Family Update

"Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”  Based on the number of times this phrase occurs in the Psalms, this must have been the most popular praise and worship song for nearly a millennium.  As a family, we can join God’s people in this refrain.  It is a blessing to see our children building relationships and getting more comfortable in their new home. After having spent twelve years befriending Haitian children, it is not surprising that many of their new friends are from  diverse backgrounds.  We have enjoyed getting to know the parents of our children’s friends as well.  Hannah has begun her sophomore year and will soon be driving and looking at colleges.  Isaiah and Vivian are in seventh grade and Esther is in fourth (her final year of elementary school).  Sharon has stayed very busy managing the children’s activities and going through some intense physical therapy.  Zach’s travel schedule has sometimes been intense and the weight of learning about and leading the mission work of Resonate has often felt overwhelming.  We are all consoled by the fact that our souls, our bodies, our aspirations, and the work that God calls us to all belong to him.  We are simply stewards, co-laboring with the Holy Spirit.  We continue to depend on your prayers and enjoy praying for you, our partners in mission.  May God shine upon you this fall and give you his peace!

A Different Flavor of Mission

Church members begin cleaning moments after Zach finished his sermon at the Funabashi Reformed Church in preparation for an evangelistic service later in the week.  You won’t see that in Haiti!

Zach greeted the 73rd General Assembly of the Reformed Church of Japan in October and preached in one of its churches.

After  having spent most of our first two decades of ministry in Latin America and Africa, I (Zach) really had little idea of what mission looked like in the developed countries of East Asia.  In October, I got my first taste.  I visited two countries that are outwardly very similar—Japan and South Korea.  Both of these countries have had a significant missionary presence.  One of these countries has a large Protestant Christian population and sends out one of the highest numbers of missionaries of any country in the world.  The other celebrates Christmas and often uses churches for marriage ceremonies but only counts 2% of its population as believers.  The first country is South Korea and the second is Japan!  While the Christian Reformed Church doesn’t have a large missionary presence in Korea, 10% of the CRC is ethnically Korean.  In Japan, Resonate has had a long presence and has helped the Reformed Church of Japan plant 50 churches.  The passion of Japanese believers for Christ comes out not in the loud music and long sermons of Africa and Latin America.  It rather comes out in meticulously organized, harmonious worship services and the difficult life that Japanese Christians lead as a small minority in their

Segaar-King September Update

This scene (minus the green grass) could be from anywhere in Haiti.  Actually, it is from Orlando, Florida.  Zach got a chance to spend a few hours with members of Pastor Obelto Cherubin's church in Orlando (see below).

Dear Friends and Family:

Sometimes the wisdom of God seems like foolishness to us.  In 2007, soon after our arrival in Haiti, Pastor Obelto Cherubin immigrated from Haiti to Orlando, FL.  From the beginning of Resonate’s work in Haiti in the 1980s, Obelto was a key leader and founder of our national church partner, the CRC of Haiti.  At that time I didn’t realize how important Obelto was, but his absence became more and more apparent over the course of our next eleven years in Haiti.  Last week things came full circle.  During a visit to Orlando, I stopped by Obelto’s church, called the “Haitian Christian Reformed Church.”  Under Obelto’s leadership and the Spirit’s blessing, the congregation has reached out to many Haitian immigrants who have come to Central Florida to work at Disney World and the other big amusement parks.  What was a loss to me in 2007 became a gain for the CRC in North America—a vibrant and growing congregation in the middle of Orlando’s Haitian community.  God’s wisdom can be surprising!

Please pray for:

1.       A long trip to Korea and Japan in October.  While Zach is looking forward to seeing Resonate’s ministry and partnerships in East Asia, it will be exhausting, especially as Zach has to attend (and lead portions of) denominational board meetings the day after he returns.

2.       The church in China as it faces increased opposition from the government including seizure of property and harassment.  While specific info cannot be published on the Internet for security reasons, we can rejoice that God continues to protect the staff members and ministries we are connected to.

3.       A concussion that Isaiah sustained at school.  After two weeks of full and partial day absences, it seems that Isaiah is improving quickly.

Please give thanks for:

1.       A great three-day meeting of Resonate’s Leadership Team in Detroit, Michigan.  During our meeting we had a chance to visit Hesed Community Church in the heart of Detroit.  It was amazing to see what God is doing in inner city Detroit through church planting and community engagement.

2.       A successful retreat for the Grand Rapids, MI and Burlington, ON based team.  About 44 Resonate staff members prayerfully reflected on the six core postures of Resonate: prayer, listening, serving, learning, mutual care and accountability, and peacemaking.  One of Zach’s greatest privileges is to be involved in building a God-honoring culture at Resonate.

3.       School is off to a good start this fall for our kids.  It feels like “year two” is going to be an improvement over our first year back from Haiti.

 Thanks for your prayers and support,

Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Vivian, Isaiah and Esther Segaar-King

Serving with Resonate Global Mission