The Wow House

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Saltillo Ministry Center
Mark Dunbar, Missionary, Mexico
October-December 2015

When we first came to Saltillo, Mexico, we immediately saw that the guesthouse was barely adequate for our theological education classes and guesthouse needs. The house was not a place we could grow into; in fact, we had already grown out of it.

Our first plan was to ask our neighbors if they would sell us their property so we could combine the two areas. They were not willing. The WGM Mexico team then created a wish list of what the ideal guesthouse/ministry center would include:

• Four bedrooms, three bathrooms
• Parking for five vehicles
• Classroom for 30 participants
• Separate living quarters for hosts
• Recreation area for children and youth

That same day, we looked at a house being sold by another missions group. We had heard that the house was built with work groups and training in mind. It included:

• Five bedrooms, three bathrooms
• Parking inside the property for up to 10 vehicles and additional parking outside the property
• Classroom for 80 participants
• Separate living quarters for hosts
• Separate ministry office space
• Back porch and garden space for group meals or recreation area
• Nearby park for children’s/youth activities

After a quick walkthrough, we immediately referred to the property as the Wow House. It had everything we had dreamed of and more, and it was located in a growing part of town geared toward young professionals. Unfortunately, it also had a high price tag.

Since that time, God has worked miracles and confirmed that the Wow House is where WGM Mexico should be ministering from in Saltillo. A few God-given clues were that the owners were praying that the property would continue to be used for ministry; the owners were involved in their own building project that they called, interesting enough, the WOW (Walking on Water) project; and we received a partial bequest directed toward the project from a new supporter.

In faith, WGM Mexico made an offer much lower than the original appraisal. The owners, after much prayer, accepted the offer! They allowed us to move into the property in May, before all the funds were raised. Theological education classes and other ministries are already being held at the center, and the location is an open door to reach the younger generation for Christ.

GIVE: Invest in the Wow House dream. Give online at www.wgm.org/saltillo-ministry-center or make checks payable to World Gospel Mission with account #31575 on the memo line. Send check donations to: World Gospel Mission, P.O. Box 948, Marion, Indiana 46952-0948.

Don’t Miss Out

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Sharon Hawk, Retiree
October-December 2015

Flexibility was certainly a key word for peace of mind and sanity for me on the mission field. It’s not something I learned quickly, but as I immersed myself in ministry, I found it to be so important.

Tim and I worked at El Sembrador farm school in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I fell in love with the ministry there. Watching the boys arrive at the beginning of the school year with so many needs, and then seeing the physical and spiritual changes in their lives throughout the year was incredible. Nothing compares to that. It was hard work, but so rewarding.

In 1983, Tim was asked to be the Honduras field director. That meant we had to leave the farm school and move to the capital city. I found it very hard to be flexible and leave the ministry I loved so much. How in the world could I love another ministry as much as El Sembrador? Packing up and moving to the city was very hard.

But it didn’t take long before we were content in our new responsibilities. Living in the city opened up a whole new world to us: the national church. We began meeting pastors and visiting churches, working with some of the greatest people we have ever met. I would have been happy to spend the rest of my life in this ministry.

But, once again, God had other plans for us. This time it was leaving Honduras and moving back to the United States to work at WGM headquarters. This move really did test my flexibility. I left Honduras with many tears and lots of apprehensions of what was ahead. Upon arriving at headquarters, I was asked to work in the Media Department. My main responsibility was helping missionaries put their slide presentations together so they could share their ministry with their support teams. I had no formal training in this area, but I was willing to do my best. Soon I realized the great opportunity I had to get to know every missionary in WGM. We worked many hours together making their presentations the best possible. I felt so blessed to have a small part in each missionary’s ministry. Those are memories I will never forget.

Being flexible is so important! If I hadn’t been, I would have missed out on so much that God had planned for me.

ACT: Has God been asking you to make a change in your life? Have you created excuses to cover your fears? Surrender your fears to God this week and take the steps in faith to follow His leading. His plans are always greater than our plans.

Prayer Calendar: November 1-7, 2015

Your missions prayer point for the week of November 1-7: 

ASK God to give you a spirit of flexibility and trust in Him.

Does that seem easy to say, but hard to do? Your intentions may be good, but your desire to be in control may be a bit stronger. Surrender your fears to God this week and take the steps in faith to follow His leading. His plans are always greater than our plans.

Building the Missionary Training Center

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Shannon Hawk, Support Staff
October-December 2015

We were told it might be wet and muddy, but nothing that a pair of boots couldn’t handle. Or not, I thought, as I surveyed the flooded building site. I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, helping start construction on the 2015 Men With Vision annual project—to build a training center for Latin American missionaries. Classes were going to start in three months. The center had been given land to build on in a remote area of the river delta just outside of Buenos Aires, and it was accessible only by boat.

In January I met Don Moon (WGM missionary); his brother John; John’s wife, Jan; and their friend Tim in Argentina. Tito, the director of the training center, was also going to work with us all week. John had a lot of construction experience, so I felt good about our small team. That was before I saw where we would be working.

The first day of work did not start well. The long plane ride had caused considerable back pain for John. He was unable to stand or walk for more than a few moments, so we had no choice but to begin the project without him. After a 45-minute car ride, we arrived at the river where a small boat picked us up, two at a time. Tidal flooding is common in that area, but none of us, not even the locals, were prepared for the eight-foot increase.

Guillermo and Manuel, two missionaries in training, waded up to greet us. They had been living on site for the last few weeks in a small shack on stilts along the river. From the dock, it was a long walk through knee-deep, muddy water to the work site. Every step was a challenge. Whatever plan or other preconceived idea of progress I had quickly disappeared along with the idea of working in dry clothes. The building was being constructed on a raised platform and the floor frame was already finished—a tremendous feat in itself, working in these conditions.

At the end of the first day, as I was trudging back through the water to the dock, I felt very frustrated. We had accomplished very little; we were a man down; and we had only four more days to put up walls; build trusses; and train Tito, Guillermo, and Manuel so they could continue framing the next building, all while working in the middle of a swamp an hour and a half away from the nearest supply store.

That night as I laid in my bed telling God why this project was doomed for failure and that no one in their right mind would consider building anything on this particular piece of ground, it sank in. This was not my project nor was it Don’s, Tito’s, or even WGM’s. We could have prepared for six months and still not been ready for all the challenges we were facing. This was God’s project. It wasn’t up to me whether this project was going to succeed; that was up to God. My job was to be obedient and do the very best I could with the circumstances we were given. By the grace of God, we framed the walls, built and set the trusses, and put all the metal on the roof before we left.

ACT: MWV has committed to raise $40,000 and send volunteer labor to build the training center. Learn how you can partner with this project at www.wgm.org/multiply.

Prayer Calendar: October 25-31, 2015

Each year MWV supports an annual project that focuses on a specific ministry on one of WGM’s fields. The project is supported through prayer, finances, and sweat as members of MWV pray for the project and the missionaries who spearhead the work; collect offerings from chapters, retreats, rallies, etc.; and provide hands-on assistance through WGM teams. In 2015, the Cross- Cultural Missionary Training Center was chosen as the annual project. This project is the inspiration for this week's prayer point.

Pray for safety for the Men With Vision teams who will be travelling to Argentina to work on the Cross-Cultural Missionary Training Center near Buenos Aires.