A Vital "On Going" Ministry    to Supai

 

Frontier School of the Bible Short-term Group to Supai, Arizona

 

Constant prayer and repeated face-to-face visits are a vital part of the ongoing ministry of cultivating and encouraging biblical partnerships with local churches and establishing strong indigenous churches among the First Nations, indigenous Indian, Mexican, and Hispanic peoples of North America.

  

"Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God" (Colossian 4:12, NAS).

 

"Having many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that your joy may be full" (2 John 12, NAS).

 

Since 2004 students from Frontier School of the Bible  have served on UIM short-term mission teams in the southwest USA during their spring breaks.  Each year the team tries to re-connect with the same tribal congregations and families.  Over the years this has had a profound impact for Christ.

 

The focus of these short-term mission teams is:  1) building relationships in order to encourage Christians and church leaders and to reach out to people who have not yet accepted Christ; 2) discovering ways to begin and continue a relationship with one or more of the tribal churches we minister with; 3) introducing the FSB students to multiple mission agencies, ministry leaders, and ministry opportunities; 4) and creating opportunities to minister in a variety of settings, i.e., serving on a team; sharing personal testimonies; leading the team in devotions; helping with community projects; and participating in a ministry with children, teens and/or adults.

 

The 2012 team recently was being served by the cashier at the restaurant in the community of Supai.  She immediately recognized two FSB graduates, Kimberly and Kristen Ward, and told them they were part of the team of FSB students who came in 2007.  She went on to name four other members of the 2007 team and asked where they were and why they ddn't come this time!

 

Kimberly and Kristen were part of the first FSB team that came in the spring of 2004.  At that time the young woman may have been 10 years old.  In 2007 she was in her early teen years.  She said she enjoyed the ministry of the FSB students who have stayed in contact with her by email or phone.  What she values the most, however, is the face-to-face reunions with the people who are able to come back to be with her and help in her community.

 

Please pray for the people you are trying to reach for Christ or encourage their walk with the Lord and return as often as possible for face-to-face interaction with them! 

 

 

 

Kimberly Hamilton, Kimberly Ward and     Kristy Hegarty with Supai children

 

In the spring of 2011 UIM added Joe Swanson to the UIM administrative team as the Member Care Coordinator.  After serving since 2002 in Mexico with the aviation department, Joe and his wife, Kristi, relocated to Spokane, WA, to serve on-loan to Moody Bible Institute's Aviation school in 2009.  After a year of flight instructing at Moody, Joe changed roles there and became the coordinator for Spiritual Life Formation on the aviation campus.  He is in charge of small group discipleship, mentoring, and the chapel program at Moody Aviation.  Because of the difficulties they experienced in Mexico and upon leaving the field due to increasing violence and decreased flying, Joe and Kristi were burdened to help the missionary community and also future missionary personnel by encouraging them, equipping them for difficult times, and strengthening them in the ministry God has given them.  For this reason, Joe came to UIM with a burden for member care.

Member care is a ministry that focuses on the missionary personnel.  Its goal is to come alongside missionaries in their ministries to help them balance ministry and family life, to encourage them by coordinating continuing education and meaningful resources, and to connect them together, when possible, to develop a mission-wide culture of caring for each other while doing the work of the ministry.  Member care is an organizational priority as well as a personal responsiblity within UIM.  As an organization, we desire to develop programs or resources which will increase personal growth and ministry fulfillment for our staff as well as increase productivity and personal welfare and safety.  We also want to encourage our staff on each field to devote themselves to encourage each other and also promote personal responsibility for self-care when special circumstances arise.  When times of ministry conflict or personal crisis come, Joe, as Member Care coordinator, has made himself available for travel and counsel to help repair and restore God's servants to health and wholeness and meaningful service.

 

Joe and Kristi are in the process of trying to travel to each UIM field of ministry to meet each staff member personally and connect with their families and ministries as an encouragement to them and, hopefully, to establish or begin lasting relationships of trust and confidence.  In early February, Joe made a trip to Mexico to visit each UIM missionary and their ministry.  It was a 13-day trip taken along with Tucson-based pilot Tim Ried through the use of the UIM Aviation's 182.  Tim and Joe visited Chihuahua, Durango, Guadalajara, and Puerto Escondido, Tiltepec, and Oaxaca.  He was able to visit nearly all of the UIM staff in Mexico, including the Mexican administrative team, and strove to encourage new families just beginning and those who have been serving many years.  Joe found it a joy to see how God is truly working through UIM and its ministries in Mexico.  It is his desire to follow in the steps of Paul's faithful messengers:  Epaphras (Colossians 4:12), whose prayer was "that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God, " and Timothy, whose testimony was that he "took general interest in (their) welfare"  (Philippians 2:20).  This summer Joe and Kristi and their daughters, Lily and Kylee, will be attending the Canadian field conference and visiting with the UIM staff in British Columbia.

 

 

Joe, Kristi, Lily and Kylee Swanson