Shiloh Mission Possible Agents Revealed

The first three months of our time at Shiloh have passed, and boy have they been busy! We’ve been teaching and preaching, fellowshipping, mentoring, praying, planning, plotting (just kidding), and preparing. Some accomplishments are more tangible than others, though, and I’d like to give an update on one of them. For the past two months we have been planning, dreaming, and praying about forming the Shiloh Mission Support Team and have already had two meetings! For those of you who aren’t sure what a Mission Support Team is or what they do, that’s okay--I really didn’t know myself until we started this process. Let me share our process with you. 

When we made the decision back in June to move to Tyler we came up with a few big picture goals: obtain ministry experience, form a missions policy, form a missions committee, form a relationship with church body, and obtain a 5 year commitment from the church. Two of these goals-- obtaining experience and forming relationships-- are ongoing processes, and I think they are going pretty well. Two of these I can say are accomplished. As you will read in more detail elsewhere, Shiloh Road has joined Cedar Lane in committing to support the work in Arequipa for at least 5 years! As a team we feel incredible joy at having both of our home churches support us. God is good! Our other completed task is that of forming what we have come to call our Missions Support Team. 

A lot of thought and prayer went into this project before we got started. While one of the responsibilities of the support team will be to recruit new members at need, it fell to us to draft the initial group. We asked seventeen people, from high school up, to prayerfully consider being a part of this group, and after a time of consideration twelve came back saying they wanted to join.

We are humbled by their desire to serve not us but the church in this role, and are grateful for their dedication to God’s mission. We have already met twice with this group, and projects are getting underway. Committee leaders have already been chosen for some, with more to follow. 
Some of the projects that the group has started working on include the formation of a standing missions policy, planning an Peruvian Cuisine Dinner night, developing a regular “Missions Moment” for Sunday mornings, and preparing for our sendoff in February. The Support Team will also be our primary contact while in the field. Anything we need of the church will be asked through this group, with the knowledge that they will take it from there. The reverse is also true in that communication from the sending church will be funneled through the Support Team to us in Peru. By having dedicated advocates of the mission stateside, we hope to maintain a high level of awareness throughout the congregation. 

I purposefully used the term “advocate,” because its meaning (to support or speak in favor of) really resonates with me. This Support Team will support us with their time, thoughts, prayers, actions and words. They will be the first to send us birthday cards or care packages. They will organize trips to visit and encourage us, and arrange for our needs when we return on furlough to visit and encourage them. They will be our advocates at Shiloh Road; they will be our coworkers. We thank God for them and hope that you will join us in prayer for their tasks and decisions. May God bless their ministry to Peru and the church. 

A Word from a Shilohite: David Litton

The following are comments made by David Litton on behalf of the Shiloh elders on Sunday, October 28, 2007 announcing Shiloh’s support of Team Arequipa. (All the elders stood at the front of the auditorium and were joined by others during the service.) 

“When a country goes to war today, national leaders stay on home turf and send young men and women into the battlefields. It takes many people to provide food, weapons, transportation and other support for each person on the front line. In a parallel sense, we are in a worldwide spiritual battle, and the Shiloh elders today are announcing our decision to support and send young men and women into the spiritual battlefield of Arequipa, Peru. (The team was asked to join us up front.) Many of you know them already: Greg and Megan McKinzie and Kyle and Larissa Smith. 

To Team Arequipa – On behalf of this church family, we are announcing our support for the team for at least 5 years. The financial amount is being determined during our budget process, but more importantly, we pledge to support your work in prayer. A mission support team is already forming to provide advice, encouragement and other means of support. 

This is an exciting time for Shiloh. One of the priorities of this church is that we are committed to teach and prepare the next generation. We love and appreciate all of the kids that grow up here. We have been blessed to see an increasing number who choose full-time ministry whether in the inner city, in youth ministry or going to the mission field. And now Greg, Larissa and Kyle are added to that list. Megan, we know Cedar Lane is equally proud of you. 

Speaking as a parent, what greater blessing could there be, besides really cute grandkids, than to see a child grow in faith and make such a courageous commitment to go and share the good news of Jesus. As I look across the Shiloh family this morning, there are many faces who have been a part of raising these team members. Thank you. 

There are two that I would like to ask to join us here and stand beside the team – Tim Henderson and Bill Richardson. Tim through high school and still today has been and is a mentor of 3⁄4 of the team. He led Greg, Kyle and Larissa on numerous mission trips and helped nurture a servant’s heart. Bill has been a mentor during their college years. During the summer of 2002, Bill led a Caleb project where he took a number of Harding students to South America where they spent the summer spying out the land looking for receptive places to go and take the good news. Greg was one of those students and that was the genesis of Team Arequipa. Please join me in showing appreciation to these two men and their families for the way that they influence hundreds and literally thousands of students to have a closer walk with God. 

Although our youngest students, whom we call ‘Shiloh Souldiers,’ have already left the assembly, there are many other students here that we hope someday will be deployed all over the globe in various vocations and ministries to be about God’s mission. Will the Shiloh family please stand with us as we pray for Team Arequipa?” 

To the readers of the newsletter, please join us in praying for the Team and what God will do through them in the coming years. 

In His Service, David 

(For those of you that don’t know, David Litton is Larissa’s father.) 

A Weekend with Bill

There are things that basically all Christians know to be true. Jesus came to save all men – check. There are lost people throughout the world – check. However, despite knowing the right answers to such questions, we often fall victim to our desire to be comfortable and pat each other on the back for being such good, faithful Christians. Sometimes we just need someone to bring the truth and power of God’s call right to our own doorstep so that we can’t brush it off as someone else’s job anymore. 

Thankfully, those of us at Shiloh had a chance for just such an experience when Dr. Bill Richardson came for the weekend. About 50 people came to the Friday night and Saturday morning sessions in which he covered different ways that churches should be involved in God’s work in the world, many that are not our first choice. 

He talked about being a church of missionaries, made up of people who are ready and willing to take up arms and infiltrate their own communities with the saving power that Jesus provides. The Lord’s people are given the power to storm the gates of hell and snatch back the lost to live in His Kingdom, and Bill challenged us to mobilize and join that battle. 

Then he spoke of what it takes to be a church for missionaries, the kind that understands the job to be done and works hard to provide the support that is needed, well beyond financial contribution. This involves prayer, prayer and more prayer, knowing the struggles the missionaries are having and striving to uphold them, encouragement, and providing any tools that would smooth the way. He challenged us to have a new perspective on how we measure success on a mission field and to rejoice with every new believer. 

He didn’t stop there. After a lunch that included Bill, the team, and the elders and their families, we moved to a meeting with our newly formed Mission Support Team. Bill spent time walking through how they can best serve their field workers and what is necessary to make the work an active part of the home church’s life. Having a mission team on the field should affect the church family as they take ownership of their part in God’s mission. The MST will be an integral part in keeping awareness and prayer a regular part of the church’s life. 

The weekend still wasn’t over; we had more time with Bill and took advantage of it. Bill preached the sermon on Sunday and taught a combined adult class. He covered how involvement in missions is a step of faith and then gave an overview of Latin America, discussing signs within those countries that indicate readiness to receive the Gospel. 

On Sunday morning, the elders officially announced that they have committed to supporting us, Team Arequipa, for at least 5 years. We were very blessed by their desire to be involved with us in this work, and we are eager to get started, confident in their love and prayers. 

All in all, many of us came out of the weekend motivated to take action for the Lord, to be bold and draw on the power He has provided to break down walls and reach hearts. We have been reminded that the Gospel holds power in itself and does not rely on skilled teaching and perfected methods to have an impact. God does the work; we must merely take Him with us where He is needed and let Him do so. Check. 

A Word from a Shilohite: Judy Edge

The church at Shiloh has enjoyed having the Smith and McKinzie families here. Some of the 
newer members, like myself, who have not been at Shiloh very long are getting to know these families of Team Arequipa. We are truly enjoying them. I, along with some others, have recently been asked to be a part of a "missions committee"/support group at Shiloh Road for this team. It has brought back so many memories for my husband, Mark, and me. We were part of a five family team sent to Cordoba, Argentina back in 1989. (I graduated from ACU, got married and went to South America within a 10 month time period!) Bill and Holly Richardson were the more "seasoned" missionaries on our team and we all looked to them in so many ways for leadership. Team Arequipa is so blessed to be guided and mentored by Bill Richardson from Harding University. The Lord has used Bill in so many ways to touch so many people's lives. Bill is 
a Godly man who boldly goes and teaches in the name of the Lord. If I had to use a Bible character to describe him it would be Joshua or Caleb. He has always had an "it can be done" attitude that reminds me of the men sent to spy out the land of Canaan. While ten spies 
said "no way,” Joshua and Caleb said that the promised land could be taken because they knew that God was behind the plan. 

Bill knows the God behind Team Arequipa and will help guide this team and lead them when Satan throws doubts and discouraging times at them. This team will be a blessing to Arequipa, Peru and many people will be brought to Jesus Christ because of their attitudes that say "yes, we can take this city for the Lord." May God bless Team Arequipa richly and know that we are on our knees praying for the Lord to "send out workers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38) just like this team. 

Shiloh Happenings

You may have heard it said that time flies when you are having fun. I can attest to the truth of that statement. Our time in Tyler has been flying by and the month of October was no exception. We have been wrapped up in ministry and team development, fundraising and prayer. We have received encouragement from so many people and truly feel blessed to be where we are right now. I want to share some of the progress we have made and some news we have received that I think will lift your spirits as it has ours. 

They say the best is always saved for last, but I just can’t wait. We have met with the Shiloh elders and have received their blessing on our mission work! God is truly faithful and is so good I can hardly put it into words, but I’ll try. Shiloh has agreed to join with Cedar Lane, Megan’s home church, in the sponsoring and encouraging of our work in Arequipa. While there are many details to be worked out between ourselves and the churches, we are excited about this partnership. This is truly an answered prayer, and such a blessing to know that those who have raised us and brought us to this point will continue being part of our journey. 

Now that we have two churches joining together in support for us, many people want to know where we stand financially. Cedar Lane and Shiloh are both in the middle of the budget process for 2008 and are prayerfully deciding what level of financial support they can provide. They are both looking at up to half of our total salary needed of $90,000, and are committing to help us raise our relocation and work fund from area churches. We have also sent out letters to Tyler area churches in the hopes that they will join with Shiloh and Cedar Lane, either with a yearly pledge or a one time donation. Please be in prayer for these churches as they make these decisions. 

So, what else have we been doing at Shiloh these two months? Along with various teaching responsibilities, we have been involved with projects such as Habitat for Humanity and Karing Kitchen. Greg had the opportunity to preach on October 7th. He spoke about the Good News and how it still is good even when it is not only to you but through you. He did a great job and the church was blessed by his words. 

A major project we are beginning is the formation of a Mission Support Team. This team will support the work in Peru in a number of ways. Not only will they be advocates for the team at Shiloh while we are in the field but they will take the lead in motivating the congregation to be more missions- minded. We foresee their participation, leadership, and ministry being invaluable to ourselves and a powerful tool for the congregation. 

A Word from a Shilohite: Tim Henderson

If you are reading this you probably already have a relationship with some aspect of Team Arequipa. I am writing from the perspective of a Shiloh person. Since three of the team members grew up at Shiloh, many people have already invested in the future of this team. It has been an amazing sight to watch Kyle, Larissa, and Greg grow in their service to God. It has been a wonder to see all the great talents that Megan adds to the team. 

So it is with great excitement and anticipation that I look forward to the next few years. I am in constant prayer for guidance, completion, and open doors as the field workers for Team Arequipa are in the final preparations for their insertion into this new beachhead in the kingdom. It is exciting that Shiloh people are prepared to work beside them in this effort. It is a blessing that Cedar Lane is committed to this partnership. May we always be dissatisfied with the borders of God’s Kingdom. May this dissatisfaction push us to partner with those who are able to be on the frontline in this effort. 

I look forward to seeing what God is going to do with the partnership between Shiloh, Cedar Lane, the Smiths and the McKinzies. I am are ready to know new brothers and sisters that I would not know otherwise, I am ready to see others inspired to give themselves for the work of the kingdom, and I am ready to experience Christians loving and supporting each other as they work together for the Lord. I am ready to see the full measure of blessing the Lord gives through the work of Team Arequipa. 

Less Than a Year

Greg and I have been planning on going to Peru as a family unit since we were engaged in 2004. It has been quite a journey. I have gone from considering not marrying Greg to feeling like I am the missing puzzle piece for Team Arequipa. 

On our research trip to the city last year, my prayer was for God to burden my heart with the need and desire to go. I was having so many doubts about our decision and God’s will for the McKinzie family to be there. God certainly opened my eyes to our calling to Peru on that trip. So if one feels called to go to a place, why is it still so hard to go? 

“When are you guys leaving for Peru?” many have asked me. My answer has slowly dwindled in time. I have gone from saying a few years, to a couple, to one. Ask me today... “Less than a year.” It has finally dawned on me. I shared with Greg that I have really gotten used to the idea of going to Peru, but the reality has just set in. We moved our family to Tyler, TX to partner with a church that we hope helps to send us to Peru. My home church is sending us to Peru. The pieces are all coming together, and I am starting to freak out. Is there something wrong with me? Then I go to Hebrews 11. By faith... Noah... Abraham... Joseph... Moses. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). 

I am going to Peru because of faith. Doubts, insecurities, and rationalizations plague my mind telling me why I should not go, but I cling to my faith in the one that has remained faithful throughout time. I read from Proverbs 3 today. Verses 5-6 are some of my favorite verses to quote, but the first four verses caught my eye. Check them out. I want faithfulness to be bound 
around my neck and to be written on my heart. Noah didn’t want to build the ark; Abraham went through several times of doubt and trial; Moses told God to his face that he could not do what he was called to do. But God is faithful. I will be leaving for Peru to do his work in less than a year. I am scared to death, but I faithfully accept the call to be sent. 

Our Last Arequipa Adventure

This summer our team conducted our second research trip to Arequipa, Peru. Those in attendance were Greg, Kyle, Bryan, Eralda, baby Jack, Bobby and Candice. Bobby and Candice Garner are friends of ours from Searcy who have a heart for missions and joined us on our trip to help determine if missions in Peru was where God was leading them. Like any good research team we had a list of things that we wanted to accomplish: 

• survey real estate, to rent and to own show Eralda, Bobby and Candice the city
• examine health care network
• find and speak with NGO’s - development groups not run by the government 
• attend local evangelical worship services 

We were all very excited about getting to look at houses and apartments in our target neighborhoods. On our previous trip we were able to pinpoint three preferred areas of the city but did not have the time to sample available housing. We began our search by speaking with our trusty hotel manager Alfredo. He recommended we speak with a particular real estate agent who, though she had no homes in our areas, was still helpful and showed us a few things that she said would be comparable. We continued our housing search through newspaper ads, sometimes dealing with an agent and sometimes with the individual owner. While we still have a lot of looking to do once we move to Arequipa, the results of our search give us a clear idea of the type of home we will live in. The numbers we gathered will also help us as we propose budgets to churches. 

A major goal of the trip was to show our city to Eralda, Bobby and Candice. We wanted them to see what we had seen, see how God spoke to us through the people of this city. To do this we went on a ‘touristy’ tour of the city and then we also took them on the reality tour which we had experienced last year. Through these they were able to see the beauty of the city from various lookouts, visit historical sites and learn a little of the history of Arequipa. They were also shown the reality that the average citizen of the city faces day after day. All that took the reality tour were touched by it, even if it was their second time. It is hard to see people at that level of poverty live with such determination and not be inspired. 

While we had an idea and some information on how the health care network operated we had not seen a clinic firsthand nor spoken with anyone at a clinic. In Arequipa there are basically three tiers of health care. The lowest tier is the public hospital. Services there are rendered at little to no charge to any citizen of Peru. The hospital is centrally located and staffed mostly by doctors volunteering their time. The middle tier has a significantly better level of care, but costs more, thereby narrowing the field of clientele. The upper tier consists of private clinics located around the city. Since the top tier clinics provide high quality care for a low price (when compared to US health costs), we will most likely use them. Two clinics in particular were recommended to us so we set off to see them. One of the clinics allowed us to tour their rooms and gave us some pricing for various services. The rooms were very large and very clean. Peruvian doctors are respected throughout South America for their level of training and expertise, and from what we could gather from our visit should we need any medical assistance we would be well taken care of. 

I was not with the group for the last two objectives, but I am able to report on them. We have spoken before about our desire for the work we do in Arequipa to be holistic. By that we mean to minister to the people both spiritually and physically. One thing we’ll need in order to carry out developmental ministries are contacts. NGO’s will serve as vital sources of information and help as we launch programs to serve the people in Arequipa. Greg and Bobby were able to meet with a number of people about their organizations; it is our hope those contacts will be useful to us in the coming years. Lastly we wanted to experience a Peruvian worship service. It was an uplifting time of praise to our Father, and it gave us a taste of what is to come. 

Thanks for all of your prayers for safety and effectiveness. We accomplished our goals and are one step closer to moving. It is exciting to think that the next time we fly to Arequipa it won’t be as researchers but as missionaries!