OCTOBER 2017 • DIRECTOR’S UPDATE NEWS.OM.ORGOCTOBER 2017 • OM INTERNATIONAL

Director’s Update

LAWRENCE TONG

IN THIS ISSUE • Israel • Africa • Haiti • Malawi • Near East • Brazil

An awareness of life’s mysteries

Life—the everyday variety—is a mystery that has captured the greatest imagi-nations through the ages. We honour God most when contemplation of His mysteries becomes a personal spiritual discipline. God is shrouded in mystery and yet, through our relationship with His Son, reveals Himself. Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV) expresses this well: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” We can have confidence that He will show us more of Himself (and therefore ourselves) as we mature in faith.

Few of us are theologians, yet should we deny ourselves of the fullness of God, who made all things for us to enjoy? I think of Psalm 8: 3,4 (NIV): “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” I have sat in an African desert at night, lost in wonder, captivated not merely by the what of the sky (and desert) but also the why and how. God makes an impression at every turn and witnessing His power in creation gives new energy and passion to serving

Him. How many of us seek that kind of meditation in the midst of our busyness and cares?

The Bible is a book with power to change lives and shape history. Explain that. Itself a profound mystery, it preserves, for our benefit, scores of mysteries. How can we encourage stillness and contempla-tion among younger generations? Who cares to ponder life when it can be Goog-led? There is no app that will substitute for a persistent quest to discover more of God and marvel at His works.

OMers are generally doers, not contem-platives—we’re in a battle and all that. What’s the point of studying creation, the interdependency of life, or celebrat-ing diversity? What does this attitude say about loving all that God has made? Has it disengaged us from dialogue with seek-ers of science or spirituality as a result?

Take those first stepsI have learned to retreat regularly for several days to simply be alone with God. This is not an effort to be spiritual or look spiritual; it is a means to survive with sanity. In my leadership role, I can be-come overwhelmed by demands of other people. When it takes an hour to reply to one email, I know that my tank is nearing

empty and I need recharging with the Lord. That cause and effect example cannot be rationalised away by human thinking. It’s a mystery that I have come to depend on.

God wants us to slow down and smell the roses. We honour Him when we invest time in thinking about Him and His works. Never mind if it is difficult at first. Here’s how:

1. First things first: If we have nothing to do, we check our phones rather than use the moment to quiet ourselves within. God did not design us for a lifelong rat race.

2. Silence: Such a rare commodity ought to be treasured rather than eliminated. We must build into our day times of pause and reflection (device free).

3. Distraction doesn’t come from sur-rounding noise but from the clutter we insulate ourselves with in life, be it physi-cal, emotional or even spiritual behav-iours. Downsize!

Take time for silence, to hear better. Stare at the night sky, to see better. The more we consider God’s works, the more we will love Him and speak of Him.

OCTOBER 2017 • DIRECTOR’S UPDATE NEWS.OM.ORGNEWS.OM.ORG

ISRAEL: FAITH BLOOMS

An OM Hope of Israel outreach team went to

a Muslim town to have conversations.

Entering a flower shop, they engaged

in small talk that led to a hospitable

welcome and invitation to sit down.

The shopkeeper asked why they were

in his town. The team shared that they

love Jesus and that’s why they were in

Israel. The team bought four flowers

and the store owner gave them a fifth.

In return, the team gave him a New

Testament and a tract.

The team proceeded to give away the

flowers in the community. One young

woman, in astonishment, said no one

had ever done that for her. The team

explained that Jesus’ love brought them

to this town to give this flower to her.

Each of the five flowers found a

grateful hand, a large grin and an op-

portunity to share about Jesus. Each

person gladly received a tract or New

Testament, the flowers serving as effec-

tive icebreakers. Pray these recipients

will receive the Rose of Sharon, Jesus,

as Lord and Saviour.

AFRICA: STRAIGHT DEAL

Every Saturday and Sunday, OMer

Adoum* invites friends to his house

for a game of Fourteen, a popular card

game. Groups play Fourteen under

the shade of trees or in shops—but in

Adoum’s house there’s more going on:

“My passion is to see every Muslim come to faith in Christ,” Adoum says. Formerly

devoted to Islam, he became a Chris-

tian shortly before university, and now

uses any occasion to approach the

subject with friends.

Adoum’s journey to Christ began in

1998, when an Islamic sect, the Sunna,

built a mosque nearby and proclaimed

that theirs was the way to paradise.

Confused, Adoum learned that the

prophet divided what would become

Islam into 73 groups—only one of

which would attain paradise. He says,

“Every day I read the Qur’an and got more confused; it could not be the word of God.”

His research took him to the only

library in town, run by a Christian.

Adoum began spending time in a Bible

study involving a game of bocce ball

every week. He aimed to convince the

Christian to become a Muslim, but he

took a Bible, began reading it and was

baptised in 2005; his wife followed

shortly afterward.

Now, his experience serves as a back-

drop for his own evangelistic efforts

with ten card-playing friends. Adoum

has discipled three into the faith so far.

Fourteen offers a perfect opportunity

for evangelism; a single game can last

more than six hours, pausing once to

take lunch.

As an English teacher for 500 high

school students, Adoum has opportuni-

ties to share his faith.

He also works with

child protection and

widows/orphans pro-

grammes. Using ques-

tions that led him to

doubt his own Islamic

faith, he can ask those same questions

to his friends. “A Muslim cannot move easily, and decide one day: Today I will not be a Muslim anymore. It takes a long time. We show our love through actions,”

Adoum says.

HAITI: WHEN PLANS CHANGE

When Isaac Gibson (USA), a welder on

Logos Hope, made an advance visit three

months ago to establish how the ship

could help local projects, he learned

about a school started by Marie Claire

Jean Lorthé and her late husband. After

a devastating earthquake in 2010, the

building’s stability was compromised.

Isaac planned to replace the metal roof

and install water tanks, solar panels and

a playground.

But when the ship arrived and Isaac

brought a team of crewmembers

to begin work, the school had been

knocked down for rebuilding! After

their initial surprise, they set to work

on the other projects, installing shelv-

ing, two 1900-litre water tanks, four

solar panels and an electric water pump

to replace the well’s hand pump. Staff

members had been cooking under a

tree, so the crew built a covered, out-

door kitchen with a sink, small counter

and two stoves.

As the school only had an hour of

electricity once or twice a week, the

solar system will store power, so the

school will have it on demand. “Now they have electricity to power several computers and the electric water pump,”

said Isaac. Crewmembers also built

a playground. “The kids were all over it and it was barely built!” he said. “There was a youth music camp in session next door, and those children came to play, too. Marie Claire made the kids wash the play equipment with brushes after they had used it, to keep it in good condition!”

While ship volunteers are told to ex-

pect surprises in their unconventional

life of service, it is not easy to prepare

for the unexpected. Isaac was thankful

that crewmembers could still bless the

school in so many ways. The roofing

material was left for

later installation; em-

ploying local labour for

the rebuild will help the

community’s economy.

MALAWI: GO DEEPER OR DIE

OMer Macdonald Mushiya has a

burden for the Yao Muslims. He has

planted five churches in villages sur-

rounding Chisopi, each enjoying grow-

ing numbers of Yao believers through

evangelistic efforts. However, a new

passion has sent Macdonald on a jour-

ney into God’s Word.

“Churches are making Christians, not disciples,” he says. “They don’t equip them to help others. They’re ‘Sunday Christians’ that don’t testify to other people.” To

help his congregations grow in faith,

Macdonald offers theological training

through Veritas, a programme designed

OCTOBER 2017 • DIRECTOR’S UPDATE NEWS.OM.ORG

to enrich students’

understanding of

Scripture. Through

his teaching, pastors

and church members

are gaining a level of

discipleship beyond what most Africans

experience. “I teach people to read the Bible in context, to know the whole book. This course gives me a greater understand-ing of Scripture, to better teach others,” he

says.

Veritas training comes in four mod-

ules, each taking one year. Macdonald

currently has 29 students in three mod-

ules and is finishing his own training of

module four at a college in Lilongwe.

Macdonald now sees pastors from

all denominations coming together to

share truth—and more communities

are begging for the Veritas teaching.

“Everyone now has a group to lead—and some are leading churches,” he says of

his students. “I’m delegating and shaping them, training them to train others. The more you teach, the more you learn as well,” he says.

NEAR EAST: NOT FORGOTTEN

“Sudanese refugees have the best atti-tude,” exclaimed Elaine* who, with her

husband, developed a ministry focused

on helping refugees facing discrimina-

tion. “Many refugees are downcast, but the Sudanese are so upbeat,” she said.

“They’re the sweetest, most optimistic people,” despite experiencing severe

racism from Arabs, long-term OMer

Marie* stated.

Bringing food and encouragement,

Elaine spent her time visiting Sudanese

refugees who lived “in [small] apart-ments…typically [occupied by] five to 10 people. There was mould everywhere.”

Even in summer, their accommodations

were “pretty damp and dark,” she said. “Most places didn’t have windows, and were only concrete.”

Sudanese refugees in the Near East

are not allowed to work or receive

financial help from relief organisa-

tions, Elaine stressed. “The children are starving [because] they don’t have enough money to buy bread.”

For over a year, Marie has visited

a particular Sudanese family every

week. Often a local Arabic speaker joins

them. “Normally, we do the [Bible] study together. We’ll read a story and discuss it,” Marie shared. One day, Marie decided

she would pray with the family. “Arabic is not my heart language, so my praying is not eloquent,” she explained. “I prayed a simple prayer, and I think the Sudanese family from that day on [understood] you don’t have to pray eloquently to God. God used my weakness to help someone in their journey.”

Several weeks later, the wife prayed

for the first time. “It was beautiful,” Marie enthused. Al-

though the Sudanese

family are Muslim,

“They welcome us into their home and ask to read [Bible] stories. I hope they’ll share what they’ve been learning with their commu-nity.” Marie believes God is using the

refugee situation for good. “Amongst all the refugees coming to [the Near East], and the increased pressure economically and politically, God’s at work.” Pray that

OM workers will find opportunities to

build relationships with refugees from

least-reached nations. Pray that these

people would come to know Jesus and

spread their knowledge of God’s Word

throughout their communities.

BRAZIL: OPEN THE TAP

Cynthia Hansen first experienced mis-

sions on a short-term trip to Guatemala

with OM. “I was certain [missions] was what God had for me,” Cynthia related.

Her parents, however, did not want

Cynthia to pursue full-time missions, so

she continued taking short-term mis-

sion trips, twice to Guatemala and once

to Bolivia.

Eventually, she underwent missions

training with OM, hoping to serve over-

seas. Instead, she applied her finance

skills in the OM office. Short-term trips

“change how you feel about and under-stand missions. You feel motivated to mobilise the church,” she said.

For churches, short-

term missions trip

participants bring mis-

sions closer to home.

Lukas, a youth pastor,

travelled to Serbia on

a short-term trip in

2016. One month later, he emailed OM.

“I need a trip for teenagers in my church,”

he announced. “When I told what I did, my church went crazy. My teenagers want to have this experience, too!”

In 2016, OM sent about 40 Brazil-

ians on short-term trips. In 2017, they

launched the Balkans project, designed

to send youth from Latin America on

an eight-month trip to one of seven

strategic countries.

Gisele Pereira, who spent nine years

in Bosnia, affirmed Brazilians’ suit-

ability to serve in the Balkans. “It’s a warm culture. They love talking and being together all the time. It’s very similar,” she

described. The short-term team hopes

to mobilise Brazilians and other youth

from Latin America. “They are very simi-lar to us, and we would like to have more people from our area go there,” Gisele

stated. Pray for the short-term team

at OM to connect with youth inter-

ested in missions. Pray that short-term

participants would return to fields in

long-term capacities and motivate their

churches towards greater involvement

in global missions.

Thank you for your prayers and support

of all OM ministries worldwide.

* name changed

OCTOBER 2017 • DIRECTOR’S UPDATE NEWS.OM.ORG

The way I see itPOLARITY: DO WE HAVE TO CHOOSE? • BY NG SU-LING

OM International Director’s Office

38 Orchard Road #03-00

Singapore 238836 SINGAPORE

www.om.org

© 2017 • This update is classified (N)-No Restrictions. This is a publication of OM News

& Information (OMNI) in which the International Director highlights timely developments, important issues

and concerns for prayer and response. Issued monthly in digital form. Feedback and ideas are welcome.

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In leading strategy implementation in OM,

I frequently face questions to answer or

problems to help solve. On some occasions,

however, I am truly stumped, or questions

once answered resurface in different circles

such as “What does it mean for OM to be a

field-led movement?”, “How do we manage

dual accountability?”, and “Do we value people

or tasks?”

Recently, I attended organisational

development training by Christian profes-

sionals where they explained the concept

of polarity management. This was an “Aha!”

moment for me. These same questions keep

popping up not because we have not de-

veloped satisfactory answers, but because

there is no one clear answer to begin with.

These are not questions to be answered,

nor problems to be solved—they are ten-

sions to be managed.

Polarities, as first defined by organisa-

tional psychologist Barry Johnson in 1975,

refer to interdependent pairs that need

each other over time. They are not mutually

exclusive, and always at tension with each

other. No amount of problem solving will

resolve that tension.

Examples of natural polarities in life

include inhaling–exhaling, activity–rest,

and work–home. In our spiritual lives, we

experience polarities such as life–death,

weakness–power and working–waiting.

Jesus’ teachings and stories were full of

paradoxes (or polarities) that brought out

the tension between first and last, present

and future, greatness and humility, sacrifice

and reward.

It’s simple to notice many polarities in

our daily OM work such as:

• Global Centre and Field Operations

• Freedom and Accountability

• Centralised and Decentralised

• Structure and Emergent

• Team and Individual

• Diversity and Sameness

• Task and Relationship

At best, a polarity pairing reflects two

realities that are good and desired. Let’s

consider freedom and accountability. On

one hand, we want freedom for fields to act

as they deem best, allowing leaders to be re-

sponsive to ministry needs that change and

emerge. This also yields greater ownership

of the ministry by leaders. On the flip side,

accountability ensures that leaders use re-

sources and manage ministries responsibly.

One coin, two sides

To function effectively, we need BOTH

freedom and accountability, learning to

manage the tension to stay on the upside

of the poles where gains can be reaped. In

the example above, the upside is when OM

leaders feel empowered to lead in their ar-

eas of responsibilities, but also understand

and appreciate the support that comes with

good accountability.

Problems arise when tension between

the two poles is not well managed, leading

the organisation to live on the downside

of the poles through too much freedom

or accountability or even both. Warning

signs that the organisation is living on the

downside of the poles would be when lead-

ers are overly protective of geographical/

ministry ‘turf’ (too much freedom), or micro-

management by the global centre (too much

accountability).

The polarity concept affirms that

achieving both sides of the poles is quite

possible. It’s not either/or, nor one versus

the other (as in a zero-sum game), but

rather both/and. Grasping this concept

could enable more constructive conversa-

tions about dilemmas we face as leaders.

Rather than forcing ourselves to have to

choose between task or people, or freedom

or accountability, a helpful dialogue would

centre on how to achieve the best of both

without slipping into the downsides.

People may value or hold on to the

upside of one pole, or be fearful of the

downside of the opposite pole. These are

very natural tendencies that, unfortunately,

can result in the organisation, or a particu-

lar group, becoming stuck on one end of

the pole. As leaders, we can help facilitate

conversations that:

• Affirm the value of the pole where there

is bias

• Acknowledge the real fears of the

downside of the other pole

• Explore benefits to the other pole

• Seek the higher purpose supported by

both poles.

This last point is important. Ultimately,

both ends of the pole should work towards

the same higher purpose. In the case of

freedom-accountability polarity, that is

effective ministry.

Change is the new constant we must

embrace as part of our future reality. To

manage ongoing, ever-emerging change

effectively requires us all to manage polari-

ties well.

(Author’s bio) I began with OM in 2001 with my husband, Han Teck, on Doulos. We spent nine years with OM Ships, and were part of the first leadership team of Logos Hope. I am currently the Associate International Director of Strategy Implementation, leading the implementation of OM’s global change initiatives. These include strategic developments arising from our new mission statement, as well as changes to our governance and leadership structures.

For further reading: https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/are-you-facing-a-problem-or-a-polarity/