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.

Had I Failed My Purpose?

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God’s Ministry Plan May Look Different
Meg Rambo, Missionary, Uganda and Congo
October-December 2015

Before my feet ever hit Ugandan soil, I would have told you that my ministry was to train pastors’ wives. I had a burden to see these women get the tools to minister to the women in their churches in a powerful way. These women have a lot of potential to have great
influence, but they have had no training.

Once life in Uganda began, my ministry looked different from what I thought it would. Scott was busy with trainings and curriculum. I was busy cleaning up toys and cooking. Scott was traveling. I was grocery shopping. Scott was working on a new oral approach to Bible study called Bible Storying. I was reading lots of stories to my boys.

Not bad—just not what I thought it would be. I looked for opportunities for ministry. I had become good friends with a woman named Regina. I asked her if we could do a weekly Bible study. She agreed and I gave her some scripture to read. The first time we got together, I asked her what she had learned from her reading. She said, “I read it.” I quickly realized that although she could read, she was not “getting it.”

I asked Scott about it and he suggested I try Bible Storying with her, which is basically telling Bible stories in a compelling way and asking questions that help unpack the text. We began with the story of Mary and Martha, and then continued doing other stories regularly. Regina grew in amazing ways. I loved seeing this woman, who could read but not understand the Bible, blossom into a woman who could really dig into the truth of God’s Word.

After about a year, I started to feel frustrated that I never got to work with pastors’ wives. I felt as if I had failed at my purpose. But God quickly spoke into my heart. He reminded me that Regina was married to a pastor. Her husband, Stephen, was not one of the pastors Scott worked with, but she was still a pastor’s wife! Isn’t God good?

I asked Regina about her ministry and how I could help. She told me that each story we did together she shared with the ladies in her church. She was taking the Word of God and using it. My ministry was not to a group of wives, but to one. My ministry was not in structured seminars and trainings, but over a cup of tea. I was thrilled to see that God was faithful to the calling He had put in my heart, even though it looked different from how I had planned it.

GIVE: Help the Rambos continue the ministry of Bible Storying in East Africa by partnering with them financially through a monthly gift. Give online at www.wgm.org/rambo.

MORE: Visit www.simplythestory.org to learn more about Bible Storytelling.

The Challenge of Change

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Billie Sue Dunn, Missionary, American Indian Field
October-December 2015

Let me make it clear from the beginning: I do not like change. However, flexibility is very important in a missionary’s life.

Change in ministry can be a challenge. God gives the courage to face each change and the assurance that He is with us. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us, “I know the plans I have for you.”

When God called me to be a missionary teacher, I believed that I would go to the mission field and teach first-grade missionary kids until I retired. Little did I know that God had a better plan. That plan included teaching MKs in a one-room school, teaching kindergarten in the morning and high school classes in the afternoon, becoming a school principal, and, now, serving as the field treasurer on the American Indian Field.

Not only did I have to be flexible with my assignments, but also with my field of service. Moving from Bolivia, South America, to Phoenix, Arizona, was a big change. Moving from a humid, tropical climate to a hot, dry climate was interesting to say the least. Did God change His mind with His plans for my life? No, I don’t think so. Instead, He used each task as a step to help me become a willing, obedient servant. The challenge of change was all part of His plan. I wish I could say that there was no reluctance on my part in each change. Still, with prayer and His Word as my guide, I have faced each challenge with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Has changing from being a teacher to a treasurer been a trial? I have felt that way at times. After training to be an educator and not an accountant, I have seen God as the Master Teacher. Depending on Him shows me that He is in control all the time. God does not waste what we learn. Many of the leadership skills that I gained as a teacher and principal also apply to the office of treasurer.

Change has challenges, but we serve a God who gives us the grace to handle them. There is no greater joy than being in the center of His will.

GO: Is God calling you to serve outside your comfort zone? The American Indian Field has several short-term opportunities. It doesn’t matter if you are a teacher, a bookkeeper, or something else. God can use you to impact His kingdom. Join a team at www.wgm.org/teams.

Prayer Calendar: October 18-24, 2015

Change in ministry can be a challenge. God gives the courage to face each change and the assurance that He is with us. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us, “I know the plans I have for you.” Please keep that in mind as you focus on this week's missions prayer point for October 18-24:

PRAY for missionaries like Billie Sue Dunn who are serving in areas that are outside their comfort zones.