CEE Story From The Mission Field
Challenges and Joys of Being a Strategy Coordinator
August 31, 2005
The Romany/Gypsy church in Romania is spreading like wildfire. In just five years the number of established churches has doubled, and the number of small groups has grown from 20 to 100. Romany believers have a passion for the lost that is unmatched! They regularly begin new churches, send their own missionaries to unreached villages and recently undertook their first cross-cultural mission trip.
With testimony like
this, you might think that the strategy coordinator leading
Romany work would feel proud. But this is not the case with
Boyd and Jennie Hatchel. “This
is NOT the Boyd and Jennie show,” says Boyd. “We
jumped into the middle of a Romany revival. In many cases
miracles or healings had taken place or we were at the right
place at the right time when a new group was starting. But
we are not the spark — it was the spark of God.”
Boyd and Jennie began their missionary careers 10 years ago
as journeymen. It was during that two-year stint that God
burdened Boyd’s heart with the Romany people. Jennie
quickly adopted the burden as well when they married and
began their family. In 2000, with one baby (and three more
soon to follow), Boyd and Jennie returned to Romania to live
and work among the Roma (and have recently moved to Czech
Republic to begin work there). In the past five years, God
has “sparked” an
awesome work in their midst.
“There’s been a lot of trial and error,” says Boyd. “We’ve tried to plant churches that reflect the Romany culture and that has taken a lot of listening and watching and being willing to learn.”
And there have been challenges! One of the biggest challenges for the Hatchels has been working as a team — from blending their gifts and talents to coming up with a suitable place where their kids fit into the ministry. Since strategy coordinators are starting new churches there are no established Sunday Schools. This makes it hard for kids to be involved. As a family with four young children, that challenge is one that affects the Hatchel family every Sunday. “It’s really tough,” says Boyd. “That is one of the hardest things.”
But tough isn’t impossible and the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Boyd and Jennie juggle responsibilities at home and in the community, and both find a way to contribute to the work that God is doing. The baptisms and church starts make their spirits soar, and the challenges push them to their knees. But watching God at work makes it all worth it! “It is amazing what God is doing around us,” says Boyd, “and sometimes in spite of us!”
If God has sparked your interest in becoming a strategy coordinator, please contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.
This article first appeared in the Central and Eastern Europe regional newsletter, Hope4CEE. If you would like to receive this newsletter by mail, please send your name, mailing address, and home church to hope4cee@pobox.com