Excerpts of Dr. Gibson's Spanish Language Educational Trip To Ecuador

February 8, 2002

Section 515.566. That is the part of the US Department of Treasury code manual that covers travel by US citizens to countries that are under US embargo. I carefully worded a humble letter to the Chief of Licensing, Office of Foreign Assets Control. In it I requested permission for Ruth and me to travel to Cuba for religious purposes, teaching Christian counseling and family living in churches there for 22 days: April 26 - May 18.

Finding that specific contact was one of the stunning answers to prayers I asked you to voice for me when I sent Letter #1 on 1-20-02. I asked: “That surprise networking connections will occur that will facilitate future ministry trips for me and Ruth.” The surprise was Focus on the Family representative, Reed Olson, who recently followed this proper legal process as part of a trip he made to Cuba. With the hearty welcome of governments in many nations, Focus is presenting an intelligent, persuasive program promoting premarital sexual abstinence as the way to combat the AIDS epidemic. Their program, “Sex, lies and the truth,” is showing dramatically better results than ineffective ones promoting “safe sex.”

Second answer to your praying was for my progress in learning Spanish. I did finish the Peace Corps manual. Funny that most of the examples focused on building latrines in rural places. But I got good language practice, and added vocabulary and grammar. I carried on a couple of counseling conversations in Spanish -- with lots of help from the other persons, whom I still need to speak slowly and say the same thing in three different ways when I don’t understand. So, I am bilingual, but laboriously so. Mastery will take years instead of weeks. I am able to correspond by e-mail in Spanish. In fact I am close to firming up plans for September in LaPaz, and perhaps other cities in Bolivia.

Third answer to your prayers. I had great conversations with David Ramirez, president of a seminary called Semisud in Quito. We firmed our plans for Ruth and me to teach a week of Vitality Therapy to his students, and preach Family Living during the week in chapel meetings, and on Sunday in a nearby church.

Today I purchased tickets for that trip, March 1-9. Then from Quito we will go directly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Return home March 19. The tickets cost just under $2000. I need help to cover this cost when my credit card balance comes due February 28. People who want to support these trips can make checks payable to "The Timothy Project," with a memo "For the work of Dennis and Ruth Gibson". They will receive a tax-deductible receipt when they send their contributions to the following address: THE TIMOTHY PROJECT, C/O HOWARD WHITE, 140 WINDSOR PARK DRIVE, #E-208, CAROL STREAM, ILLINOIS 60188-4123.

We hope in the future to make our trips self-supporting financially. We intend to charge fees of $5 to $20 per person for different events we put on. If we can get enough people attending and contributing these small amounts, we can cover our costs. For this coming trip in March, we are trying an experiment. We plan not to charge any fees up front, but to take up a “love offering,” or a “thank-you” after we complete our workshops. Pray that these might surprise everyone, as did the manna that fell from the sky to feed the wandering Israelites in the barren desert under the historic leadership of Moses, the man of God. Pray also for (1) prompt, favorable action on our petition to go to Cuba; (2) good trip March 1-19 to two countries; (3) Completion of plans for July in Costa Rica, and September in Bolivia.

Thank you!

Dennis & Ruth Gibson, Carol Stream, IL

January 29, 2002

I have people influencing me in two different directions regarding whether or not I should charge money to people I serve in Third World countries.

I just talked to the president of a seminary in Ecuador who wants me to come and teach a hundred students my Vitality Therapy seminar. He said that the seminary has no budget to pay my travel expenses, and his students have no money with which to pay a seminar fee. He cannot conceive of charging a fee to attend, because he is sure that so few will attend.

On the other hand, my Spanish tutor here says that people disrespect services that are offered to them without cost. If they see a poster saying, “Vitality Therapy Seminar, twenty hours of counseling instruction, free of charge!”, they will say to themselves, “It must not be very good.” She maintains that the students spend $5 per week going to see a movie. They could give up movies for a month, and pay $20 each for the seminar. That would cover the cost of plane tickets for me and Ruth plus a bit more. My instructor urges me to tell the president to charge such a fee, and pay my airfare, or I will not come.

I have such a desire to go that I don’t want to say, “No.” I love the activity of teaching so much that I wish the money problem would just go away. OK, that’s not reality. I think of myself as serving the needy. It seems to me that the cost should be borne by me and friends of mine who think that my work overseas is worth supporting.

The direction of God’s pleasure in this matter is not clear to me. I can argue that Jesus said, “Give to him who begs of you.” That seems to support the generous side. On the other hand, another Scripture says, “A workman is worthy of his hire.” That seems to support the firm side of “No pay, no go.” Personally there lies ahead of me a greater learning experience in the discipline of taking the firm stand. I’d rather be a nice guy than a tough guy. Maybe God wants me to learn how to be a nice tough guy, who can in turn teach others how to find that rare balance.

Can people see that I am not trying to benefit myself if I charge them $20 instead of $200 per person, like many motivational speakers do for shorter seminars? Can I argue that what I teach has to be affordable for me as well as for them? Can I challenge them to something like a Lenten self sacrifice, like going without movies for Lent, and putting the money into an investment, namely preparing themselves to be more skillful counselors? And if I do decide on this course of action, I must convince my host, the president in this case, that he can convince the students to make the sacrifice.

All of this is politics and logistics that takes my time away from the teaching that I find so holy and worthwhile and fulfilling. Maybe I should try to find someone who is good at this kind of management, to function as an agent for me, setting up these policies, convincing the people on the other end, making the travel arrangements, and making my ministry self-supporting.

Well, I am thinking out loud to you. I am interested to hear what thoughts come to you, particularly concerning any good precedents you have ever heard of, or guiding principles on either side of this dilemma.

Thank you.

Dennis Gibson

January 25, 2002

Rosa Cabrera cried as I answered, "Sure, I am still burning with a desire to teach your people in Cuba." She had just told me about the poverty in Cuba, the broken spirits of the people in general, and their inability to pay anything toward my expenses in coming to them with Ruth April 26 – May 18. She feared that I would back out, after hearing how discouraging things are there.

But Rosa had also told me something more about Cuba, partly in words and partly in her manner. In both ways she told me that the people there are downright lovable. She spoke affectionately of how lively they are when given any reason to hope. The evangelical church there is offering such hope, and people are responding with a characteristic Cuban vitality. And we are going there to teach Vitality Therapy!

Now comes good news, bad news, and good news. I am discovering that such roller coaster rides in planning are typical in missionary work. First, Rosa was able to fax copies of our passports from Quito to Havana, to a pastor there who has successfully arranged Visas Religiosas in the past. Hurray, piece of cake! Good news!

Then, yesterday Rosa e-mailed me that her friend in Cuba had just responded with bad news. The government there recently decided not to grant any more Visas Religiosas...except to Baptists. Why Baptists I have no idea. But, what the heck! I’ve been a Baptist before and I am willing to be one again if that’s what it takes to minister in Cuba.

Ah, but now the latest good news. This morning I met Reed Olson, director of Latin American Relations for Focus on the Family. He has already set up sister organizations in Mexico and Costa Rica. He was here to discuss a possible working relationship with the group here in Quito that has twice sponsored me to teach Vitality Therapy. The group invited me to sit in on this historic meeting!

Reed recently visited Cuba and said that he can connect me with the right travel agency and visa mechanism. He warned me that my own US government can punish me by a fine of $100,000 and five years in jail if I go to Cuba without proper clearance. This is true for any country under US embargo, I gather. Thank you, Reed! Thank You, God! I want to be a good US citizen.

It is more clear to me than ever that such uncommon, nay, miraculous networking connections are far more possible for me to encounter as a self-employed consultant than if I were under any one mission’s employment. I feel like a surfer riding waves of wonder that I believe are generated by the prayers of people who care about what I am doing.

Thank you!

Dennis Gibson

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