Trip Recap: Nigeria
Name:Randy & Sara Rowekamp
Organization: House of Prayer in Chesterfield, VA
Ignite! Training Attended: June 15-16, 2007
Country, City: Nigeria, Warri
Dates of Teaching: November 13-14, 2007
Translations Used: English
Brief Summary:
A team of eight of us went on a missions trip to Nigeria. My purpose was met – to bless and minister to the pastors. My expectations were not high enough! My experience had been solely with the American church – too many people with too much trust in temporal things. The Nigerian Church “got it” immediately and I was totally amazed! I used the four session format, and covered two sessions each day. I used the “Bible on Money” (formerly known as the Pastors Resource Kit) power point deck, and utilized a projector and microphone. I did not need a translator for the teaching, and this allowed me to complete the teaching in two days. At the end, several of the pastors brought me written prayer requests, and I told them I would be praying for them. Many of the pastors said they wished they would have brought their wives with them because they realized how much unity and agreement would be required to put into practice what was taught during the seminar. We also asked them to provide an evaluation of what they liked best from the seminar, and to provide a testimony about how this seminar affected them and how they were going to put what they learned into practice. The feedback brought tears to my eyes!
Results:
Taught 76 bishops, pastors, elders, & ministry leaders-each signing a covenant stating they will teach 100 others by September 2015
Best Practices:
1) At the end of each day, people from the team gave testimonies regarding topics from the day that impacted them personally. This was especially impactful and gave tremendous credibility to God’s financial principles in a practical and personal way. 2) Also at the end of each day, we asked the attendees to get into groups of eight to ten people and answer two or three questions. They appointed a note keeper/reporter, and we had several groups share their answers with all attendees. This activity allowed them to interact with each other and internalize much of what had been taught. 3) After the report outs, we opened the floor to questions. As expected, we were asked many questions; praise God, were able to address them – sometimes in a general way and sometimes very specifically!
Testimonies:
“I had always thought that all I had belonged to me.”
“The principle that impacted me the most is giving my all to God.”
“I have learned to be content, and to be able to see how I should manage my money in God’s way.”
“It is going to be little by little application by teaching my wife, children and members of the church in progressive steps.”
“By the special grace of God, I have resolved today to begin to put into practice to take stock or record everything, both money and material things that God blessed me with, on a daily basis. Also, knowing now as never before that all I have belongs to God and I am accountable to Him. I must henceforth treat or use them to His glory.”
“It is a singular privilege for God to pick me to participate in a session like this. I say this because for many years I have been seriously in debt, to the extent of selling my car to pay debts. Yet, I am still in debt. I know that I am already free from my financial captivity. The teaching made me know that my heart is very far from God since my treasure is mostly in materialism.”
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