The Pastors Behind the Numbers

Quechuan pastor in South America

 If you have heard one of our ministry presentations, you have probably heard Laura and I speak about the percentage of remote and isolated pastors that do not return to their homeland if they are sent to far away seminaries or bible colleges to receive pastoral training. The numbers are astounding, 80%-90% of rural and remote pastors do not return to their homeland to pastor churches after receiving training in another country.  The reasons are many and varied. Better quality of life, safety, and security issues are some of the most common reasons why these isolated and remote pastors stay in their new country.  

Pastor in rural Mexico

Guatemalan church

In the many months that Laura and I have been building up our prayer and support team, we have mentioned this statistic more times than we can remember. At some point over the past few months, 80%-90% became just something that ‘was part of our presentation”. This remained true until last week when we met with a pastor who is also an administrator at an all Hispanic bible seminary in the Los Angeles area. The seminary trains and equips Spanish speaking pastor for church leadership. Many of these pastor come from Latin America to receive their pastoral training. After a wonderful conversation with him in his office, we asked the pastor what percent of his 22 seminary students would be going back to Latin America to pastor churches. He paused for a moment and answered....none, 0%. At that moment, 80%-90% became very real to us. 

As we made our presentation, the faces of these future Hispanic church leaders looked back at us, very focused and attentive to what we were sharing about MAF Learning Technologies. We explained how MAF-LT provides equipping and training to remote pastors who have little to no biblical training by taking the training to them in the places where they live and pastor. After the presentation, one student felt so convicted about returning to Latin America that he decided that he needed to ask God what God wanted for him instead of him asking God what he wanted for himself. 

As the night came to an end, the seminary staff fed us a traditional Mexican tostada meal and it gave us an opportunity to speak further with the men. It was a special night for Laura and I because the Lord revealed to us, through this seminary, how great the need is for pastoral training in Latin America. On this night, 80%-90% was no longer just a statistic in our presentation. It represented real pastors behind the numbers. 

Tony

Can I Get A Witness?

Sister Loretta and Tony

A wonderful surprise during this time of deputation has been visiting a wide range of churches. I am blessed to be able to spend this season of my life visiting different congregations and enjoying a myriad of styles of worship on Sunday mornings.

A recent visit to our first African American supporting church made our family feel like we had arrived in heaven. Pastor M.L. Carter Jr. is the senior pastor of Holy Missionary Baptist Church in Pomona, California and his lovely wife, Donnie, along with the rest of the joyful congregation sang with passion and reverence unlike anything I had ever seen. Their love for the Lord was evident as they greeted one another with ample hugs and kisses. Young and old folks clapped and lifted their voices as the organ played old hymns and spirituals. As we took our place in the pew before the 11:00 service began, we unknowingly sat next to Sister Loretta, the spiritual mother of the 41 year old church. Sister Loretta is nearly 80 years old but her ability to confirm the pastor’s message with an “Amen” or “Praise the Lord” could be heard from one end of the pew to another. Reverend Carter’s message from Matthew 28:18-20 challenged the members to boldly share the Gospel because Jesus would never leave them nor forsake them. As the minister sighted the scripture of the last verse of the book of Matthew, he turned to the choir behind him and asked,“Can I get a witness?”  The members of the brightly robed choir all replied, “Oh, yes!” And with that reply, I realized how delightful it was to watch Pastor Carter stand in the pulpit and receive an affirmation to the unrelenting challenge to “Go and make disciples of all nations….”

My prayer that is that I may I learn from the members of Holy Missionary Baptist Church in their demonstrative love for God and for each other. 

-Laura 

It's All About People

 One of the things I was told by fellow MAF missionaries after concluding our training last summer at US headquarters (Nampa, Idaho) was the amount of opportunities that would present themselves to minister and counsel with people. I must confess that I really did not understand what my colleagues were referring to… until now.

With the various times we’ve had to present and discuss our work, there have been even more times to listen and care for people. I have begun to understand that full time ministry even while on deputation is a life revolved around people. It has been eye opening to realize that no matter what your gender, social or marital status is, we all face daily challenges that are painful and at times debilitating. It has been during those times when a friend will call or meet with me at a coffee shop that I feel most inept and powerless in offering any meaningful advice. All I do is listen and come to the conclusion that the most important thing is to offer a listening ear to my dear friend. Life’s burdens are meant to be shared with others. Scripture reminds us, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ- Galatians 6:2.

Little did I know when I ceased being a public school teacher that the Lord would be using this season of my life to be a friend who ministers even when I sense I don’t have life’s answers.

A friend of many years called to confide about a struggle they were experiencing. I was thankful to be there because I was no longer bound by a work schedule that would forbid me to meet and pray with my friend. When we concluded our time together, I asked her to pray for me. She prayed that the Lord would give me the strength to persevere during this season of support raising and that our family’s faith would grow as He provides our every need.

In the following verse of Galatians, the Bible also goes on to say: If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.-Galatians 6:3. Therefore, as I listen and learn to put people above a to-do list, I experience grace from God AND from others.

-Laura

Simply the Story Workshop - Feb 2010

Regina & I

One year ago this month, I flew to Idaho to be part of a Simply The Story story-telling workshop with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF.) The workshop was sponsored by CATCH ministry and held at Castle Hills Church of the Nazarene in Boise. The intent of the workshop was to teach the Nepalese Christian community how to lead interactive discussions on Bible passages as participants grasp truths and apply them to their daily living.

 The workshop was conducted by MAF’s orality specialist, Regina Manley and her team of volunteers. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by men and women of faith who spoke Nepali and who through a translator where able to discuss the parables of Jesus by discovering the spiritual treasures and personal applications within the different stories.

CATCH & Nepalese Christians

As I participated in the three-day practitioner workshop, I realized what a blessing it was to see the parable of the Good Samaritan apply to any culture. More than thirty people gathered in circles of 5 people per group and listened to the twelve verses carefully. It was followed by the practitioner acting out the role of the priest, the Levite and by the Samaritan according to Luke 10:25-37. Next came the questions and the discussion that make this oral inductive bible study an incredible way to impact those who participate. At the end of the session, I was not only able to memorize the parable verse by verse but most importantly, appreciate the timeless story as my new Nepalese friend and I found the Good Samaritan still relevant in our daily lives.

Group Discussion

Although I was not an MAF missionary when I participated in the eighteen hour training session, I was beginning to sense that this was an area the Lord was preparing me for. The thought that I would be sharing the Word of God with people from different ethnic groups was a dream that I had had for many years. As a result of attending this captivating workshop, I began to ask God in my prayers to make a way for me to share His ageless stories with people groups from diverse places in the world. Since then, the Lord has answered my prayer and beginning this summer, I will have an opportunity to work with Regina Manley and the outstanding MAF-Learning Technologies team. -  Laura

Never Stop Praying

        One of the many blessings our family has experienced in the last 24 weeks has been the amount of people praying for us.Whether we conclude a presentation of our ministry at a church or whether we share with a friend we’ve known for a long time, the number of people wanting to pray for us has been incredible.

Recently, we had a dear friend of over eighty years of age tell us he would not be able to come alongside and support our ministry. “I won’t be around long; it would not really help you in the long run. BUT, I will pray for you and for your children. I promise I will pray for you on a daily basis AND that I can do,” said our elderly friend to Tony and I with a smile on his face. How precious those words were to us; a pledge to pray and be involved in our ministry in a way that matters most.  

For Tony and I, a day doesn’t go by and that we don’t stop and pray for strength in our journey of faith. Without a strong prayer life, it would be impossible to move forward in faith and trust God to provide for the results that only He can provide.

One of the most memorable examples of how prayer has shaped our hearts and minds was when we contacted a church hundreds of miles from our home on the telephone. Prior to contacting this church, Tony and I had spent the morning praying that the Lord would open more doors of opportunity. An hour after we concluded our time of prayer and meditation, I picked up the phone and called a church I had never made contact before. Their name was on a list I had but I did not have a name of a senior pastor nor of a missions pastor. A male voice responded to my greeting and introduction and he began by telling me that he had been praying that his church would become more missions minded. “Sister Laura, I believe your phone call is an answer to prayer. We’ve been praying on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a greater involvement in missions and I believe you’re ministry is going to play a role in it,” said the enthusiastic senior pastor of an African American church on the telephone. My reply, “Praise the Lord! We’ve been praying that the Lord would lead and guide our steps! How amazing that He would honor our request and bring us together.”  The result of what was accomplished only through prayer gave not only the pastor but also to Tony and I the encouragement we had been seeking. The encouragement to trust in God for our heart’s desire and to know He can orchestrate circumstances and events beyond our human understanding. No wonder Scripture reminds us to “pray without ceasing” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 

With humility and a heart of thanksgiving, I would like to express our  appreciation to our friends and loved ones who pray for us on an ongoing basis. On behalf of our family: Thank-you and never stop praying.

-Laura

What do former US presidents and a governor have in common?

They recently commended Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) for being an exemplary organization.

Former president Bill Clinton of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund praised MAF's efforts saying the group has had a critical impact on Haiti's recovery. "By organizing hundreds of relief flights and delivering thousands of pounds of supplies, MAF has had a critical impact on Haiti's recovery," said Clinton.

I am not surprised by the President Clinton’s kind remarks about our role in the relief and rebuilding efforts. MAF has been working in Haiti since 1986 and has four aircraft at a permanent base at the Port-au-Prince airport. After the earthquake that crippled Haiti's already weak infrastructure, MAF partnered with some 60 relief agencies, transported medical personnel and aid workers, delivered critical relief supplies, and performed many emergency medical evacuations. Since then, MAF has continued flying provisions such as food, water, and medical supplies -- -including IV solution to help combat the country's cholera outbreak.

Idaho governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, made complimentary comments this week as he delivered his State of the State address at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on Monday. Otter’s state budget recommendations mentioned Mission Aviation Fellowship located in the city of Nampa as a bright spot in Idaho’s economy, “ MAF is courageous and forward-looking; examples that we should celebrate.”

It is with a smile on my face that I count my blessings as Tony and I serve with such a quintessential organization. As someone who never envisioned a midlife career change, it is encouraging to realize that we will now be involved in a ministry that makes worldwide impact wherever we serve. We, along with nearly 200 missionary families serving 42 countries, desire to observe MAF’s mission statement: Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed.

-Laura

 

Let Us Go To Them......Impressions from our first missions conference.

The Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrieta was an enormous blessing to us. Tony and I had many wonderful opportunities to share our work with pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. The phenomenal speakers spoke on their own ups and downs of serving Jesus in foreign lands and people groups they would have never had the privilege of working with had they not entered missions.

One of the biggest surprises and delights of the three-day conference were the amount of participants who asked us to help provide educational and technical expertise to facilitate the training of new and untrained indigenous church leaders. Those that came by our table acknowledged the large leadership gap that is taking place in places like Colombia, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador to name a few. When Tony and I validated the lack of access that exists in rural and isolated places in Latin America to receive biblical and discipleship training, they asked us how soon can their village pastor come to Costa Rica and receive adequate theological training. Our answer: They will not need to come to us; we will go to them. Tony and I explained that MAF-Learning Technologies believes that remote pastors are better served by keeping them in their native country while receiving support and training from us rather than by plucking them out of their natural setting for seminary training (3-5 years) in the United States and risking the chance that they will not return to care and shepherd their flock. Our response clearly hit a nerve. The realization that ethnic Christian churches in America are often the result of national leaders not returning to their homeland to  lead their own people was quickly acknowledged. Many were able to tell us about pastors who meant to go back to Central & South America while studying in seminary or bible colleges in the West only to stay and raise Spanish speaking churches in the United States instead.

Although we did not know what to expect when we arrived at our first missions conference, we walked away encouraged by fellow missionaries and pastors and most of all, desiring to get to San Jose and assist church leaders in Latin America lead strong and healthy churches in Jesus’ name.

-Laura