God Care About the Little Things Too

 

Jacqueline and Lily standing in back at Aiman's for lunch

 

Jacqueline, a volunteer with ReachGlobal Crisis Response, spent some time with Lily, a homeowner.  Lily does not drive, so Jacqueline drove her to the grocery store.  Lily had eaten kale recently and was impressed with how good it tasted.  She had hoped to buy some, but she did not because of the price.  She and Jacqueline joined the work teams at Aiman’s house for a lunch feast cooked by his mom.  

After lunch, Jacqueline waited outside while Lily checked out Aiman’s tent. Lily emerged with a big smile and proudly held up some kale.  Jacqueline was amazed and asked, “You found Kale in there?”  Lily exclaimed, “Yes!  He always knows just what I need.”

Jacqueline was impressed that Lily automatically credited this gift to God.  Lily has been discouraged recently.  God used kale to show her He cares about even the little things in her life.  God is so awesome!



Pray for Haiti Summit

Dr. Jean Dorlus wrote in Curriculum Development for Social Transformation , “Although there is a place for serious research to undergird practice in Christian service, the Christian worker relies primarily on the leading of the Spirit to receive a vision and to implement it.  In other words, we do not call the shots, God does.  It means that we wait to find out where God is working in order to follow him there and to work as he commands.  It is at this very juncture where a life of prayer and dependence upon God’s guidance reveals itself all the more important in Christian service.”

As the second Haiti Summit approaches in September, please be in prayer for God to lead and us to follow.  Pray for real lasting change in Haiti, and real lasting change in the United States because of work in Haiti.

Dr. Dorlus also wrote, “The implication is then clear: social transformation is not the work of clever Christians with fertile mind, sparing no expense.  It is God’s work.  If it were the work of man for man’s glory, it would not differ from the social gospel of a few generations ago.”

We want to be part of God’s work.  We want to glorify Him.  God has given a vision to the Haiti Consortium as a result of Haitians and Americans joining in prayer, conversation, and cooperation.  The results will be transformed lives.  This requires much ongoing prayer from many.  Will you take up the challenge to pray for the Haiti Consortium?

Helping Without Hurting

 Dr. Dorlus

 

“I think there are churches, missions committees, and people in leadership wresting with ‘How do we do things differently?  How do we go into a third world context and simply not foster some of the negative stuff we see going on?’” pointed out Senior Pastor George Davis of Hershey Free Church.  “We don’t know how to do that.  I think the Haiti Summit is a great opportunity for people to explore that and to see a working model without necessarily getting involved in Haiti.” The Haiti Summit will meet September 24-26, 2014 at Constance Free Church in Andover, Minnesota.

The book When Helping Hurts has garnered a lot of attention, and people see the problem of ministry that fosters dependence.  The question is how do we do it differently? 

“One of the keys to doing it differently is building relationships with the people you are working with and listening to them rather than simply doing it for them.  Those are the recurring themes in the consortium.”

Dave Hyatt, Pastor for Global and Local Outreach at Hershey Free Church highlighted why people should attend the Haiti Summit.  “If people are considering involvement in Haiti, or anywhere honestly, to hear from national partners is really, really critical.  Typically missions and ministry is from the West to the rest or things we can do to Haitians or for Haitians.  This is really considering a vibrant partnership where we hear from them.   We do things together.  We learn from some of the mistakes that have been made in Haiti and also celebrate some of the successes.”

Dave added, “The vision of the consortium ‘to see an indigenous, disciplemaking and multiplying church within walking distance of every Haitian, which demonstrates and engages in proclaiming the transforming power of the Gospel’ is going to take a lot of resources, a lot of people pulling together.”

2013 Haiti Summit Panel Discussion

 

The Haiti Consortium is involved with Global Fingerprints that helps keep families together, Haitian Perle coffee production to fund missionaries from Haiti to Senegal, Leadership Development, Community Health Evangelism, Community Agriculture Evangelism, Community Education Evangelism, and a study of the Haitian worldview.

Dave pointed out, “There are a myriad of needs.  One of the big things about getting involved is that it is not a defined ‘Here’s what we need and here’s how you can be involved.’  It is really asset based.  We say, ‘What does your church do well?  What are the particular needs of your congregation?  How could involvement in Haiti help you?’  It is a two way street.  It is a conversation.  Ministry there isn’t just what you can come in and offer, but we want to see those who come and the churches that are involved be part of the discipleship process in the lives of their congregation.”

To learn more about the Haiti Summit and how you can be involved, go to http://go.efca.org/opportunities/conferences/haiti-summit-2014 . 



 worship time

 

Meeting to form Haiti Consortium

The Rock Guy

Jackie Passer shared this story.  God is working in a huge way on Staten Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane was 20 months ago, but many are living as if it was just yesterday. George, a senior citizen, has become known by our volunteers as "the rock guy".   Each day for 7-8 hours, the teams carried rocks into his yard. Teams poured big rocks, little rocks and tiny rocks by the bucket loads into his yard day after day to improve drainage in his backyard so his house doesn't flood again. The team layered large rocks (from concrete slabs removed from other locations by another part of the team by sledgehammer and loaded by hand into a trailer), then small rocks George had purchased, and lastly, a layer of dirt over the top raising the yard about 2 feet all around the house.

 Now you'd think George would sit back and let the young people do all the work while he watched, but not George! He was right there filling bucket after bucket of rocks for the bucket brigade of 12-15 teens. The kids noticed how hard he worked and how much he built them up.  When work sites were assigned, these kids begged to go back to George's. The work was hard and the buckets were heavy, but the kids loved George and wanted to be with him.

 

The night before the teams leave we have a time of sharing.  Person after person shared about how they moved rocks each day and how those rocks, that were seemingly endless, affected them and how God was working on them through George and his perseverance. But it wasn't until George himself shared about how he saw God move through every kid that reality hit. We are affecting lives for eternity and for God's glory. George became one step closer to a relationship with the God that allowed this huge disaster to hit his neighborhood but then brought a bunch of teenagers who paid to come and help him. He was blown away by this! And God was glorified. The kids wept as they shared, some even saying that they finally could take on a faith of their own rather than their parent's faith.

One volunteer shared how she was learning from the daily Discovery Bible Studies how to serve others and not think so much about herself. This young woman cried Thursday night when learning their leaders had decided to not work on Friday morning. The job wasn't completed at George's and she wanted to make sure the team coming in next would be helping George. She hugged him and told him how much she loved him, and she plans to return to Staten Island to check on George.

George is on the left. They are having lunch cooked by Aiman's mom.

Letting God's Word Teach

“Roughly half of all US churches did not add one person through conversion last year,” shared Richard Williams, Regional Vice President with City Team DMM (Discipleship Making Movements).  Obviously, something is wrong.  DMM focuses on making disciples and planting churches through finding a person of peace with whom to work.   The emphasis was on the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to transform people, families, and communities.  It is not about religious conversions, but bringing people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Discovery Bible studies (DBS) is at the core of the movement.

“We often expect people to accept our culture (or commit cultural suicide) before they can accept our Jesus.  … We must not transmit the gospel of the church but the gospel of Jesus Christ,” shared Williams through a power point.  DMM does not require degrees, credentials, or past leadership skills to lead a Bible study but uses willing people to reach into their sphere of influence.  It disciples to conversion and starts with creation, not Christ, to build a strong foundation.  The groups meet wherever it is convenient for those interested.

The group facilitator (the person of peace), not necessarily a Christian, looks at a passage of Scripture with the group.  Each person restates the passage in their own words.  Then they formulate “I will …” statements to obey what they learned in the passage.  These must be concrete and measureable so they can know if they applied what they learned. They share what they have learned with others.   Williams stressed “Teaching obedience produces mature disciples rather than knowledgeable converts.”  They are learning to be obedient to God’s Word and not just to a particular teacher.  Groups grow through multiplication, not addition, as each member grows to a point where they can start their own group.

Massive prayer support is needed behind the scenes, and spiritual warfare is common as we reach out to unreached people.  Williams also stressed the importance of reaching families rather than aiming at one family member.

Mallory, a summer intern, said she learned that you don’t have to know everything about the Bible to be a disciple, and bringing a person to church isn’t often as effective as going into their culture area.  It was a new idea to her to let the lost lead Bible studies.

 

Emily, another intern, found it freeing that she did not need to rely on time frames.  “It is about how the Spirit works in that person.  I’m impatient.  It is however the Spirit leads, which takes the load off my shoulders.”  Another point that stuck out to her was to not be religiously obnoxious.

It amazed Emily how much she is learning already. “This is real stuff.  God is real.  This is part of why I am here.”  Both young women feel the techniques they learned for studying God’s Word can be applied in their own devotional time.  Emily said, “I’ve been a fan of God, not a follower.”  She wants to start applying what she learns.

For more information on DMM, contact Richard Williams at 610.872.6865 or through e-mail at rwilliams@cityteam.org.

Made It!

At first glance, the words “Made it!” posted by Emily Cruz on Facebook could just mean her two day car ride to Covington, LA was over.  In Emily’s case, it means much more.  After attending meetings In Louisiana in September, Emily knew God wanted her there working with ReachGlobal Crisis Response. 

With the help of Connie and Drew at EFCA, Emily began the ENGAGE short-term application.  In the beginning, she kept up with deadlines as she plowed through paperwork.  Drew was impressed to see someone so young not procrastinating.  This encouraged her to press on.  Pastor Steve Frykholm, Pastor of Small Groups and Missions at Lebanon Area EFC, sat down with Emily and helped her complete her theological questionnaire in one day!  Emily said, “I got so much Jesus at one time. Through the application process, I learned so much about God and grew so much.  I got to see who I was, what traits God gave me, and flaws I needed to work on.  I discovered myself in a new way.”  It was hard sharing intimate details of her life with strangers as she answered questions.

Then came the waiting.  Drew called over Christmas break.  He reviewed the answer could be yes, not yet, or no.  Emily’s heart beat harder wondering if he was preparing her for refusal.  Then Drew added, “I want to be the first to congratulate you.  You have been accepted for summer internship.”  Emily breathed deeply.  She had made it.  It did not sink in immediately that it was not for a full year as she hoped.  With excitement she shared, “Drew, I was blessed to go through the application process.  I learned so much about God and myself and who I am in the eyes of God.”  It was one of the best experiences of her life.  She knew her internship would enable her to grow more in her relationship with God.

She was a little upset about all that work for only summer approval.  Then, she thought, “Get over yourself.”  They had not said “no”, and she knew God had a plan for her.  Spiritual warfare followed with many obstacles and changes in her life.  She focused on her job, her online class, moving, and church, but she did not know how to proceed to find health insurance or raise support. 

Since Drew had many applications to process, Jen took over hers.  In April, Jen called and asked, “How are you doing with support raising?  How are you doing with support letters?  How are you doing with health insurance?”  Emily answered each question, “I don’t know.”  Jen replied, “What do you know?  You realize you can’t go if you don’t get this done?”  Tears were running down Emily’s face as it all sunk in.  She had not been applying what she had learned.

Emily went to her church family, and they jumped in to help her.  They set up an opportunity for her to speak in church and helped her get support letters into church member’s mailboxes.  A Crisis Response staff member made sure she had a display board, prayer cards, and fresh baked cookies for her church display.  As Emily spoke to her church, she saw so many who she knew cared.  People were praying for her and sharing her prayer card.  Her support need was met in a month’s time.  Katie and Ariealle helped her find health insurance.

Emily with Pastor Steve

 

Emily is finally here.  Her first thought was, “I’m home.”  She reviewed all she had gone through to get here, how her faith had grown, and how she had seen God at work in her life.  She looks forward to what God will do in and through her this summer.

Mallory, Laura-Jean & Emily at Intern House

 

Part of Something to Change the World

When Emily Cruz joined a work team to New Orleans in July 2013, a life changing experience awaited her.  On her first day there, Emily sat transfixed listening to Ariealle’s testimony.  A heaviness filled her heart, and she felt an instant connection to Ariealle.  Tears filled Emily’s eyes, and she knew God wanted her to return to New Orleans.  Fears rushed in at the thought of leaving home and doing something so out of her comfort zone.  As the return trip to Pennsylvania began, Emily stared longingly out the window as Covington passed out of view.  Her heart ached as if she was leaving home.  She heard a voice inside her say, “You’ll be back, don’t worry.”

When Emily emailed Katie Hooks in mid-August, Katie invited her to the September staff meetings to get a better feel for the ministry.  Car problems prevented Jen Jones from driving Emily as planned.  Instead, Emily met Ariealle in Pittsburgh, and they drove together.  The connection between the two women grew, and Ariealle told Emily she was going to be her protégé and replace her someday.  God had again directed circumstances to plant a vision in Emily’s heart.

A group fast from the evening before through supper Monday started the week.  Emily’ reaction was, “We’re fasting?  What?  Just one meal?”  Ariealle informed her it was a whole day.  With her hypoglycemia, Emily would drink juice to keep her sugar levels up.  “This was a test.  It really got me to connect to the Lord in a different way.  Fasting was not what I thought.  My definition changed.  It was not taking time focused on filling myself with the world, but filling myself with God instead and growing close to Him. … Fasting made me think a lot more, feel a lot more than I ‘ve felt before, and made me vulnerable to God.”

Emily’s hunger kicked in as delightful smells filled the room for the group feast.  As the steam rose from the pig roast pan, she thought, “The Lord provides in His time.  There is a little sacrifice in the beginning, but He provides abundantly in the end.” 

At first, watching people who knew one another made her feel like an outcast and unsure if she could fit in.  This changed quickly as she connected with others. The meetings and tests benefited Emily.  Spiritual gift tests and strength tests reaffirmed direction in her life.  Group member’s tests helped her discover who others were. A visual exercise moved people into groups according to strengths allowing everyone to see similarities in others. 

All parts of the body of Christ work together for a purpose.  God made us the way we are to reach out to certain people who will respond to us.  If everyone was the same, how could we reach the world?  Emily needed this reminder.  It is okay to be different.  As she pointed out, “God knows what works.”

The need for time alone with God beckoned to her.  She impatiently waited to hear from God.  Taking a walk, she watched children in the church play area.  The thought of childhood faith came into her head.  God spoke to her heart, in a way He never had before, telling her to run into His arms like a child seeing her father, and He would hold her close.

Toward the end of the meetings, Mark Lewis called Emily to the front, laid his hand on her shoulder, and prayed over her.  He told her, “We hope you come back.”  As small groups prayed, Emily could hear her name mentioned.  She thought, “They want me here.  I’m not being pushed aside.  They actually see something in me that nobody else does.”

Mark is the director of the ministry, and “He didn’t just see me as someone tagging along.  He made a point to notice me.  A lot of people look over me.  Mark is intentional in the way he cares for people.”

Amid the confusion at so many new ideas, Emily felt peace.  These were principles she could learn.  “They all made me feel like I was part of something great.  This was one of my favorite parts, even from the beginning when I felt like an outcast.  I felt part of something that would change the world.  At the end of the week, I felt part of a family.  ReachGlobal Crisis Response is part of MY story.”