Missions Training

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Shifting Paradigms

October 6, 2023 in Ministry by Dave | Permalink

Paradigm noun: a typical example or pattern of something; a model.

There are familiar patterns to our lives, ways that we are accustomed to thinking, speaking, and acting that help us to relate to others, accomplish tasks, and meet the challenges that we face on a daily basis. These are our paradigms; although usually unconscious, they govern our behaviors in significant ways. Generally, we only become aware of those paradigms when they fail us, often painfully.

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As we serve on the Global Resource Training Team (GRTT), training Global Workers for AGWM, we recognize that we can’t prevent all of those painful moments, but we can prepare them by helping them recognize their paradigms and allow for the shifts in those paradigms that will inevitably come throughout their career. That process begins during the Pre-Field/Candidate Orientation (PFO/CO) sessions.

In October’s session, the GRTT welcomed 83 new Global Workers who are beginning the formation that will make them effective ministers in a cross-cultural context with AGWM. Dealing with the Bible in Ministry (BiM), Dave participated in the presentation of a revamped curriculum to help these new Global Workers see the limitations of traditional paradigms for understanding the Bible and connect them to its overarching story which more readily engages the people they aim to reach.

In the afternoons, we joined our Latin America Caribbean (LAC) Regional Team to receive the 7 new missionaries joining the LAC family and to facilitate conversations around the core missionary competencies of Spiritual Formation, Missionary Life and Work, Theology of Mission, Understanding Language and Culture, Ministry in Context, as well as Bible in Ministry.

What a privilege it is to serve in this capacity, preparing our colleagues to fulfill the Great Commission! We appreciate your prayers and support that make our ministry possible.

Photo Captions:

  1. Dealing with BiM, Dave shared during two sessions, presenting a revamped curriculum to help new AGWM Global Workers grasp the biblical narrative.
  2. In this PFO/CO session, we celebrate answers to prayer: seven new Global Workers for the harvest in the LAC Region.
  3. A highlight of our week was the Global Prayer Service. Our newly elected executive director, John Easter, led us as we interceded for the nations.

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Turning to Training (on a Bigger Stage)

July 8, 2023 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Permalink

We’re back in Mexico City! We’ve recently returned from our trip to Springfield, MO, the second part of which was dedicated to Missionary Training and Renewal.

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As we reported in our last newsletter, Dave was asked to join the Global Resource Training Team (GRTT) to help teach the Bible in Ministry Competency (BiM) to all candidate missionaries and missionary associates across the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) organization. During his participation, Dave led the group through an exercise to facilitate an appreciation of the Bible as an ancient book and the need to understand the context of its original audience to hear and correctly apply its timeless message today. BiM is a work in progress and Dave will be meeting with the team in August to further develop the competency for future training sessions.

This installment of Missionary Training saw 155 missionaries and associates trained and commissioned to serve throughout the world. Among them were new global workers destined for Mexico. Joey and Gabi Ross are appointed missionaries headed to Aguascalientes, and Fausto and Debbie Martinez are missionary associates headed to Tijuana. They are an answer to prayer as we continue to ask the Lord to send more workers (Luke 10:2)!

The last week of June was dedicated to Missionary Renewal. This is a special time when veteran missionaries from all over the world join with the candidates to seek the Lord in worship and prayer. It was marked by powerful services with challenging messages as well as wonderful moments of fellowship. During the week, we welcomed Cory and Angela Hogan, veteran missionaries to university students in Guanajuato.

As we reflect on our time in the States, we can’t help but be grateful for your prayers and support that enable us to serve in this leadership capacity. Thank you for standing with us!

Photo captions:

  1. Dave had his first participation as a member of the GRTT, teaching a portion of the BiM competency to all new AGWM global workers.
  2. Joey and Gabi Ross (center) are new workers headed to Aguascalientes. Cory and Angela Hogan (left) are veterans who were on hand for Missionary Renewal.
  3. Debbie and Fausto Martinez are new associates destined for Tijuana.

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Expressing Our Thanks for 2022 and Looking Ahead to 2023

November 12, 2022 in Thanks by Dave | Permalink

As 2022 winds down, we look back with gratitude on what, through your prayers and support, we were able to accomplish. We’re truly grateful for the gains made in:

Training: we began the year with a focus on scripture, utilizing virtual sessions to teach believers of all levels how to read and understand the Bible. As pandemic restrictions lessened, those virtual sessions gave way to in-person meetings and the opportunity to participate in the formation of dozens of missionaries preparing for global service.

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Encouraging: knowing that our activity for God is fueled by our relationship with God, we led the Mexico Missionary Fellowship (MMF) through the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course, resetting our focus on being with Jesus first so that our doing for Jesus is rightly motivated and sustainable.

Accompanying: we’ve gained an appreciation of the excellent ministry happening through the efforts of the MMF as we joined its members in their work: teaching a Bible study among seekers in Aguascalientes, distributing food and the hope of the gospel among the homeless in Guadalajara, and witnessing to university students on the campus of UNAM in Mexico City, to name a few.

We know that, as you’ve responded in 2022, you’ll be with us as we rise to the challenge of 2023 in:

Advocacy: telling the story of Mexico–a people steeped in religion but still longing for redemption.

Agency: reversing the contraction of our missionary force to expand our footprint and influence.

Advancement: gaining ground in the establishment of the church despite the resistance of both traditional religion and secularism.

Would you reaffirm your support through prayer, interceding for Mexico and for the MMF, giving, especially considering us in your year-end generosity, and maybe even going, joining our team?

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo Captions:

  1. Candidate Orientation in October was our third opportunity this year to help train new missionaries.
  2. Dave leads a Bible study at Iglesia Vida in Aguascalientes. Accompanying the missionaries we have the privilege to lead is one of our favorite things to do.
  3. In May, we celebrated Nicky and Janie Rider’s retirement. Will you be a part of the new generation of missionaries to Mexico?

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A Journey of 1557 Miles…

June 11, 2022 in Devotional, Missions by Dave | Permalink

…begins with a single step.

Long trips are daunting. Not only is the distance a concern, but there’s the element of the unknown as well. How much time will it take? What route will we follow? What will we encounter along the way? Trying to answer all of these questions at once is overwhelming, but as we take one step at a time, planning, packing, and traveling the distance, we eventually reach our destination.

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This was our road trip experience, May 25th-26th from Mexico City to Springfield, MO. We traveled those 1,557 miles over 29 hours to be on hand for the first in-person Missionary Training event since 2019. Although we hadn’t driven the road before, we found that preparation, planning, and diligence carried the three of us (Dave, Kelly, and our dog, Kaixin) safely to our journey’s end.

As we enter into these next weeks of training, we find that it is helpful to think of a missionary’s career in these terms. The thought of sharing the gospel and discipling a person from another culture and language group can seem like an impossibility, but as we embrace the process–planning, preparing, and diligently applying ourselves to the lifelong task of entering into the people group that we seek to influence, we find that we make significant progress.

Our task in the coming weeks is to guide a new group of missionaries just beginning their journey of approaching the people groups that they have been called to serve. During that time, we’ll work as facilitators, encouraging them to reflect on the concepts many of them will be considering for the very first time.  We’ll also help them understand how those ideas work in the Latin American Caribbean context where they will labor.

Thanks for your participation in positioning us in support of these global workers at this critical time of formation. Pray for them as they embark on this journey and for us as we continue on ours.

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo Captions:

  1. We enjoyed some incredible views on our trip from Mexico City to Springfield, MO. Unfortunately, photos just don’t do justice to the beauty of Mexico. 
  2. Continuing our journey of formation, we took the Gospel for Secular Peoples course led by our friends Shawn and Deb. Dave’s brother, Mike, joined us for dinner.
  3. The LAC Leadership Team met in Branson in preparation for Missionary Training.

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Falling in Love with the Word

February 13, 2021 in Missions by Dave | Permalink

While February is known as a month for relationships and romance, we’ve been excited to lead missionaries from the Latin America Caribbean region into a different love affair, one with the Word of God. That’s happening in two ways: through missionary formation Zoom classes and through our evaluation of the Bible Engagement Project.

Zoom calls to interact over content from BibleProject.com are just one of the ways we’re encouraging missionaries to engage with the Word of God in fresh ways.

Missionary Formation Zoom Classes: Since the start of the New Year, we’ve been facilitating the missionary formation Bible in Mission Competency. This two-month course is utilizing the Bible Project’s How to Read the Bible video series to help new missionaries gain a better understanding of the literary styles utilized in scripture.

Our role involves developing reflection questions for each video so that the participants can interact with the concepts being introduced. Afterward, we’re gathering virtually to recap the big ideas and guide the discussion groups.  It’s been rewarding to witness the increased appreciation of the Bible this program is fostering!

The Bible Engagement Project (BEP) is an Assemblies of God initiative based on the power of four–the life of someone who engages with the Bible four or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. With the goal of inviting the entire missionary family, adults, teens, and kids, into a transformative experience with God’s Word, we’ve begun a program in Mexico to evaluate the product. This includes utilizing the software in a small group setting and interacting with the team behind it to gain a better understanding of the BEP process.  We’re excited as we envision families and colleagues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean gathering together to read the Bible and participate in the power of four!

Would you like to deepen your relationship with the Word?

Reach out and we’ll send you a copy of our curriculum: disciplemexico.org/contact-us

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