CISM Chaplaincy Training - Chicago
These were the two Critical Incident Stress Management, CISM, courses we took last month in Chicago, as part of our chaplaincy training for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. We have now completed the requisite number of 4 courses for certification plus one, but hope to continue our learning to increase our understanding and awareness of the process people experience during a time of trauma and loss. The most obvious thing you can say about suicide is that it's complicated and often difficult to recognize that someone is contemplating such a choice. Robin Williams, ironically, once said that "suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." However, for the person considering this option "their problems often seem insurmountable and hardly temporary." They see it as a permanent solution to a permanent or on-going problem and rarely use logic when making that decision. More likely for us is that we will be ministering to those left in the aftermath of that decision - the grievers. New Zealand, where we feel called, has the highest reported teen suicide rate in the world. That's a large amount of grief for such a small country.
During our training in Emotional & Spiritual Care at The Cove in June we met the Billy Graham RRT director for Australia and New Zealand. His plan is to visit NZ while we're there and, hopefully, we can assist him in the event of a crisis and perhaps over the long term help establish a Rapid Response team in NZ.
Auckland
Charley returns to NZ at the end of this month for 2 weeks to join the Doxa Deo/ City Changers Team for a series of unity gatherings with pastors and business leaders to encourage City transformation in Auckland. Alan Pratt, the CEO of Doxa Deo worldwide, will be the keynote speaker. While there our hope is the Lord will reveal God's man or women to begin the process of establishing a Lifework affiliate in Auckland. Also, we are praying for God's favor that there will be many divine appointments. The last portion of the trip will be spent in the South Island meeting with the base leaders for YWAM in Queenstown and Christ Church and seeking additional networking opportunities. It is this area of New Zealand that we will focus our efforts for the long term and begin integrating in community in January of 2019.