This week’s porch conversation is with three groups of NTS students who have spent this year in an innovative new program at NTS called 365m. The Brazil cohort includes Liliana Reza and Scott Brubaker. The Ireland cohort is Hannah Beers and Dustin Wine, and the Croatia cohort includes Jerry Romasco, Hope Brock, Emily Humble, and Brittany Argabright. It is a great honor for me to work with such a great group of leaders.
DW: You have now been in 365m for 10 months and are soon to return to NTS for the summer module courses to wrap up your year of learning in context. This is a new aspect of learning for us at NTS. Tell me how this learning experience has been unique for you.
BRAZIL: Living with people of another culture as you are learning changes everything. 365M is not just another ministry experience it has been an invitation to mold my perspective and lifestyle into that of Christ's. It's more than putting theories into practice, it's coming to fully grasp and experience today's realities alongside God's people." - Liliana Reza "365M has been a life awakening and completely transformative learning experience. 365M took me beyond statistics and theories. It put names and faces to real life stories of brothers and sisters.... When will you ever have the opportunity in the classroom to participate with the church in after-school programs in Sao Paulo, community outreach in the favelas of Rio and make home visits to the river communities in the Amazon or work with evangelism groups in the dry lands of the Brazilian Northeast?" - Scott Brubaker
IRELAND: Learning in another culture brings to light certain issues or situations that are limited in our parent culture, we don't necessarily see as clearly as we could because we know what is going on. I think learning with people who see the world from a different angle is a valuable lesson. We are all different and see the world/ministry/life in a unique way.
CROATIA: 365M has been unique from other means of learning because it has moved us beyond theory. Other times we study, think and create thoughts based upon our ideas and revelations but often far removed from the actual situations. Here, we are no longer in theory. The situations, lessons, ideas are a result of being here and what is happening in our actual lives.
DW: How has this year affected you spiritually?
CROATIA: Each of us have experienced so much spiritually. There has been everything from moments of questioning God and crying out to him to drawing closer and experiencing incredible growth. We have felt God stretch us as individuals and as a community. We have learned how to experience faith in deeper ways and in a different context.
BRAZIL: We have come to experience and understand the sovereignty of our God. We could see the Lords care even through all the unexpected changes that we went through; His faithfulness was always right on time. God provided a community, encouragement, but above all the Holy Spirit. Pastor Manuel and Lidia Lima really stretched and reminded us what it means to live by the Spirit. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful, encouraging and devoted example of incarnational living than them. With Pastor Manuel we went to visit a city on the Amazon River named Paritins. One day we headed out to do evangelism work in the neighboring river communities with some members of the local Nazarene church. Pastor Manuel kept reminding us that the Holy Spirit was not only with us, but was also guiding. He shared with us a Scripture passage from Acts 16: 4-10 that weekend. That scripture became alive in everything that was done and said. God was leading. We wish we had more time to explain, but we will have to share that story another time. As we reflect on our time here; the testimonies, meals and experiences shared with the people of Brazil, we have learned about the loving urgency of relying on the Holy Spirit that we should always have as imitators of Christ.
IRELAND: Well think about a blender, then place everything you believe it in and the ways God desires to stretch you then hit full blast. I feel like God has challenged me to grow and to trust him in more ways than I could imagine. At first I thought it was going to be easy because God and I were doing great but as the year has progressed I realize that God desires more of me. He wants me to be reliant on him and him alone, he wants to share in my life, he wants to direct my ministry and most of all he wants to be center of my life. So, all I can do is trust him.
In a few days I will post the second part of this interview. For more information about 365m go to www.nts.edu/365m
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