"Casket Empty in Nicaragua” by Guest Author, Darron Butler

Casket Empty in Nicaragua

An Introductory Note from Dr. Kaminski:

A few months ago, I received an email from Darron Butler, who is studying part-time at Gordon-Conwell. In addition to his position as VP of ISP at Charter Communications in Western North Carolina, Darron is committed to the local church and is using his gifts for the kingdom. Darron emailed me in January, letting me know he was about to leave for Nicaragua, where he would teach the Old Testament using Casket Empty. Upon returning home, I was delighted to receive an email about his teaching experience, so I asked Darron if he would be willing to write a blog for us, which you can read below.

As many of you may know, Casket Empty has begun a Spanish translation project with Proyecto Nehemiás. Darron’s experience teaching the Bible in Nicaragua reminds us why we are embarking on this important project. We believe that the Casket Empty resources in Spanish will be a blessing to the global church, providing solid biblical resources for our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters. I’m pleased to announce that the translation of the Old Testament Bible Study has almost been completed! If you would like to donate to this worthwhile project (the remaining balance we are seeking to raise is $13,500), you can visit our website (scroll down the home page) or give directly to Proyecto Nehemiás using this link (all gifts are tax-deductible).

I’m leaving for Argentina on Saturday, as I’ll be teaching a course on Genesis in Buenos Aires at Facultad de Teología Integral de Buenos Aires (FTIBA: www.ftiba.com). Casket Empty has been used at the seminary (and they have a large Old Testament banner in Spanish on their wall!), so it will be a blessing to be there in person.

I hope you enjoy Darron’s post and are encouraged by what God is doing around the world!

Carol Kaminski

"In January of this year, I had the opportunity to serve the beautiful people of Nicaragua on a short-term mission with Bless Back Worldwide, a faith-based non-profit serving humanitarian needs in multiple countries. Despite the gorgeous landscape and abundant natural resources, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Much of the population suffers because their basic human needs are not met and they live under the umbrella of an oppressive political environment. That being said, God is alive and working in the people of Nicaragua! This was my third mission with Bless Back to Nicaragua, where we typically serve by bringing much-needed healthcare and educational resources to small businesses in rural communities.

On this trip I had the privilege of teaching the Old Testament portion of God's redemptive plan using the CASKET EMPTY framework and materials in Spanish. We had over sixty students, lay people, and pastors from around the area in the class. The group responded excitedly to the clear layout of the Bible's overarching narrative through the Old Testament and clung to their copies of the timelines (we didn't have enough!). I had about four hours to present the storyline of the Old Testament. It's amazing how fast three or four hours can go by when translation is needed! I tried to evenly spread out the time between the six sections of CASKET, although I got off track as the amount of material I was trying to include was too much for the amount of time allocated. Editing is key, as Dr Kaminski had warned me ahead of time!

I look forward to continuing to teach as God leads and hope to return one day with the New Testament portion of Casket Empty to complete the full picture of God's redemptive narrative for this group. I invite you to join me in supporting Project Nehemiah, a non-profit organization working on the Spanish translation of the CASKET EMPTY materials. With a complete visual set of Spanish timelines, God's redemptive story can be easier taught and better understood by millions of Spanish speakers worldwide.”

Darron Butler is the Vice President of ISP at Charter Communications. Before his current role, Darron led technical strategy and implementation teams at both Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications. Serving within the local church context, Darron has engaged in a variety of roles all of his adult life. He has also worked with a variety of NGO's, including board leadership, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus for humanitarian causes around the world.

Darron is currently enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary seeking a Graduate Certificate in Christian Studies. He is passionate about servant leadership and desires his life to be used in spreading the good news of the gospel throughout the world and pointing people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thanks Darron for sharing your teaching experience with us!