A Good Break and Godly Men

After three long days of visiting church plants/clusters, we are now taking a rest day – and what a blessing it is. As many of you know, I know what it is to work a hard day. With years of construction, school schedules, and CIY's 19 hour days last year I have built up some endurance and work ethic. That being said, none of it compares to how tired I've been every day after coming back from a village/town center. Yesterday was especially long. We went to visit a group of churches at a church that was right on the Ugandan border. It was a 3 hour drive over some rather rough roads. We then had a 5 hour meeting, all of which was in Swahili. I'm trying really hard, but after about 3 hours of straight Swahili, my brain starts to go numb and I can't draw enough energy to listen and translate any more. It was a great meeting though. We had representatives from 6 different churches and they were so delighted to have us come visit them. Danny and Mike preached full length sermons to them in Swahili. I gave my introduction in Swahili and then switched to English to give a short devotional thought. I didn't do super well, but it was my first time preaching in a cross-cultural context and there are some things that you just have to learn by making mistakes. I think that I'll do better tomorrow because I know a bit more what actually made sense to them and what didn't. Danny is having me work up to longer sermons over the next few days. It's good to have his guidance through this surprisingly tricky task.

I know I mentioned in brief what a blessing it is to be with Danny's old colleagues, but I want to go into a bit more detail for you about why it is such a gift. These men truly are veterans in mission work. Shawn and Linda Tyler have been in Africa doing mission work for 28 years. They lived in Kitale for 13 years and this is when the 4 couples worked together so much. During that time, the four couples lead the way in planting 125 churches (There are now about 150 because those churches have planted more churches that have planted more churches... so cool! [you must also take into account the fact that a certain number of churches have died due to a number of circumstances]). In this time the 4 couples also started a children's home which is thriving, as well as a number of other working missions projects. After the four couples decided to move to different works, Shawn and Linda moved to Uganda where they have continued in church planting and also have started a theological training center that now has extensions in Kenya and the Sudan. They take church leaders from the various churches and give them the much needed training that they are unable to find elsewhere. I believe they have also started a children's home in Uganda as well as several other physical and spiritual ministries.

Mike Schragge (sp?) moved to Nairobi after several years in Kenya and started the Kenyan branch of Good News Productions (Some of you may know it as the parent company of Media Challenge). He has served as a major player in the international ministry with them and he has traveled more places with them than I can count. He currently calls Joplin, MO his home and is an elder at College Heights Christian Church and is the head of their missions board there. Some of you might remember that he came and spoke on Missions Emphasis Week at BBC this year. He spends a lot of time traveling to churches in America and speaking with their missions boards. He is a great man of God and has incredible insight on how the American church interacts with the rest of the globe.

Kirk Hayes is the third man. I know that he was also involved with Good News Productions for a good amount of time after the team left Kitale. I also believe he was the President of a Christian University in Texas (I think it was Lubuck Christian University). I am not entirely sure what he now does because I have talked with him the least. He has an incredible mind and is continually pointing out how our various actions and interactions are mirroring spiritual realities. All of these men are incredible men of prayer, but Kirk is especially mindful to turn to God in praise and petition fairly consistently. It is such a blessing to be around these men.

Each day we get up and have a prayer time at 7 till 7:45 or so. I then get to go with one of the men and Danny out to a village and learn from them throughout the day. After the day is over, we all come back and have dinner and a debrief time for a few hours in the evening. As we discuss and record (Linda types it all onto a Word Document) the events of the day, the guys are very intentional about pointing theological, missiological, and sociological principles for me. More than that, they are very intentional about pointing out specific and general principles for my life as a Christian and a minister. They have all been in ministry for 25+ years and are getting to see the benefits of longevity. They are constantly pouring into me through advice, encouragement, and prayer. It is such a blessing. This week alone has been worth every dollar that you have given as it will leave a lasting impact on my life.

I ask your continued prayer as I learn from these men and as we continue tomorrow with our village visits. They are definitely pushing me to the very edge. God is definitely teaching me to rely on Him for so much. May our gracious Father pour out such amazing blessings on You as well as we continue in this ministry together.