Highlights From Two Weeks of Missionary Training

I just finished an amazing two weeks of missionary training. Some highlights:

A. Home staying with Neil Bassingthwaighte and Bill Taylor, the National Mission Director and Executive Director of the Free Church of Canada. Really humble people who love the Lord and his church. Got to visit their home church and get good counsel about ministry and mission.

B. Attending New Staff Training with Power to Change. I really appreciated that our first two days basically had one concern - that we love the Lord with all our heart, and deepen our relationship with him. Nothing else in ministry matters if we are not abiding in Him. P2C is a huge organization, but we all got the sense that they deeply care for us and for the Lord.

C. Completing fundraising training. Here I had to be rebuked a little. I came into training thinking that I was going to try to raise most of my support through churches and a few personal friends. But over the course of doing this training I was encouraged to share the unique vision and ministry I believe God is calling me toward, and that I want to share this vision with as many people as possible. Yes I need to raise support, but I also need a committed prayer team, and I’m also looking for like-minded individuals to join the work. I’m now excited to begin meeting with people and churches.

D. I then travelled to San Fransisco to train with Francis Chan’s “We Are Church” network. They bring in 10 people each week to see what God is doing in San Fransisco through their house church planting network. I LOVED their heart. We started every day with at least an hour of prayer. Evangelism training? Not a lecture or a workshop. Nope. They drove us to the most difficult area if they city, dropped us off and said, “pray for people. Tell them about Jesus. See you in an hour.” Lol! My main prayer coming out of this is that I no longer am content with ministry by addition, but pray that I may see multiplication in my mission. That means that I must decrease, and train others to do the work so that He may increase.

E. I then travelled across town to join the Association of North American Chinese Evangelical Free Churches 40th anniversary annual meeting. While I will no longer be ministering in a specifically Chinese Church context, this movement will always be part of my heart. I was humbled to be invited by their board to share in front of they conference as they formally endorsed my ministry and recommended me to the churches as a resource.

In all it was an amazing and life-changing two weeks! But now I’m more than ready to hug my wife Jean Elizabeth Byrne and kids!!!!!!!!

What a cool ministry training centre! @ We Are Church training house.

Getting encouragement from Francis Chan