Growing a partnership across cultures is challenging, but deeply rewarding. For many years, our Albright Church in Winnipeg has been connected with the Church in a remote area of Gens de Nantes (GDN) in the North-East Department in Haiti. But when Joey, Lindsey and Lorna travelled to Haiti this past November with World Partners facilitators, and sat in a listening posture with Richard, Mis. Ketely, Herlynda, Hernso, Emmanuel, and Sammy, something amazing happened.
"The hope they have is so contagious", Joey reflected, upon her return to Canada. "At one point, the GDN friends filled the wall with post-it notes, accounting for all the ways God has resourced them to be a blessing to their communities".
But some of the deepest learnings came from their shared Biblical reflections on resource-mobilization. Adding to the listing of God-given gifts, talents and resources, the chance to meditate together on scripture that Friday morning rooted the remaining conversations throughout the day. Responding to the miraculous story of the oil that did not run dry for the widow (2 Kings 4:1-7), and the challenge of trusting provision by seeking first God's Kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:30-44), the group wrestled with their own perceived needs and resources, and how they would allow Jesus to interact with them (like the widow and the disciples) to apply these insights to their thinking. As a result, the team sought to connect God's vision for GDN’s future with the realities of community life facing each leader.
Dr. Emmanuel: “It is funny for me, that while I am living in GDN, I needed a team from Canada to help me identify what resources are here, knowing time is a resource... and some of things we are dreaming for, make me understand that can be reality-vision can come true, hope [in our] partnership[s can last, [and that we, as] leaders from GDN, [can] learn to live like brothers and sisters.”
One of the other GDN leaders added, "God can solve the problem of the [shortage of physical] resource we have, and provide when we use what we have been given to meet the needs of others around us".
When we work from this posture of everyone being resourced by God as our Source of all-sufficiency, we grow in our sense of mutuality, as we see what each person brings to the table. It's not the amounts that gets focused on, but our equal value as receivers and givers in God's [Kingdom] work.
This is an amazing gift, to constantly ask how the resources, strengths and gifts of our global partners might bring fresh challenge, inspiration, and hope for us as we serve Jesus' where He has placed us in the world.
How can we learn from our Haitian brothers and sisters, and their demonstration of resilient hope, and apply it our participation in Jesus’ mission?
How can we bring the whole Gospel (everything good that Jesus showed us and all we’ve been given to share), so we might join Him in bringing transformation to our neighbourhoods?
World Partners facilitates this connection and is so pleased to see this chapter of mutual learning opening up. As we recognize and see our role in collaboration with the global church, we encourage you to interact and engage in a way that promotes how God has already been working and motivating followers of Jesus to invest in their communities.
We would love to journey with you as you consider how God might be nudging you and those around you to connect with the global church and the communities nearest you.
When we work from this posture of everyone being resourced by God as our Source of all-sufficiency, we grow in our sense of mutuality, as we see what each person brings to the table.
