Day 5 –Working with the local leaders

Proverbs 29:18: “When there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (NIV)

Finally, you have arrived in the land that God has sent you to reach. It has been an arduous journey from the world that you know to the new unfamiliar place.

Dizzying sights and unfamiliar customs greet you as you set your foot in their land. Even the air seems to have a strange presence, a saturation of the culture that you will meet.

It would be very hard for us to succeed in carrying out God's work in the area if not for the veterans that already established the Church.These long term missionaries are there in the frontline of the battle. Day and night they spread the Word of God without fail even while being beset by enemies in an unknown land. Their faith and support are a cherished resource in an area where your team have little or no connections. Your presence on the other hand is a welcoming relief to many of them as you bring news about their friends and love ones back home and provide skills and manpower to bolster the local church.

It would be wise for you to strategize with the local missionaries first just like Ces Sy, a campus missionary. The first thing that they did when they landed in South Korea is to connect with the local church leaders. The long term missionaries, through an associate pastor, briefed them on what to expect on this foreign land. He also told them what the current initiatives of their church are and how the members of the team could help them. With his experience and their talents, they were able to create a united front that helped reached out the educational institutions in this country.