Adjusting to a life of change

Acclimate. Adjust. Adapt.

Or we could say we are managin' it, as a Ghanaian would. It's how an American will answer the question of  "How's it going" with "it's going." ;)

Roles and responsibilities are still being defined. Opinions and expectations differ. More than a year of learning and learning to love this culture, our vision for this work has grown. We became aware of an opportunity to minister here in January of 2010 and we arrived in Accra February of 2011. We are often, at times painfully, aware of how the time of this last year has been spent allowing God to speak this calling into our hearts and minds.

Now we believe God is giving us spiritual eyes to see the path ahead. Ah, but isn't it a life lesson to accept the tailoring our ever practical roles and responsibilities do to our vision for God's work? How often we have to untangle ourselves from a side trail and get back on the path. To have only vision leaves us at odds with submitting to our authorities and taking advice. Asking for direction is one thing. Receiving it is quite another.

There is no instant anything here (Except Indo-Mie :)). Not love for this culture, with all its beauties and flaws. Not vision for guiding a group of young churches to develop their own spiritual eyes. Not cheerful submission to our authorities. Not cheerful spirits when the water, the electricity or that item on the store shelf is finished.

I believe God gives all of the above, immediately, in certain circumstances. I've read more than my share of missionary biographies. It has been an awesome source of encouragement.  Vision. Languages. Detailed Instruction. Incredible physical stamina. Given miraculously and purposefully to show God's presence, glory and power.

But when the journey is not instant, the possibility for personal growth toward holiness is laid before us. God's Word makes the journey so clear, doesn't it?

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

More than that, we rejoice in suffering,

knowing that suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces character,

and character produces hope,

and hope does not disappoint us

because God's love has been poured into

our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

[Romans 5:2b-5]

Hey, Jon here, just wanted to give you an update on the pastors. Yesterday was our monthly meeting with our pastors, which is the day they come to the Bible school and report monthly attendance for services, income, expenses, visitors, and any converts for the month. We spend time with each pastor going over what is happening in each of their lives, the church, and ways we can work through any problems. We have 8 pastors, and this process takes about 2 and a half hours. After a time of worship and prayer, I cover any necessary business that needs to be addressed.

After the pastors devoured 3 loaves of banana bread that Sara had made for lunch, we began the DVD series of "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John Maxwell. The pastors really enjoyed the first hour of teaching, although some of the examples and analogies are often lost in translation. Terms like "You can take that to the bank" and "Put that under your belt" required explanations. John referenced kitchen items like a microwave and a crock pot, and I had to explain some of these things. So, we stopped after each section and I made sure they understood it and had all the blanks in the workbook filled in. They would grab the concept and we would move on. I also handed out some things for them to review on their own until we get together again in two weeks. As I saw some trends in this culture (which aren't very different than in USA), I have been developing handouts that will bring our focus back on Christ and in obedience to His Word. The handout yesterday was title "Where do I find my value?", and in addition to that we are looking at doing some Bible studies as well.

Following that, Ron came in and distributed a letter that would change the mood of the afternoon. The funds for the pastor support program are very low, and we only have the funds to assist them to the end of June. {Much time has been spent in the last year sorting out the details of transitioning the pastors from being monetarily supported by our mission to being cared for by their churches and/or employment. Funding forced the issue before we felt ready, but we trust God. He knows each need. We will continue to support them in specific projects, continuing education & mentoring.}
We needed to give them warning that unless funds came in designated for pastor support, we would need to look at alternatives. Last week we had met with Christian Aid Ministries and discussed their S.A.L.T micro loan program, and are looking at ways of implementing that with our pastors. This will be a very, very tricky process, so we ask for prayers as we look at implementing this or even if this is the right road. We do know that God provides our needs, but it becomes very apparent of our need to trust Him when our best intentions and plans fail. It is one thing to say we trust God, but another to be in the situation where you are not sure where tomorrows food will come from.  Each pastor has the God-given creativity & ability to make the needed changes & continue on in the work. We pray for courage for them!

We sincerely desire your prayers as we continue to work with these pastors, that we would have wisdom from above to know how to proceed. And to give the pastors understanding that they do have the ability to do this, eyes to see the assets and abilities they have, and the courage to trust when the going gets tough. I pray that we will one day look back on this and readily see the hand of God, moving us to something better. May we pray also that as God takes us through difficult things in our lives, we see the end result as a way to grow in grace and knowledge, and in the midst of the struggle to glorify the One who cares so deeply for each one of us.