The Goat Ministry Chronicles Part II: Warning-- Roadblock Ahead

We now return to the ongoing saga known as The Goat Ministry Chronicles. As word began to spread about our new goat ministry in La Cumbre, excitement within the church began to mount. People became very enthusiastic about not only sharing information and praying about the ministry, but actually financially supporting it. Many of you gave money to help buy a goat. Thank you for your support. Our Variety Show--Calvary's Got Talent, was a huge success. With over 320 in attendance it far surpassed our hopes and dreams, earning it a place in our growing list of annual events, and raising a substantial amount of pesos. With this momentum, things were looking very good indeed. However, things are never as easy as they seem. Within a few weeks, two of the four people who were instrumental in the goat ministry informed us they would not be going on the mission trip. This slowed our momentum a little, but being the overcomers we are, we pressed on. Things were once again on track. Patrice had been working diligently to make connections with people in the Dominican Republic that could help us establih and maintain the ministry. To this day we can't figure out how, but Patrice got in touch with a man in Ohio named Carl Kee, who put her in contact with some people, Paul and Linda McMillan, in the Dominican Republic who had a goat ministry there. Paul and Linda had moved to the DR some 22 years earlier to begin this ministry. They were an invaluable resource and helped add real world experience to our vision and knowledge. God was lining everything up perfectly. However, as the literary reference goes, "The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry..." It was at this point that we found out (through the grapevine) that another one of our "goat people" was dropping out. Thus, what started out as a quartet, was down to a solo. This was very disappointing to say the least. It seemed as though all of our research, planning, and excitement was all for nought--we knew we couldn't do it with just one seasoned goat person. I must say that was a dark day at Calvary (well, at least a dark day in Patrice's office). We began questioning if this was really God's will, had we been misguided in our efforts and enthusiasm? We were low, low, low. We were so low we could have played handball against the curb, so low we could have done the limbo under a pregnant ant, so low we would have to look up to see the bottom of the barrell--just plain LOW! After we had our pity party and sulk-fest, events that seemed to last for hours, but actually only lasted about 17 minutes, we said "Hey, wait a second, maybe God has a plan B!" Note: Generally speaking God isn't the author of Plan B, it's actually plan A, and our original plan was not God's. As I began to pray about the situation, God let me know that it wasn't the goal that was wrong, it was the timeframe. In our zeal we had ambitiously planned to accomplish in one week what would more realistically take the better part of a year. I realized that God had forced us to slow down the process in order to keep us from doing the old "crash and burn". Isn't it amazing how often God has to save us from ourselves?! Anyway, after God got us back on His timetable, we were back in business. As they say in the old railroad vernacular, it was "full steam ahead"!!!

Don't miss the next exciting installment of the Goat Ministry Chronicles as we witness God Putting All the Pieces Together.

Thoughts on The Dominican Republic Mission Trip pt. 1

Ta-da! Welcome to my new blogspot. Thank you for that applause, but let's bring it to a close so we can get on with the blog. :) This blog will consist of writings pertinent to the ministry of Calvary Baptist Church. It will be information that is too detailed for (the Pulitzer Prize nominated) Connect Group News, or the church website. While it is available for consumption by the general public, it is probably not pertinent for those not associated with Calvary. However, those not associated with Calvary may be interested in my personal blogspot—"Deep Thoughts with Mike Dugan".

Okay, now that all disclaimers have been addressed, let's get on with the blog. Having just come off the mission field, foremost on my mind is an evaluation of, and reflections on, our Dominican Republic mission trip. First off, it was probably our most productive trip ever. We got so much accomplished in so many areas, ie. construction, Kids Club, Women's Ministry, and home visits, you'll just have to ask someone who went for more details. A key component of our trip was our new goat ministry, or as I affectionately call it--goatery. That's what the kids in my youth group many moons ago called a "Duganism". As a wordsmith, I feel it's well within my legal and artistic rights to create words not in the English vernacular, but should be.

To begin the story of the goat ministry you have to go back to our mission trip last year in San Christobal. There we ate, did our group worship, and held our small group discussions outdoors. I also preached outdoors. At the close of my sermon, two goats came forward--a most unique invitation to be sure. Later Patrice looked at those same goats and thought "those goats could provide nourishment for the local children". Being someone who raised goats herself, she knew more than most of you would ever want to know about these cloven-hoofed lawn mowers. She talked with Melanie, our in-country trip leader, and she encouraged Patrice to explore the possibility of working with goats there. Upon our return, the Missions Leadership Team met and we discussed where the Lord was leading us to establish a long-term partnership. We had been to La Cumbre, La Repressa, and San Christobal, in that order, over the last three years. In a unanimous decision by all those who had been to the DR we felt God calling us to return to La Cumbre, the most impoverished of these locations. With that decision made, Patrice began to return to her idea of a goat ministry. She pitched it to me. I thought it was a good idea, but didn't really think too much more about it. Patrice did. She began to explore the possibility of actually making it happen. She brought me her results. As often happens here at Calvary, people have excellent ideas for ministry, but we as staff don't have the time, knowledge, desire, etc. to pursue it. However, we are a "can do" church, we intentionally streamlined the organizational structure of Calvary to respond quickly to ministry opportunities, and almost always work to empower others to pursue their passion. This was the case here, Patrice had thought the idea through and had accomplished much in establishing a firm foundation for a goat ministry. I told her to go for it, and we'd see where it went. The more information she acquired, the more the project began to capture my imagination. After, some careful thought and prayer, I was sold on the idea. At this point God began to ignite a passion and a vision in me as well. I came to believe that this could, in fact happen; that it was, in fact, a "God thing". As several others in the church began to get excited about the prospect of this ministry we were off and running.

Because I want this blog to be palatble, I don't want to overwhelm you in one sitting. Thus I'll close for now. Don't miss the next exciting installment--"Warning: goat ministry roadblock ahead". See you next time...