TeamDuggan

An example of partnership that ReachGlobal facilitates across the globe, excerpted from a recent newsletter by Omar Rodriguez (Omar.Rodriguez@EFCA.org), area leader for partnerships in the Latin America/Caribbean region. 

People. A good number of people as you might expect. But, lots of people are not necessarily the key either. Instead, what you dream of are people who are joyful, troubleshooters, willing to work out of their comfort zones, focused, those who understand what their job is and who know how to work with others toward the highest goal. It’s a pretty cool experience when that happens and I am always surprised how quickly a team can come together when you have those kinds of people around.

Observe. Don’t presume to know who is across the table from you or what their need might be. Ask. Listen. Observe. In a way that demonstrates that the person whom you are serving is being treated like one who is made in the image of God.

Movement. When there are a lot of people to serve, you have got to move. Not in a chaotic fashion but with a proactive, coordinated and meaningful response to the patient and the situation at hand. Everyone has a role. Everyone is communicating. Everyone is attentive and active. Everyone seeking one thing, to serve the person in front of you with excellence.

It’s a beautiful picture of how the church can be used by Christ to serve those in need. Not only their physcialneeds, but also spiritually. Every person that was seen, also had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, to be counseled if they so desired and to be prayed for. Our prayer is that many would be healed from all of their infirmities by the Great Physician and that they would experience the fullness of life that only Christ can bring. Would you pray toward that end with us?

That was my wife’s assessment yesterday after what she’s experienced accompanying me for over thirty years and had just experienced during a nice little walk we had on a nearby mountain.  It’s one of those stories that is much more funny afterwards, particularly if there’s a point in the story where the situation could either go very badly or turn out OK.  In the end, we were fine.  However, at the time my wife was wondering how I was going to get us through it.  All part of the weird life I’ve led and have been loved through by an amazing woman.

We were hiking on a mountain surrounded by lush cloud forest when an angry man with six angry dogs came riding up to us on a horse with a machete handing from his belt.  Back home I’d compare him to an old hermit in the hollars of Appalachia pointing a shotgun our way.  Turns out he insisted we were on private property and it wasn’t clear what his intentions were.  Keeping the story short, after an hour of using all the limited Spanish and understanding of human nature I have, we made a good friend who has invited us back anytime, even to go camping on the mountainside. Cathi’s summary after he made a special trip and dropped us off at our house: Life with me has been, is, and probably always will be weird.