A small team from the CGGC office and Grand Point Church just returned from a multi week trip in Asia* to see the missions and churches, encourage the leaders, and celebrate new successes. Below are the highlights of the trip, which include new ministries that are coming under our umbrella, like a new child development center, and a clothing shop.
CGGC Executive Director Lance Finley found himself visiting two new ministries in one of our Asia* fields. Neither ministry is currently affiliated with us, but it’s likely that they will soon be brought under our mission so we can better support their good work. One was the aforementioned child development center, which operates similarly to a preschool or a kindergarten from the United States, teaching children who can’t read or write the basics, like the alphabet, colors, and numbers. Unlike American schools, the children aren’t separated by age, or cohort, but instead by their mastery of the material. Another section of the child development center works with children who can read and write, and these children may have a large age range, from as old as 12 to as young as 6. All of this is primarily funded by local Christians who have a desire to see children educated in places where parents can’t afford to send their kids to schools, or where schools just aren’t available.
Another ministry that the team toured is called Lydia’s House. Named after a woman from Acts 16 of the same name, Lydia’s House is a place for young women to learn to work with fabric to create garments, which is supported by a store front where they sell what they make. This ministry provides an opportunity to teach women a trade skill so they can, in turn, provide for their families.
In countries* where Christian teachings are suppressed, these ministries provide a way for Christians to offer something meaningful and create the opportunity for relationship and spiritual conversations. “We have a lot to learn from these types of community developments that lead to Christ, the opportunity to engage people and show them Jesus in the process,” Lance said.
In a different part of the country*, Lance and the team met with numerous young men who were all at different stages of their own leadership development. 12 leaders, all young men, are doing community development, early childhood education, and social work. As these leaders develop disciples, they often establish churches. Grandpoint Church has a major partnership with this effort and was encouraged because they saw the magnitude and importance of the work there.
After the team left this country, they progressed onward to Bangladesh, where they were met, as always, by warm smiles, dancing, flowers, and the unbelievable hospitality of our Bangladesh Mission. One of the things that struck Lance the most in Bangladesh was the scope of our work there and the beauty of it. “One of the beautiful things in Bangladesh is the fact that a number of the people who work for the mission, including one of the main drivers and a number of the hospital staff, are not Christian, but are either Muslim or Hindu,” Lance said. Our mission is in a country that is 95% Muslim, 5% Hindu, and less than 1% Christian. They may come from different faiths, but they still see the value of the work we are doing.”
You might not know that Lance is also an infamous pizza snob who doesn’t believe that Findlay, Ohio has a single quality pizza restaurant, so it’s surprising that one of the highlights of the trip was that he had some pretty good pizza in Bangladesh!
The team also had the honor to attend and participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new church building in a rural part of Bangladesh. There was singing, worship, and a message from Lance. One of the Bengali ladies led the service and spoke about their desire and appreciation for the new brick building.
Lance also got to spend time in historic places, where some of our earliest missionaries dedicated their lives to the Bangladesh Mission. “The fact that 125 years ago, it started with some women in the United States who said, ‘Here I am, send me’, is amazing,” Lance said.
*To maintain the anonymity and protection of our field leaders, we’ve kept certain locations and names generalized in this blog.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 18, No. 9
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