Pastor Philipo and his head elder Danford both attended our
Discipleship Class in June. They felt the training they received was a breath
of fresh air, encouragement not to give up or lose heart. They have been called by God for a purpose. When they follow Jesus their Rabbi, He will make their pathway
clear.
We sat over lunch with them, and though the language barrier
was a bit difficult at the beginning, within just a few minutes we all got used
to the rhythm of conversation and started to enjoy ourselves. The aim of our
visit, however, was more than just small talk. As we began to talk about the
struggles and the successes within the church, it became clear that our visit
was very timely. Discouragement had begun to nag at them.
The ministry is very difficult. When Philipo was sent to
Katesh to start a church years ago, God had given him a very strong ministry
vision in a dream; however, as time has gone on, he was beginning to doubt
because despite his efforts and his faithfulness, thing just weren't
"panning out."
For the next hour and a half, we prayed together and coached
them through some of the struggles.
- · The spirit of unity between Philipo and Danford bound them firmly together. Both of them are committed to working together and holding each other up.
- · God renewed His vision for this church, and refreshed them with more clarity.
- · Both leaders understand the next steps to take in the growth and development.
We were delighted to see the faithfulness of the Lord as he
has led these men to make an impact in their community. Clearly, the Lord has been leading them, both
through His Word and through dreams and visions. He has a clear plan. And
though He has been leading them and their church through a period of tearing
down old foundations built on wood, hay and stubble, they are poised and ready
to build something new, based instead on the unchanging foundational truth of
the Covenant of God.
As we left, they expressed their deep gratitude to us for
coming, but more importantly their thanks to God for encouraging and building
HIS church.
