Prayer boomerang???

We encouraged and prayed over them and blessed them, praising God for the Spiritual wisdom of their ways and actions. We rejoice together with them as the beliefs that they model within a hostile, pagan environment bring forth much fruit because they are accompanied with the Spirit who is drawing them.

By the time we walked back ‘home’, with LuLu as our night guard and guide, Susan noticed that the pain in her legs was fairly negligible, and the redness of the burn was nearly gone!  She slept peacefully, and while the evidence of broken blisters and discoloration remain as proof of the seriousness of the burn, this morning she was able to dress and feel comfortable again, as usual.

She says it reminds her of the lepers who were healed “as they went.”  (Luke 17:11-14)

She is ready for another full day. We have wonderful worship music playing through the speakers of my computer. God is so wonderful and so worthy of our praise and worship!

Meet Lulu and Margareta, Fellow-Disciples of Jesus Christ

LuLu is a Barabaig "missionary" to his own tribe in the remote bush; Margareta, his wife, is a quiet and timid woman from the Iraqw tribe.

They attended the Discipleship Class in June (see them in the class picture below), and we were happy to meet them again.

We listened for hours to the wonderful stories of God’s grace and power in this lovely ministry couple. Lulu, his mother, and his siblings suffered greatly when they became Christians. His father is a wealthy landowner and powerful witchdoctor who beat them in an attempt to get them to renounce their new faith in God. When he refused, his father went to the courts to legally disown him, his mother, and his 5 younger brothers. He no longer had a home, no longer had access to the field on his father's land (therefore, no food), and no money for anything.

Though Lulu has been a Christian now for a number of years and now has a beautiful family and a stable home in Katesh village, he continues to face persecution as a church-planter and disciple-maker among his tribe, the "unreached" Barabaig people. Lulu and Margareta go together as a couple to the extremely remote Barabaig villages. Though the tribe is very resistant to Christianity's message (viewing it as a religion of the "foreigners"), they become very curious as this Christian couple display a life of love and respect for one another. As their curiosity rises, the people become hungry for the kind of life that is built on love, peace, and joy. The Gospel then may slowly be introduced, and they listen...not because someone came with a direct word, but with a word spoken rather by actions.

Lulu reports that when just five Barabaig become believers, they start a church. These new converts pay a significant price to claim the name of Jesus because their tribe is hostile to new ideas and practices. However, once they have counted the costs and decided to accept Christianity, they are steadfast and will not be dissuaded!  

A Bit of an Accident

Last night we had an odd occurrence, but God proved Himself mighty again. Prior to leaving the house for an evening of fellowship in the home of one couple from our first Discipleship Class, Susan was cooking some chicken to make broth for a meal today.  It was done and needed to cool so we could put it away before leaving. She poured the boiling hot broth into a heavy glass pitcher that would fit in the small refrigerator. As she was just turning away the pitcher burst, its glass pieces falling to the floor and shattering throughout the kitchen.  The hot broth splashed all over her thighs, instantly burning them through her pant legs, with no ability to peel the cloth away to relieve the heat.

I was just walking into the kitchen and jumped into action. Bob also stepped in from outside, and together we began to pray and claim healing over Susan's burns, even as she hurried to her room to remove the hot clothing. We began to treat the burns while continuing to pray. Swelling and blisters began to form, and I went to check our first aid kit for any help we could find. 

Over the next hour we did everything we knew to do and the pain began to reduce.  Susan called upon the Lord to rebuke the enemy who was trying to keep her from the very thing the Lord called us here to do; she declared her allegiance and intention to follow Christ despite the obstacles that would rise up against her.

After resting and treating her burns with medicine for about a half hour, she put on a dress that she could gently hold away from her thigh; we headed out the door, walking down the now-muddy path to the home of our dear fellow-disciples for dinner. 

Throughout the evening the pain continued to reduce! Praise God!

In Tanzania, But Still Traveling

On our travels from Arusha to Katesh, Bayo told us that the rains should be starting within a week or two, and the fields could not be planted until it rains.  As we crossed the plains on our way we saw very few green shrubs, and literally NO living grass, only dried stubble and most places the ground was completely bare, devoid of all life. 

However, just as we arrived in Katesh, literally as we crossed the last mountain before coming to the village, it began to rain. Within 2 weeks it will all be green again!

Farmers are out with their plows now and planting the first of the summer crops!  God is Provider! 

Of course the rains cause electrical power outages, and the first 24 hours we had very intermittent electricity.  But God is gracious, we had power long enough to cool the refrigerator and small freezer to ensure the food we brought from Arusha is preserved and safe. The resident that live nearby are kind enough to bring us water for washing and flushing toilets (yes, we have toilets in this house!), so we are blessed to have all we need for our comfort.

Quick Trip to TZ

God has blessed us with the opportunity to make a quick 6-week trip to the Manyara Region next week!

Surprise!

While this is the quickest trip that we have ever planned, it is also a trip with an itinerary unlike any other trip we have ever planned, as well.

We have been leading conferences for ministry leaders in the Rift Valley of Northern Tanzania since 2008 with the aim of equipping and activating them in their call and gifting for ministry. We have seen such maturity developed. Praise God!

In recognition of their growth and missional advancement and in encouragement of the indigenous leadership that has taken large strides in the past several years, we are now able to turn over the majority of the training events/conferences to them.

Thus, in June 2012, Activation International saw the need for another area of development: teaching them not only to be disciples of Christ. . .but also to follow Jesus' instructions in Matthew 28:18-20,
to go and make disciples of all nations.

The Discipleship Class was very successful. As reports come in about the expansion and spiritual growth in the region, God has been tugging on the hearts of the Activation International Teaching Team, urging us to return briefly to encourage them in the work, to ensure strong and balanced leadership and sound doctrine, and to thwart any infiltration or sabotage from the Enemy. Thus, arrangements are underway for us to meet with each of the members of the Discipleship Class personally in their villages so that we may coach and exhort them in the ministry and work God has entrusted to them.

Please pray with us!

Update from Tanzania!

We heard a wonderful report from a church leader who went through our recent discipleship training in Katesh, Tanzania.

Our dear brother, Paul, is one of two speakers who have presented 3 seminars in August. The open-air seminars have been teaching the Biblical basis of unity, and they are drawing in huge numbers! As of the beginning of September the 3 seminars have seen attendance of 800, 1000, and 1500 people!

Now THAT’S indigenous leadership, empowered to effectively reach the people! Hallelujah!

These gatherings, Paul tells us, will continue through the end of October. This is where you come in. Will you please pray for Paul, Bayo, and the other leaders who are continuing to present this sound Biblical teaching all over the area? Certainly the enemy will not want to see this effective work continue, so they will need our prayers for continued effectiveness, empowerment, and protection.

God has told AIM from the beginning that if we teach the foundational truths He gives to us to the indigenous church leaders, then THEY will become effective change-agents, following HIS leadership to transform their communities and their region. Today, we are seeing that fruit in action! Thank You Jesus for your faithfulness, and your goodness, and your heart and mission to reach every nation, tongue, tribe and people to make disciples, teaching them all you have commanded. 

Peeking in on Choir Practice

Thought you might enjoy a little video of a Katesh Lutheran Church choir practice. They meet each day in the afternoon; and with the use of keyboards and speakers, they have a pretty "modern" Tanzanian choir. Enjoy! (Oh, and make sure your speakers are on! You don't want to miss this!)

Friends & Fellow-Disciples of Christ

What a privilege it was to work with the ministry leaders (4 women and 8 men) of our second Discipleship Training who gained an abiding love for the power of the Word of God, a bond of unity with their brothers and sisters in ministry, and a deeper understanding of BEING a true follower of Jesus. Each departed with a stronger commitment to follow Christ through the process of learning, understanding, doing, and teaching. Yes, the groundwork is laid for the indigenous leadership movement! This has been one of the goals of our work here in Tanzania!

SISTERS?  Susan developed a strong friendship with one dear lady, Neema, a Barabaig evangelist and the chairman of her village. "Neema" is the Swahili word meaning Grace, the name of Susan’s mother, and it truly was a good description of this lovely Christian woman. Though Neema speaks no English, and though Susan speaks no Swahili or Barabaig, they seemed to find ways to communicate. Through a bit of translation help, they laughed together as Neema suggested that she would be Susan’s Tanzanian Mama. . .until Susan explained that she was the elder one, and thus would have to be Neema’s big sister, instead!

Digging for Truth. . .and Lovin' It!

Between sessions their excitement was obvious in broad smiles and animated conversations, as they began to make plans to put into practice what they were learning. They began to organize and discuss their thoughts about simple Bible Study methods in small discipleship groups in their communities and in their churches, and even among other pastors.

Open Bibles and pens in hands! 

Yes, this is a working class, and each of the participants are digging for discernment and understanding. 

This culture lives all of life in community, so working together in small groups was a very productive approach to such an activity. At one of the tables, three men and three women shared equal roles, using tools and easy questions to dig deep for truth.

Opportunity for Creativity

Discipleship Training is a much smaller, more casual atmosphere; and the AIM teaching team utilized the opportunity to be a bit creative.

Our teaching style was much more personal. We were blessed not only to share Biblical truths, but also to share our lives! We all toiled with deep, difficult concepts. We shared life's struggles and prayed together. We united ourselves together to seek God's face. . .and He was found of us!

In the absence of classroom tools like electronics, whiteboards, or even blackboards, we creatively used printed papers (in Ki-Swahili) and tape directly on the wall, creating visual charts that they could recreate in their notes.

These ministry leaders really learned a lot while having fun working in teams, studying the Word, and using new methods to learn to discern the interpretation for themselves. They discovered that they are indeed able to glean deep truth from the Word of God by the Holy Spirit, even though they are usually auditory learners. It was gratifying to see them uncover Biblical treasures.