Two used empty containers have just arrived from Kampala!
Good News Friends!
God has graciously given us connections with Crossway Global Ministry and Christianbook International Outreach CIO in America. These both have played a part in our getting 20,861ESV Global Study Bible last year . We have been giving them to Bible Schools and Bible Training Centers (both formal and informal) throughout our West Nile of Uganda, the nearby refugee resettlement camps for both South and North Sudanese. We also have been sending them to teaching centers in both South Sudan and the Republic of (North) Sudan. Since the new war in the Republic of (North) Sudan, we have only been able to get them into the Nuba Mountain and Blue Nile States..
Currently we have 20,000 softcover ESV Bibles, 500 ESV Church Pew Bibles, and 500 Concise Study Bibleson their way to RAU. We just recently received 1000 Story of Redemption Bibles and a good number of hardback ESV Bibles. Along with all of these, we have received, through CIO, many thousands of good Christian books, specifically for church leaders. One of the means for RAU to walk out 2 Timothy 2:2 is by ensuring that every church leader has a Bible; if they can read English or Arabic, we do our best to put in their hands a good study Bible. By God’s grace, since 2013, RAU has received around 30,000 ESV Global Study Bibles, many Arabic Study Bibles and some local language Bibles. In much of Uganda, as well as among Sudanese, English is known and read because of educational systems whose primary learning mode is English.
Used at RAU in our training modules
Very recent photo from Republic of (North) Sudan
Recent Youth Conference in Yumbe
With these connections and the increasing demand for both Bibles and good Christian literature, we see the Lord setting us in a position to be a distribution center for resources. It has been estimated that our specific Sub-Saharan geographical location has one of the fastest growing numbers of believers in the world! This calling is definitely God ordained!
In my own life, one the greatest means God has used to grow me in Christ is through reading the writings of godly men and women, many of whom have been dead for many years. One of the gifts God gives to the church is teachers. In my opinion, the person who believes that just “me and my bible is enough” is someone who doesn’t recognize his own limitations or appreciate what the Bible has to say in Romans and Corinthians about the Body of Christ. Praise God for the universal Body of Christ with various gifts that God has given to build up his church! We believe that Ugandan and Sudanese church leaders (and others) deserve the opportunity to access good Christian literature.
We are seeking to use these two old 40-foot containers from Kampala at RAU to expand storage space for these materials and keep them free from the elements and the many rats in our area. I estimate the cost to be $20,000+- to set them and cover them properly. If we have money left over we commit to use it to buy local language bibles.
If you or your church or organization could help us with setting up a resource center, it would be greatly appreciated! By helping, you would be taking part in strengthening one of the areas of the world upon which the Lord is pouring out his Spirit and rapidly growing His church. The need is great for mature church leaders. Current estimates concerning church leaders in our area are that 90-97 percent have received little to no formal biblical training. Please help us change that!
“The printed page is a missionary that can go anywhere and do so at minimum cost. It enters closed lands and reaches all strata of society. It does not grow weary. It needs no furlough. It lives longer than any missionary. It never gets ill. It penetrates through the mind to the heart and conscience. It has and is producing results everywhere. It has often lain dormant yet retained its life and bloomed years later.” Missionary Samuel Marinus Zwemer ( 1867– 1952).
PRAISES:
1) We had a great day in Yumbe at the Youth Conference held at Pilgrim Church in Yumbe town. Co-worker, Onduga Charles, and his team have done a wonderful job of bringing youth from all over the district. The joy of the Lord filled the church with over 300 youth…one would never know from our time with them that the Aringa tribe is still listed as an unreached people group. Carol, Micaiah, and I taught eager learners. Most received ESV Global Study Bibles (we did not bring enough), booklet/tract packs , and the Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship “Message of Hope” in both English and Aringa. We closed the day with open air preaching in nearby Kuru which is a very strong Muslim center. The Youth sang their hearts out and I preached the gospel from a top the Land Cruiser with Charles passionately interpreting. What joyful time we all had proclaiming the glorious gospel….life does not get any better!
Some of the songs sung at the Youth Conference
2) Vivian (Jovia) is recovering well from surgery for macrodactyly on her left foot (unusually large toes).
3) The receiving of 100 “The Mission Ball” footballs (soccer balls) from the Garden Church Youth Group. These are great tools for gospel outreach. Thank you Garden Church!
Testimony of some Muslim young men receiving a “Mission Ball”
4) We praise God for sending Micaiah McClymont to us for 5 weeks to share our lives, ministry and knowledge. She has refreshed us with her joyful spirit, willingness to learn, ask questions, and share her wisdom. Micaiah has been outgoing in serving, sharing the Gospel, encouraging other believers and working hard at whatever is put before her. Our prayer is that the Lord would guide her into all the good plans He has prepared in advance for her to do.
We love you and pray for you, our beloved family and friends and supporters!
What we do now in the Lord and for Him will echo throughout eternity for His praise and honor….all else is dust in the wind!
“It is our conviction that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and we have been entrusted to proclaim it passionately and rightly. Our dependence is upon the Holy Spirit for the power to preach, teach, live and endure all things for the sake of the elect. (1 Timothy 2:10). As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives so that the Gospel will be preached to all. As ones who are confident in God’s sovereignty and passionate for His glory we seek to reach the many that have never heard of the Savior and His work of reconciliation. We understand that this work cannot be accomplished in our own strength but only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The means He uses in His people are cross-centered living, sacrificial and loving service, Bible-soaked preaching/teaching, fervent intercessory prayer, and Christ-likeness.” (From Reaching Africa’s Unreached Mission & Vision Statement)
Checks also may be written out to “RAU” and sent to our secretary Beth and she will deposit them into RAU’s account : Lifegate-RAU, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin, TX. 78155
I pray that, in 2024, you who are reading this would find your joy and strength in the LORD who is faithful. Would you intercede on our behalf in this way for Carol and me as well as the ministry of Reaching Africa’s Unreached?
On a personal note, I pray that I see the primacy of my walk centered on worship, prayer and the reading of God’s Word. May that be your heart, too!
I am finding this a great partnership: The Navigator 2024 reading plan with the Africa Study Bible (ASB). The Ugandan fresh-roasted coffee in a San Antonio, Texas cup is icing on the cake.
Truths I purpose to move forward with in 2024:
I need to be willing to make sacrifices to find true fulfillment. (Matthew 16:25)
I must consider the commitment involved in serving him. (Luke 14:25–33)
Success isn’t always what we expect, and laying the groundwork is just as important as tending and shaping. (1 Corinthians 3:6–9)
Temporary suffering is nothing compared to the ultimate rewards. (2 Corinthians 4:17–18)
God’s word always fulfills its purpose. (Isaiah 55:11)
I am certain that God sends believers to share the Gospel with non-believers (Romans 8:28). I aim by God’s grace to become more like Jesus , who was the “Prince of Preachers“, and to help others find faith in Jesus! Let’s support each other in this!
May this conviction remain mine as a missionary throughout 2024: “I rejoice in the many great individual missionaries throughout history. Praise God for their work, but I often wonder if an unhealthy perspective has been promoted when it comes to missions, emphasis being placed on individuals and not the local church. THE CORRECT EMPHASIS, I believe, needs to be upon the local church…the way to storm the gates of hell is through the local church and not individualism! I believe Satan trembles far more at a local church being on fire to reach the unreached than an individual, a couple, or a para-church mission organization!“
“The Great Commission is an invitation not just to individuals but to local churches…The Gospel+ Commissioned Individuals+ Local Churches=World Evangelization.” (Emphasis mine)
We were happy to have Pastor Jason Van Bemmel and Bob Brown with us from Jan 2nd-12th. Their sons, Jeremy Van Bemmel and Caleb Brown, also came. Jason is the lead pastor at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church (PCA), which has been a long time loving supporter of Reaching Africa’s Unreached for which we are so grateful. We thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Caleb and Jeremiah. These young men threw themselves into all the opportunities put before them–from hard labor in the hot sun, to participating in the training, greeting the attendees, playing frisbee, mingling with the crowd in Yumbe, trying new foods and more! They are both fine young men and a testament of fruitfulness to their parents.
Jason, Jeremiah, Bob, and Caleb were so kind to put their personal items in their carry on luggage and bring supplies in their stowed luggage. These items included resource materials as well as things like Ford tractor and lawn mower parts and much more. They really surprised us with one item…see below!!
Wow! Local made Maryland Ice Cream! Carol and I really do miss well made ice cream. Beth Van Bemmel, Jason’s wife, also sent a good portion of her homemade, irresistibly delicious and addictive “Christmas Bark“!
We had at RAU 71 church leaders in the Hall of Tyrannus January 3rd-10th from the West Nile Uganda, and from Refugee Settlements in Uganda (from both South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan). Many languages and tribes were represented. Sixty-one of the men slept at RAU. Our RAU crew did a stellar job feeding and caring for them. Carol and Zorah handled registration and made sure each attendee received their resource bags. Carol cared for the men throughout their stay advising on health issues and getting medicines for those that had received instructions from the nearby clinic on what was needed. Zorah also kept attendance and certificates were given out on the last day of the training.
The bulk of the time was spent studying homiletics (preaching) and ecclesiology (the church). Our first half day was spent working through R.C Sproul’s excellent small book, Saved from What?. I believe it to be of prime importance that in each module the gospel is front and center. We cannot think about the “gospel” too much and it is not something that simply “gets us in the door” or from which we “move on“! Jason and Bob are both excellent teachers! They also put together helpful outlines of each lesson which church leaders can also use to teach others. Throughout each lesson, the ESV Global Study Bible is what we used together. At the start of every session we worshiped through songs and hymns. As Jason said, “one of the best ways to teach congregations beautiful and transforming truth is through song.” Each morning we had an excellent devotional with Bob Brown.
We ended our 7-day training with preaching practicum breakout sessions, for Ma’di, Aringa, and Arabic-speaking groups with team leaders. Each leader attending had to pick out one of five different texts using the handout below which was created by Jason. They preached in their local tongue to their group. Team leaders were assigned by me to critique the 20-25 minute messages using Jason’s handout as a guide.
A few days after the training, one of the young leaders wrote this message to us: “I’m really very grateful for the training. I have learned a lot. May the Lord Almighty bless you and the people who gave us the training in Jesus name, men. Pastoral preaching is the book that has really impressed me.”
SD cards full of materials were given out to each attendee by Pastor Jason Van Bemmel
On January 10 &11th, we (Carol and I, Marylanders, Jason Van Bemmel and son Jeremiah, Bob Brown and son Caleb, Ugandan co-workers Henry and Mindra) traveled to a village in Yumbe district (95%+ Muslim population) for evangelism in partnership with Pilgrim’s church and the local church members of Ambelechu. We were in a village trading center on a market day. Many received Aringa-English Dual language gospel tracts as well as the Gospel of John. We had open air preaching from a top the Land Cruiser, which is my most favorite preaching spot. Long time friend, Pastor Jason, and I both preached, Jason from John 10 and I from Mark 2:1-12. For many years, Jason has been eagerly anticipating such an opportunity. This was his sixth trip to RAU and Bob’s fifth. Onduga Charles, RAU’s Aringa co-worker, as always, was on AS HE interpreted for both of us! Not sure how his voice held out–he preaches with such energy. For a bit, it looked as if technical difficulties would block the Jesus film from being shown but, in the end, all went well–many heads working together! Charles estimates that there were around 2,000 people there watching and listening to the video!
They will listen!!
“And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved” (Acts 28:24). How does Paul respond? Paul, the defendant, delivers a verdict. He tells them their rejection actually fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy (Acts 28:25–27). Then he says, “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen” (Acts 28:28). They will listen. …” ( Paul Billings: They Will Listen: Evangelistic Confidence in a Cynical Age )
Many came forward processing faith, saying they had never heard such a clear explanation of the Gospel. In these evangelism events we always seek to work hand in hand with local churches. In Yumbe, it is with Onduga Charles and his team from Pilgrim Church. On a side note, when it comes to baptisms, I do not baptize but insist that local leaders do so. RAU is here to work with and along side local churches in evangelism, discipleship and church planting.
The incredible Youth Group from Pilgrim’s church in Yumbe loves to serve, sing, pray and dance! They certainly drew the crowd at Ambelechu market! Some served by setting up/running sound, others by passing out the Gospel of John and RAU’s dual language tracts, and some by praying and worshiping joyfully.
We left Yumbe early Friday morning (Jan. 12th) to make sure our Maryland friends could make their MAF flight from Moyo to Kanjansi which is near Entebbe.
For some time now, we have been looking for a way to help a young lady with a troublesome physical defect. Please keep young Jovia in prayer as she was taken to Entebbe to CoRSU hospital for reconstructive surgery. She has macrodactyly on her left foot (unusually large toes). This problem has made it difficult for her to walk, wear shoes and it has caused her the grief of being teased at school and home. Her home is in the Metu Mountains where RAU has been working since 2010. Some wonderful donors have contributed for her to get surgery. The reconstructive surgery has been successful and she has been discharged. Praise God! She will use crutches for the next two weeks until she has a review. Please pray for a full recovery without complication. Thanks to all who contributed toward her surgery and the cost of travel, lodging and food! We really appreciate Nurse John Bosco who traveled with the young girl and family member for the initial review and, then, for the surgery. Whether here or in the USA, it’s always best to have an advocate who can help navigate processes and speak on behalf of the patient.
Back home and getting her dressing removed for review of the healing process. Looking good! She will go back to CoRSU at the end of January for the specialists to see how she is progressing and if further work will be done.
We are in the midst of the dry/hot season which typically lasts from mid December through March. During this time there is very little to no rain and strong, dry winds from the north blow through carrying a lot dust from the Sahara and ash from all the bush burning. It is the time for our drip irrigation to be set up in our demo box gardens from which we all eat. We are also adding cow manure to the soil. The drip irrigation units are our from agricultural partner Missionary Agricultural Resource Services(M.A.R.S.) which has supported RAU since 2013. We also have been hard at work making water channels in our demo mango orchard. RAU currently has nearly 1000 grafted mangoes. The RAU land slopes and during the heavy, monsoon-like rainy season the erosion has been a problem we work on each year. The newest plot of land with the young mangoes suffers the most. Lord willing, the channels we are making will carry our water out to the bush effectively, helping to protect the soil on the demo farm.
We just offloaded 216 boxes for RAU from Christianbook International Outreach (CIO). We are so grateful for our partnership with CIO! The boxes contain Bibles and books to strengthen the Ugandan and Sudanese church. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!
As seen above, one of the means for RAU to walk out 2 Timothy 2:2 is by ensuring that every church leader has a Bible; if they can read English or Arabic, we do our best to put in their hands a good study Bible. By God’s grace, since 2013, we have received at RAU around 30,000 ESV Global Study Bibles, many Arabic Study Bibles and some local language Bibles. On the way are 20,000 ESV Bibles, 500 ESV Pew Bibles, and 500 Concise Study Bibles. In the boxes above we received many Story of Redemption Bibles…PTL! All the study Bibles are set aside for leaders. I am very happy about the ESV Bibles coming which we can also give out to church members. In much of Uganda, as well as many Sudanese, English is known and read because of education being done in English.
The quote below highlights one of the reasons we want to get good Christian literature to hands of church leaders:
“The printed page is a missionary that can go anywhere and do so at minimum cost. It enters closed lands and reaches all strata of society. It does not grow weary. It needs no furlough. It lives longer than any missionary. It never gets ill. It penetrates through the mind to the heart and conscience. It has and is producing results everywhere. It has often lain dormant yet retained its life and bloomed years later.” Missionary Samuel Marinus Zwemer ( 1867– 1952).
For me, one the greatest means God has used to grow me in Christ is by reading the writings of godly men and women, many who have been dead for many years. One of the gifts God gives to the church are teachers. In my opinion, the person who believes that just “me and my bible is enough” is someone who doesn’t recognize his own limitations or appreciate what the Bible has to say in Romans and Corinthians about the Body of Christ. Praise God for the universal Body of Christ with various gifts that God has given to build up his church! We believe that Ugandan and Sudanese church leaders (and others) deserve the opportunity to access good Christian literature.
Since 2013 we have receive over 20,000 books (English and Arabic) for leaders. The above books were given in our recent training: ESV Global Study Bible, Evangelism and Sovereignty of God by JI Packer , Saved From What? by RC Sproul, Measure of a Man Gene Getz, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever, God’s Design for the Church: A Guide for African Pastors and Ministry Leaders and Pastoral Preaching by Conrad Mbewe, Expositional Preaching by David Helm and teacher outlines and notes.
God has graciously given us connections with book publishers and distributors in America as well as Bible Schools and Bible Training Centers, both formal and informal, throughout West Nile Uganda and in nearby refugee resettlement camps (South Sudan, and the Republic of Sudan). I would encourage you to look at the various short videos on my YouTube channel highlighting some of these places and opportunities. https://www.youtube.com/@jacoblee2082/videos
With these connections and the increasing demand for both Bibles and good Christian literature, we see the Lord setting us in a position to be a distribution center for resources. Our specific geographical location for this calling is definitely God ordained! I am seeking to get two used 40-foot containers from Kampala here to RAU for expanded space to store these materials and keep them free from the elements and the many rats in our area. To purchase the containers, load them, transport them from Kampala northward to us (the last part of journey is on dirt roads), off-load them, make a slab to set them on and put a protective roof over them, will cost RAU at least $20,000.
If you, your church or organization could help us with that, it would be greatly appreciated. By helping, you would be a part of strengthening one of the areas of the world upon which the Lord is pouring out his Spirit and rapidly growing His church. The need is great for mature church leaders. Current estimates for church leaders in our area are that 90-97 percent have received little to no biblical training. Please help us change that.RAU Donation page: https://reachingafricasunreached.org/donations/
Below, in the first picture with stakes, is where the two containers would be set. The other pictures are of the current containers and the spaces in which they sit. We currently have four and one has been absorbed into the home Carol and I are living in.
A privilege which Carol and I cherish is to invite and host other mission-minded, Gospel-ignited people to whom we can pass on wisdom gleaned (what to do, what NOT to do, how to find the Grit to Stay, Grace to Go) on the mission field. Such is the blessing of having Micaiah McClymont here for the next 5 weeks. The Lord has impassioned her to live a life of cross-cultural, Gospel service and she is going to great lengths to find the place and venue in which to do that. What a joy to have her here, to find mutual encouragement in Gospel focus, and to serve the Lord together with her, if even for a short time. Micaiah is an RN, an avid reader and language learner, an others-minded, ready-to-get-her-hands-dirty-in-service, Jesus follower. We greatly look forward to these coming weeks with her.
Future plans and items for prayer:
1) On Wednesday January 24th, Carol, Micaiah McClymond , and I will be the the speakers at the Pilgrim Church’s Youth Conference. It is a district-wide conference and our Aringa co-worker, Onduga Charles, is expecting 250-300 Youth, Later in the day, we head to a nearby Yumbe town to do one-on-one evangelism with Aringa-English Dual language tracts. Later, I will preach from a top of the Land Cruiser for open air preaching, and, when it’s dark we will show the “Jesus” film in Aringa. Pray for ongoing discipleship and evangelism outreaches in Yumbe District, Obongi town, the rural Metu Mountains, throughout Moyo District, and through our co-workers in the nearby refugee resettlement camps.
2) Pray for Micaiah who is here through ABWE’s Short term Mission’s program. Pray the Lord would continue to fill her heart with passion for the nations and that the Lord would grant her wisdom and direction where to walk out that passion.
4) Praise the Lord! An anonymous donor gave RAU funds to do a second dental outreach in the Hall of Tyrannus with Hope Smiles Jinja. Last October the Hope Smiles team of 12 saw 487 patients, did 243 Deep cleanings, 56 Simple cleanings, 323 Restorations and 425 Extractions. Each person received Madi-English or Aringa-English dual language gospel tracts which they could read while waiting to be seen. Some received Bibles as well as books in Arabic (Sudanese who came from across the South Sudan border which is 2 kilometers away).
5) We are continuing to work on getting an Uganda FM radio license so that we can establish a strong Christ-centered radio station on the RAU campus. Pray for wisdom and the favor of God as we work through the many details.
6) Pray for 21,000 bibles on their way to RAU. Pray for the funding for setting up of two more containers as RAU seeks to be a distribution center for Bibles and Christian books. I wrote more about that above.
We love you and pray for you, our beloved family and friends and supporters!
What we do now in the Lord and for Him will echo throughout eternity for His praise and honor….all else is dust in the wind!
“It is our conviction that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and we have been entrusted to proclaim it passionately and rightly. Our dependence is upon the Holy Spirit for the power to preach, teach, live and endure all things for the sake of the elect. (1 Timothy 2:10). As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives so that the Gospel will be preached to all. As ones who are confident in God’s sovereignty and passionate for His glory we seek to reach the many that have never heard of the Savior and His work of reconciliation. We understand that this work cannot be accomplished in our own strength but only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The means He uses in His people are cross-centered living, sacrificial and loving service, Bible-soaked preaching/teaching, fervent intercessory prayer, and Christ-likeness.” (From Reaching Africa’s Unreached Mission & Vision Statement)
Checks also may be written out to “RAU” and sent to our secretary Beth and she will deposit them into RAU’s account : Lifegate-RAU, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin, TX. 78155
This morning, Jacob and I were praying together–fervently–for the two families who are “chomping at the bit” to get over here and join the RAU team long term: The Langworthy’s and the Pryce’s. My prayer went something like this: “Lord!! Please move on behalf of the Langworthy’s and Pryce’s. Lord, you see them, ready to move, ready to uproot–for two years now they have been trying to meet their budget. Lord, You ask us in your word to pray that the Lord of the harvest would thrust forth laborers. They have answered your call! Please move in the hearts of your peopleto sendthem so that they can come over and help!”
During that prayer, a fire was lit in my heart to write down some ideas relating to the desperate need for long term (10 years or more) team members on the mission field. Through the years we have prayed earnestly–with tears, even– that the Lord would thrust forth laborers into THIS field where long-term, cross-cultural laborers are few. WE NEED THEM!
First, and simply stated, Jacob and I are aging–Jacob is 68 and I am 63 (well, 64 in March) and we need others to come alongside of us, glean from what we have learned and continue the work so that it does not end with us and so that the desired goal of true discipleship and transformation happens. We are integrally involved in the ministry itself, as well as responsible for raising the finances to keep the ministry functioning. Our realistic concern is this: if we are not around, who will stand in the gap as intercessors for this ministry–financially as well as for the on-the-ground activity happening in the various arenas–theological training for healthy churches, discipleship, Demo Farm, medical/dental outreach?
The need for discipleship and mentorship goes beyond the reach of Modular Theological training. Once Pastors have received training on any given aspect of pastoral knowledge and responsibility, who will walk alongside them to help them sort through the application of that knowledge in their given circumstances, to pray with and counsel them as they lead their flocks, to help them discern biblical culture vs. societal culture so that dangerous syncretism doesn’t derail the health and growth of the Church, or so that pastors don’t grow discouraged in the ministry? This requires manpower and presence, time and consistency. The need for this kind of care is great: RAU has several regions where direct investment has been made in the discipleship of leaders in local churches: the Metu Mountains, Obongi, Yumbe and Moyo Districts, some nearby Refugee Resettlement Camps, as well as resources to church leaders in South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan. This is beyond the scope of one or two people and requires more hands on deck for the long-haul.
Our concern for the global Church (America included) is that it would be healthy and flourishing in truth and life (See Colossians 1:28). Thankfully, Jesus is the Cornerstone AND the Builder of His Church; BUT He also gave gifts to the Body of Christ.
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
(Ephesians 4: 11-13, NLT)
RAU’s mission and vision is to stand with the national church (as a para church organization), ensuring that the church here has the materials to flourish in the Lord. In the USA, we take for granted the resources, opportunities and organizations that Pastors and lay people alike have at their disposal for being strengthened in faith and equipped for every good work. Such blessings do not exist everywhere and it is the responsibility of the blessed to share what they have. The global church can and should work together and learning can and should be mutual.
Long-term benefits are acquired by long-term presence.Theological foundations are important because they are the rock upon which a spiritual building is constructed–the foundation determines the stability of the building. So, it matters very much what foundation is laid in fledgling churches. This is not something that a short term ministry can accomplish with a few visits a year. Just as the Apostle Paul spent time with new church plants, he also went back through to visit church plants along his journey to ensure they were standing firm in the faith, so it is vital for teachers to ensure that scriptural truth is accurately conveyed, preserved AND lived out. In the Epistles, we see Paul, Peter, James and John encouraging–YES–but also teaching and correcting error in doctrine and practice. A study of Church History makes it plain that, aside from Jesus’ promise to build His Church, the tenets of Christianity would not have stood unless faithful people had contended for them against much opposition and false teaching. Such contending in RAU’s context requires a theologically informed, consistent presence, sensitivity toward culture and strong relationships to nurture maturity in churches that can withstand cultural and spiritually destructive forces. This is the work of long term cross cultural missions.
Lastly and personally, we have experienced hardships related to NOT having long term team members with whom we can share burdens, mutual encouragement, work load, vision, laughter, prayer and fellowship in a cross-cultural setting. Teams can nurture longevity and endurance. We want to continue working while we have strength–and FINISH well.
As of right now, THERE ARE ENOUGH RESOURCES in the American church to fund many more long term Go-ers.Yet often, missionaries are discouraged at the growing length of time it takes to meet their budgets and give them the “green light” to go. We have two families who are eager to join us. They are ready to uproot and go– with their children. Yet, even after 2 years, they are not close to their goals and they had hoped to be here by now. They are not the only ones in this difficult position.
This is the question which lit the fire in my heart and spurred me to do some reading–and the reading produced some interesting facts/statistics.
Long-term (or career) missionaries have to compete with a host of other programs in which the churches are involved. In general, in America, an average of about 6% of a church’s budget goes to international missions whereas, for example, in some Korean churches, 50-70% of the budget may go toward sending missionaries (some of whom we have met here in Uganda). With such an imbalance in priority in our vastly more wealthy American churches it’s no wonder that missionaries struggle to find willing sending partners.
There is another contributing factor. In an article by John David Smith, the following numbers were eye-opening:
• Including domestic trips, over two million people in the U.S. go on STM (Short term Mission) trips every year. • Estimates are that around 3.44 billion dollars (that is no typo) are spent each year on STM trips. • From 1996 until 2005, STM participation increased 218 percent, while long-term missionary numbers increased by 7 percent.
Don Fanning, in his article about Missions trends, poses this: “The question remains: has the depletion of available funds for missions by STMs [Short Term Missions] reduced the available funds for supporting career missionaries?” Fanning quotes Robert Priest to make his point.
“What if …[the] cure for the funding problem faced by career missions — more STM… is actually a cause of the funding problem, part of the very reason it now takes so much longer for a career missionary to raise support.” In any given church the financial support base for missions is fragile. When church groups discovered that they could appeal to this spirit of missions giving for STM, with the innate sympathy of their own young people becoming a “missionary,” even if for a week, the motivation to give this discretionary mission giving easily was siphoned off to a STM project, leaving little or none for a long-term career missionary candidate (Priest, 2006, p. 438).
The emphasis is not to cancel Short Term Missions (STM). Donein partnershipwith Long-term Missions (with on-the-ground partners) STM teams can be very impactful as explained in the previously quoted BMA article by John David Smith (and RAU has been the grateful recipient of some wonderful STM teams):
When done correctly, the STM trip will help foster a lifelong commitment to the mission of God. This may translate into full-time missionary service; it may not. It should create an undying commitment to making God’s name known no matter what one’s specific role or location may be. If this is the motive for the STM trip, it will set the stage for missionary participation from that point forward.
STM help very ethnocentric people become more others-oriented. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s home culture is superior to all other cultures. A short visit to the mission field can certainly help open our eyes to the fact that it really isn’t all about us—and that is a good thing.
An STM trip can go a long way in helping to equip people for future ministry. Once again this depends on the motive, purpose, and outcome of the trips taken.
Many long-term missionaries give testimony to the fact that a STM team was instrumental in God leading them to their place of service on the mission field. Exposure to the work of missions can and should be a life-changer.
STM trips can go a long way in helping to equip people for future ministry.
I would also add that, when done well, STM teams can be a great support and encouragement as an underscore to what the missionaries are doing on the ground. Jacob and I have personally experienced this many times. Teams bring valuable resources along with them, not just materially but spiritually. Their presence on the field declares to the sending church and to the missionary and to the world: “What you are doing is worthy of our support and participationand we want to encourage you in itby using our gifts to help!!“
However, concerning the trend in STM, John David Smith writes: “”In 2010, for the first time, American churches spent more money on STM than they spent supporting full-time missionaries (and it continues today).What a tragedy!” In correction of this trend he recommends a different paradigm for missionary support: an 80/20 ratio—80% of the missions budget for long-term missionaries and no more than 20% for short-term missions activity.
Ultimately, the Church’s mandate of the Great Commission is about making disciples not just converts. This, by definition, is a long term goal which cannot be accomplished by short term ministry (though such a ministry can effectively support the goal). Both Jacob and I would be grieved and disappointed if the fruit of our labor did not match our Savior’s call for transformed disciples. One article (from Missio Nexus) reports, “Some studies suggest that missionaries typically reach their season of greatest fruitfulness when they’ve been on the field for seven years, but the typical missionary serves a shorter time than that.”
To support the Langworthy’s (Left) and Pryce’s (Right) please follow the links in blue!!
“Effectiveness in ministry is always linked to time. Most gospel endeavors do not experience immediate success. As ministers of the Gospel imbed themselves incarnation-ally into a culture to live out and proclaim the gospel, change gradually happens. Eyes are opened, and lives are changed. But to go from small-scale change to large-scale multiplying movement usually takes ten years or more. Unfortunately, most missionaries don’t make it to the five-year mark, much less ten, twenty, or thirty. If we want to see a renewed era of gospel expansion, we must first figure out how to send missionaries well and keep them there.”
I began this article with a sincere and urgent prayer to the Lord; but just as passionately I would also like to express our heartfelt desire to all you who read our newsletters and stand with us in many ways. This is not a plea for more money, but rather a request for re-prioritizing something of ultimate importance. Jacob and I have experienced the faithfulness of God in providing for this ministry through you all. We ask you, as church members and church leaders, to consider more prayerfully this priority of sending long term missionaries in greater number and with greater urgency. We don’t understand why, in God’s providence, He has not answered our prayer–yet! We see the answer “waiting in the wings” but its fulfillment in our story seems too long in coming. We pray that the Holy Spirit will use these words to stir His people’s hearts, minds and wills. God is sovereign, YES, but God also uses human agents to achieve His ends. Can the Lord answer our many fervent prayers for help? Can He use the offering of this article to do that stirring?
We love you and pray for you, our beloved family and friends and supporters!
What we do now in the Lord and for Him will echo throughout eternity for His praise and honor….all else is dust in the wind!
“It is our conviction that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and we have been entrusted to proclaim it passionately and rightly. Our dependence is upon the Holy Spirit for the power to preach, teach, live and endure all things for the sake of the elect. (1 Timothy 2:10). As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives so that the Gospel will be preached to all. As ones who are confident in God’s sovereignty and passionate for His glory we seek to reach the many that have never heard of the Savior and His work of reconciliation. We understand that this work cannot be accomplished in our own strength but only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The means He uses in His people are cross-centered living, sacrificial and loving service, Bible-soaked preaching/teaching, fervent intercessory prayer, and Christ-likeness.” (From Reaching Africa’s Unreached Mission & Vision Statement)
Checks also may be written out to “RAU” and sent to our secretary Beth and she will deposit them into RAU’s account : Lifegate-RAU, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin, TX. 78155
Reaching Africa's Unreached 