Blessings Overflowing!
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
~Ephesians 3:20-21~
These are the verses which come to my mind as I think back over our first three and half weeks here in Africa. Since July 22nd we have been here at RAU making the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus into a home and place of discipleship. God is blessing and helping us by His grace and with the help of many here and in America! The RAU team,Carol,and I are all very,very grateful!
I have a number of praise reports to give to you! God is good and He is good all the time!
* In our past newsletters we have been updating you on the 1999 Land Cruiser we have been saving up to purchase. When we last wrote we still needed $8,000 to purchase it, ship it to Mombasa Kenya from Japan, drive it to Kampala, pay taxes, and outfit it for the bush. I am happy to report to you these funds have been graciously and lovingly provided. The vehicle has been ordered and we should have it in 6-8 weeks. Currently whenever I need to go to Moyo for supplies it has nearly taken up a half a day as Sam and I have to walk until we can find a boda (motorcycle taxi), do our shopping and then find one for the ride back. This vehicle will not only help us in this way but will also allow us to go out to minister more freely. Praise the Lord for this provision!
*In our last newsletter Carol shared the need of security and the funds necessary for that provision. The Lord, through His people, has graciously granted us the funds to take care of this need for one entire year! Hallelujah!
*We have also been able to do some more work on the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus and grounds because of the gifts of God’s people. PTL! Our goal is to have a place where pastors,evangelists,church leaders, and church planters can come for short discipleship retreats and return to their congregations refreshed, strengthened, and encouraged to plant churches in the unreached villages and people groups in their geographic areas.We also want to be able to graciously host short term mission teams which would come to share their God given gifts with the people. So far three are planning to come before Christmas. With $5,000 more we could be fully operational. There are so many details which, now that we have been on here, have become evident as optimal if we are going to run smoothly.
* The RAU team has planned for a dedication service to be held on May 10th from 9AM to 2PM to give public thanks to our God and King for all that He has done. It will also be a time to thank all those who have helped us in this journey. Pastors from local churches and from churches in South Sudan as well as Kampala will be in attendance; also local, district and federal political leaders will be invited. A meal will be served. The woman from Abraham’s church as well as the women from a church near us will assist in the cooking and serving. There will be time for speeches and also a time of RAU leaders sharing their vision and plans. Abraham is sending invitations to key people, but we have been told that there may be any number of others who want to come and see what is happening! I wish that all our American supporters could be here! In March of 2010, RAU was formed, land was purchased; ground was broken for the building of the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus in August of 2011. Now, two years, later I am writing from an area which was African bush land just two years ago! Our Lord is to be PRAISED!
“Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.”
those who build it labor in vain.”
Psalms 127:1
* We now have over 1,100 Global Study Bibles ready to be shipped out in our container. Our plan is to show pastors, evangelists, church leaders and church planters how to use them during our retreats and outreach conferences. The fruit from these Bibles and other things in the container are immeasurable! Blessed be the Name of the Lord! You can view the list of things which are being put into the container here. The container has a long and arduous trip to get to us.To buy the container, insure it, and ship it from Seguin Texas to RAU is $20,000. A couple is willing match up to $10,000 to get this “ark” to us. Please help if you can. Specifically notate that your donation is to go towards the container costs.
We are here,Lord willing, long term. We strongly believe that an integral part of discipleship is relationship. I have actively been working on that since 2007 but always knew that short term trips were not the answer for us.Relationship involves, not only “quality” time, but also “quantity” time. In this regard Carol and I had our first Ma’di language lesson on the the 1st. Maggie, Pastor Abraham’s wife, is our instructor. Along with lessons we, of course, will have time to practice with others all day long. One of the things which is difficult for me (and there are many ) is the tonality of the Ma’di language. There are no real written helps either. Maggie is hand writing flashcards and copying a few primary school readers for us. There are none to purchase. There is a Ma’di New Testament but the Old Testament has not been translated. Please pray for us in this and becoming familiar with the culture.
Please also pray that the Lord will continue to give grace at those times when we begin to think about our family and friends. Those times are the hardest for both Carol and me.
Pray over the needs, give as the Lord leads. We appreciate all that everyone does in praying, loving, supporting and giving! Thank you!
Pressing on for Jesus!
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Make Disciples…!
The primary goal of Reaching Africa’s Unreached is to come alongside the church in North Uganda, South Sudan, Northeastern D.R. Congo, and Lord willing at some point even regions north of these countries in “making disciples”. I appreciate and concur with Matt Capps’ understanding of discipleship. As J.I. Packer notes:
“Discipleship involves “grounding and growing God’s people in the gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty, and delight”
Pray with us that we will be faithful in “making disciples”!
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Make Disciples…
One of the purposes of Cross is to encourage people to obey Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations, even the most difficult places. However, as we seek to make disciples, we need to be clear on what discipleship is. Eric Geiger’s interview with Matt Capps addresses this very issue.
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Discipleship is such a broad term, often a junk-drawer term that has been used to describe many things. How do you define it?
The term discipleship is somewhat convoluted in today’s church. I’ve seen churches call everything from bible classes, financial courses, theology groups, marriage seminars, and speculative classes on the end times, ‘discipleship’. Certainly, discipleship involves having a biblical understanding of every aspect of life. However, calling everything done under the auspices of the local church ‘discipleship’ is unhelpful at best. When Jesus called the twelve to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe all he commanded them, I doubt he had in mind what most churches call discipleship today. (see Matthew 28:19-20)
The word translated ‘disciple’ in the New Testament communicates the idea of a ‘learner’. A Christian disciple is one who learns the good news of the gospel and applies it to all of life. If you read through all that Jesus commanded the disciples you will find both gospel proclamation and kingdom demonstration. That is, teaching on the Scriptures and application of those teachings. Discipleship should be gospel-centered, word focused, and mission oriented. So, what is discipleship? To use the words of J.I. Packer, discipleship involves “grounding and growing God’s people in the gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty, and delight” (Grounded in the Gospel, 29). Discipleship is the intentional passing on of the biblical faith.
Moreover, disciples are not merely learners but fruit-bearing disciple-makers; they multiply themselves. (Acts 20:26-35; 2 Timothy 2:2) Those who follow Jesus are called and charged to be people who, having themselves learned, now reach out to teach what they have learned. This involves both formal and informal discipleship. Formal discipleship would include bible teaching and doctrinal instruction, what the church once called catechesis. (Jeremiah 6:16; Galatians 6:6) While informal discipleship would be intentional gospel centered encouragement and accountability in more intimate relationships. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
In terms of discipling new believers, what is of chief importance?
A new believer needs to understand the gospel first and foremost. What is the good news, what does it means for me, and why does it matter? And honestly, this process of understanding and applying the gospel will last a lifetime. So, of central importance is grasping the gospel. The initial steps of discipleship with a new believer might be more informal, almost like craftsmanship. It takes time, energy, patience, and skill to walk a new believer through the gospel and its implications, applying it to every area of life.
At the same time, I also think that new believers need to be involved in the formal process of discipleship, again, it used to be called catechesis. While the modern church rarely uses the word catechesis, we often engaged in catechesis training, which is simply doctrinal instruction. This involves spiritual, moral, and theological foundations that can help mature a young believer. Many old Saints from church history have argued that a faithful catechesis was absolutely essential to the healthy continuance of Christ’s church. In pastoral ministry I gave much thought to teaching the essentials of the Christian faith for the maturity of the body. Out of this time of study I developed five courses designed to be taught and discussed in both formal and informal settings.
- Gospel – The gospel in its simplicity and depth.
- Story – The story of redemption of which the gospel is the climax. (Biblical Theology)
- Theology – The doctrines of the faith that conform to the gospel. (Systematic Theology)
- Community – The power in the gospel that flows from our relationship with God and to others. (Ecclesiology and Biblical Counseling)
- Mission – The manner of living that conforms to the truth of the gospel. (Missions, Missional Living, Ethics, and Culture)
These courses charted out with an end goal in mind, as not to perpetuate the continual learner but to train and equip every person for fruitful personal ministry. The end aim of these courses is to fully equip our people with essential theological understanding so that they can minister with discernment within their spheres of influence. I wrote and taught these classes with the new believer in mind. The initial question that set everything into motion was, what are the essential things I want every member of this church to believe and understand? After several semesters of teaching the courses, it was encouraging to see other church members who had completed the courses teaching them alongside me and the other pastors.
When thinking or training on discipleship, what passages are anchor passages for you?
The Apostle Paul charged the leaders in the Ephesian church to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood” (4:12). God has gifted His church with pastors, elders, and leaders with various gifts who are called to equip the church body to do the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11). Notice Paul’s words, equip the saints for ministry.
Too often pastors operate as if they are the only ones capable of ministry. This has been called the professionalization of the ministry. However, it seems that Paul had a different ministry philosophy in mind. I think Michael Green captures this idea in his classic work Evangelism in the Early Church:
“It would be a gross mistake to suppose that the apostles sat down and worked out a plan of campaign: the spread of Christianity was, as we have seen, largely accomplished by informal missionaries, and must have been to a large extent haphazard and spontaneous.”
In other words, ministry was the prerogative of every church member. The ordinary people of the Church saw it as their prerogative. In fact, if one studies church history they will see that Christianity has been supremely a lay movement, spread by informal missionaries. As Green said, “The spontaneous outreach of the total Christian community gave immense [momentum] to the movement from the very outset.”
One of the keys of a multiplying discipleship ministry is intentionality in both informal relationships and formal training structures. All Christians have spiritual gifts that are to be used in ministering to others (1 Cor. 12:7, 11; 1 Pet. 4:10). All training and discipleship should be aimed at these ends, gospel proclamation and kingdom demonstration. In becoming a Christian, each one of us becomes a disciple. As Christians we never stop being disciples. We never reach the point where we no longer require daily discipleship by the gospel word and the gospel community. Moreover, as Christians, we are all called to make disciples
The Ugandan Experience Through Carol’s Eyes
Greetings and love to all of our praying and supporting family and friends!
It is unbelievable and wonderful and somewhat surreal sitting here in our new Uganda home with beautiful views out of the windows on either side of the desk that Nkatta, the carpenter, hand-crafted for Jacob! (It is basically a multilevel shelf that fits into one of the corners of our bedroom.) It has taken us since Tuesday, with the help of carpenters, electricians, and plumbers, to get this house to feel more like home, but it is starting to feel that way.
After a two week stay in Kampala in the gracious care of our dear friends, Patrick and Vickie Bukenya, we were finally able to get the bulk of our preparatory shopping done (some things have to be made from scratch, so it’s not merely a matter of going down to the store, picking something out and then taking it home…I believe Jacob gave you a good description of his comings and goings in Kampala in a previous letter.) We left for Moyo/Aforgi located in northwestern Uganda on the South Sudan border this past Monday. Patrick was kind enough to drive us in his vehicle, which was a great help since we had so much stuff. We also had to hire a small truck to haul the much of what was built and bought in Kampala. It takes a lot to start from scratch. I tell you, these high maintenance missionaries!!
Our trip to Moyo took 12 1/2 hours, though mileage-wise, on US roads, it would only take 4 1/2 hours. It is a colorful ride in many ways!
We left at eight in the morning, but it took us a while just to get out of Kampala with the numerous traffic jam! The roads from Kampala to Gulu were decent, with minor bumps in the road due to construction and resurfacing. Apart from the challenges of driving in Uganda, it was truly a beautiful journey. I was tired but hesitated to sleep for fear that I would miss any of the scenery…lush forests with every kind of tree imaginable, rolling hills (I did not realized Uganda was so hilly), and even some baboons near Karuma Falls who definitely thought they were “king of the road!” To say the least, the landscape was “eye candy!”
Starting at Gulu, a fairly large city, the roads changed as we continued north. They had a reddish hue…no paving, just red dirt…and rocks…and potholes…and people, and bikes and animals! It reminded me so much of India! I don’t imagine that any vehicle can take even a few trips on those roads before a serious overhaul is necessary. There were times that the bumps and jolts were so severe that I was sure the truck would leave parts behind. Little did I know that the worst was yet to come. Our stop at the Nile River and waiting for the ferry was a peaceful interlude before we started our ascent to Moyo,which is situated at the top of a cluster of mountains the size of the Appalachians. Oh my! I believe paving these roads would be a nightmare for any contractor. It was more of an “off roading” experience! Unfortunately, we started our climb up the mountain in the dark (the ferry was late in loading on the opposite side and getting to ours) so I really didn’t get a view of the scenery.
After an hour or so more driving we finally arrived at our new home where Abraham and his wife Margaret were waiting with a meal. I was fighting to hold back tears as we drove in—to see the culmination of so many years of hard work, prayer and partnering in vision and sacrificial giving was very moving!
This week has been a whirlwind of activity as the carpenters, electricians and the plumber have worked tirelessly to get things up and running. Just now the electricians were able to switch us over to solar powered batteries; the lights are on, this computer is running—we have power! In the battery room there is a switch which can allow for us to use either solar or generator power. These guys are geniuses! It is now late and the carpenters,electricians, and Jacob are still at it, trying to finish up before they leave very early tomorrow morning by bus back to Kampala.
This week we have had several important meetings, the first of which was an RAU board meeting laying out the agenda for the next few months. Already, in August, we have an American team making a visit: Jacob’s good friend, Kevin Turner of SWI and some folks he is bringing along. October will be a month of hosting local church leaders for short retreats including teaching, prayer, encouragement, discussion and resources. Ron Zeiner will be coming the last week of October to provide some excellent teaching! In the first week of November, a 3-man team from Tennessee will also be coming through. In the second weekend of August we are planning to host a dedication service to which we will invite local church leaders and also key community leaders to hear about our vision, to celebrate with us, and to dedicate this new facility to the glory of God! September and the first three weeks of October we look to host a number of retreat/teaching times for pastors, evangelists, and church planters. In the middle of November the guys are planning an exploratory trip in the Iterie forest in the northeastern D.R. Congo to the unreached Mubuti Pygmies in the area.
Also, several key meetings have taken place with the Chief of Police at the Moyo District Police Department. Discussions have centered around security concerns which the higher administrative offices have had in having an American presence in the area. It has been an tug of war, emotionally and spiritually speaking—faith versus fear, and wisdom/prudence versus presumption—to have to think about the possibility of danger and to know how far to carry out security plans. At the moment, we have, at the strong pressure from our Ugandan RAU board members, and by necessity per the local police department, hired two armed soldiers to be on guard during the night. The police department will also step up their patrolling of this area.
We wanted to hit the ground running, and to begin to accomplish, in the words of our daughter, Anna, “the meat and potatoes” of why we came here. It has been difficult to get a running start though. If you can imagine a mud pit at the start of the race, and the athlete having to trudge his way through it before he can actually start running—that’s us! For us the “mud pit” is a cultural learning curve, different pace of life, difficulty in accomplishing what, in the States, would be a simple thing—having to build, from the bush up, some place to stay and from which to work. It is an intense struggle just to get up and running! The people that we are acquainted with here are eager for us to succeed because they know this area will greatly benefit by RAU’s presence and services.
As we go forward from here we would like to place before you matters for prayer and also the financial needs we have. We hope you will not grow weary in hearing about them!
Pray:
*for safety! There is no current, major threat, just the normal risks involved in being in this part of the world.
*for comfort in being separated from those we love and all that feels normal.
*for continued vision and passion to press into what the Lord has called us to do.
*for our relationships with local churches, the border guards stationed near us, and the local people—our new neighbors!
*for continued good health. We have been cautious about our drinking water and food, but the mosquitoes are hard to avoid.
Leaving Kampala soon for RAU
Our two weeks here in Kampala have been very busy as we get things to set up the RAU Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus to live in and to host pastors,evangelists and church planters as well as teams from America. The logistics of getting things in this large city is very challenging, to say the least. Most of the time Sam and I travel on Bodas (motorcycle taxis). Patrick has also driven his vehicle for us when we have had to get larger items. These men, as well as Abraham, are such blessings to me, to RAU, and for the advancement of the gospel. It is an honor to work with them! At the end of the long days coming back to our hosts’ home (The Bukenya’s) all sweaty and covered with African red dirt I have had to remind myself that all this going here and there to finish the Guesthouse is not the reason we are here. Our lives, the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus, RAU’s 17 acres, and future facilities are just vessels for the advancement of Christ’s Name where He is not known so people who have no opportunity to hear the gospel would believe and become worshipers of the living God.
We have water in our outside RAU water tank which was filled from our well. This tank has gravity filled our 5,000 liter tank in the Guesthouse attic so we will have running water in the house! I am hoping the water will be warm enough in the attic tank to give us warm showers, if not our showers will be very brief! We are working on getting the remaining fixtures working. We are bringing from Kampala a generator and two 230 watt solar panels with all the equipment needed to electrify the house. We have a central battery room which will feed the rest of the house. The only electricity we will have is from the solar panels and the generator.
For cooking needs we have purchased a two burner gas unit which will run off the LPG tanks we bought. We also have a small refrigerator which will help store a few items as long as we can keep power. Too many things to list have also been bought. We have brought some things in our suitcases but we are pretty much starting from scratch. It reminds me of when Carol and I first were married and were setting up our home. When the container arrives there are things in it as well which will be a great help, such as a wash machine. Carol has already gotten a taste of washing clothes by hand (see attached photo). Once the container leaves Seguin Texas it will take about 60 days to reach us. Great friends from Lifegate and a few other friends will pack it. Pray for it’s safe arrival!
I have been “pinching pennies” the best I can to get as many things as we can with the funds we brought with us. My haggling skills are getting better but are still lacking.. Fortunately, I have had Sam with me. He literally grew up on the streets of Kampala so there is not much that gets past him! Thank you to all who have given and prayed to bring us this far. In the attachments there are pictures taken of the Guesthouse from the same spot. The only difference is one was taken in 2011 and the other just a week ago. The water storage tank used for construction is the only thing which is in both pictures. Praise God for His grace and mercy! Thank you as well!
Please continue to pray and give whatever you can to help us spread the fame of King Jesus. In many ways we we feel everything we are doing is like planting an acorn. An acorn which will grow into a large strong oak tree which will proclaim the gospel and disciple generation after generations until Jesus comes back again. We are here for the long term and together with your support and prayers we look to strengthen the church, help send out church planters to the many unreached people groups in Africa (some have this count at 3,000 unreached people groups in Africa), and as the Lord provides, give medical care and provide education from a Christian worlview for so many without it in the Moyo area. We commit to faithfully use the funds which are given for God’s glory. Thank You!!
We are still lacking the remaining funds to purchase the 1999 Land Cruiser we would use for ministry. Yesterday I picked up Carol’s, Sam’s and my South Sudanese visas. Then Sam and I spent most of the afternoon literally in the shadow of the Mu mar Gaddafi mosque (it is right in the middle of Ramadan season) filling out papers for my Ugandan driver’s license. The mosque is said to be the largest one in East Africa. The calls to prayer were very loud and were an impetus for me to pray for the Muslims around me.
The Lord sent us a “well connected” man who helped us walk through the many bureaucratic hurdles that are set out for a foreigner to get a drivers license. What could have taken many days or even weeks we were able to get accomplished in two or so hours. He knew all the right people to get the needed stamps and signatures. I gladly paid him for all his help! Today I went through a few more lines and was told my Ugandan license will be ready to be picked up in one week. May the Lord provide the right vehicle for the Lord’s work in the rugged terrain in which we will be working.
We are looking, the Lord willing, to travel north to Moyo Monday. We are hiring a truck to haul all our things and we will go in Patrick’s vehicle. We will be very loaded and roads are not good, especially the from Gulu to Moyo which are all dirt. We will have to take a ferry across the Nile River between Adjumini and Moyo.
Thank you for all your prayers and support!
God Bless You!
Jacob Lee
Jacob Lee
“Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men or women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for power equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be the miracle” Phillip Brooks (1835-1893)
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Reaching Africa's Unreached 