Meet Lou Geense - Director of Global Initiatives, Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (“EMCC”) a humble servant with extremely impressive veteran pastoral credentials. With twenty years of pastoral ministry and almost twenty years of involvement in working with an indigenous church in East Africa, Lou drives his passion to serve Jesus in a global setting. In fact, in his capacity as Director of Global Initiatives Lou continually seeks to see the strategic deployment of people and resources for kingdom purposes.
For those of you unfamiliar with the EMCC, the organization “ . . . is a family of 150 + churches across Canada organized to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See: http://www.emcc.ca/about/our-mission.) The EMCC maintains offices in Kitchener, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta.”
There is no doubt in this day and age there are several countries deserving of missionary work and Lou is no stranger to that contribution. In fact, his recent mission was to Haiti and as your Examiner writes, he is off, yet again to Romania.
Busy as he may be, however, a true Christian, Lou always find time to serve as exemplified in this article which comes in between two missions. To that end, your Examiner would like to share with you Lou’s experience(s) in his extensive missionary involvement in the form of this interview.
- Lou, what are some of the greatest challenges you find in the EMCC’s missionary work?
Some of the greatest challenges are things that you have no control over or things that you just cannot change. For instance in some of the places we work, despite hard work from our local partners or other NGOs some governments are either unwilling or not capable of assisting to move things forward. Most of those governments are not capable because they no capacity to do anything. Those are sad moments when you realize no matter how hard you work things are not going to change.
Perhaps the most difficult thing to deal with is the reality that the need far outweighs the available resources to meet the need. That is why it is so important to strive for self sufficiency in the projects we take on.
2. With so many countries in need of missionary work how does the EMCC determine where its services are most needed?
We have several criteria. Our first response is to places around the world where we have national partners on the ground already doing good kingdom work. Secondly we partner with other Canadian NGOs that are already at work on the ground with their national partners. Third we work hand in hand with Canadian Foodgrains Bank and their work in food aid and food distribution. I guess in short you would say we want to work where we have relationships with partners.
In the case of disasters and places where there is violence that causes the displacement of people we find partners, either on the ground or in Canada, that are already at work and join in with them.
3. What is most gratifying in the missionary work that you do?
The most gratifying is when you are able to work with or at least meet with the people who have benefitted from the work you are doing. When you see the joy and relief on the faces of the people and you hear them express the difference this will make in their lives all of the struggle is worthwhile. Second to that is when you realize that what you do has made a difference to the whole person or community. When the efforts put in reap spiritual rewards or significant changes in a community it puts your effort into perspective.
Finally for our Volunteer Teams is to see the change that takes place in people’s lives, attitudes and aspirations once they have been on a Volunteer Team to a developing world nation and personally interacted with the people they are helping.
5. Please share with us the successes of the EMCC and your vision and hopes for where the EMCC is headed.
I am very proud to be part of the EMCC team. In El Salvador in a period of six months we will see 18 Volunteer Teams build 130 new homes. That means at least 130 families will have a new beginning, will have a healthy place to sleep, will be protected from the weather and most of all have new hope for the future.
In Romania we have seen an entire community being transformed. Where once alcoholism and domestic violence brought local enforcement to the community once or twice a day – now enforcement comes about once every two weeks.
In Haiti we will build at least 35 permanent homes that are hurricane resistant, earthquake resistant and termite resistant. We will have medical teams visiting remote communities. We will improve a medical clinic in the north and begin work to establish a Vocational School.
My vision is to be able to accommodate as many Volunteer Teams as possible to as many projects as possible. To see community development work at a level that changes the negative culture in a depressed community to a culture of hope and possibilities. To assist national partners to an extent where they begin to see the possibilities of what they can do themselves to improve the communities they serve.
6. For those interested in missionary work how does one make contact with the EMCC and learn more about potential involvement with the organization?
The easiest way is to visit the EMCC website emcc.ca and check out our global work. Then they can contact me via email and begin some dialogue about their interests and what we are already doing around the world. Hopefully we can make a connection that works for both of us or at least I could direct them to a place they might be able to find that connection.
7. What advice would you offer someone interested in missionary work?
Jesus said that the fields were ripe for harvest all that was lacking was the workers. I would advise people to understand what God is asking them to do. Study and understand what is already happening where your heart is leading. Engage organizations and people that you are comfortable with and start the dialogue. Most of all don’t give up. Sometimes people like me get so busy it is hard to keep on top of all the interested people and sometimes they slip through the cracks. It is not that we don’t care we just get too busy – so be persistent.
In an extremely fast-paced, technologically inundated world, it is your Examiner’s belief that “real heroes” tend always to be found in the most remote locations.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela.
Regarding your Examiner: Your Examiner writes as the Toronto Mental Health Examiner and the Toronto Military Children Examiner. See her columns at Google or follow Corinne on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/cfrontiero.
