Segaar-King February Ministry Update

Dear Friends and Family:

What are the attributes of good leaders?  According to Jesus, “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves (Luke 22:26; see also Mark 10:43-44 and Matt. 20:26-27).”  Zach has been working for almost two years on assisting several Haitian pastors to develop a Haitian theology of servant leadership.  The project started when Zach was told by a very influential evangelical Haitian pastor that “servant leadership doesn’t apply to Haiti.” Servant leadership is just as counter-cultural in Haiti as it is in North America.  Leaders expect to take advantage of and be served by those they lead.  Pastor Jacky, one of the members of the servant leadership group noted that if Haitian church leaders truly lived out Jesus’ servant-leadership teaching, they would be seen as weak and ineffective. The goal of the servant-leadership group is to show how, in the Haitian context, an effective and respected leader can embody a service-orientated perspective.  Pray for this initiative as it seems like we are “swimming upstream” against the currents of Haitian culture!

Please join us in giving thanks for:

-Sharon’s 38^th birthday.  We had 40 people to our house for a breakfast brunch!

-A successful visit from several teams from the US and Canada.  The roof was poured and interior concrete finishing work was started on the Ministry for Christian Development conference center.

-A great opportunity to train 25 students of the Reformed Theological Institute.  We taught two classes, Congregational Music/Worship and “Panorama of the Bible.”

-Our ministry team completed a three-year strategic plan in which has several foci: helping our Haitian partner organizations to become self-supporting, training youth leaders, and transformational development in communities.

Please join us in praying for:

-Rain for Haiti.  We had our first measurable precipitation in 3.5 months last week.  Dry conditions are making it impossible for farmers to plant.

-Our spiritual retreat in March at Barahona with our Dominican ministry colleagues.  James Schapp (formerly of Dordt College) will be leading us.

-Sharon’s trip to Le Cayes on the southern coast of Haiti to work with the women’s ministry and prepare for the June Women’s Conference which will be held at Villa de Wòz Church.

-The Savannette church construction project.  All the funds have been received to complete the project and only the walls and windows/doors remain to be finished.

Thanks for your prayers and support,

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

Missionaries to Haiti

Christian Reformed World Missions

Sharon celebrates her 38th birthday with our family