{"id":1838,"date":"2018-01-23T15:26:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T15:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/?p=1838"},"modified":"2018-01-23T15:28:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T15:28:02","slug":"generations-janene-wooten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/generations-janene-wooten\/","title":{"rendered":"All Generations: Janene Wooten"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janene Wooten<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hello, my name is Janene Wooten. I am an IPHC missionary stationed in Hungary and working on staff for The Awakening\u2019s International Base. I am 24 years old. That may seem young to some of you, and I suppose it is, but being a missionary on the field is a dream and a promise that I have carried since I was a child. I knew from around the age of 10 that this is what I wanted to do, and more than that, I knew it was what I was called to do. I am so thankful to finally be here serving and working as a part of our global church.<\/p>\n

When I was first asked to write this article, I began to ask myself how the generations of the church have affected me. As I reflected on my life and time in ministry, it became abundantly clear to me that ministry is not about one generation, but about each generation connecting and working alongside the other. Every generation has something unique that they bring, and I believe that ministry and the church should stand as a perfect example of that.<\/p>\n

You see, I grew up as a missionary kid and grandkid. We lived and served in East Africa for the majority of my life, and I count it as the absolute greatest blessing. I was able to work with wonderful people alongside my parents and grandparents. I learned the \u201ctricks of the trade\u201d and prepared for the life that I knew God had called me to live. I had the opportunity to travel all over this beautiful planet and encounter people from all walks of life in different countries and continents. One of the greatest blessings of all was witnessing what it looks like to serve in the Kingdom of God. This service is about people, regardless of their age, status, nationality, or gender, coming together for the common goal of seeing this world changed by the Gospel.<\/p>\n

I am so proud to be a part of a church that prioritizes the value of people, particularly all generations of people. Missions and ministry have always looked like a multigenerational gathering to me. As a child, I would go on trips with Babu and Grandma (Phillip and Gailya List) and my mom and dad. I would watch them bring different experiences and techniques to the table as we prepared and served the people who God led us to. Then, as I grew up and other missionaries came to East Africa (the Sneeds, Tignors, and Dunnings), I would watch as they brought new perspectives and ideas to the field. It was not about power, seniority, or \u201cout with the old and in the with new,\u201d but instead, it was about understanding that we were all called and sent to serve the people of East Africa.<\/p>\n

Now, as I walk in this new field, with new experiences and challenges every day, I am so thankful for the people who came before me. I cannot tell you how many emails and messages I have sent asking missionaries, who I have grown up admiring, for their wisdom and advice, or how much I value each time someone sat down with me to share their stories from the field. This type of encouragement has helped me prepare for what the Lord has called me to do. What I am doing now is in partnership with what those who came before me have done. I am thankful for the years of prayer, groundbreaking, soil tilling, and sowing that came long before I was here. I do not want to belittle myself, please do not misunderstand me, but I want to give honor where honor is due. To me, the generations that came before me, the missionaries and ministers who have been serving the kingdom for so long, they are the people I look up to most in this world.<\/p>\n

With that being said, I am so thankful to be a part of my generation. I am young, and I do not have the experiences that others have, but I am passionate about this generation knowing God and being on fire for Him. I am not just saying these things because they sound like good, Christian words; I mean them. I believe that God has gifted this generation with passion. We love to fight for things. Unfortunately, this passion can get pulled in different directions and attach itself to causes all over the place, but in its truest sense, I believe that passion itself is from God. The enemy has put so much effort into distracting us. Our world is filled with technology, media, and icons to take our attention and heart away from the Lord. If the enemy can keep us with our eyes out of focus toward the call of God, then he cripples us. However, I whole-heartedly believe if this generation were to truly experience the Holy Spirit and know the power and love of God, there would be a move like we have not seen in decades. The key is that we must fight harder than the enemy to get the world’s eyes back into focus and fixed on who God is calling us to be.<\/p>\n

I love being around ministers and missionaries of my generation. You can feel excitement and urgency in their presence. I am hopeful for the future of the church because I see people from my generation who love God furiously and love people from a heart that is connected to Him. In November, I attended a gathering of young European leaders. As I sat there and listened to them share their visions for their cities and countries, and as they cried and beamed with passion and excitement, my heart caught that fire again and again as each one spoke. I left that weekend having confidence in the Gospel and the move of God that is coming to Europe. One thing that every one of us has in common is that at one time or another, someone from an older generation has taken time to teach us and disciple us into our calling.<\/p>\n

This is not a brand-new concept, (I know I am not inventing the wheel); the Bible is full of examples of this. In the Old Testament, we have examples such as Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha. From the New Testament, we have Elizabeth, Mary, Paul, and Timothy. In each of these stories, the older knew things that the younger did not. The younger had questions and needed guidance to walk out their calling, and together the Kingdom advanced. It was not about replacing or excluding, but embracing the fact that each generation brings something that is immensely important and needed. The older shared, encouraged, and taught the younger; while the younger worked alongside and humbly learned before setting out on their own. This is the most beautiful picture of the Kingdom to me.<\/p>\n

In closing, I want to say thank you to every person that has taken time to pour into and disciple the coming generations. I pray that we will grab hold of this shared wisdom and never take for granted the immense blessing that it is. I also want to urge my generation to ask questions and take the time to listen. We must allow ourselves to be teachable, and to let the things we learn give us boldness and confidence to walk out the call of God on our lives. I think that the coming years of this church, and the church as a whole, will see such growth and breakthrough if we continue to value all generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Janene Wooten Hello, my name is Janene Wooten. I am an IPHC missionary stationed in Hungary and working on staff for The Awakening\u2019s International Base. I am 24 years…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1842,"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":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[274,4],"tags":[268,276,126,275,204,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-1838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allgenerations","8":"category-world-missions","9":"tag-268","10":"tag-all-generations","11":"tag-hungary","12":"tag-janene-wooten","13":"tag-january","14":"tag-the-awakening","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Todas las generaciones: Janene Wooten","content_es":"

Por Janene Wooten<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\"\"<\/a> Hola, mi nombre es Janene Wooten. Soy un misionero de IPHC estacionado en Hungr\u00eda y trabajando en el personal de la base internacional de The Awakening. Tengo 24 a\u00f1os de edad. Eso puede parecer joven para algunos de ustedes, y supongo que s\u00ed, pero ser misionero en el campo es un sue\u00f1o y una promesa que llevo desde que era un ni\u00f1o. Sab\u00eda desde los 10 a\u00f1os que esto era lo que quer\u00eda hacer, y m\u00e1s que eso, sab\u00eda que era lo que estaba llamado a hacer. Estoy tan agradecido de finalmente estar aqu\u00ed sirviendo y trabajando como parte de nuestra iglesia global. Cuando primero me pidieron que escribiera este art\u00edculo, comenc\u00e9 a preguntarme c\u00f3mo las generaciones de la iglesia me han afectado. Al reflexionar sobre mi vida y mi tiempo en el ministerio, me qued\u00f3 muy claro que el ministerio no se trata de una generaci\u00f3n, sino de que cada generaci\u00f3n se conecta y trabaja junto a la otra. Cada generaci\u00f3n tiene algo \u00fanico que aportan, y creo que el ministerio y la iglesia deber\u00edan ser un perfecto ejemplo de eso. Ya ves, crec\u00ed como un ni\u00f1o misionero y nieto. Vivimos y servimos en el este de \u00c1frica la mayor parte de mi vida, y lo considero como la mayor bendici\u00f3n absoluta. Pude trabajar con personas maravillosas junto a mis padres y abuelos. Aprend\u00ed los \"trucos del oficio\" y me prepar\u00e9 para la vida que sab\u00eda que Dios me hab\u00eda llamado a vivir. Tuve la oportunidad de viajar por todo este hermoso planeta y encontrar personas de todos los \u00e1mbitos de la vida en diferentes pa\u00edses y continentes. Una de las mayores bendiciones de todos fue ser testigo de lo que parece ser servir en el Reino de Dios. Este servicio se trata de personas, independientemente de su edad, estado, nacionalidad o g\u00e9nero, que se unen para el objetivo com\u00fan de ver este mundo cambiado por el Evangelio. Estoy muy orgulloso de ser parte de una iglesia que prioriza el valor de las personas, especialmente todas las generaciones de personas. Las misiones y el ministerio siempre me han parecido una reuni\u00f3n multigeneracional. Cuando era ni\u00f1o, iba de viaje con Babu y la abuela (Phillip y Gailya List) y mi mam\u00e1 y mi pap\u00e1. Los ver\u00eda traer diferentes experiencias y t\u00e9cnicas a la mesa mientras preparamos y serv\u00edamos a las personas a quienes Dios nos gui\u00f3. Luego, a medida que crec\u00eda y llegaban otros misioneros al este de \u00c1frica (los Sneeds, Tignors y Dunnings), los ve\u00eda trayendo nuevas perspectivas e ideas al campo. No se trataba de poder, antig\u00fcedad o \"salir con lo viejo y lo nuevo\", sino que se trataba de entender que todos fuimos llamados y enviados a servir a la gente de \u00c1frica Oriental. Ahora, mientras camino en este nuevo campo, con nuevas experiencias y desaf\u00edos todos los d\u00edas, estoy muy agradecido por la gente que vino antes que yo. No puedo decirte cu\u00e1ntos correos electr\u00f3nicos y mensajes he enviado pidiendo a los misioneros, a quienes he crecido admirando, su sabidur\u00eda y consejo, o cu\u00e1nto valoro cada vez que alguien se sent\u00f3 conmigo para compartir sus historias desde el campo. Este tipo de aliento me ha ayudado a prepararme para lo que el Se\u00f1or me ha llamado a hacer. Lo que estoy haciendo ahora es una asociaci\u00f3n con lo que han hecho aquellos que vinieron antes que yo. Estoy agradecido por los a\u00f1os de oraci\u00f3n, pionero, labrado de tierra y siembra que llegaron mucho antes de que yo estuviera aqu\u00ed. No quiero menospreciarme a m\u00ed mismo, por favor no me malinterprete, pero quiero dar honor donde se debe honor. Para m\u00ed, las generaciones que vinieron antes que yo, los misioneros y ministros que han estado sirviendo al reino por tanto tiempo, son las personas que m\u00e1s aprecio en este mundo. Con eso dicho, estoy muy agradecido de ser parte de mi generaci\u00f3n. Soy joven y no tengo las experiencias que otros tienen, pero me apasiona que esta generaci\u00f3n conozca a Dios y est\u00e9 ardiendo por \u00e9l. No solo digo estas cosas porque suenan como buenas palabras cristianas; Me refiero a ellos. Creo que Dios le ha dado a esta generaci\u00f3n pasi\u00f3n. Nos encanta luchar por las cosas. Desafortunadamente, esta pasi\u00f3n se puede tirar en diferentes direcciones y se puede unir a las causas en todo el lugar, pero en su verdadero sentido, creo que la pasi\u00f3n en s\u00ed es de Dios. El enemigo ha puesto tanto esfuerzo en distraernos. Nuestro mundo est\u00e1 lleno de tecnolog\u00eda, medios e iconos para alejar nuestra atenci\u00f3n y nuestro coraz\u00f3n del Se\u00f1or. Si el enemigo puede mantenernos con los ojos fuera de foco hacia el llamado de Dios, entonces \u00e9l nos paraliza. Sin embargo, creo de todo coraz\u00f3n que si esta generaci\u00f3n realmente experimentara el Esp\u00edritu Santo y conociera el poder y el amor de Dios, habr\u00eda un movimiento como no hemos visto en d\u00e9cadas. La clave es que debemos luchar m\u00e1s duro que el enemigo para volver a centrar la atenci\u00f3n del mundo y fijarnos en a qui\u00e9n Dios nos llama a ser. Me encanta estar cerca de ministros y misioneros de mi generaci\u00f3n. Puedes sentir emoci\u00f3n y urgencia en su presencia. Tengo esperanzas para el futuro de la iglesia porque veo personas de mi generaci\u00f3n que aman a Dios con furia y aman a las personas desde un coraz\u00f3n que est\u00e1 conectado con \u00e9l. En noviembre, asist\u00ed a una reuni\u00f3n de j\u00f3venes l\u00edderes europeos. Mientras estaba sentado all\u00ed y los escuch\u00e9 compartir sus visiones de sus ciudades y pa\u00edses, y mientras lloraban y sonre\u00edan con pasi\u00f3n y emoci\u00f3n, mi coraz\u00f3n capt\u00f3 ese fuego una y otra vez mientras cada uno hablaba. Me fui ese fin de semana teniendo confianza en el Evangelio y el mover de Dios que est\u00e1 llegando a Europa. Una cosa que todos nosotros tenemos en com\u00fan es que, en un momento u otro, alguien de una generaci\u00f3n anterior se ha tomado el tiempo de ense\u00f1arnos y discipularnos en nuestro llamado. Este no es un concepto nuevo, (s\u00e9 que no estoy inventando la rueda); la Biblia est\u00e1 llena de ejemplos de esto. En el Antiguo Testamento, tenemos ejemplos como Mois\u00e9s, Josu\u00e9, El\u00edas y Eliseo. Del Nuevo Testamento, tenemos a Isabel, Mar\u00eda, Pablo y Timoteo. En cada una de estas historias, el mayor sab\u00eda cosas que el m\u00e1s joven no sab\u00eda. Los m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes ten\u00edan preguntas y necesitaban gu\u00eda para abandonar su vocaci\u00f3n, y juntos el Reino avanz\u00f3. No se trataba de reemplazar o excluir, sino de aceptar el hecho de que cada generaci\u00f3n aporta algo que es inmensamente importante y necesario. El mayor comparti\u00f3, alent\u00f3 y ense\u00f1\u00f3 a los m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes; mientras que los m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes trabajaron al lado y humildemente aprendieron antes de ir por su cuenta. Esta es la imagen m\u00e1s bella del Reino para m\u00ed. Para concluir, quiero agradecer a todas las personas que se han tomado el tiempo de participar y discipular a las generaciones venideras. Rezo para que podamos agarrarnos de esta sabidur\u00eda compartida y nunca dar por sentada la inmensa bendici\u00f3n que es. Tambi\u00e9n quiero instar a mi generaci\u00f3n a hacer preguntas y tomarse el tiempo para escuchar. Debemos permitirnos ser ense\u00f1ables, y dejar que las cosas que aprendemos nos den confianza y denuedo para salir del llamado de Dios en nuestras vidas. Creo que los pr\u00f3ximos a\u00f1os de esta iglesia, y la iglesia en su conjunto, ver\u00e1n tal crecimiento y avance si continuamos valorando a todas las generaciones.","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/01\/All-Gen-Banner-1-e1516720775557.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Ar-tE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}