Prayers answered at the Conference

While at the Mission conference held by the IMB in Alabama, God answered at least two prayer requests in a pretty forthright manner.

Of late, God has been working on me to trust Him for my needs more than I have been doing. I am reading of how Hudson Taylor would not even remind his employer when his paycheck was due but took it to the Lord in prayer and trusted in God to move the heart of his employer to remember to pay him. Really, that only scrathes the surface with him. He was a man of faith like few others!  It has been real convicting reading his biography, The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor, because it has shown how little I trust in God. I trust in my own means to accomplish almost everything. I think that is common amongst us American Christians, who have so much. And I think this is a major reason that God withholds His mighty right arm in so many cases...because we trust in ourselves-our strength, our wisdom, our finances, our retirement, etc.

Well, while at the conference, we came to a time when we were about to break for the day. The night before, they had provided dinner but tonight they would not. However, they were drawing some names out of a hat for gift cards to restaraunts around the area. After a few other people (over 200 in attendance) won some gift cards, a sudden spirit came over me to turn my attention to the Lord and ask Him to meet our need for dinner. So I took it to the Lord and received a confidence like few other times in my life.

So the hand went into the big hat, and came out with a little name...."Tony Salgado" (the person I came with). I was not even shocked, but joy did fill my heart. Then the man asked how many were with Tony and he replied that there was one (me) so Tony and I ate dinner for free that night! God is good! But I want to clarify some things before I just leave it at that. First, I am not intending to create the idea that God is some kind of divine butler, or a genie in a bottle. I think many would like Him to be, but that will never be the case. The motive I had for asking was pure. It was so that God would receive glory by being my Jeovah-Jireh (God the provider). It was so that I could learn to trust Him to supply my needs as I will have to when living in the D.R. (Phil. 4:19).

If you read my last post, Update! We're back from the Mission Conference, you know of the reason I had for wanting to speak to David Platt (who was speaking the last day of the event). I will not elaborate here as a result, but suffice to say, I was burdened to talk to him. The likelihood of having a meaningful conversation with him did not seem good (I figured everyone in the place had a question for Dr. Platt like we did, and I had never been good at being in the right place at the right time), but we prayed for one nonetheless. The night before David spoke, Tony and I earnestly took our request before the Lord, and we continued to pray throughout the next day.

After the first speaker (who was real good), and before Dr. Platt spoke, a break was scheduled. I slipped out of my pew and headed for the back of the sanctuary to exit so I could go to the bathroom. On my way out, I glanced to my left, and none other than David Platt was skooting out of his pew. I kept walking and then paused and turned when I left the sanctuary. I could not believe my eyes when Dr. Platt was right behind me with not one single person around him.

I introduced myself and asked him if he would mind answering a few questions I had. He said, "sure man" but that he first needed to go to the restroom. I told him I was on my way there as well. Afterwards, we (including Tony) had a great 10 minute or so conversation. He is a real down-to-earth, humble guy. A brief summary of my question and his reply is on the other post.

I am thankful to have a God Who listens to us and cares for His own as He does. I would encourage anyone reading this who doubts His willingness to lend you His ear, to first ask yourself why you want Him, and if your motive is pure, to simply seek him until He be found which He promises He will (Mat. 7:7).

Update! We're back from the Mission Conference

Tony Salgado (another missionary to the D.R.) and myself went to the Mission conference held by the IMB at First Baptist Trussville, Alabama last week.

We were pleased with the general sessions, as well as the break outs. But more importantly, we developed some beneficial contacts. One in particular, Jeff Palmer, works with "human needs" and has a lot of experience at helping people with their physical needs while simultaneously helping people with their spiritual needs. His angle is akin to the old Chinese proverb, "Better to teach a man how to fish instead of giving him a fish." He has learned the hard way of how simply "giving" can actually be detrimental in many circumstances. He also has a lot of good contacts in the D.R., which will be great for us. There are a lot of physical needs in the areas we will be in, and I am looking forward to mobilizing willing churches to help out in this area in a long-term beneficial way.

The need for discipleship was reinforced at the event. Many officials admitted that the IMB had dropped the ball in many situations around the world due to their desire for speed with church planting. This went hand in hand with a book on missiology that I just read, called Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience by David Sills. I feel since the week God called us to this mission (2 years ago), He has shown us the need for discipleship amongst the Christians in the Esperanza area. The confirmation that we are receiving in this is great!

However, all was not well at the conference. Tony and I, as well as a few other attendees (from a church in Jax), and at least two IMB officials noticed the strong (overtly) emphasis that was being placed on the newest and best strategy/plan to fulfill the great commission. The arm of man is clearly being trusted in more than the arm of God in many cases. This is something I constantly pray we will avoid. The desire to do this is strangely tempting, and can sneak up on you as you hear the facts about numbers, and sociological reports, and what is working and what isn't. Before you know it, some phrase similar to, "If only I did this, the church would grow..." will enter your mind. However, I am convinced that many (not all) of these latest and greatest schemes are created due to the lack of prayer and trust in God's Holy Spirit and Word.

Another topic came up regarding oral learners. 70-80% of the world are oral learners. Most are illiterate due to choice or circumstance. Effective ways of communicating to oral learners are through story telling and catechisms. Oral learners are unfamiliar with the American's way of presenting sermons in points and deductive reasoning. We feel that a few of the places we will be ministering to are considered to be populated by oral learners, so I was all ears (no pun intended) when it came to this break out session. Everything was going great until I asked the presenter where this left expository preaching. His answer was basically that it left it back in the States. Now this disturbed me, because I greatly appreciate the need for the "exposing" of God's voice in preaching. I find expository preaching to best do this. Furthermore, I wondered how some of the Pauline epistles could be taught in story form. I asked many people afterwards in the hall ways, at lunch and throughout the day how they thought story telling and expository preaching could mesh, but I was not satisfied with any answers. I knew there would be someone at the conference the next day that could probably answer my question...David Platt.

That night I prayed for the opportunity to speak to David Platt (who would be there the next day to wrap up the conference). I knew the crowd would throng him, and everybody would be having a question for him like we had, but Tony and I still prayed. The next day, after the first speaker and just before Dr. Platt spoke, we had a break. To make a long story short (which I tell in the post, Prayers Answered at the Conference) we got that chance to speak to Dr. Platt before any other person in the whole place! And better yet, he gave me the answer I had hoped for and thought was God honoring. Basically, he said that both could be done, but that in some of the meat of the N.T. (amongst other places as well), the preacher needs to trust the power of God's Word by "exposing" the text. He did not think story telling was as beneficial in these areas. I honestly felt my heart flood with relief with his answer.

Our Testimony

A little over two years ago, I signed up for a short term mission trip to the D.R. Little did I know that it would change our lives drastically. Celia and I had just gotten married, yet she was not going to go because we could not afford for two. However, right before the trip, a lady from our church had to back out, offering Celia her ticket, expenses paid. Looking back, we can easily see the Sovereign hand of God at work. I say this, because while there, Celia struck up a deep friendship with a Dominican family- a relationship that probably would not have happened if Celia had not come. The friendship led us to schedule a 3 week visit there the following year instead of the ordinary 1 week mission trip. When our church and the other churches we came with would go home (the next year), we would stay two additional weeks in the home of this family, totally immersed. We thought it would be for fun-God already knew otherwise, yet it would be another year before He clued us in.

Shortly after our return to the States, Celia and I both started to become agitated spiritually. We grew uncomfortable with being comfortable in life. Months later, we started reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and that didn’t help matters. The challenging and convicting nature of the book conjured reflections upon the immense brevity of life, the vapor that it is and the fact that we don’t have much time here. I didn’t want to waste my life by focusing on temporal things. The feelings of discomfort continued to grow but I didn’t know what to do about it. Amidst the confusion, we began praying. We continued to seek God’s guidance and wisdom but didn’t really feel that He was moving in any way yet. Looking back, however, we can now clearly see He already was. The Sovereign hand of God was stirring our spirits for what lay ahead.

Fast forward a bit to the plane trip over to the D.R for our 2010 mission trip. I can only think of lost souls and the chance to preach to them again. I am hoping it will go as well as last year. I don’t have to wait long to find out: the answer is a resounding “NO!” I am scheduled to preach first and we head back to the church after VBS but no one follows except the missionaries of course and a few regulars. I was expecting a large and diverse crowd of lost souls like last year. We have a bright idea and turn the speakers out to the neighborhood (the church is right in the middle of it and everyone hangs around outside in the streets), but then the microphone cuts out. Satan seems to be doing his thing very well. I can hardly blame half the listeners as they falling asleep as I preach after a hard day working and just arriving the day before.

Discouraged and defeated, I’m driven to my knees. Looking back, I once again see our Sovereign God at work. What I thought was a failure was used by God to make me do what He wants us all to do the most-pray. I cried out that night that more than anything, I want to be used by God and to have His power in my life. I sat out on the balcony as everyone slept, pouring my heart out to God, offering Him my life and begging Him to please use us mightily. Less than 12 hours later and on that same balcony, God would answer and shake our world in an unexpected way. Ephesians 3:20-21 would come alive to me. It reads: Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Moments before a devotional Pete would lead, I was joking around with others, light-hearted at the moment you could say. Pete prayed and then began reading out of Genesis 12:1-Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. At the end of the word “country” out of nowhere I felt my gut clinch and in a way that I can’t fully describe with words, I knew what God wanted to do with Celia and me. It was as if God said, “Jared, get thee out of thy country.” It was so overwhelming; I bent over and started weeping like a baby. Eventually, I slipped back into my motel room and sprawled out on the bed and talked with God like never before. I heard no voice, I saw no vision but I didn’t need to. I just knew and there was no doubt. I told God I’d give Him everything, my family, friends, job, retirement, hobbies, comforts, home, everything. I could feel Him taking them as I offered them and that was when it hit me-there is no turning back, this is really happening. I had placed my hands to the plow (Lk. 9:62).

I called Celia in first and she simply said, “let’s go.” I was like, “Ok, that was easy.” I then called my pastor in and later spoke to Pete. They were supportive; cautious yet supportive. Everything started falling into place. This is the real reason we were staying 3 weeks and living immersed alone from all other Americans-God was giving us a taste of what we were getting ourselves into. Our whole outlooked changed as to our being there as we realized these two additional weeks were a mission, not a vacation. Nevertheless, I’d love to tell you the rest of our time there was wonderful but it’d be a lie. Hot, A/Cless nights, swarming mosquitoes, getting sick, but worse- a struggling church, an inexperienced, tired, but willing pastor, a lost world, false converts. Guess what though, this confirmed our calling more than having the best time-of-our-lives ever could have. Our hearts were set and our minds were stayed-not by our own doing but by God. This peace in the midst of what I’ve just described created joy unspeakable in our hearts, and we were also enlightened to the goal of our mission-discipleship.

I don’t think last statement is very groundbreaking. The great commission does say to “go and make disciples.” And that is our goal. We are working with Pastor Paul and some local pastors, including Pete to develop a more detailed approach. The opportunity to get some training by David Platt and the IMB (the author of the book Radical) has presented itself as well.

Well, we returned to the States, a little nervous that the comforts of home would erase our current goals and new-found mission, and that we might indeed glance back, while holding the plow. That was not the case. There has not been one day that has passed in over the past 18 months that we haven’t felt secure in our calling, not even when we were unexpectedly surprised with Arianna. We sold our house a few months after returning, and have recently started attending a different church-a Spanish one to get acclimated with the culture and pick up some Spanish along the way. Pastor Matos and pastor Adalberto are both giving us Spanish lessons as well.

In January we met with a lady from the IMB to garner support through them. We met their qualifications but had one problem. They told us we would have little chance of going to the D.R. Instead of turning them down immediately, we prayed fervently for the Lord to direct us. Over time, the thought of going somewhere besides the D.R. felt like disobedience. That conviction was confirmed in our hearts one night as we prayed for God to send laborers (Lk. 10:2) to the harvest in the D.R. It was as if He said, “Yeah, you are the laborers…and haven’t I made it plain already?” Again, the peace of God filled our hearts, and even though we will not have the benefit of having the IMB at our backs, Celia and I have not stopped trying to get there ever since.

Update! Missions Forum East 2012 Conference

I will be heading to First Baptist Trussville (Alabama) on February 20^th to attend the International Mission Board’s (IMB) training for missionaries. Below is a brief description of the event.

Missions Forum is a learning and sharing event designed specifically for missions leaders, addressing topics vital to effective missions involvement. At the Forum you will be able to:

• Receive practical information on many aspects of the missions task, ranging from church mobilization and preparation to field connections and engagement strategies.
• Hear speakers who are successfully engaged in the missions task, providing inspiration and practical "how-to" suggestions.
• Dialogue with other missions leaders and missionaries to explore effective methods.
• Talk with IMB and NAMB missionaries and learn how you can partner with them.

David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham and Gordon Fort, vice-president for Global Strategy IMB are the forum speakers.

There are two tracks:

Awaking and Exploring - for those who are in the initial phases of missions outreach; presented in an instructional form. Topics include Basic Missions Strategies, Biblical Basis for Missions, Planning a Successful Missions Journey, The Effective Missions Leader and others.

Taking it to the Next Level - for those who are more experienced in the missions task; using a breakout group format. Topics include Planting an Indigenous Church, Staying Strategic, Oral Strategies (reaching oral learners), T4T (Training for Trainers), Reaching the World at Your Doorstep, Risk Management and others.

Obviously, the first track is what I will be taking. I am looking forward to meeting other missionaries, IMB officials, and of course, David Platt (author of the book Radical). But what I am most looking forward to, is gleaning the wisdom of many missionaries that will be there so we can in turn apply anything useful to our situation and efforts in the D.R.

In viewing the above information concerning the Missions Forum, I am expecting to leave that conference with a lot more practical knowledge and ideas that can be utilized immediately upon our arrival to the mission field...though I feel the necessity to make a disclaimer: Some trust in chariots, I will trust in the name of the Lord my God (Ps. 20:7). Father God, may it not be said of us that we trusted in strategies (chariots and horses), but rather that we were a people of prayer who could accomplish nothing of our own accord, but great things...mighty things through your Son, Who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13).

Thank you for your prayers,

Jared

Needs and Prayer Requests

A lot of people have been asking if we have any needs and specific prayer requests. Peter, my brother-in-law, even asked what scriptures we would like prayed for us. So in this post I am going to compile a short list of material possessions we will need, followed be specific prayer requests.

Needs:
Firstly, a vehicle! I'll just start with the biggie. After some research, the D.R. will only allow 2006 or above models to be shipped into their country. We are hunting for a good deal on a 2006 or above SUV or pickup (something a little higher off the ground because of the poor roads and occasional off-road needs). The other option is buying a vehicle there, but prices are actually 2-3x more expensive. It is cheaper to buy a vehicle here and ship it (shipping and extraction is roughly $2K..and that is because we know some people who know some people) than to purchase one there.

We are praying for one to fall into our laps (well that might hurt...), or to find a great deal. Jehovah Jireh is God- Provider.

Secondly, a goal of $2,000 a month. This figure was reached after talking with several Dominicans (some who live there currently and some who now live in the States), after individually pricing items ourselves when there; and after searching online forums concerning the issue. The general consensus seems to be that in certain areas of the D.R., $20k a year is reasonable (this does not include moving expenses, furnishing an apartment, health insurance and ministry needs). We only have a fraction of that guaranteed right now, but a lot of verbals. We are confident the Lord will again provide for us concerning this need. After the new year, I am scheduled to speak at a few churches as well.

We are praying God will place a giving spirit on the hearts of His people, and we thank Him for the ones already partnering with us for the sake of the gospel of Christ.

Prayer Requests:
1) For the above two needs and an apartment to open up in a complex that we have our eyes on. It is secure, clean, affordable and in a convenient location; but right now there are no vacancies.
2) For God to direct and facilitate our learning of Spanish.
3) For spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness- specifically for a continued and heightened hunger for His Word and communion with Him in prayer.
4) For God to begin a great work and revival in the D.R. even before we get there so all glory belongs to Him. We would be honored to join His work.

Scriptures to pray for us: Any and all of the Pauline prayers (Eph. 1:17-19; 3:14-21; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-12; 1 Thes. 3:11-13; 2 Thes. 1:11-12; 2:16-17; 3:5; Philemon 4-6; Heb. 13:20-21) *note: Hebrews may not be written by Paul :) Lastly, the verses that promise God's continued work through the believer. Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6; 2:12-13.

It has been very humbling to write this post because it shows our weakness, our needs, and how dependent we are on God and His people to do His work and be obedient. However, in our weakness He is strong! 2 Cor. 12:10.

A Big Thanks!!!

I would like to have one post solely for the purpose of thanking those partnering with us for the sake of the gospel of Christ!

First, I would like to thank Pete Menendez, Tim Turner, and Pastor Paul for all the help they have been and will be in helping us be obedient to the Lord in fulfilling His calling on our lives. I also want to thank Pastor Matos and Pastor Hernandez for their Spanish lessons they have been offering.

Secondly, I would like to thank Woodside Baptist, FBC Sparr, Trenton First Baptist, First Baptist Salt Springs, and Fellowship Baptist (the last two mentioned just added 2/29/12) for allowing us to share our testimony at their churches and either supporting us or possibly supporting us financially. There are also individuals who are giving us to as well and Celia and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Though it will not be possible to minister to the Dominicans without the financial support, our efforts will be in vain without the support of your prayers. To those who have lifted our mission up to the Lord in prayer, we are grateful and plead that you continue to remember us, Pastor Jose and the Dominicans. Thank you!!!

I will have another post shortly listing specific prayer requests and other needs that have arisen.

What we've been doing of late

For the past couple of months we've been attending Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Marion Oaks (First Baptist of Marion Oaks), a Spanish speaking church if you couldn't tell. Two of the pastors, Pastor Matos and Pastor Al Hernandez are giving us Spanish lessons as well during the week. Please be in prayer for our learning of the language as we still have a long way to go. Celia and I still struggle to comprehend the Sunday school lesson and the message (we really don't as of yet), but we think headway is being made. 

On October 30th, the Marion Baptist Association adopted Celia and I as their missionaries at the annual meeting held at FBC Ocala. The pastors present prayed over us and unofficially commissioned us as missionaries. I believe that was a first for the association. Many people have asked us why we are raising financial support independently instead of going through the International Mission Board (IMB). This past January, we met with an IMB official and discussed our calling and options. While we did meet the IMB's requirements, we declined from seeking their support primarily because of one reason. That reason being because the objective of the IMB at this time is to reach "unreached" people groups and the Dominican Republic is not considered "unreached." Thus, they would send us to one of those unreached places (probably somewhere in Asia). Instead of turning them down immediately, we fervently prayed for God's guidance and wisdom in the matter. Through much prayer, Celia and I both came to believe we would be disobedient if we did not attempt to go to the Dominican Republic. 

Currently, we are speaking at churches local (and afar...we spoke at Trenton First Baptist in Trenton, GA this past Sunday) sharing our testimony and seeing how the Lord uses it. It is a beautiful thing to be in a place where you cannot see the end but you have faith that God will provide because you are confident you are in  His will. Celia and I praise God for that, because we both know what it is like to be confused and searching as well. Though, I must confess, there is a beauty that comes in being in that place as well, and I wonder if in this life any of us will ever totally leave that state.