End Vision in Midst of Disaster Response
Adapted from R. Nyman
“God, what needs to be done for the sake of the launch of cascading movements to Christ in the midst of this present suffering?” Not, “God, what can we do?”
“God, what needs to be done for the sake of the launch of cascading movements to Christ in the midst of this present suffering?” Not, “God, what can we do?” Vision drift is easy to be carried into in the midst of large-scale disaster zones. End Vision brings clarity to keep one focused upon what needs to be done.
In American football, the team on the field who possesses the ball has one goal—get to the End Zone. That is it, pure and simple. The coach, the players, the backup players, all live to see that temporal end vision fulfilled. There are times when vision-drift occurs in that process: players are injured, the coach is not coaching well, the playbook falls into the hands of the opposing team, the weather can interfere, mental toughness can wane, physical strength can fail, interpersonal issues within the team can obscure unity, primidone’s can self-promote, the opposing crowd can infuriate. Teams can lose their way. Vision-drift happens.
Imagine how ridiculous it would be if one of the players decides to leave the field to go sit in the spectator seats. Imagine how crazy it would be if the coach takes his headphones off and decides he just wants to make things up as they go along. Crazy, it seems, far from reality in the missions world, it is not.
How will they hear? How will they know Jesus unless they have the privilege of hearing and obeying the only One worthy?
It is to the laser focused laborer who maintains their focus upon the main thing, who can keep their eyes focused upon the End Vision—the glory of God among those who have never had the Jesus option. O, that the peoples of the earth would come to know and delight in the joy of being and making reproducing lovers of Jesus (disciples) who hear and obey, who choose to live in transformed ways. How will they hear? How will they know Jesus unless they have the privilege of hearing and obeying the only One worthy? As the waters cover the seas upon the earth, so shall the knowledge of the glory of the Lord be demonstrated and declared throughout the peoples of the earth. (Hab. 2:14 paraphrase)
Daniel 5 - Handwriting on the wall.
2 Kings 6 - Eyes to see the hand of God moving in the midst
EXAMPLE from Southeast Asia:
Movement Mindset-The resources are in the harvest
Phase One:
Trauma Bell curve of response-
Who survived?
Who is injured and needs triage
Who is injured in minor cases
Shelter condition
Temporary tents
Food, water, toilet issues
Shock, PTSD, grief, anger, numbness
Ask God for eyes to see and heart to feel from His
Listening prayer each morning
Ask God, “What needs to be done? Not what can we do?”
Personal check in/checkup for trauma impact for workers
Med volunteers who are movement centric, and/or teachable in that
Volunteers and team meet daily for prayer, co-ordination, casting End Vision of the launch of Movements
Equip volunteers and team to be integral in the med relief with simple intake forms for ailments, then a question regarding person/persons feel trauma and want to talk through with someone who cares
All team members and volunteers are equipped to identify themselves as followers of Isa Al Masih and it is because of Allah’s great love that they are compelled to help in any way they can. No selfies with suffering, no banners with org names, just Jesus and practicing His presence and His commands among the suffering.
All conversational tools for location of Persons of Peace (Luke 10, Matthew 10) are based upon dependence upon the Holy Spirit to lead and guide. All are utilized to invite households to then, at appropriate time in the response period, offer DBS stories of God’s hand, His way of healing and salvation, and His pathway of abundant life.
Med team + Trauma Debrief team + plus daily intake of contacts who respond to being prayed for in contextual way
After people have initial end to event trauma (am I alive or injured? Are those whom I love alive or injured? How will we live? Condition of former dwelling? Tent living? Food, water, supplies? Toilet situation?)
Movement Mindset- Tracing the hand of the HS with intentionality in finding the households of peace
Equip team each day in using following code to track how HS is moving:
A= Spiritual statements/actions
B=Spiritual conversation (oral stories of Jesus, Creation to Christ)
C=Prayer in name of Isa Al Masih / Jesus (contextual and brief)
for healing (emotional, physical), for provision to bless them to be a blessing to others, e.g.
Identify potential Persons of Peace- send contact info data to team data collector daily with the
following details:Name, location, code so far, physical needs addressed/still needed, next steps needed
Who is potential POP among that group?
Persons of Peace (Luke 10, Matt. 10) will:
Open to spiritual truth and to the messenger
Opens their household/affinity group to the messenger and message
D=DBS addressing trauma: on ramp 4 DBS with 7 verses each (Isaiah, Psalm 23, story of Jesus and calming waters, Jesus healing the woman w/issue of blood)
E=DBS core set
F=Commitment, baptism
G=House fellowship formation: DBS (Acts)
H=Potential POP and household no longer desire to meet in Discovery Group
Go to community- ask to meet with community leaders- most immediate response goes to easiest to reach (physical location). The villages off main roads will typically get least immediate response but perhaps have more dire life-death needs.
Phase Two:
Assessed all 3,000 + contacts: 3,000>90 households>30-40 DGs have continued into mostly Isa stories as of May 8, 2019. Example, four households have come to follow and been dunked thus far into first generation house fellowships. Not yet, of this recent effort have they consistently multiplied to 2nd and 3rd generation. We have seen in the other two UPGs outside this particular UPG several house fellowships into 2nd and third generation.
Potential POPs
Potential POPs who have already been gathered into oikos, have begun Discovery Group with them
After 4 times, our team has Modeled facilitation of DBS questions, commit to move to outside group, coach key facilitators of Discovery Groups. After on-ramp 4 DBS stories as filter, the core set of DBS stories.
Components of daily movement team meetings:
DBS (20 minutes) for building up the laborers in character growth and courage/boldness.
Praise, Worship
Unflinching Evaluation: go over yesterday’s contacts and celebrate what God is doing, keeping loving accountability
Coaching of stuck places, needed new paradigm adjustments to be more movement mindset
Listening prayer for asking God what needs to be done as priority follow up of contacts for the day
Corporate Prayer over the present day’s efforts
Progress of Discovery Groups, fishing for newer contacts as POPs, all sent to data collection teammate.
Phase Three:
Movement Team check-ins now 4 x’s weekly. No contact is left without consistent equipping past 3 days, 5 at max.
Trauma Debrief questions:
When looking for and/or finding potential POPs, gather 4-5 in group/household to invite them to share their story together with you. Keep in the mind the following:
Bathe all that you do in listening prayer together prior to going out together. Also, have those in your group (in 2’s) walking the perimeter, in intercession conversation style, while others in the group are directly responding with impacted community. We find that having rotating intercessors praying at base camp to be effective as well.
Ask the Lord to give you His compassion, His mercy, in increased measure in the brief interactions. To Deut. 6 and Philippians 2:1-11 others is huge here. Listen to their story with patience and lovingkindness. Keep your eyes on the End Vision. No vision-drift allowed. God’s glory in the launch of movements among your people is your end vision.
Ask the Lord to lead you to POPs and their households in this immediate response phase.
Upon entering with team’s response, whether medical/physical needs relief, have each of your team be trained to facilitate the following in loving care at the moment. Train them in “how” to pray for each contact in a context sensitive way, in a setting the DNA of asking God to bless them in order for them to know His blessing in relationship with him, in order to be a blessing to their family, to their community, and to their own people and beyond.
Posture to ask the Lord to give you persons of peace. Listen to their story with patience and loving kindness.
Have each person share their responses as you invite them to respond to questions.
Each person asked for their responses to each question
Listen with care and intent to show love in your listening
Tears are a way of healing which are received, affirmed, and not closed off when one responds with tears. Listen well.
Identify your own fears, feelings at minimum in order to show your own process.
Offer to pray for God’s healing hand, in context sensitive ways. Do not shy away from praying in the name of Isa Al Masih, in a cousin context, as your team has already identified itself (each person re-iterates personally) that Nabi Isa Al Masih is the one whom you follow and in His name there is hope and healing.
Facilitation of trauma debrief questions suggestions:
Remember to not allow “vision-drift” in the midst of the chasm of humanitarian need laying before your interactions there. If folks do not feel they can join in this multiplication approach (different to the prevailing model) then bless them and ask them to not come out with you all again.
Remember to not allow “vision-drift” in the midst of the chasm of humanitarian need laying before your interactions there
Trauma Debrief suggested questions to use alongside initial med/food relief response:
Gather 4-5 in group/household
Ask the Lord to give you:
Ask the Lord to demonstrate/reflect His tenderness as you listen to their story with patience and lovingkindness. Isaiah 58 themes to pray as you interact with others
Possible Questions to use: (adapted to COVID-19)
Describe what happened? What did you experience? Describe where you were, when _________ happened? (for COVID-since it is not an event you can have them share their thoughts feelings of Question 2, after establishing the reality of the impact of COVID-19) An optional question here is, “Describe how this COVID-19 has impacted you, your loved ones? (in practical ways?)”
How did you feel? Describe your greatest fear or deepest worry over this present situation? Please share any other feelings or thoughts you want to share as you and your loved ones and community face the impact of this situation.
When you close your eyes: in rest, or in sleep, what thoughts related to the impact of this present crisis do you churn over and over in your mind? What thoughts are the most terrible to face when you think about this situation, which you have a hard time not thinking about?
What regrets might you be carrying about this present situation?
Describe how you long to know about God’s comfort in the midst of this situation. If you could see God bring a miracle to you and your family in the midst of this, what would that miracle be?
God has made each person to desire to know Him as the greatest blessing, to be blessed by Him as we come to understand what it means to enjoy relationship with Him, and to then pour out blessing to others: to family, to extended family, to your community, your people group, other peoples. What can you do/help with, to encourage/comfort give to others at this time? Know that when you do this you are demonstrating your desire to please God. This also helps you to feel God’s hope in the midst of even the most difficult of sufferings. (The concept is to impregnate every interaction of spiritual conversation with “blessed in order to be a blessing” Gen. 12:3-5, to reproduce even before they come to follow, but also to see who among them is a potential POP).
DBS sets as on-ramps to core 3/3rds discipleship/church sets:
Bridge DBS Story sets for Trauma/Fear/Crisis felt needs related:
(a few options for on-ramp DBS story sets can be found below- after the on-ramp set then continue to equip them to take them into the 3/3rds core story set you use)
Option #1: DBS Story set… In the Midst the of the Storm, God is…
DBS: Deuteronomy 32:3-4 God is our Rock
1. What did you like in this story? What is challenging?
2. What did you learn about God’s character from these verses?
3. What did you learn about overcoming trauma/crisis/fear?
4. How could you apply/obey these truths in your own life? “I will…”
5. Who else and their family/friends can you share this with to help comfort them? Who? When?
DBS: Isaiah 40:28-31 God is our Strength
DBS: Isaiah 41:10 God is Always Present
DBS: Isaiah 54:10 God is Unshakeable
DBS: Isaiah 57:15 God Revives the Weary
Option #2: DBS story set…God Who Protects and Guides
DBS: Psalm 23 God is the Good Shepherd
DBS: Mark 6:34-52 God is Provider of all that we need
DBS: Matthew 6:26-34 Fear Not: God knows and loves you
DBS: Mark 5:24-42 Isa Al Masih has all power to heal
After either one of these short “on-ramp” DBS story sets, we invite the group into the DBS or 3/3rds core story.