Container News Contained Below! By Carol Lee

“It is estimated that by the middle of this century, the number of professing Christians in Africa will be around 600–700 million. All these Christians will need to be in churches, under well-trained church leaders and pastors. Ninety percent of the people who are currently functioning as pastors are untrained. If our churches are truly forward-looking, they ought to be preparing for this windfall by putting in time and money to train these future leaders. This is not the time to claim that we do not have money. Pastoral training is not an optional extra. It is an essential part of every church’s ministry if it is to participate responsibly in the Great Commission that Jesus left with the church.” ~~Conrad Mbewe in “Ten Things You Should Know About the African Church”

The above exhortation is exactly the vision and passion of RAU and what guided the birth of this ministry. When the response to the shared Gospel was considerable and yet there were no pastors to care for those who professed faith in Christ, in Jacob’s heart a plan germinated for pastoral training in areas where formal seminary training is non-existent or beyond financial means. The heart of RAU’s ministry is to come alongside the work that God is doing in the West Nile region and beyond and build up pastors in their faith, scriptural knowledge and pastoral care. This has been the impetus for bringing Study Bibles and other literature for distribution.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

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The single most important resource that can be placed into the hands of leaders in the church in Uganda and other neighboring countries is the Bible. A good study Bible is preferable. Since Jacob’s initial push of ministry in the West Nile region of Uganda, approximately 9,000 ESV Global Study Bibles have already been distributed and also around 2500 Aringa New Testaments, several hundred Ma’di New Testaments, 5,000 Small print NAS (New American Standard) Bibles primarily to students (these were a gift from another ministry given to RAU for dissemination), Arabic Study Bibles and other Arabic Bibles. These Bibles have been chiefly for church leaders, but have also been given to community leaders, teachers as well as Sheikhs and Imams (anyone who may have influence over others). As the stock of Bibles dwindled, Jacob knew that effort must be put into getting another container of them here.

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2020 was the year of rallying funds for the enormous goal of purchasing a special printing of 20,000 ESV Global Study Bibles to be delivered to RAU’s campus. This colossal goal was achieved, thanks to so many who gave generously and to those who trumpeted the need! 2021 is the year for making the special delivery of Bibles a reality–by the grace of God! Once the funding goal was reached, Jacob went into immediate action to notify his contacts so that the special printing with Crossway Books could be set in motion. As of now, printing has begun and, depending on circumstances, the Bibles should arrive Lord willing sometime in September.

Recently, Crossway Publishers posted an interview in their online magazine on RAU. The article entitled “Gospel-Centered Partnership: Distributing Books and Bibles in Africa” provides a history of RAU’s vision and mission. Crossway has been a great partner with Reaching Africa’s Unreached in fleshing out our mission in walking out 2 Timothy 2:2.

Below are the encouraging comments of some recipients of the ESV Global Study Bible regarding their treasured gifts: “I am thankful to God that I am one of those who benefited by getting the ESV Global Study Bible from RAU. I never had the opportunity to go to a theological seminary but with the help of the ESV Global Study Bible, I am able to understand what I usually struggled to understand. With the help of the ESV Global Study Bible, it has become very easy to get other scripture references which relate to a given topic. This has now made it easy to prepare topical biblical teachings. The extra information from the ESV Global Study Bible helps me to understand God’s Word much better than before and I am able to do Bible exposition without much challenges. Another benefit from the ESV Global Study Bible is that it has a daily study guide and this helps me to study the Word of God almost daily. May God bless those who contributed to get the ESV Study Bibles to us.” ~~Mr. G. Michael, a teacher

“I would like to appreciate my brother Jacob for thinking about us and for giving us the numerous books more especially the ESV Global Study Bible. Since I don’t know English well, I so much read my study Bible in Arabic. This is the first ever Bible that I got. The good thing I got from this study Bible is that it gives details which even our Qur’an doesn’t give us. For example I was reading about Abraham and the sacrifice story. The Biblical story is given into details and more information is given in the study notes. Secondly I was able to read stories about Noah, David and Jesus and the ESV Global Study Bible notes gives more information and it is therefore easy to understand the Biblical stories since there is extra information.” ~~A Sheikh who received a Bible among other resources

“The ESV Global Study Bible is a great blessing to me. As a preacher of God’s word, there are times I am called to share within a short period of time where there’s not enough time for preparing the sermon. So the ESV Global Study Bible helps me to prepare my sermon easily and am always there where they call me.” ~~Evangelist/Missions Pastor Onduga Charles, Yumbe

“1-The language is very clear and understandable, 2-The commentary is very excellent and clear, 3- the introduction of the books is wonderful; it makes easy for us to study the Bible book by book and to develop more topical studies and biblical messages. This is one of the best study Bible I ever used and many other Church leaders are testifying the same.” ~~Pastor Joshua Abraham, Sudan (Refugee in Uganda). Joshua has been one of our main facilitators in getting the ESV Global Study Bible, Arabic Study Bible, and books in English and Arabic into the nearby refugee settlements to leaders and those in training as well as to leaders living in both South and North Sudan.

He [Jesus] replied, “What is impossible for mere humans is possible for God.” Luke 18:27

We are incredibly grateful for everyone of you who prays, gives, encourages, and heralds with us the BEST NEWS we could ever receive:

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ” John 1: 9-16

 Stay tuned for updates on the completion of the printing and the delivery of Bibles! May the Lord grant sight and eternal life to many through His eternal Word!

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“There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after you.” (A. Judson 1788-1850) 

Wit love and godly affection,

Jacob and Carol Lee

Tax deductible charitable donations may be made via PayPal or check.  PayPal also has a way to make recurring monthly gifts. Recurring monthly gifts are very helpful to the ministry. To do so, please click on the PayPal link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All gifts given through PayPal and by check are tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization.  If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate/RAU Bibles, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.

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Go to RAU’s Facebook page for up to date reports, pictures, musings, and exhortations: www.facebook.com/ReachingAfricasUnreached  

RAU YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRmHafoBSemE7jS8kEHCG6Q/videos 

RAU’s Mission and Vision Statements/Statement of Faith: https://reachingafricasunreached.org/about/

The greatest evil is having the gospel and not doing everything within our power to get it to those who do not have it!

Sowing seeds of love and kindness should not be separated from preaching the gospel of sovereign grace but completely intertwined with it!

When at least 35% of the world; “the unoccupied fields”, have no access to the gospel, we (believers) must all do all we can to reach them. We who are saved owe the gospel to every lost person, most especially the 2.4 billion who will not hear unless someone breaks into their “unoccupied field” with no thought of their own life!
Sowing seeds of love and kindness should not be separated from preaching the gospel of sovereign grace but completely intertwined with it! 

I am sure that none of us will say when in heaven that we prayed too much, we sacrificed too much, proclaimed the gospel too much, and were too passionate to get the gospel to those who have little to no access to this gospel of grace. Let us together press on to make it our  ambition to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named! 

Our goal in our gospel witness is to take our eyes off the “risk” and place them on the cause for the risk. When God compels us like this he often will not tell us the risks…after all there are no risks for the all-knowing, all-powerful God. So let us be AMBITIOUS (Romans 15:20) to see that ALL are reached with the gospel of grace (Romans 1:16) in ALL places…there are no closed doors to the gospel, just some which are more difficult to go through! 

Jacob Lee