Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Philippians 1:12-14
I know I haven’t written a blog since Ethiopia, so while we’re here, I’ll give you an update on the past few months!
In Kenya, our squad split into three teams. I was on a team with three girls, in a town called Isiolo, at a ministry named New Dawn African Girl. Among many things, it was a girl’s home, and the first week looked a lot like Ethiopia. Morning devotionals with the girls, followed by VBS, and the evenings we ended with praise, prayer, and a word of encouragement. After a week spent with them, the girls started school, and our ministry shifted to only seeing the girls briefly at night. So during the days, we visited the local schools, stopped in at several churches to worship and share the word, and went to a few feedings in the local tribes.
Kenya was our shortest country yet, with just over three weeks of ministry before all three teams headed down to Mombasa. Our in-person parent trip was cancelled, so as an alternative, we had a virtual call with our parents, and a couple of days to rest before we headed down to the beach town of Diani for our last international debrief.
I realize I haven’t spent a lot of time on what debriefs look like out here. Our leadership from America flies out to meet us in a predetermined city. Our first debrief was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the second in Manila, Philippines, and our final in Diani, Kenya.
In Diani, our houses were right on the beach, we could see the ocean right out our windows, and lived in the water as much as the schedule allowed. We hired a chef to cook all of our meals, and received lots of help from our hosts to make this debrief the easiest yet. We began the week meeting with leadership in our Kenya teams, discussing our time in the country, what went well, what didn’t, and what we’re looking forward to. In all the gaps in our schedule, we had opportunities for one-on-ones with our leadership, trainings, and teachings, and we also went snorkeling on our free day! Our week ended with new team announcements and our ministry locations in Uganda.
So now, we are in Namawojjolo, Uganda, finishing out our race all-squad! Our ministry here has been the best ever! In the mornings, we go door to door evangelizing, and in the afternoons, we host two Bible studies. One at our house, and one on the other side of town at our church! We have experienced the presence and work of God every single day. When we’re out in the mornings, it’s an insane high, like you’re finally doing what you were made to do, fulfilling the great commission. Scripture says the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. And we have definitely seen it! Many people in the community know the name of Jesus, but don’t have a relationship with Him, many are just waiting for an invitation. And we get to sit with them and tell them how awesome He is, how much He loves them, and that He is constantly running after them. We get front row seats to life transformation.
The name of the village, “Namawajollo” means “place of the butterfly”. It is simply marked by beauty. With incredible flowers, deep, rich greens, the most gorgeous birds I have ever seen, and of course, butterflies everywhere. But it’s the people here that really sell it. They are nothing but kindness, hospitality, and warmth. With incredible testimonies, unshakeable faith, and a hunger for more and more of the word. One challenge here in Namawajollo is access to Bibles. At every house we visit, we extend an invitation to our bible study, and offer them a free bible if they attend. In just about two weeks, we handed out over 200 Bibles!
Last week in the bible study my team hosts, we started the book of Philippians. I was going through chapter 1 and verses 12-14 caught my attention:
Paul writes, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
Paul is writing this from prison, and still he is sharing the gospel with the people around him. And Paul’s courage, even in chains, has become a spark that ignites courage in others. Because Paul stood firm in faith, others found confidence to do the same.
I was caught up here during our bible study. What a testimony of encouragement for this community! Courage is contagious.
And we are witnessing it every day. Every day, our gatherings grow. Neighbors inviting neighbors, school students who follow their friends straight from school to our church. Each night their hunger deepens. They are asking harder questions, wrestling honestly, wanting to know Jesus more. And that all takes courage, too!
And when one person steps out in courage, others notice and they follow.
This ministry has been an incredible blessing. Our squad has grown in beautiful ways over the past couple of months. And we have been watching courage grow among us as well. When we all came together at the end of Kenya, it was so sweet to see the fruits of the year displayed in our short time together. Even though we didn’t have a scheduled ministry, every day was filled with new testimonies. Whether it was the boys finding and talking to Mormon missionaries, women at the mall who needed encouragement and prayer, or Bibles being handed out left and right. The few days we had in Mombasa were rich! And it only grew when we headed to Diani. Being tourists on the beach meant a lot of beach traders were waiting for us to buy whatever souvenir they were selling. Unfortunately for their business, we were all unemployed missionaries who lacked an income for a year, and not quite their prime audience. But for us, it meant we could have meaningful conversations about why we were here and what we were doing. It meant hearing their testimonies, asking about their faith, and in a muslim-dominated area, it opened the opportunity for many incredible conversations. We spent the week exchanging stories, sharing our leftover food, handing out Bibles, and praying over our brothers and sisters. We left that week on fire! And here we are in Namawajollo with the same momentum. Evangelizing, loving, and being good neighbors in our community. Every day being encouraged by the stories of where we witnessed God move.
It has been a whole year of watching courage grow and spread. I have seen courage look like saying yes when you are tired, showing up when it is hard, and sharing the love of Christ even when it is uncomfortable. It has been the most beautiful reminder that the gospel keeps moving forward, not through perfect people, but often through the ordinary ones who choose to have the courage to say yes because they’ve seen the goodness of God up close.
It is crazy to share that we only have just 7 days left on the field. We fly to America on November 17 for a short debrief and head home on November 23.
For our last couple of weeks on the field, here are our prayer requests:
- My Team
- One of our teammates flew home three weeks ago after receiving devastating news of his father’s cancer diagnosis. Pray over his family, his heart, and his transition back to home life.
- The Squad
- Health has been a huge challenge here. Pray for rest and restoration.
- For our next steps as we head home, and tackle reentry.
- Two of our squadmates went home a few weeks ago for better healthcare in the States. Pray for their hearts, families, and healed bodies.
- For our Host
- We are very blessed to have three local women living with us, cooking our food, and tending to our home. Pray for new joy and over their young families.
- The Community
- Pray that seeds planted in these communities would multiply and create lasting change
- For new boldness to break out amongst the community.
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