The Adjustments
As we sat in the sweltering heat of our small church building making our way through our monthly assembléia, or members' meeting, one of our leaders, José, stood up and began to speak about the members' recent lack of participation in the mid-week services.
José described how when the church group first began meeting years ago, before they had electricity or even a building, members used to meet together outside, and if it began to get dark, they would pull out their phones and use the flashlights to see their Bibles. He mentioned this because the church has grown, and they now have a building with working lights (and fans!), yet members have become complacent and lack the commitment they once had to meeting together, making use of the building God has blessed them with for that very purpose.
I had been noticing that lack of participation; it had also affected the weekly ladies' Bible study that I teach. When we began the study (on understanding salvation) last June, I would regularly have 7–10 ladies in attendance. But over the past three months, attendance has dwindled down to 1–2 ladies each week. So in a way, I was relieved to hear José say that it was a church-wide issue; at least I knew it wasn't just my study—or me.
Missions and ministry (as life in general) require adjustments from time to time. Things rarely stay the same, and we must continually evaluate the effectiveness of what we're doing. My heart's desire, given by God, is to teach and equip women to be and make disciples. If women are not coming to be taught and discipled, I must ask whether there's something I can do differently to facilitate their participation.
I have spoken to a few of the ladies, and they have said they would like to continue having a weekly meeting and study. They have also told me that they are interested in studying marriage. So we have decided to take a break in December, for the holidays, and reconvene in January with a Gospel-based marriage study (which in this culture is sorely needed). I'm praying that with the new year, the women will have a renewed commitment to meeting together regularly for fellowship and discipleship. (Will you join me in that prayer?)
Another adjustment I recently had to make was to give up serving in another ministry. In partnership with the Liberty Project, in August I began teaching a group of preteen girls Bible and health classes.
When I initially volunteered to help, the classes were supposed to be in the morning, which is a good time for me. However, after the first class, the team decided to move it to afternoons because most of the girls were in school in the mornings. I told the team I would try to make afternoons work, but as the weeks went by I realized that it was difficult because of the rest of the family's schedules (school, activities, and ministry). So Harvey and I decided it would be best for me not to continue teaching those classes.
I was sad to be giving up teaching a consistent group of 12–15 girls, only to be left to teach a group of 1–2 women from church. But I trust that as I make this adjustment, God will use the time that's now freed up in my schedule to allow me to serve and minister in other ways, whether it's to my family, to my church, or to someone new.
Other adjustments on the horizon for us include a new leader for our church and a change in schooling for our children. Adjustments can be stressful, but we like to say in Africa that flexibility is key, so we must always be open and adaptable. On this Thanksgiving Day (when I am writing this), I am thankful that there's one thing that never needs adjustment: the Rock of Ages—our steady and faithful God. I've recently been working on memorizing these verses in Portuguese:
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an Everlasting Rock." (Isaiah 26:3–4)
Happy Thanksgiving from Pemba!
José described how when the church group first began meeting years ago, before they had electricity or even a building, members used to meet together outside, and if it began to get dark, they would pull out their phones and use the flashlights to see their Bibles. He mentioned this because the church has grown, and they now have a building with working lights (and fans!), yet members have become complacent and lack the commitment they once had to meeting together, making use of the building God has blessed them with for that very purpose.
I had been noticing that lack of participation; it had also affected the weekly ladies' Bible study that I teach. When we began the study (on understanding salvation) last June, I would regularly have 7–10 ladies in attendance. But over the past three months, attendance has dwindled down to 1–2 ladies each week. So in a way, I was relieved to hear José say that it was a church-wide issue; at least I knew it wasn't just my study—or me.
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| Teaching the ladies at church last July |
Missions and ministry (as life in general) require adjustments from time to time. Things rarely stay the same, and we must continually evaluate the effectiveness of what we're doing. My heart's desire, given by God, is to teach and equip women to be and make disciples. If women are not coming to be taught and discipled, I must ask whether there's something I can do differently to facilitate their participation.
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| Spending time with ladies from church at the pastor's wedding |
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| Cuddling Baby Nízia, the daughter of one of the ladies in my church group |
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| Pastor Acácio with his bride, Ilda |
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| Ilda comes to Bible study regularly and is eager for our upcoming study on marriage. |
Another adjustment I recently had to make was to give up serving in another ministry. In partnership with the Liberty Project, in August I began teaching a group of preteen girls Bible and health classes.
When I initially volunteered to help, the classes were supposed to be in the morning, which is a good time for me. However, after the first class, the team decided to move it to afternoons because most of the girls were in school in the mornings. I told the team I would try to make afternoons work, but as the weeks went by I realized that it was difficult because of the rest of the family's schedules (school, activities, and ministry). So Harvey and I decided it would be best for me not to continue teaching those classes.
I was sad to be giving up teaching a consistent group of 12–15 girls, only to be left to teach a group of 1–2 women from church. But I trust that as I make this adjustment, God will use the time that's now freed up in my schedule to allow me to serve and minister in other ways, whether it's to my family, to my church, or to someone new.
Other adjustments on the horizon for us include a new leader for our church and a change in schooling for our children. Adjustments can be stressful, but we like to say in Africa that flexibility is key, so we must always be open and adaptable. On this Thanksgiving Day (when I am writing this), I am thankful that there's one thing that never needs adjustment: the Rock of Ages—our steady and faithful God. I've recently been working on memorizing these verses in Portuguese:
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an Everlasting Rock." (Isaiah 26:3–4)
Happy Thanksgiving from Pemba!
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