Catching My Breath

This has been a whirlwind week.  After a 48 hour delay in Detroit, our team arrived in Brazil early Monday morning. Almost all our luggage made it with us.  I say, almost, because mine (David) did was not to be found.  When the Delta agent ran a trace he told me the bag was still in Indianapolis!

We then made a couple of stops on the way to the conference center arriving about 5 hours later.  The conference opened Monday night with over 420 people!  That is more than twice the umber we started with in 2009.  God has allowed all of us to connect well with the people and it has been a blessing to teach and fellowship.

The schedule has been classes from 8am-1:20pm.  Then we have lunch and free time.  Supper is at 6pm and then classes again from 7:30-10pm.  Then the Brazilians all hang out in the lobby drinking coffee and socializing until 11-11:30!  It’s a lot of fun.

Our team has walked around the city in the afternoons.  Yesterday we made our traditional annual trek up the mountain across from the hotel to the statue of Christ, where the panoramic view of the countryside is beautiful.  The air was quite clear and we could see a great distance.  Brazil is indeed a beautiful country displaying the creativity and handiwork of God.

It has been interesting to teach the sessions normally taught by a physician, but God worked and every session has been presented successfully and effectively.  It is so wonderful that the Holy Spirit helps us and empowers us to do the work of God.  I cannot imagine doing it without his help.

All the ABCB staff has worn shirts identifying them and it has been good for all of us to see the number of people involved in making this conference work.  It is every bit as well done as the conferences done in the US.

Brent is attempting new Portuguese words, endearing himself to the people.  The Brazilian people are very relational which makes it quite enjoyable to minister to them.

Randy Patten is very popular with the folks, too.  Randy was in Brazil for the first conference of ABCB in a church in Sao Paulo in 2008.  Many people have said, “I have the DVDs of you and Cindy teaching.  They have helped me very much.”

Janet Aucoin is getting along great with the ladies and taught her classes today.  Nancy Moore interpreted for her.  Nancy says Bill teaching people biblical principles for living and her mission in life is to help them be happy.  Not a bad combination!

It has been a great joy to serve together on this trip.  Friday we will wrap up the conference and head for the US.  Our flight is scheduled to leave Sao Paulo at 10:25pm arriving in Indianapolis at 11:17am.  I hope the travel is smoother going home than it was coming here.  Maybe, when I am on the plane I will have the opportunity to catch my breath!

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Who’s in Charge Anyway?

As a team leader and administrator, I feel a keen responsibility to the members of my team, to our church whom we represent, to those who make it financially possible for us to go, and to the folks to whom we plan to minister. I work hard to arrange all the details of the trip and the conference in which we plan to teach, but in the end, I must recognize that I’m really not in charge. I don’t think that has ever been made as clear to me as on the first 24 hours of this trip to Brazil with our biblical counseling training team.  Dr. Dan Wickert was to be with us but … well, read the rest of the story.

The team from Faith Church, including David Selvey, Brent Aucoin, Janet Aucoin and Randy Patten met at the Indianapolis airport about 4m Friday to go to Brazil to teach in the weeklong conference of the Association of Biblical Counselors of Brazil. Events began in the morning with Dan Wickert falling and breaking his foot and injuring his hand. (Who is in charge anyway?) At 10:45 we decided it would be best for Dan not to go on the trip. Time to scramble and get all the notes for Dan’s sessions and figure out who on the team is qualified to teach which topics. (Who is in charge anyway?)

I arrived in the parking lot of the airport at 2:45 in a torrential downpour.  (Who is in charge anyway?) I waited a bit and the wind and rain didn’t seem to be letting up, so I decided to make a dash for the shelter to catch the shuttle bus.  I was drenched from head to foot.  30 seconds after I got under the protection of the shelter, the rain stopped … completely!  I was drenched.  My clothes did not dry until morning.  (Who is in charge anyway?)

Did you know that wet clothes show up as big yellow splotches on the passenger screening display at airport security, just like explosives or contraband?  Usually the airport security screening is a breeze.  I go through without any alarms.  Not this time.  I went into the machine like I always do.  The security agent said in a monotone voice, ”Stand on the yellow foot prints and hold your hands over your head. … Thank you sir.  Come on out.”  Then her eyes got big and she calmly, but firmly, said, “Stop, sir!” Then she called to her coworker, “I think we have a problem here.”  It was quickly discovered that the yellow splotches were my wet clothes, but I had to be patted down anyway.

Big storms across the country made travel a challenge and our flight to Detroit was delayed several times. (Who is in charge anyway?)  I stood at the desk with a wonderfully helpful Delta gate agent named Tasha for nearly two hours while she checked every possibility to get us to Sao Paulo, but to no avail.  Debbie took over for Tasha and managed to get us on standby for Saturday night with confirmed reservations for Sunday night.

She decided we should get on the flight to Detroit, with the agreement that Delta would cover our hotel and put us on standby for Saturday night departure with confirmed departure on Sunday night.  In Detroit we stood in line for just over 2 hours to get to another helpful agent, Joanne, who gave us vouchers for 3 hotel rooms.  Brent & Janet arrived at their hotel around midnight without problems. Randy Patten and I were sent to the Holiday Inn.  Even though Delta had reserved the rooms and given us vouchers for payment, the hotel refused us, saying they were full. (Who is in charge anyway?) It was 12:30 by the time we were able to make arrangements at another hotel, with us paying, of course. After a $45, 12-minute taxi ride and $144 hotel charge we finally got into a hotel room at 2AM. (Who is in charge anyway?)  We were very grateful that God provided us a bed to sleep in rather than making us sleep in the airport! What a blessing to have that room.

Heather Smith came to the rescue and scanned and emailed us Dan’s notes, so we are going through all those to study in preparation for his sessions.  It looks like we will only have one session eliminated, but “Who is in charge, anyway?”  For sure, not me!

The folks in Brazil expected us to arrive this morning (Saturday) and preach and teach on Sunday morning and Sunday night.  That won’t happen now.  Who is in charge anyway? Not our friends in Brazil!

We leave for the Detroit airport in a few minutes and are hoping to arrive in Brazil Sunday morning, but once again I ask, “Who is in charge anyway?”  I guess we will arrive in Brazil according to God’s good pleasure, not our own scheduling and design.  That is a mouthful and much easier for me to say than for me to practice in my heart.

It is one thing to quote Romans 8:28-29 and say that God is in control, but it is quite another to have our world completely out of control and still recognize the sovereignty of God.  As you prepare well for your responsibilities this week, will you gladly accept the finger of God poking into your life and stirring it up a bit?

 

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Christian Testimonies Broadcast on Tunisian TV and YouTube!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by David Selvey

(From our brothers in Tunisia) The Tunisian television broadcast regarding the growth of Christianity was well presented giving Christianity broad exposure in Tunisia without a negative bias.  Several believers shared testimony of theier faith in Christ.  Many were concerned that the producers might use the footage to cast a negative light on Christianity and perhaps even try to stir up persecution, but God is using the broadcast to increase interest in Christianity among Tunisians.

The broadcast has also been posted to YouTube in Arabic.  Continue to pray for Tunisia as the people form a new constitution that will shape the future of the country.

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Christians ‘Most Persecuted’ Religious Group In World,’ says Expert

Posted on May 5, 2012 by David Selvey

05/04/2012 United States (The Christian Post) – The head of a California-based evangelical religious liberty group stated Thursday that Christianity is presently the most persecuted religion on earth based on evidence gathered.

Dr. Carl Moeller told The Christian Post at an event on rising religious intolerance abroad that Christians are “the most persecuted in the world” when the nonprofit examined religious groups suffering from increased persecution.

“In terms of sheer numbers, the large size of the Christian populations around the world, where they’re repressed or restricted… Whether you count martyrs, those killed, or you count those living in regimes, sizable Christian populations live under extreme restrictions in places like China, Indonesia, and of course the Middle East,” said Moeller.
He noted that “the methodology for determining this was not from Open Doors necessarily. It was through organizations like Pew Research.”

Moeller cited in his remarks a 2011 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study that concluded that about 70 percent of the world’s population lives in a religiously intolerant environment and 32 percent of the world’s population experienced a rise in religious hostility either at the social or government level.
Full Story

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Tunisian Christians to Speak Out on Tunisian TV!

(From our brothers in Tunisia) Starting today, April 6, at 9:15pm Tunis time (4:15pm EDT) and for the next week or so a TV program will be broadcast on Tunisian national television, about the Christians in Tunisia. The broadcast will be repeated twice a day for about a week. This program is being advertised and already Tunisians are talking about it.

The journalists responsible explained that the purpose of the program is to present Christians in a favorable manner and show that there are minorities in Tunisia. However, several people have expressed their concerns, saying that this program is primarily intended to defame Christians and sow more trouble in Tunisia. Whatever the intention of the program, we think it could have huge repercussions.

Some of the local Christians are giving their testimonies. This has the potential to provoke strong, perhaps even violent reactions. At the same time, the program could also give courage to those who follow Christ in secret to come out to publicly identify with Him.

Just a reminder that the known number of national believers does not exceed 1,500 in this land of over 10 million people. This is up from 200 before the revolution.

On this Good Friday let’s take the time to thank the Lord Jesus for all that He has done for us. Please pray with our Tunisian brothers and sisters that Christ’s name will be glorified as many Muslims will see this TV program.

Also, pray for the Tunisian believers. This could be a time when persecution starts to grow. May our Lord give great strength. There are a few church buildings in the country from a number of different denominations, some are already expecting greater persecution.

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First Tunisian Evangelicals Ordained in 800 Years

In the 1200s the Al-Muwaḥḥidun expelled or killed the Christians in Tunisia. We have no record of Tunisian Evangelicals being ordained again until 2012.

Tunisia was the home of some of the church fathers such as Cyprian and Tertullian. It was also the home of the Phonecian navy and a great center of worship of Baal and Ashteroth.
God has now opened the door in Tunisia for the spreading of the gospel and more are coming to Christ than ever. This brings many opportunities for discipleship training, more, I am told, than our Tunisian brothers and sisters can handle.

In spite of the open doors, Tunisia is still a dangerous place to live as an outspoken Christian who seeks to win others to Christ. Let’s pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Tunisia and pray about what we can do to strenghten the church in that dark land.

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Congo or Bust!

Congo or Bust!12/11/11 Pray for Seth and Darla Curtis still on their way home to Congo. They drove through Botswana Saturday on their way to Congo. Sunday they will do a river/ferry crossing into Zambia, and Lord-willing, make it up to North of Lusaka by night-fall. Then they will drive to Kitwe, Zambia on Monday, and hope to meet with the clearing agentabout the crate they shipped from Chicago. If all is well in Congo, they will cross over on Tuesday and be in Lubumbashi by that afternoon!

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Banking in Africa

shutterstock_62294287

Seth and Darla Curtis and their three boys recently returned to Africa. Here is an account from Seth reminding us of the difference in banking there.

Street Smarts: a must in Africa. Update: Security is a big issue here in South Africa, just as it is in other African countries, and it must become a regular part of your routine. I’ve heard about many sophisticated ATM machine scams, and so I am always on the alert when I need to use one. Most are merely cons, out to stealthily and non-confrontationally steal your card & PIN # in some form or another. Others involve brute force, like throwing you in the trunk of the car (sometimes your own) and driving from ATM to ATM, forcing you to enter your PIN # at each, until your card reaches its limit. Many places here will only take cash, so a visit to an ATM or two during your visit becomes inevitable. Yesterday was one of these such days.

I pulled into a fuel station that I knew had a fairly public ATM machine, with plenty of visibility & people around. I waited in line while one man finished up, and took my place in front of the machine. Before putting my card in, I did a quick scan of the machine–no obvious tampering with the card reader slot. (One scam adds a false face to the card reader that will scan & capture your card # while the scammer tries other means to obtain you PIN). But, all was good so far, so I inserted my card and tried to enter my PIN–no go, the key pad wasn’t even registering my keystrokes. I tried a couple more times to no avail, and the next thing I knew, the man who had been in line in front of me was standing beside me unbidden, attempting to help me by offering candid suggestions of what to try and what buttons to push–I was Immediately suspicious–why was he still here for one thing, he had already had his time at the machine. As these thoughts and others ran through my head, I looked more closely at the key pad and noticed that the enter key was depressed more than the other keys.

Upon even closer inspection, I saw that a small piece of wood (like a piece of toothpick) had been forced into the crack surrounding the enter key, forcing it down. My curiosity took over and I pulled out my Leatherman tool, using the knife blade to gently remove the wood. As I did this, the man who had been trying to help me moved back behind the privacy shield. After removing the wood, the enter key popped up, and I was immediately able to enter my PIN # and obtain the cash I requested. As the transaction ended, and the machine spit my card out, I was struggling with what to do next. I was fairly certain that this guy was running a scam at this ATM, where he cleverly disables the machine (with a toothpick in the enter key–brilliant!), and then offers to come help you enter your pin #. Once he has your PIN, it’s scarry to think what happens next in order to obtain the card that is in your possession.

I thought about going into the gas station and alerting security or a gas station attendant, but it was also possible that they could be in cahoots with him themselves, and that nothing would come of that effort. I thought about confronting the man directly, but wasn’t sure if there might be others lurking around that he was working together with. In the end, I opted for a quick and no-frills get away, so I hopped back in my Cruiser and sped away, soberly aware of just how close we come to these kinds of things, and thankful that we have a God who is watching over us, and orchestrating all of our daily encounters!

Let’s remember to pray for the Curtises and other missionaries serving around the world.

Please post your feedback and comments  to this post.

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EBM Closes Doors … FGM Steps Up

Evangelical Baptist Missions is closing its doors on Sep. 2, 2011.  Faith Global Ministries, a ministry of Faith Church is ramping up to accept transfer missionaries. 

Faith Global Ministries, LLC (FGM), a ministry of Faith Church, was organized in the State of Indiana August 5, 2005 for the primary purpose of recruiting, preparing, sending and supporting of missionaries to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.  Until 2011 FGM primarily provided administrative and planning services related to short-term missions trips.  In 2010 FGM took in a test case missionary.  The test case succeeded, so in August 2011 FGM opened its doors to assist evangelical churches in the ministry of missions around the world.

FGM is a local church ministry and does not desire to compete with the work being done and the services being rendered by local churches.  The leadership of FGM believes that missions is a ministry that belongs to the local church and should follow the pattern of Acts 13:1-4.  However, FGM also recognizes that in the 21st century cross-cultural and international ministry can be complicated and confusing.

Therefore,

FGM functions to assist local churches in accomplishing the global missions ministries that they believe God is leading them to accomplish through their missionaries. We are currently accepting missionaries in good standing via direct transfer from EBM.

FGM assists churches by …

… providing accounting services to process donations and disbursements of missionary funds.

… issuing tax deductible receipts for qualified donations.

… assisting missionaries in establishing an accurate and reasonable support budget.

… assisting with missionary oversight.

… providing a network of professionals and consultants who can provide expert advice and services to missionaries. (e.g. communication, accounting, medical, IT, mechanical & financial professionals)

… making training resources available for missionaries and churches.

… providing training to enhance the missionaries’ ministry and increase efficiency and effectiveness.

… making group health insurance available that provides worldwide coverage.

… providing a network of biblical counselors available to missionaries.

… assisting churches with development of their missions ministries.

In addition FGM enables missionaries to focus on their ministry tasks by …

… providing back office operations and administrative support.

… researching and providing information to facilitate international ministry.

… utilizing the network of associates of FGM to provide a multitude of counsel and guidance.

… filling the gap that the commissioning church is unable to do.

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FGM Goes to South Africa

Carol & Wayne Mack

Dr. Wayne Mack is one of the most respected leaders and authors in the Biblical Counseling movement. In 2006, Dr. Mack and his wife Carol moved to South Africa to begin Grace School of Ministry, dedicated to providing a seminary level education in Biblical Counseling. This ministry is under the direction of Grace Fellowship Church of Pretoria, South Africa and the curriculum and teaching is led by Dr. Mack.

Dr. Mack invited Faith Baptist Church, Lafayette, IN to assist him this year by providing teachers for the Theological Basis of Counseling course in Pretoria or Cape Town, South Africa. Our leadership considered it a privilege to be invited to participate in such a ministry with our friend, Wayne Mack. We naturally jumped on the opportunity in Cape Town because that would allow us to visit our missionaries there. Faith Baptist Church is the sending church for Marc and Judie Blackwell and their son and daughter in law, Marc, Jr. and his wife, Nancy and their two children, Nicole and Matthew. Pastor Andy Woodall and David Selvey were sent in response to this request and this is our story.

Visiting the Blackwells

Andy Woodall & David Selvey

Missionary Marc Blackwell, Sr. met us in the Cape Town airport where we arrived about 9pm Friday night after travelling 28 hours. We enjoyed good fellowship with Marc as he drove us to the airport. It seemed a bit strange for the driver to be on the right and for us to drive on the left side of the road, but the roadways are modern and in good condition.

Saturday we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the clean hotel followed by a walk around the area … lots of sunshine and pretty warm. Marc picked us up at the hotel around noon and took us to lunch and tried to fill us in on 36 years of ministry in a few hours. In the afternoon, we had the privilege of attending the ordination counsel and service of two South African Nationals for service in the gospel ministry. It was a tremendous privilege and blessing to see Llewellyn and Dean, two dedicated South African men, ordained into the Gospel ministry. One of the men is a very successful insurance executive who is now dedicating his life to serving as a pastor of the English speaking church in Blue Downs, a Cape Town suburb.

After the ordination council we drove out to the camp facilities that God has provided. We praise God for providing facilities where young people can go for a concentrated time of biblical teaching and discipleship.

Blue Downs Baptist Church

On Sunday morning Marc, Sr. picked up Andy and took him to preach in one of his church plants. Marc, Jr. and his family picked me up a few minutes later to take me to preach in his church plant in Blue Downs. The last time I was here was in 2005 when I preached Marc, Jr’s ordination service and the dedication of the new building that Victor Pereira and I helped complete with a CWE team. The building is shared by two churches. Marc’s Afrikaans church meets first and then the English speaking church meets after them. The people were warm and accepting, listening attentively to the message from God’s Word. After that service, we stayed for the English speaking church which was installing their new pastor that had been ordained the day before. What a marvelous privilege to see a local church install a national pastor.

On Sunday evening Pastor Woodall and I each taught in the Church Ministry Institute (CMI) that they have in each of their churches for training national church leadership. We enjoyed the teaching and fellowship time together. After our time with the Blackwells, Marc Jr. drove us an hour or so across Cape Town to the place where we would meet with Dr. Wayne and Carol Mack.

Grace School of Ministry
There we met Ian Murray, an elder in Grace Fellowship Church of Pretoria. Ian has assumed the administrative and logistical responsibilities of enabling Dr. Mack to teach at various times and in various locations.

Andy, Wayne, Carol, David, Ian

The ministry in which we were to participate is Grace School of Ministry, which provides a two year seminary education in the area of Biblical Counseling. The program is offered in Pretoria and Cape Town. The course of study includes 4 classes per year for a period of 2 years. Classes are all taught in the form of 5 ½ day modular classes in each of the two locations. These modular courses are not for the faint of heart. Students have extensive pre-course assignments and post course work to do, as well.



Theology class

Dr. Mack taught all the sessions on Monday so Pastor Woodall and I could see how he taught and how the class functioned. Pastor Woodall picked up the teaching Tuesday afternoon. For the remainder of the week, Pastor Woodall taught 3 hours before lunch and I taught 3 hours after lunch. Andy also prepared and taught 90 minutes each evening on counseling youth. Saturday was a half day with Andy teaching the first half of the morning and Dr. Mack teaching the second half.

We had a regular attendance of around 35. Pastor Doug and his wife, Ann had travelled 900 miles from Pretoria to attend the class. A single woman, Anna travelled all the way from Sweden … I think she said it was 14-16 hours by plane! The people were so incredibly hungry for the practical theology of God’s Word that we were a bit overwhelmed by their thankfulness for the Word and the teaching of it.

Here are some of the comments we heard.
  • God has taught me a lot this week.
  • Today I realized that I need to apply these principles to my life before using them to help others.
  • God’s Word brought great conviction to me this week.• I must reevaluate my ministry and even my whole perspective of life.
  • Please thank your church and your families for allowing you to come and teach us this week.
  • I have a degree from a prominent, well known seminary in the USA … I teach in a Bible College in Pretoria … I am a pastor and I teach in a Bible College yet this theology is eye opening for me. Thank you so much for leaving your families for a time and teaching us God’s Word in this way this week …


We even managed to squeeze in a little bit of fun with a visit to the harbor Saturday afternoon and a quick trip to the beach early Sunday morning before leaving for the airport. After our quick swim we heard they closed the beach due to great white sharks in the area!  The flight out of Cape Town was delayed an hour, but we had plenty of time between flights in Johannesburg. God was so kind as to have the 16 hour flight only partially filled so we had room to work and move around a bit. Total travel time from our hotel in Cape Town to Lafayette, IN was 35-36 hours. It was a long trip, but well worth it.

We want to thank our wonderful church family, Faith Baptist Church in Lafayette, IN, for making it possible for us to partner with the folks in South Africa and to begin building a relationship with the church there. Teaching with and for Dr. Wayne Mack all last week was a humbling, but wonderful experience for Pastor Andy Woodall and me (David Selvey). He and his wife Carol and his assistant, Ian were greatly encouraging to both of us.

Please pray …

  • For our missionaries in South Africa, Marc and Judie Blackwell, Sr. and Marc and Nancy Blackwell, Jr. along with their children Nicole and Matthew.
  • For Marc and Judie Blackwell, who are now in the US reporting to some of their supporting churches through the end of April.
  • For the new South African pastors installed last week, Llewelyn De Kock and Dean Kramer.
  • For all the Blackwells’ church plants that God will raise up national pastors to take over those works.
  • For the students who were in the Theology of Counseling class that the Word of God will take root in their hearts and lives and make long lasting change.
  • For Ian Murray as he faithfully serves Grace Fellowship and the Macks.
  • For Wayne and Carol Mack as, after more than 50 years of ministry, they continue to serve God faithfully in spite of their physical challenges.
  • For the ministry of Grace School of Ministry in South Africa.
  • For Andy and David as they attempt to catch up and get back into busy schedules and recover from jet lag over the next week or two.
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