Website of Missionary John Wilburn
Missionary Musings
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A Large Mission Field
In early 2019 I was walking to a nearby community in order to pick up my vehicle from the mechanic. While on the way there I took this picture from an elevated hill of Barroullie. This picture reminds me the community is bigger than I think…. And a massive amount of people live there! It […]
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The Gospel Grows Slowly
For years I have done Bible clubs in an area of Barrouallie, two girls Susan and Mellissa (not their real names) will come almost every time I’m there. Through songs, memory verses, bible stories, and activities I patiently explained the Gospel. I firmly believe that Salvation is a personal choice… So I’ll often tell the […]
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Missions is Rebuilding
Last week I had the opportunity to take my field administrator and his wife around the island of Saint Vincent. One of the most important areas we visited was Fitts-Hughes, in the area of Chateaubelair. This area was beautiful, but that wasn’t what made it important….. It was important because of the damage made by […]
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You Can’t Always Be Ready
Last Wednesday night I was driving my field administrator and his wife home from speaking at church for prayer meeting. We were talking about our plans for the next day and what the Lord was doing on the field. Suddenly I heard a loud smash…. And saw my driver side mirror was shattered! Vincentian roads […]
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The Beautiful and Ugly Side of the Island
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to host my field administrator and his wife with Baptist Mid Missions as they visited SVG. We had a wonderful time visiting areas of the island, meeting pastors, and learning more about the need. I was careful during the week to show them the beauty of Saint Vincent, […]
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Boys Need a Job
There is a little boy in the community that I will call James (not his real name) who is ALWAYS getting into trouble! It seems as if every time I walk down the road the lady who cares for him is shouting at him about doing something. Last Sunday i came early to get ready […]
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Motivated by Convictions
You can’t see it from this distance…but that dog has a huge smile on his face! Last Monday a friend extended my gate, which allowed me to let my dog Vincy off the leash at all times. This adds protection, but it also makes him much calmer since Vincy always wanted to be an inside […]
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Missions Teaches Me Growth Comes Slowly
I don’t usually get very excited about a radish Unless of course it is MY RADISH! In November I planted some seeds for a personal garden. The plan is to continue developing it into a community garden of sorts. Friends helped me excitedly plant the seeds and build beds to ensure they would be protected. […]
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The Power of a Mouse Click
Christmas 2019 for me was a day of enjoyment with friends and family. But it was also a reminder just how easy it is to make an incredibly foolish mistake. My family had a running joke over three years from 2017 to 2019. It was done innocently and in fun but wasn’t something that should […]
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Time is Precious
For Christmas my brother sent me an old watch that he’s no longer using. The truth is being used makes the watch itself more precious than if it was brand new. Because my brother Michael is an extremely disciplined person who uses his time wisely. So that watch whenever I wear it sends a special […]
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Ask the Hard Questions
In January 2020 the Lord allowed me to begin teaching Theology Classes at the Bible College. This was a very challenging experience, and at the same time very rewarding. Challenging because we would dig deep into the truths of Scripture…. Rewarding because we got to wrestle with hard questions Most questions with Scripture have easy […]
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You Will Burn Out (1 Samuel 27:6)
During late 2022 I began preaching through the life of David as God prepared him to become king. He was incredibly faithful to the Lord through stressful situations like being constantly hunted by Saul and betrayed by those around him. David even displayed faith in the Lord’s deliverance by refusing to take vengeance upon Saul […]
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You Will Fall Down
In January 2020 I was excited about teaching a class on Theology I (my first theology course) at the Bible College. My heart looked forward to sharing and explaining the deep truths of Scripture to students that would provide the foundation for future ministry. And then I showed up for the first day for class […]
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Missions Takes a Radical Commitment
One of the most encouraging (and challenging) things I do for myself is to read the biographies of great missionaries. It is encouraging because their lives display the power and providence of God…. It is challenging because I see their commitment is so much greater than mine. Few missionaries symbolize this balance of encouragement and […]
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Sometimes it is an Easy Fix
I absolutely love my Nisan Sunny (Altima) but shortly after I purchased it, a problem started. It would run the AC every morning till about 9:00, but then wouldn’t run anymore for the rest of the day. I took it to a place for the AC unit to be serviced and it worked properly for […]
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Missions Is Being Ready for the Dark Days
January is traditionally the dry season in SVG, which means we don’t get a lot of rain. But since Christmas we have been getting massive amounts of it! Along with the rain I’ve experienced more than one dark day recently Dark days are times when I experience discouragement or depression. This emotional struggle usually comes […]
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Life Gives Us Dents
During my years of driving in SVG I’ve scraped my vehicle more than once on a wall or in a gutter. But was able to avoid traffic accidents till 2019, and a larger one seen above in early 2020. Actually this isn’t an accident…. it’s a dent Almost every vehicle in Saint Vincent has scrapes […]
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Dreams Grow Slowly
The word “refuge” is a big part of my plans for 2023. I wrote last week about my house being a refuge for spiritual renewal for the next day’s ministries. But that is just one part of the vision. The other part is creating a refuge in the backyard for people to learn more about […]
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Life is Too Short for Weak Coffee
My guard-dog Vincy has a lot of jobs. He is a fearless protector, doorbell (If I don’t hear someone come), and keeps other animals out of my yard. Usually, he eats cheap dog food and likes it (Good dog food is very expensive here). But every once in a while, I get to spoil him. […]
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When the Tablets Break
One of the most dramatic changes I’ve seen in Barrouallie took place in 2019. Up till that time after school most children would change their school clothes, and then either to the park, or play marbles. Thats right….play marbles! Boys especially enjoyed bringing out their favorite marbles (and getting some new ones). It got to […]
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They Don’t Stay Cute
There is a hen in the community who will go from yard to yard looking for things to eat. Over time she decided to adopt my own yard as her main place to stay which was fine by me. Eventually she laid eggs, and one morning was followed by eight fuzzy baby chicks. Those first […]
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Rising When We Fall (Micah 7:8)
I used to think missionaries are super-Christians who never sin or have struggles. Then I became one! The truth is missionaries aren’t perfect people. They are Believers God has called to special service that can only be completed by His grace instead of their strength. This means missions isn’t about working harder, but relying upon […]
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Separating from the Silly People
Though I love SVG, and the community of Barrouallie in particular, there are some things that occasionally annoy me here. One of them is “street dogs” or dogs that don’t belong to anyone. Now I have a soft place in my heart for homeless animals so it isn’t really their existence that annoys me…. It’s […]
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EVERYTHING has purpose!
This week I hope to finish book one for 2023 “Mission Possible: Go Create a Life that Counts” by Tim Tebow. I actually listened to the audio version of this book last year, but wanted to read it as well. This book is a very good one to start the year because it focuses on […]
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Sometimes We Fight!
Yesterday morning while working on sermons I heard dogs fighting outside. At first I thought it was in the road, but then realized it was in my yard! I ran outside to see my dog Vincy on his leash, fighting with a neighbor dog! I immediately pulled him back by his leash, and got a […]
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Missions Takes a Strong Immune System
The Lord has blessed me physically on the mission field with a strong body that doesn’t get sick much. But in the last months of 2022 that changed. During October and November colds and the flu ravaged Saint Vincent in waves. Thankfully I was able to escape with only a basic cold in October. But […]
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Love Celebrates Strangeness
In January 2019 before my return to Saint Vincent, my family gave me a traditional farewell dinner filled with my favorite things. Among them krispie creme donuts, pizza, and diet dr. thunder. Thats right….I said diet dr. thunder! For those who are unaware, diet dr. thunder is the wal-mart version of diet dr. pepper. I […]
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A Boring New Year
As the new year begins my mind has turned to evaluation of 2022, and what the Lord would have me do in 2023. This is a healthy thing of course, and it leads to dreaming big dreams, along with development of fresh plans. But the implementation involves something far less exciting….. Write things down!!! I […]
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Love in Any Language
In 2019 I began teaching classes at a local Bible College. Over the months the Lord allowed me to not only share many important lessons but develop friendships. During a bible conference that year one student from Grenada ran up to me and said “Preacher! (he always called me that) I’m going to make you […]
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My ฮบฮฑฯฮฑฯฯฮณฮนฮฟ
Over Christmas weekend I spent a lot of time at home re-organizing my house. This is a yearly thing since things get a bit disorganized, and getting a house in order helps get life in order as the new year approaches. Part of me doesn’t see the organization of my house as important (I am […]
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God is There
One Saturday morning in 2019 I was sitting on the porch having my devotions when a majestic rainbow appeared in the sky! In a way it was as if God had given to me a special reminder of HIs presence while I studied His word. I love those God moments when He feels so close….. […]
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Sharing Christmas
Here in Saint Vincent Christmas lunch is a pretty big deal! It’s like the Thanksgiving lunch in America where family is invited over to have a delicious meal of things like ham, pork, and chicken. A lot of times people on Christmas day will share out plates of their lunch to others so that they […]
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When the Day is Done, be Done!
One of my favorite things about Saint Vincent is the spectacular sunsets that you see almost every evening about 6:00. They are reminders of God’s grace for each day, and the beauty that we see in creation. They are also reminders to be done. Sunsets and evening hours are God’s way of showing me the […]
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Life Lessons from a Busted Ball
Every year I bring balls from America in my Christmas barrel. This is because kids love to play games of course, and traditionally Friday is “games day” for the children I work with. The other reason I bring balls from America is because busted balls are a regular occurrence. The balls in Saint Vincent are […]
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It’s Not About the Coffee
One of the unique things about living on the mission field is it’s hard to surprise me with Christmas gifts. Because they come from the US and I’m in SVG, the present cannot just be returned if they don’t work. So every year my family asks me what I want (within reason) and they send […]
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A Time to Celebrate
For my birthday in 2019 I did some shopping with cash sent by my family, and picked up some of my favorite ice cream on the way home. After eating most of the container in one sitting (it was my birthday after all) I put some on the lid, and allowed my guard-dog Vincy to […]
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Love is a Snack Box
Last Wednesday we visited the prison for the last time before the Christmas holiday. Because of this, the superintendent gave us permission to bring in food that we had prepared and give it out to them. To make things easier, the ladies put all of the food into individual to-go boxes, or as we call […]
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A Quiet Heart
Paul Miller in his excellent book “A Praying Life” describes what he calls breath prayers. These are prayers that we pray continually by habit (even subconsciously) throughout the day. One of his favorite breath prayers is incredibly simple, but at the same time powerful…. “Lord quiet my heart!” Life unfortunately is incredibly busy, and anything […]
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You Can’t Stop With One!
My parents know that one of my favorite snacks is jellybeans. I like starburst, but my favorite is the Jelly Belly brand that make distinctive flavors for each jellybean. Usually, I will receive a large container of them with my Christmas barrel. In 2019 you couldn’t find Jelly Belly’s so mom and dad sent me […]
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The Greatest Gift
For our Christmas service last Sunday night I assembled a singing group of children who attend Bible clubs during the week. They were all excited about singing Joy to the World in front of everyone (especially using a microphone) but I wanted to give them an added motivation. So we made Christmas bags! These bags […]
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Celebrate Obedience
When veteran child-evangelism fellowship missionary Betty Hoover retired, she gave me ALL of her material to reach the children of Saint Vincent with the Gospel. I found some incredible treasures in her boxes of material….. But none were more precious than her “funny money.” These were different colored bills that could be given to children […]
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Take Advantage of Tender Hearts
I often do Bible clubs with stories, songs, and memory verses in the community. Even though the areas are within walking distance I’ll normally drive there since chairs and other items are used, and it conserves energy. There is another reason I drive…. it’s to experience the response of children when they see my car! […]
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The World Needs Guard Dogs
Shortly after moving into my new rental property in 2019, my dog Vincy took his now almost permanent position at the gate portion of the porch. He will sometimes roam into the yard as far as the leash allows him to go…. but the porch itself is his personal domain. Friends who Vincy knows don’t […]
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The Small God Moments
Sometimes in life we experience what I like to call “God Moments.” These are usually big situations that the Lord works out of His own glory in an absolutely spectacular way. Often a God moment leads people to worship the power and presence of God. There are massive God moments in our lives….. but we […]
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Things Will Go Wrong!
In recent weeks I’ve been hearing a loud whining sound occasionally while driving. A friend borrowed my car for a youth meeting and had his mechanic look at the car. He informed me the problem wasn’t the back brakes (as I thought) but another part. Last week I began searching for that part with no […]
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A Band-Aid or Surgery
You see that 100% at the top corner of my phone? More than once last week I wondered if I would ever see it again!! Around a month ago my phone stopped charging properly with my charger. For a week it worked well with a different cord, but then would stop strangely. After charging fully […]
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