Mission to the Americas

Serving Ministries and Missions in Latin America

Archives for March 2011

A kairos moment of networking

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This week, I’m attending an international missions conference here in Panama.

It brings together mission organizations, missionaries, and mission pastors from nearly every Spanish and Portuguese country in Latin and South America, as well as Spain and Portugal, for four days of networking, training, and growth.

Since part of our vision is working along side mission agencies providing evangelism training, this congress is an important networking opportunity for our ministry and for the ministry of PRMI.

Part of networking is listening to a ministry’s needs and sharing how my content that might be able to help them, or how the ministry of PRMI might be able to help as well.

Would you join me in prayer that I would build new relationships and

  • Serve those who are here and help their ministry in some practical way
  • Have kairos moments in the hallway to pray with missionaries.
  • Connect with decision makers who would invite our evangelism training.
  • Connect with decision makers who would invite PRMI

The conference is in Spanish, so I’ll need additional mental and physical strength to stay with it.  If you have ever tried to function in a language not your own, you know that extra level of concentration still needed to pay attention and follow what is happening.

While I do have a level of fluency necessary to understand participate, it is still a huge drain on the level of physical energy.  The language is not yet “second nature.”

Training missionaries in Evangelism

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4am came really early – at least it felt that way.

The alarm went off with its obnoxious screech that repeats every second.

I’ve got to get on the public bus, headed 3.5 hours west to the province of Veraguas, to a Foursquare church where the class of missionaries will be meeting.

This is our calling, and the cost of the calling.

An answer to prayer

Not 48 hours before class, I had been praying for more teaching opportunities.

Less than 12 hours before my departure from the terminal, my phone rang with the invitation to come and teach.

Since sleeping on the bus was out of reach, I passed the three hours praying – praying for the class, thanking God for the opportunity to teach, and asking Him to fill me with the Holy Spirit once again to be empowered to teach.

Class

This was my 4th visit to this class, the second one where I had the opportunity to teach on evangelism.

We focused again on the process of evangelism, and the various means the Lord uses to draw a person to Christ over a period of time.

One hour focused on our personal testimony

  • What was the spiritual restlessness that caused one to seek Christ?
  • What were some significant conversations that moved you along?
  • What events were critical in helping your decision to surrender?

Each one had those “light bulb” moments.

For some, it was the first time they realized they didn’t become a Christian instantly one afternoon.  Rather, their conversion was the result of a sovereign process of God.

For others, it was the realization that they need help others through that process, giving them time to discover their faith and their need for Jesus.

As we entered the second hour, we focused on the motive for sharing our faith.  Each one saw how their spiritual thirst was also the root of the motive for sharing.

As we entered the third hour, we focused on prayer and three areas of prayer:

  • For personal evangelism  – our contacts, opportunities to share
  • For the congregation – open to receive people who are not yet Christians
  • For the communities in which our churches serve.

In spite of being tired from not sleeping, I was able to compose and create the teaching in Spanish, rather than relying on my fixed notes.  For me, this is a huge step forward in my language acquistion.

Testimonials

After class was over, the students expressed their appreciation for the teaching.

Repeatedly, I heard “This teaching has impacted me. . . I’ve got to be a little more patient with those who are not yet ready to receive Christ.”

Another added: “This is revolutionary teaching, and will help us do our evangelism in the community.”

Sitting on the bus on the way home, I found myself giving thanks to God for allowing me the joy of teaching, and allowing me the joy of fulfilling the calling upon my life.

This is the best place to be – doing what God has prepared in advance for me to do.

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