Interview
with Mike Squires on 8/22/13:
Q:
In 1978 you gave your life to Christ in Mali, West Africa. How did God reach
you amongst the unreached people of West Africa?
Missionaries led me to Christ in 1978 while I was serving as a Peace
Corps volunteer in the town of Gao in the Sahara Desert of northern Mali, West
Africa. One way I show my gratitude is by serving as a missionary myself.
During the nine years I served in secular community development the
missionaries I worked next to served as role models, and my involvement in
mission churches was the equivalent an apprenticeship, an on-the-job training
in how to serve as a missionary in African villages.
Q:
What was the most rewarding part of serving with Wycliffe's program in Togo? Strengthening the teaching and problem solving
skills of the literacy supervisors, enabling them to be more effective helping
people learn how to read and write in their own language and be more
connected to the world. I trained them how to teach a wider range of topics
that addressed the daily needs of the people.
Q:
You have served in West Africa for 21 years. Why have you dedicated most of
your Christian life to serving West Africa? I started studying West Africa
when I was 12 years old, it has always fascinated me. I teach people how to
work together to solve problems, and the villages of West Africa have many
problems to solve, so I feel quite needed there.
Q:
What is your legacy in Togo? I gave people hope that they can improve
their lives spiritually and physically. I taught people how to work together to
solve problems, and trained leaders. This training has led to previous
co-workers becoming the president and secretary of the national church, and the
church becoming an independent, self-governing partner church.
Q: How has God equipped you to serve in Ghana? After
living among Africans for 19 years I understand their way of thinking, what
their aspirations are, and how to help them improve their lives both
spiritually and physically. During my years in Togo I served part-time next
door in Ghana, so I am already familiar with Ghana.
Q:
Team Expansion's mission of church planting seems vastly different from that
of your last affiliation, Wycliffe Bible Translators. How does your mission change?
After training literacy teachers in teaching and problem solving skills, I will
resume training church leaders in leadership skills. Team Expansion Ghana works
closely with the Wycliffe Bible Translators in local language media to spread
the Gospel, so I am able to use the same skills I used with Wycliffe.
Q:
Why is community development essential to church planting? Transformational development focuses on
reconciliation of broken relationships with God, self, others and creation. God
created each of us to serve Him, the Great Commandment and the Great
Commission, despite obstacles, thus we are only fulfilling the purpose for
which we were created. Community
development, teaching people how to work together to accomplish goals and
objectives and solve problems, is therefore a large part of our vision of
sharing Christ with those with whom we work. Loving people in practical ways
allows them to know we care and opens up doors for sharing the love of God
through Bible stories. Jesus ministered to people in all aspects of their
lives, and commands us to do the same. Africans do not divide life into sacred
and secular domains, so the people expect us to address the various parts of
life. Practical applications of Christian values are used to educate the church
and community members in the relevance of the Gospel message to address life’s
obstacles. We stress the role of the Scriptures and literacy in the development
of the community. This methodology complements our work training people for
Indigenous Church Planting Movements. This involves local people creating
laymen-led house churches, which then create other laymen-led house churches
and so on, as the early churches did. Missionaries and church leaders train
these lay leaders and supervise how these house churches reproduce while
clearly representing the Gospel message.
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