A Flourishing Life

by Carol Lee

“While the gospel never changes, we ourselves must change. We must constantly ask ourselves how we can live more faithfully for Jesus in the unique context in which God has placed us…He said, “I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Jesus wants His disciples insulated but not isolated. He expected His followers to be engaged and involved in human flourishing.” [Eric Mason]

“Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. This work must continue until we are all joined together in what we believe and in what we know about the Son of God. Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection…We will grow to be like Christ in every way. He is the head, and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.” [Ephesians 4:12-16, ERV]

This world is a mess, right? And people and relationships are messy, even in the Church. We all share a sin nature that makes it impossible to discern what is truly good and to do what is truly good–in and of ourselves. Man! We need Someone to help us! Into our mess entered–Jesus–God taking on flesh, God with us in our limitations and misery, our Rescuer, our Savior. He did what only a perfect, infinitely good Person can do–that which we CANNOT do for ourselves. He lived obediently and sinlessly in the will of the Father, loved well, rebuked with truth, healed, taught, encouraged. And then He did what no one could have imagined God would do–He bore (in the humanity of Jesus) his own required punishment for the sin WE brought on ourselves and others, and for the fist-shaking WE aimed at God in rebellion. As an affirmation and exclamation point to the Father’s delight in what Jesus accomplished in His earthly life and death, the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Sitting now at the Father’s right hand, Jesus is interceding for the ongoing work in our lives which is carried out by the Spirit who was sent as Life-giver, Counselor, Teacher, Convict-er of sin, Empower-er, Gift-giver. This is God’s plan for “cleaning up the mess” and creating an environment where His creatures can flourish.

What a travesty it would be then if, as in Jesus’ parable, we buried in the ground this “talent” that was so graciously and freely given to us ! “So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” [2 Corintians 5:20-21, ERV] As Eric Mason says in the above quote, God wants us to be “engaged and involved in human flourishing” and the only way that people can truly flourish is in a reconciled relationship with the One who created us for His purposes and in reconciliation with one another! This is our motivation for being where we are and this truth should fuel every Christian with energy for being ambassadors of reconciliation with those around them–wherever they are!

Below: One-on-one encouragement. Visit to Lodenga in Yumbe District with Rodney and Rosemary McGee and Langworthy’s to strengthen the leaders and congregants in their faith and witness in their community.

Below: Metu Mountain visit to see the work and to give words of encouragement to believers in remote places (Rodney & Rosemary, Jacob, Aaron, Pastor Tobious and others)

RAU’s goals are to work towards flourishing within the Church. We do this by providing times of training for pastors and church leaders (if they have a deep-rooted knowledge and practice of the truth of God’s word, then they can help their congregants to do the same–2 Timothy 2:2) and by spending one-on-one time with those within our sphere of influence who influence others. We continue to give thanks to the Lord for the work HE is doing in the Metu Mountain churches, especially through the leadership of Pastor Tobious and in Yumbe District in partnership with Onduga Charles [please pray for and join us in realizing a RAU-Yumbe Branch for more direct interaction with the people of the Aringa tribe].

Read about the Proposed RAU Yumbe Branch Site: https://reachingafricasunreached.org/new-proposed-rau-yumbe-on-the-ground-branch/

Below: A Saturday evening Bible study on the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ with Aaron Langworthy held weekly at the home of a staffer here at RAU; accompanied by Susan and Steve Blanchard

Below: Some of the building projects progressing. Jacob and Carol’s residence renovation.

Below: Addition of master bedroom for a family home.

In the last five months and the upcoming 3 months, our focus has temporarily shifted to several building projects which will allow other families to join us in the mission and live in established homes. We recognize just how great the task is and how much we need others to join us in it. Already, we have experienced the blessing and benefit of the Langworthy’s being here long-term and the Solomos’s and Reigels jumping onboard for short stints (2-3 months). Having other teammates lightens the load of Jacob and it broadens the impact that RAU can make in our area. We continue to pray for other families to join us long term.

Please join us in praying for the Pryce family as they work towards joining us here in mission!

Below: One of the missionary’s best friends–short-termers with SKILLS!

Below: When Jesus said, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property [and He could have added Papa’s and Grandma’s], for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life” because we have had some of the best Papa’s and Grandma’s come and visit!!

Below: Graduation in Bidi Bidi Refugee camp for leaders who have completed a reading programs of 16 books led by Joshua Abraham Rawi

RAU works towards flourishing by providing church leaders and others with good literature which have been sent throughout Uganda, to (North) Sudanese and South Sudanese in the camps and some to D.R.Congo: Africa Study (ASB) Bibles, ESV Global Study Bibles, ESV Pew Bibles and a variety of theological books that flesh out the scriptures and help them to understand, be inspired by and put into practice what they have absorbed. We are so excited to see the number of leaders (6 different groups of 16-25 people over the last 3 years) within the refugee settlements who are going through 14-16 different books each year with the help of our co-worker and friend, Joshua Abraham from Darfur Sudan, who leads them in that study–RAU’s vision verse of 2 Timothy 2:2 being walked out. It is a blessing to see a reading culture being developed among leaders. Recently, 700 Arabic Bibles in the Van Dyke translation have been offered and available for $8 a piece plus transport. They could be placed in a rented section of a ChristianBook-International Outreach container. Would you consider helping us get these Arabic Bibles into the hands of Christian leaders from the Republic of Sudan, South Sudan, and Ugandan Aringa Sheiks and Imams?

Below: Pictures from Joshua Abraham Rawi, who is faithful to help RAU distribute Bibles and other literature to Sudanese (North and South) leaders in the Refugee settlements and in Uganda and South Sudan

RAU seeks to promote flourishing by providing resources that leaders and community members benefit from physically through clean water, agricultural knowledge, education and medical assistance.

Below: Mango orchard–we should be enjoying some fruit in a few months!

Below: The Gbari/Arapi church building will soon be getting a “face lift” or makeover as materials are being collected for finishing this long-awaited project! Funds have been provided, thanks to many gracious donors!

Below: A new Borehole for Aya Baptist church after the old one had a major breakdown; speaking with local leaders about clean water projects.

Below: Praying for a brother injured in a motorcycle accident and assessing his medical needs; giving a ride to an elderly woman carrying a heavy load; helping young Tiluza Allan get lifesaving heart surgery in Israel.

As a ministry, we look for every opportunity, formal and informal, to be ambassadors, speaking on behalf of God to our neighbors and beloved friends to be reconciled to the Father through Christ Jesus and to extend the invitation of Christ-centered flourishing to the people in surrounding communities. This happens on a daily basis with co-workers, whomever the Lord brings to the campus and whenever we are visiting in the various communities into which we go. Our prayer is that in our lives, words, practices, motivation and worship we would be “engaged and involved in human flourishing“.

Our grateful thanks to all of you who pray, love, give, send, and join us in the greatest mission a Christian can do–that of making Christ known, inviting people into the family and making much of Christ! Thanks, from Jacob and Carol Lee and the RAU Team!

Mission and Vision Statements: https://reachingafricasunreached.org/about/

Our Mission is to reach Africa’s unreached, once-reached, and mis-reached people groups with the glorious Gospel of Jesus by planting Christ exalting churches in their midst. Furthermore, we will endeavor to strengthen local churches and their leaders through careful exposition of the Scriptures in the in the primary (first tier) doctrines of the Christian faith that they may be strengthened to plant churches in nearby villages with no church and unreached peoples in their geographical regions.