Blessed To Be So Wonderfully Cared For…

by: Diane Droogsma

Several years ago, my husband Jeff and I were approached by a former missionary couple who had left the field after serving in missions overseas for five years.

Jeff and Diane serving in Brazil

Their reason for leaving the field: burn-out. And they had a strong desire to minister to and serve other missionary couples, teaching what God had taught them through their difficulties of leaving a ministry that they loved and had served in so passionately.

After the chaos of moving back to the States, once some semblance of calm returned to their lives, they reflected on those five years on the field and God taught them wonderful truths from His Word. Through their debriefing classes, they gleaned knowledge that they wished they had learned before arriving on the field.

This couple’s desire was to create a State-side support group to encourage and walk alongside Jeff and me, offering confidential prayer coverage and a safe haven in which we could share. From their experience on the field, this was something they had longed for, but it had not been made available to them.We gladly accepted this precious offer and the group was named the “Senders Group.” It has been a huge blessing to us as we serve overseas and also during our home assignments. They encourage and pray for us during monthly Skype calls where we can confidentially share how things are going on the field, including family difficulties, cultural difficulties and ministry details.

As well, they are “on call” to take prayer requests at a moment’s notice and pray for the things we have shared in our monthly call. If we are going into a dangerous area, they cover us with prayer. They remember our birthdays and anniversary by sending cards and gifts. They provide for our needs while we are in the States on home assignment, such as housing, a car, cell phones, prayer, fellowship, etc. The group consists of people that have a heart to be more closely involved in our lives, family and ministry.

As missionaries, we are continually asked by supporters what we need. So many people generously offer to send things we miss like peanut butter, chocolate chips, Ziplock bags or M&Ms. I think you’ll agree with me, however, that what we really NEED is more prayer support. As we seek to further His kingdom, the enemy prowls like a roaring lion, trying to destroy all that we do in the name of Jesus Christ! Let’s not forget to utilize the body of Christ to join us in the battle!

The next time someone offers to send you something in the mail, suggest instead that they start a Sender’s Group. Give them a chance to get MORE involved in your ministry. You’ll be blessed by MORE prayer support, MORE encouragement, and you’ll feel MORE connected to the body of Christ! And you’ll be giving others the opportunity to be blessed through blessing you!

Recruiting New Missionaries -- YOU Can Help!

When we think about our needs as missionaries, we often think about financial needs, prayer needs, material needs, etc. But what about our personnel needs?

Just recently, RG LA missionary Joyce Werntz stepped full-time into the role of recruiting new missionaries for ReachGlobal Latin America -- a role that not only serves the missionary candidate but serves our region as a whole.

Joyce is working hard, traveling to missions conferences, colleges and universities, and churches around the U.S. to identify potential candidates -- passionate, talented Christ-followers with a heart for missional service. She has the opportunity to share the RG LA needs with people who are often ready to respond to God's call -- if only they knew how they might be used.

You can help Joyce in her recruiting efforts in two ways:

1. Consider the opportunities for others to serve alongside you and your team in your country or city -- short term team opportunities, internships, or full-time missionary roles -- and tell Joyce all about it!
2. Keep your ears and eyes open for potential candidates -- and send candidates straight to Joyce.

By providing detailed needs to Joyce, you help her to match missionary candidates with their ministry sweet spot. Two of the top questions Joyce hears as she's recruiting:

• "What can I do as a missionary?"
• "How can God use me (my talents/my profession/my skills) on the field?"

And by sending candidates her way, you allow her to build relationships and guide and encourage them through the application process.

Joyce is excited about recruiting for Latin America. Get excited, too, and help her help you!

Meet Miguel De Marco -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 5 of 6)

While you may already know the other members of the leadership team, you probably aren't familiar with the newest member of the LA leadership team! In this installment of our leadership serires, Miguel De Marco shares some about his background in missions and ministry and his excitement about joining the LA family.

Please pray for Miguel and his wife, Liliana, this week as they attend REV at the national office... and please send Miguel a note to welcome him to ReachGlobal Latin America!

Name
Miguel Angel De Marco

What is your history with ReachGlobal?
Just arriving!

In that case, tell us a bit more about your history outside of RG.
I've been in ministry for 30 years:

• Church planter and minister (Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica Argentina)
• Editor (Christian Leadership Development; Apuntes Pastorales magazine)
• Missionary assigned to the Latin Missionary Movement (COMIBAM International)
• Leadership trainer (Instituto Forum Latinum)
• VP of Ministries with Latin America Mission (LAM) for the last 11 years
• International consultant
• Specialist in Institutional Strengthening, Strategic Planning, etc.

Why are you excited about joining the RG LA team?
I love the RG Leadership's emphasis on excellence and results, and I hope to learn and contribute to these. Also, I'm excited about the possibility of being a resource in assisting the Latin missionary movement within their indigenous ventures, helping them to develop a responsible way of sending international workers/missionaries.

What is your position on the leadership team?
I've been appointed as Area Leader for Holistic Ministries and trainer/coach for missionary agencies.

What does that mean? What do you do?

1. I will assist Brian in overseeing/coaching RG missionaries serving in holistic ministries.
2. I will train and coach Latin missionary sending structures and Christian non-profit organizations.

What makes you a good boss or leader?
I think experience helps a lot, especially with several years spent helping others to fulfill the Lord's call for their lives. Also, my pastoral background helped me become more sensitive to people.

What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
Getting with the RG ethos and culture; learning how to match with the rest of the team and how to assist Brian better.

What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader?
I am learning...

1. How to honor the Lord's call for His people.
2. How to enrich and empower them, exposing them to different perspectives and better practices.
3. How to take care of them.

Why do you love Latin America?
It's my continent, my people. It's easy for me to love it!

What excites you about the ministry we're doing in LA?
I'm not very well familiarized with all RG missionaries and their ministries yet, but I love the ProMETA program and performance. I think it's cutting edge. Also, after the week-long meeting with the ADT in Tennessee, I'm excited about the potential for the near future of RG LA.

How can people contact you?
Email: miguel.demarco@efca.org

More Personal...

Tell us about your family.
We were all born in Argentina; my wife Liliana and I were second generation there. In 1991 we moved to Costa Rica, and in 1994, to the States.

My wife Liliana is an excellent manager. She has a BA in theology and education and experience in Donor Services management. We have three children:

• Juan Angel, 27, architect, single, pursuing his Master's at Princeton.
• Eugenia, 26, mechanical engineer, single, working with a NASA contractor in D.C.
• Gabriel, 23, BA in philosophy, single, pursing his Master's at FSU.

Where do you currently live?
The Redlands (Miami area, Florida)

What's the last book you read?

• The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success by Stein & Book
• The Castle by Franz Kafka
• The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

What do you like to do for fun?
Read, golf, bike... and eating international cuisine!

Prayer requests:

• Our adjustment to the RG LA team
• Building our support team
• Knowing the Lord's desire better

Meet Mike Gunderson -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 4 of 6)

Although he's been part of ReachGlobal Latin America for years, Mike Gunderson doesn't speak as much Spanish as his colleagues -- but he speaks great Portuguese! Learn more about Mike, his role with the ADT, and how you can lift him up in prayer.

Name
Mike Gunderson

What is your history with ReachGlobal?
We served for 20 years in Brazil. We went as church planters and then moved into leadership development, working with German and Brazilian teachers and trainers. In the past year, I have transitioned into the role of Church Planting Coach for Latin America.

What is your position on the leadership team?
Church Planting Coach for Latin America

What does that mean? What do you do?
I train church planters in Latin America, train coaches of church planters, and lead the RG church planting team.

What makes you a good boss or leader?
Who said I was good? I love Latins, training, and coaching church planters!

What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
I need much better Spanish, and more experience in various parts of Latin America.

What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader?
I learned (from Keith Anderson at our ADT meetings in August) that my identity as a leader, from a biblical standpoint, is not just that of a servant, but also that of shepherd, priest, and steward.

Why do you love Latin America?
I love the warmth and passion of the Latin people.

What excites you about the ministry we're doing in LA?
I believe we are on the cusp of greatly increasing our impact on the people of the Latin American Continent.

How can people contact you?

• Email: michael.gunderson@efca.org
• Text or call: 952-715-2589

More Personal...

Tell us about your family.
My wife Linda has been a discipler and teacher of women and youth for many years and in many contexts. She has given great energies to raising and coaching our two kids:

• Nicolas, 19, is a sophomore at Bethel in St. Paul, MN. He's majoring in chemistry and on one of the University worship teams, playing acoustic guitar.
• Ali, 17, is a freshman at Northwestern College in St. Paul. She's majoring in psychology.

Where do you currently live?
Minneapolis, MN

What's the last book you read?
Humility by Andrew Murray

What do you like to do for fun?
Play games with my family.

Prayer requests:

• Pray for our kids, Nick & especially Ali, as they transition to America and college life...
• And pray for their empty-nest parents!

Meet Keith Anderson -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 3 of 6)

Which member of the Area Directional Team has been part of ReachGlobal the longest? Keith Anderson! In this installment of our leadership series, you'll hear directly from Keith... and find out how you can pray specifically for him as you continue to keep the entire ADT in your prayers.

Name
Keith Anderson


What is your history with ReachGlobal?
Believe it or not, my parents were doing support team building when I was born, so I have been part of ReachGlobal for nearly all of my life. However, Judy & I were officially accepted in 1978.


In terms of area leadership, I was involved from 1992-2000, and now again since 2004. My ministry has included church planting and theological education (Hebrew and Old Testament) in Venezuela, field leadership and administration, and now I serve as Director of ProMETA.


What is your position on the leadership team?
Although I really don't have a specific title, my focus as a team member is on leadership development.


What does that mean? What do you do?
My focus on leadership development flows out of my role as Director of ProMETA, a Master's level program designed to equip Spanish-speaking leaders in Bible and leadership. ProMETA has over 120 active students (with about 50 of those enrolled in a course each quarter). These students represent 24 different countries and dozens of organizations and churches. My responsibilities as Director are becoming more and more like those of a university president, but I hope much less bureaucratic!


What makes you a good boss or leader?
I'm a strong believer in implementing biblical leadership. Biblical leadership cannot be summarized with two or three words -- it is a complex configuration of responsibilities, attitudes, commitments, sensitivities, and submission to the Lord of the Church.


The three primary metaphors that bring together what I believe are at the core of biblical leadership are shepherd, servant, and priest. To be a good leader, it's critical that I be as biblical as possible.


What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
I have made it a personal goal to work more intentionally on hearing God (and what He wants me to do as a leader), because a biblical leader is only as effective as his or her level of obedience and faithfulness in carrying out the "orders" of his or her boss.


What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader?
There are two major themes that God has brought to my mind in recent months:

1. The value of all His servants. Each person, in God's sight, has incredible value, and I need to make sure that I am doing all I can to develop, empower, and release His people for service.
2. The need to remember that all I do is out of brokenness. Everything I do as a leader (and as a person) is the result of His enabling, and it's critical that I live in light of my dependency on God.

Why do you love Latin America?
I have spent more of my life in Latin America than in any other region of the world, and I've been greatly impacted by the culture, customs, language, and people. There is very little about LA that I don't like, but if I had to choose one thing I love most, it would be the value Latin Americans place on relationships and the joy Latin Americans bring to life.


What excites you about the ministry we're doing in LA?
I like the focus RG has on coming alongside what God is doing in the region. As a leadership team, we are sharpening our focus on those priorities that we believe God has given us. As we sharpen our vision, it may seem an overwhelming task, but I like it because it does two things for us:

1. It will help to keep us focused as we move ahead in the next ten years.
2. It also requires us to see ourselves as incapable to do this ourselves. It forces us to go to our knees in dependence on God. 

How can people contact you?
I can always be reached by email -- keith.anderson@efca.org.


More Personal...


Tell us about your family.
My wife Judy and I have three married sons and two granddaughters.

• Our oldest son lives in Boston with his wife and twin daughters and works online while doing his Master's online. His wife is currently applying to med schools.
• Our second son lives with his wife in the Chicago area. He's a student at TEDS and an assistant soccer coach at TIU. His wife is a marketing director for a health care organization.
• Our youngest son lives with his wife in Fort Lauderdale. He's a second year med student, and his wife just graduated as a nurse.

Where do you currently live?
Judy & I are "empty-nesters" living in San Jose, Costa Rica.


What's the last book you read?
I have read a few books in the last two months:

• Don Carson's Scandalous -- I would highly recommend it.
• Wayne Cordeiro's Leading on Empty -- also very good.
• Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son
• Tim Keller's The Prodigal God

Currently, I'm reading Robert Wuthnow's Boundless Faith: The global outreach of American churches and Justo Gonzalez's The History of Christianity in Latin America (also written in Spanish).


What do you like to do for fun?
I like most everything that has to do with beaches: snorkeling, scuba, boogie-boarding, fishing, aquariums, eating seafood (!). Also, photography and working in the Hebrew Bible.


Prayer requests:

• I’m convinced that God designed us to build healthy rhythms into our lives. This includes taking a Sabbath rest and a time for recreation (there is a difference!). Thus, I would want people to pray that I would have the wisdom and the discipline to have a healthy rhythm. 
• I would also like to have prayer for developing a growing and joyful walk with Jesus.
• Finally, mobilizing prayer for our sons and their families is always needed. I can think of few things that are more debilitating and de-energizing for missionary parents than to be wrestling with family issues across the ocean.

Meet Omar Rodriguez -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 2 of 6)

For the second installment of our RG LA Leadership Series, you have an opportunity to learn more about Omar Rodriguez and his role with Latin America. Please continue to pray for the entire leadership team in general and for Omar specifically!

Name
Omar Rodriguez

What is your history with ReachGlobal?
I have been a missionary with the EFCA since 1993, serving 1 year in Mexico City and 10 years in Venezuela. I've been part of the Area Directional Team since 2000.

What is your position on the leadership team?

• Catalyst for Church Based Training
• Area Crisis Manager

What does that mean? What do you do?
Church Based Training: Our principal goal is to help local church leadership to effectively nurture believers toward maturity in essential Bible knowledge, godly character, fruitful ministry skills, and Biblical relationships.

Crisis Management: If missionaries get into serious trouble, I coordinate RG efforts to help them. [Read more about Crisis Management from this previous blog entry.]

What makes you a good boss or leader?
I'd like to think that I can lead well under pressure, and I enjoy helping my teammates to succeed at what God has called them to do.

What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
I'd like to be a better encourager.

What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader?
To be a better student of those you lead, and to deal with "relational stuff" faster.

What excites you about the ministry we're doing in LA?
The hope I feel in seeing a new generation of leaders arising to serve the Lord.

How can people contact you?
In case of EMERGENCY, my cell is 714-930-6451. Otherwise, email me at omar.rodriguez@efca.org.

More Personal...

Tell us about your family.
I've been married 24 years to Rebecca, who works at developing women's ministries in the region. We have two sons: Omar Daniel is in his second year at UCLA studying engineering. Benjamin is a junior in high school.

Where do you currently live?
Fullerton, CA (USA)

What's the last book you read?

• The Pacific
• James in the New Testament
• Deep Survival

What do you like to do for fun?
Ocean kayaking (even if I hardly get to do it anymore!), hanging out with Beck (always an adventure), and traveling with the family.

Prayer requests

• Wisdom
• Wisdom
• Wisdom

Meet Bob Werntz -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 1 of 6)

As you get to know more about Bob (in his own words) and his role on the leadership team, please remember to keep him and the other area leaders in your prayers!

Name
Robert (Bob) Werntz

What is your history with ReachGlobal?

• Worship Pastor at Park Hills EFC 1995-1998
• Founded Evangelical Free Church of Honduras church plant in 2001 – and have been part of the ADT since that time I think.

What is your position on the leadership team?

Financial Management

What does that mean? What do you do?
I monitor our financial resources and manage their application with the counsel of the Area Directional Team. I find creative ways to report the financial information so that the ADT can more easily make necessary decisions… I’m the guy that reminds the ADT of the financial realities under which we serve!

What makes you a good boss or leader?
I guess I often see things from a different angle; I like to find creative solutions.

My StrengthsFinder strengths are strategic, focus, input, learner, and deliberative.

What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
I want to work on balancing my desire to focus on the task with the need to cultivate quality relationships. 

What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader? 
To try to see people and ministry as Christ sees them.

Why do you love Latin America?
I love the culture and the people – and I love the music!

What excites you about the ministry we’re doing in LA?
Multiplying our resources by serving national movements – including movements that are not EFC but are compatible.

How can people contact you?

• Email: Robert.werntz@efca.org
• Skype: robertwerntz
• Facebook
• Text/phone: 815-275-6346

More Personal…

Tell us about your family.
Wife Joyce serves full time with RG CONNECT. We have three sons and three granddaughters.

Where do you currently live?
Freeport, IL (USA)

What’s the last book you read?
Doce Cuentos Peregrinos – por Gabriel García Márquez

What do you like to do for fun?
Date day with Joycie! Music!

Prayer requests

• For my family
• For wisdom for the ADT
• For continued health and growth of the Evangelical Free Church of Honduras