It’s one thing to sit in a room with Africans all from one country, but it’s quite another to sit in one with Africans from ten – Malawi, Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Botswana and Tanzania. And, how did this happen when most of these men have never met each other face to face, even the ones who happen to be from the same country? Only God puts in the heart of man the plans and purposes he has, and sometimes, we are even clued in enough to catch on, “This was not my idea, but God’s!”

Five years ago Roger had an idea to develop an on-line basic training for Disciplemaking Movements and to promote the course via free google advertising to English speaking nations in north African countries. He was immediately flooded with applications. The course contains video lectures, reading materials and practical assignments the students can go out and do in their own villages. Many, if not most of these students, are using their phones to access the course and it has worked well. The first class was held in the summer of 2018. Since then there has been a steady influx of men and women interested and applying to take the course. Currently and for some time there has been a new class starting every month with around 60 students. Of course, not all students complete the course, but the ones who do, are invited into another level of the course and then another and then another. Each level filters the level of interest and commitment to this kind of work.

The men I am sitting with today are some of the results of that course. They have stayed the course, hung in and were then invited to join with others here in Rwanda. Each of them is unique to their country, their culture, their economic situation, their education, but they all have one thing in common. They have experienced the Living God and they are passionate for others to know Him, too. It was nothing less than a privilege to sit and be with them for the past week.

For example, here are a couple of the answers I got when I asked several men why they do what they do. After all, these men make great sacrifices with their time, their resources and often their safety in order to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They spend days away from their families and travel to distant people in the most challenging of circumstances. It’s not easy! So, why do they do it?

Mathias – Tanzania
“It’s a question of being a Christian. I think back over my life and how many times God has cared for me. Remember, my father died when I was young and my mother died when I was 15. Christians were the ones who helped me and my brother survive. My circumstances were very hard. He has shown me his love many times since that time a long time ago. Because of God’s love and compassion, it is my responsibility to obey Him.”

Emmanuel – Uganda/Rwanda/Kenya
“I’ve discovered that it’s my life purpose. I want to live and equip others. That’s why I do what I do. I always pray to God, ‘Please allow me to train and equip just one more person’... in addition to thinking for sure this is my life purpose, honestly, I just want to bring God glory. I’m only here for this one purpose…”

John O – Kenya
“…I can only say that I have this passion for God. It’s the passion that God has for people that motivates me. I can even say it compels me…The situation is that people are lost and suffering great things with no hope. I can only tell you this. It is in my blood to do this. I love doing it. It is what God has asked me to do. Nothing else. Even when I was young, very young, even then I had a mindset to send many people out into missions to help the poor in our communities here in Kenya. There are so many who need our physical and spiritual help. DMM has helped me to do this thing.

Douglas – Uganda
It’s a passion I have for people to know Jesus. Actually, I had a dream a very long time ago. I saw myself in a house with a table with people going up and down getting some things for themselves. When I reached the table, they handed me a key in the shape of Africa. It was a very old key with rust all over it, but you know in my heart I didn’t want that old rusty key, so they told me, “You don’t like it, so give it back.” So, I did. They put a shiny new key in the palm of my hand and told me to take old keys and go and make them shiny. So I left. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the old key was lost broken people. God gave me a passion and I want very much to do what God wants me to do.

Liliane – Burundi
Because I love Jesus and I love people!

Moses – Nigeria
When I was invited to this conference here in Rwanda, in my heart, I said, “At any cost, no matter what it takes, I must get there. This is the way for me to reach Nigeria.”

    

One of our travel joys is hanging out in a room full of African disciple-makers while they tell each other stories of what God is doing in their nations. For example, Bahizi from Burundi was very excited to share with the others what happened with two women who were thieves.

A Muslim woman was invited to join a Discovery Bible Study in her neighborhood with other women. She reluctantly went. There she heard the Bible story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who admitted to taking money fraudulently and then, after encountering Jesus, promised to pay back four times the amount to those he cheated.

As the woman listened to this story, her heart was so torn that she finally blurted out, “I need to say something to the group right now. I have stolen things from my neighbor and I need to give them back.”

The leader of the group said to her, “If you really want to do that, can we go with you? God is doing something wonderful here.”

So together, several women went with the woman to the neighbor. She then explained that she wanted to give back some things that she had stolen.

The second woman then declared, “How can this be? I have never heard of such a thing. How did this happen that you decided to give my things back to me?”

The first woman then told how she had heard the story of Zacchaeus meeting Jesus and how it made her feel. Then and there, the second woman also wanted to hear the story.

Incredibly, after hearing the story, the second woman declared that she also had stolen some things from a neighbor and was now ready to return what she had taken.

As these two women and the others continued to meet together and learn about following Jesus, it was not long before God was at work among many. The current report is that the two women alone have baptized 28 other women since that time.

    

Local disciple-makers and church planters are always looking for ways to increase the capacity for their ministry work. When someone donated five motorbikes to help with transportation in Rwanda, they devised a plan to use these motorbikes well and even reproduce them:

1. Each motorbike is used to help a leader move around to the areas where new groups and churches are being planted.
2. Each motorbike is also used to help generate some income for the church planter and his family.
3. As income is generated, the church planter is to use some of that income to assist another church planter in purchasing another motorbike.

The result? Motorbikes reproducing motorbikes.

Though the plan did not work perfectly, you can see the effort made to take whatever resources are at hand and use them for the greatest good for Kingdom work.

    

Mathias’ expectation for our upcoming meeting gives you an idea of the faith and strategic thinking of these world-changing leaders:

As we gather together next week, I hope to see a transformative experience within myself and for those being trained in the Disciple-Making Movement Conference in Kigali. I envision a deep sense of personal leadership growth and development, where each individual feels empowered and equipped to become effective catalysts for change in their own communities.

For ourselves, I hope to witness a renewed dedication to our own spiritual journeys... I hope that we will open ourselves up to learning, unlearning, and relearning, embracing new insights and perspectives that will challenge and stretch us. May we be eager to grow in humility and vulnerability, understanding that transformation starts from within.

I anticipate a profound impact on those who are coming to be trained. I hope to see a newfound excitement and enthusiasm among them, as they grasp the vision and potential of disciple-making movements. I hope they feel empowered to step out of their comfort zones, equipped with practical tools and strategies to bring about lasting change. May they cultivate a deep understanding of their purpose in life and their role in sharing the love and obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, my hope is that this gathering becomes a pivotal moment for each individual present, a catalyst for personal and collective transformation. Let us come together with open hearts and minds, ready to embrace the journey ahead and inspire one another to be effective disciples who make disciples. Mathias from Tanzania.

Amen and amen! Thank you for traveling and praying with us!

    

Excitement. Anticipation. JOY!

Overflowing tears of happiness come, as I realize that Roger and I get to travel to Africa tomorrow. I can think back to all the many Christmas Eves when my children were small (and even big!) feeling the same restless anticipation, thinking, “I just can’t wait!”

Today, as we fill suitcases with last minute items, I think about who we’ll will see, where we’ll be, and what we’ll be doing, my heart ignites with oh so many emotions. For months there have been lots of feelings stuffed down into the reality that its easier not to feel the sadness of being so far away than to acknowledge it. To be away is painful. I miss the people, the smells, the sights, the different tribal customs and the gentle background of African languages spoken all around me. Most of all I miss the familiarity and comfort of being with people I know and love. Just to think of seeing them tomorrow my heart swells from the pit of my gut bringing tears to my eyes. It’s God’s love. It his love for them, for Africa and for the nations and the thousands and thousands of people who love so much, have so little and give it all in so many, many ways.

So, it’s Africa Eve for us! And, we can hardly wait…to step off the plane and smell Africa, see Africa, touch it, hear it, and embrace it and be embraced in return. My prayer is that you may also be experiencing a “Christmas Eve” of your own today, full of anticipation, hope, and excitement for who you might get to see tomorrow, as well.

    

How things have changed since Brooks and I first traveled to Africa in 2007:

Then - to send an email we would lug our heavy laptops into an internet café of sorts, plug into a rather precarious outlet, and then wait many minutes just for a few emails to slowly come in before getting to reply to our friends and family at home.

Now - not only are we instantly connected with everyone at home via cell phones, but even Africans living and working in the desert can be reached instantly with a call or text. In fact, Zoom is becoming a mainstay in our training process.

Then - an airport that we frequented consisted of a shack for an office and an outhouse “down the road” for a bathroom. Security was a male going through my bag and a female going through Brooks’. Luggage was hand-pulled or dragged out to the plane and then swung up into the luggage pit.

Now - they have a nice cinder block facility with, yes, an indoor washroom, however interesting, and they have a wire enclosed wagon to pull everyone’s luggage out to the plane. There’s even a belt pulling our suitcases through some kind of security system, but, not to worry, the big tall scale is still intact where we have to weigh our luggage to see if there’s an extra charge for being too heavy.

Then - travel was slow, laborious and sometimes scary. Cities were clogged with traffic jams for miles and rural areas had roads that were more potholes than pavement.

Now - well, honestly, not much has changed in this regard!

What has not changed. There is still so much that remains the same continuing to call us to share hope with those who need it.

• Overall, poverty has increased, fueled most recently by the global pandemic. This past year has seen greater hunger, as well as frustration among those who have been most impacted which has led to riots in some cities.
• Oppression and lack of any real hope is as real and dire as the physical poverty.

Yet, along with that, so many great things have not changed:

• The warm African heart of generosity and hospitality remains the same. We are in awe but never surprised by the family who will prepare what little food they have and share it with us as we visit in their home.
• The commitment that African disciple-makers have to share the love and power of the Gospel, at great sacrifice to themselves, in order to bring that needed hope and life change to others.

We look forward to being with many of these leaders and sharing more of their stories with you. They continually express their appreciation for you who facilitate their work through training and resources.

    

I am so often amazed at the apostolic capacity of some of the leaders we work with. John Omondi's network of churches easily exceeds 2,000 which is impressive by any standard.

But that misses the point of who this young man actually is.

This fact was brought home to me as Brooks and I sat with him and his co-leader Josiah in a coffee shop in Nairobi. Somehow a young teenage girl made it into the restaurant to beg for school fees. Restaurants try to discourage this, but she managed to come in and sit in the booth immediately behind John. Soon she was speaking softly in his ear, describing her needs, and he was listening.

Now, you have to understand that in a city like Nairobi you are surrounded by people with needs from children sent out by their parents to beg, to the severely handicapped, to people who are clearly hungry… such conditions are in your face all day long. And, honestly, it is difficult for us westerners to not become a little callous to this constant barrage of human needs.

So, I was very intrigued to watch how this played out with John and Josiah who live in this environment daily as they were being asked for something by yet one more person. I actually thought that, at best, they might hand her a dollar as a way to dismiss her and leave it at that.

I was wrong.

Instead, they gave her their full attention. They read the school material she handed them. And that was only the beginning. They stopped their meeting with these important Americans (us) and told her they wanted to talk to her mother. They wanted to make sure that the need was legitimate and that the mother was, indeed, ill and unable to assist this daughter. So, they called the mom and set up a time later in the day to go see her. Which, in fact, they did! And they then proceeded to help with a gift of 3,000 Kenya shillings and took the time to pray with the family.

It is hard to describe the impact this had on me and how humbled I was by it all. These are busy, productive, fruitful ministers who oversee teams in 30 counties in Kenya. But this one girl in need had their full attention and they gave both time and money to reach out to one family whom God had put in their path.

More than anything else that these men have accomplished, this is what truly speaks to who they are.

John and Josiah (in order):

    

It’s amazing to be back with people we have now a long history and so much love for here in East Africa. There have been many tears and much laughter as we have shared together the things that have been happening over the past three years since we’ve been together. Here are a few snippets of some of the things I heard just today:

“Every time I ask things of my God, I see something happen.”

“I see love all around me and this makes me strong.”

“I’m so sick many times, but I continue to look for persons of peace. I can’t stop.”

“I think God is happy when you are serving people. Jesus said, 'When I was hungry, you gave me food.' For me I found some of these women on the side of the road (prostitutes). I told them the Gospel and they received it very well. After that I gave them some money to start and taught them how to do embroidery. Now they make those beautiful cloths and sell them.”

“I also see children, so many children suffering from hunger and so many other things. I began with two small children to give them milk and food. They really started to grow. Now I do this for many children. The children come to eat. You know for $15, I can feed so many children with some porridge and milk or beans and rice. The children live in the slums, but we bring them to come to eat at my place.”

“I see my husband working for God with a team who loves Jesus so much. I love for them to come to my house. We eat, we sing, we pray; we share our lives together.”

“Every Saturday I invite girls from outside (the city). I invite them to the center to learn computer. They are from 15-25 years in age. For them it is the first time they have ever come to town or to see a computer. These girls are forgotten by everyone. I use computer training to be with these girls. It makes me so happy. I take time to do Discovery Bible Study with them by making small groups with them.”

“I need to remain strong and have courage. I want to continue to listen to God and what He is saying to me today and then move forward.”

“This is a journey of always learning.”

“I am Tutsi and my husband is Tutsi. When my husband goes into those upcountry regions to tell people about Jesus, I have so much fear for his life. Those people (Hutus) have been the enemy of our tribe for generations. It is not safe. But my husband never fears; He wants those people to know the love of God, so he goes.”

“You can’t feed the whole world, but if you can feed just one, I know God is very pleased. Our job is to pray for others to come and help to feed them. If everyone refuses to help one, that is terrible; but if you can help even one, that is wonderful.”

“The most important thing you can give to someone is love. Even when they have nothing, this is still the most important thing you can give them. When they feel someone loves them, then they have hope and they believe God will bring them a solution to their problems.”

    

This personal story was shared wth us just this week by one of the leaders we are meeting with.

Mathias, along with Simon his younger brother, lost both parents by the time they were in high school. Taken in by poor relatives it was almost impossible to find school fees. Mathias started a small business while still in high school by selling cosmetics he bought from town and selling them out in the village areas. He did this to try to keep himself and Simon in school. But it was not enough.

The younger brother, Simon, was getting good marks but could not continue for another year. The funds were simply not there. It was his crying that woke Mathias up.

“Something disturbed my sleep and I realized it was my younger brother crying because he knew he would not be able to start the new school term.”

Mathias, himself, was in his last year of high school hoping to save enough to go on to university. But when he heard his brother crying and asked him what was wrong, he turned to his brother and said, “I promise that you are going to be able to finish school.”

With no other options to fulfill his promise, Mathias made the decision right then and there that he would give up his own education dreams and support Simon’s schooling. So that is what he did! In fact, to this day, over 10 years later he has not returned to school.

Instead, he worked hard and built a small business that began to thrive. He put Simon through high school and then university. After that, Mathias married and had two children supported by his growing business. And today, in addition, he leads one of the strongest emerging movements of disciple-makers that we have seen in a long time. He is an amazing young man. He says today, “my life is so good.” But, when it came down to it, he was willing to sacrifice it all for his brother.

This is the character and commitment of a young man that you invest in with us who is becoming a truly apostolic force in the nation of Tanzania.

    

Three years! We wondered if we’d ever get back to Africa as COVID and the ever-changing information about it spread throughout the world. But, finally, we were able to not only plan for a trip, but with confidence that the time was right, we bought our tickets to come. I felt like a kid going home after being gone for a while. The anticipation and excitement of seeing friends and scenes we have come to love so much grew, I couldn’t help wondering what it was going to be like to be there again.

We flew to London and after some time there, flew the long nine-hour flight onto Nairobi. Finally, finally we landed. As our plane ground to a halt and the cabin door eventually opened, people started piling out the door. No longer were we at LAX or London Heathrow. Here, as before, there were steep metal steps to go down, most of us loaded down with heavy bags and hand luggage. Then, we walked on the tarmac to get onto the already crammed-full buses to take us to the terminal. It was all coming back to us – yes, this is how it’s done at Jomo Kenyatta International (Nairobi). The bus jerked to a stop and we got off the buses and walked the long distance up to the uneven steps going through the double doors into immigration. First, we were greeted by a female officer asking for our Covid documentation, no yellow cards documenting immunizations for yellow fever or diphtheria, just Covid. Yes, we had ours. The building, the people, immediately brought all my sense alive to the familiarity of Africa – the smells, the sights, the sounds. Yes, we’re actually finally here!

Ahead of us were a division of five long lines of other passengers waiting for their turns - Kenyans, East Africans, Residents, E-Visas, Fast Track VIP. All of us were staring at the desks where the immigration officers sat wondering what was taking so long. Our line, of course, was the longest. At last our turn. As we handed over our visas and passports, I couldn’t help but notice the officer at the desk had her blue official uniform on but over it she was wearing a sweatshirt. (I had long since taken mine off in the balmy equatorial 10:00 pm air, but it’s winter here and now goes down to a cool 58 degrees at night.) On the sleeve of her sweatshirt was written “Daddy’s Girl.” I smiled. So Africa! In all her respected authority as an officer who could easily deny entry into Kenya, here she was in a brown hooded sweatshirt that would be worn in the US by a young girl. It was awesome! After our business was completed and I was confident she would let us pass, I said, “I like your sweatshirt – you must be very special.” Her stern face quickly changed into a broad girlish grin and she replied, “Isn’t it just perfect?!” And, yes, it was just perfect…in every way. She kept turning to speak to me as I walked through the gate saying repeatedly, “Karibu (Welcome)!” over and over again. It’s all coming back to me – we’re home, our Africa home – where family is family no matter what or how long it’s been. We are again welcomed into their hearts and into their homes.