Keep God’s Mission as Your Mission

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MoldovaHirvobatOne of the last words of Jesus to a fledgling, ragtag group of disciples, was a message of power and revolution. A power not of this world, but a power with authority from God the Father. Because of the authority bestowed to Jesus, flowing from God the Father, the disciples would be able to go forth and share with others the words of Jesus. They could have shared his words on their own to little effect. When coupled with the power of the Spirit of God through the supernatural Word of God, lives would change, God’s church would grow, and the world would change.

 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”        Matthew 28:18-20

The world is still changing. One life at a time. Through the power of the gospel and the obedience of those who keep God’s mission their own.

I just returned from an amazing journey partnering with four churches stateside and 2 churches in Moldova, all for the purpose of building God’s kingdom through making disciples. I love returning every year to Filadelfia Church. God always does a new work each time. Lives were changed, hearts were won to Christ, and people became more dedicated than ever to the mission of God. After the journey home, I was finding myself thinking fondly and missing my dear friends in Moldova and reflecting on all the wonderful things we shared together as a body of faith. It’s always a joy to lead and come alongside others to see that together we can be a part of God’s great mission he has given the church. It is my prayer that God provides a way to return soon with others who share that passion and mission. I’m happy to be home, among cherished family and friends, a great community, and a wonderful church, but there is a longing to return. I wanted to do more, wanted to give more time, to share more truth. The task remains the same at home or in Moldova.

I write this as an encouragement to anyone wondering if what they’re doing matters to God. We go through seasons of spiritual mountains and valleys. Jesus knew the disciples would face trouble. In fact he even said that some may mistakenly think that killing a follower of Jesus would be doing God a favor. (John 16:2) No matter what they faced, Jesus knew that the power of His gospel would change lives.  The task? To go and make followers of Jesus from all people groups, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus promised them and every follower, that he would be WITH us. We have the power of the Spirit, the purpose of the mission, and the presence of Jesus.  Be faithful where you are. Have faith also to know that God can use you to speak to the nations about him. Missions is local. Missions is global. Missions is personal. Let God’s mission be your mission.

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,”  Hebrews 12:1

Trusting God at 80mph

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Photo Nov 19, 10 48 05 AM

Understanding the title before you begin to read the rest of this post is most important. Picture me, frozen in time, gripping the handle tightly as my driver friend (insert favorite NASCAR joke here) races through the rainy, very slick roads of a small town in an Eastern European country, with a determined look on his face which speaks to his desire to make it to his intended destination—a church he pastors, or otherwise scrape the paint off the next vehicle ahead. I’m convinced this guy is passionate about seeing souls coming into the kingdom of God, based not on the attention he gives to the road, but rather the passion in his heart for the people of Hirbovat, Moldova.

Faithfully serving and teaching those gathered on a cold Sunday morning, where there are no padded pews or ladies who persist on having the thermostat adjusted (there is no thermostat here). The temperature is just fine, thank you. A warm 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The sermon comes with a dose of bundled up worshippers who sing with breath-you-can-see joy after walking fifteen minutes over mud, bumps, potholes; enduring splashes from passing vehicles and nosey loose pets. Such people are grateful for a space to call their own, although this is the second time they have moved, and are moving for a third very soon.

What is behind the passion of this pastor and the commitment of such people as these? It is, simply and profoundly put, trust. A trust in a faithful God who asks for reckless abandon to all who would come and follow him, no matter the cost. God will see us through. Through the sanctifying work of Christ, God will see us through. Trust that shows faith and courage when the power from a single power cord stretched to the limit goes out and the worshippers continue, not missing a beat. Trust that points to the power of prayer as family members come to Christ, and needs are met, proving God cares for his children.

Trust that even at speeds that feel like 80mph to me, are echoed by laughter and proclamation of a pastor who says, “I LOVE working for God”! To the God who owns the silver and the gold, everything is His, He proves himself faithful to this young pastor.

The same can be said of others who have come before this pastor, fervently working to plant a church that plants churches. Having moved multiple times and to multiple locations, there are many in Filadelfia Church who desire to see everyone in Aneni Noi come to faith and repentance in Christ Jesus. From young women being discipled, the widow’s needs being met, the student’s questions being patiently answered, orphans being rescued, to passionate missions teams eager to lock arms from across the ocean, this church stands on the front lines in the spread of the gospel.

Would You Consider Praying and Partnering With Me In My Fundraising For Moldova 2014?

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North Carolina Baptists have made the clarion call to mobilize churches within their state to partner with the Moldovan Baptist Union to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through strategic partnerships over the next three years. Image

The Need Is indeed Great According to the Joshua Project,  the population of Moldova numbers close to 96.7 percent non-evangelical. The primary religion is Orthodox, equaling 73 percent of the population. Within the Baptist community, the Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches of Moldova is the largest Baptist body, with 490 churches and mission points divided into nine regions.

We are partnering with Pastor Igor Seremet of Baptist Biserica Filidelfia and are so excited to be sending a team to Moldova consisting of high school, college, adult, and senior adults. This is the second year of a three year partnership to Moldova and this is a wonderful opportunity to help a church that seeks to have a local impact with a global reach. Image

The Southside team continues effort in raising funds The second trip for the team will cost approximately $2,500 per member. Several fundraisers are scheduled including a BBQ, a Yard Sale, Candy sales, and generous support  from family and friends like YOU! If you received a support letter last year from me, you will be getting one soon in the mail. If not, I’d love you to join me this year! Read on to learn how you can help! Thank you!

We will be ministering in Anenii Noi, Moldova, and surrounding villages. On this trip, we will be involved in several different ministries: working with children in rural and urban neighborhoods, assisting a local church plant in Moldova through neighborhood VBS (Vacation Bible School).  We will also be offering an English as a Second Language Course (ESL) that focuses on basic English using the Bible. During the week we will be visiting nearby homes and distributing bags of food as a way of opening a door to share the gospel and communicate God’s love through the local church in Moldova there, Filadelphia Baptist Church.  Please  pray for our team as they travel and prepare in 2014!Image

For those of you who have supported this ministry in the past, thank you so much! A church 5,000 miles away is so grateful for your help, though you may have never met. I’m also grateful for your faithfulness in praying and sending me via your support. Without you I could not do it.

My dream is to  take my entire family with me to Moldova. I am planning on offsetting their cost as much as  possible. Your help in sending me will also help my wife and my son experience a missions trip for the first time. I’m so humbled for the opportunity to serve God with my entire family should He see fit to provide that opportunity! It will be a teachable moment that will deeply impact all of our hearts as we grow closer to God’s heart for  the nations.

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The specific ways that you can be a part of my experience are through prayer and financial support. Pray that the people in the villages of Moldova we come in contact with will feel God’s love through us and that we will make an impact in their lives. Pray also for Pastor Igor and Filadelphia Baptist Church that they would continue to see fruit from the many teams partnering with them. Also, pray for the many needs of Moldova that I have expressed above. I need to raise $2,500.00 by my deadline, June 1st, 2014. If you feel led to give, no amount is too small and is greatly appreciated!  Please make a check out to Southside Baptist Church, and put “Moldova-Derik” in the memo to sponsor my goal specifically or just “Moldova” to sponsor our team. Mail to Southside Baptist Church 3320 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28412. If you can’t give at this time, please pray for our team’s efforts. Thank you so much for taking time to read and please continue to pray for us and our team! God Bless you , Derik

Prayers for Anenii Noi

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ImageThe face of a child lighting up when receiving love is one of the greatest images burned into my heart during my time while on a missions trip in Moldova. The humble prayers of an elderly couple genuinely committing their lives to follow Christ for the first time perhaps  after years of living to please God on their own also loom large in my mind. The reality is that many come to Christ before the age of 18. Seeing such a sweet moment of grace before my eyes excites me and reminds me of the hope available to every man, no matter their age or phase of life. To see a team of joyful Christ-followers serve in one accord for the purpose of spreading the good news of Christ, after much planning, many meetings, lots of prayer, fundraising, and more prayer reminds me of the attitude of the first Christians as they began a fledgling church in Jerusalem after the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Every person on the team has a story to tell. So many lives touched. so many hearts of ours broken and melded with the hearts of Moldova.

The Church of Filadelfia in Anenii Noi proclaims the love of Christ to those in their context, unselfishly, and with much sacrifice. With vision of reaching the souls of a community steeped in tradition, Pastor Igor Seremet leads a faithful flock to seeing God do great things in their midst like caring for the poor through a food bag delivery ministry, reaching the teens through a weekly teen worship service, reaching those who don’t speak their language by providing interpretation in their services and even having the vision to develop several mission points within their community, along with a currently newly planted church in Herbovitz, that is pastored by a missionary whom Filadelfia has trained and sponsored and sent out. My eyes are wide open to the people of Aneeni Noi and the faithful gathered at Filadelfia. Pray for Igor, his wife Mariana, their children Teo, Marco, and two other kids of who’s names I didn’t get. Pray for their church, that God would continue to do great things in their midst, as well as the many churches in the United States who are sending many teams their way to come along side them for the work of the kingdom. Pray for Pastor Igor, that he may continue to be strengthened and encouraged in his ministry. Pray for Pavel and his wife Lydia, and their  toyoung son Alberto, who are courageously leading the teen ministry at Filadelifa. Pray for others like Tatiana and Dianka, who are also vested in spreading the hope of Christ to those who need him.

The Light of the Gospel

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Today was probably one of the best days we’ve had so far on our vision trip in Moldova. We were in the city of Chisnau and each pastor was assigned to go preach to a church. Our church was the Good Shepherd Church on the outskirts of town, led by Pastor Jurga. His wife, Oxana, led the worship and singing. It was a very young and family oriented church. We were so welcomed by this church. They took us out to lunch and we enjoyed authentic Moldovan cuisine.

We had some difficulties with the flights, but hopefully they will work out. We have been debriefed at the Baptist Union, going over some final details about partnering with churches. After the district briefing, we went  to do a bit of shopping, and that was fun! Seeing the smiling (sometimes laughing) faces of the supermarket employees, I had a blast buying some things from the clerk!

Next we traveled to our dinner and heard from some very grateful pastors and leaders in Moldova. In a sense, we were the ones learning from them. We have taken in so much information about the needs and desires of the Moldovan churches here, that it is at times overwhelming. However, God is so amazing in that He has presented some unique needs that I believe our church could assist with.

One pastor shared of how in 1975, if 24 of us would have tried to criss-cross the country seeing churches and pastors, we would have been prevented from doing so by the Communist Government, or worse. Now, the door has swung wide open for the light of the gospel to shine forth in Moldova. The exciting thing is that churches from North Carolina have a wonderful opportunity set before them. Joy fills my heart in seeing the wonderful Christ likeness of the Moldovan pastors. The humility, the vision, their hearts to see their fellow countrymen come to saving faith, is just so motivating and inspiring. It makes me think of my own attitude towards those who need Christ in my own country.

Lots to share with our church back home. So grateful for their prayers and support.

An Eye Opener

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The little girl in the photo was in class at a Christian school hosted by one of the churches that we visited the second day. Note her cross that she was coloring. All these kids were smiling at all of us, probably thinking, “who are all these guys with coats on??” They were happy to see new faces, as was the teacher. She was also telling of the needs of the school. The church rents out a space within the school to teach the children lessons ranging from regular topics to focused bible teaching. The goal is to reach the parents by reaching the children. It breaks your heart to see the children and the conditions of the school. No heat. The school was probably a chilly 55 degrees. After awhile that can get cold. Nearly every building we went into had no heat, perhaps a standard in most areas of Moldova due to the high cost of heating a building there. Again the most important thing about this school, was the singular focus of the church to bring parents to Christ. It wasn’t education. It was reaching the parents through a vehicle such as education.

ImageNearly every meal we have sat down to has been an incredible spread and wonderful show of Moldovan hospitality. The pastors are truly glad we have come to visit. We have been so welcomed by everyone there. The food is all what you’d find grown or raised. Nothing store bought. Tomatores, cucumbers, fruits, vegetables, grape juice, milk, cheeses. Truly an honor to eat with these pastors!

One thing that we’ve kept hearing is that the pastors are in need of encouragement due to the large numbers leaving their churches .It’s not what you’d typically think. Many of the pastors have incredible hearts and great vision for reaching their community. Moldovans are simply leaving the country for work. There are few jobs in Moldova. Of a population of 3 million, some estimates put the loss of population at 1 million, which is staggering. Farmers are having to sell their cattle because the recent drought caused the vineyards to produce 90% under their previous output.

They are leaving behind families, and elderly parents. Many of the middle aged population is leaving behind young adults to fend for themselves. This is a crisis in Moldovan Churches. Without people, it is hard to carry out ministry on a scale envisioned. Pray for the Moldovan churches, and that people would put down roots and commit to to rebuild Moldova.