Because He Lives
Stephen* stepped out of his taxi to his final destination. It had been a long trip — 19 hours in a stale airplane, facing turbulence, poor food, and sleeplessness. Not to mention the arduous transportation to the airport, the layovers, and ensuring all his affairs were in order before being away for 10 days.
A businessman from a country at war, leaving his family and work for 10 days straight seemed impossible. But faith told Him to go and to learn how to better share the Gospel in the sphere of influence he knew only he could reach.
The next morning Stephen could feel the hum of anticipation among the 30 other men who had traveled similar trips as he. Almost every man he ran into looked different from the next — the various ethnicities, accents, and backgrounds were staggering. Stephen answered when he was spoken to, but admittedly, he was quiet and a little nervous. It was rare to see him smile, especially after all he’d witnessed living in a country at war.
As the days went on, these 31 men from 21 countries sat in conference rooms together, reflected and debriefed over round tables designed for conversation, and walked back and forth from white boards, scribbling their ideas for how to reach their nations more strategically, more efficiently, more urgently.
This meeting of minds was a momentous occasion. It was the first time in three years that Haggai International was able to gather a group of men together in person for a Haggai Leader Experience (HLE). COVID-19 made all in-person plans non-existent, and even when the pandemic orders were eventually lifted across the world, visa offices were slammed and governments remained backlogged, so international travel to the U.S., where the HLE is normally held, was impossible. Haggai pivoted quickly to equip virtually in an immediately successful program, the Virtual Haggai Leader Experience (VHLE). Through the VHLE, God’s work through Haggai leaders continued, and Haggai equipped more leaders at one time than ever before in its history.
Although the world was changed forever and digital equipping is here to stay, the goal to include in-person equipping again was on the forefront of our mind.
God led our equipping team to the right place, with the right budget, at the right time: A secure location in Asia that allowed access from nations all over the world with minimal headaches through the visa department. As such, these 31 men arrived from 21 countries in late June and spent the next 10 days being equipped in person. As the days unfolded, men like Stephen who arrived uncertain of what he would find yet convinced of God’s call to be there, began to share with one another how God was moving in their hearts. They began to open up and lean on their brothers for advice, ideas, and a listening ear. They grouped into tables by region — Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East — to start strategizing for ways they could uniquely reach their people.
There were stacks of files the men had printed that showcased strategic plans; laptops piled on notebooks with charging cords spilling across the carpet; coffee and tea in paper cups between the manila folders and the hum of 31 different voices whose one goal is to end Gospel poverty in their nations.
For many Christians in the non-West, especially living in places where their churches or movements are monitored, having Christian community can be a rare and difficult thing to find. When you do find it, you cling to it. Imagine living in this isolation and then being placed with a group of people whose souls share the same vision!
A few days into the session, Ritchie Tay, a seasoned Haggai facilitator, had to sit back and smile as he watched these connections unfold.
“One of the things I’ve discovered is that the participants are now open and vulnerable. That sets off a totally different way of how we talk to one another. They’re now talking about their personal lives and their struggles, and the challenges they go through. And their willingness to deal with these challenges makes a difference. I can see they have big dreams now.”
Near the end of the 10 days, participants donned their cultural attire and pulled out instruments — drums, guitars, shakers — for a night of worship. They joined their voices to lift up thanks to God for the blessing of hearing from Him during that week and hearing from each other. Hands raised, tears streaming, joyful shouts, embroidered tunics swaying, the men sang together:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”
And there was Stephen, up front with the band, smiling and laughing as he praised God alongside his brothers.
Written by Bethan Mingle
*Name changed for leader’s security.
This article was written for the Winter 2023 edition of Impact magazine. To read or download it, click here.
Because He Lives
Stephen* stepped out of his taxi to his final destination. It had been a long trip — 19 hours in a stale airplane, facing turbulence, poor food, and sleeplessness. Not to mention the arduous transportation to the airport, the layovers, and ensuring all his affairs were in order before being away for 10 days.
A businessman from a country at war, leaving his family and work for 10 days straight seemed impossible. But faith told Him to go and to learn how to better share the Gospel in the sphere of influence he knew only he could reach.
The next morning Stephen could feel the hum of anticipation among the 30 other men who had traveled similar trips as he. Almost every man he ran into looked different from the next — the various ethnicities, accents, and backgrounds were staggering. Stephen answered when he was spoken to, but admittedly, he was quiet and a little nervous. It was rare to see him smile, especially after all he’d witnessed living in a country at war.
As the days went on, these 31 men from 21 countries sat in conference rooms together, reflected and debriefed over round tables designed for conversation, and walked back and forth from white boards, scribbling their ideas for how to reach their nations more strategically, more efficiently, more urgently.
This meeting of minds was a momentous occasion. It was the first time in three years that Haggai International was able to gather a group of men together in person for a Haggai Leader Experience (HLE). COVID-19 made all in-person plans non-existent, and even when the pandemic orders were eventually lifted across the world, visa offices were slammed and governments remained backlogged, so international travel to the U.S., where the HLE is normally held, was impossible. Haggai pivoted quickly to equip virtually in an immediately successful program, the Virtual Haggai Leader Experience (VHLE). Through the VHLE, God’s work through Haggai leaders continued, and Haggai equipped more leaders at one time than ever before in its history.
Although the world was changed forever and digital equipping is here to stay, the goal to include in-person equipping again was on the forefront of our mind.
God led our equipping team to the right place, with the right budget, at the right time: A secure location in Asia that allowed access from nations all over the world with minimal headaches through the visa department. As such, these 31 men arrived from 21 countries in late June and spent the next 10 days being equipped in person. As the days unfolded, men like Stephen who arrived uncertain of what he would find yet convinced of God’s call to be there, began to share with one another how God was moving in their hearts. They began to open up and lean on their brothers for advice, ideas, and a listening ear. They grouped into tables by region — Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East — to start strategizing for ways they could uniquely reach their people.
There were stacks of files the men had printed that showcased strategic plans; laptops piled on notebooks with charging cords spilling across the carpet; coffee and tea in paper cups between the manila folders and the hum of 31 different voices whose one goal is to end Gospel poverty in their nations.
For many Christians in the non-West, especially living in places where their churches or movements are monitored, having Christian community can be a rare and difficult thing to find. When you do find it, you cling to it. Imagine living in this isolation and then being placed with a group of people whose souls share the same vision!
A few days into the session, Ritchie Tay, a seasoned Haggai facilitator, had to sit back and smile as he watched these connections unfold.
“One of the things I’ve discovered is that the participants are now open and vulnerable. That sets off a totally different way of how we talk to one another. They’re now talking about their personal lives and their struggles, and the challenges they go through. And their willingness to deal with these challenges makes a difference. I can see they have big dreams now.”
Near the end of the 10 days, participants donned their cultural attire and pulled out instruments — drums, guitars, shakers — for a night of worship. They joined their voices to lift up thanks to God for the blessing of hearing from Him during that week and hearing from each other. Hands raised, tears streaming, joyful shouts, embroidered tunics swaying, the men sang together:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”
And there was Stephen, up front with the band, smiling and laughing as he praised God alongside his brothers.
Written by Bethan Mingle
*Name changed for leader’s security.
This article was written for the Winter 2023 edition of Impact magazine. To read or download it, click here.
Because He Lives
Stephen* stepped out of his taxi to his final destination. It had been a long trip — 19 hours in a stale airplane, facing turbulence, poor food, and sleeplessness. Not to mention the arduous transportation to the airport, the layovers, and ensuring all his affairs were in order before being away for 10 days.
A businessman from a country at war, leaving his family and work for 10 days straight seemed impossible. But faith told Him to go and to learn how to better share the Gospel in the sphere of influence he knew only he could reach.
The next morning Stephen could feel the hum of anticipation among the 30 other men who had traveled similar trips as he. Almost every man he ran into looked different from the next — the various ethnicities, accents, and backgrounds were staggering. Stephen answered when he was spoken to, but admittedly, he was quiet and a little nervous. It was rare to see him smile, especially after all he’d witnessed living in a country at war.
As the days went on, these 31 men from 21 countries sat in conference rooms together, reflected and debriefed over round tables designed for conversation, and walked back and forth from white boards, scribbling their ideas for how to reach their nations more strategically, more efficiently, more urgently.
This meeting of minds was a momentous occasion. It was the first time in three years that Haggai International was able to gather a group of men together in person for a Haggai Leader Experience (HLE). COVID-19 made all in-person plans non-existent, and even when the pandemic orders were eventually lifted across the world, visa offices were slammed and governments remained backlogged, so international travel to the U.S., where the HLE is normally held, was impossible. Haggai pivoted quickly to equip virtually in an immediately successful program, the Virtual Haggai Leader Experience (VHLE). Through the VHLE, God’s work through Haggai leaders continued, and Haggai equipped more leaders at one time than ever before in its history.
Although the world was changed forever and digital equipping is here to stay, the goal to include in-person equipping again was on the forefront of our mind.
God led our equipping team to the right place, with the right budget, at the right time: A secure location in Asia that allowed access from nations all over the world with minimal headaches through the visa department. As such, these 31 men arrived from 21 countries in late June and spent the next 10 days being equipped in person. As the days unfolded, men like Stephen who arrived uncertain of what he would find yet convinced of God’s call to be there, began to share with one another how God was moving in their hearts. They began to open up and lean on their brothers for advice, ideas, and a listening ear. They grouped into tables by region — Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East — to start strategizing for ways they could uniquely reach their people.
There were stacks of files the men had printed that showcased strategic plans; laptops piled on notebooks with charging cords spilling across the carpet; coffee and tea in paper cups between the manila folders and the hum of 31 different voices whose one goal is to end Gospel poverty in their nations.
For many Christians in the non-West, especially living in places where their churches or movements are monitored, having Christian community can be a rare and difficult thing to find. When you do find it, you cling to it. Imagine living in this isolation and then being placed with a group of people whose souls share the same vision!
A few days into the session, Ritchie Tay, a seasoned Haggai facilitator, had to sit back and smile as he watched these connections unfold.
“One of the things I’ve discovered is that the participants are now open and vulnerable. That sets off a totally different way of how we talk to one another. They’re now talking about their personal lives and their struggles, and the challenges they go through. And their willingness to deal with these challenges makes a difference. I can see they have big dreams now.”
Near the end of the 10 days, participants donned their cultural attire and pulled out instruments — drums, guitars, shakers — for a night of worship. They joined their voices to lift up thanks to God for the blessing of hearing from Him during that week and hearing from each other. Hands raised, tears streaming, joyful shouts, embroidered tunics swaying, the men sang together:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”
And there was Stephen, up front with the band, smiling and laughing as he praised God alongside his brothers.
Written by Bethan Mingle
*Name changed for leader’s security.
This article was written for the Winter 2023 edition of Impact magazine. To read or download it, click here.
