t wait til the next time we can connect with these three.   

What a Decade!

10 years. So much has happened. 10 years – each and every one of you walking with us, praying for us and being side by side with us in missions. 10 years – you, our supporters, have journeyed with us through the tears and the joys. 10 years of ups and downs.  Let us look back over the last decade to some major highlights of Chris and Lynn in missions; serving those around the world and in their local community.

 Accidents Happen 

Having two accidents in the early months of 2010 was an experience we both would rather not repeat. Lynn’s boating accident, a collision between a water taxi on which she was riding and another boat, left bumps, bruises and a severe shoulder dislocation for Lynn, and a fatality on the other boat.  Months of doctor and PT visits while doing rehab exercises were left interrupted by the second accident of 2010. Chris was throw from an horse during a family day out celebrating our two oldest son’s 18th and 16th birthdays. Chris sustained major injuries to his brain resulting in a long stay in the hospital, medically induced coma and several medical tests to determine that a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) has long lasting and irreversible damage. 

What we learned in those early months of the decade: That you can and will have strong support and will tangibly see the results of countless people praying and have the knowledge that you are never alone in God’s embrace and love. 

What we are still learning: That life can be lived to the fullest no matter the obstacles; and that a change in course, no matter the size or the event, can bring new things, great things if we only hear, obey and trust in the Lord.
God is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

Boat’s Goodbye

Living on boats and calling them home for almost 5 years while doing full time missions, while homeschooling your 3 kids, while running DTS schools, while living in VERY small quarters, while overseeing the day to day operations of two large Catamarans was an exhilarating experience to say the least. From hurricane seasons and sailing to safe harbors, to seeing God in nature, to watching students come to a deeper relationship with their Lord, to the perfect sunset, to breakdowns and missing parts, to down pours of rain, to dolphins frocking in the bow, to dark nights of long sails, to worshiping God on the water, saying goodbye to the boats in order to be full-time on land brought a mixture of emotions. 

What we learned: An experience of a lifetime. That God will meet you in the most unexpected ways. To hold fast to a dream created by Him. To never give up, even when everyone around you says otherwise. 
 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in touch with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

The Nest is Empty 

2013 marked the beginning for Chris and Lynn of what is affectionally called “Empty Nesting” in the U.S. It’s the season of when all of your kids are out of the house and on their own. Will (Cameron), Josh and Jessie were moving into adult living while Chris and Lynn where able to expand ministry focus to include travel and teaching abroad while still serving as base leaders in Belize. 

What we learned: That hard work, trusting the Lord with your kids, being consistent and showing Gods love to them, can pay off to be blessed with amazing adult kids. **If you’re in the season of child rearing, have hope your love and care will pay off.  
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

The Passing of the Baton

We don’t know about you, but often times the Lord moves through big events and/or changes, prayer, ideas, nudges, scripture or what the world would call a “coincidence”. Looking back now, there were signs; there were things already in motion (remember the comment about learning?) that started off slowly and built momentum as we handed off of our roles as base leaders of Destination Paradise, a Youth With a Mission training base originally founded on sailing boats, and eventually became a strong training campus with over a hundred students each year completing schools, outreaches and internships.  

What we learned: What you think you are going to do forever can change… be open to the possibility of bigger and better as the Lord guides and directs your path. Do you have the faith to step out into the unknown? Sure you do; just trust Him and He will show you the way.  
 For we walk by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7

New Beginnings (again)

Starting off in missions in 1997 left us with the exhilaration and excitement of what have we done?! sense of nervousness for what was next. Who would have known that the Lord would take us, teach us, train us, be with us, and guide us in so many different ways (Mercy Ships, Captain, homeschooler, teacher, trainer, counselor, bible scholar etc..), taking us all over the world and reaching countless people. Leaving Belize allowed for a widening the net, going deeper with new things. He landed us in Kona, but He paved the way for us to travel, to teach and to go.

What we learned: Anything is possible with the Lord. Hold on tight!  You might think you know what the ride will be like, but it turns out to be the ride of a lifetime complete with immeasurable faith and heart pounding experiences.  Given the choice, we wouldn’t change it for anything!
 With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.  Matt 19:26

Let Us Learn (more)

In hindsight, it is easy to see where the Lord was directing both Chris and Lynn from 2011 and onward to the later part of the decade.  Who would have known that both of us would continue  education beyond university in fields that we love and that we would engage that learning so extensively and internationally in the coming years, and now in, of all places, at the U of N campus in Kona Hawaii. Chris started in 2011 with the first of 2 masters degrees through Fuller Seminary. Our neurologist has said many times that Chris’s academic studies helped him in the early years of recovery by stimulating healing by learning. Lynn followed a few years later with the desire to glean more information in the field of counseling and coaching. Association of Christian Biblical Counselors certification was quite stretching with a steep earning curve. Both of our certifications and degrees are used every day for the greater progress of the kingdom. 

What we learned in the process of more education: That you’re never too old to learn. That there is so much out there to do, see and be a part of when education has been fostered, nurtured and grown. 
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:9

No More

How do you explain the term gut wrenching? That pit in your stomach? That headache that comes from stress? That sinking feeling of dreams lost, vision blurred and plans that will cease to happen? Living and doing ministry in Belize was always tricky. Did we see things coming as they unfolded? No. Were there always challenges with the Belizean government from the first day we sailed into this beautiful nation? Yes. Could the base and its new leadership have done anything to stop the ways of a corrupt government? No. The base closure still has long term effects for us both, former YWAM DP staff and those Belizeans we loved and were blessed to be a part of their lives. We always trust that the Lord has hopes and dreams far beyond what we can imagine or understand. 

What we learned: That in the storm, you may not know, can’t see, or feel the reasons for what is happening- but can trust that this too shall pass. When you’re in the midst of the pain, God can and will bring clarity, love and care to his kids. 
See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:19