BCMW Insider – September Update

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth

. . . And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Genesis 1:1, 31a

BCMW Events

Recent

• July 2023 Two MABC courses, Methods and Counseling Cases & Observation, were taught by Cecilio Eleazar at Presbyterian Theological Seminary

• July 2023 CLT Module 1 led by Andrew Rogers for 55 pastors at NorthRise University in Zambia

• August 2023 Bruce Haven visited various pastors and churches in Nicaragua for relationship building

• August 2023 Two CLT Module 1 led by Cecilio Eleazar and Aaron Joseph Caparros in the Philippines

Upcoming

• August 2023 Jeff Jackson will visit Poland and Austria for relationship building with local pastors and introductory training

• September 2023 CLT Module 2 continues in Costa Rica, led by Joel and Krista McCutcheon

• September 2023 CLT Module 3 to be led by Tom Maxham in Entebbe, Uganda

• September 2023 MABC Intro and Common Issues classes to be led by Andrey Murzin and Wayne Vanderwier at Kyiv Theological Seminary

To see more recent and upcoming events, you can check out our website calendar here

Highlight of the Month

Olivia Hdija

We are joyful to have recently welcomed Olivia to the BCMW team! Originally from Cork, Ireland, she decided to relocate to France, just outside Paris, in 2001 as a missionary. Shortly after she moved to France, she met her husband and they now have four young adult children.

Olivia first learned about biblical counseling through an online article by BCMW Director at Large, Wayne Vanderwier (at the time he was our Executive Director). Soon after connecting with him, she joined the September 2015 cohort of the MABC program at Kyiv Theological Seminary (KTS). Then, a couple of months later, she learned that BCMW would be hosting a CLT in Paris, which was being led by Don Roy. She decided to attend the training, so she could meet with others interested in and learning about biblical counseling.

Experiencing the effects of biblical counseling in her own life, in her marriage, and in her family, she soon began counseling in her church and the Paris area and completed her MABC through KTS 2018, under the guidance of Wayne Vanderwier and Andrei Murzin. She also became an ACBC-certified counselor in August 2023.

Her great passion to see Christians equipped to discover and share the riches of God’s Word and its relevance and transformational power in their lives has been inspired by Ezra who displayed deep love for God by studying, practicing, and teaching His Word (Ezra 7:10).

Among her many ministry involvements, Olivia is a co-founder of the French Institute of Biblical Counseling, which was established in December 2022. This training ministry is a fruit of BCMW’s labors in France and is led by pastor Baptiste Passal (second from left in the below photo). The institute exists to glorify the Lord through strengthening of churches and believers in France so they are rooted in God’s Word, being transformed into His image, and bringing God’s help to others.

www.relationaidebiblique.fr

In July 2023, two significant events occurred for Olivia and her family. The Hdijas’ youngest daughter, Nadia, was baptized and shared in her testimony the great impact of BCMW’s CLT Module 2 training that had been held at their church in Ris-Orangis a few months prior. Their whole family is wonderfully encouraged by the Lord’s work in each of their lives through biblical counseling training and ministry.

Olivia also responded to a call she sensed from the Lord regarding joining BCMW as a full-time Coordinator in France. So, after plans and preparations, she took steps to leave the mission she had served with for 20 years and is now actively trusting the Lord’s provision for prayer and financial partners as she helps to lead BCMW’s ministry in France. At this time, she is looking to raise a one-time sum of $7,500 as well as a monthly salary of $2,300 and to connect with ongoing prayer partners.

If you are interested in learning more about Olivia, her experiences with biblical counseling ministry and training, and/or her prayer and practical needs as she continues BCMW’s pioneering ministry of biblical counseling in France, please feel free to reach out to her at oliviah@bcmworldwide.org. You can also visit the below link to become a financial partner with her today.

BCMW CLT M2 at Ris-Orangis, France

Nadia at the CLT M2 training

Some Ways You Can Help

PRAY

• Praise for the Lord’s provision, grace, encouragement, and kindness as training events in various countries, including Costa Rica, France, Indonesia, Japan, Latvia, the Philippines, Uganda, Ukraine, and Zambia, have recently been held and are upcoming. Visit our website calendar to view more details.

• Pray for fruit from the relationship building trips in August by Bruce Havens in Nicaragua and by Jeff Jackson in Poland and Austria, and prayer that plans will be initiated for new CLT training in these countries.

• Pray for our Philippines Coordinator, Cecilio Eleazar, as he works with Presbyterian Theological Seminary to launch and host the inaugural Care of Souls Conference in Manila, Philippines, in January 2024.

• Pray that the Lord would stir up a passion in biblical-counseling minded churches as well as individuals to partner with us financially.

• Praise for the Lord’s kindness, goodness, love, peace, and hope taught through His Word and shown through His people as church members counsel one another biblically

Thank you for all of your ongoing support, encouragement, and service to our ministry as well as to our Lord’s wonderful body of Christians around the world!!