Since we've been out of contact for almost a week, I've got a lot of catching our to do on my blog posts. We are now back in Yangon and will be leaving for the US this evening at 11:55 pm.
Thanks for your prayers. Hope you enjoy reading about our experiences here in Myanmar.
Blessings!
Fred
Tuesday, January 21, 2014, continued...
This afternoon we flew from Yangon to Myitkyina. What an experience! Lazarus was a little late in picking us up but we still had plenty of time to get checked in before our flight. We did check with the airline and found out that indeed our return flight on January 27th had been cancelled. We also learned that they had not automatically rebooked our flight for the 28th. So, we asked them to do that and they rebooked us and gave us new confirmation/receipts.
Flying in a country where almost no one speaks english is a real experience. Thank The Lord for Lazarus! We realized very quickly after arriving at the airport that there is a separate terminal for domestic flights and we found that it is nothing like the international terminal. It is old, outdated, and pretty dirty. The ticket counters are not automated with computers. They check you in by checking your name off the passenger list they have on a clip board.
The guy that checked our luggage just took it and went off with it without giving us a receipt or baggage claim number or anything. I looked at Dale and told him that "I hope that guy knows what flight we are on so that our bags end up in the right city". When we went through the security check we didn't have to take off our shoes, belt, or take out our computers, or things out of our pockets like we do in the US. The only one that received additional checking was Lazarus and it is because he had a small knife in his carryon bag, which they let him keep after they scolded him for having it.
Our flight was with Air KBZ. The plane was a twin-engine prop plane that seats about 80 people. They had two (2) young female flight attendants. The flight was relatively short, lasting only 2 hours. Soon after they took off the flight attendants served us drinks, which they pre-poured, giving us a choice of water, cola, or juice. Not long after they did this they served us a snack. The snack box came with a chicken salad croissant and a small piece of strawberry swirl cake. After this, they came back and refilled our drinks and offered us coffee or tea. Dale and I couldn't believe that they gave us a snack on what in the US would be a commuter or regional flight! The plane was new and in very good condition. The flight was very smooth even though we did fly over some really major storms and cloud formations.
When we started our descent into Myitkyina in order to land, I noticed that it looked like we were about to set this thing down in the middle of a river. I would guess that the last 2 miles or so of the flight was over the water. The runway had to have been only a couple hundred yards from the river in that just about the time we cleared the water and saw land again, we touched down. The runway is probably about three lanes of traffic wide and very short. The terminal building looks like it came out of an old 1940's movie.
Once we got off the plane, we entered the terminal and had to go through an Immigration checkpoint. There they wrote down our VISA and passport numbers and asked us where we were staying at in Myitkyina. After that, we walked across the parking lot to pick up our bags. We waited for about 15 minutes during which time Lazarus introduced us to six or seven men from the churches who had come to the airport to welcome and greet us. The baggage carts that they loaded our bags on as they took them off the plane are just like the ones they use at US airports, except for one thing...they are generally pulled by a small tractor/truck. Not here. The baggage carts were pulled by one man, who guided them along the road from the tarmac in back of the terminal to a small building out front, and were pushed by three or four other men. But, once they got to us, we had no problem finding our luggage and loading them up for the trip to the hotel.
After a 6 mile drive that took about 20 minutes, we arrived at the Xing Xian Hotel. It is a four-story building and is fairly well kept. Dale and I are sharing a room with two double beds. When we got arrived there was no power in the building, but after an hour or so it came back on. We do have A/C, a small flat screen TV, and a small refrigerator. But, we do not have any internet in the building.
After we unpacked our clothes, we walked across the street and ate dinner. Dale had sweet and sour chicken and I had sweet and sour pork. It was very good and there was plenty of it. We were stuffed and it only cost about $11 US for both of us.
Later, Lazarus came to our room and we made plans for tomorrow morning. I will start off at 8 am and teach until 10 am. There will be a 30 minute break for lunch. Then I will teach for 1 1/2 hours until noon. They will take a one hour break until 1 pm and then Dale will teach from 1 to 4 pm. We will do this from Wednesday through Saturday.
We'll that is my report for Tuesday's adventure. More to follow from Myitkyina. Hopefully, I will be able to get to an Internet cafe tomorrow evening and send this report to you.
Blessings! Thanks for your prayers.
Fred
Wednesday, January 22, 2014.
This morning we got up at around 5:30 am, cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Same breakfast as in Yangon. Two fried eggs, toast, butter and jelly, fruit, and coffee. We finished breakfast and then were off for the conference.
Traffic in Myitkyina is really bad. There are way too many motorcycles and they are constantly cutting in and out of traffic. Here there is an absence of traffic lights. I probably only counted about a half dozen or so. On top of that there are no stop signs. None. What this means is that "its everyman for himself". Very dangerous driving conditions. We were almost hit 3 or 4 times on the way to the church.
We arrived at about 7:45 am and they were ready for us. Things were set up and people were singing songs. I was up first, so I gathered my stuff and got ready. Our schedule for the day looked like this:
8-10 am - Lead Like Jesus
10-10:30 am - Lunch break
10:30- 12:00 - Lead Like Jesus
12:00-1 pm - Break
1-4 pm - Roles/Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders
This would be our daily schedule through Saturday.
My session went very well. I was able to finish everything that I had planned for on the first day even though everything that I said had to be interpreted (word for word) by Lazarus. In my second session, I finished with about 10 minutes left so I opened the floor for questions. After my second session, we took an hour break and then Dale taught on the Relationships and Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders.
We had a very good number of people that attended. I would roughly estimate having around 125 people in the room and around 30 or so (mostly women) who sat outside on picnic type tables and listened through the open windows. We had two (2) men who traveled from western Myanmar to attend the seminar. They lived in a village near the India border. They told us that it took them four (4) days to get to Myitkyina. Can you believe that someone would be so hungry to learn to become a better leader that they would travel that far? In our country that would never happen. We also learned that we had two men from China. Amazing!
At the first break, Timothy, a 90 year old pastor, presented me with a handmade burmese shirt. Pastor Timothy was well acquainted with the Morse family who were longtime missionaries with the Lisu people here in Myanmar. I also met a man whose son now lives in Florida. The son is a political refuge who asked for asylum to come and live in the United States. The father has not spoken to his son for over five years but has received occasional letters from him. He asked me if he gave me his son's phone number would I be willing to call him. I told him that I would to that for him.
They had a great lunch for us. The women prepared and served it to all of the men. We had chicken, pork, cooked vegetables, rice, small tangelos, sliced apples, grapes, and something that looked like cole slaw (I passed on that). They served us bottled water and hot water (yes, hot water without coffee or tea?). The food was really great! I thanked the ladies and told them that if I kept eating like this that I would become very big. They laughed.
During our second break, a couple of the younger pastors came to sit at our table. They thanked us for coming to Myitkyina and told me that the message of servant leadership is desperately needed in the church here. The pastors and church leaders struggle with how to equip and prepare their people to do the work of the ministry, witness, and teach others. In other words, they (just like most US churches) are not making disciples. Definitely, the message of Lead Like Jesus is needed here.
I learned that most of the churches are not adequately equipping believers. Most of them do not have Sunday school for adults (only for children and teenagers) nor do they have small groups, so the only "teaching" their church members get is from the Pastor's sermons on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and during Wednesday evenings.
We also learned of some conflict that exists here within the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. These churches, in order to provide some oversight and help for one another, formed an association to fulfill that function and they select a 16 man committee to accomplish it. The biggest thing that causes problems is that they have a "policy" that pastors can only serve for three (3) years in a church. After that, they must move to a new congregation. There are no exceptions and no waivers. The committee also selects and appoints the pastors for every church. The elders of the churches have no input. It is hard for me to understand their reasoning for doing this, but I'm sure they have some good reasons.
These policies do cause some problems. Elders will often get into conflict with the pastors over seemingly minor issues. Pastors often feel like they are a "hired hand" or just an "employee" because many of the elder boards make all the decisions, often without any input from the pastor. The relationships between many of the pastors and their elders are not good. As a result, most of the churches are not growing, they are not planting new churches, and the people are not being discipled.
The weather was really cool when we started out. It was probably in the upper 40 degrees or maybe in the lower 50's. Both Dale and I wore our jackets and most of the people wore winter coats. Later in the day, it got up to about 70 degrees or so. It was very comfortable for teaching. I hardly broke a sweat. Much different than it was in Jamaica last week.
We ended the day by going to a Thai restaurant in downtown Myitkyina. The food was really good. I had ginger chicken, Dale had sweet and sour chicken, and Lazarus had some sort of dish with fried intestines in it? While we were waiting for our dinner, a female cat came up to us. It rubbed on my legs as many cats will do. Dale petted it on the head a few times and then the cat went over to Lazarus, who just ignored it being there. All of a sudden, the cat just jumped from the ground beside Lazarus and landed in the middle of his lap and then laid down. All of us laughed. The cat just sat in Lazarus' lap for 15 minutes or so until our dinner arrived and then Lazarus shoo'd him out.
After we returned to the hotel, I changed my clothes and laid on the bed to watch a little TV and to read. I read a couple of chapters in my book and realized that I was done for the day and decided to go to sleep. It was only 8 pm but I was very, very tired. Dale was still up but he too went to bed very early.
Thursday, January 23, 2014.
We got up, cleaned up, and went to breakfast at 7 am. We had the same two fried eggs, toast, etc., that we have had everyday. It is much cooler than yesterday and we decided to wear our heavier jackets. We arrived at the church at about 7:45 am and I was set up and ready to begin at 8 am.
We started right on time. This is one thing that I've noticed, they start and stop on time. This is unlike much of the other developing countries that I've been in. Each day when we start they generally begin with a song. Then someone gives a few announcements and another person will pray for us. All this takes about 15 minutes. So, I started my second session at around 8:15.
On the way to the church Lazarus reminded us that he had to leave at 10 am to perform a wedding ceremony and that he would have another person interpret for me. I told him that if would be no problem for me. He then dropped the "bomb"....and asked Dale if he would accompany him and preach the wedding sermon! Of course, Dale had no time to prepare for this. But, Lazarus insisted and Dale didn't want to say no. So, while I taught my first session, Dale sat in the corner of the room and made some notes. He and Lazarus left at 10 am and was supposed to be back to the conference by noon.
I completed my session and we took our second break at noon. We waited until 1 pm (when Dale's session was supposed to start) but Dale and Lazarus had not yet returned. One of the leaders came up to me and said that we needed to start on time and asked me to continue teaching. So, I got the binder with my lesson notes and took up where I had left off. It was about 1:45 pm when Lazarus and Dale showed up and after a couple of minutes I finished the topic that I was talking about and turned things over to Dale.
During the second break that day, I was approached by several men and asked to come back and teach them more about Lead Like Jesus. I then explained to them the four stage/phase process and how it works. They said that is exactly what they need. So, I told them that I would discuss it with Lazarus and see how we might be able to work out the details to implement this in their country.
I had a chance to talk more with Pastor Timothy (who is age 82) and several of his church leaders, to include his assistant Pastor David (who interpreted for me while Lazarus was at the wedding). I learned that this man of God had trained and mentored the four men that were sitting with me. All of them were either pastors, elders, or leading a ministry. What an amazing legacy that this man was leaving! It was Pastor Timothy that first asked me to come back and teach them more. He even offered to buy my plane ticket from Yangon to Myitkyina! Wow!
I am truly impressed by many of the leaders that I have met here. They love God and want to serve him faithfully. Many of them are not Bible college trained and they lack knowledge, but their heart is good and they (for the most part) really want to lead like Jesus.
On the way back to the hotel, Lazarus took us to an Internet cafe. We were hoping to send Michelle and Anna to let them know we were alright and to explain why we couldn't communicate regularly with them. Dale was unable to log on. I was, but the connection was very, very slow. I was able to send Michelle an email and to post a small comment on my blog. I then let Dale use my email to send Anna a note.
After the day's sessions were over, we came back to the hotel. We later ate dinner at the little restaurant across the street. I had intended to come back and read for a while, but I was tired and so was Dale, so by around 8:30 pm we were ready to go to bed.
Friday, January 24, 2014.
Last evening the power went off just after we went to bed and did not come back on until 5:30 am as we were just getting up.
I woke up at 4:30 am and laid in the bed for a while thinking about the future possibilities of coming back to work with the Lisu Christian leaders. I prayed and asked God for wisdom and guidance. I also prayed about the work that Luke Kuepfer and I are doing in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, and maybe also in Jamaica. I believe that we have worked ourselves into a place that we are now over our heads (so to speak) and need help from God to guide us, provide resources, and other people to join with us. The work is far bigger than we are and we need to start equipping others to join us.
As far as coming back to Myanmar? I'm not sure if we can really help the leaders and churches here as long as they have the structural barriers they now have in place. It may be that our time and resources may be better spent elsewhere? I will discuss this with Lazarus before leaving Myanmar, explain our 4 stage/phase process, give him my concerns and then let him discuss them with the pastors and association leaders. If The Lord wants me to return, I am confident He will work things out.
My lesson this morning went very well. They were particularly interested in how to develop and equip their people. As part of the lesson, I covered the "Way of the Carpenter" and then discussed each stage of development in terms of discipleship. I believe that this was especially beneficial for them and opened up some of their eyes.
They were really interested in the "Lincoln Story" and the "Power of an Apology". As I told them the story, they intently listened to every word. I watched their faces and could tell they were taking it all in. Several men told me later that they were very touched by Lincoln's story and how an important man like him could admit that he was wrong and apologize.
Because I taught longer yesterday when Dale was at the wedding, I was able to not only finish the Hands section but also the Habits section. This means that tomorrow, I will have time to review the basic concepts from each section and finish by covering the Next Steps and doing the "Greatest Management Tool" exercise.
At lunch, Lazarus informed us that Dale and I would be preaching several times on Saturday evening and again on Sunday. Both of us will preach on Saturday evening at the same church. Then, on Sunday, Dale will preach at 8 am. We will travel to another church where I will speak at 11 am. Finally, both of us will speak at another church on Sunday evening.
We learned that the Lisu people love to go to church. They have worship services on Saturday evenings, Sunday morning at 8 am, then again at 11 am or noon, and finally, they have Sunday evening services. All of these services last at least 2 hours. They also have Wednesday services. But, most of them do not have any adult Sunday school or Bible classes.
After Dale finished his session, we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, and again ate dinner at the restaurant across the street. I had hot and sour chicken. It was a little spicy but very good. Our combined meal, with soft drinks, came to about $14 US. Very inexpensive!
After we got back to the hotel, we each worked on putting together our notes for the talk that we would have to give on Saturday evening's church service and then went to bed.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Hello from Myitkyina
Just a quick note to let you know that Dale and I are doing OK. We do not have any internet connectivity at our hotel and just this afternoon found an internet cafe. The connection is really slow. We probably will not be able to post again until we get back to Yangon on January 28th.
Everything is going well with our teaching and we are having a fantastic time with a wonderful group of people. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. PS the food is great!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Everything is going well with our teaching and we are having a fantastic time with a wonderful group of people. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. PS the food is great!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Monday, January 20, 2014
Greetings from Myanmar (January 21, 2014)
Sunday and Monday, January 19-20, 2014.
Dale Sanders and I left Lexington at 6:15 am on Sunday for Myanmar. The first stop was Chicago where we would catch a flight to Seoul, South Korea. We had about a five hour layover in Chicago. Not much was open when we arrived so we just sat, talked and waited.
The plane for Seoul departed right on schedule. It was a 13 hour 50 flight. The plane was very comfortable and had more leg room than most. Additionally, it was not a full flight and both Dale and I had an empty seat next to us so we were able to spread out. The food was really good as well. For the first meal, I had vegetables, rice, and soup (a traditional Korean dish). It was very good. I had chicken and rice for the second meal, which also was very good. It came with a small salad and chocolate cake for dessert. I was most of all impressed by the service that the very smartly dressed young flight attendants gave to us. All in all, this was a very good flight.
Before leaving on Sunday, Eloise, my mother in law, gave me a book she wanted me to read: "Exodus to a Hidden Valley" by Eugene Morse. It tells the story of the Morse family, who were missionaries to the Lisu people of Myanmar (Burma) and China, and details their trials and struggles as they ministered to the people of northern Myanmar in the Kachin state and how they dealt with persecution and ultimately deportation. What a great book! I read the entire 225+ page book during this flight. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book is especially timely in that Dale and I will be speaking at a pastor's conference in the city of Myitkyina and it is the Morse family who were responsible for planting most of the churches that these pastors represent.
We arrived in Seoul on time but it seemed like it took forever to taxi to the gate. Once they let us get up and start to deboard the airplane it was a mad dash by everyone it try to get off and catch their next flight. We had to go through security screening again and the lines were terribly long. When we made it to our gate we had just 10 minutes before they started to board our flight that would take us on to Yangon. This flight would be six hours long. By now, my hips and back were already hurting.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
The flight to Yangon was uneventful. I read a little while and was able to sleep probably four of the six hours. I gave Dale the book on the Morse family and he read part of it on the flight to Yangon. When we get to Yangon it will be about 10:30 pm local time and most likely after getting our bags and going through customs, it will be about midnight when we will leave the airport for the hotel. Lazarus Fish, and most likely several of his family members, will be at the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. We should be able to get some rest because we do not fly out for Myitkyina until 1 pm tomorrow afternoon.
Our flight did not arrive until almost 11:30 pm. We were late getting out of Seoul because the plane had to be de-iced before we could take off. Once we landed in Yangon, we had no problems getting our luggage and going through the customs check. Lazarus and his three daughters and his son were there to meet us. We loaded up our bags in his new (slightly used) van and headed to the hotel. Lazarus informed me that we would be staying at the Hotel Ruby, which is the place we stayed at last year. He did not say why the change in hotels, but at midnight who really cares. Hotel Ruby is not a four star hotel but it is clean, safe, has hot water and A/C, so it works for me. Plus, it is really inexpensive.
We got checked in and went straight to bed. It was about 1 am. I woke up a couple of times during the night but overall slept pretty well for being in a new place. I got up at around 7 am and went to check on Dale to see if he was up. We decided to do breakfast at 8 am, so I went back to my room to get a shower and get ready. Breakfast was good. They give you the standard thing: two eggs (fried), two pieces of toast, butter, jelly, and apple slices. I tried last year to order my eggs scrambled but they still brought me fried eggs, so this morning I just went with the flow.
At least we do have wifi here at this hotel. I'm not sure that we will come back and stay here when we return from Myitkyina. By the way, Lazarus informed us that our flight that is scheduled to bring us back to Yangon has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28th instead of Monday the 27th. He said that they are working on the runway and have cancelled all flights on that day. We will check with the airline to confirm that and make sure we have seats on the Tuesday flight when we get to the airport this afternoon.
Well, that is my first report from Myanmar. Lord willing, we will have some internet connectivity at the hotel in Myitkyina. I plan on posting again this evening after our flight. So, stayed tuned. More to follow from Myanmar.
Please be in prayer for us and for those who will be attending the conference that we will be speaking at starting tomorrow. I pray that God will give us the right words that we tell them what He wants them to hear.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Dale Sanders and I left Lexington at 6:15 am on Sunday for Myanmar. The first stop was Chicago where we would catch a flight to Seoul, South Korea. We had about a five hour layover in Chicago. Not much was open when we arrived so we just sat, talked and waited.
The plane for Seoul departed right on schedule. It was a 13 hour 50 flight. The plane was very comfortable and had more leg room than most. Additionally, it was not a full flight and both Dale and I had an empty seat next to us so we were able to spread out. The food was really good as well. For the first meal, I had vegetables, rice, and soup (a traditional Korean dish). It was very good. I had chicken and rice for the second meal, which also was very good. It came with a small salad and chocolate cake for dessert. I was most of all impressed by the service that the very smartly dressed young flight attendants gave to us. All in all, this was a very good flight.
Before leaving on Sunday, Eloise, my mother in law, gave me a book she wanted me to read: "Exodus to a Hidden Valley" by Eugene Morse. It tells the story of the Morse family, who were missionaries to the Lisu people of Myanmar (Burma) and China, and details their trials and struggles as they ministered to the people of northern Myanmar in the Kachin state and how they dealt with persecution and ultimately deportation. What a great book! I read the entire 225+ page book during this flight. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book is especially timely in that Dale and I will be speaking at a pastor's conference in the city of Myitkyina and it is the Morse family who were responsible for planting most of the churches that these pastors represent.
We arrived in Seoul on time but it seemed like it took forever to taxi to the gate. Once they let us get up and start to deboard the airplane it was a mad dash by everyone it try to get off and catch their next flight. We had to go through security screening again and the lines were terribly long. When we made it to our gate we had just 10 minutes before they started to board our flight that would take us on to Yangon. This flight would be six hours long. By now, my hips and back were already hurting.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
The flight to Yangon was uneventful. I read a little while and was able to sleep probably four of the six hours. I gave Dale the book on the Morse family and he read part of it on the flight to Yangon. When we get to Yangon it will be about 10:30 pm local time and most likely after getting our bags and going through customs, it will be about midnight when we will leave the airport for the hotel. Lazarus Fish, and most likely several of his family members, will be at the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. We should be able to get some rest because we do not fly out for Myitkyina until 1 pm tomorrow afternoon.
Our flight did not arrive until almost 11:30 pm. We were late getting out of Seoul because the plane had to be de-iced before we could take off. Once we landed in Yangon, we had no problems getting our luggage and going through the customs check. Lazarus and his three daughters and his son were there to meet us. We loaded up our bags in his new (slightly used) van and headed to the hotel. Lazarus informed me that we would be staying at the Hotel Ruby, which is the place we stayed at last year. He did not say why the change in hotels, but at midnight who really cares. Hotel Ruby is not a four star hotel but it is clean, safe, has hot water and A/C, so it works for me. Plus, it is really inexpensive.
We got checked in and went straight to bed. It was about 1 am. I woke up a couple of times during the night but overall slept pretty well for being in a new place. I got up at around 7 am and went to check on Dale to see if he was up. We decided to do breakfast at 8 am, so I went back to my room to get a shower and get ready. Breakfast was good. They give you the standard thing: two eggs (fried), two pieces of toast, butter, jelly, and apple slices. I tried last year to order my eggs scrambled but they still brought me fried eggs, so this morning I just went with the flow.
At least we do have wifi here at this hotel. I'm not sure that we will come back and stay here when we return from Myitkyina. By the way, Lazarus informed us that our flight that is scheduled to bring us back to Yangon has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28th instead of Monday the 27th. He said that they are working on the runway and have cancelled all flights on that day. We will check with the airline to confirm that and make sure we have seats on the Tuesday flight when we get to the airport this afternoon.
Well, that is my first report from Myanmar. Lord willing, we will have some internet connectivity at the hotel in Myitkyina. I plan on posting again this evening after our flight. So, stayed tuned. More to follow from Myanmar.
Please be in prayer for us and for those who will be attending the conference that we will be speaking at starting tomorrow. I pray that God will give us the right words that we tell them what He wants them to hear.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica (Jan 16, 2014)
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica!
This will be my last report from Old Harbour, Jamaica, as I will be leaving for the US early tomorrow (Friday) morning.
I decided to sleep in a few extra minutes this morning since I didn't have to teach today. So, I got up at 6 am, got a shower, prayed and read my Bible, then went down for breakfast. Wow! We had French toast this morning. It was very good. The young Jamaican couple from the church that cooked for us did a fantastic job!
This morning Dennis, Mary, Pastor Jerry, and I will be meeting with Locksley Todd to discuss the Pre-school project and the future planning and coordination needed to prepare a budget so that we can begin to apply for grants and begin to raise funds for the equipment and other items that we will need to open the school once the building is completed.
Before Locksley arrived, Dennis found some problems with a couple of things that the contractor did to the school building. They were not major problems, but they had to be corrected before we can proceed any further. Fortunately, they found them now and not later. (I think that Dennis will end up firing the contractor?) While waiting on Locksley, I packed up my suitcases, worked off a bunch of emails, and made some notes for a project that I'm working on.
Locksley showed up at around 9:30 am. I met with him primarily by myself for a couple of hours while Dennis and Jerry from time to had to leave to give instructions or check on the work teams. Mary also received a call from their daughter Krista during our meeting who had to be taken to the hospital ER this morning. It appears that she was having a problem with her legs going numb and having a severe pain in her groin. (I'm not sure they found out the cause, but at least they gave her some medications to ease the pain and released her to go home and later to see a specialist.) So, I mostly met with Locksley and we discussed several issues and came up with a plan and timeline to finalize the start-up budget and the initial operating budget.
In the afternoon, I continued working on my other project until around 3 pm when the work teams formed another "concrete bucket brigade" and started to pass buckets filled with concrete across the property to pour supports for a new gate they were building. We did this for about 2 hours or so and then finished for the day.
This afternoon was really nice. It was overcast and I would estimate it was around 75 degrees with a slight breeze. It really felt good but it probably means it will be a little cooler tonight. I might have to break out my poncho liner?
Tonight we had fried fish and pepper steak for dinner. I did eat a piece of fish (against my better judgment) and it was very good. However, it did have bones in it so I had to be very careful. After dinner, we had our devotions and Dennis briefed the two teams on their trip tomorrow to Ocho Rios.
Tomorrow morning, Dennis and Mary will be taking me to airport. We are planning to leave at 5:15 am. It will take us about an hour to get to Kingston, negotiate the traffic, and get to the airport. My plane doesn't leave until 9 am so I should have plenty of time.
I've had a really good time during this trip. It was really good to work with and get to know Curt Nordhielm and Dale Cornett from Boise Bible College and it was good to meet the people on the mission teams from the Meadowview and North Terrance Churches of Christ. It also was great to see the progress that they made on the school building! I have personally invested a lot of time planning, researching, and working on the plans for starting a pre-school and it is good to see the "dream" starting to become a reality.
I am slightly disappointed in the turn out for our seminar, but I think that I was able to "plant some seeds" in the minds of a few young pastors who want to learn to lead like Jesus and make disciples like He did. Only the Lord knows what will come out of our effort here. I often have to remind myself that God never told us that we have to be "successful". Instead, He tells us to be "faithful".
After I get home tomorrow afternoon, I do not have much time to recover, wash some clothes, repack and prepare for my next adventure – to Myanmar, which begins on Sunday morning when, Lord willing, we will climb on a plane at 6:15 am.
Thanks for your prayers! Also, please pray for Dennis and Mary who will be here in Jamaica until February 1st. My next blog post will take place as we depart from the Lexington Bluegrass Airport on Sunday morning.
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Greeting's from Jamaica (Jan 15, 2014)
Wednesday, January 15, 2014.
Greetings from Jamaica!
I almost over slept this morning. I was so sound asleep that I didn't even hear my phone alarm go off. I had set it for 5 am, but I was so tired that I did not hear it until 5:30. So, I guess it just beeped for about 30 minutes. This morning the cold shower didn't work to wake me up. I finally got 3 cups of coffee down me before I started to feel good.
We had breakfast at 7 am. This morning we had ackee and salt fish (the Jamaican national meal). I did not partake. Instead, I ate fried plantains, fruit bread, watermelon, and pineapple. And, had lots of coffee!
After breakfast we set up for the last day of teaching. As with the other two days, some that came on the first two days did not return for the third. But, some that came the first day came back the third and final day and one person showed up for the first time on the third day. Oh, well? There were at least 9 leaders/pastors that came every day and I feel that they got something that will help them.
We got started at 9:15 am with Pastor Jerry leading our time of singing and worship. When he turned it over to me it was 9:30 am. After Tuesday's session, I was still almost an hour behind schedule. So, I cut out some things and reduced some activities a few minutes here and there and things worked out. I only went over about 15 minutes and I was able to fully cover the most important points and allow for some good group discussion on them.
I also was able to talk with them about the four-stage/phase leader development process that Luke and I have used in Uganda, Liberia, and Ghana. I showed them how it works and how if they will commit to it and follow through, they can exponentially grow the number of leaders in their churches. Then, I offered to come back to Jamaica and start this same process with them, but only if they will make a long-term commitment and be willing to follow through. We will see what happens? There are five younger pastors that seem to be "chomping" at the bit and are excited to begin. So, we will see what the Lord works out.
In the afternoon, Dale Cornett completed his teaching on Biblical eldership. After he was finished, Dennis and Pastor Jerry brought Dale, Curt, and I upfront to thank us and present us with a nice gift – a very nice Jamaican necktie. Then, the work teams from the two churches came in and joined us as we gathered around these leaders, laid our hands on them, and then prayed for them, their churches, and for Jamaica. It was a very touching experience and I really believe that these leaders were lifted up and encouraged by it.
We then put away all of our stuff, cleaned up the sanctuary, and reset the chairs for the evening service. Once that was over, I went to my room and changed clothes. When I came downstairs, I saw that the work teams had started a bucket chain-gang and were passing buckets filled with concrete from one side of the property to the next and they were short a few people, so I joined in and passed concrete filled buckets for about 2 hours.
For dinner this evening, we had jerk chicken and chicken foot soup. These are two traditional dishes that Jamaica is famous for. I can say one thing for sure; the food has been great this week! I would say it's the best that I've ever had here and this makes my fifth or sixth time.
At 7 pm we went to the church's Wednesday evening service. They did something very special tonight for us. We started out by singing several praise and worship songs for about 15 minutes or so. Then, Pastor Jerry brought up a group of about 15 church members (mostly women) up to the front of the sanctuary. These folks then sang and danced to several Jamaican songs that they had learned at church camp and vacation Bible school when they were growing up. The songs and dancing was great. We all laughed and clapped and had a great time. You could especially see that they also enjoyed "performing" for us. What a very special night!
As we finished the service, Pastor Jerry presented the leaders of the two construction teams with a special gift to take back to their churches and thanked them for all that they had done to help complete the school building. Later, during the devotions, Dennis and Mary presented Dale, Curt, and I with a Jamaican coffee mug and some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
Tomorrow, Dale and Curt leave for the airport at 5 am to catch their plane that will take them back to Boise, Idaho. I have one more day here and will be meeting with Dennis, Jerry, and Locksley Todd (who is a local Jamaican that is on our mission board there) to talk about the school and our progress on getting the start up and operational budget put together.
Thanks again for your prayers. One more post tomorrow evening and Lord willing I will be on my way back to Kentucky.
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica (Jan 14, 2014)
Blessings!
Fred
Monday, January 13, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica (Jan 13, 2014)
Monday, January 13, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica!
This morning I was up at 5 am. I showered, read my Bible and prayed, and went downstairs to get some coffee at about 6:45 am. We ate breakfast at 7 am and started sitting up for the seminar at 7:30. I could not believe it, but as we walked to the sanctuary to open it up we were met by a man who said, "I have some tables for you". He was the guy with the round tables that was supposed to be delivered on Sunday and we were sure glad to see him. Thank you Lord for working out the small details.
It took us a little while to set up. Jerry did not arrive until almost 8 am and Dennis was really busy getting the construction teams organized for the day's work. So, Curt, Dale and I had to "wing it" and do our best to find things, hook up and turn on the speaker system, projector, etc. But, it all worked out and we were ready by 9 am, which is the time the first person arrived.
The leadership seminar was not well attended. 23 people had registered and paid in advance and another 10 or so had told Jerry that they would pay at the door but were coming. Only 11 showed up. I don't quite understand if you paid for something why would you not show up to it? Maybe they'll show up tomorrow? Who knows?
We kept waiting for more to show up and when they didn't, we finally got started at 9:30 am. Pastor Jerry led us in several worship songs until about 9:45. Then, both he and Dennis spoke and welcomed everyone. So, I did not get started with the Encounter session until after 10 am. So, I was about an hour behind from the start.
On a good note, the ones who did show up told me that they really learned a lot from the session and are eager to come back tomorrow. I was able to get through the introduction portion of the Encounter and about half way through the Heart section before I had to stop at noon for lunch.
After lunch Curt Nordhielm presented a session on the Image of God and the leadership roles of men and women. It was a great session and he did a great job presenting the material. We did have a woman pastor in the audience and Curt did a good job laying out the Bible basis for his talk and at the same time recognizing that in some places where men don't or won't step up, women have to assume lead roles in the church.
The biggest issue we had today was the noise and distractions from all the construction that was going on. It was very hard to hear (for both me and the participants) and it was very hard for me to stay focused. It was definitely not a good thing to schedule both the seminar and the start of a construction project at the same church at the same time. Lesson learned.
Tomorrow, I'm going to do my best to start the session at 9 am. We will see how many show up? My plan is to start, with or without everyone there. I have an hour to make up and I've reviewed my notes to pick several places where I can shorten an activity or two. So, hopefully we will get close to being back on schedule. I do not want to have to cut the Habits short on the final day. I have come to the conclusion that besides the Heart section, the Habits of a Servant leader is the second most important topic that we cover during the Encounter.
Overall, I think the Pastors who did attend are getting something that they can take back to their churches and will also help them be better leaders and shepherds of their flock. As for the construction, it sure looks like these guys got a lot done today on the school building.
Thanks in advance for your prayers. Lord willing, I'll post again tomorrow evening. Our internet this evening is not working very well and I was unable to access it for over two hours. But, just before I was about to give up, I tried to get on it one more time before going to bed and it worked!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica (Jan 12, 2014)
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica!
I slept pretty well last night, even though it was about 80 degrees when we went to sleep. But, it really cooled down and I actually got cold enough to wake up and turn the fan off. My alarm went off at 6 am and I got up and went to take a shower. Everyone else was fast asleep. Of course, there was no hot water and so I took a cold shower. It was pretty cold at first but I got used to it and it was actually OK. A few times the cold water took my breath away.
After I showered and shaved, I went downstairs to make some coffee. Needless to say, I made it a "little" strong. Oh, well? After a few minutes, most of the "older" guys started to wander down stairs to drink some coffee and wait for breakfast.
Church services today were very good. As expected, it started a half hour late. The singing was wonderful and Pastor Jerry gave a great sermon. We started at 10:30 am and it was over at a few minutes past noon. Not bad by Jamaican standards!
Lunch was at KFC in Old Harbour. After that, we came back to the church and did some prep work to get ready for tomorrow's seminar, ie., checked out the audio/visual equipment, microphones, etc. I also took about 2 hours to review my lesson notes again. Dennis took several of the team members who had never been to Old Harbour and showed them around the city, to include the really poor area that is close to the church. They got to see "real" poverty. It was an eye opening experience for them.
At 6 pm we attended the Sunday evening service here at the church. Wow!! What singing! I posted a video clip for you to see just a small part of one of the songs that we sang. Following the song service, Curt Nordhielm preached on the Great Commission. He did a great job and made some points that I had not thought of before.
After the evening service, we ate dinner and then met with Pastor Jerry to make final coordination for tomorrow's seminar. As luck would have it, the company that was supposed to deliver the round tables this afternoon, failed to show. So, we just may have to use rectangle ones that we have here at the church.
We ended the day with Dennis and Mary holding a team meeting to tell everyone all the do's and do not's and to get tomorrow's construction plans all worked out. We had a time of sharing and then we prayed and are now getting ready for bed. I'm probably the only one up right now.
We'll, that's the report for Sunday. All in all, it was a very good day. I pray that tomorrow will be even a better one and that the right people come to our leadership seminar and that the audio/visual and other support items work as planned.
Thanks for your prayers. Lord willing, I will post again tomorrow evening.
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Sunday evening worship service
Here is a video clip from tonight's evening service. We really worshiped tonight!!
Fred
Fred
Greetings from Jamaica!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Greetings from Jamaica!
I started the day by getting up at 6:30 am, getting a shower, and heading to Broadway Christian Church for Ironman (our men's ministry meetings) and to attend a deacon's orientation meeting.
Jay McChord had a very good lesson about how all of us need someone in our life to encourage us and keep us "running" our race of life. This was the first week of a four session series that is based on his newly released book. The deacon meeting was a short one. Ernie Perry, our senior pastor, gave a very good talk to us about the proper role of deacons; what they are and what they are "not". He really gave us a good set of expectations and standards. Doug Piatt gave us a deacon's manual and discussed the monthly deacon's meeting and what they will involve. He also shared with them that I would be assisting him in training and organizing the deacons so that they could take on a more meaningful role in our church.
I left Broadway at 10:15 am and headed for the house to pick up my suitcases and have Michelle take me to the airport to catch my flight to Jamaica. I had no problem in checking in and getting through the TSA was a snap! The plane left right on time at 11:55 am. The flight to Atlanta was uneventful and we landed on time. This gave me an almost four hour layover. So, I went to McD's and had lunch, and went on to my gate. I sat down, worked some email, read a couple of chapters from a book, and reviewed my lesson notes for this week's teaching. I linked up with Curt Nordhielm and Dale Cornett, from Boise Bible College, who would also be teaching at the leadership seminar.
Our plane was scheduled to depart for Kingston at 4:55 pm. We started to get a little worried when they started to board the plane and we had not yet seen any of the two (2) church mission teams that were supposed to be on the flight with us. Dale, Curt, and I boarded the plane when our group number was called and about 10 minutes later we looked up and here they came down the aisle of the plane. We found out that their flight in Columbus, Ohio had been delayed for over 2 hours and almost caused them not to make it.
The flight to Kingston started out really bumpy, but after about a half hour or so, the turbulence stopped and the rest of the flight was great. We landed right on schedule. I got off the plane, went through immigration, stopped by the money exchange kiosk, and then went to collect my suitcases. This is where I was most concerned, but when I got to the baggage claim area my suitcases where already there. So, I policed them up, went through the customs check, and went outside to find Dennis and Mary who would be picking us up. As it turned out, everyone's bags made it safely to Kingston. Thank you Lord! This is pretty amazing, especially knowing how late most of the people were getting into Atlanta.
The two church teams did not get a chance to eat dinner, so after we got everyone's bags collected up, they went into one of the restaurants at the airport and got them something to eat. After what seemed like a couple of hours, we loaded up and headed to Old Harbour.
It is now 12:35 am on Sunday morning. Everyone is settled in and resting. Mary unpacked a lot of the food items that the teams brought with them and got out the bottled water, coffee, snacks, etc. for the teams. She finally found the coffee filters, so we are "good to go" for coffee in the morning.
Tomorrow, breakfast is at 8:30 am and church is at 10 am (yea, right?). I will get up at 6 am, start a pot of coffee and get a shower. After church, we will go out and get something to eat at a nearby restaurant and then in the afternoon get things organized for the leadership seminar.
More to follow from Old Harbour, Jamaica!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Jamaica bound!
I'm on my way to Jamaica! I will be spending the next week with Dennis Herko at the Old Harbour Church of Christ teaching Lead Like Jesus to a group of pastors as part of a leadership seminar they are hosting.
I will be returning to Lexington next Friday afternoon. I won't get much rest. On Sunday, January 19th, Dale Sanders and I leave for Myanmar, where I will also be taking the Lead Like Jesus message to a group of approximately 200 pastors.
I plan on posting my blog daily while I'm away, so be sure to check it often or just sign in and get an email each time I submit a post.
Thanks in advance for your prayers. Blessings.
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
I will be returning to Lexington next Friday afternoon. I won't get much rest. On Sunday, January 19th, Dale Sanders and I leave for Myanmar, where I will also be taking the Lead Like Jesus message to a group of approximately 200 pastors.
I plan on posting my blog daily while I'm away, so be sure to check it often or just sign in and get an email each time I submit a post.
Thanks in advance for your prayers. Blessings.
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
Tyranny of the Urgent
Great reminder that we all need to focus on those things that really matter.
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Turning Point"<turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org>
Date: January 11, 2014 at 5:02:24 AM EST
To: fredwaggoner@outlook.com
Subject: Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Reply-To: info@davidjeremiah.org
Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
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One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.
Psalm 27:4
In 1967, Charles Hummel published a booklet entitled Tyranny of the Urgent, in which he suggested a reason we're so overworked and disorganized. It's because of jumbled priorities. Hummel relates what an experienced factory manager once told him, "Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important."1
Recommended Reading
Psalm 27
What are the important things in life? Our time with the Lord. Our families. The work only we can do as assigned to us by the Father. But how easily these true priorities are pushed aside by urgent demands each day! Let's reprioritize our priorities. The Book of Common Prayer suggests a prayer of confession that many of us need at the beginning of the year. Condensed, it says: "Almighty Father. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. Have mercy upon us. Grant, most merciful Father, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy name. Amen."
Our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically a problem of priorities... We have left undone those things which we ought to have done.
Charles E. Hummel
1 Charles E. Hummel, Tyranny of the Urgent, Rev. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994), 4-5.
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Monday, January 6, 2014
Staying on course
Good advice from David Jeremiah.
Stop and Get Your Bearings
I kept my bearings in Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:21, The Message
In his book on leadership, Robert K. Cooper credits his grandfather, Hugh Cooper, Sr., a minister and teacher, for the wisdom needed for success. One of the best lessons involved the practice of pausing amid the busyness of life to contemplate whether we're proceeding the right way. "When my grandfather Cooper and I planted trees," he wrote, "he would stop every half hour or so. Reaching into his pocket, he would take out a small compass he carried. I always knew what he would say next: 'Robert, let's stop and get our bearings.'"1
It's not enough to be busy. We must make sure we're keeping our bearings in Christ. As you go through the day, the month, and the year, remember to periodically pause to check your priorities and get your bearings. Take time to pray and ponder. Set aside time for Bible study and personal meditation. Pull over at rest stops. Pause often to remember who you are, where you're going, and the God you're serving.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, each thought and each motive beneath His control.
William D. Longstaff
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I kept my bearings in Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:21, The Message
| Recommended Reading Psalm 119:14-16 |
 |
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, each thought and each motive beneath His control.
William D. Longstaff
1Robert K. Cooper, The Other 90% (New York: Random House, 2001), 152.
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