His Face Told the Story

You could see it all over his face… the doctor pulled back a tattered blanket form the child’s face and leaned in to examine her. The mother of the child walked about eight miles in near 100 degree heat after hearing a doctor would be at a neighboring village. The child’s neck was nonexistent due to a large growth which was slowly choking her.

Back in the Philadelphia area this tumor would have been treated when it was very small but now it threatened the child’s life. The sounds of gurgling and low gasps for breath made your stomach turn. Tears rolled from the mothers eyes as the doctor looked at the child slowly, turning her head from side to side as he poked and prodded with his fingers gingerly. This small little girl just laid there allowing this white stranger whom she had never seen examine her. Suddenly, the doctor yelled out, “Take this girl into the medical hut now and prepare her for surgery!"

The doctor was part of a team whose medical office is one of eleven partners that are in partnership with the Senegalese group I am helping. I have been hard at work implementing a restructuring strategy that I developed nearly two years ago so that this organization will not fail.

Senegal is a country whose population is about 95% Muslim. The organizational (which I do not want to mention) goal is to establish a church in 400 Islamic villages in a triangular region in interior Senegal. This project has challenged me to help with the installation of a new French accounting system, work thought the development and installation of a new business model which will create a positive cash flow, building reserve accounts, a financial tracking system, restructuring programs and personnel from a vision which is causing “death by program proliferation” to a more streamlined ministry approach which is manageable and healthy.

My goal is simple, to assist this national organization to become independent, effective and sustainable in its approach to the region’s needs, and the management and growth of the organization so that Jesus can be introduced to a hundred thousand people. If this region is ever going to be reached it must be done through national workers, not relying on Europeans or American for the total solution.

The churches that are established bring hope through meeting tangible needs like clean water, health care, economic development, literacy, and of course the gospel.

In Senegal successful churches are those that impact people through a holistic approach of word and deed. Imagine a country of 60% to 70% unemployment… imagine children dying of simple diseases like polio, dysentery, and measles… Imagine famine and starvation simply because it does not rain, imagine walking five or more miles just go get dirty water to drink and cook with so you can feed your children and where only eight other nations in the world are more dangerous to give birth in for mothers. The work is hard but it has begun and today we are working in sixty-four villages and churches have been established in thirty-one. We must continue!

"As the people moved the little girl to health hut, which was built in partnership with the national organization, they prepared the child for surgery and after 30 minutes the large growth was removed. The mother was sent home with antibiotics and was asked to bring the child to another village where the group was going to work in a four days. When the child and her month showed up they both walked into the village. The child ran and embraced the doctor who broke down in tears…" This is the joy of partnership. This is the reward of your investment. This is the results you share in.

Please continue to keep our work in your prayers. This organization is not out of the woods yet. We are presently working to develop and train a new leadership team to run the processes in a way which serves the partners and staff well.

I will be in Senegal again November 10th to the 18th. In addition to going deeper on this work I’ll be in discussion with an additional ministry whose focus is in the capital city of Dakar, population two-million. This partnership is working to help urban churches multiply. I will be discussing the potential of developing a partnership between this ministry and North American churches and businesses. One last part of this trip is that I will be starting a discussion with a third ministry in Mali. Once again we will lay out a potential partnership which will also allow North American churches and businesses to engage with two unreached people groups… the Fulani and the Black Moor.

Blessings and thanks,
Mark

Awsome time being with and training 9 new missionaries... almost done. Saturday headed to Atlanta to teach a seminar at Perimeter Church.

Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion - Check out the story: http://ping.fm/CIULK

Talked to DR Congo yesterday. UWM people doing good developing humanitarian and communication strategies. Need more masters level teachers. The worst humanitarian disaster ever is improving!

Right now I am at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California working on a partnership to advance the Kingdom by placing talented graduating seniors around the world. Thsi article written by Linnea Swenson tells the story of Ryan but now we are expanding the opportunities by placing APU grads in United World Mission fields in the 10-40 Window.

Azusa Pacific Office of Missions Offers Chance To Be H.I.S. Servant

“If your desire is to see God’s name glorified around the world, you’ve got a program right here that helps you find an organization that is already doing that and to partner with them,” senior youth ministry major Ryan Hernandez said.

This fall Hernandez was accepted into the Institute for Outreach Ministries H.I.S.years program,which began last fall, and plans on partnering with Frontiers, a Christian organization that works with the least-reached Muslim communities around the world. “I wanted to be involved in youth ministries, but I knew I didn’t want to do typical American youth ministry,” Hernandez said. “Evangelizing and ministering to kids in another context and culture is definitely something I’ll look to.”

The H.I.S.years program started last fall and allows recent graduates seniors the opportunity to pursue missionary work abroad without the added responsibility of paying off student loans. “There’s a lot of freedom. They help us, pray for us, guide us, and offer suggestions, but nothing’s forced. They [the H.I.S.years staff] are here to facilitate and free us up,” Hernandez said. If a student is approaching the stage of “what am I going to do after I graduate,” the H.I.S.years program is one worth looking into. “Its purpose is mobilizing young adults toward involvement in God’s global agenda,” Executive Director of the Institute for Outreach Ministries George Bache said. This “sending” program, offered through the Institute for Outreach Ministries, is specifically designed for APU graduates to take advantage of while in their first year after graduation.

“The acronym stands for Hearing, Investing and Serving. The idea is that now that I’m graduated, I’m going to give Him, His years,” Bache said. “You’re going to give Him back two years for the blessing of being able to come and gain this gifting of education and opportunity at Azusa Pacific.”

“By the grace of God and a certain creativity, relentless pursuit, some prayer and serious conviction, we found a way to find a enough money to pile it now to remove the financial barriers. We’ll cover your student loans for two years. And you go out and serve,” Associate Vice President for Internationalization Matt Browning said. Students can apply for the H.I.S.years program in the fall of their senior year. The whole fall semester is available for students to begin planning, researching and talking with organizations. In the spring, students are asked to commit 100 percent to the H.I.S.years program.

“I believe we have a responsibility as a God First university to get uniquely creative to figure out how to make the corner of Citrus and Alosta a launch-pad for people to solve world problems,” Browning said. The H.I.S.years staff are committed to finding experts to help students get financial advice and assistance on managing their loans post graduation—whether a student is in the H.I.S.years program or not.

According to Coordinator for Program Development and Mobilization Jillian Gilbert the program is designed for those with student loans but will also help those without loans.
Although H.I.S.years has only been active for the past year and a half, there are already 15 students in the program. Six graduates were sent out last year and nine seniors are preparing to go out in 2009.

“Our ministry philosophy is holistic, meaning that, it’s not just about spreading the good news but it’s also about being in the community, in community development, reaching them in a practical way,” Gilbert said. Students can receive more information on the H.I.S.years program by going to the Institute for Outreach Ministries and speaking with the coordinator for program development and mobilization Jillian Gilbert.

Thanks for helping us advance the gospel by building the harvest force.

Mark Szymanski

Cuba

Today I had the priviledge to meet our Cuban brothers who are in the US meeting with partners. As you know I help facilitate a group of 13 partners who interact with a movement in Cuba whose goal is to plant churches across the island. Pray for me as I will visit the island in December to introduce another person into the partnership. Our effort is resulting in new churches and new leaders being trained at a seminary level.

Our goal is to see another 100 churches planted in the next several years and a fully equipped seminary established. Thanks for your prayers and partnership.

Reflextions

Well, I am on my way home from Atlanta sitting at exit 40 on I85. Decided to stop at Arby’s before it got too late to eat. So it’s about 9:00 pm and still two hours from home. I heard a country western song on the radio about being from a small town and I couldn’t stop thinking about my town, Etna, Pennsylvania. Not sure just how big it is today but it was about 2000 when I grew up, four stop lights, a school that had about 100 from 7th to 12th grade… when you played football you played both sides, offense and defense.

I had no idea the direction God would take my life. I never saw the ocean until 21, never flew on a plane until I was 22 and it seemed people grew up to go to the mines, military, or steel mills. But now I have had the privilege to visit some 80 countries, help more than 1300 people serve someplace in the world, and be a part of too many lives to count. I really never thought this would or even could of happened to me. I am totally awestruck and humbled and right now stopping to thank the Lord for this all. Even today I had the chance to listen and encourage two more people toward what God is calling them to. One to South Africa and the other to India.

If it all ended tonight I would say that God was too good to me. I have a great family with awesome kids, a beautiful wife, great friends like you, and I have seen the goodness of God all around the world. So thank you for being part of my life. For praying, giving, and helping me be a faithful man responding to what God is asking.

BIG LOVE to all of you,
Mark Szymanski

14 New Missionaries Expected in October

October 11 to the 16th I am expecting 14 or 15 new missionaries to join United World Mission. Would you stop and pray for them rightnow? They will be headed out to places like Kazakhstan, Senegal, Spain, DR Congo, Estonia and Thailand.

I am preparing for my first Expansion retreat with my leadership team. On Wednesday and Thursday we'll tackle several issues and grow together as leaders. Pray for our team: Keith Keller - Director of Expedition237; Gabe Smith Director for Communication; Billy Dempsey Director for Mobilization and myself, Director for Expansion and Global Partnerships.

I am working on the new uwm web page.. watch for it soon!