Work Yourselves Out of a Job

In overseas development training, they tell us to work alongside other people, preferably from the country where we are serving, so that we are not the only ones who know how to do what we do. The goal is to eventually work ourselves out of a job, they say.

I don't always know how I feel about this principle (how do you build trust in relationships if you tell people you're trying not to work with them very long?), but the time has come to put it into practice with the Church Friendship Program at the Nehemiah Center.

One aspect of this is helping established friendship groups define and carry out their activities. Instead of Adrianna and Raúl calling and reminding and organizing, it's time for the local pastors and leaders (in Nicaragua and North America) to decide what needs doing and make sure it gets done.

On Wednesday, November 27 in Chinandega we met to define essential activities for the friendship, and each of the pastors will coordinate an area. The goal is for this friendship group to be carrying out its own activities without Raúl and Adrianna pushing things by June 2020.

So what is essential for friendship to continue, according to these pastors? We are still waiting for corroboration from their sister church in Pella, Iowa, but here's the list as it stands:

1) Prayer is fundamental. This means meeting the last Friday of every month to pray together and send prayer requests to the sister churches.

2) Combined services. Joining together in worship twice a year shows unity among the churches.

3) Pastoral family retreats. These have been a precious time of rest, rejuvenation and quality time together for each individual family and the group as a whole. If the team from Iowa could join them during the July retreat, that would be a bonus.

4) Continuing Education. Have a seminar or conference for a day in some area of ministry for pastors and leaders to update them in their practices. They would really like the speaker from the Nehemiah Center's anniversary celebration, Israel Ortiz from Guatemala, to come.

5) Visits from sister church. Receiving delegations from the Pella church once a year will help cultivate the relationship and involve the churches more.

Our meeting with the Chinandega pastors on Wednesday

Each pastor is responsible for making sure that an activity is carried out. Raúl and Adrianna will be coaching them in these next months so they have all the tools they need for the transition. Pray for us in this new process, and for the pastors to be able to continue serving God and each other in unity!

Pastoring Pastors

Tuesday we visited with a pastoral couple, Adolfo and Martha, in Chinandega. They had a scheduling conflict with a big Church Friendship planning meeting for Wednesday, so we met with them individually to bring their ideas to the Chinandega group. 

We started out with a coffee, had supper together, and ended by praying for them at their house – three hours later. 

Taking the time to talk about their lives, travel experiences, health issues, church plans, prayer requests, and input for future planning is a way of investing in their lives and encouraging them to continue in the work God has entrusted to them. 

When we finished our time together, these pastors who are regional supervisors for the Church of God denomination thanked us for our time. “We continue to give testimony,” said Adolfo, “that you pastor us. We have supervisors, but few people take the time to really talk and pray with us. I try to do that now with the pastors I supervise.” 

As I (Adrianna) fretted that we didn’t make it to the church service we had planned to go to, Raúl reminded me that those pastors needed some extra time, and what we did was important to them. Thank you for being part of coffee with pastors, for praying for us as we pray for others, and for remembering Adolfo and Martha in your prayers.

Adolfo and Martha with their son and daughter-in-law at the pastoral families' retreat in October