"Go, ...and tell the people the full message of this new life." (Acts 5:20). Jesus had already told His disciples that "He would build His church" (Matt 16:18) yet now He was telling them to go and do it. God could have easily written John 3:16 across the night sky with twinkling stars but instead He entrusted this monumental task to us. Our beginning with God in the garden did not finish well and now the future of His plan of salvation once again hangs in the balance just as it did when baby Jesus was carried in the womb of a young, pregnant teenager.
For over 2000 years the flame of God's witness has not been snuffed out though there have been numerous attempts to do so. Those transformed, Spirit emboldened Apostles, all bar one, paid for their faith with their lives and set the pattern for what was to follow. Christians were persecuted and killed and yet the best that the Roman Empire could do did not stamp out their witness. Throughout the intervening centuries the persecution has continued and all the while, Jesus continues to build His church and it is growing rapidly as tens of thousands are added to His Kingdom EVERY DAY.
On Thursday 31st of May, Kwesi and Evelyn returned to Ghana following six months in the US. During that time Kwesi was treated for cancer and also had back surgery on May the 11th to reduce the sciatic pain that was debilitating and restricting his movement.
All of the indicators following his cancer treatment are good and it appears as if his back surgery was also successful although it is still early days. Unfortunately, the cancer treatment he was given in Ghana before going to the US was not good for him—a drug that has not been used in the US for over 15 years.
Kwesi and Evelyn want to thank everyone for their prayer and support over this period. They feel very blessed to have been surrounded by such a faithful and generous team of supporters.
Dependency and sustainability in missions has been a BIG topic for many years so it is very encouraging to see the level of dialogue happening with Sowers and National Boards. Breaking the cycle and changing thinking patterns is never easy or comfortable. Godfrey, in Malawi, studying towards his Masters degree, submitted the following in a paper on Self Reliance.
"To achieve full self-reliance, the church must move from dependence to independence. When it becomes a strong and healthy church, it must move from independence into interdependence. Interdependence is the ability to be fully independent and subsequently able to work side by side with other independent churches."
While this paper was clearly about the Church, the same principals apply to missions. Please pray for us as a mission as we continue this important conversation.
Deo, in Uganda, shared the following. "In March, SOWERS 'took off' in my country! It so happened that four men were sent from the head office to Entebbe, Dokolo and Kaberamaido to teach several L1 seminars. On their return journey they were overwhelmed by many phone calls for invitations for teaching and meeting with Pastors. The invitations came from extreme parts of the country and as far away as Kenya and Sudan with all scrambling equally for the program. You could wonder which senior SOWERS had done it! Surprisingly, all this noble work was done by newly trained L1 SOWERS volunteers. How I pray that God will grant every SOWER with such a zeal; so as to propel him/her to join the race and swiftly pass on the baton."
Emmanuel, writing from Kenya shared, "The new church plant by a SOWERS team from Nakuru is doing well. A lady, who was from another faith background before becoming a Christian, is now a youth leader and active in the church."
Emmanuel, in DR Congo had a Pastor say this to him, "What an explosion of joy has taken place among the trained Level 1 folk because the mission of SOWERS has stirred up the vision of my church that all members be missionaries, knowing and obeying the Word of God and proclaiming the Gospel."
The Bemba Level 2 manual has now been printed and will be used as soon as the Teachers Notes have been updated.
The work continues to grow in Zambia and in the past nine months:
- 322 active teams conducted 1,354 open air meetings
- 45,345 people heard the Gospel and 26,004 were counselled
- 16,647 were followed-up and 8,637 joined existing churches
- 12 new churches were planted
1) Give thanks for the treatment and surgery that Kwesi was able to have in the US. Pray that he would continue to heal and fully recover as he and Evelyn adjust back to Ghana.
2) Pray for safety as Emmanuel, his wife and a deaf pastor from Lubumbashi (DR Congo) travel to Norway this month to attend a Christian conference for those who work with the deaf.
3) Give thanks for the mission wide conversations around dependency and sustainability.
4) Give thanks for the work of the newly trained L1 SOWERS in Uganda. May God increase their zeal and continue to use them in significant ways.