Don Roy currently works for OIC as an overseas teacher for the Church Leadership Training modules program (CLT) and establishing certifying organizations in nations around the world to help train trainers of biblical counseling. He has been married to his wife Elizabeth for 40 years and lives in Louisiana where they actively serve in a local church also interested in missions. Don has been with OIC for about five years and has taught in many countries around Europe, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Jordan. He recounts that he has also taught in seminaries in the Philippines and Kiev. In the near future, he plans on teaching in east Africa and establishing a new certifying organization there.
What initially attracted Don to OIC was their combined emphasis on both missions and biblical counseling. He has personally experienced significant impact through biblical counseling as practical theology and the application of Scriptures to daily life. Due to this great impact on his own personal walk with the Lord, he has seen the great need for this type of training to be taken to the nations around the world as well. There are people in many countries around the world who desire counseling training and want to become more adept at teaching people the practical application of the Scriptures, but they do not have access to it. As he commented, “We have a lot of access to biblical counseling training here in America, but there just isn’t much elsewhere.”
OIC has been very strategic in how they bring counseling to the nations. Don particularly notes this in his interview by saying, “Our goal is not simply to go in and teach some biblical counseling around the world, but to train trainers in biblical counseling and help develop their own certifying organization. We are there to leave a lasting effect that they can take to teach their own people. Eventually we leave because they have their own tools and training to replicate what we’re doing in their own culture.” This leaves them with a very applicable way to do ministry in their own churches as they train trainers to take this counseling material into other parts of their countries or regions.
While teaching in Paris a number of years ago, Don recounts a story of how he was personally able to see first-hand the fruits of his labor in teaching trainers of counseling. While finishing a seminar from Module One of the CLT program, one of his students raised his hand and asked, “Where did this type of training come from?” As Don further explained, this prompted a time of praise and thanksgiving among the students as they were able to express their gratitude to OIC for bringing them this type of practical training. Many others chimed in saying they had been praying for eight-plus years to find this type of biblical training. All together the class was just praising God that this was such a powerful answer to a long-time prayer. But that wasn’t the end, a year and a half later, one man who had completed the training came up to Don saying, “Thank you for changing my life.”
These moments are very significant and powerful in Don’s life as he watches how God answers the prayers of His people around the world by bringing true and lasting soul care to churches who do not have this readily available. The Lord had been working in the lives of these people long before Don had arrived, cultivating their hearts to long for true and lasting change.
In the very near future, Don hopes to relocate his focus to teaching in East Africa, primarily in Madagascar. This opportunity came about through Don’s local church’s growing interest in this country. His senior pastor has a heart for missions in Madagascar, and he is now excited to be joining them in bringing OIC training to east Africa as they train trainers to take the material into all parts of east Africa. They have already met with church leaders in Madagascar who are excited to start the training to bring this material to other parts of the country. Join in prayer with Don as he embarks on this next phase of mission in east Africa and brings more heart change to new nations.
For those considering joining with OIC in any capacity, notice the practical impact your resources can have in people’s lives in other nations around the world. Don noted two different ways of getting involved. For those considering teaching: the strategy OIC has implemented in equipping trainers to train trainers is passionate and life-changing. This is a wonderful way to do both discipleship and to fulfill the Great Commission, which both requires and inspires a passion for missions and counseling.
For those considering giving: This is a great avenue because OIC is bringing teaching to the local church leaders and others and helping them develop their own certifying and training organizations. We are not there for the long term, we are there with the goal to teach them and leave when the time is appropriate. This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to support what God is doing in local churches around the world.
September 2020 update: Don has recently become the OIC Coordinator for Madagascar and is planning for the first module of the OIC CLT training program to be held in March 2021.
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