Segaar-King April Update

Dear Friends and Family:

Our tickets are purchased and we are starting to pack our bags.  We are returning to Haiti on June 9!  It has been a busy and eventful home-service for our family.  It was good to catch up with so many of you who have been faithfully supporting us for the last ten years.  It has been a blessing for our children to complete a school year here in Michigan as well.  Finally, it has been refreshing to enjoy a time of study and enrichment.  Before we leave, we would like one final chance to say goodbye!  You are invited to an OPEN-HOUSE on SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, at FULLER AVENUE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH (1239 Fuller Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506) FROM 2:00 TO 4:30 P.M.   Some light snacks and Haitian coffee will be served.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Please join us in giving thanks for:

1.   A successful trip to Amsterdam in March/April for Zach’s Ph.D. study.  He has completed a first draft of his dissertation on missions in the New Testament.  Lord willing, he will graduate in the spring of 2016.

2.   Improvement in the social and political conditions of Haiti after an agreement on elections this fall.  See our blog for more information.

3.   The work of John and Carol Vanderstoep who have lived in our home in Haiti and picked up some of the slack in our ministry during our absence.  They return to Canada in early June.

Please join us in praying for:

1.   The recruitment of a new missionary for CRWM in Haiti.  If you know anyone interested, please put them in contact with us.

2.   A large team coming to Haiti from the Thornapple/Cascade area of West Michigan.  They will arrive only a few days after we return.

3.   The adjustment of our children back to life in Haiti.  As they get older, it feels more difficult.  School will start again around August 10.

4.   Safe travel for our family back to Haiti on June 9.

FOR MORE PICTURES, STORIES, AND INFORMATION ABOUT OUR MINISTRY AND FAMILY, PLEASE SEE OUR BLOG AT segaarking.blogspot.com

Thanks for your prayers and support,

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

Missionaries to Haiti through Christian Reformed World Missions 

Choosing Good Leaders By Ruth Van Dam (Timothy Leadership Training Coordinator for Haiti)

March 2015 Church and Mission Leaders discuss "Choosing Good Leaders" as a potential to impact Haiti's elections.

Presidential elections occur every five years in Haiti and in October of this year, the election is scheduled to take place. Church leaders are searching for ways to help their members understand how they can be involved in the process, what relevant questions to ask, and by what criteria good leaders are to be chosen.  

Timothy Leadership Training developed a manual, called "Choosing Good Leaders" that seeks to guide church leaders and Christians through the electoral process. A number of Christian leaders have recently been introduced to the manual and their enthusiasm grew rapidly as they discussed the impact this training could have on their country. Things must happen quickly as the timeline for effectiveness is short. Church leaders are anxious to get this material in their hands and begin training their members.

The primary elections will take place already on August 9. Two-thirds of the thirty Senators and all ninety-nine members of the Chamber of Deputies are up for election. The presidential, local and municipal elections will be held on October 25. If necessary, the presidential run-off will take place on December 27.

TLTI along with Haiti's Area Training Committee have put together a plan to reach thousands of people across the country in a timely and effective manner.

·         A brochure describing the material along with an invitation to the main church and mission groups for a two-day intensive training on both the "Choosing Good Leaders" material and the methodology of TLT will be produced.

·         Two intensive days of training for influential church and mission leaders will be held in Port-au-Prince.

·         5,000 copies of "Choosing Good Leaders" will be produced and ready for these church and mission leaders.

·         Church and mission leaders will put in their order to produce more of the material to be used across the country.

We are asking for a gift of $5,000 to cover the cost of producing the first 5,000 manuals. Would you consider giving towards this grassroots vision that could impact the entire country of Haiti for the glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom? Please pray that God will work mightily through this material and the leaders whose hearts have been burdened to help their people.  Please contact Zach if you are interested in supporting this project!

Good News--Elections Coming to Haiti!

There is some good news to report about Haiti.  The President, Michel Martelly, has organized and publicized dates for the upcoming elections in Haiti.  Parliamentary elections are planned for August 9 and the presidential elections will happen on October 25.  It has been over four years since the last election and the terms of nearly all Haitian political figures had expired, leading to the disbanding of Haiti's parliament.  This in turn led to many demonstrations last fall (2014) and during the winter of this year.  It will be difficult, as always, to hold elections in Haiti's overcrowded urban areas and remote rural villages (see above).  However, the publication of these dates are a good first step in calming Haiti.  In fact, since the publication of these dates in March, there have been few demonstrations and the political parties are now going about the business of raising support for their candidates.  Please pray this fall and summer that these dates would be respected and that the election would be free and fair.

Work and Play

The canals of Amsterdam with the "South Church" in the background.

The heart of Amsterdam's Old City

We were a little too earlier for the blooming of Netherlands' famous tulip gardens.  There were still plenty of daffodils and crocuses though!

For the last for years that Zach has been working on his Ph,D. in New Testament at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.  During that time, Sharon has grumbled a bit.  It was unfair that Zach, who has not a drop of Dutch blood in his veins, has spent a few weeks in the Netherlands every year since 2011, while she, who is entirely of Dutch origin, has never visited the Netherlands at all.  Well, this spring Sharon finally got her chance.  Zach left for the Netherlands in March to go over several chapters with his Ph.D. supervisor.  Sharon came a week later and spent eight days enjoying the country where her grandparents immigrated from.  Ironically, during all his visits, Zach had never played the part of tourist since his visits have been entirely consumed by work. This time, we both had a chance to see a little bit of the country.  In fact, our visit to the Netherlands was in celebration of our fifteenth wedding anniversary which will be on May 20, 2015.  It was wonderful to celebrate God's faithfulness to our family while getting a little break from our children who stayed back with friends and grandparents in Michigan.  One of the high points was a visit to the home of Ad and Coby de Blaeij, our former colleagues who lived in Haiti nearly thirty years.  It was great to see the de Blaeijs flourishing in their own country again.  During our visit, Zach submitted the final chapter of his Ph.D.  The plan is to spend the final weeks of study leave before returning to Haiti on June 8 doing revisions.  Lord willing, Zach may graduate in the spring of 2016.

Segaar-King March Ministry Update

Dear Friends and Family,

In the hours before Jesus’ arrest, he led his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  Despite his admonitions to prepare themselves for the coming trial, Jesus’ trusted friends fell asleep—not once, not twice, but three times.  In contrast, Jesus pours out his soul before his Father.  However, in all his prayers, Jesus remained committed to his Father’s will. As we meditate on the meaning of Good Friday and Easter, God calls us to prepare ourselves to follow him to Golgotha, the place of suffering.  Though Christ’s power in us, miraculous things can happen....when we pray and watch with Jesus.

Please join us in giving thanks for:

-A seminar in Haiti at the end of March for the development of a new material on Christian worldview (see attached newsletter).

-Sharon’s completion of her chaplaincy internship at Pine Rest.  In the coming weeks she will be preparing our family to go back to Haiti.

-The completion of the final chapter in the first draft of Zach’s Ph.D. thesis on the origins of mission in the New Testament.  Revision will happen in the coming six weeks.

-The conclusion of a season of visiting teams for the Haiti field.  Our next group will be in June (from Cascade and Thornapple Churches).

Please join us in praying for these requests:

-Continued prayer for denominational leadership of the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti.  Pray that God will bring reconciliation to struggling leaders.

-Recruitment of new international staff for World Renew and World Missions.  Pray that God will bring the right people to our team in the next few months.

-Preparations for our return to Haiti in June.

-Peace and stability in Haiti as its leaders try to schedule and prepare for elections that are four years late.

We would like to show our thanks for your support by inviting you to an OPEN-HOUSE on SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, at FULLER AVENUE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH (1239 Fuller Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506) FROM 2:00 TO 4:30 P.M.

Thanks for your prayers and support,

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

Missionaries to Haiti through Christian Reformed World Missions