Proverbs 25:25 “Finally hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.”
GOOD NEWS! We’re FINALLY back on our blog after a looooooooooooooooog silence. Thank you for your patience. We hope you enjoy this GOOD NEWS from the ministry God has given us here in D.R. Congo and more specifically, at CCFDZ (Camp and Center for Discipleship at Zulu).
The most recent news is (drum roll): We JUST finished the 3 week “pilot seminar” for a program to train representatives from all over the CEUM (Congo Covenant Church) how to disciple others using a Lingala translation of Rev. Jerry & Nancy Reed’s “Discipleship Encounters” manual. This push for discipleship comes from the combined vision of Tim and Rev. Mboka, president of the CEUM. Pres. Mboka hopes to have discipleship happening in every one of the 1,800 CEUM churches by the time he finishes his 2nd term in 2020.
This pilot seminar went well ~ Praise God! We’d invited about 52 people, 36 from the ‘pool’ of regions around Gemena where the CEUM headquarters are located, plus 16 people from all over the CEUM who are already disciplers (4 whom Tim has discipled). The 16 disciplers learned to use the manual AND how to lead the other seminars in 6 other church regional pools.
Of the 36 invited from the Gemena pool only 16 came. Although we’d hoped for a better turnout, we found that the smaller numbers enabled us to get real quality time working and learning with each other. The 1st week’s focus was on examining our personal walk with and commitment to Christ. Through Bible study, prayer and fasting the Holy Spirit worked powerfully to convict several of their need to surrender their lives to Christ as Lord and not just Savior.
Galen Johnson, fellow Covenant missionary now with Wycliffe’s Seed Company, blessed us over one weekend with a visit and shared the vision and success of Bible Story presentation to oral cultures.
The 2nd and 3rd weeks consisted of going through the Reeds’ 10 lessons together and then sharing what they learned while visiting folks in the 4 villages close to the Camp Center where there are CEUM churches. It was thrilling to hear the stories of physical and spiritual healing that took place as the seminar attendees stepped out in faith and implemented what they had learned. To God be ALL the glory!
Thank you for your faithful prayers for us and for those God brings into our lives. It’s such an honor to serve Him with you ‘by our side’. We’re so blessed to see His transforming power at work!
Thank you for your prayers for our health and protection. One of the 2 seminar guests who stayed in our home went out early one morning and encountered a 5 ft. snake by the front door. He was able to ‘dispatch’ it right away with a shovel we keep by the door.
Galen Visits
Prayer Over the Disciples
A Happy Group
