Segaar-King April Update

As a family we are accustomed to epidemics. By God’s grace we survived malaria, dengue fever, zika, and chikungunya. Our scariest epidemic moment was the 2010 outbreak of cholera in Haiti which claimed many thousands of lives (and many of them in less than 24 hours after onset of symptoms). Nevertheless, like many families, we are finding the COVID-19 crisis challenging. We give thanks for Grand Rapids Christian Schools which pivoted to distance learning extremely quickly. As parents we are grateful that learning continues without interruption. A few of our children are challenged by this new learning environment, however.

The situation of the churches around the world weighs heavily upon us. Please pray for our friends in the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti and the Ministry of Christian Development. These organizations have been threatened by a gang that is taking advantage of recent instability and shelter-in-place requirements. Pray for the church globally as many group and face-to-face mission efforts have been scaled back or cancelled. We give thanks that Resonate’s mission workers have leveraged technology so quickly to keep sharing the Gospel in these challenging times. COVID-19 is an opportunity for Christ’s gospel and his church to give our confused and suffering world a solid hope.

Family Update

This fall we have remained in contact with friends in Haiti. It has been extraordinarily difficult in Port-au-Prince. Massive demonstrations and daily roadblocks have forced the closure of schools (including our former school, Quisqueya), businesses and our ministry partners. The protesters are demanding the resignation of the current President, Jovnel Moise. The instability has resulted in economic collapse, high inflation, and food shortages. Like the people of Israel 2000 years ago, the people of Haiti are waiting for the Prince of Peace to bring some wholeness to this long-suffering country. Pray for our Resonate colleagues, Johnny and Kim Gryglewicz, as they faithfully serve under difficult conditions.

We give thanks to God at the end of 2019 for his great faithfulness to us and our family. Sharon continues her internship at the Metro Health Hospital south of Grand Rapids through March. Zach has experienced God’s presence through some very intense periods of change as he and his team lead Resonate Global Mission. Hannah is doing great academically during her Junior year and will get her driver’s license before the year is out. Vivian, Isaiah, and Esther are all enjoying middle school and being challenged by ample homework. May God bless you in 2019!

The Long View

The long view often reveals God at work. But it is almost always the most difficult view to take. This fall Resonate Global Mission recognized the 100th anniversary of the departure of Johanna Veenstra for Nigeria. Veenstra was the first Christian Reformed overseas missionary. As a single young woman, Veenstra was not embraced by many in the CRC who thought she would be better off at staying at home. Also, there were many racist attitudes against Nigerians within the CRC in 1919. Against all odds, God worked through this young woman from New Jersey to bring many to Christ until her death in 1933. During this time, Veenstra’s passion and eloquent writing changed perceptions back home about international missions and encouraged many young people (including women) to get involved in Gospel outreach. Through Veenstra’s work and that of many other missionaries and Nigerian evangelists, two Nigerian denominations were established that number many hundreds of thousands of more believers than are within today’s Christian Reformed Church in North America. In 2002-03 Sharon and Zach had the opportunity to teach at Veenstra Seminary in Donga, Nigeria, not far from Veenstra’s original mission station. We personally witnessed the “long view” of what God did through the early ministry of the CRC in Nigeria.

Christmas Greetings from the Segaar-Kings

Be Strong and Courageous...

Johanna Veenstra

Johanna Veenstra and fellow female missionaries serving in Nigeria

Veenstra Seminary where Zach and Sharon taught in 2003-04

This fall, Resonate Global Mission is recognizing Johanna Veenstra, the CRC’s first female missionary and first overseas missionary. One hundred years ago in October, she began her long voyage to Nigeria from New Jersey. She faced incredible physical and emotional challenges, including the fact that the CRC did not recognize her as a missionary or the importance of mission work in Africa. Nevertheless, Johanna remained faithful to her call, sharing her faith and showing mercy to the Nigerian people she met. She continually called CRC members to support the mission work in Nigeria through magazine articles, letters and visits to churches. Veenstra died of appendicitis only 13 years after she first arrived in Nigeria. But her work, as human and flawed as it was, contributed to the growth of Nigerian churches whose membership far outnumber the CRC today. Veenstra took the message of Deut. 31:7-8 to heart, “Be strong and courageous…the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you, he will never leave you or forsake you.” Johanna Veenstra was strong and courageous in her mission to share Christ with the Nigerian people because she knew God was with her.

Family Update

After a very busy summer with many camps, sports, work trips and vacation (see above), big changes happened this fall. Sharon began a six-month-long internship in pastoral care at Metro Health Hospital south of Grand Rapids. This three day a week assignment will give her an opportunity to provide spiritual support for individuals and families experiencing illnesses and accidents. While we are excited about this opportunity, we expect that there will be a lot of juggling with all of our schedules and Zach’s travel. Please pray that God will grant Sharon wisdom as she will have many opportunities to share her hope in Christ. Our children have successfully begun their new school year. Hannah is a junior and all three of our other children are in middle school this year (Isaiah and Vivian are in eighth grade and Esther is in fifth). Two of our children are playing sports (Esther and Isaiah) and three are taking music lessons (Isaiah, Esther and Vivian). Hannah will soon be driving on her own.  We give thanks for our continuing opportunity to serve in mission.

Networking for Transformation

MLK's ministry principles were deeply biblical and transformational.

MLK and Coretta's final resting place in Atlanta.

Ebenezer Baptist Church is a hub for the civil rights movement.

A key strategy Resonate uses in is mission work is networking and connecting mission leaders for spiritual and social transformation. Perhaps the best example of this strategy is Martin Luther King, Jr. As the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, MLK could not have made a dent in the plague of institutional racism present in the United States since its earliest days. But through   his connections to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, community leaders and governmental officials, MLK organized and inspired a movement of Christian leaders who changed the hearts and minds of many thousands of Americans. MLK’s network of mission leaders continued his work even after his death. Where we work throughout the world, Resonate seeks to build networks of mission leaders who follow the Spirit proclaiming the Gospel to bring spiritual and social change for the Kingdom.