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OUR MISSION : TO MAKE CHRISTLIKE DESCIPLES IN THE NATIONS MESOAMERICA CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE REGIONAL NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2012 – VOLUME 1

Four Decades, Three Continents, Two Prayers = One Amazing God!

1984 in Sedalia, Missouri. Well, actually, it really begins in the Kingdom of Swaziland back in 1969. In the Swazi culture, it is important to have a son to carry on the family name. When missionaries and Chuck Doris Gailey gave birth to their third daughter, the Swazis came to “cry” with them. The missionaries tried to explain how happy they were with their daughter, but the Swazis exclaimed, “But if you do not have a son, your name will vanish!” The local Nazarenes promised the Gaileys that they would pray faithfully for them to have a son. Shortly after, the Gaileys left for the U.S. for deputation (the speaking tour required for fully funded missionaries every two years). They soon received a gift: a little blue infant’s outfit, mailed in faith all the way from Africa. A year later the Gaileys returned to Swaziland for another term with their three daughters … and a 10-week-old son dressed in blue. In 1981, Chuck moved from Swaziland to Nazarene Theological Seminary to train new missionaries for the denomination. He would often tell the story of his son to missionary recruits, emphasizing the importance and power of prayer. He also loved to tell the story when he traveled to churches to speak for Faith Promise conventions. In October 1984, he asked Pastor David Shore of the Sedalia, Missouri, U.S., Nazarene church if there was a family in the church who had only girls and who would be flexible with something unexpected in the service. Rev. Shore suggested the Sickel family, who had two

beautiful daughters at the time. As part of his message, Chuck called Frank and Merry Sickel to come to the platform to help demonstrate his story. He shared how the prayers of the Swazi pastors were answered, and then suggested the church pray for the Sickels to have a son as well. Many years later, Rev. Shore was called to pastor the Nazarene Church in Venice, Florida, where Chuck and Doris attended. Over dinner one evening, Pastor Shore told them a remarkable story – how just 10 months after the church had prayed over the Sickel family for them to have a boy, their son was born. Chuck and Doris were amazed by the story, but it wasn’t until 2012, when Chuck was asked to speak at a retreat for missionaries in the newly-formed Mesoamerica Region, that they realized just how special it was. When the Gaileys arrived at the retreat center in Panama, they were introduced to the missionaries. Among them was 27-year-old Stephen Sickel, now the Work & Witness coordinator for Costa Rica and Panama. Recognition dawned, and Chuck told a mystified Stephen that he knew his family from a long time ago, and that he would share that story the next day. In the morning session, as Stephen listened to the story about the missionary who came to his parents’ church and prayed for them to have a son, he realized that this story was his story. “I grew up hearing that story, but never knew who the missionary was. Whenever the conversation in our family went to guessing if a child was a boy or girl, my parents would tell the story about the missionary who came and

f prayed for them to have a son. It was a fun story to tell, and when we had dinner with the Shores, our families would laugh about it. There was a lot of joy in the telling. And it must have really stuck, because our first child is a boy, too! My mom always said that God gave me to them, and she felt that He had something different in mind for my life.” Stephen’s call to serve was also influenced by reading missionary books at a young age. He was greatly inspired byPastor Greg and Amy Crofford when they left their church to begin the Nazarene work in Benin, Africa. In high school he served on several mission trips to Mexico. Soon Stephen was leading local and district Work & Witness trips, and in college he led several trips to both Kenya and Mexico. Through these life experiences God placed a desire in Stephen’s heart to help people better understand other cultures through mission trips, so they could see how God is working in those cultures. The mustard seed of faithful prayer of Swazi Nazarenes back in 1969 strengthened the faith of a missionary. He in turn shared his faith in the power of prayer with a church and a family in Sedalia, Missouri. Forty years later, in 2009, the mustard seed blossomed when Stephen Sickel became a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene. And in 2012, by divine design, the two missionaries met at a retreat celebrating the faithfulness of one amazing God!

This story is courtesy of Engage magazine

Stephen and his wife, Anne, are the Work & Witness coordinators for Panama and Costa Rica on the Mesoamerica Region.

Walking to Santa Ana's plaza under the June sun in El Salvador, Pastora Mary, the pastor of Santa Ana Church of the Nazarene, told us that we'd be doing a home visitation. Our 12:7 Serve team members were thirsty and tired of having walked for almost an hour; we had only reached the cathedral. We had been on a ministry tour of seven ministry locations in the Mesoamerica Region during our six-month assignment, and this was our first ministry stop in El Salvador. As we continued to walk a bit more to get accustomed to the city, Pastora Mary explained that the family we were on our way to visit

The family we were on our way to visit was suffering because their little girl had been diagnosed with leukemia.

The Heart Healer

was suffering because their little girl had been diagnosed with leukemia. At about 10 years old, Danielita had already experienced hard times. Her parents were divorced, her aunt was her primary caretaker and struggles with making an income. Danielita was never unaware of her surroundings and situation. When our team arrived, she was hesitant to receive us and talk to us. To open ourselves up we decided to sing a song and teach it to the family. After singing a couple of times, Danielita listened attentively as we introduced ourselves and

Genesis Project genesis gen·e·sis (jěn'ĭ-sĭs) The act of producing, or giving birth or origin to anything; the process or mode of originating; production; formation. .

Twelve youth – Serving on 7 ministry locations in various countries – for 6 months in 2012

12:7 Serve is a six month cross-cultural experience where 12 youth representing a range of cultures and backgrounds will be able to confirm their call to the cross-cultural mission field and develop themselves in missions and ministry by serving on 7 ministry sites with the various fields and districts of the newly-formed Mesoamerica Region. With Lynda Woolford, Janary Suyat, Carlos Jimenez, Maura Narvaez, Alan Hp, He Herrera Ortega, AJ Fry,

Erika Chaves, Kesner Absolu, Chennice McLean, Danielle Castlehow and Estela Reza.

described who we were. Pastora Mary asked me to talk to Danielita in private about anything that was tugging at her heart. When Danielita and I stepped away, she showed me to her room where I would meet her favorite baby-doll; it did not have a name. Danielita began to tell me that her “heart was broken” for her family and she wanted to “make everything better.” I began to tell her that Jesus can mend the brokenness she feels for her family and give her peace of heart. As I opened my heart with her, I know that she felt the love of Christ because she asked me to pray with her to receive Jesus in her heart. When she began to pray tears streamed down her cheek and finished saying, "Te amo, Jesús," (“I love you, Jesus”). Danielita made her way into a special place in my heart. Her aunt was supportive of

12:7 Serve / Servir 12:7 is on Facebook.

"Genesis  is  more  than  a  project…it  is  a  strategic  initiative  that  is  harnessing  the  attention  of  Nazarenes  from  every  mountain  peak,  river  bank,  village  and  metropolis  of  the  Mesoamerica  Region.    Genesis  –  starting  new  ministries  and  new  churches  with  a  new  vision  to  make  Christlike  disciples  in  the  nations  of  the  Mesoamerica  Region.    Please  pray  for  leaders  in  the  English  and  Dutch  field  as  they  continue  developing  plans  to  enter  new  island  nations  and  to  refocus  ministry  strategies  to  develop  churches  in  communities  where  the  Good  News  still  needs  to  be  heard.    Pray  for  leaders  in  Mexico  as  plans  and  strategies  develop  to  mobilize  hundreds  of  young  people  to  help  encourage  existing  areas  to  start  new  churches  throughout  the  country.    Please  pray  for  leaders  from  Youth  Mobilization  who  will  be  visiting  the  island  of  Curacao  in  an  effort  to  explore  the  possible  next  steps  for  starting  the  ministry  of  the  Church  of  the  Nazarene  in  that  country.      

• 28 primary areas throughout the Mesoamerica Region:

• 4 island nations with no Nazarene Church

• 24 urban areas where large populations do not have

access to a Nazarene Church

Danielita’s belief in Christ because Pastor Mary had been explaining the meaning of her decision. On July 30, we received news from Pastora Mary that Danielita has passed away. I continue to pray for Danielita's family.

This story is courtesy Engage Magazine

The Rest of The story

By Gina Grate Pottenger Engage Magazine

For Nathalie Sweeting, when God says “jump,” she jumps. She doesn’t always know what God has in mind, but she knows to obey. That’s how two years ago she found herself standing in a vacant lot on one of the Caribbean islands that make up the Turks and Caicos, armed with a Bible and a megaphone, preaching to the cracked concrete and overgrown bushes. It’s Sweeting’s unfailing obedience to God’s sometimes inexplicable directions that made it possible for the Church of the Nazarene to officially enter Turks and Caicos earlier this year, making it the 158th world area in which the denomination is at work. Leaving home Sweeting had been heavily involved in the Nazarene church on her home island in the Bahamas for almost 20 years. She had served as the youth leader, the district NYI president, and worked as the administrative assistant in the district office. God had called her to be involved in the church, rather than continuing as a chef in the resort business, so she had put away her apron and cooking utensils and took up local church leadership. That’s why it didn’t make sense to her when the resort that employed her husband Jeremiah decided to move him to work at a resort in the Turks and Caicos in 2008. Throughout their first year in the Turks and Caicos, Sweeting cried every day,

brokenhearted over giving up her home island, her newly remodeled house there, her five grown children and her church. She sought comfort and guidance through fasting, studying the Bible and praying every day. She says the Lord began to whisper to her heart: “This is not about your husband’s job. I want you to start the work in this new place.” Sweeting knew she must obey, but wasn’t sure how to start. After thinking it over, she decided to do what she knew: youth ministry. She and Jeremiah visited a nearby basketball court where several teen boys were shooting hoops and asked if they would like to start a basketball team. Excited, the boys agreed and invited their friends to a meeting the next day. At the meeting, Sweeting explained her plan: anyone who wanted to play on the team would have to attend a church youth meeting once a week. Quickly, other community teams came together to play against the teens, and a league formed – a total of 10 teams with 15 players each. Sweeting leads her church youth team, and also serves as chaplain for the whole league. Out of this work, a number of youth have believed in Christ and are the core of the church plant that meets at the Sweetings’ house on Sundays. Next, Sweeting says God gave her a new

challenge: visit an abandoned property about a mile away. When she reached the cracked concrete lot, overtaken with weeds, she sat down to read her Bible and pray. The next Sunday, the Spirit led her back and again she read her Bible and prayed. The following Thursday, she heard a new command from God: Go to that empty property and preach. “Boy, I got so upset, why am I going to preach a sermon?” she said. “There are only bushes there.” Sweeting prepared a sermon anyway, and arrived on Sunday with a megaphone and her Bible. There wasn’t another person in sight, so she preached to the weeds and bushes. To her surprise, people emerged from the bushes and nearby pathways and soon a small group gathered. What she didn’t realize is that there were many immigrants from Haiti living in a kind of ghetto nearby – many without proper immigration documents; some of these immigrants were sleeping in the very bushes where God directed Nathalie to preach. About 25 people have given their lives to Christ since Sweeting began her ministry, and 30 actively attend the house church; many of the attendees are Haitian.

For Nathalie Sweeting, when God says, “jump,” she jumps.

On June 1, 2012, the Mesoamerican region entered a new and useful ministry by Costa Ricans, Dr. Miguel Garita Murillo and his wife, Mrs. Irene Jimenez de Garita, who have formed a beautiful family of 2 sons, two daughters and four grandchildren, with whom they share their lives and ministry. Currently and although still relatively new, this missionary couple, with Special Assignment in

the Development Area and Personal Counseling, is developing a great program for the training of counselors in the Mesoamerican region and further work remains engrossed in a project "Culture of Peace in Households ", which is already bearing fruit reliable results. Irene, it noted, has a degree in Theology, serves through a Masters in Family Counseling and has taught at the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas, Costa Rica. Currently in charge of a United Bible Societies Program for pastors and pastors' wives in Costa Rica. Ms. Jimenez also participated in the publication of the Bible "Isha", writing articles for women issues. It is also noted that the "Clinica Biblica" in Costa Rica has had as Chaplain. Miguel, a PhD in Psychology, exhibits a Master in Human Resources and has a solid track record has allowed for his service as noted in couples and family therapist. Having also served as Pastor, District

Superintendent, Chairman of the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas, Costa Rica, Professor of multiple undergraduate and graduate courses such as International Speaker and Rector of the Seminary ESEPA in Costa Rica, Dr. Garita with his wife Irene has worked hard giving seminars and talks for Superintendents and pastoral couples in different countries. The brothers Garita, leaving a trail of significant benefits Nazarene leadership have served doing much with your advice in selecting missionaries and even giving them, once enrolled, a valuable and pastoral support in the field. We consider profitable to make known that Mesoamerica has acquired in his missionary team a couple with a high standard of service, qualifications and professional performance - ministerial and promises much in the area of development and increased health in the family and community Nazarene generally in the region. hanks

Missionary Profile

From August 31 to September 2, 2012, the leaders of the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti participated in the workshop, “MISSION: Million Leaders” under the leadership of Rev. Monte Cyr, Mesoamerica Regional MIEDD Coordinator.

On the campus of the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Haiti, Rev. Cyr led the students in studying the Million Leaders Mandate by John Maxwell. This resource is a global initiative to train millions of Christians worldwide with the necessary leadership skills to effectively pursue the Great Commission in their communities, workplaces, and churches. Between August 2007 and August 2012, there were six training sessions with the six books. Delegates of NYI, NMI and MIEDD attended the training. When the initiative began in 2007, it included only youth leaders, but in 2011 and 2012 other ministries were added to the group. Included in the group were representatives from nine of the eleven districts of the Church of the Nazarene in Haiti. It was a very special time of sharing testimonies and experiences as well as meditating upon and worshipping the Lord together. The participants heard a testimony from 12:7 serve participant Absolu Kesner, who shared experiences from his global journeys.

Yverose Diogene said, “We bless and thank God for putting at our disposal these training sessions for our spiritual development. We thank Rev. Monte Cyr for his dedication to the ministry that God has entrusted and allowed the leaders of Haiti to benefit from. We thank you for your love and care for us as well as your leadership of influence among us Haitian leaders. We thank Pierre Ornan Audain, the NYI coordinator of French Field for his dedication to the completion of this activity and also for his translation during these sessions. We also thank Marc Versil, a participant, who also provided translations in these sessions. We pray that these training sessions will bear fruit and that we will be able to continue next year with volume II:

Haitian Leaders Receiving Training

MISSION: Million Leaders.”

By: Rev Tonya Kucey Do you filter what goes in and out of your mind? Do you pay any attention to what you think about day in and day out? For example, where is your mind right now as you read this newsletter? Is it on what happened earlier today? What you had for supper? What you expect to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Is it on your family? The weather? The whereabouts of a missing item? Your health? Your wealth or the lack thereof? Is there something you just can’t seem to get your mind to shake off? Something someone said or did that you didn’t like? It would be interesting, I am sure, to see if our answers to these questions reflect what St. Paul had to say in Col. 3:1-2 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.” Set your heart…set your mind…on things above…where Christ is. Again, what do you tend to focus your heart and mind on? Are your thoughts and affections focused on the things of this world; earthly things? Do your desires match more of the world or God’s? What do you desire or admire most; things you can touch, feel, hear and see or things of eternity? As those who have been raised with Christ Paul tells us that our answer needs to be that we are heavenly minded in all things. How do we do this? How do we obey this command? How can I be heavenly minded while I am living on earth with all its roles and responsibilities…work, ministry, church, family,

friends etc.? Well, I think the answer is found in understanding what being heavenly minded is and isn’t. It does not mean that we are so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good at handling the roles and responsibilities of life. Rather, to be heavenly minded is to have our hearts set on Christ; to have His priorities as our priorities; his passions our passions, his purposes our purposes. When this happens our every-day lives with its roles and responsibilities will ultimately and powerfully reflect the reality of Christ; all of our desires, attitudes and actions will be holy as he is holy. We will love as he loves. Live as He would live. It really is about where our focus is. It really is important that we do not miss what Paul is saying in this verse. He isn’t saying that being heavenly minded means we just think about heaven a lot but that we think about Christ a lot; loving him as our soul’s sole obsession. It means we can’t get him off our minds. We are fixed and focused on him as the Lover of our Souls. Being heavenly minded means that we eliminate from our dreams, desires and determinations those things that harm our relationship with our Savior; every decision is brought before Heaven’s Throne for His approval. . We are preoccupied with pleasing Him before pursing any purpose or plan of ours. We seek Him first as the Way, the Truth and the Life and know that all the other things of life with its roles and responsibilities, will fall into

their proper place because we are radically Christ’s and he eternally ours. This is what Paul is speaking about when he talks about exchanging earthly mindsets for a heavenly one. Get rid of what was part of our pre-Christian pattern of earthly thinking and living and continually take on the eternal mind of Christ. Paul put it this way a few verses farther down, “Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (vs. 5). And we should rid yourselves of all such things.” (vs. 8) In other words, renew our earthly minds until they are heavenly minded, mastered by the Master Himself making Him our all and all. Set your heart! Set your mind! Make a decision to go in the direction of the Eternal. Don’t settle for lesser, temporary things of the world. It is all about Jesus! As with every command of God you and I are given a choice. It is no different with this command to set our hearts and minds in the direction of heaven. We get to decide whether or not we will divorce ourselves from earthly treasures and trinkets that entertain our hearts and minds to the point that our attention is turned away from the eternal. We get to decide if we will consecrate ourselves to Christ and take on his mindset. We can choose whether or not we will keep our lives for ourselves or give it to Jesus; whether we will use our time, treasure and talent for earthly or heavenly goals. Paul said in Acts 20:24 “My life is worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” May God give us the same grace he gave to Paul, that we, too, will set our hearts and minds on that which truly matters; testifying that Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Lord. All for Jesus!

Radical Reflections

“My life is worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.” Acts 20:24

Belize and Beyond Belize district goes on first Work & Witness trip

Chetumal, Mexico A year ago the Belize District began to pray and plan for their first Work and Witness trip. After so many Work and Witness teams had come to help the Belize District, the district decided it was time for them to help others. They decided that in July 2012 the team would set out for Chetumal, Mexico, and hold a vacation Bible school at the local Church of the Nazarene and work on the pastor’s home, which flooded every time it rained. Darin Pound, Belize district superintendent, was there visiting once when it began to rain. Instead of complaining, the pastor and his family just got to work raising things off the ground and sopping up the water with towels. Thirteen people from Belize took part in the July trip, and the district was able to raise most of the money needed for the project. Several issues arose before the trip, such as problems with passports and the fact that the group was only allowed a 3-day pass into Mexico, but preparations for the trip lit a fire for missions in the hearts of the people of Belize. "The highlight of the entire trip for me was at the end when the pastor of the church gave a tear-filled thank you testimony and how blessed he was to have our team assist," said Elton Robinson, a trip team leader. "That, to me, made all the ups and downs worth it all and I thank God for allowing me and the team the privilege to help other brothers and sisters in Christ." The kids all enjoyed VBS and even learned to sing the theme song in English. "Despite the language barrier we were able to spread the good news and fill their hearts with the love of Jesus Christ," said Monique Eiley, another team member.

• June 22nd -VBS Training

• July 8th – Choir Practice

• July 15th – Pastors Retreat

• July 15th Mission

Outreach

• July 16th Men’s Breakfast

• July 18th Women’s Retreat

• August 1st New Believers

Camp at City Grounds

• August 7th – Married

Couples Seminar

• August 10th – Walk

Through The Bible

Chetumal, Mexico A year ago the Belize District began to pray and plan for their first Work & Witness trip. After so many Work & Witness teams had come to help the Belize District, the district decided it was time for them to help others. They decided that in July 2012 the team would set out for Chetumal, Mexico, and hold a vacation Bible school at the local Church of the Nazarene and work on the pastor’s home, which flooded every time it rained. Darin Pound, Belize district superintendent, was there visiting once when it began to rain. Instead of complaining, the pastor and his family just got to work raising things off the ground and sopping up the water with towels. Thirteen people from Belize took part in the July trip, and the district was able to raise most of the money needed for the project. Several issues arose before the trip, such as problems with passports and the fact that the group was only allowed a 3-day pass into Mexico, but preparations for the trip lit a fire for missions in the hearts of the people of Belize.

"The highlight of the entire trip for me was at the end when the pastor of the church gave a tear-filled thank you testimony and how blessed he was to have our team assist," said Elton Robinson, a trip team leader. "That, to me, made all the ups and downs worth it all and I thank God for allowing me and the team the privilege to help other brothers and sisters in Christ."

The kids all enjoyed VBS and even learned to sing the theme song in English "Despite the language barrier we were able to spread the good news and fill their hearts with the love of Jesus Christ," said Monique Eiley, another team member. Several team members said they were touched spiritually and enjoyed the trip. The Nazarene Missions International council has already begun planning the next trip, and members of the last trip are excited to go on more Work & Witness journeys to continue to spread the good news. As a district, we look forward to see what amazing things God has planned for us and others," Pound said. "Our goal is to be a sending district, not just a receiving one. We look forward to the day when Belize will send out more missionaries to fulfill…

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Belize and Beyond

Cross-­‐Cultural  Orientation  (CCO)  November  16-­‐18  Poás,  Costa  Rica  Contact:    Erika  Chaves  Rivera  <erika.0805@hotmail.com>

June  17-­‐27,  2013  –  Indianapolis,  USA  

What’s happening in Mesoamerica?

4 X 4 Todo Terreno For information contact Maru Rodriguez - marurodriguezurrutia@gmail.com

Belize  District  SDMI/NYI  Leaders  Training,  Nov.  3-­‐4,    Contact  Loretta  at  williamsloretta439@yahoo.com

Barbados  District  SDMI/NYI  Leaders  Training  -­‐  Nov.  29-­‐Dec  1  Contact  Jeanafer  Greaves  (SDMI)  at  jeanie_gg@yahoo.com or  Jamie  Hinds  (NYI)  at  tammy695@hotmail.com

Ignicion Bible Quiz- November 17 – 18, Puebla, Pue. Contact: esgrimabiblico20122@hotmail.com

“The Great Commission in Belize and Beyond!”

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