Evan Liewer | Life In Ministry

We’re Home

Evan — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:03:24 +0000

It is so good to be back on island. We were on a US furlough for almost 3 months. It was great reconnecting with friends and family, but difficult being away from what has become our home this past year.

Police Needs

Evan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:22:09 +0000

So being a missionary in a third world country has its perks, and its downfalls. We do not have a police department in the city where we live, but West End, the city nearest us does. However I just got this email for the needs of the police department.

Hi All,
The West End Police Station is in need of several items to help serve you
better.There are 13 officers serving there with little or no resources. As you
may know it is a old wooden structure in a bad state. So we are asking for help
to get a few things working.

1. Any kind of printer. They need this to be able to print out reports.
2. Regular Telephone: They have a land line but no telephone. Their number is
2445-3233. Wonder why no one answers??
3. Water Pump: There is no running water because the old pump is not repairable.
Need a working one or a repairable one.
4. Suitcases: Any size in most any condition. When the guys go on leave they
need a secure place to store their uniform and extra clothes..there are no
lockers or closets

They need a printer to print reports. They have no phone. I have their number on speed dial in case of an emergency, lot of good that will do. A few months ago they shut down completely because they couldnt pay their electric bill.

Butt Identification

Evan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:33:02 +0000

This is the greatest invention I have seen all day. I live in a dangerous area where theft happens constantly. We have had stuff stolen from our house and know countless people who have been robbed. A friend created a site that people can post injustices that have happened, it got depressing to read after awhile of all the theft. However, living on an island one of the rarer things to get stolen is a car. There are no chop shops and not many places to hide a vehicle. I did have a friend have his car stolen, he drove around until he found it, then stole it back. But if he had this new Japanese butt print identity system, his car never would have gone missing!
You don’t even need keys, 360 pressure switches measure your butt and if it matches the car will start! Hopefully you dont pack on too many holiday pounds….
http://gizmodo.com/5870293/your-butt-is-your-password-in-the-anti+theft-car-seat

Special Marital Counseling

Evan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:31:06 +0000

I am a big fan of pranks. It’s a fact. At my church this past year, a great prank was played and the best part was the twist ending. We have a caretaker who lives on campus to turn off lights and A/C as well as provide security. For his birthday, someone moved his entire bed setup to the Senior Pastor’s office. Middle of the office was a queen bed, fully made with decorative pillows. This alone is funny by itself, and it honors the prank rules of no is getting hurt, not malicious, and very funny. But the best part is the Senior Pastor didn’t know it had happened. He had arrived that day to do some marriage counseling for a couple that was having issues. I wish I could see the look on their face for that awkward moment when they walk into an office for some very special marriage counseling!

Deported!

Evan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:29:54 +0000

Everyone gets text messages all the time. I live in Honduras and still get texts from the US all the time. Most of these we read and forget, but there is one text message I will never forget. I was at a going away party for friends that were moving to Alaska and I got a text from one of the pastors. He had led a single day mission trip to Mexico that morning and the text said, “Vivian got deported”. Vivian had attended the church for 20 years, and I was so confused on what happened. I called to figure out what was going on and he said that in the morning he collected everyone’s passports but didn’t notice her passport was from Canada. As they were returning to the US, border patrol stopped them and removed her from the vehicle. She was escorted from the van and taken directly to prison. After a few weeks she was deported back to Canada. As the story goes, she came to the US on vacation 20 years ago and liked it so much she never left. How many times have you done that, you go to Hawaii or London and say the trip is so awesome you never want to leave. Well she said that to herself and did it! For 20 years!

We stayed in contact after the deportation, she moved in with family, you know since they all lived in Canada. My favorite part though, she asked a friend to marry her so she could return to the states. He decline, but apparently the offer is still on the table.
Remember, when you are doing trips, all your paperwork needs to be in order, otherwise someone might never return!

Interesting Insurance Protection

Evan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:27:34 +0000

I have always been a fan of insurance. Now this is probably because I believe I have received more money from insurance companies than I have given them. On a youth trip once, I dove into shallow water and caused $20,000 in medical bills. I have had employees sue the church for workers comp and see the insurance company pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle issues. Once I was sitting with our insurance rep and asking random questions as we were seeking specific coverage for a skate park we were opening. I asked him the weirdest policy he ever had to write. His response, “Lion mauling insurance”. A church was doing a Christmas Pageant and they wanted a lion. I always envision the manager scene with camels and sheep, but apparently this church had a better imagination than me and they wanted a full size lion next to Jesus. To accomplish this they needed insurance in case the lion ate someone. Just goes to show you can get insurance for anything, just do a google search for Lloyds of London.

Hello world!

Evan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:10:21 +0000

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Youth Pastor Swap

Evan — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:38:10 +0000

I just heard the most encouraging of stories, on Christmas day no less. I was visiting the church my wife attended before she moved and we were married, a church very dear to us. They had a new youth pastor we hadn’t met and he and I began talking. Come to find out he has been doing youth ministry in the area for eight years, but at the church down the street. His church had an older congregation and were not actively seeking new members. His high school ministry was comprised of seniors, all of which graduated. The pastors in the city are friends, and my wife’s previous pastor asked the other church if they would donate their pastor to his church. Is donate the right word? Swap. Forever Loan. Stolen with Permission. The church was fine and the youth pastor moved to the new church and no one had hard feelings.

It was such an encouraging story, as where I am from in south Orange Country, churches aren’t always very nice. So great to hear churches focusing on the Kingdom and not on themselves.

Whites Eat First

Evan — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 05:34:38 +0000

So today was Ava’s birthday party. We had previously invited our island boy friends to come. Since they live on the other side of the island, I told them that I would pick them up. I had no idea how many would come, one boy called and asked if he could bring a friend. On my way over I stopped at the gas station and as I parked, I saw a dozen kids screaming and running towards me and then jumped into my truck. I was a little shocked, I was still 10 minutes away from the pick-up, but they were so excited they were walking so they could get picked up earlier! I drove them back, 12 boys in all, lots of shouting and excitement the whole way. Once we got back, the party got started! It was was a wonderful party, 40 people or so. Lots of little kids watching the movie Rio and the adults talking, the boys mingling and it was very fun. Ava running in circles, being a beautiful baby girl.
Lunch time came and April made the announcement that adults eat first. We thought the boys would eat all the food before anyone else got a chance and we had a lot of children we didnt want to get rushed. As people lined up, one of the boys shouted “Whites eat first”. At the time April and I didnt hear it, Larry (our boss) told us later in the day. The boy who said it was one of the nicest boys we know and was out of character for such a racist comment. Also we felt it needed addressing as we didnt want this connotation. April sat the boy and asked if he made the comment and he said that he did. April asked why he said it, asking why he felt that way. The boys response, “All us boys made the decision that the white boys would eat first, someone was cutting.” April then realized that two of the boys’ last name was White. The boys made the decision before the meal that they should eat first since it was their first time at our house. There was never a bad intentioned comment, a boy was looking out for his friends.
April and I drove the boys home at the end of the day and the boys asked if I wanted a chicken. I told them no. They then kept telling me (all twelve of them) that they would bring me a chicken or a rooster. I was more interested in the chicken to get the eggs, but turned down the chicken because the dogs would attack her. But they were persistent. April asked why they were so persistent, apparently it is a birthday tradition to give a child a chicken on their birthday, explaining why they kept saying, “Ava needs a baby chicken”. Then they told April that I said it was okay, even though I didnt…. So perhaps Ava will get a chicken soon, who knows.