|
Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! This month,10 years ago, I left my job with IU School of Medicine Psychiatry Department and embarked on a new journey with the Lord, finally being obedient after running for 4 years from Him! I moved to Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, Africa with a 2 year commitment (that stretched to 7 years) to establish a counseling ministry. In honor of my 10-year anniversary of serving the Lord in ministry, I thought I would put together a top 10 list of the things I have learned and share some photo's from that first year. 1. Serving in cross-cultural ministry requires sacrifice. I have missed funerals, birthdays, and holidays. Goodbyes at the airports are bittersweet. Sometimes the sacrifice are things we take for granted: electricity, clean water, medical and dental care (have I ever shared my horrific dentist experience of drilling with no Novocaine?!?!), and being able to go to the grocery store and pick up my list instead of learning what substitutions I need to make. I have sacrificed convenience, independence, and privacy. I am continually sacrificing my pride. I left a great job and learned how to depend on God daily for my needs, which He always provided. What stays at the forefront of my mind is that what I am sacrificing is nothing compared to what Jesus has sacrificed for me. 2. My life will never be the same after our traumatic experience (break in). However, I learned that joy does indeed come in the morning, though maybe not the very next morning! I learned that the support of those who love me was vital to my healing. I am thankful for these treasured friends who laughed and cried with me and shared my burdens; those who let me be the most vulnerable and ask questions they could not answer but just sat and listened non-judgmentally as I processed. I also learned about God’s incredible character in suffering and I do indeed see the good He has woven out of the situation-I am a much better counselor, trainer, and source for mission care for others-but more importantly my foundation in the Lord is more solid and grounded. 3. I learned quickly about spiritual warfare and how vital it is to daily put on my armor, have a prayer team support me, and staying in God's Word. The devil truly is prowling around like a lion and would love nothing more than to divide and destroy ministries by creating conflict and disunity among believers. 4. They weren’t kidding when they said flexibility and adaptability is the key to longevity on the field! 5. The body of Christ has no colors, boundaries, or prejudices. Some of my closest friends, those I have served with, and many who have provided support during times of challenges are American, Zimbabwean, British, Afrikaner, and Ethiopian. Revelation 7:9 says, "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." I have seen a small glimpse of this in working in cross cultural ministry. 6. It becomes very difficult to answer the question where home is; it is also difficult when people say to me in the states “Welcome Home”. Suddenly I realize I have multiple homes and that Africa is just as much my home as America is. And re-entry to the states is very difficult; be prepared for a meltdown in the Walmart cereal aisle! 7. The need for counseling is great-multiple traumas, abuse, abandonment, suicide, addiction, etc. but more importantly the need to train up others in that culture, equipping and empowering them, is even greater. There are so many barriers: language, cultural norms, customs, etc. that it is extremely vital to allow the nationals to be the ones to offer hope and healing in their community. 8. When I am holding filthy little hands, or cradling a child with open wounds on their bodies, or pulling their thin bodies onto my lap to hold them, I am truly doing what Christ has told us to do-caring for the least of these. 9. I need discernment daily from the Lord as the needs around me are so great, frequent, and desperate. The Lord needs to speak to my heart about how to help without hurting, directing me on how to spend my time, resources, and how best to build relationships. The Lord also can protect my heart from hardening to the poverty. 10. The final and most valuable lesson I have learned is I could not have survived the last 10 years without all of you!! My financial partners, prayer partners, encouragers, and emotional and spiritual supporters is what has enabled me to not just survive but to thrive over the 10 years! The fruit born from my time in Zimbabwe? Rumbie, 3 years later, still doing counseling and now having her own vision for ministry-that would not have happened without each one of you!! So from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for making these 10 years happen! What does the Lord have in store for the next 10 years?! Stay tuned to see!! Just for fun, there have been some humorous lessons I have learned too:
Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to: Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as [email protected] Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence!  Grade 1 Scripture Class in 2007 Prayer Requests:
0 Comments
October 2005, 11 years ago, is when I first stepped foot in the hot, dry, and dusty city of Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. It was a country fraught with many problems: rising inflation, extreme poverty, high unemployment rate, corruption, trauma from farm invasions (aka land reform), and racial tensions. Eleven years later, many of those challenges are still here along with new issues such as cash shortages, fractions in the political party, and questions concerning the 2018 elections. A sense of frustration is in the air that in all this time there has been no change. Yet, despite how hot, dry, and dusty it continues to be, the jacaranda and flamboyant trees still have come to full bloom. For me, it is a sign of hope and a reminder of how God can bring incredible beauty out of ashes. Zimbabwe is a country that still captivates my heart amidst all its challenges. Why? Maybe it is the people, the relationships, and the strong sense of community. They seem to have a solid foundation and trust in God no matter what they face. It is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. However, I do not romanticize the love I have for this country. I see the realities of the challenges here; but God has put Zimbabwe on my heart. Even with revisiting the trauma from the break in by staying in the house in which it occurred, my heart is full of joy and peace. It is wonderful to be back “home.” I started my journey back in Zimbabwe by spending ten days in Ruwa with dear friends of mine. These relationships are a huge blessing because they challenge me to stretch my faith. They love me unconditionally and non-judgmentally even when I share struggles with sin or doubt. There were issues on a nearby farm during my time in Ruwa. There was a peaceful protest by the labor on the farm one day while I was there. As we left Bible study later that evening, the riot police came to arrest a gentleman in charge of the labor; it was very unfair and unjust and quite a scary sight to see the police in their riot gear and weapons. It was a group of maybe 10 to 12 riot police sent to arrest this one man. I could hear singing and chanting in the distance, and for the first time, I was experiencing what my friends have been going through all these years. I have heard their stories of farm invasions and the trauma they suffered. The woman who caused this incident moved onto this land and lived there for about a year even though she had no legal right to be there. The man that was arrested was released the next day after paying a fine, but the woman would not admit she lied about the protest. Two days later, the labor came together for an hour of prayer and worship. There were about 120 of them. The woman was invited to participate with them, but refused. However, she did sit near the fence during the time they were gathered. One of the farmers, Martin, who owned the property, spoke very passionately about forgiveness and encouraged the workers to pray for her. The very next day though Martin and his son had 5 drunk young people show up, threatening violence and to skin them alive. The police came, but thankfully, it did not escalate. We spent 4 hours in prayer that night. Martin still had to go to court where they put him in a jail cell-just a tactic of intimidation. The judge is corrupt and even though 3 years ago he ruled in Martin’s favor, this time he decided to open a new case. So, Martin has to return to court. I am trying to paint a picture for you of the huge need for prayer in this county. Pray for hearts to be convicted of wrong doing (on all sides), for eyes to be opened to the Lord, for His peace upon the land, and for a mighty work of healing. There has been much trauma with land reform and racial tensions. But God is in control and He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. After Ruwa, we had joyful reunions in Chinhoyi! The solid relationships I had built 2 years ago were still strong and my social calendar filled up quickly with lunches, suppers, and teas. The Lord has brought together quite a community through the years here for me. Although things are challenging, the connection with the people here has been a huge blessing. I anticipated that with some of the people, but it has gone way beyond my expectations. I also spent 4 days in Doma where there is an orphanage. We discussed a future partnership with them as they are in need of counseling training. Many of their kids have dealt with abuse and just being an orphan presents many challenges for them. Rumbie and I got to spend a lot of time together. What a blessing our friendship is!! It makes my heart soar to see her come so far in the last few years. She has implemented her vision for the counseling ministry and has made it her own. She would like to work more with the younger kids in addition to the teenagers and hopes to open a counseling center in Chinhoyi in the next few years. Because of her heart in working with the younger kids, we spent time training in play therapy and using puppets in counseling. This came out of sessions she is having with a 5-year-old who has lost several brothers and is dealing with grief. We had the chance to speak one evening to about 50 teenage girls. God definitely opened doors that night! We discussed forming our identity in Christ and resting in how much He loves and accepts us. We also discussed continued partnership and we are looking at traveling together to Uganda next year to speak on secondary trauma. Rumbie shared her thoughts on how training in counseling made a difference for her. She also shared her feelings about the value and importance of a ministry like Ministry Care. Here is what she had to say: The greatest gift we can give to one another as the body of Christ is love. And the Bible says we must give away love. So many times in ministry we are giving love as we care for people, yet there is also a need for somebody to care for us. The cycle of giving and pouring out is where Ministry Care comes in. We who are called to care for and love others feel like we want to keep giving. But there are times we feel empty inside and exhausted. Being the ones who stand strong and stand firm in a world clearly struggling is wearisome. We are the salt and the light and sometimes it is too much. We feel dry and weary and we need care for ourselves. People in ministry go through trauma and need to be ministered to as well. I started counseling even before I dealt with my own trauma because I felt God calling me to help others. I knew that I had not dealt my trauma (sexual abuse, loss of her mom at 16), but through my friendship with Misty and the time we spent together, I learned that I, too, could find healing. And now I can reach out to others without my own brokenness getting in the way. As a matter of fact, it reinforced the purpose of why God has created me to be in the counseling ministry. The training was helpful as counseling is a new thing in Chinhoyi. I had a passion to help, but did not know how to go about it. The initial training, the empathy, and the listening skills were so valuable and gave me confidence to move forward and allow God to use me as a counselor in my own community and in my own country. The degree was necessary for the credentials, but the training was extremely beneficial. Misty gave practical ways to address needs while keeping God at the forefront. The genuineness and love of Christ shining through Misty when we did counseling together in those early days with the kids was powerful and set an example for me. All of the training was based on the foundation of Christ because He is the one who is going to bring healing. God will accomplish this work in me and through me. Rumbie shared what she saw in each of us after in the aftermath of the break in. It reaffirmed the fact that missionaries also need encouragement and someone to be present to listen to their stories. Sometimes you do not know the bigger story God is weaving. I have been in awe of Who He is and how Great He is! This has been continued confirmation that I made the right choice in leaving IDES and stepping out in faith! I have been reminded that all you have to do is make yourself available to God. He will do the rest! Let me close with these thoughts . . . As we had tea with a woman who lost her adult son to suicide 7 months ago, she made some observations that makes me rethink what it means to have compassion and to care for people. In disasters, I spent time learning about the ministry of being present and available and truly listening. In Zim, I saw how effective this is in practice. I realize for me that ministry care is not just about coming alongside those in ministry, either natives or missionaries, but it is also about coming alongside brothers and sisters in Christ and journeying through their pain with them. The woman was so thankful we came by and were a sounding board for her to discuss her loss and grief, and to also reaffirm her hope and trust in the Lord. I would encourage you to reach out to someone you know who is hurting or struggling. Go have a cup of tea with them, listen and pray, opening up a space for God's peace to rest on them. Finally, here is an update on the family I met in Uganda and their prayer request: Hi Misty, Thank you so much for your time and sharing of resources. We will be talking through many of the things we discussed in the months to come. Bless you for your kind heart. Please keep Heather (the mom) and Tyla (the sister) in prayer as they continue their recovery from their physical injuries. Pray they learn how to cope with the loss of Jesse. Tyla is out of the hospital and is staying with her aunt and dad. She is still emotionally disengaged and very matter of fact about the accident. We continue to pray that she will come to a place of grieving for her sister and for Clint. Physically she is healing wonderfully and it seems to be only the broken leg that still needs to heal. Absolutely amazing!!!! Heather is doing much better. A change in medication has allowed her to be more alert. She seemed very detached when she received the news of the death of Jessie and Clint. Again, we trust that in time that she will be able to grieve over them. Heather's feet are still a work in progress (and we continue to pray that God will accelerate this process by healing them). She must remain flat on her back due to two damaged vertebrae and the fracture in the sacrum. This fracture has caused some damage to the nerves in her left leg, so she has no feeling and can do very little moment. Please continue to pray that there will be no long-term effects. So much is still unknown. However, we have witnessed many miracles over the last three weeks and we rejoice for those. Jaco & kids Keep praying! God is faithful!!! Next stop is Ethiopia! Many blessings and thank you for your support, Misty Ministry Care is a 501c3 non profit organization; therefore your donation is tax deductible. If you would like to invest in Ministry Care, checks are payable to "Ministry Care" and sent to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Donations can also be made online through Givelify at: www.ministrycareinternational.org The new email address to keep in touch is [email protected] Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! I shared a bit last month about being involved with Trauma Healing Groups and participating in an Advanced Equipping Session in Dallas at the end of June. I am now certified to train others and am excited to head back to Uganda and facilitate at least 2 Initial Equipping Sessions for Trauma Healing with both Ugandan Social Workers and American Missionaries. Why the need for Trauma Healing? Devastating events like war, abuse, and natural disasters leave people feeling hopeless, angry, empty and alone. Healing often feels impossible as people struggle to believe in or connect with a loving God. But there is hope! God is near the broken-hearted. He restores lives that have been shattered by extreme violence or loss. In God's Word, trauma survivors can encounter the resurrection power of Christ. By combining mental health best practices with the healing message of Scripture, the broken-hearted can find restoration and hope. Here are some benefits of Trauma Healing Groups:
The Bible-based Trauma Healing program (working with the American Bible Society, the Trauma Healing Institute and other organizations such as SIL/Wycliffe) equips local churches and ministries to care for people with deep emotional and spiritual injuries caused by refugee situations, trafficking, robberies, domestic violence, etc. It combines biblical and mental health resources into an effective intervention that fosters healing and restores relationships with God and others. This is a vital outreach due to to the scale of trauma around the world:
The more marginalized, the more vulnerable to trauma. Minority language groups are among the most vulnerable. Trauma can create a barrier to: God and the Bible; Community; Self and Trauma Healing can assist in breaking that barrier. I leave July 15th to travel to Uganda first. I will be facilitating with Sam and Suzie Davis, who also just completed the Advanced Training with me. Our first 3 day training at Good Shepherd's Fold (an orphanage in Uganda) occurs August 2-4th. I am in Uganda until September 9th, at which stage I will return to Ethiopia for one month. I look forward to sharing more details in my next newsletter about what God is doing!! Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to: Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as [email protected] Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence!  Prayer Requests:
For continued healing for my mom as she has a fracture in T-11 in her back. She returns July 17th to see her doctor and to hopefully be released to return to work For safe travels to Uganda; leaving July 15th and arriving July 16th For Sam, Suzie, and I as we work together to prepare the lessons to facilitate For the Initial Equipping Session we will facilitate August 2-4th; for God to be Glorified and for this to add to ministry already occurring For additional opportunities to lead Trauma Healing Groups in Uganda For continued wisdom for the Ministry Care Board |
AuthorMisty Bodkins has a Master's degree in clinical psychology. She has worked both stateside and internationally doing counseling, training, teaching, and research. Her passion is working with people who are in crisis. Archives
June 2024
Categories
Misty Bodkins
|
RSS Feed