Leaving Next Week for Rwanda & Uganda

Only one week to go! I am praising Him for your prayers and partnership with me in the upcoming conferences. Covid caused a major upheaval but technology was the bridge to continue teaching. Nothing compares with seeing the physical faces of those the Father loves, the living letters Christ has inscribed:

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 ² You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. ³ And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

The Lord has answered your prayers by raising up a team of three: Dave Forbes from Christ Covenant Church in Knoxville and Barry Ogle (ELI staff) from the Atlanta area. Both of these brothers are experienced in international ministry and the Lord will use their giftedness to bless 40 pastors from both areas of Rwanda/DRC.

I will be teaching with two teams over a three week period. The first two weeks will be with Dave then Barry will join us in Rwanda on the second week.

The new course will focus on "Relationships." As mentioned in the last report, this is most appropriate in light of the genocide. We taught a CCI on the relationship of God in His Sovereign control and purpose through suffering. That was a painful study for the pastors but it brought biblical understanding into the loss of one million people severed from families and neighborhoods. Now the focus will be upon healing and perspective involving ongoing issues of all kinds engaging community, work and family. I am anticipating a dramatic response to the biblical perspective which will be presented.

The Lord also opened up an amazing opportunity through Merle Stoltzfus and Brick Lane Community Church to begin training at Good Shephered's Fold in Jinja, Uganda. This has been in the works for a long time, but has intensified over the last several months. In the past, I have taught with teams over three conferences at GSF which matured into the current development.

The Lord has accomplished a partnership vision with GSF designed to invest in the pastors by beginning Certified Course Instructor training through 12 courses over the next two years. The goal is to produce chosen pastors who will change churches and in turn also train their peer pastors in the region of Jinja and Lake Victoria.

The Father has brought together a team of four in the USA: Merle Stoltzfus (Board Member with GSF) from Elverson, PA, Landon Rowland from Boston, MA, and Barry Ogle, ELI staff person from the Atlanta area along with myself, Joel McCall.

An additional blessing has been provided through a donation from Crossway Publishers. We are taking a total of 7 boxes of books divided up to Rwanda and Uganda. Each box included a pastor's library of outstanding books for ministry. Most pastors lack the reading and study resources, this is a hand-picked wealth of materials that will bless them in many unexpected ways. Praise God for this provision.