Dear friends and partners,
Last month, I had the privilege of serving in Ecuador with Leadership Resources training pastors and church leaders in biblical exposition (learn more about my role here). We trained in the coastal city of Portoviejo and then climbed the Andes Mountains to Quito, Ecuador’s beautiful capital. This was my second trip to train the same groups, which proved a special time of new and renewed friendships.
In Portoviejo, we studied Habakkuk, and learned how we can have joy in our Lord no matter the circumstances. In Quito we traced themes starting in Genesis 1-11 through the entire Bible and saw how the Bible’s opening chapters shows the “baby pictures” of both human existence and God’s saving work in Christ.
There are dozens of things I could share about how God is working in each group to strengthen their skills in the Word, but here are three quick snapshots:
1. Growth, Fruit, and Confidence (My involvement)
This trip showed me just how much I’ve learned and developed in the past year in teaching, preaching, my knowledge of God and of Scripture, and also in Spanish. I had a lot of fun leading training sessions, interacting with the pastors, and seeing the looks on their faces during “A-ha!” moments!
As part of the training, I demonstrated what a biblical exposition looks like by preaching from Habakkuk 3 and from Genesis 1:1-2:3. Both messages blessed me personally and served to bless our students not only by sharing powerful truths from God’s Word, but showing how we can preach Christ from all of the Scriptures–one of the major focuses of the Training National Trainers program.
2. A deep desire to leave a legacy in the Scriptures (Quito)
Amparo (pictured on the right) is one of the handful of small group leaders taking our training along with other church leaders and pastors. After training twenty women small group leaders in our curriculum, “Before going through this training, I was never able to read and understand the Bible.”
This training has made them confident to lead and disciple others in the church and has also transformed their understanding of God. Amparo is also training her church’s youth with our curriculum. “My heart is heavy because I know it is our job to leave a legacy in the Scriptures with the next generation.” More than anything else, she wants to see the next generation of leaders in her church committed to faithful biblical exposition, and she’s doing her part to leave a legacy in the Scriptures. Praise be to God!
(Read more of Amparo’s story here.)
3. A hunger for biblical faithfulness (Portoviejo)
One Portoviejo student, Xavier, said that our training has made his Bible study do a complete 180. Now Xavier is intent on studying Scripture carefully to find out God’s intention, not trying to superimpose his thoughts on Scripture. At the end of our training in Habakkuk he shared the following about how our training has impacted him:
People enter courses to learn. But in the end I know this [our training] is not just for knowledge. I’ve reflected what has happened to me. Sometimes as I read the Word I tremble and at times cry…This is what God wants to do in us: change our perspective [toward God and the Word]. I tell the people the Bible’s not just a text to mark up, but we mark it up because it says something there that will change our lives…We need to teach in a way that is not just to know, but to transform.
Please continue to pray for the men and women we have trained, and also pray for me as I continue to develop prayer and financial partnerships in the New Year. This is year two of three of support raising for me, so I’m about half way done with the monthly amount I need to eventually raise.
Learn more about my role or partner with me by prayer or through finances.
In His service,
Kevin Halloran
Content Strategist/Trainer in Latin America
donate.leadershipresources.org (Designation: Kevin Halloran)
Wonderful post Kevin. Very impressive work you are doing! Blessings.