Category: missions

lost in translation

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August 16 lost in translation. Sarah and I traveled to two churches this morning. At the first church we just observed and sang. Can I say it again? The singing here is amazing. At the second church I preached. The gentleman that translated for me was a rookie. I suppose we had something in common!? Overall the sermon was communicated without too many verbiage distractions. Interesting I was speaking on commitment. There is no word in the Swahili that can be translated “commitment.” The closest is “standing firm.”

Most people in the Congo can speak 4-5 languages: Swahili, French, tribal languages, and maybe English. I am such a monolingual American. I took 4 years of French in high school. I wish I could remember some of that!? Sarah speaks great Swahili, which is great. Some of Swahili the phrases I have picked up (it is all phonetic so that helps):

Jambo = hello

Habari = how are you?

Bwana Asifiwe = praise the Lord (what else do you need to know?)

Ndyo = yes

Hapana = no

Mungu = God

Muzungu = white guy (I hear this a lot walking in the streets)

kivukutu = hot

asanti = thank you

tokainje = get out of here (mostly for fun during games with the youth)

FYI-We just heard that Kenya Airlines was on strike this week, but praise the Lord they are back to work! We will be boarding a small bus at the Congo/Rwanda boarder Tuesday morning to head to the

August 17 free day. Sarah and I are now finished with all our projects. We headed out for a few meetings with pastors and friends. The rest of the day we saw sights and went to the market. I relaxed. Tomorrow we head to the boarder to catch a bus for a 5 hour ride through the winding Rwandan hillside. Wednesday morning we fly out of Rwanda to Kenya to Amsterdam to NYC to Buffalo where Sarah’s family will pick us up for her brother’s wedding over the weekend. Bon Voyage Congo!!

a congo camp

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August 14-15 A Congo Camp. For two days we are holding a half-day retreat for youth. We have about 20 youth and 20 adult leaders that are attending. This gives the leaders attending our seminars a practical application to what they are learning. Each of the adult leaders has a responsibility: teaching, leading worship, prayer, administrating, cooking, serving, scheduling, leading activities and more. The leaders did an amazing job and took ownership of their responsibilities. On a side note they all love the game HUWA. It is all they want to play!!

We met with a group of the leaders from the seminar that now have a vision to start a camp that travels across the country to churches that could use a camp/retreat as a means to reaching out or growing their youth. It is great to see their passion for God and youth. We walked through the process of beginning such an organization (theological structure, government legalization, and more). My experiences with the ReFUEL Retreats, Shakamak Bible Camp and Checkpoint Bible Camp have proved to be valuable.

seminars

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August 11-13 The seminars begin. And we are off… So we had about 49 people the first day. Many more than we expected. We had a wonderful discussion about the biblical basis of youth ministry and the ground level instructions on how to structure a camp/retreat for youth. It was so wonderful to see such faithful servants passionate about the youth of their country and desiring to learn more about the Truth. Their faith inspires me, their heart of prayer convicts their desire and me for God moves me.

On Wednesday we started our morning with some discouraging news. One of the leaders was given word on the way to the seminar that the soldiers down country killed his brother. He and a few others went to help him prepare shelter for his family coming in from out of town. We prayed for him at the seminar. This is painfully common in the Congo. It set a somber mood for our seminar this day. After each session in the workshop we allow time for questions. They have many good questions. I don’t always have the answers. So I am studying the Bible answer give them adequate answers.

Thursday was our final day of the seminar and we prepared for our retreat for tomorrow and Saturday. Sarah and I are confident that they are going to do a great job. Each of the leaders have a specific role and ownership of the retreat. My translator Rafael has been excellent!! Praise the Lord for all your prayers!

dust

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August 10 Dust. There is dust everywhere here in Bukavu. Since it is dry season the the vehicles and people walking about stirs up clouds of red clay dust. Sarah and I walked through the city markets and streets of Bukavu. We are full of dust. People were selling anything from bait fish to sandals, avacados to palm nuts, leaks to cell phones.

We visited a hospital and visited with Dr. George. He walks with a limp and specializes in pediatics. For the Congo the hospital seemed large and organized because it used to be a private Catholic hospital. We also met Dr. Gila, a Messianic Jew, who works with Moriah Africa an organization that networks churches and hospitals with helpful resources. For lunch I tried some local sombe (rice, greens, palm oil and a side of sardines) and a bottle of Coke. It was satisfying and filling.

We set up a few meetings today with youth leaders from the area. Many of them are headed to our seminars this week. The meetings are times we can discuss the week in the seminars in advance and answer any questions they might have. We were expecting about 15-20 leaders, but it now looks like we will have over 40. This will prove to be logistically challenging, but God has show His faithful. At one meeting we met a pastor by the name of Leonard and his son. Just months ago his village just 3 hours away was burned to the ground, except for their church because it was made of brick. The soldiers told him to leave so he has moved to Bukavu to look for work. He has 6 children and a wife who is expecting. He asked if we would take in some of his children. How would you respond to this proposition. We prayed together that he would trust God to supply His needs for our God is faithful.

going to church

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August 9 Going to Church. This morning we woke up to the sounds of Bukavu: roosters crowing, car horns honking, men whistling, children playing, UN soldiers marching, and motor scooters racing. I took a bath with a bucket of cold water. It was surprisingly refreshing after such long travels. We are staying with Renee, a single missionary who ministers with the deaf and runs a coffee shop next door that employes locals. We had dinner there last night and it was fabulous.

We attended Berean Church (CEEBCO) today. The singing was incredible and unforgettable. Sarah and I presented our ministry (leadership seminar and camp for youth) before the church. They sang a song to welcome us. After the service the elders of the church prayed over us and we had an opportunity to pray over them.

We had lunch with the Lindquist’s our sponsoring family. They had hamburgers covered with Goma cheese and homemade icecream. In the afternoon we headed to a missionary fellowship with people from Food for the Hungry International, Crossworld Press, braodcasting and aggriculture (headed by a Purdue grad), and others. It was an encouraging time of worship, fellowship and devotion from Daniel 7.

getting to the Congo

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August 6-8 Getting to the Congo is no easy feat. Our journey the past few days has taken us through Chicago, Detroit, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Nairobi (Kenya), and Kigali (Rwanda). Once we landed in Kigali we ventured a 6 hour bus trip through the curly roads of the agriculturally patterned hills and jungles of southern Rwanda. The bus dropped us off near the boarder of the Congo where we checked out of Rwanda, crossed a small bridge and entered Bukavu Congo. The immigration building was a small room will a curtain and a man sitting behind a rickety table with a small lined notebook. Once he entered our info into the notebook by hand we were free to enter the country. Much different than the excruciating checks and rechecks of the US Immigration Service.

I wish I could give you a glimpse of the sights, sounds, and smells we have experienced the past few days. It is a lot like camping here in the Congo: electricity is limited, there is little to no water pressure, and a mosquito net to keep the bugs out. There are no tents, rather layers of housing that overlook a massive lake. Bukavu is a city of 600,000 people comprised of locals and war refugees, but that varies because people come and go often. The city has seen better days. 12 years of civil war have taken their toll. The city is alive, but needs the life of Christ.

leavin on a jet plane

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The time has arrived. Tomorrow Sarah and I leave for the Congo. We start out from Chicago and find our way to Africa sometime on Saturday afternoon. It will be a long trek, but a I will be with my wife! We have spent the better part of the last two weeks apart because of ministry camps in Indiana connected to our church.

Here are a few ways you can pray for us the next 3-days:

  • Thursday: rest for the journey
  • Friday: bags protected from theft
  • Saturday: 6-hour bus trip from Rwanda to Congo to be safe.

what is our Congo project?

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Picture 1Imagine living in a country that has been under gorilla-style civil war for the over 12 years. Christian believers have been abandoned of resources. What they had was burned or confiscated, and what they did manage to keep they preserved by bury in the ground. Yet the church is still vibrant and growing. With a few Bibles, hymnbooks, and biblical materials they are continuing to press of for the sake of Christ. They are simply in need of more biblical resources.

August 6-22, Sarah and I will be headed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to lead a Youth Leadership Seminar and help direct a youth ministry retreat. The seminar will be held in Bukavu, Congo for 3-days. We are summoning pastors, youth directors and leaders from around the area to attend. The Seminar is mainly on how to cultivate a biblical basis of ministry and lead an effective outreach through the use of low-cost retreats. Immediately after the seminar we will host the retreat for area youth that will give those who attended the YLS a  practical application to what they had learned from the seminar. Those coming to the seminar will either have to pay a low fee or bring food items.

As you might know Sarah grew up in the Congo for the first 12 years of her childhood. I look forward to going to the land where she has her roots. Her parents were missionaries to the Congo.We will be able to see some of her old friends and partners in the ministry. Be in prayer for the pastors and youth leaders that desire to grow in Christ and have a vision for the youth of their nation. In the picture above are some of those leaders.

God of this city

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Now that we are back in the US of A it is time to do a little of DR08 in L-town. I am challenged to share with our community the good news of Jesus Christ. May God use the E85 FUEL mission team to impact our city.

E85 FUEL, what does it mean? E = evangelism team; 85 = well the only thing I can think of is that we “partying like it were 1985”,  have our sights on the eternal as in “back to the future”, and are cheepy-cheepy like biofuel; FUEL = our student ministries. Quirky, I know.

a prayer of thanks for the DR

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Early Sunday morning we got back into town. We are tired.

I didn’t want to leave the ministry in the Dominican Republic. Personally, I wanted to adopt at least 5 kids from the villages or orphanages we visited. I am so proud of our team for the spiritual initiative and giftedness they pour out on this mission. The fruit was immediate in their lives and ours. God is glorified. May we repeat more of the same here on our home turf.

Father,

thank You for the opportunity to  glorify Your name in the Dominican Republic.

thank You protect us and keep us safe as we flew, during Kiko’s bus driving, and walking around the various villages.

thank You for the strength empowered within us as we did new things in a strange place.

thank You for opening up the floodgates for you glory to shine through us.

thank You for using us as lights of your Sons grace.

thank You for Your love and allowing us to show Your love to the unlovable.

thank You for bring our team together as One.

thank You for using our hands to touch minister to Your orphans, and allowing Your love flow through us.

thank You for spiritual nourishment and immediate fruit the people we feed, clothed and played with in the sugar cane villages.

thank You for the spiritual healing those we sought to nurse in the medical clinic.

thank You for the numerous souls redeemed through our drama “Tired” and Your gospel message.

thank You for being the center of our worship.

thank You for humbling my prideful heart from the joyful poverty of the people we met.

thank You for my new friend Kiko [thank You for rescuing him and giving him a passionate heart]

thank You for creating a beautiful island with beautiful people.

Amen.

a prayer for the DR

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On Friday we leave from Battle Ground Bible Church with 16 team members for the Dominican Republic. We are gearing up for a stretching 10 days of ministry. Here is my prayer for our trip…

Father,

may Your name would be glorified in the Dominican Republic.

may You protect us and keep us safe as we fly, bus, and walk.

may Your strength empower us as we enter a world unknown.

may You open the floodgates for you glory to shine through us.

may You use us as lights of your Sons grace.

may our love be Your love.

may our team be One.

may our hands touch minister to Your orphans, may your love flow through us.

may You spiritual nourish the people we feed in the sugar cane villages.

may you spiritual heal those we seek to nurse.

may souls be redeemed through our drama “Tired”.

may You be the center of our worship.

Amen.

the smoke of a thousand villages

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“I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages – villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in this world.” (Robert Moffat who inspired David Livingstone).

In 1816, Robert Moffat was sent out to South Africa and his fiance Mary Smith followed him 3 years later. After spending a year in Namaqualand, with the chief Afrikaner, whom he converted, Moffat returned to Cape Town in 1819 to marry Mary Smith. She proved to be a remarkable woman and most helpful wife.

In 1820 Moffat and his wife, left the Cape. They had a daughter, Mary Moffat (who was later to marry David Livingstone).

The saying above has inspired many missionaries to take the gospel to unreached people over the years. Today it has become increasingly easy communications and transportation, but  Coca-cola seems to have done a better job at making itself known worldwide than the gospel. I HAVE SEEN, MANY TIMES, THE HOUSE LIGHTS OF MANY HOMES AND CITIES–WITHOUT A MISSIONARY OR VOICE TO SHOW THEM THE WAY TO CHRIST. 

“We have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset in which to win them.” – Robert Moffat

i ♥ church planting

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Church planting is in my blood because it started with His.
 
Christ spilled His blood on the cross so that the church might exist. I heard it said many times, but don’t know where it came from that “The blood of the marytr’s is the seed (growth) of the church.” And it started with the greatest martyr of all, Jesus Christ.
 
If He gave His life so that the church should exist, shouldn’t I make it the purpose of my existence to be passionate about building His church?
 
God’s plan for the world today is the living organism called His Body, the church. God is the beating heart of church, which is pumping blood through the veins of His people.  May we not bypass the opportunity to be a part of His Body. We may seek to destroy the church by clogging its arteries with perversions and sin, but Christ will continue to build His church. How it is awesome to be involved in something that the God of the universe is so passionate about.

Livingstone, I presume

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africa-heart.jpg 

I love Africa. You know you love something when you think about it a lot and want to be there. There is something contagious about the land, the people and the culture. It takes you back to a simpler time when family matters and where wealth is unimportant.

I presume Dr. David Livingstone had this same heart for this beautiful continent.

At the end of 1840, at the age of 27, supported by the London Missionary Society, Livingstone set sail for Africa. On arrival in Cape Town on March 14th 1841, Livingstone made his way by ox-wagon to Dr Moffat’s mission station at Kuruman. While Moffat confined his work to the region around Kuruman, Livingstone felt called to venture north into the unexplored terrain of Central Africa. Isolating himself for several months in a native village many miles from Kuruman, Livingstone sought to speed up his comprehension of the language and customs of the Africans.

He became a doctor and a missionary, and devoted a great amount of his life to exploring Africa and spreading the gospel.  Livingstone was one of the first Europeans to explore the central and southern parts of Africa. He determined that the best way to tell the Africans about Jesus Christ was to move around and see as many people as he could.

He married Dr Moffat’s daughter, Mary in 1845 and she (and later their children) came along with Livingstone on his early explorations. In 1849, he led a group of Europeans across the Kalahari Desert and discovered Lake Ngami. Two years later, he again traveled through the Kalahari with his family. In 1856, he traveled on the Zambezi River, and became the first European to see God’s natural wonder—Victoria Falls. He also became the first European to cross the entire width of southern Africa.

On May 1st 1873, Livingstone was found on his knees by his bedside, having died in prayer. Following with the African beliefs, Livingstone’s heart was buried under a Mvula tree near to the spot where he died; but his body had to be returned to Britain. His body was buried in Westminster Abbey in London on 18th April 1874 which was declared a day of national mourning.