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Hayashida Newsletter Summary 2007 |
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MBMSI Year In Review - 2007
If you went to our web site to look at the year in review, I think that you would see an incredible story of God at work around the globe. New missionaries were trained. New teams were formed and went into the field. New church planting projects were started. New people and churches joined the vision of reaching the least reached. And among the least reached people groups, people found faith and new Christians were born. It is a wonderful story of God's faithfulness and of the plentiful harvest still to be reached.
From a personal perspective, I would have to describe 2007 as a year of
learning. There were many lessons to learn from God - some were easier
to learn than others. As an insight to this year, I share these 5 short
lessons from the heart.
Noah
Has God ever given you a name? I had asked Him for one years ago, but
it wasn't until joining MBMSI that I finally received a name - Noah.
Why Noah? Good question. I asked it too. Other than being the first
engineer in the bible, I wasn't sure why He picked this name until I
read Genesis 5:29. He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in
the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord
has cursed." Have you ever wondered why certain facts were even
recorded in the bible, and then you learn how God uses all of the
scriptures. My role as the Operation Officer is all about helping or
comforting people in their labour. This is a big part of why I believe
God called me to MBMSI. I definitely feel like we are building (or
rebuilding) a huge boat and the rain definitely comes down in
Abbotsford. In the end, I have found great peace in this name and
knowing that God has prepared me (and my family) for such a task as
this.
Transforming Lives in Mission
As I look back over 2007, it will be remembered for two significant
events - our Staff Summit and the October Board meetings. The Staff
Summit, at the end of August, was the culmination of months of work. In
a staff of 37 people, we have made over 20 staff changes in the last 12
months. While it was all blessed, there was a lot of labour and painful
toil involved. We are much stronger as a result of all the changes but
it was an exhausting time. The Staff Summit was closely followed by our
October Board of Directors meetings. From my perspective, this meeting
would be one of the most significant in our history as we would be
rebuilding the strategic plan for the missions agency. Again, it was an
exhausting time but well worthwhile as many valuable things evolved
from the meeting. A change of our mission statement from "holistic
church planting that transforms communities" to "transforming lives in
mission" was one of the significant decisions. (I also took on the
interim role of Communications & Media this year as one of the
staff changes.) Transforming the lives of people is really what MBMSI
is all about. It starts with staff & missionaries and reaches out
through our churches until it impacts the least reached people groups.
As we are transformed by Jesus, we reach out and transform lives and
communities in mission.
Remember me with favour O Lord.
These words come from the end of Nehemiah. God gave me a scripture,
Nehemiah 13:14, when I "hit the wall" so to speak. This was not too
long after the board meetings finished and just as I was supposed to be
preparing to leave on a missions trip to Thailand. (I am grateful, on
many accounts, that I was able to postpone the trip.) . Maybe you can
call it a "Nehemiah moment". Having reached that point when you
question whether any of it makes sense, God reminded me that it is not
always about what we see in the world here and now. We can get very
frustrated when our efforts seem to be in vain, especially if we look
only with our worldly eyes. The eyes of our Father see a very different
picture. He remembers us for what we have done for Him. So whether the
walls are up or down, God remembers the rebuilding that we did. I find
great peace in knowing that there is favour from the Lord for what we
do for his house.
Redeemed.
At our 3 day Lead Team Summit in December, it was time for a gut check
and heart check. Our team had all been working hard for over two
years. We had been through a lot of rebuilding and reorganization. We
had been in a "triage mode" for quite some time. The pace from the last
two years did not seem sustainable into the future for any length of
time. So what next? This was the question we came to ask God & each
other. God was sending us clear signals to honour the Sabbath and rest.
But how would we get there? Over 3 days, we prayed and we tried to
understand how we could begin to manage a plan for the next 3-5 years.
The Holy Spirit lead us and the process changed us. As a leadership
team, we are being "transformed in mission". God is working in each of
us as we bring our unique gifts together to act as one leadership body.
In our closing prayer time, I know that I met God. And the word He gave
me was REDEEMED. Jesus is my Redeemer. I am not who I was before
because I am redeemed in Christ. The hours that I work will not change
my standing. He loves me for who I am and not what I do. I will not be
bound by works righteousness or by any cultural or world view. My
Redeemer lives and he is Christ Jesus.
Remembering Our Faith
I recently lead one of the staff devotion times and shared with them
the story of the standing stones from Joshua 4. I described how
important this story was to our family as we left Ontario to come to BC
(crossing our Jordan) to serve with MBMSI. I reminded people how we
need to have markers in our life, just like the 12 stones the
Israelites took from the river, to help us remember God's faithfulness.
I summarized it this way, "Faith is choosing to remember God's
faithfulness when others choose to forget". So that is my closing
thought for you. Choose to remember all of God's faithfulness so that
you will persevere in whatever circumstances you find yourself in this
year and so that the joy of our Lord will be with you in all that you
do for Him.
Thank you for continuing to pray for me and the ministry work being done through MBMSI. May God's blessings be upon you.
Your Servant in Christ,
J.P. Hayashida
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