Segaar-King Family Update

"Eventful” would be an understatement in describing our return to Haiti in February. Everything seemed to be moving along well, until all four of our children got extremely sick. One week before our return, we had three children with pneumonia, two with double ear infections, one with a sinus infection, and two with illness-induced asthma—and we only have four children! After two visits to the hospital, four to the after-hours clinic and many more to the pediatrician, we finally got the right combination of medication. Also, God responded to your prayers and we were able to make our flight. Since arriving, our children have adjusted well to their classes at Quisqueya Christian School. We found our home in great condition thanks to the Broersma family who had been house-sitting for us during our home-service. Sharon continues to have pain in her shoulder and will most likely need surgery this summer for her rotator cuff that was possibly damaged in a September, 2011 car accident. Please pray that she will be able to manage until then. We enjoyed celebrating Sharon’s birthday in February with a large group of our friends in Haiti. We give thanks that our Haitian ministry partners have received us well.

So You're Back, Now What?

The best part of being away from Haiti for six months for support-raising and education is that we had time to ask questions. What is working? What could work better? Since we have come back we have identified some areas to focus on. One of our highest priorities is starting a discussion with our Haitian colleagues about the subject of servant leadership. This biblical concept is not well understood by many leaders in Haiti as the dominant concept of leadership is somewhat authoritarian and self-serving. This reality can be seen throughout the public and private sectors of society. Unfortunately, the evangelical church (which lacks a strong hierarchical structure like the Catholic church) continues to be ravaged by leaders who refuse to submit to correction and input from others. Pray that God would provide willing ears and open hearts as we begin this discussion. Secondly, we have begun a new era in local church construction projects in which the national church leaders of our partners will work more closely with donors like SON-BEAM to plan and execute projects. Pray that God would provide patience and determination for both parties as we begin a construction project in Vila de Woz (see above). Third, by God’s grace we are going to dive back into our leadership training ministry with renewed vigor. The most pressing challenge of the church in Haiti is how to engage and develop young men and women to be the next generation of community and church leaders. In order to make this a reality, education and experience are obviously required. But what you may not know is that in a society where elders are respected (like Haiti), young leaders can not develop without the approval and blessing of the older generation. Please pray that established leaders (see above) like Madam Solange (the women’s ministry director) and Pastor Bellizaire (the regional director of Thomassique) will own the vision of raising up a new generation of young leaders. We know God will bless these goals!

Apprenticeship

The first model that we have of training in Scripture is apprenticeship. Moses had Joshua, Elijah had Elisha, Jesus had Peter and John, Barnabus had Paul and Paul had Timothy. Apprenticeship is the basic strategy behind Timothy Leadership Training (TLT), a set of materials that we have been employing since 2009 with great success. TLT has grown with a new cell-group in the area of Port-au-Paix (Haiti’s northwest coast) and continued growth throughout the rest of the country. During our home service we shared many stories with you about how lives were being changed and churches were being strengthened. But now Timothy is faced with growing pains because it replicates best when leaders with influence and experience bring others in their orbit though apprenticeship. We are now facing a shortage of such leaders. Zach discussed this question with TLT international leaders at the conference in Houston (see Zach’s “Master Trainer” photo above center). Our plan is to strengthen the group of leaders that we already have to make them more effective at apprenticeship. Second, we need to recruit new leaders who share TLT’s vision to unleash church members for ministry. Please pray for these two efforts!
Vila de Woz Church (left). Our family at home on Sharon’s birthday (right).

Segaar-King February Update

Dear Friends and Family:
We give God thanks for our safe arrival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Friday, Feb. 10. It was amazing that after our children’s last day of school in Grand Rapids on a Thursday, they started school in Haiti on the following Monday. The adjustment to life in Haiti has definitely been a challenge, especially as it relates to our ministry. Some of the partners that we work with have been facing different issues (see below). We give thanks that we were able to make it back to Haiti as scheduled. During the two weeks prior to our departure, two of our children got pneumonia, one had bronchitis, two had double ear infections, and one had a sinus infection, and two had illness-induced asthma (all at once!). God responded to our prayers because the last few days before we left there was a huge improvement, making it possible for us to return as planned.
Please join us in giving thanks for:
-The opportunity to return to Haiti and continue our ministry. After having been absent for six months, we can see anew the importance of developing Haitian leaders who will act on God’s calling to renew their churches and country.
-A successful evaluation of our Perspectives Réformées media ministry. We were shocked by how many Haitians are benefiting from the radio broadcasts, the pastoral counseling project and the bible study by correspondence.
-A helpful visit from our regional ministry leaders, Luis Pellecer and Steve Brauning. They gave us a lot of good input about how to make our team and our ministry more effective.

Join us in praying for:
-Sharon’s continued shoulder pain from a September 2011 vehicle accident. Unfortunately, we will not be able to treat her potentially partially torn/impinged rotator cuff here in Haiti and are contemplating how to best address this issue in collaboration with medical personnel. We give thanks for her birthday last week!
-A spirit of unity and perseverance for one of our Haitian church partners, the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti. Because of a lack of resources, there are difficult decisions to be made about which programs and staff to fund and cut.
-A profitable visit from Hanley CRC of West Michigan. We are already dealing with a few hiccups regarding the plans for their visit. Please pray that God will be present in all phases of their visit.

Thanks for your prayers and support,
Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King
Missionaries to Haiti
Christian Reformed World Missions