by Pam Ping, Global Training Manager

When it rains, it pours!

Amidst the biggest rainstorm in over 40 years in a desert area just east of Los Angeles, the Holy Spirit poured deeply into 70 lives!

Pastors and leaders from 19 nations including Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, and Zambia received 50+ hours of intensive relationship skill and healing prayer teaching with tremendous gratitude and enthusiasm!









 

Quick-to-Listen Leaders stirred discussion on what a healthy, dynamic church looks like. Skills for deep heart listening and ministering care and understanding were practiced.

Speaking the Truth in Love brought loving accountability and healing confrontation into practice.

Embracing God's Grace taught the power of the cross in prayers of invitation for rebellion, forgiveness for guilt, truth for condemnation and God's power for bondage.

Saturday presented ways to inspire congregations to reach into God's infilling and OUTFLOW his truth and grace to others.

Pastors made a point of saying that they have never received anything so practical, biblical and helpful to their own lives and ministries. "This is one conference that will not have only a book that gathers dust on my bookshelf as evidence that I was here," exclaimed Pastor Jacob.

Our hosts, Pastor Dan & Tricia Sandoval of Church on the Hill (Redlands, CA) were ecstatic to see a 100% commitment to continue the Tapestry vision. A core team of international pastors will come together to create an on-going Tapestry network and begin planning another training event for next year!

What is the Tapestry vision?

Just about every nation in the world is represented in the LA area. Many tend to isolate into their cultural groups, including where they worship. Dan & Trish seek to grow a multinational network of Christian leaders who share resources and a passion to reach out in the USA and overseas with the healing grace and truth of Christ.

For EMI this event could not have happened without significant underwriting of a partner church in Cincinnati and 5 trained volunteers and Board members who paid their own way: Pastor Josh Colón, Dr. Jay Diller, Dr. Bob & Janis Lerer and Randy Richards. This kept the conference costs at a minimum in order to be accessible to every interested person.

Only God knows how these seeds will grow and what fruit they will bear. At EMI, we are rejoicing in a vision caught and nurtured by faithful servants in the desert!

Schedule a training that brings lasting impact to your community. Contact Pam Ping at 800-EMI-GROW (364-4769) or 513-742-1100 for more information.

Prem and Lilian completed EMI's International School of Service in 2005 and head EMI ministry in India. Following is Prem's recent report.

Little consolation!

The 24th October, 2009, was an opportunity EMI India got to give a foretaste of EMI courses at the prestigious Staines High School, Coimbatore. It was a great opportunity to challenge the 400 odd teachers to be comforters in the classrooms and to sign up for the EMI training. I had chosen Bible based exposition and my approach was forthright, halleluiah-punching-preaching style (in my wisdom, it appeared to be the only right way to communicate effectively to 400 teachers).

Only 7 minutes into my preaching, I got a note from the organizers saying that I have to accommodate the non-believers and make a secular presentation. So I just tried to include the minority non-believers in a friendly way. Then at one point I had to say, “I am sorry to tell you that the kind of compassion we ought to show as comforters comes only from Jesus Christ!”

My presentation came to screeching stop after 45 minutes. At the end, there were about 150 teachers still left. Some participants were blaming the organizers for tricking them into a Christian thing! Some of them were full of kind words of encouragement. But it was all falling in a deaf ear, as I was deeply hurt and bleeding inside. It was a disaster! This conference was something which we wanted to forget quickly!

An invitation!

A month later, I received a phone call from a friend who is working in Bishop Appasamy College, Coimbatore -- the very city of the disastrous meeting. She told me that the head of the institution was very keen in conducting the EMI skills training for the teaching staff. She added that it was a wonderful presentation.

What a surprise! The very city that we wished to forget was beckoning us to equip them in the skills of relationship and mentoring.

Preparations to perfection:

This time, we did not want to mess anything up. We started foreseeing the various difficulties we could encounter.

From the beginning of the training, we were connecting well. As the trio of Shanmugam, Lilian and I unfolded the secrets of healthy relationship, their hearts warmed up.

This was surely the best ever training we conducted. The participants were great. They took part well and were able to understand the concepts quite easily. We had a wonderful time. This was the first time we were teaching in English without translation.

The questions they asked were from people who were trying but failing. They had tried to make bridges with the student community and had many pitfalls. “Listening for Heaven’s Sake” and “Speaking the Truth in Love” cleared their doubts and encouraged them. Once again the teachers (of college students) were challenged to take up the immense responsibility of being comforters in the classrooms.

At the end of the first day, the Listening for Heaven’s Sake course drew to a close. The Holy Spirit stirred their hearts and the librarian prayed in clear terms for a revival among the college students, committing the role of the staff. Every single person was stirred up.

One staff of the college, who had the reputation of teasing the students mellowed up after the training. He wrote, “Being a seeker, I got very good help and comfort from you. You have helped build confidence within me, so I would be a good helper and comforter for my students.”

Another wrote: One most significant thing I learnt is: “Truth but in love.”

Most interesting conversation we had was with the head of the institution. As we were waiting for the vehicle to come and pick us up, she mentioned her interest in teaching the course herself, along with us! So, we have one more trained trainer for EMI in India!

Surely, out of the ashes of despair and disappointment, the Lord has raised up a chance of a lifetime.

God is good all the time!

 
Thank you for your partnership in equipping third-world leaders like Prem and Lilian who are actively working to advance God's kingdom. 

Click to donate online.