Doing Things A Little Differently!

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When we arrived in Mongu, Zambia we were startled to discover that our host, New Vine Yourh Fellowship, had gathered fifty youth leaders from seventeen area churches. Why startled? Well, because we prefer to teach sixteen or fewer students so that we can maintain a small group dynamic during our training. And, that’s the size group we trained last year in Mongu.

It’s a general truism that large groups are great for celebration and medium sized groups for information, but small groups are best for transformation. And, transformation is our goal.

But, this is Africa (TIA), so we have adapted, using a combination of lecture, interactive large group exercises, and small group breakouts. It seems to be working because we’ve had a great week!

The students (mostly twenty-somethings) have been committed, engaged, curious, teachable, and, as you might expect with youth leaders, a whole lot of fun.

We’ve been using our “Discovering My S.H.A.P.E. for Ministry” curriculum, adapted (and augmented) from Rick Warren's Saddleback Church curriculum of a similar name. S stands for spiritual gifts, H for heart, A for abilities, P for personality, and E for experiences. It’s a great way to help us, as Christians, discover how the Lord has uniquely created us, and how this provides insight into how the Lord wants to use us in ministry and mission.

This makes for a fantastic church retreat, by the way, if you’re interested. Just let us know in the comments below and we can chat when we return to the USA.

Today, we finish up our training, then tomorrow we worship with the Vineyard Church in the morning, and celebrate with the youth leaders and their youth groups in the afternoon. (By the way, here in Zambia, the term youth refers to the age span of late teen to thirty-five or so.) It'll be an awesome celebration with multiple praise choirs, a lot of dancing, and preaching. We wish you could be here with us!

Thank you for praying for us, and for standing with us financially. We are only able to be here because of you!

This week we're training 50 youth leaders from 17 churches in Mongu, Zambia.

This week we're training 50 youth leaders from 17 churches in Mongu, Zambia.

Small group breakouts make a huge difference!

Small group breakouts make a huge difference!

Mongu, Zambia is the seat of Western Province.

Mongu, Zambia is the seat of Western Province.

Zambia & Namibia Are Calling!

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Seven weeks…Five locations…Six student groups… And we can’t wait! We can't wait to see our dear friend, Percy Muleba, and his family. We can't wait to reunite with old friends in Livingstone, Mongu, Nangweshi and Musokotwane, Zambia, and Katima Mulilo, Namibia. And we can't wait to make new friends among the Kalahari Bushmen in Chetto, Namibia.

Our schedule (subject to change) looks like this:

July 24: Depart for Livingstone, Zambia

July 26 - 28: Livingstone, Zambia

July 29 - August 4: Mongu, Zambia

August 5 - 13: Nangweshi, Zambia

August 14 - September 1: Katima Mulilo, Namibia

August 19 - 23: Day trips to Chetto, Namibia

September 2 - 10: Livingstone, Zambia

September 3 - 7: Day trips to Musokotwane, Zambia

September 11: Depart for home

September 12: Home again

Its exciting to be going, but it’s equally exciting that you will be going with us as we travel on the wings of your financial support and prayers. What an amazing team you are!

I’ll post blogs whenever I can, so check back. And be sure to check out my Instagram page @dougvinez.

Thank you for loving us so well! And keep praying!

We can't wait to train our amazing students!

Expect the Unexpected!

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Our final week in Zambia turned out a bit differently than we expected, which, we have learned through the years, is to be expected! 

Percy Muleba had arranged training for us with two of our former students, both of whom are planting churches, Pastors Imasiku and John Zulu. For a variety of reasons, both had to cancel at the last minute, leaving several evenings free. 

Still, we had two days of training planned with our GTN colleague, Doug Dorman (Myrtle Beach) and his team. Doug has spent the last three years working with Ken Buckner of Come Go With Us ministry to train a group of Tonga (Zambian tribe) pastors, and he had asked us to sit in on his final two days of training and give him feedback based on our experience. 

We really enjoyed helping Doug and his team, and we came away with some helpful tools to complement our training. It was a worthwhile two days. We'll likely see Doug and his wife, Joan, in May when we return to debrief some more.  

Unexpectedly, it turns out that one of the men Doug and Ken have been training was an old fried and former student of ours, Pastor Arnold Mudenda. Arnold pastors a Wesleyan church in Mwandi, Zambia and was, for many years, the project Director of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children's  project there. We had trained Arnold in church planting, among other things, and I had led Bible studies for his members, and preached at his church a number of times through the years. What an unexpected, and very pleasant surprise to see his face among the students! It had been 3-4 years since we'd seen each other. 

 

 

 

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