It is Giving Tuesday! What is Giving Tuesday? It is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when nonprofits focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

There are many wonderful ministries to give to. I ask that you prayerfully consider giving to Ministry Care this year. The Lord has opened up many doors of opportunity for 2019 and I know those opportunities will continue to grow. In looking ahead, we have set a goal of $3750.00 to raise by the end of the year.

What is the purpose of this you ask? One of the challenges we have observed in 2018 is the inability of a national (a local to the country we are in) to be able to afford the cost to attend a Trauma Healing Training. I can share with you many reasons as to why it is important for them to have "skin in the game" but the bottom line is as we look to 2019, we have opportunities in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and other locations to offer this training. The money raised during Giving Tuesday will go to fund these training's for 2019 by offering scholarships for the locals. When we meet our goal, this will enable 25 nationals to attend the training.     In honor of Giving Tuesday, would you consider making a donation to Ministry Care this month?
There are 2 ways you may donate. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
 
Ministry Care
14934 Pacer Ct.
Carmel, IN 46032
 
Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org. Make a note that the donation is for Trauma Healing.
 
Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible.
 
If you have any questions feel free to email us at ministrycareinternational@gmail.com or call at 765-603-3643.

Written by a Ugandan:
I am so grateful and blessed to be a part of this trauma training. I believe it was made for me because it was exactly what I wanted and needed to hear in this season of my life. Truly my heart was hurt and broken. I was carrying a lot of stress and luggage that my body could not handle. I did not know I was suffering until I attended this training. Now I know I was having a lot of trauma and heart wounds going through my life.

I had never been comforted and encouraged like this before. I always felt lonely, distanced, blamed, condemned, shamed, and I always felt guilty for everything I do. This training impacted my life in so many ways I view myself now and even in handling situations in my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this training.

• The lesson, “If God loves us, why do we suffer?”  It helped me to identify cultural belief about God and false teachings.  I know that God has seen my suffering.
• I saw that I was using the “false bridge” to avoid my grief.
• The lament impacted me… I felt for the first time it’s okay to lament to God… helped me share my feelings with God freely.
• I found the session on “How can the wounds of our heart be healed?’ very helpful… it helped me realize I have heart wounds and helped me to understand that it’s okay to acknowledge that I am hurt and wounded.  It helped me to be honest with God about my pain.  Before the session “Taking your pain to the Cross” I didn’t know I could bring all my pains to the Cross, because I had this understanding God will be offended because he only wants me praising him… but that is not true.

​Please continue to pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and lives of these beautiful people.  Pray also for how God would use the healing, freedom and fresh understanding of truth in their families, church, friendships, and community.

Again with permission from Sharon, here is her perspective on missionary care. "Following the training, we had the privilege of sharing a couple of meals and fun outings with the Ireland’s and their co-laborers in ministry.  These were important moments of caring for the caregiver.  The needs and demands of ministry do not fit into an 8-5 schedule.  I understand well how hard it can be to make sure you are taking care of yourself in the face of continuous ministry demands.  We took time to sit and listen, to hear their struggles and joys in daily life and ministry.  This downtime revealed to me the love they have for the people and country.  It gave them great pleasure to share with us the beauty of the Bahir Dar area, through a boat ride on the Blue Nile to an Orthodox monastery.  Later a day outing to the spectacular waterfalls of the Blue Nile.  It was a rigorous hike to see the power of God’s creation.  During the hour hike to and from conversations were had, laughter shared, and I was able to see a more carefree side of them."  I asked Sharon permission to share as I felt it may be helpful to hear about missionary care from another point of view instead of just mine. ​

Peace be with you and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. This month has been full of continued service in Trauma Healing. This time our initial equipping took us to Salt Lake City. We had the opportunity to tour the correctional facility (one of the largest in the states) where we were met with an enthusiastic administrative staff who is on board with seeing Trauma Healing Groups occur in their facility and the benefits it can have with the inmates, As a reminder, trauma can create a barrier in hearing the word of God and by bringing Trauma Healing inside the jails, where there is a highly traumatized population, we trust that God's Word will not return void and lives will be transformed and barriers broken down to hearing His Word. During the tour, one of the chaplains said something that has stuck with me these last few weeks. Her comment was that seeing the inmates in shackles always reminds her that we can visually see their bonds but we too carry invisible shackles-people just do not see what weighs us down. Her comment has made me reflect that God sees our brokenness and wants to break the chains in our lives-that His love is always greater than those shackles that keep us in captivity and that He is here to set the captives free-what a mighty God we serve!!

The month of September leads me back overseas. I will spend 2 weeks in Ethiopia and then 2 weeks in Eastern Europe-Romania and Bulgaria. Part of that time will be spent facilitating a Trauma Healing Training in Northern Ethiopia as well as holding Awareness Sessions in Eastern Europe to determine the viability of Trauma Healing for the ministries there. Part of the time is to continue to do member care. I included a definition at the start of this newsletter. I would like to expand on that. In her book "Healthy, Resilient, and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry", Dr. Laura Mae Gardner defines member care as follows: "Member care is doing whatever it takes, within reason, to ensure that our workers feel cared for and supported by their agency and church, that they have the resources they need to work effectively, and to care well for themselves and their family. It is comprehensive – the ongoing preparation, equipping and empowering of workers for effective and sustainable life, ministry and work." Member care is an integral part to Ministry Care but honestly it should be a part that we, as the Body of Christ, should be playing as a whole. It is a privilege and honor to stand in the gap for missionaries in prayer but also to come alongside them in care to ensure they stay healthy on the field-not just merely surviving but thriving. Please pray for this part of our work in September as our paths will cross with a variety of missionaries. Please pray how you too can be a part of Member Care for the missionaries you know. Thank you for your love, care, and support of me as I continue to serve as a missionary as well.  ​

​Peace be with you and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. This month in a conversation with someone, I was reminded about a similar conversation in 2013 in Zimbabwe about fear.  Let me set the stage. I was helping with a youth camp with 2 dear friends of mine, Corky and Jo Sheppard. Over dinner one night, Corky asked me what was my biggest fear. I gave my usual response, "sharks." What I appreciate about Corky is that he was not accepting of my initial response. After further conversation, I confessed that my biggest fear was I felt the Lord was asking me to do great things for Him-for His glory and His kingdom-bringing freedom to those in captivity, which lead to my questioning of what if I am not capable, what if I am not confident, what if I fail Him? These are questions maybe you have asked yourself as well; they are certainly questions Moses asked of the Lord. You see, the Lord placed on my heart a few years before that a vision of traveling and training-helping equip and empower others to bring hope and healing to their communities. But I had no idea how this would work or what it would even look like and I had definitely never voiced this out loud to someone else. Isaiah 61:1-3 was the Scripture the Lord revealed to me-seeing people be free from their brokenness and experience healing only He can provide.But I did not know the tools or way to make it happen. Please do not misunderstand-not that I am special or intending this in a prideful sort of way. I have wrestled with even sharing this in my newsletter but after prayer, feel it is important to be more personal. God has a calling for each of us but I was truly afraid of failing Him-not recognizing that it is in His strength that His power is made perfect in my weakness. 

Corky had some great insight and wisdom and encouragement on patience and continued seeking and reliance on the Lord for both vision and subsequent provision. Two weeks ago I was driving to church and thinking about how Trauma Healing is going to be a huge piece of ministry moving forward. I was reminded of the vision years ago of "traveling and training." (I never could figure out a better way to word this). As I was praising God that this vision was starting to come together and really more make sense, I felt Him urging me that He is planning to expand the territory. Again, I had no idea of how this would look but I am committed to serving Him wherever He leads. The next week I was in Memphis for a variety of meetings. One of those was with Global Outreach. We were talking through some ideas of incorporating trauma healing into member care for 2019. No firm plans are finalized but if the various pieces come together, we will be serving in Southeast Asia in February and April, Latin America in May, and Eastern Europe in August as well as plans to continue to facilitate Trauma Healing in Eastern and Southern Africa. Wow...what confirmation right away of the Lord expanding the territory! I am now understanding that Trauma Healing is one of the methods and tools the Lord will use to fulfill what He has placed on my heart.

Good News, American Bible Society and Ministry Care share a common bond in our desire to see the Word of God bring transformation to the lost of this world. We also share a common audience—those who have suffered significant man-made and natural trauma. A cooperative program to bring trauma healing to jails and prisons in which chaplains serve will be powerful as we see the eyes of men, women, and children open to experience biblical, life-changing healing. The goal of this partnership is to integrate the trauma healing program model into the ongoing ministry of the Good News chaplain network so that traumatized inmates and staff in the U.S. jail and prison system can experience healing in Christ. Eventually the hope is also to implement this in the international Good News community too. 

Here are some of the following outcomes that are prayerfully desired:

• Inmates are able to reconcile their past experiences in light of God’s Word and are proceeding on a path to wholeness 
• Inmates who understand their past trauma and hurts are equipped to handling potential triggers in the correctional setting in a constructive way 
• Facilities where Trauma Healing facilitators are engaging inmates are able to witness a reduction in critical triggering events 
• Inmates who experience healing and reconciliation with their past will have a reduced likelihood of recidivism
• Staff have the opportunity to participate in the program and gain critical understanding of how to more effectively engage the population as well as how to reconcile their own heart wounds

Finally, I would also love to see restoration-as the Good News of Jesus and healing of heart wounds changes lives, they are also restored in a manner far greater than where they started. God has moved powerfully in my life in terms of restoration and that is my prayer for any traumatized person my path crosses with. ​

Peace be with you and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God's grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. A highlight of this month was serving as a pastoral care person during the Global Outreach Retreat at Diani Beach in Kenya. During the retreat, I had an opportunity to speak on Stress and Burnout and had many one on one meetings with missionaries. I thought I would share some of the thoughts I shared with the missionaries during my talk.

Ministry and missions can be demanding and even grueling. There seems to be a wear and tear on missionaries, and this stress is multiplied if we work with those who have undergone extreme or traumatic situations. The Bible appears to recognize the strain on those who seek to help others. In 2nd Thessalonians 3:13, Paul encourages believers, saying, “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.” He makes a similar statement in Galatians 6:9, where he says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Paul acknowledges that it’s possible for any believer to run low on energy, to become fatigued, or even exhausted. Elijah, the great Old Testament prophet, is an excellent example of exhaustion in ministry.

First Kings chapter 18 and 19 provides an account of a man of God experiencing discouragement and fatigue. Elijah accomplished a great victory in the name of the Lord. He had a front row seat to an incredible display of God’s holiness, His power, and His provision. A single prophet wins the contest against hundreds of others. I would assume that Elijah would be ecstatic after this victory and that he would long bask in the afterglow of this amazing experience. However, after the great religious triumph, Elijah experienced an emotional and physical crash. He was afraid, discouraged, exhausted, and even suicidal. This great man of God underwent a period of extreme difficulty in the midst of following and serving God. This passage clearly demonstrates that those in ministry can experience times of personal struggle, doubt, and exhaustion.

What can we do then to reduce the likelihood of experiencing unproductive fatigue or exhaustion, and what can be done to avoid burnout? If a missionary does experience burnout, exhaustion, or secondary trauma stress, what should he or she do to cope most effectively? To answer these questions, consider God’s care for Elijah, when he hid in the wilderness, exhausted and alone.

Following his triumphant encounter with the priests of Baal, Elijah flees to the wilderness, sits down under a tree, and asks God to end his life. God’s response provides insight into His concern for and care of those who minister to others in His name. First, God allows Elijah to rest (1 Kings 19:5). Whether from the overall strains of ministry, the pressure of the contest between prophets, or the energy expended in fleeing from Jezebel, Elijah was exhausted. Next, God feeds His prophet. An angel awakens Elijah and instructs him to eat: “Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So, he ate and drank and lay down again” (1 Kings 19:6). God provided nourishment and rest for Elijah, not just once, but twice. After Elijah rests again, God tells him to eat yet one more time (verse 7 and 8).

After Elijah is rested and fed, God takes him on a journey, far away from others, where the prophet meets alone with God. In addition to providing for Elijah’s physical needs, God then addressed his spiritual concerns. Elijah voices his frustration to God, including how the wicked people were behaving, and his sense of futility in ministry. On two occasions (verse 10 and 14), Elijah complains that he’s the only one fighting Gods battles. In this, we see his sense of isolation.

God’s response to Elijah is noteworthy. He reveals Himself to Elijah through the quietness of a gentle breeze. It appears that God pulls Elijah away from the active noise of ministry to enable the prophet to hear God’s voice. God then reassures Elijah that he is not alone; seven thousand others exist who have not prostituted themselves to foreign gods (1 Kings 19:18). God gives Elijah instructions for returning to ministry, where once again we see this strong man of God fighting battles.

In this encounter between God and Elijah, God did not scold, punish, or reject Elijah for his discouragement and exhaustion. He provided for Elijah physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He allowed Elijah to retreat from ministry and then prepared him to reenter. God helped Elijah rejuvenate to continue doing the work to which God called him. God’s care of and provision for Elijah is instructive to the rest of us serving Him. Please pray for these missionaries as they have re-entered their fields of service, after a time of rest and retreat. Pray that they employ self-care strategies to stay healthy and thriving on the field. ​

​Prayer Requests:

• Pray for continued protection of health.
• Pray for Misty as she travels back to the states, arriving April 15th.
• Pray for stamina and energy for Misty as she will be in Chicago April 18 to 21st to assist facilitating an Advanced Equipping Session for Trauma Healing.
• Pray for upcoming Trauma Healing Equipping Sessions in Mississippi and Nebraska in May.
• Please continue to uplift believers around the world as they work in difficult situations, bringing the Good News to those around them.
• Please pray for healing for those who have experienced extreme trauma in their lives.