God Removes Obstacles

God Removes Obstacles

Lenny Faria responded quickly after Hurricane Katrina to join the large teams serving in the New Orleans area with ReachGlobal Crisis Response.  As a building contractor, he was eager to use his skills to accomplish as much as possible, but he was oblivious at that point to the relational part of the ministry.  Soon after his initial trip, God used a missions trip to Mexico to change his focus.  His team had gone down to build a boy’s dorm for an orphanage, but due to elections being held while there, all businesses were temporarily closed.  This meant that they had no place to purchase materials.  Unable to build, the focus of the trip changed to loving the 125 children in the orphanage.

Lenny explained, “The lesson I learned was that I was going to do God’s work and not mine.”  He started understanding ReachGlobal’s position- it’s about the people not the work.  Lenny continued to go on more trips with Crisis Response to New Orleans, Haiti, and Alabama.  With each trip, he felt more convinced that God was calling him to do this long-term.  Returning home, he would think of all the reasons why this was not practical.  He had his own business.  How would he make any money if he left?

“Finally, after 8 years of doing these missions trips with ReachGlobal, it was really weighing on me that this was what God wanted me to do,” recalled Lenny.  He discussed this with Mark Lewis, Kevin Watterson, friends, and his wife.  After Sandy hit, Lenny met Mark in Staten Island to access damage and meet with people from Salem Church.  Lenny went home and told his wife, "Boy, I really think I’m being called there to help more on a long-term basis and not for a week or two.”  They discussed all the roadblocks to going.  She said, “You know, if it is God who is calling you to do it and it’s not just you wanting to do this, then you need to go.”

Through praying and talking together, Lenny realized a few things would have to happen before this change could be possible.  First, Lenny had a large customer base from over 30 years in business who he would not just desert.  He wanted to know there would be someone to service them.  Secondly, he had two trailers and a bunch of tools that needed to be sold so business debts could be paid.  Lastly, financial support needed to be provided for his family while serving.

The very next day, a friend who is also a contractor stopped by.  Lenny shared the decision weighing on his heart.  His friend asked if he was selling the one trailer, which he was.  He told Lenny, “Well, I want it.”  The next day, he came by with a check.  A couple of hours later, Lenny’s son, who is also a contractor, stopped by.  His son asked, “I know you have been struggling with some medical problems.  Is there any way I can help you?”  He agreed to take over Lenny’s customer base while Lenny was away.  That was two answers to prayer in two days!!

That left the larger trailer and tools.  The Times Square Church in N.Y. had contacted Salem Church to see how they could help.  Salem Church needed tools and a place to store them.  Times Square Church bought Lenny’s trailer and tools and donated them to ReachGlobal Crisis Response.  “So, everything I had prayed about had happened within 4 days. … It was definitely God talking to me and saying, ‘This is where I want you.’” 

Since coming, Lenny shared, “It’s been exciting to see God’s work, to see how God works in a disaster situation in both homeowners and teams coming here.  He’s provided everything I’ve needed so far. … I feel I have changed.  I’ve become a different person. … I think I have become much more dependent on God.  I pray about everything now where I didn’t always do that.  I always felt I was in control, and I didn’t need God in my life all the time.  We turn to God when we need Him instead of turning to God all the time.  I’ve become a lot closer in my walk with God.  I go to prayer all the time.  I’m into the Word more than I was before. … I’ve become more patient. … I realize there is still more work to be done in my life.”  Lenny had a major focus on work in his life.  He has since learned to spend time with his family when home, depend more on God and others, and he is not as stressed as he was before making this life change.  God is using Lenny to make an impact on the regions impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Is He calling you to serve too?

Internships Change Lives

Why intern with Crisis Response? Megan Thomas interned in Haiti for 2 1/2 months and said it helped her learn more about how missions work practically and to see how short-term and long-term missions work together. Just living in a different culture opened her eyes to struggles and poverty others experience. Hannah Yowell interned in Haiti and loved the strong friendships she developed while there with both Americans and Haitians.


The experience helped her to pray better and think differently about missions.

Katie Kepko, a 4 month New Orleans intern, encouraged others to come to grow while using "the skills God has given them and the passions they have to serve their community. ... It gives them the experience of working and living in Christian community with people who are uplifting and supporting you. It also gave me the opportunity to have an influence on teams coming to serve. I could make an impact on their lives. Not to mention, it was a lot of fun.

"With the intern program, I thought originally, I was going to go down and have a job with ReachGlobal, and that was going to be my internship. I didn't realize that was only half of it.







 
  

"The other half was focused on helping me grow spiritually and personally, just learning more about myself and God. I thought it was really cool that I was not just there using my gifts to help, but people were really investing in me also. That was a really cool aspect, and Katie Hooks put so much of her life into me and her time. She was really great. She is definitely great at what she does."

Andrew Nilson, an intern in Haiti, explained, "When you want to get good at baseball, you go away for 2 weeks to baseball camp. ... Training to be a disciple of Christ is no different in the sense that it still takes practical training. So, going away for a focused amount of time really influences the likelihood that the person will live differently in their everyday lives."


Do you know someone who wants to discover how God wants them to live in this world? Perhaps an internship with Crisis Response is just what they need

 

Andrew pointed out,



"God’s heart is for the world, and we often lose sight of that. In our day to day lives, our world is quite small. Going for 2 weeks is great, but it is not the same experience. Spending an amount of time there really opens your eyes to God’s heart. As far as doing it with ReachGlobal, I was highly impressed with their desire to do ministry in a culturally sensitive way. "

   



 

The Work Continues

This past year, ReachGlobal Crisis Response hosted over 1600 volunteers in New Orleans, New Jersey, Staten Island, Haiti, and Colorado. Our Mobilize Initiative is working as churches are trained to serve with us in a crisis. Two churches have joined the initiative, and a third is currently checking out the process.  God continues to provide faithful partners in the form of churches, individuals, and companies who donate funds and supplies to meet the many needs in different crisis locations. We received our largest donation yet this week to help with our general crisis fund. This fund is important, because it allows us to react quickly when a disaster strikes and provide immediate help for those in desperate need.

We have seen God work in amazing ways at each of the sites where we have ministered this year. Brigantine Bible Church
is restored and reaching out to their community in New Jersey with the love of Jesus Christ. Below is a photo from their fall baptism.

 
Beacon Church continues to supply lodging and food as well as relational ministry workers in New Jersey. Lenny and Jen will be working there with teams this spring.  A number of homeowners are back in their homes, but workers are still needed for many remaining work orders.

Salem Church in Staten Island has made a long-term commitment to help with crisis ministry.

We have rented a former convent to house teams.  There are many homeowners on the list waiting for help, and the church members are partnering with us.  Salem Church has baptized around 80 new Christians this year as God uses the crisis to draw people to Him.  Teams are needed to continue the fruitful outreach.  The church is building a relational team with Ella Miller's help to reach out to their neighbors.

Crisis Response is working closely with Pastor Sam, leader of 5 church plants in East Samar since Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines. Waves washed away homes, schools, boats, fields, and trees. The coconut and banana trees and boats now strewn across the ground were the main

income of many. Families have no choice but to send their kids off to other regions or countries to find low paying jobs to help support their family. This makes the kids susceptible to trafficking and exploitation. Our plan includes clearing rice fields and repairing fishing boats to help protect kids and their families. We are helping church par-ners develop teams to deal with emotional, spiritual, and physical needs long-term. They are setting up safe places for kids to gather, receive care, and learn. We are also providing chain saws to convert downed trees into lumber for homes. So many trees are down, and the lumber from these trees is being used to rebuild homes.

In Colorado, we are organizing a response involving churches and secular groups.  We match secular groups to Christian homeowners and Christian groups to secular homeowners for Gospel outreach.



 

Discipleship, Restoration, and Leadership Development in Haiti from Baltimore Meetings

Discipleship: (Dr. Dorlus)

Identified 2 things- not that separate in real life

Look at from

1.      Worldview

2.      Obedience

Haiti now mostly geared toward memorization not obedience.  Not, how are you going to apply this?  This is their way of regular education.  Everything is rote learning and then practice.  They have done church the same way.

Worldview: Address all of the Gospel issues in context and transfer in a way Haitians can understand and are thinking.  They have different basic definitions for words because of their worldview.

Missions:  They are just now understanding that it is not just local, but crossing cultural barriers.

Progress: Still studying worldview.  Dr. Dorlus stated he is finding things we did not address, but the Bible did.  We did not ask the questions.  We were not cognizant of that.

Dr. Dorlus explained that this past week at the number one radio station in the country, they talked about Haitian mentality.  They talked about positive and negative things we do that are attached to the way we think.  After the presentation, the phones were overloaded on this live call in show with people calling with questions.  You can tell there is a strong interest on this end.  Who are we?  Why is it we do what we do? Can it be changed?  Most of the questions that went through had to do with how we engage society.  They asked, “How does that relate to politics?”  Just take the word conversion.  What we evangelicals mean by that is not the same as what locals mean by that.  What locals mean is that you walk in front of the altar.  You ask, “Have you been converted to Christianity.”  They may answer, “Oh, I’ve done that 6 times already.”  Basic words need to be defined.  There is a link between this and leadership development.  (Pray for Jean Dorlus.  Satan has been fighting this worldview research because of the difference it will make.)

Dr. Dorlus spoke with a voodoo priest on the street and asked him for his definition of death.  Death is crossing to go somewhere else.  Technically, after one year and one day they believe you can talk to that person.  They can tell you just about anything.  The priest said that even your Bible says you can do that.  He used the story of the witch of Endor.  The average Haitian thinks he can talk to dead parents.  This is just one example of the difference worldview makes.

Restoration:

 Initiatives (focus areas)- Ag, health, Education, Evangelism, Global Fingerprints

All have leadership development that leads to Gospel transformation.  We want to develop teams for each of these.

Community Housing Evangelism- doing at STEP, bringing housing back in to people who lost their homes (security, dignity)

Principles are transferable from one initiative to another.  We need to identify teams and team leaders, or have more partner conversation.

STEP- Mobile Medical Unit- Pilot projects that we need to replicate or spread.  The initial relationship was with one partner.

In Leadership Development

·         Main one is obedience based discipleship

·         Servant leader

·         Ministry skills

·         Ethics- personal, family life in ministry

·         Doctrine

Dave Hyatt pointed out that there is a great overlap between worldview and leadership development.  People’s worldview is so messed up.  It is great that we realize in Haiti that people don’t necessarily understand conversion and basic steps of Christianity without more explanation and need a period of teaching.  They continue to lead a pagan life otherwise.   Americans suffer from thinking they are Christian enough, but there is so much syncretism going on.  “The rocks we hit in leadership development are the same rocks we hit in normal discipleship.”

STEP is huge in their training, their ministry network, current students, and faculty influence.  Almost every organization we have been involved with has asked for help in leadership development in some way.   So that is a huge area.

When the Haitians self-analyzed, Dr. Dorlus said, “Guys, we are the problem.  We are the ones training the leaders, and we need to train our whole approach to training.”  How do we even teach?  We need to do more.  Steve said, “We think we are starting from zero, but we are starting from negative because of worldview issues.”  Mark talked about the Yoda quote from Star Wars, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”  We still have not figured out what has to be unlearned.  This involves not only material and content, but also method.  Dave said what he has seen work is people building into their lives who have come alongside them.  He spoke of a profound statement from Ginger Muchmore from 1 Thessalonians 1:9 about turning to God from worthless idols.  She stated that so much of conversion in Haiti is turning to God but not turning from worthless idols.   The discipleship process says, “What are you leaving behind? What are you unlearning?”   It is not going to be a book or radio broadcast that changes them.   It is life on life.  It is the obedience piece- becoming self- feeding, and learning by observation instead of memorization.  55-60% of Haitians are functionally illiterate, so you can’t just tell them to read the book of Galatians.  Bruce McMartin pointed out that in their mindset, their favorite teacher will be someone at the high school who stutters and has trouble getting things out.  They feel he has so much in his head that he can’t get it out.  “We are trying to put the cookies on the lower shelf, and yet this is the guy they are holding up as the intellectual who has all this knowledge.… We will not get any respect to get a hearing.”  Dr. Dorlus said, “It is a different value system.”

 

 

 

Key Result Areas for Haiti Consortium

Key Result Areas:

·         Restoration- many leaders died in earthquake, damage by earthquake, community development

·         Leadership Development-loss of leaders, growth in church (30% since earthquake, looking to expand

·         Gospel Transformation-Church Planting Movement,

New church model- be more faithful to the Bible and more relevant to the Haitian culture, shift focus to discipleship and not just conversion experience, geared toward local evangelism now

·         Missions Mobilizations

Acts 19 location

Beyond

Vision d’Antioch

 

Guiding Principles on Haiti Ministry

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

“Some other top level guiding principles from our mission stand point- our core driver is develop, empower, release.  There are some higher level things that go above Haiti that become ethos for us as a mission. That is certainly one.  The ReachGlobal sandbox describes who we are, what we do, how we do ministry.  An entry position for a consortium person is having familiarity with the sandbox. … We’ve come up with a set of values, principles that we’re applying to ministry.  We are trying to make decisions based on those values.  We need to revisit those values so we can adjust them, because we keep learning more, and we need to refine them.  Haiti is this place of paradoxes.  You try to apply the value, and but what about this situation?”

Joe Casey asked if he understood that the initiatives have to come from the Haitian people.

 “Ideally, as we develop healthy partnerships and healthy relationships,” Mark pointed out, “it is actually something that comes together.  We’re working things independently, and they come together.  It’s not our idea, not a program we’re coming to push.  There’s nothing wrong with us having ideas.  There’s nothing wrong with Haitians coming to us with ideas. It is creating an exchange in a good, healthy way.  We work together on, ‘Is this a viable idea?  How does it get pulled off in a way that brings energy into a church planting movement that’s consistent with the vision?’”  The group members speak to the idea with an equal voice, and we can test it.

Bruce added indigenous ideas that sometimes they need to be refined so that it works down the road.  Steve said the Haitians want to be at the table, so we are moving forward as a group, not as different cultures.  Bruce said there have been Haitians at the table before, but they didn’t feel they had a voice.  The Spirit works through unity, trust, and relationships.  We need a movement of God.  We don’t want the discussion to end when the American talks.

Dave Hyatt pointed out that the sandbox sets the parameters.  “Is it a great idea in this context?  Does it defeat larger aspects?  The relationships and the people around the table are critical, but the vision is more important than the folks at the table.”  If someone cannot attend or church staff changes, it should not make a difference.  Values are important.  We must maintain clarity of vision.  The other piece is that we need to raise funds to get the right people around the table for the conversation.  Haitians do not have the travel funds.

Our worldview tends to be focused on problems and fixing the problems.  That is an asset that we can bring into any context.  The real issue in Haiti is about relationships (between God and man, man and man, and man and environment).  We need to think in terms of restoration, healing, reconciliation.  Those are the dynamics that play into relationships.  It is easy to focus on initiatives, but we need to evaluate them to see if we are feeding into the vision.  We need to maintain a right altitude as a leadership team and not lose sight of the big picture.  Dave Hyatt pointed out that we need to address the heart and not the externals. 

Initiatives will affect both receivers and senders.  Some will be hugely impactful on one side and not the other and others will impact the opposite side.  We need bench marks to keep on target.  Defined results will take time over conversations.  We need to be released from the ministry model that measures success with building, bodies, and bucks. 

Bruce pointed out that the North American church needs a certain amount of strokes to feel good about what they are doing to keep going.  Dave pointed out the view current churches might have and that we need to have some freedom from some typical goals like “x” number of decisions.  They need to be released from the ministry models that says this activity equals success.  This is the measure of our spirituality.  It is a strength that we bring a level of accountability.  Dave said, “You can look at Jesus.  He wasted so much time.  What the heck was He thinking?  There’s a world to save and you’re just hanging out praying, spending time with these guys.  There are wins for us that we could not quantify going in.”   Mark summarized, “It’s about relationships, trust and engagement.  We want both.  We want to have dreams and results.  We want to try to have focused energy and be strategic with resources, yet at the same time, we want relationships.  We want to be.  One of the results can be the freedom to be and develop relationships.”  Rick emphasized that we must be in it for the long haul.  We are learning as we go and may make some mistakes.  It is a different model than the traditional model.  It is messy and may take longer.   Mark told us that with the coffee meeting, laity are stepping up and taking leadership roles and developing teams.

Jim Scott from Constance Free shared his experience with starting Global Fingerprints and the initial discussion on the area of the ag program focus.  “We knew we wanted to be involved in the area of child vulnerability and the area of ag development, yet at the time of pursuing this interest, we did not have a Haitian partner at the table. A significant part of this process flow is understanding what missional alignment looked like; what develop, empower release looked like. We did the initial definition work and held it with an open hand.  We used the term provisional, very intentionally, knowing that the purpose of this front and definitional work is going to help us as we interact with potential Haitian partners to see where there might be alignment.  When we look at the whole area of worldview development, leadership development, VA, that’s different because our Haitian partner is at the table.”  In March 2012, he shared with ReachGlobal what Global Fingerprints was doing in the Congo and they wanted Global Fingerprints to be in Haiti.  “We know that church multiplication, planting, worldview development, leadership development, these things are identified priority areas.  Second thing, not knowing who our Haitian partner would be at the table initially, we put work into understanding the essentials of alignment with our Haitian partner.  What are the matters of theological compatibility or a vision look like that reflected develop, empower, and release, and key values, practices, and understandings in the focus area?  How would we know if we are achieving missional alignment?”  He shared a document from the ag summit meeting called the river.    It was the stream of flow that leads to transformation at the individual and community level.  The banks of the river are defined by a particular area of focus (excellence in ag practices).  In Global Fingerprints, it is the reduction of child vulnerability in areas of education, nutrition, medical need, and spiritual development.  The practices define the parameters of the flow of the river.  (Ag- self sufficiency)  Farmers explained their deeply held values.  Don’t know particulars without the Haitian partners.  Key result areas are excellence in ag practices, heart transformation, and community transformation.  We seek wisdom from God on specific, realistic, measurable, and attainable goals and work towards those goals, but we also have faith goals.  Things that only God can do. We can proclaim the Gospel, but only God can convert the heart.  Only God brings the yield.

History of ReachGlobal Crisis Response in Haiti from Baltimore Meetings

Mark Lewis gave us some context for history and results.  He explained some key events that brought us to where we are.  From the ReachGlobal standpoint, it started with the earthquake which led to immediate relief and progressed to developing relationships and out of those relationships, connecting with partners in lots of different sectors locally (orphanage) and regionally (seminary).  As relationships grew and deepened, about 18 months in after the earthquake, the conversation changed from stuff based conversations (we need this) to substance (leadership, training).  We met Dr. Dorlus and Dr. McMartin about 2 months after the earthquake.  We started a deepening relationship that fairly quickly got pretty deep.

There has been so much kingdom investment in Haiti already, so questions had to be asked.  “Should we be in Haiti?”  “Should we be there for the longer term?” “Why is the culture not being transformed by the church?  That led to this study, this deepening understanding of what are the issues, and why is that not happening?  At the ten month mark, we convened a meeting in Haiti including representatives from STEP, local pastors, other ministries, Brazil, Reach Africa, Latin America, Carribean, Columbia EFC- a broad coalition of international partners, and local folks.  This led to the vision, which is not any organization’s mission’s statement, ‘to see an indigenous, disciple-making, and multiplying church, within walking distance of every Haitian, which demonstrates and engages in proclaiming the transforming power of the Gospel.’”

The Church in Haiti is Changing

The church in Haiti has changed in many ways in the many ways in the past 30 years.  Dr. Dorlus pointed out that there is “more discussion on what the church should be like” and how they can engage the Haitian culture.  The church has many more young people, and they have better trained pastors and leaders than in the past.  They partner with others now instead of just being focused on their small local area.

Dr. McMartin added that the Haitian church is taking more initiative and coordinating to further the kingdom.  They have a “compassion to help others find Christ” and “a sense for world mission.”  Not all Haitian churches have realized the application of the Great Commission for their church, but it is spreading.  An impact of the earthquake was spreading the population of Port-au-Prince across Haiti.  As they moved to new areas, they took their biblical training and ideas with them.  In addition, missions organizations, radios, biblical conferences, and S.T.E.P. create an ongoing increase in biblical principles across Haiti.

Dr. Dorlus chimed in that the way of doing ministry has changed since the earthquake.  “They must have ministry beyond the four walls, because the four walls are not there.”  Christians are asking, “What is ministry? What should the church do in the community?”  Fifteen to twenty years ago, they would not have asked these questions.  They have more partners than ever before.  The church has also developed a concern for the environment.