PASTOR TRAINING
God’s hand is moving in powerful ways across the globe, and we are so excited to share how He is expanding our pastoral training!
This past summer in Haiti, our team introduced a brand-new, revised curriculum focused on how to deeply study the Word of God. Written by Pastor Duane Hoffman of One Community Church right here in Rogersville, Missouri, this new material is delivered alongside our core discipleship training modules. Watching the pastors in Haiti engage with this resource for the very first time was an incredible answer to prayer.
The fruit of this long-term investment is right around the corner! This coming December, we will celebrate the graduation of pastors in Nicaragua and Haiti who have faithfully completed the full Leadership Training Institute program. We give all praise to God as His hand continues to extend through these faithful men into their local churches and surrounding communities.
Looking ahead, we are excited to expand this mission further. We are currently planning opportunities right here in the U.S. for our current pastor trainers to gather, re-align with our vision, update logistics, and get refreshed on new materials. This will also create a pathway for new, potential trainers to join the team and step into the field. There will be more information in the coming months on how to get involved!
This past summer in Haiti, our team introduced a brand-new, revised curriculum focused on how to deeply study the Word of God. Written by Pastor Duane Hoffman of One Community Church right here in Rogersville, Missouri, this new material is delivered alongside our core discipleship training modules. Watching the pastors in Haiti engage with this resource for the very first time was an incredible answer to prayer.
The fruit of this long-term investment is right around the corner! This coming December, we will celebrate the graduation of pastors in Nicaragua and Haiti who have faithfully completed the full Leadership Training Institute program. We give all praise to God as His hand continues to extend through these faithful men into their local churches and surrounding communities.
Looking ahead, we are excited to expand this mission further. We are currently planning opportunities right here in the U.S. for our current pastor trainers to gather, re-align with our vision, update logistics, and get refreshed on new materials. This will also create a pathway for new, potential trainers to join the team and step into the field. There will be more information in the coming months on how to get involved!
NICARAGUA
I went to the first preschool on Tuesday morning. Parents started to gather on the tiled porch. Eduardo introduced me to the parents, explaining to them that I would be spending the morning with the children and teachers. My eyes looked through the group of moms and grandmas standing around. One lady caught my eye, and I recognized her. “Do I know her? Have I seen her before?” She left before I got a chance to talk to her, so I went into the classroom to watch the children play. At pickup time, an 18-year-old young man came up to me. He said he knew me, and he showed me a picture of Gary and me, along with his mom and him as a 10-year-old boy. Oh my goodness! His mom was the lady I had caught eyes with earlier. He was there to pick up his little sister! I had no idea he had a sister; I had not seen the family for eight years. I asked him if his mom could come back, so he called her. She came, we hugged, and we cried. I did not want to let her go. She told me she kept that photo on her wall—it gave her hope that we would come back into their lives, and that we had been important to her family. I told her Gary had passed, and she said she had heard and knew he was in heaven. She was so worried about me. We talked for about fifteen minutes, hugged again, and I prayed over this precious family. I am so thankful they came back into my life. God is good all the time.
Last November, Dereck and I had a precious family from Thomas Borge: the husband, Peter, his wife, Catherine, and their daughter, Lucy. We fell in love with this family. Catherine is a teacher at Riley’s preschool, and this week I have loved getting to spend time with her and Lucy during teacher training and at the preschool. Thursday was our day at Riley’s preschool. After watching the children perform their songs, go play on the slide, and jump on a tire, it was lunchtime, so I went to talk to the cook. It was a good conversation. She cooks because she brings her granddaughter and it’s too far to walk back home, so she just stays and cooks! Then Catherine came in to get rice for the other children. I asked her if she knew a child who would be about 8 years old now—he was four when my brother Karl and I built his house. Jon was his name. She smiled and said, “That’s my nephew!” It was her brother’s son! I said, “Are you sure?” Jon was the boy, Jon was the dad, and Michelle was the mom. Catherine said yes, Jon was her brother. She said they were home and asked if we wanted to go visit, so we went to their house. It was so good to know they were still a family in this village and that Jon was growing up. Again, we hugged and cried happy tears.
I am so thankful for relationships—ones that were formed years ago where you can come back years later and get the happiness and hope back in your heart. It is like seeing an old friend or a family member you have not seen for a while; when you hug again, the distance just goes away. Thank you, God. Miracles happen every day.
Last November, Dereck and I had a precious family from Thomas Borge: the husband, Peter, his wife, Catherine, and their daughter, Lucy. We fell in love with this family. Catherine is a teacher at Riley’s preschool, and this week I have loved getting to spend time with her and Lucy during teacher training and at the preschool. Thursday was our day at Riley’s preschool. After watching the children perform their songs, go play on the slide, and jump on a tire, it was lunchtime, so I went to talk to the cook. It was a good conversation. She cooks because she brings her granddaughter and it’s too far to walk back home, so she just stays and cooks! Then Catherine came in to get rice for the other children. I asked her if she knew a child who would be about 8 years old now—he was four when my brother Karl and I built his house. Jon was his name. She smiled and said, “That’s my nephew!” It was her brother’s son! I said, “Are you sure?” Jon was the boy, Jon was the dad, and Michelle was the mom. Catherine said yes, Jon was her brother. She said they were home and asked if we wanted to go visit, so we went to their house. It was so good to know they were still a family in this village and that Jon was growing up. Again, we hugged and cried happy tears.
I am so thankful for relationships—ones that were formed years ago where you can come back years later and get the happiness and hope back in your heart. It is like seeing an old friend or a family member you have not seen for a while; when you hug again, the distance just goes away. Thank you, God. Miracles happen every day.
INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP
During the summer, student attendance can vary depending on whether they travel home for summer vacation or take summer classes. No matter who is still in town we still meet and have fun community engaging events. This month we took a group to go bowling and got to meet some new students! It is always fun to hang out and get to know each other outside of our regular meetings!
