{"id":4865,"date":"2019-05-30T15:47:10","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T20:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=4865"},"modified":"2019-05-30T15:47:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T20:47:10","slug":"if-walls-could-talk-oh-the-stories-they-would-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2019\/05\/30\/if-walls-could-talk-oh-the-stories-they-would-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"If Walls Could Talk – Oh, the Stories They Would Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"

Easter weekend was celebrated in so many different ways around the world this past April. With an estimated 37 million churches globally, one can safely assume that the individual stories of celebration would far surpass that number. Sitting in each of those church groups are people with their own personal stories of celebration and triumph because of our risen Savior. I want to share one church\u2019s story with you that took place more than 9,000 miles from my office in Oklahoma City, yet I am personally connected to that story. I have chosen to use a unique approach and let the walls of a certain church building tell the story for me. So here we go!<\/p>\n

You will have to travel to Lilongwe, Malawi, to find me. I sit on a side road off one of the main highways in this capital city. I am made of concrete walls and floors, and I\u2019m larger than you might expect to find in this area. I love it when they hold church services and special events here. The people who come through my doors know that they are entering a safe place\u2013 a place of hope. Easter weekend of 2019 was a very special time, and history was made here as the first IPHC Girls Conference in Malawi convened. The theme of the event was \u201cGirls Destined for Greatness,\u201d and over 200 girls gathered inside my walls that weekend. However, the story actually started a year earlier with another event for women. Let me give you a brief glimpse into that story first.<\/p>\n

In April of 2018, ladies traveled here from all over Malawi to be part of a special event. They spent multiple nights sleeping on my floors and in other areas on the grounds that surround me. They cooked their meals over outdoor fires and pumped water from the on-site well. The sounds of their infants and small children that had to travel with their mothers made me keenly aware of the importance of this event. These ladies were willing to make great sacrifices to attend this first ever Girls\u2019 Ministries training with the IPHC Girls\u2019 Ministries director all the way from the United States. I wish you could have seen her face when she walked through my doors and saw the sight of more than 200 ladies gathered for the training. I saw tears streaming down her face as she took in the magnitude of the commitment of these ladies. They were eager to receive the training that she and IPHC missionary, Summer Sneed, would be leading. I watched over the course of the next three days as these ladies worshipped together, trained together, and shared together. \u00a0I was overwhelmed at their love and level of commitment to reach the girls of Malawi.<\/p>\n

Fast forward now to Easter weekend of 2019 when the plans of Malawi\u2019s Girls\u2019 Ministries director, Doreen Chilonga, and her team culminated in the event that brought all of these girls together in Lilongwe. My walls were reverberating this time with the voices of girls singing praises to God. In one session, the girls sang \u201cEvery day and every hour you are faithful, Oh Lord.\u201d It was a powerful and breathtaking moment to witness most of the girls sing those words as they bowed on my concrete floors. If I had eyes, I would have been weeping at that powerful moment. You see, I am quite sure that most of these girls have endured some painful days and hours in their lives. They could each, no doubt, share some heart-wrenching stories. Yet, here they were on bended knees giving praise to God.<\/p>\n

The IPHC missionary from Kenya, Summer Sneed, returned and spoke in three sessions on that Good Friday. She emphasized to the girls that to be destined for greatness, they must foster a relationship with Christ, surrender everything (even the broken places) to Him, and find their identity in Him alone. At the end of the day, I watched as the girls participated in a very moving communion service. Some of them were most likely taking communion for the very first time, because children in Africa are often excluded from partaking in communion.<\/p>\n

During the prayer times at the altar, it was evident that Jesus was close as I watched girls respond to His call and release their burdens to Him. Several girls wept bitterly in the arms of caring, compassionate leaders. I was so proud to host such an incredible weekend. If I could have spoken that day, I would have shouted out praises to all the ladies who went home a year ago and put their training into action in their own local churches. I would have told Doreen and her team of leaders what an excellent job they are doing for Girls\u2019 Ministries in Malawi. It was evident that they have been proactive in their planning and organization. Even when so many girls attended that extra mattresses and food were required; I heard that the missionary was able to cover that cost with donations that had come into the East Africa Girls\u2019 Ministries account. That gesture ensured that every girl who attended had a place to sleep and food to eat during the conference. Every dollar that has been given into that account comes with its own unique story. The love of supporters over 9,000 miles away from my walls fed into the story that happened here on Easter weekend. Because of this girls conference, the walls of IPHC churches across Malawi are now reaping the benefit of girls and leaders who were empowered by the worship, sermons, and friendships that they experienced here. If walls could talk, the stories they would tell would be as heartwarming as the story I have just shared. I can\u2019t wait for the next girls\u2019 event!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,27],"tags":[1099,1101,1102,1100,1051,251,409,349,1094],"class_list":{"0":"post-4865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"category-girls-ministries-childrens-ministries","9":"tag-africa","10":"tag-discipleship-ministries-stories","11":"tag-gm","12":"tag-if-walls-could-talk","13":"tag-iphc-discipleship-ministries","14":"tag-girls-ministries","15":"tag-irvina-parker","16":"tag-missions","17":"tag-stories-of-discipleship","18":"entry"},"title_es":"Si las paredes pudieran hablar, las historias que contar\u00edan","content_es":"El fin de semana pasado se celebr\u00f3 el fin de semana de Pascua de muchas maneras diferentes en todo el mundo. Con un estimado de 37 millones de iglesias en todo el mundo, uno puede asumir con seguridad que las historias individuales de celebraci\u00f3n superar\u00e1n con creces ese n\u00famero. Sentados en cada uno de esos grupos de iglesias hay personas con sus propias historias personales de celebraci\u00f3n y triunfo gracias a nuestro Salvador resucitado. Quiero compartir con ustedes la historia de una iglesia que tuvo lugar a m\u00e1s de 9,000 millas de mi oficina en la ciudad de Oklahoma, pero personalmente estoy conectado a esa historia. He elegido utilizar un enfoque \u00fanico y dejar que las paredes de un determinado edificio de la iglesia cuenten la historia por m\u00ed. \u00a1As\u00ed que, aqu\u00ed vamos! Tendr\u00e1s que viajar a Lilongwe, Malawi, para encontrarme. Me siento en una calle lateral de una de las principales autopistas de esta ciudad capital. Estoy hecho de paredes y pisos de concreto, y soy m\u00e1s grande de lo que podr\u00edas esperar encontrar en esta \u00e1rea. Me encanta cuando celebran servicios religiosos y eventos especiales aqu\u00ed. Las personas que entran por mis puertas saben que est\u00e1n entrando a un lugar seguro, un lugar de esperanza. El fin de semana de Pascua de 2019 fue un momento muy especial, y la historia se hizo aqu\u00ed cuando se convoc\u00f3 la primera Conferencia de Ni\u00f1as de la IPHC en Malawi. El tema del evento fue "Chicas destinadas a la grandeza", y m\u00e1s de 200 ni\u00f1as se reunieron dentro de mis paredes ese fin de semana. Sin embargo, la historia comenz\u00f3 un a\u00f1o antes con otro evento para mujeres. D\u00e9jame darte un breve vistazo a esa historia primero. En abril de 2018, las damas viajaron aqu\u00ed desde todo Malawi para participar en un evento especial. Pasaron varias noches durmiendo en mis pisos y en otras \u00e1reas en los terrenos que me rodean. Cocinaron sus comidas sobre incendios al aire libre y bombearon agua del pozo en el lugar. Los sonidos de sus beb\u00e9s y ni\u00f1os peque\u00f1os que tuvieron que viajar con sus madres me hicieron muy consciente de la importancia de este evento. Estas damas estaban dispuestas a hacer grandes sacrificios para asistir a esta primera capacitaci\u00f3n de Ministerios de Ni\u00f1as con el director de Ministerios de Ni\u00f1as de la IPHC desde Estados Unidos. Desear\u00eda que hubieras visto su cara cuando cruz\u00f3 mis puertas y vio a m\u00e1s de 200 mujeres reunidas para el entrenamiento. Vi l\u00e1grimas corriendo por su rostro mientras tomaba en cuenta la magnitud del compromiso de estas damas. Estaban ansiosos por recibir la capacitaci\u00f3n que ella y el misionero de IPHC, Summer Sneed, estar\u00edan dirigiendo. Observ\u00e9 a lo largo del curso de los pr\u00f3ximos tres d\u00edas mientras estas mujeres adoraban juntas, entrenaban juntas y compart\u00edan juntas. Estaba abrumada por su amor y nivel de compromiso para alcanzar a las ni\u00f1as de Malawi. Avancemos ahora al fin de semana de Pascua de 2019, cuando los planes de la directora del Ministerio de Ni\u00f1as de Malawi, Doreen Chilonga, y su equipo culminaron en el evento que reuni\u00f3 a todas estas chicas en Lilongwe. Mis paredes resonaban esta vez con las voces de las chicas cantando alabanzas a Dios. En una sesi\u00f3n, las chicas cantaron "Todos los d\u00edas y cada hora que eres fiel, oh Se\u00f1or". Fue un momento poderoso e impresionante ver a la mayor\u00eda de las chicas cantar esas palabras cuando se inclinaban en mis pisos de concreto. Si tuviera ojos, habr\u00eda estado llorando en ese momento poderoso. Ver\u00e1s, estoy bastante seguro de que la mayor\u00eda de estas chicas han soportado algunos d\u00edas y horas dolorosas en sus vidas. Podr\u00edan, sin duda, compartir algunas historias desgarradoras. Sin embargo, aqu\u00ed estaban de rodillas dobladas para alabar a Dios. El misionero de la IPHC de Kenia, Summer Sneed, regres\u00f3 y habl\u00f3 en tres sesiones de ese Viernes Santo. Ella enfatiz\u00f3 a las ni\u00f1as que para estar destinadas a la grandeza, deben fomentar una relaci\u00f3n con Cristo, entregarle todo (incluso los lugares rotos) a \u00c9l, y encontrar su identidad solo en \u00c9l. Al final del d\u00eda, vi a las ni\u00f1as participar en un servicio de comuni\u00f3n muy conmovedor. Algunos de ellos probablemente tomaron la comuni\u00f3n por primera vez, porque los ni\u00f1os en \u00c1frica a menudo son excluidos de participar en la comuni\u00f3n. Durante los momentos de oraci\u00f3n en el altar, era evidente que Jes\u00fas estaba cerca cuando observaba a las ni\u00f1as responder a su llamado y liberar sus cargas a \u00e9l. Varias chicas lloraban amargamente en los brazos de los l\u00edderes compasivos y cari\u00f1osos. Estaba tan orgulloso de tener un fin de semana tan incre\u00edble. Si hubiera podido hablar ese d\u00eda, habr\u00eda gritado elogios a todas las damas que se fueron a casa hace un a\u00f1o y pusieron su entrenamiento en acci\u00f3n en sus propias iglesias locales. Le habr\u00eda dicho a Doreen y su equipo de l\u00edderes el excelente trabajo que est\u00e1n haciendo para los Ministerios Femeninos en Malawi. Era evidente que hab\u00edan sido proactivos en su planificaci\u00f3n y organizaci\u00f3n. Incluso cuando asist\u00edan tantas chicas, se necesitaban m\u00e1s colchones y comida; Escuch\u00e9 que el misionero pudo cubrir ese costo con donaciones que llegaron a la cuenta del Ministerio de Ni\u00f1as de \u00c1frica Oriental. Ese gesto asegur\u00f3 que todas las ni\u00f1as que asistieron tuvieran un lugar para dormir y comer durante la conferencia. Cada d\u00f3lar que se ha entregado en esa cuenta viene con su propia historia \u00fanica. El amor de los partidarios a m\u00e1s de 9,000 millas de distancia de mis muros se sum\u00f3 a la historia que ocurri\u00f3 aqu\u00ed durante el fin de semana de Pascua. Debido a esta conferencia de ni\u00f1as, los muros de las iglesias de la IPHC en Malawi ahora est\u00e1n cosechando el beneficio de las ni\u00f1as y l\u00edderes que fueron empoderados por el culto, los sermones y las amistades que experimentaron aqu\u00ed. Si las paredes pudieran hablar, las historias que contar\u00edan ser\u00edan tan reconfortantes como la historia que acabo de compartir. \u00a1No puedo esperar para el pr\u00f3ximo evento de chicas! \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>","author_name":"Irvina Parker","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/GM-Q2.2-Story-Parker-e1560351046128.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-1gt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}