And / Or ?

The two words “and”/“or” are very powerful. They are used to help us be selective. This “or” that. Or they can help us add additional value or importance. This “and” that. For example, if you said to me, would you like chocolate chip ice cream or chocolate with peanut butter cup ice cream, I would reply, I would like chocolate chip ice cream AND chocolate with peanut butter cup ice cream. In your ministry with globalLead, we have seen the great value recently of engaging the “AND.” Allow me to explain. Throughout this pandemic season, we have had to think of the “and.” How can we serve leaders and still stay safe and work within the restrictions of travel, etc.? To do this we began to do online trainings throughout our ministry locations. We added numerous new country training locations in the past year because we did not have to limit ourselves to this country OR that country. We could engage the AND with Zoom or Google-based trainings. (Photo to the left is a graduation of youth ministry leaders from Europe trained online.) Participants were from Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, and the UK. Also in the photo are Nixon Echavez (newer globalLead staff) and  Jack Dyson.

We were temporarily able to go back to face-to-face trainings in several places, but we continued engaging in online trainings as well, thus offering face-to-face AND online trainings. At the time of this writing, we are seeing all of our offices face new travel restrictions in their major cities, so we will be offering face-to-face trainings in the rural areas when possible AND virtual trainings where we cannot travel. Before the offices had to stop most traveling our new Nepal Director, Kiran Chand (in the photo here to the right, Kiran is on the left) traveled to train in a remote location. He traveled for over 8 hours on a motorbike because the roads are not suitable for vehicles. The young ladies pictured here walked one full day each way to attend the training with their packs of sleeping and clothing necessities.

Outward AND Inward Ministry?
We have also seen the power of the AND in our ministry expansion into our soul care ministry for Christian leaders.  Our other trainings – Youth Ministry Strategy and our Ministry Team Strategy (whole church) – have both focused primarily on the outward ministry of leaders to impact their spheres of influence for the Gospel. With our Heart of the Leader ministry, we now offer the AND. Not only are leaders being strategic in caring for others outwardly, but we are also engaging them very intentionally, for inward care of themselves as a person first and leader second. Leaders from Uganda, Kenya, India, the UK, the USA, and Canada attended. This event started face-to-face in January 2020, and we finished it in late April. The photo to the left shows our gathering.

Listen to the heart of the ministry leaders who stated, “This event helped me: 

• • to be real with God and with the people around me.”
  • open my eyes to a new world of grace and dealing with the skeletons and demons in the closet.” 
  • to identify lies I have been believing that have been tearing me down and what they have cost.”
  • dig deeper inwards and know where I am truly and not just where I think I am.”

Pakistan AND Ethiopia?
You may recall that this time last year we had a leader from Ethiopia who felt called to go to Pakistan in partnership with a colleague there to train youth ministry leaders. Despite all of the severe challenges of those early days with COVID amid his time there, Mulat (from Ethiopia) AND Khurram (his host in Pakistan) led 3 official globalLead trainings and some other events with great ongoing impact. (See their photo together at the beginning of this post.) After several conversations, we now welcome Khurram and his wife (Seemab) into your globalLead family. Khurram will be serving as the globalLead Pakistan director! The official name for Pakistan is, “The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” May God do a great work through your ministry partner Khurram so that it will one day be known as “Pakistan, a Country full of Christians.”

Ministry Partners AND globalLead?
As a ministry partner of globalLead, you have a relationship that is deeper than AND/OR. You are globalLead. Your support and prayers make globalLead work. The investment of your heart, your volunteering, and your care for all of the team means that you are globalLead.