Mapping It Out

Interesting India

2012-01-07T17:13:00.003-06:00

I apologize for not communicating sooner. Our hotel is under construction and the wi-fi is not very dependable. There are 4 floors in the hotel with rooms and most only have one room per floor that is useable. The rooms are nice but the hallways, etc. are all in one state or another of demolition or remodel. Our team is scattered out over all the floors, using the only useable rooms. We are the only guests at this time.

The conference is going well. We have close to 300 people we are teaching. It is such a blessing to work with them. We start early in the morning and go steady until dinner time around 6 pm. There is preaching in the morning, then we split up and present seminars all afternoon. After dinner the team goes back to the hotel and I stay and work with the master trainers and leaders preparing them for the major training effort we are planning to begin in June. These men, about 25 in all, are an absolute delight to work with, very motivated and sharp. I get back to the hotel about 10 pm so it makes for a long day.

There have been a couple of interesting developments as we have gone through the week. Because there are so many people a large tent was constructed outside to accommodate everyone for the preaching and for seminar space in the afternoons. Just across the road, about 100 feet away, a major rail line runs through the city. There are probably 60 to 70 trains that go by every day. It can get a little noisy. One afternoon when I was conducting a seminar in the tent, about 12 trains went by in the 3 hours. They blow their horn right as they pass to move people off the tracks ahead. In addition, we have about 100 kids from the slums at the conference and they meet across the yard in another tent. They can be a bit noisy as well so it makes for an interesting teaching time.

The city is doing major work on the sewer lines around the training center so the road is all torn up. During the day they make slow progress digging a trench and laying sewer pipe. After the workers leave for the day all the squatters who have makeshift houses along the road dig their own lines and hook up water and sewer to their homes. You wonder how any of it works. Yesterday, somehow related to all that work, the sewer backed up and water ran all under the tent making it unusable. We had to move everyone inside the center, cramming all 300 into a relatively small space. It was cozy with many sitting on the floor, but no one complained as they sat through three sermons with one half hour break. A few even had little kids with them and they did fine as well.

I really enjoy the ride home at night in a three wheeled motorcycle taxi. The exquisite chaos of the Indian traffic never ceases to amaze me. There are many more vehicles on the road than anywhere I have ever been. Thousands of taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, cars, trucks, buses, people on foot, camel drawn carts, etc., etc. And that is not mentioning the many dogs and cows as well. There are only about two stop lights in this area and everyone ignores one of them. Still all in all the traffic moves very efficiently, more so than in America. There are no traffic jams and few short delays. I cannot explain it but it is a wonderment.

I have only two more days here now. I will try to update you again as I am able. Thanks for your prayers.

Al

2012 Trip to India

2012-01-02T16:00:00.000-06:00

I arrived in Mumbai, India last night at 11:30 pm and went to bed around 1 am. Then I was up at 6:30 am to fly on to Ahmedabad for the next week. I will be preaching at their annual pastors conference twice on Luke 18 and 19, giving a two part seminar on the nature of man and working with the leaders and master trainers in the evenings to prepare them for the beginning of our training program in June. Pastors from all over India will begin arriving tomorrow, as well as the team from Valley Church in Des Moines, IA. Pray for us that this will be a productive and encouraging time for the pastors here.

Al

2011-12-08T20:18:00.001-06:00

This was the third day of training. On Monday, only half of the students were there to start. Several came later, two came the next day and one more today. We must work with them on the importance of coming at the beginning and staying throughout the meetings. One didn’t show up today and no one knew why.

On Monday, the training went well although the students had not done their pre-assignments mostly because they did not receive them in time. It is difficult to distribute the assignments when no one has mail service or email. We will try to give out the assignments for the next training at the end of this one.

It is quite hot and humid here and the students lose their ability to think well by mid afternoon. We have had to adjust the schedule to present more interactive materials in the afternoon and thinking materials in the mornings. This is par for the course in cross cultural training, always adjusting to the circumstance. We covered the topic of world views on Monday and Tuesday and it was a real struggle for them to understand the concept but I think we finally got through.

Today, Wednesday, was especially frustrating. Several factors contributed. Our main translator brings her 2 year old boy with her and he is a typical 2 year old. He runs all over, gets into the markers, books, notebooks, etc., and cries, pushes chairs around, etc. all during the teaching. At times she nurses him during translation. It really is a challenge all in all. Today lunch was two hours late, throwing the schedule all off. We couldn’t find the marker so the students took forever to write out their presentations. In general there seemed to be a lot of confusion and their work was disappointing. I think it is partially a warfare issue so we talked and prayed together about that. It is really a pleasure to have Eric my partner to talk to and to strategize with. Our Kenyan leaders also are very helpful. In the end, after a very hot and frustrating day, I think we accomplished a lot in the last session. We are cancelling one topic tomorrow and adding a new exercise to help with an area they are struggling with. I trust the Lord to help us make progress tomorrow and Friday. Thanks for helping us in your prayers as we battle for God’s purposes here.

Sunday in Kenya

2011-12-05T09:59:00.012-06:00

Saturday was a quiet, restful day for me and was much appreciated. I enjoy getting here a couple of days early so I can adjust to the 9 hour time change before going to work. On Sunday morning, I traveled about a half hour to a local country church for services. It is always a joy to worship with the believers here. They are so open in their worship. I estimated that there were well over 100 people in the small building with over half of them young children. The service started around 10 am and we had singing, praise, prayer and more of the same for over an hour. Then small “choirs” as they call them, sang special numbers, starting with the little kids first and working up to the young people and finally the adult women. That took another hour. Then I preached with translation for about 40 minutes and the pastor added on to the end his own comments for another 15 minutes or so. Then, they had announcements and some more singing for another half hour. We finished around 1:30 pm. That takes some stamina. I was very impressed with the fact that many of the younger children, 8 to 10 year olds, were still paying very close attention to the end. Obviously their attention span is much greater than that of our children. I am forced to wonder if television and video is one of the main culprits in this difference.

On the way home, after dinner under the mango tree, I rode back to the highway on a motorcycle. Then I hitched a ride with two guys in a small truck back to town. They asked if I was a pastor, since I was carrying my bible. They said one was a Christian and one a Muslim and that they worked together in this small business they had. Life continues to be interesting on the road.

The pictures are of the church building, the inside before the service, during the service while a children’s choir was singing, and the pastor’s wife counseling a woman before the service.

Thanks for your continued prayers,

Al

Arrived Safely in Kenya

2011-12-03T13:15:00.002-06:00

Thankfully, I arrived at my guest house in Kenya just after 2 am local time, around 11 pm Central time. Only 34 hours from Des Moines this time. I got about an hour of rest from Detroit to Amsterdam, and another hour on the way to Nairobi, and felt like that was enough to get me by quite nicely, although I was glad to see the bed when I got here. I had some significant conversations with a nominal Christian American, a good Christian brother, and a Muslim man from Mombasa.

It is the middle of summer here, high 80’s every day and quite humid. I walked into town today to get money exchange, and to get minutes for my computer modem, and on the way home it began to pour. I was soaked by the time I got home, a good cool shower that I know I will pay for later as it continues to heat up and steam.

I feel so privileged to be here to serve and train these men and women in the Word of God. Pray for us that this week will be significant to their progress, and for their transformation through His Word, and our transformation as well, of course.

Al

A Good End To Kenya Training

2011-08-13T11:48:00.003-05:00

We finished the training in Kenya today and were overall satisfied with the results. The pastors we worked with started right away organizing a training session for other pastors, to be held in about 6 weeks. They are very serioius about their responsibility. The week has been up and down. On Wednesday we had a lot of spiritual opposition, crying baby, hard rain, tired pastors, etc. They didn't do too well that day, but bounced back the next. We could really see progress in their presentations over two years ago. It has been good to work with Wes and we have had a lot of good talks planning for the future and discussing things we can do differently.

I am really excited about the whole church organization here and the growth we have seen over the past 4 years. This is my 5th trip to Kenya and the changes are dramatic. The Kenyans are now strategizing about reaching far off places in their country, and in a couple of weeks will be sending two of the men we are training to Tanzania to help with the mission work there and to do training for two years. This is what we mean when we say develop, empower and release nationals to do ministry, multiplying our efforts. Four years ago they had no training at all and were not anywhere near as healthy as they are today. Praise the Lord! Every time we come we take baby steps with them but they add up to giant gains in the kingdom. Thanks for your help in getting us here to do this training. The Lord is blessing our efforts!

Al

Leaving Uganda and Beginning in Kenya

2011-08-09T09:25:00.003-05:00

The training ended in Uganda for me on Thursday evening. I was greatly encouraged by the response of the pastors and how the training went generally. We think this could be a possible future training site with great potential. It is possible that leaders from here will join me in Kenya in December to experience the training there and consider a similar training process for themselves beginning sometime next year.

I left Mbale, Uganda at about 5 pm and started the long 5 hour trip to a hotel near the airport in Entebbe where I was to spend the night. I wish it had been a bit earlier when we crossed the headwaters to the Nile, it would have been fun to see that before dark. When we reached Kampala, about an hour before the hotel, we stopped to eat. I put my debit card in the ATM machine and must have done something wrong because it captured it. I needed the card in Kenya to get cash for expenses there. We had to travel on to the hotel and then come back during rush hour to the bank the next morning to retrieve my card. Thankfully the bank eventually cooperated, returned my card, and we were on our way back to the airport. Such fun! The rest of the trip to Kilifi, Kenya was routine and boring and therefore great!

It was good to be in the worship service on Sunday where I preached. Their worship is quite different from ours, but still very honoring to the Lord. Even though I usually do not know what they are saying or singing it is beautiful to watch them love the Lord. One of the pastors we have worked with in the past gave a testimony that last January some men planned to kill him one night. Some dogs outside his house scared them off and he was spared. Unfortunately, they then went to his elder brother’s home and killed him. We do not know what these men face on a day to day basis and yet they have such commitment and joy.

We began our first session this morning (Monday) with only half of the students we expected. A couple could not come because of work including our best translator. One pastor found out just before we started that his father died and he had to leave. We started late to allow a couple more to come and then our translator struggled a bit as we taught. Our one woman student, who is a great translator, arrived so we were all relieved. Soon we found out that she had her 1 year old son with her and he wanted to be with her. So part of the time she translated with him on her lap, at other times while she was nursing, and once while I held him on my lap, although he had enough of that after about 15 minutes. We sense a bit of opposition here, but we won as the men made good progress and really enjoyed it. My partner Wes did well for his first try at cross cultural training and I am enjoying working with him. We are looking forward to a great week.

On a personal note I am so thankful for the privilege of representing the Lord to these people as I train them in studying His Word. It is a great blessing to me. On this trip I feel that the Lord is really ministering to me personally in special ways in spite of the various challenges I have faced. Thanks to you who are praying.

Al

Uganda Surprises

2011-08-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

The Lord never ceases to surprise me! This trip to Uganda is just one more example of His surprising ways. The teaching has gone very well with the students listening well and making good progress. They are perhaps the most enthusiastic learners we have had yet. They love to ask questions. It has been fun to teach them, in part because they come from so many different denominations. We are working with a group called Impact Ministries and they obviously have a vision to serve pastors who are not from their association. I had an opportunity to meet with their leader this afternoon to discuss his vision and to consider whether we can work together in the future in the training of pastors. As he discussed his passion to train pastors in the Word he talked about his vision for the effort, describing a process he would like to see. It was almost identical to my vision for training, including decentralizing the training through trainers that are sent out to various parts of the country. I was amazed. As I told him what I was doing elsewhere, he immediately saw that it was what he would like to see here. Certainly we have much more to learn about each other but the future looks promising. He is already working in nearly half the states in Uganda, so the potential for training pastors here is great.

Perhaps it is a small thing but our accommodations here have also been a surprise. Usually spending two weeks in Africa is a bit of a challenge due to the housing and food. It is usually adequate but tiresome. I was anticipating enduring two weeks during my training and thinking I would be ready for my own bed and some good American cooking when I got home. I am sure that is still true but the housing and food have been very good here. We are actually enjoying our meals. I consider that just one more of God’s gracious gifts to me to prepare me for a little more austere living in Kenya next week.

Al

Safe Arrival in Uganda

2011-08-01T18:05:00.003-05:00

Our ministry time in India ended well and we were encouraged by the prospect of future training in the area. We become close to the three leaders there who initiated the training and treated us so kindly. We look forward to working with them in the future. We had a relatively uneventful flight from Trichy to Chennai and on to Mumbai. At Mumbai we got our luggage very quickly this time and then waited in line for the bus to transfer us to the international terminal. We loaded our luggage under the bus and headed around the inside of the airport to the other side. Half way around the bus stopped and other buses started going around us. One of the passengers asked the driver what was going on and he said we had a flat tire and would have to wait for another bus. Sometime later another came and we had to transfer to it. It was raining and Edie rushed over to the other bus, leaving me to carry 4 suitcases in the rain. She wondered why I was being so slow. She didn’t realize that we had to transfer the luggage ourselves.

Once inside the terminal we began to have problems. Because she was going home to Minneapolis and I was going on to Uganda we had different airlines to get boarding passes with. My flight was 2 hours later than hers so my ticket booth was not open. We had to sit for two hours before she could go into the area where the eating places etc. were. She finally went ahead alone and I went to get my boarding pass. I then found out that my flight would be 2 1/2 hours late, leaving at 5:30 in the morning instead of 3 am. This meant I would miss my connecting flight in Nairobi to Uganda. When I finally got into the terminal and found Edie, I had misunderstood and could not find my gate. The had told me they put me on another flight, but I didn’t realize it was on a later flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda. When we finally got all that straightened out I waited with Edie for awhile until her flight left for MN, and then waited two more hours until my flight left. I was thankful that I was able to move to an exit row seat so I had more leg room for the nearly 6 hour flight to Nairobi.

In Nairobi, I just missed the original flight to Uganda and had to wait three hours for the next flight. When I finally checked in and went into the waiting area, they came in and said the flight would be two hours late. I had no way to let the people in Uganda, who were to meet me, know any of this. I finally arrived in Entebbe around 5 pm, or 8:30 pm India time. The driver had been at the airport since 9 am and I do not know who was more glad to see that I had arrived, me or him. He gave me a big hug and was so warm and welcoming that it eased some of the hangover from the day. He joked that he was worried that he had somehow missed me and “let a big fish” get away. We drove then about 6 hours to my final destination in Mbale, Uganda, arriving around 11 pm, nearly 44 hours after I had gotten up in India. Needless to say I slept well. I arose still tired but the Lord was with me as I preached this Sunday morning. It was interesting to me that Edie arrived in Minneapolis about 3 hours before I arrived in Uganda, which is about half the distance. Again, traveling is part of the cost of ministry. Thanks for praying for us as we travel as it can sometimes get to me. Praise God for His abundant grace.

We were blessed with the people here at the service and are expecting a good week training pastors. The service this morning was very dynamic, with lots of singing and dancing in the African style. The pastor asked how everyone was doing saying, “In Africa we ask ‘how are everyone’s chickens’”. We got a laugh out of that. I am staying in a nice hotel with a beautiful view of the mountains and greenery around here. The hotel has internet service but it is down today, so I am writing in hopes that it will be up tomorrow. Maybe, as the Lord wills. If it comes I will write more about the ministry here as the week goes on.

Al

Traveling to Uganda

2011-07-29T09:15:00.002-05:00

Our time here in Trichy, India has been extremely fruitful. The people has been very responsive to the teaching Mark and I have presented and the women have loved what Edie has done with them. We are so thankful. On Thursday I taught on our identity in Christ from Romans 6-8 and on God’s design for marriage. Afterwards there was a time of testimony from those attending. A couple of the older pastors gave impassioned responses. One said that in 50 years of hearing preaching at conferences and elsewhere he had never heard teaching like this. One older man hugged and kissed me almost in tears as he expressed appreciation for what he had learned. The people here have treated us like celebrities in spite of our protests. Little do they know that we are little, unknown people that God has chosen to use to teach them. We count it such an awesome privilege to serve in this way.

We are investigating whether further training here in the future will be possible. We do not just want to do conferences, but would like to train nationals to train others. There may be some real possibilities here as the leaders have contacts in 6 – 8 cities an hour or two surrounding this city. We could train teams here and send them out to these cities. We will see what happens.

It has been very hot here but bearable since we have air conditioning at night. The food has been equally hot in a spicy way and we are ready for something a bit milder. Edie heads for home tonight and I press on to Uganda and Kenya. I will miss her and her faithful encouragement deeply. But I am looking forward to meeting new brothers in Uganda. I have no idea what to expect there either in terms of the level of understanding, education or even the accommodations. I fly all night and wait for my training partner until about noon their time and then we travel by car 4 hours to the training location. Who knows what that will be like. Once again this role proves to be an adventure.

Al

Strength in Weakness

2011-07-27T13:02:00.003-05:00

The verse that keeps coming to my mind is from Ephesians 3:20, "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." As some of you knew, the program for the women was never really addressed so I planned to go with what I had done in Africa with some tweaking. I was told to expect 20 women. The day before we left the US I received a note saying the women have advanced education and are accustomed to in-depth teaching. Also 30 women were signed up. With the help of Amy, my mom & Nicole, I quickly made 12 more craft kits. I had to redo the notebooks by buying the folder type instead of the larger ones. This last minute note required me to cast myself on the Lord once again for wisdom and assurance that He is with me. Needless to say I asked the Lord for how I could make the teaching a little more in-depth, and He gave me a slightly different outline with increased notes to go with it.

Sunday morning Al did a powerful message at the church where the conference is being held. That night the three leaders of this conference came to say that the women want to hear Al's teaching. The plan was for me to teach while he was and the women would be with the men in the afternoons for Mark's teaching. So they were willing to adjust some timing and of course Al is very supportive and cut back on his content. Well... you can imagine how the devil delighted in taunting me with all this (as well as seeing in my mind that black ugly spider staring at me before his demise as mentioned in a previous post). But once again I returned to the truth of God's word and His love for me and just waited to see what would happen. He did more abundantly than all that I asked! The women loved my "different program". I began with a "Drawing Near" time, then the teaching from the Word and lastly a fellowship time. One lady said to me today this is so different from anything we have ever done that they will never forget you! Ha. My prayers have been for rapport with the women...and it has been INCREDIBLE! They are so warm and engaging, and enough speak some English to make my contact with each of the women easier.

We are having to make 6 more craft kits. Praise God, with a great shout of joy! I have a translator who is working as one with me (another answered prayer). We are having such a good time that I know it has to be a witness to the other women. She is going shopping to find some fabric to make more kits. It was a first for many of the women, but they caught on despite the fact they are sitting on a floor crammed into this small room next door to the church.

Al and Mark are also having a great time with the pastors. They have asked Al to repeat the teaching he did in Bangladore where we first met these guys on Romans 6,7,and 8, so he will probably do that Thursday morning. They also want Al to teach on marriage so pray for all the scheduling issues. Tonight we have been asked to meet with a couple who are Hindus that have come to Christ recently and are having spiritual warfare problems and family problems. Another God-sighting: I have asked the women two questions, "How has a woman encouraged you?", and "Share a short version of how you came to Christ." One woman who answered these two questions was a Muslim that recently came to Christ along with her husband. She then later said no woman had encouraged her. Today I talked to her and she said she was very happy and had been encouraged. I took the opportunity when she spoke to tell the woman to be encouraging each other this week as an assignment. I think they must have.

Each evening we are having dinner in someone's home. Our stomachs are set on fire! But we are thankful to have them introduce their culture to us. Thank you so much for your love and prayers for us. God is so faithful with us in the trials and on the mountain tops.

Edie

More Pictures from Thailand

2011-07-25T10:18:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures of the Lahu man named Don that I told you about in a previous post. We begin teaching here in Trichy, India tomorrow and expect around 50 pastors. Pray that we will connect well and be a blessing. Edie will have about 30 women to teach.

Al

Traveling Adventures

2011-07-25T10:09:00.002-05:00

Whew! What a unbelievable last few days! We left Thailand for the long trip to Mumbai, India on Friday evening. Our flight started out late and then on arrival had to circle for an hour, getting us on the ground around midnight. Then we had to wait 2 hours for our bags. We do not know why, as you know they have had some bombings in that city recently and perhaps that is the reason. We heard that there had been a threat at the airport. At any rate we were tired when we reached the hotel at 2:30, or 4 am Thailand time. We were up at 7 am to eat and head to the airport to go to Trichy. We mistakenly had our driver take us to the international airport because we did not know that there was a separate domestic terminal. About an hour before our flight we found that out and had to rush over to the other terminal, about 15 minutes by taxi. We made it on time and had a good flight. On arrival we collected our bags and went outside to meet the pastors who were picking us up, but they were not there. We were surprised but waited patiently for about 30 minutes. Finally we thought maybe they were at the international terminal in that city and I walked over to see, it was only a few blocks. No one at all was there. When I returned, they still had not come. I went over to a cab company office and asked if I could use their phone and called the pastors. The person at the office spoke in the language of the area and I could not tell what the conversation was but I assume she asked them where they were. They were at the airport waiting for us, just not the airport we were at, not even in the city we were at. We had flown to the wrong city! They were 440 Kilometers away. The names here are so long and difficult that we had failed to notice that we were headed to the wrong place. We had to rent a car to be driven to the right city, about 8 hours away. We were going to get to tour a large part of South India, something we had not planned on. On the way it started to get dark and I felt a critter crawling on my neck. I grabbed it and flipped it on the floor of the car. We turned on the light but could not see it. About a half hour later Edie had the same sensation and she gets a little more excited when things crawl on her in the dark. She flipped it off and this time we saw it, a large spider. We were able to kill it and no harm came to any of us but the spider. Edie actually maintained pretty good composure given the circumstances. The highway we were on started as a winding two lane but eventually connected with a very good divided highway. Still, occasionally we found others driving on our side of the highway in the wrong direction. It tends to make you a little nervous when it is a truck or bus coming at you. But by God’s good grace we arrived in Trichy around 9:30 safe and sound.

I mention these adventures not to complain, although we were tempted to do so at times. I mention it to show you what missionary life is sometimes like. These were not really ministry days, just travel days, but still they were a part of what it means for us to travel in order to do ministry. I spoke this morning in the church here and used this adventure to illustrate to them that God does not always take away all of our problems, but is always with us in them. At the conference my supervisor had said in a message he preached that we should not ask, “What is God trying to teach me?”, when we encounter troubles. Instead we should ask, “What does God want to show through me to others?”. Hopefully we are showing trust in an almighty great God who loves us even when we go to the wrong city!

Al

Pictures from Thailand

2011-07-20T16:08:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the day today:

A Good Day

2011-07-20T16:05:00.005-05:00

We had a great day today. My interview in front of the group went very well and I had another great lunch appointment that shows real promise of more training opportunities. I remain amazed at the opportunities that God is opening up for us. My seminar went very well also, with several asking for samples of materials. One missionary in transition asked about the possibility of joining our training team. All in all it was a very fruitful day. Tomorrow I present the seminar once again and have another lunch appointment. Thanks for continuing to pray.

Tonight we had the privilege of traveling about an hour out of town to a training center ReachGlobal partners with that serves the Lahu hill people of Thailand. They have about 35 churches and about 3,000 believers in the group. At the center they train young people for ministry. Many have to learn to read and write and do the course work, all in three years. We were so impressed with their hard work and the joy that seemed to accompany their efforts. I had the honor of saying a few words of encouragement to the group and praying for them. My translator was a very small man, probably 1/3 my size. We had some fun playing that up together. I picked him up once and he later leaned against me and rubbed my belly. The whole place roared. What a joy to rejoice with a brother from a totally different culture. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, everyone who knows us will not find that surprising. But some others got pictures so we will try to get some and post them if possible.

Al

Encouraging Opportunities

2011-07-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

We are praising the Lord that Edie is feeling much better today. She is pretty much back to normal except she is having some challenges adjusting to the time change. We can go to bed easily but wake up around 2 or 3 in the morning and then can’t go back to sleep. Such is life on the other side of the world.

I have made several significant contacts with missionaries today and really see the Lord opening doors for future training opportunities. The need is great but many missionaries are a bit hesitant to have just anyone come and teach their people. These face-to-face meetings accomplish a lot in terms of helping them get to know me and my ministry. Tomorrow is a big day in that I will be interviewed in the morning before the whole assembly and then give a seminar on our training ministry in the afternoon. I really want to communicate our desire to serve them and be a resource for them rather than we are just coming with the latest new ideas. Thanks for your prayers for us.

We have had some opportunities to encourage some of the missionaries as we meet and hear their stories. They are just like all of us with family problems, etc., that we all struggle with, but sometimes their support structure is limited. We count it a privilege to encourage and pray with them. We are so often in awe of what these servants endure for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. It is a blessing to be here.

Al

Safe Arrival to Thailand

2011-07-18T10:11:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand safely, if not completely sound. We left Minneapolis around 9 am on Friday and arrived in Bangkok, via Chicago and Seoul Korea, around 9 pm local, or 9 am Minneapolis time, almost exactly 24 hours later. International travel is a bear any way you slice it. We slept well in an inexpensive but clean hotel near the airport and then flew on to Chiang Mai early the next morning.

The conference is going well. I am making a lot of good connections as the Lord puts me in contact with various missionaries on our Asia team. I think some significant opportunities to train pastors will come about in the future as a result. Thanks for your continued prayers as this connections business is not my strength but the Lord is helping me greatly. Unfortunately, by habit, Edie forgot and washed her mouth out with tap water after brushing her teeth and now has some stomach distress. Hopefully it will be short lived. Prayers for her health are appreciated.

Chiang Mai seems to be a beautiful area although we will probably see little of it. We had dinner at a restaurant not too far from our hotel and rode back with a couple from Japan in a Tuk Tuk, a three wheeled motorcycle type taxi. It usually seats only three but I sat on the battery beside the driver and hung on for dear life. We do have some fun with life from time to time.

We count it such a privilege to be around our ReachGlobal missionaries. They are a great bunch of soldiers for the Lord. Our faith is being increased. We always hear some great stories of God’s work. It has also been a joy to reconnect with some of the missionaries we have met in the past. The Lord is good.

More later...

Al

The Cost

2011-04-13T13:25:00.004-05:00

We have had two wonderful days of training. Our students are really making progress in understanding the concepts of inductive bible study and the concept of context. We were so pleased with their answers to the home work we gave them to study on the book of Jonah. What a blessing it has been to me to see the gigantic progress since the first time I came 2 years ago. One pastor illustrates the change. He told us at lunch today that he used to go to church on Sunday morning and open his bible to decide what to preach on. Now he realizes that he actually has to study to see what God says in His word and then prepare a sermon on that to give to his people. Others have told us that they are starting to notice how some pastors are preaching passages out of context and making all sorts of errors. They really want to learn how to be faithful to the Word. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to me to see these changes and the sparkle in their eyes as they gain new insights and new skills.

The discussions during the training are lively and the men have a great time critiquing one another in good-natured bantering. They are not at all afraid of being corrected. The really have humble teachable hearts. More than once we have seen the Lord intervene with the timing of questions, etc. to help move the learning process forward. After each session the men continue discussing the ideas in small groups during the breaks. In the evenings they study hard for the next day.

My two training partners, Eric and Brad have been excellent to work with. We are all so different but share the same passion to see our students grow in the Word and in their ability to communicate it. It’s been fun to have a good team pressing forward toward the same goal.

We are concerned with one major aspect of the training process. None of the men we trained last August actually took what they learned and passed it on to other pastors. It is essential that they do this if all the pastors in the denomination are going to learn to study and teach the word effectively. We are really stressing the need to equip others with what they are learning. We will be making some recommendations to the leadership about how they can press this forward. I especially ask for your prayers on this issue.

This has been a very hard trip physically. We have battled the heat, I have some strange rash that started on my feet and gradually worked its way up my back (praise the Lord it doesn’t bother me much), we have had some stomach upset from the food, and sleeping is difficult with a poor ceiling fan, 85 degree nights, and 60 noisy young people staying in our guest house. Edie has had to teach the women in the afternoon when they are all tired and have to sit mostly in the sun. I could go on. I do not say this as a complaint, although sometimes I do complain. On the way home tonight with 4 of us crammed into a tuktuk with wet seats from the rain, I thought about all this. I just want you to know that it is challenging doing this work. We think it is more than well worth the effort and will be happy to come back again in August. But it does take a toll and we covet your prayers and encouragement as we persevere. We are certain of the Lord’s help, “you helping us with your prayers” (2 Cor. 1:10-11). I thought as we rode along that I am happy that it “costs” us something to serve the Lord. What a privilege to do something that requires a little bit of suffering to serve Christ and His church. It doesn’t really compare with what our brothers and sisters here pay but it is our small contribution. Thanks for helping us.

Al

Hot & Humid in Kenya

2011-04-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

We just returned from preaching at a village church for Sunday service. The service began at 10:30 and I began preaching at noon. The people in the small church were so attentive and appreciative. We spent the afternoon with the pastor talking about ministry and scripture. It was a great day.

This last week has been very fruitful. We had a good training time with Eric, a ReachGlobal staff person from Dar Es Salaam, and Daniel, the bishop of our partner churches here, who we were introducing to the material we will use this next week with the equippers we are training. It is so good to just study the bible together with other godly men. Eric has been a great blessing. He is younger than us and full of energy and enthusiasm. He has a great heart to train pastors so we look forward to partnering with him in the future. Daniel is such a godly and humble leader. We really enjoy working with him as well. Brad, my training partner, and I were able to work out some of the bugs in our training as we worked with Eric and Daniel. Edie was a great help to us in letting us know what areas were unclear to her and might then also be to the pastors. We can’t wait to see the other pastors tomorrow and to renew our relationships.

We continue to battle with the heat and humidity. It gets down to about 85 at night in our room so it is a challenge to sleep well. A large group is here in the guest house tonight so it also very noisy. Thank the Lord for earplugs!

Pray for us as we begin a week of intense training with the pastors. Pray that we will purpose to exalt Christ as we give them skills for understanding the word for themselves. Pray that the men will not grow weary with the long hours of learning. Pray that Edie will be able to touch the hearts of the women with God’s word and practical applications. Al is contending with a scratchy throat so needs the Lord’s healing hand. We ask you to lift him up with that as well.

Al & Edie

Good Morning from Kilifi!

2011-04-06T11:20:00.003-05:00

Good Morning from Kilifi, Kenya! It is hot and humid and our prayer yesterday was that we will survive this shocking change. Our praise today is that we have made it through the night and are feeling relatively good today. I know the Lord’s grace is with us because we have a day to regroup and prepare for the good times ahead. We are here at the same guesthouse we have stayed in for the last 2 times in Kenya. We were greeted so warmly by the staff here and it felt like we aren’t so far from home after all.

For a note of God’s continual presence with us and His interest in seeing to the work He has for us, I must tell you of our first miracle. We were in London, had a few hours of catch up sleep and then we were to meet up with Brad, our partner for this training trip. He and his wife came a few days earlier to celebrate their anniversary. We were supposed to call them to set an exact time to meet in London. But it turns out that the apartment they were staying at listed the wrong number on their site so we had no way to connect with them. We had only two options: find their apartment according to the address or go with what he and Al had talked about; meeting at the Paddington station (underground rail system). We found their apartment but had no way of knowing which room was theirs, so we decided to go back to the station and look around. We had prayed that God would somehow join us together but by now that prayer seemed a long ways off and “nigh to impossible”. We decided to walk around the station to see if there was another entrance when lo and behold we ran into each other on the crowded sidewalk! They had given up, gone to eat and then said they would try one more time. I thought, "only believers could have a shred of hope in a situation like that". But really our hope has much more substance than that. To consider the fact that our God who is Lord over all, holds everything together and created everything hears our prayers from anyplace in the universe and answers such a thing as “make it possible to find our friends in London” is amazing to consider. It is beyond my understanding and so we simply praise our wonderful God and trust Him for the days ahead and what He intends to do in the hearts of all of us. More miracles to come!

We didn’t have time to give a report on Al’s trip to Venezuela before we left. The trip went very well and his teaching was well received and stirred a lot of discussion. Al met a ReachGlobal missionary there who may make some connections for future training in Latin America. I (Edie) met Al in Minneapolis after he returned so we could attend our team meetings. Al’s leadership of our Global Training Team is going to take more time in the future so we are trying to figure out how to prioritize our schedule. Thanks for helping us through your prayers.

Final report from India

2011-01-12T14:20:00.003-06:00

I apologize for not keeping up the reports for the blog. Between internet problems and a very hectic schedule, I have been unable to write. The conference went well in Ahmadabad after the team finally arrived. Everyone’s teaching was well received and at the end several pastors and women were asked to give testimony about what they had learned and how the conference had affected them. Each one mentioned several specific things they had learned from the various teachers, which showed how well they had paid attention. Several mentioned my teaching on marriage and one leader even said he had been struggling in his marriage and asked the whole congregation for prayer that he might implement what he had learned. It is very unusual for any of them to mention such private things and to do so in such an emotional way. I have committed to pray for him and his wife.

I had some good meetings with the leaders of the ministry here about the training network we are creating. They are all beginning to understand the concept and are getting excited about the project. Over the next several months they will be prayerfully choosing the initial master trainers that we will train to start the program. Pray for them that they will choose the best candidates for this position. Much work needs to be accomplished on their end and mine but we hope to get started with the training before the end of the year.

We concluded the conference with a time of simple carnival games for the slum kids who had been coming for the children’s program. They loaded about 130 kids in the back of a truck and brought them each day. The kids were super well behaved, a real testimony to the work that has been accomplished in their lives. Their changed lives is what is leading many of their parents to Christ. It was fun to see them so joyful with each little game we created for them.

We got up about 4:30 on Sunday morning and travelled all day to Goa, a more tropical area on the West coast of India. We were all quite tired by the time we got here. It is very warm and beautiful here and a good place to refresh and debrief from the conference. I have enjoyed getting to know the other team members during this time.

Tomorrow we get up at 3:30 to go to the airport for the trip back. I have a 12 hour layover in Delhi, an 8 hour layover in Amsterdam and a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis. Altogether I think it will be about 52 hours before I am home in Fort Dodge. Pray for my stamina and patience.

Al

Editors note: My Dad will be arriving home sometime on Thursday evening, the 13th.

Pictures from India

2011-01-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

The pictures are: The slum houses, the pastor and family serving there, and a typical India intersection experience.

An Interesting Day

2011-01-04T14:02:00.002-06:00

Today was an interesting day as we traveled across the city to a slum area where the ministry here, Logos Holistic Ministries, is doing some work. They just built a ministry center and we helped dedicate it. The building is quite small, I think they said 15 by 30. The pastor working there will live in this building as well as use it for ministry to the community. Actually it is bigger than the allotted 10 by 12 homes the government has built for the poor residents. The immediate area houses 20,000 people and the nearby area another 30,000. The pastor started this ministry about 5 years ago and was visiting once or twice a week. They felt that the Lord was telling them to move to the location so that they could better identify with the community. They lived in one of the small houses for three years and have seen real growth in the effort to reach these people. The people were at first very resistant to having them there but they have won them with their love and persistence. They now work with 2,000 children, and as the kids come to understand the message they go home and share with their families. This is just another example of the good work God is doing in India.

Tomorrow the training starts and the team from Valley will be a day late because their flight from Chicago was cancelled. So I might be doing a lot more teaching tomorrow than I expected. But this type of thing often happens and the Lord always helps us through. My internet access is sketchy but I will try to give updates as I can. Thanks for praying for me.

Al

A New Year in India

2011-01-04T13:59:00.002-06:00

I arrived here in Ahmadabad, India around 10 in the morning on Sunday. I left early Friday morning from Ft. Dodge and somehow I feel I lost a day in there somewhere. Actually it is 11 ½ hours different, so I lost only ½ day. The trip is always grueling and this one was no different. But I am glad to be here and greatly enjoyed seeing Wilson and Nish’s bright smiles as they greeted me at the airport. I spent about 7 hours overnight in the Delhi airport and it was very cold, around 45 degrees; they do not heat the place. I had not expected that and had some trouble staying warm. Actually it is supposed to be in the 70’s with lows around 50 all week which is a bit cooler than I had expected. I hope I stay warm enough in the summer clothes I brought.

This week I am teaching on taking heed to your doctrine, from I Tim 4. I am reminded of the need to set our minds on the truth and to always be checking what we believe against the Word of God. It is so easy to casually drift in subtle ways away from the truth ,and when we do we always do so to our peril. I am so thankful for the Word and its constant correction in our lives. Pray for me to clearly teach these dear men from that very Word.

Al

Last days in Ghana

2010-12-09T14:38:00.002-06:00

Today was the last day of training. Tomorrow I do the devotions on Ephesians 5, we hear testimonies and then we leave after lunch for Accra. We fly out for Atlanta at 12:30 am that night. The teaching has gone really well and I think the pastors gained a lot on Bible study methods and on the principles of marriage. It is always interesting to me how much I learn by teaching; even as I teach the same things, God opens up new insights to me over and over again.

I did learn a lot about the ministry here, called IN Network, Ghana. It is quite extraordinary. There is a cult here called the Trakosi. It teaches that if something bad happens in the family, like a death or serious problem, it is because the family is cursed by the gods. The only solution is to take one of your virgin daughters to a Trakosi priest and offer her to him as his slave. Girls as young as 5 or 6 sometimes are given into slavery in this way. The priest keeps them and sires many children from his "harem". Some have over 100 slaves. The ministry here helps liberate these girls, counsels them, offers training so they can earn a living, and gives their children an education. Nearly all become Christians in the process.

A man from Wisconsin came with us and has been taking great pictures. I have posted some on my Facebook page and hopefully I can attach more on the blog when I get home.

INN tries to plant a church wherever there is a shrine for this cult. We were training some of their church planters and some other pastors from the area that they invited. We are so privileged to be a part of this great ministry. Our prayer is that these men will be better equipped to go home to their churches and build them on the Word of God. Thanks for your help.

Al

Pictures from Ghana Trip

2010-12-08T12:38:00.005-06:00

A Great Week of Training

2010-12-08T12:30:00.003-06:00

It has been a very good week training pastors. We have around 60 and many of them have come from long distances for the training. The are eager to learn and have great attitudes. I and another pastor, Lee Heyward, trade off teaching devotions in the morning from the book of Ephesians. The we split the group into two groups and I teach on Bible study methods in the morning and on Marriage in the afternoon. Lee teaches on leadership principles. Today we traded groups and will start over with the same material. It is so rewarding to see these pastors grapple with the Word and rethink their beliefs, especially in the area of their marriages. We are not trying to get them to adopt an American view of marriage but a biblical one.

I did the devotion today on being raised up with Christ in the heavenly places and what a display that is to the powers and authorities, chapter 3:8-12. They responded really well and we entered a really neat time of worship together in response to the Word. What a privilege to be here!

I posted some pictures on my facebook so you can see there some of the sights around here. Go to Alan J. Lewis and they should be on my profile.

Al

Seeing the Country of Ghana

2010-12-04T16:04:00.003-06:00

It has been a couple of difficult days. I've been crammed together with two other guys in the back of a small SUV driving for about 16 hours in the last two days. The Ghanans wanted to show us their country and we have covered about half of it or so it seems. I think that in the Christian life a lot of time is spent in the mundane and unpleasant so that we are available when the opportunity comes to make an eternal difference.

The country is pretty, very green this time of the year although it is very hot and humid. We've seen some beautiful beaches and a rainforest and lots of countryside. We briefly visited a family that had just had a funeral right before we came. They do that a lot differently than we do. Everybody comes dressed in black or red and it seems the whole town turned out. It becomes quite a social event, usually on Saturdays, and after the service later in the afternoon everyone comes over to the relatives' house and they essentially have a party.

We learned an interesting fact about this culture. Everyone's first name is the day of the week they were born on, although men and women have different names for the day of the week. For Friday men are called "Kofi" as in Kofi Annon. All men born on Friday have that first name. Then they are named after a friend or relative, then a Christian name like Paul or David, etc. and then their father's name. So they all have four names. They asked us what day of the week we were born on and none of us had a clue. Do you?

There seems to be an abundance of small churches here but very little knowledge of the truth. It makes our passion to teach pastors the Word more pressing. I can't wait to get started on Monday.

Thanks for your prayers,

Al

News from Ghana

2010-12-04T16:01:00.003-06:00

I (Al) am in Ghana and adjusting to the 6 hour time change. On the way because of weather I missed my flight out of Atlanta and had to spend the night and then fly to New York to come on to Ghana. It is very hot and humid this time of year here with heat indexes over 100 everyday. Quite a change from the Midwest and snow that we left.

We spent some time today with Walter Pimpong the leader here. It turns out that we were at Trinity Seminary at the same time years ago but did not know each other. He is a fine godly man whom the Lord has used greatly here in Ghana. He has a ministry that rescues women who have been enslaved by a satanic cult. They have schools to train the women and other ministries to aide them. His group has also planted around 80 churches and we will be training some of their pastors and other pastors from the area in our conference. We hope to build some bridges with ReachGlobal for the future. The conference starts on Monday and we will be seeing some of the sights here in Ghana until then. I'll try to update as I can over the next few days.

Al

The End of our Time in India

2010-10-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

Today we finished our meetings at noon. We celebrated together with our Indian brothers and sisters with a communion service. I really believe that they were significantly impacted by our teaching and the manner in which we conducted ourselves. One group of pastors told me that our teaching was some of the most significant teaching they had ever received and that they were excited to be able to use it with their people. One pastor told Mark, our training partner, that he was impacted by the humility we showed as we taught them. We were so happy to hear that because it is one of our prime objectives to serve them with humility and build them up in Christ. I built relationships with several pastors that I think will turn into opportunities to train in their areas of South India. All in all, we were delighted with our time here. When we are planning on a trip to a new area like this I find it hard to imagine what the people are like. I picture them as more or less a uniform mass of people. When we arrive and live here awhile we soon find out that they are as distinct as we are with widely varying looks and personalities. It has been a real joy to get to know these folks.

This afternoon we went to a shopping area. It is hard to describe unless you have experienced it. Instead of a mall it was really a series of narrow streets jammed with people. Literally thousands of small motor scooters lined every street. One section we walked into was a Muslim section and the dress of all the people suddenly changed. Some seemed not too happy that we were there. It reminded us of the challenges that the pastors face here with opposition from the Hindus and Muslims. Yet they have such a fervor to reach them for Christ. Perhaps the stark differences between them and believers reminds them that unbelievers are lost and going to hell. We in American have only subtle differences from our lost neighbors and we sometimes forget where they are all going.

We are excited to soon be going home but not without a sense of loss that we leave good friends behind. We comfort ourselves with the fact that we will return here again. Edie and I head first to Spain for a short vacation, the first in a long time. We are looking forward to a few days together before we return to the US and dive into a pile of work to get ready for the future. Thank you for partnering with us.

Al

Teaching in Bangalore

2010-10-13T14:48:00.002-05:00

Our teaching here in Bangalore has been going very well. I have been teaching on our design as human beings and how in Christ we have a new identity. We are working our way through Romans 5-8. I am teaching them how to use these truths in counseling. The pastors and their wives have been super responsive and already making applications to their lives. Several mentioned that they wondered why their bible schools did not teach them these things. They are so thankful for what they are learning. One woman, Neena, was sitting with Edie and wrote a note saying, "deep and meaningful, a different perspective. I will use this in my counseling." It is a privilege and delight to teach them life-changing truths.

The women are warming up to Edie and becoming more open. They tend to be a little reserved at first. They responded well to her teaching. She has especially connected well with Neena and Beth, the leader's wife.

One interesting thing happened as I taught the first day. A pastor sitting in front began strongly shaking his head side to side as if in strong disagreement. However as time went on I realized that was not the case. It turns out that if the Indians are really engaging with what is being said they tend to shake their head that way, just the opposite of what we do in our culture. We all had a good laugh together about that when I mentioned it to them.

Some of the couples in our group have recently experienced strong persecution, with some of them being actually beaten and threatened for their faith. It impressed me that they are acting so ordinary, laughing, singing, engaging in conversation. I realized that they are just like us, ordinary people who are experiencing a cost for their faith. Pray for them.

We are enjoying the Indian food which is a bit spicy. We have tried a lot of new dishes and quite a few new varieties of fruit. We did walk down to the local KFC last night for a little bit of America again and it was so good! We have been invited to one of the pastor's homes for supper tonight, which will be fun.

Thanks for praying,

Al

First week in India

2010-10-12T12:03:00.002-05:00

We are now in Bangalore and it is much cooler here, probably in the high 70's. It was up to 100 in Ahmadabad. We had a great time with Wilson and his wife there. Wilson and his son Nish and I had great discussions about our plan to train current and future pastors in their movement. We made a lot of progress but the issue is quite complicated. Training up to 20,000 pastors in the next 10 years is a logistical challenge. We still have some work to do to get the system worked out for training multiple levels of trainers to accomplish the task. You can pray with us for wisdom for all of that.

Here in Bangalore we have had a good time meeting with Charles and Beth who are the leaders of the Southern India EFC affiliate churches. We start our training this morning on biblical counseling and then this afternoon we speak on marriage. We look forward to a great week. Our hotel has internet so we will update regularly on the blog about what we are doing.

Al

Summary of Kenya Training

2010-09-06T08:27:00.003-05:00

We finished our week of training here in Kenya today. We have tomorrow (Saturday) off for the first time in ages, and then I preach on Sunday morning. I leave for the airport on Sunday afternoon for the long flight home (arriving home in IA on Monday evening). It has been an interesting week with lots of surprises. The pastors and women worked very hard at learning how to do bible study. It is obvious that they have never been taught anything like this before. It became apparent that they rarely have preached on anything other than what they have heard. Looking in the bible for what it says and preaching on that is new to all of them. But they have come to realize that this is what they need. They are so open to learning and changing. They have made steady progress but still have a long ways to go. Considering their lack of study skills, it is amazing to me that God has preserved them from so much of the false teaching and heresy that are common in churches around them. God has been gracious to them and now they have the privilege of beginning to learn from His word directly.

I asked one day how many of them had read the whole bible. None had. I challenged them to do so within the next two years, a great challenge for them. They were eager to try. Few seem to have ever read through any book in its entirety. We worked a lot in Philippians to get them started working through the whole book. We got almost all the way through chapter two so they now have studied and have preaching outlines for that much of the book. My hope is that they will preach through the whole book in the near future.

I do not want to give the impression that these men are immature. Far from it. What they lack in study skills is more than made up in other areas. I listened to my translator pray in English and was amazed at the depth of reverence, intimacy, submission and expectancy in his prayer. I was moved. I thought of how shallow my praying seems in comparison. I have learned much from my Kenyan brothers. What a privilege to help them learn to study and preach and to teach others as well. Each pastor was assigned one or two others to train them in what they learned this week. They are excited to begin this. Would you pray for them that they would not only grow in their own ability but also be able to help others grow in His word as well?

Thank you for your interest, prayers, support and partnership with us in this ministry. The pastors asked me to tell the people in the US how much they appreciate the training they received. I wish I could communicate their smiles, hugs and enthusiasm to you. One day you will see it yourself when you meet them in God’s presence. God bless you.

Al

God's Grace

2010-08-31T15:47:00.003-05:00

We have had two good days of training so far this week. I am teaching the pastors, and a couple women, bible study methods and sermon preparation. They will then teach others. They are very receptive and working hard to learn. It is difficult for them since they do not learn to think critically in their schools or culture. It is hard for them to think through a passage and understand its meaning. We will have a lot of practice this week and will depend on the Lord to help them put it to good use in their churches. It is so good to see some signs of progress among the students. The Lord is definitely working.

As I write I have the Muslim call to worship going on in the background over the loudspeakers. It goes on continually for over an hour each night until just after 10 and then again in the morning at 4:30 and 5:30. It gets old fast. It reminds me of God’s grace in opening my eyes to Jesus. I pray He opens many eyes here as well.

I am heavy hearted tonight for my wife. She is home and continuing to struggle with severe dizziness and vertigo. My daughter is taking her to see the doctor this afternoon. Would you pray for her recovery and healing? It is hard for me to be 10,000 miles away while she is struggling. Pray that I might have peace leaving her in God’s hands and can sleep well tonight so I can teach effectively tomorrow.

Thanks,

Al

Sunday in Kenya

2010-08-29T12:50:00.002-05:00

Today we set out for some village churches at 8 am. Bishop Daniel received a call from one pastor requesting an urgent meeting so we went far out of our way to visit him briefly. We travelled through the forest, or jungle we would say, to the other side. The landscape here is beautiful and varied. After meeting with the pastor we stopped at a little thatched roof café for some fried bread for breakfast. It was a joy to sit there while one of the pastors with us talked about what he had learned in our previous teaching session. It is so encouraging to see the effect God has had on them through our teaching. They are so eager to learn biblical teaching and to put it to use in their churches, preaching, and everyday lives.

We travelled on to our churches, mine was far back in the bush on a very narrow trail; not really a road. When we got there I was told I would be walking back, several miles. I wished I had not worn my dress shoes. The little church plant met in a partially built little church building, but the people were enthusiastic. I taught on the man born blind, John 9, and when I got to the part where he could see they cheered. They seemed to follow the teaching and my application well. One woman came forward to receive Christ, which was a great blessing.

After church was over we walked a mile or so to where they want to build a permanent church building. The place where they meet now is on land that they do not own. The pastor wants to buy several acres and has paid about $200 so far and will need about $500 more. They are trusting the Lord for so great a sum and believe soon he will provide.

We walked on to the pastor’s home, another mile or so through the countryside. His wife had made a special dinner for us, chicken cooked in coconut milk with a corn mush substance which we dipped in the soup by hand since we had no silverware. It was delicious. Pastor Enoch has numerous projects going on around the house to make money; casarina trees, cattle, goats, chickens, and corn and cassava plants. He is a real model for the other pastors supporting themselves. I found out he is 66. It is hard to tell how old the Africans are without asking.

We finally walked back to the other church and sat and talked with the men. What a blessing to be able to fellowship with good brothers in Christ. All in all it was a long, but blessed day. I hope your Sunday was blessed as well. The people here send greetings to you.

Al

Saturday post from Kenya

2010-08-29T12:45:00.002-05:00

I am now in Kenya again for the second week of training. We will be working with a smaller group of pastors that have been selected to be trained as equippers of the other pastors, and also any new pastors that come into the denomination. We met tonight to decide on the format and schedule.

I was able to talk to Edie tonight on Skype and she is doing well on her journey. She is now in NJ and will be going on to Chicago at 4:45 and then on to Des Moines arriving at 9:45 pm. It’s quite a trip for her alone. Thanks for praying for her.

I will update the blog as the training week goes on. I will be preaching at one of the new church plants tomorrow. I preached at the pastor’s church last year. It was a fairly large church for here. Now he has turned that ministry over to another man and is planting a new church. He is about my age and is making quite a sacrifice to do this. I really respect him and look forward to our time together.

Al

The End of Training in Burundi

2010-08-27T12:35:00.003-05:00

We just finished our week of training here in Burundi. It has gone well but Burundi takes a toll on your strength. It is a bit rustic, hot and challenging. Edie left this morning to fly to Nairobi and then on to Des Moines on her own. This is her first solo international trip, so please pray for her. She is still concerned about having another vertigo episode so pray especially for her over the next two days.

I had a very interesting meeting this evening with the leaders of the Burundi Evangelical Association. They are very interested in working with us to train pastors in 20 different evangelical denominations here in Burundi. We are talking about having a pastors’ conference sometime next year. We are also beginning to think about training some of the best in each denomination to become trainers of the other pastors. This is a very exciting opportunity and we will be seeking the Lord about how He may be leading in all of this.

Mark Wold and I leave early tomorrow morning to travel back to Kenya to train some of the pastors that they have designated as future trainers for the others. This our first attempt at that, so we would ask your prayers for that as well.

With Edie gone the blogs may become a little shorter and less interesting but I will do my best.

In Christ,

Al

Life in Burundi is Challenging

2010-08-25T14:23:00.002-05:00

Life is challenging here. The enemy is definitely sending out his darts and it is wearing us down. This morning I struggled to focus during my quiet time though I had plenty of sleep. My heart was heavy and here’s a sample of what we are facing.

Sunday afternoon the police told Jean- Bosco he could not have his visitors preach. He tried to negotiate and most people went home. The Police said it was because he has a problem with another man. This other man came into J.B.'s church and took over and ran him out. This is a legal dispute, not a confrontation. Mark and Al were only able to visit with a few people but held no church service. Since then the sessions have gone without incident. Praise the Lord!

The women are sweet and appreciative, but illiterate and their children are dirty and sick looking. Still they are a committed to learning from the Word. They are cooking the meals for the conference. They are tasty, but African food is repetitive and we are eating less.

I witnessed some abuse of the children that is disturbing. We have been driving through the neighborhoods to take home our translator. The city has swollen with people, and the poverty and conditions are heartbreaking.

Top it off with "off and on" electricity, cold water (no hot), late meals and no fans (it is warm and humid) at our accommodations. However, God allowed me to be encouraged through the words of a young Mom who has many children. She said, “You came last year and gave to us, and now this year you teaching us what we need for our children. I know you care about us and that you bring to us what we can use”.

The Lord is my guide and it is a walk of faith each day. The women enjoyed learning the folding of the cup. I wasn’t so sure if they would. Tomorrow I do my Martha first person and pretend they come to my home. I am getting cookies for them and then candy for the children. The children speak English phrases to us and really love to be around us.

There was some extra time in the morning before lunch and Al took questions. Oh my, there is so little understanding of the gospel! They are now changing some things so he can do what he did in Kenya to explain the gospel. It is so foundational. Mark is doing Bible survey, which is a good thing as well. Al is doing Bible study methods. As usual, the Africans are eager learners.

I am getting bit up with mosquitoes and they came to set the table so we hope some dinner is coming (8pm).

Thank you for your devotion to prayer. We need your strength and understanding.

With Love,

Al and Edie

Arrival in Burundi

2010-08-25T14:06:00.003-05:00

We are here in Burundi. It is warmer but doesn’t feel as humid. The mosquitoes aren’t as bad either. In Kilifi they were thick like back home in Iowa. They don’t hum though or else they may have drowned out the Muslim call to prayer!

It is a down day for Al and I. He doesn’t preach today after all and I am recovering. Just before boarding our plane at 11:30pm I suddenly became disoriented, sick and couldn’t walk. Al took me to the bathroom (I don’t have any recollection) to throw up and then had to get me to the gate so we could board the plane. He said I looked drunk. I threw up the whole hour plane ride and thankfully they brought a wheelchair for me to get off the plane. I was so out of it. When we got to the guest house I dropped into bed. Today I came to the conclusion that I had an attack of vertigo. I have only had it a couple of times but when I do, there is no warning. In my refection time this morning, I found solace in the truth that God is sovereign and in control of all that comes into my life; this was no exception. In conclusion I found myself saying, "Yes, Lord I still trust you to protect me, care for me and provide all I need at any given moment". I am traveling alone home on Friday. "Yes, Lord I committed to serve you not matter what the cost and the hardship. Just guide me and give me the counsel I need whatever the situation". I believe I am right where God wants me to be, sufficient with His Grace.

Yesterday was hard to say good-bye. I just love those men and their wives. They love us too. There was an question and answer time with the team and they said it could have gone on all day. They have many thoughtful questions to ask. It is evident that after 3 years of training, the Word has fallen on fertile soil and it is flourishing well. It proves that God’s imparting of knowledge is not always by the usual ways. Having a teachable mind along with the discipline to think carefully about the truth has great rewards. So we are convinced, though we are only with a group of men and women for a week, it is worthwhile. In this intense time lots of things happen. We have appreciation for one another though we come from different cultures; we see the body of Christ functioning well together and personal ministry during breaks and meals. The one piece I hope we can pray about is how we can involve them more in ministering to us. They too have a knowledge of Christ in ways we don’t and it would be good for us to learn from them as well.

Probably the most significant relationship I have been able to forge is with Josephine. She is quiet and calm, in her 30’s, and fluent in English. When she speaks wisdom flows. Yesterday I pulled her out of the men’s session so we could visit. I wanted to hear more of her story. I first asked her how she met her husband who is not a believer. She told me when she took the exams to complete her high school diploma her scores were so high that they accused her of cheating and wouldn’t give her the diploma. Her parents were very poor and couldn’t pay for another year. She said she cried and cried. Another boy comforted her, he was the only one who did so, and eventually they married. Then the Lord came into her life. She has 6 children and started teaching them herself. Soon neighborhood children began to join her. She said this year she has 52 children and two other teachers. She charges for the school now which pays for her teachers and feeds her family. Her school is gaining a reputation for being the best around. The Muslims are sending their children to her and approached her about teaching Islam instead of Christianity. She said no and was firm but kind. They are still sending their children. Then the chief approached her and said she is exercising too much authority, more than the men. However, He too seems to be satisfied with her quiet and gentle ways. She told me her teachers and rent are paid on time, which is a big witness. The witch doctors have placed curses on her children and her. She said she just prayed to the Lord that he would not let them succeed or else it will bring shame to His name. So far so good. Recently, she was bitten by a black snake while going to the bathroom in the night and became very ill. She had to travel 6 hrs to receive health care. The snakes are everywhere so this is a part of life. She has tried to go back to school, but she has a black mark on her record and they want her to pay money she doesn’t have to get that diploma. I sure hope I was able to encourage her to just press ahead walking through the doors God has opened rather than spending so much time pressing a door that won’t open. God has His plan for her and is already blessing the works of her hands. I gave her my supplies of crayons, pencils, and the origami book I brought. She was happy. Next year I would like to bring early readers for her students.

Thanks so much for the comments on our blog. I wish I could figure out how to respond. Tim, it was good to hear from you, it has been a long time.

With more joy,

Al and Edie

The Power of Prayer

2010-08-19T17:38:00.003-05:00

It’s the end of another day. I have showered tonight which consists of heating water in a bucket with a heat wand, taking a water bottle I cut off and using it to pour water over me. It felt good and rinsed off that stickiness from the humid day. I think it will be better for sleeping. The Muslim Prayers continue but not on the loud speaker. Praise the Lord! Something happened. It still is routine to be awoken at 5 am to the chanting. An inspiration came to me; instead of covering my ears I should pray too. So I may try it though I am not sure I will be as long winded!

My day went super with the women today. I once again got out the origami and began showing a few women during a break. I had made step by step examples and pretty soon I had a group of ladies trying it, catching on and then some definite enthusiasm for it. One of the women I connected with last year had started a school just by letting neighborhood children join her as she was teaching her own children. She told me that she now has 52 students in kindergarten and first grade. She only teaches English and has great support from the villagers. She was able to save enough to buy a plot of land that she hopes to build a building for the school. I am giving her my origami book because I showed her these techniques and told her it would be good for her children to learn. She is just the type of woman to run with it and I will be interested in hearing next time how it is working. The narrative stories are also going well. Yesterday I did a first person of Martha, setting up my “home” and welcoming them and then talking about how I invited Jesus to my home. I then had some starburst candies that I passed out. They had to answer questions that match their wrapper color. Alan actually gave me the questions when I was just stumped. They aren’t used to that kind of sharing but it gave me some “mentoring moments” which I loved. I asked them how they met their husbands. Most of them were introduced to their “man” as one who loved them and wanted to marry them. Parents were involved. African men have to pay to marry their wives so men count your blessings! Ha.

Alan’s teaching in Acts is really going well. Such good interaction among the men and eagerness to learn. They have assignments in the evenings after all day sitting and learning. They always come prepared. Remarkable! An older man approached Al concerning Grudem’s bible doctrine book and it was a precious moment to be able to hand it to him. He speaks English well and told me he is going to begin teaching his wife how to read and write. She is one of the more outgoing women. Al also put a New American Standard bible in the hands of a young pastor that he asked for last year. When Al gave it to him he said, "I want you to read it and share it with other brothers." This young man had wondered if Al would remember his request and bring him a bible.

Today I gave out aprons to the pastor’s wives and they seemed to love them. Then I called in the cooks and talked about how all who minister within the body of Christ play a vital role. I really wanted to elevate what these hard working women are doing for us and show how they have earned our admiration. I also had given them aprons. They were wearing them and were very appreciative.

Well, I have lots of paper to prepare for tomorrow’s lesson and project. Tomorrow I will teach about the Samaritan Woman. Thank you for your prayers. I have to say that your prayers must be like the man who knocked on his friend's door late at night to get some bread for unexpected visitors. The Muslim calls to prayer have really calmed down to a tolerable tone. Your prayers are powerful and effective! The teaching is also giving us encouragement and blessing, confirming His call for us to “stand in this gap” in teaching those for whom formal education is out of reach. “With God all things are possible”. By His grace, His church will not be left defenseless without the knowledge of the truth.

His servants too,

Al and Edie

Tuesday in Kenya

2010-08-18T20:58:00.004-05:00

It is the end of a full day of teaching and engaging with the Pastors and their wives. What a difference coming back with some frame of reference as to who they are and their needs. Al has had significant opportunities to counsel and instruct one on one with many. His teaching has been significant in that his assignment was to teach on church planting. He chose to use the book of Acts. His first lesson was to reference scriptures that point to the gospel. He then asked the men to do an assignment of writing out the key elements of the gospel. From that he realized more teaching was in order. It was so neat as Al told them they were missing something and they kept saying don't tell us until 15 minutes have past, and finally he told them a key element was the death of Christ and then explained it for them. They are obviously enjoying the learning and the engaging of their minds together. It is such a priviledge to see the eyes of their hearts seeing new things.

I, Edie, had my first chance to teach this afternoon. The women were enjoying the story. After sharing the story with another woman next to them we talked about who God is etc. They were struggling a little to know how to answer the questions but I think ground was made and overall I was happy with the results. Then I went to the project of making a simple fold book to draw the story and that was really a challenge for them. I concluded that they probably had never used crayons and colored pencils before. As the time went on they seem to be enjoying it more. I learned some important "cultural" and "teaching" lessons. I talked to Jim and said I am not going to change my lessons but persevere as I think they might discover some abilities they thought they didn't have. I did ask some of the ladies to act out the story and that went over well. The Lord is good and I know He is with me. I was having a terrible time staying awake in the morning session that is taught by someone else so I took a walk reading Psalm 18 out loud as I walked. It was so therapeutic for me as I felt the freedom to pray.

Al had a meeting tonight with Esron, who leads the EFC of Rwanda and is training here with us, and Daniel, the bishop here. They were discussing a training plan that Al is working on for India. The plan is to train Indian pastors to train other pastors. Esron and Daniel looked the plan over and offered suggestions. Al hopes it sparks some interest in them to set up something similar for their own pastors. They plan to meet again in a couple of days to discuss the issue further.

That brings me to a prayer request. My attitude is growing more negative with tension. The Muslim prayers were loud and went on forever it seemed last night. It wore on me. I wore ear plugs but still could hear it. I prayed the man would lose his voice or the sound system would break down. It does not sound as loud tonight. But it sure makes it hard for me to concentrate on anything significant. They also pray over the speaker other times during the day but it is the 9pm hour that they seem to get carried away.

I must close as I am borrowing a modem from Jim and need to return it. We are trying to buy our own but it has been a challenge to catch them in the store. We ordered it. So please pray we get the modem soon.

With Joy in the Savior,

Al and Edie

Sunday

2010-08-15T17:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, because of various needs for the car and airport runs, we were here all day at our guesthouse which is on a University campus. In the afternoon, we walked to the town about a mile from here and went all over it. It had rained in the morning , then it started again so we bought an umbrella. The town is chaotic with little stands of an assortment of wares. Then there is a large building that had various crude tables filled with vegetables for sale. Tomatoes, greens, potatoes, bananas and watermelons. We were told most of the produce comes from outside the country.

Today was a long day with church and lunch. The choir sang, the congregation gave testimonies of the work of God in their lives, we had a concert of prayer and Alan preached. He had his favorite translator. This young man spent the day with us. He has a new son and a challenging job fighting the corruption. He works in Animal Science.

A few of the pastors for the conference were beginning to trickle in. They are expecting a large group. A pastor from Casper, Wy. is here to do some teaching. We are enjoying getting to know him. He also pastored a church in rural Iowa for a number of years and has fond memories of his time there (near Iowa City). He grew up on a farm and majored in agriculture. You can imagine all the strategizing for growing things in Kenya. Jim Watson had actually been helping with ideas for family gardens. One of the Pastor’s wife is anemic and he told him the things to grow to help her. The pastor right away started some seeds and has some seedlings to show for it. Being teachable is a gift with rich rewards both practically and spiritually.

Jim, our leader from the Canon City Free Church, has his nursing license now. As you can imagine he is busy administering nursing care and counseling. Jim always prays with people and talks about the Creator God and how He made our bodies to work. He has brought one of his professors to check out possibilities for bringing nurses for training/ practice as part of their teaching program. She is going to be teaching the women some practical “nursing” to help with the issues they have, as well as their children. I too am looking forward to hearing what she has to say so that I may be able to pass on some of the information when I am sharing with women in other places.

The Muslim prayer time over the loud speaker just began. It is so intrusive and happens about 4 times a day with 4:45am being the first. We have heard this in other African countries and it is concerning. There seems to be more Muslims this time in the airport and around the city and villages. It only serves to magnify the amazing grace we have, in that we walk in the light instead of darkness. We worship the everlasting King and the Rock of our Salvation. I stand in awe of Him.

Edie for both of us

Saturday post from Africa

2010-08-15T17:33:00.003-05:00

Things are low key here as people continue to filter in. Yesterday, Al went with Bishop Daniel to pick up one of the trainers. He is Jack from Casper, Wy. His luggage didn’t make it and he was late getting in. After a long time trying to figure out arrangements they left to visit a Pastor and arrived back at the guest house at 8pm. It was a long day for Al but always great in getting to know people better. I stayed back here so I could finalize some of my prep for my lessons. Enjoyed my time of study and just having time in solitude.

The plans for today are somewhat up in the air. Esron from Rwanda is coming in and has to be picked up at the airport which is 1½ hrs away. Hopefully Jack’s luggage will be there as well. Originally we were to visit around but doubt that will happen with all the travel glitches.

It is cool and rainy here, very different from last year. Guess they are experiencing some climate change like us. Things are very green and the mosquitoes thick.

With Joy in the Savior,

Edie for both of us

Safe Travels

2010-08-12T20:55:00.002-05:00

We have a flight this morning to Mombasa and then a drive to Kilifi. Everything has gone well so far. We even got some sleep and slept well, though not terribly long last night. Thanks for prayers for our safe arrival. I just spent a few minutes reading Psalm 27 and am so thankful for God's hand that holds us and cares for us. The song came to me "you are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words". His purposes are higher than any human endeavor and so we commit our whole activity to His sovereign will. We entrust ourselves totally into His care.

With Love,

Edie and Al

Our Trip to Burundi & Kenya begins

2010-08-10T20:37:00.005-05:00

We are ready, set to go. This time we are heading out for a return trip to Burundi and Kenya. This is nice in that we know what to expect and are looking forward to seeing again the kind and loving believers there. We thank you for your prayers for me and my recovery. Saturday I finally felt normal again and I have been enjoying getting so much done. I asked the Lord to give me both the strength and the discernment with packing and all the numerous details. I was amazed to see how He really was my guide and sustainer.

We ask that you pray with us for our protection. Also that in whatever our day brings (no sleep, delayed flights etc), we would acknowledge His sovereign hand in it all for our benefit. May we not forget who we are; ambassadors for Christ where ever we go.

We will be arriving in Kenya on August 12^th with a day to catch up on the time gap. We will do some visiting of churches in the area and then the conference begins Sunday the 15^th. It will be good for me to have some time to finesse my lessons and learn them well.

With Joy in my Savior whose grace is always sufficient,

Edie for both of us

Congo Trip Report

2010-07-24T10:28:00.008-05:00

Dear Friends in Christ,

We arrived back from Congo on Saturday night (July 17) around 9:30 pm after being up for almost 48 hours with little sleep. Edie contracted a bug on the last day in Congo and had a grueling trip home. She finally has gotten the right medication and is starting to feel better now 5 days later.

Overall, our trip was outstanding. The Shammah church that we worked with most of the time we were there received us really well. They are a rather affluent church for Africa and did a great job of organizing the training conference. We had expected to train a small number of pastors and, as it turned out, we had large crowds. In the mornings, we had around 200 with half of those being pastors. In the evenings, we had 500 or more. Al, and his partner Mark, both had to change the materials they had prepared to fit the larger crowds. Chairs were set up outside for about half the crowd. Edie had about 100 women in the sessions that she taught.

In the evenings, singing groups, famous in Congo, were brought in to lead worship. They were excellent. Everything was videotaped and played on a TV for those outside to watch. They gave us CD’s of the entire conference to take home with us.

One of the Shammah pastors commented that they were glad we were offering the pastors an alternative to the “health and wealth” teaching that is so prevalent in the Congo. We hope that the biblical foundation we gave them will help to steer them away from this teaching and other heresies that are abundant in the churches there. On the weekend, we presented several teachings on marriage and it really seemed to help them begin to establish a biblical perspective on marriage.

On Saturday, they wanted to take us to a cave that was about 3 hours from Kinshasa, so we got to see some of the countryside. The cave was quite a challenge. It was undeveloped and we walked a long ways to get to it and then down a steep hill into a ravine to the entrance. Inside we hiked further down to a waterfall at the bottom. It was a difficult trip in but much more challenging coming out. The Africans had not been there before and were as surprised as we were about the hike. Happily, we all made it out okay, although we were a little sore the next day.

The following week we spent a couple of days with the Free Church pastors in the Kinshasa area. It was a delightful time together to begin to build relationships with these men. We only taught a couple of times and spent the rest of the time listening to their stories and learning about their challenges. We hope to return to help train them in the future.

Once again, we want to thank you for your prayers and support that make it possible for us to do this work. We saw God provide in marvelous ways. Please continue to pray as we prepare to travel to Kenya and Burundi August 10 through September 5.

Al and Edie

2010-07-06T09:34:00.001-05:00

The Bible Conference Begins

2010-07-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

We have now been here 4 days. Staying in a missionary guesthouse has afforded us interesting people to talk with during our meals. There are missionaries , short term mission groups and even a group from a medical school.

The drive to and from the church takes us about 30 minutes in heavy traffic. It gives us opportunity to see people, their places of dwelling and businesses. Everything is dirt so can't imagine what it is like during the rainy season.

Our conference began last night. They probably had around 250 last night with a well known singer and his band. He was enjoyable to listen to, we just don't know what they are saying.

Today (Tuesday) was quite full as well. Alan spoke first, Mark next and just a short time for me. I did say what I needed to say this time but hope to have more time tomorrow. It threw me some when the pastor asked that I speak to the whole group and the men began to protest that they would have to leave. It was a ruckus for a few minutes. Alan was very conflicted not knowing what we should do and I was also feeling unnerved. Then it occurred to me to have the women sit in front and the men could sit in the back and listen in if they wanted. There was cheering and I was then unsure when I was to go up on the platform, with partial translation it is challenging...oh just one of those situations. But my confidence in Christ my Lord was with me, though I was feeling weird as I spoke . I just pray it meant something to some of the women. It was about our call to a close walk with God helping us to face our very busy responsibilities. Alan said I was very serious and not my usual countenance. He said at the end I began to smile a little. Having the message translated twice was something I didn't do well but feel it was partly because of the total experience being different and up on this stage with this big wooden podium. :-)

Mark our partner also struggled last night in a different way. He felt he had to change what he was going to do to fit the audience. Today was much better for him. They had planned interactive stuff but with the large group it won't work so this afternoon they are changing some things around and revamping. Alan's training is pretty much the same only it is more of a preaching format than teaching. This is what it is all about...being flexible and responding in grace and with the confidence that God is in control.

Relying on His strength,

Edie

Sunday in Congo

2010-07-06T08:31:00.002-05:00

Today (Sunday) Alan preached with translation in Lingala and French. Most people speak French. He did well and it flowed well with everyone listening intently. You just don't know how it will go sometimes. We have been able to say a few words but have an excellent translator with us all the time. We are really enjoying the people and their warm fellowship. Can't wait to start the conference on Monday. We teach right up to the end (we fly out on the 16th). The services are always loud but reverently lively. There wasn't the praying all at once like we have had in some African countries. The church has 250 with a couple sister churches in outlying areas.

The women are so attractive with straighter hair-do's, nails done and beautiful styled dresses in native fabrics. They have that French flavor in the stylishness of their clothes and shoes. We are definitely working with a group that has education and more of the basics.

The food is mostly cubes of beef in a gravy or chicken, rice and greens. Really reminds me of southern food. They make good white bread French-like. Our meals at the guest house are simple and plain. Breakfast was different this morning with a small bowl of granola, bananas (very tasty)and cinnamon rolls. Yesterday at the restaurant I had a chicken quarter smothered in a curry gravy and rice.

Tonight (Sunday)we are meeting with someone they call an "apostle". I think he is considered a spiritual leader. We will learn more I am sure.

Love,

Edie

Another Day in Congo

2010-07-03T14:21:00.002-05:00

Today we were picked up and taken to a refuge for the Bonolo Ape. It is on the endangered species list and they have them in the wild. Then we were driven to a man made lake to eat. As we had to wait for our food for quite a while, we had the chance to have some good conversation about meaningful things. It was a good time of getting to know one another. Tomorrow they are looking forward to Alan preaching. It sounds like an all morning service, then we return for the evening service tomorrow night. I am so tired that I can't write anymore.

Love for the brethren everywhere and peace to you,

Edie

Safe arrival in Congo

2010-07-02T13:25:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to post that I received a short email from my mom saying that they had arrrived safely in the capital city of Congo. They are staying in a nice facility but got just a few hours of sleep and then enjoyed a day with the head pastor and his wife. They were served a delicious congolese meal of chicken, fried fish and other traditional dishes (2 kinds of greens, plantains) as well as fried catapillers. Tonight they have an all night prayer meeting, so no rest! Congo is 6 hours ahead of Central Standard time in the US. They asked for prayers for "stamina, and Love that overflows and covers a multitude of things."

Anne Lynn
Daughter of Al & Edie

Summary of Venezuela Trip

2010-05-27T10:02:00.004-05:00

Our day at the beach on Saturday went well and was very relaxing. We enjoyed talking about ministry issues with Mario and Alexander who went along with us. Thank you for praying with me about the carsickness issue. With some meds, I did pretty well.

The final day in Venezuela, I preached at the church in Limon. I was concerned because the translator that we had used in the conference was a bit rusty. Mario and I were greeting people as they arrived for the service. A young man named Daniel greeted us and we talked. He spoke excellent English and said that he had done a lot of translating in ministry before. He was new to the church and had only been coming for about a month. I jokingly said to him, “You can translate for me this morning.” Mario chimed in and encouraged him to do so. He agreed readily and did an excellent job. It was a great blessing to me and I think helped Daniel get some exposure in the church. He is a fine young man committed to ministry and I think he will be an asset to the church.

The church service was very dynamic and the worship was heartfelt, passionate and loud. It was a delight to be there. I was encouraged as I was able to figure out the Spanish in about 80% of the lyrics of the songs. Most of them I had never heard before. The people seemed to listen attentively and I heard good reports later, although I had few discussions with the people after the service because of the language issues.

Overall, our experience in Venezuela was very positive. The pastors not only listened well, but also talked seriously together about how to apply what they were learning and what the Lord had been saying to them through us. We could not have asked for a better response. They have tentatively invited us back in March to do training during their national conference. They want us to help fill in some gaps in their current training process.

There were a couple of stories that I thought were especially interesting about the trip:

Abdy Pereira Junior (10 years old), son of one of the pastors, went to his grandpa, who lives in apartment above them, and asked if he would let him host a cell group. Then he went to his Mom and asked if he could have permission to start a cell group with the needy kids in a nearby neighborhood. He told his Mom that he knew his parents were busy, but that he was willing do it himself since his grandpa had offered a place for him to host. They gave permission and Abdy hosted a cell group for 5 weeks. Nineteen children gave their lives to Christ! A few weeks later, he asked his mom, Paola, if he could ride his bike over to the neighborhood to follow-up on the converted kids. She said yes, and he went there, spent time with them, played soccer and found out how they were doing. He has done more follow-up. He recently asked if he could host another evangelistic cell group.

Saturday night it poured down rain and the Mario Lopez home was flooded. He was the pastor that organized the conference. It is the fourth time this has happened. The first time the water was 5 feet high and they lost everything. They had some work done to protect their home so this time the water only rose a couple feet. They have a terrazzo floor so no damage was done to wall or flooring but it will take time to get things back in order. And, since the water is infected with garbage, they have to disinfect everything. Please pray for energy and help. They also asked that we pray for their son Timothy (about 8 yrs old) who is experiencing some trauma every time there is a storm. When we met them for breakfast at the church Sunday morning, Madilva, Mario’s wife, was cheerfully singing as she worked to prepare the meal as if nothing had happened, even though they had been up much of the night working on the flooding. They are quite a godly couple.

I spent Monday night in Miami with my teammate Gene and then flew on to Iowa on Tuesday. It was a wonderful trip but I was also glad to be home. Now Edie and I will travel to St. Louis this weekend to speak at a Congolese church. A new adventure cross-culturally here in the US! Please pray that we will be able to communicate well with them on the issue of marriage. Thanks for your interest and prayers on our behalf.

Al

Day 3 in Venezuela, Part 2

2010-05-22T09:18:00.007-05:00

Today was my day to teach so naturally I woke early at 4 am and could not get back to sleep. It was just a good reminder from the Lord that I need to trust in Him and He was faithful in helping me through.

After two good days of careful training by my teammates it seems that the Lord called me to inspire the men from the Word. I taught on the centrality of the Word in our thinking, on the necessity and joy in suffering, and on our unity in Christ. The Lord seemed to speak though these topics and the men responded well. Someone said they would have been disappointed if they had not been encouraged in this way before they went home. The Lord is good because when we came I did not know anything about the pastors and their needs, but He did. We have been asked to come back in March to do specific training for all of the pastors at their denominational meetings.

Tomorrow we go to the ocean traveling on a winding road through the mountains. Car sickness may be an issue for me. Sunday I preach in one of the churches and I have chosen Col. 3:1-4 as a text.

Thank you for your interest and prayers for our ministry here. You have partnered with us in this good work.

Al

Day 3 in Venezuela

2010-05-22T09:09:00.007-05:00

Yesterday went well. Mark Wold did a fine job teaching about church health. The pastors are very warm and responsive. They love to get into discussion groups and are very serious about working on good ideas. We have been impressed with the overall maturity of the pastors attending the conference. We have about 35 total, about 1/4 of the total denomination.

Last night we heard from Daniel, a missionary from Venezuela to India. He had great stories to tell of the good work God is doing in bringing Hindus and Muslims to Christ. It was good to see the Venezuelan commitment to missions.

One interesting thing that happened yesterday is that a very large iguana fell out of a tree near the building we are meeting in. There were three or four of them in the tree. It was an unusual sight for a Iowan to see.

Pray for me today as I teach on the centrality of the Word in our thinking, the necessity of suffering and our unity in Christ. Thanks for standing with us as we serve the Lord here.

Day 2 in Venezuela

2010-05-20T08:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a good but frustrating day. All of the teaching and discussion were conducted in Spanish with no translation. I could get about 1/3 of the teaching but none of the discussion. It makes your brain hurt to try to understand all day. After a full day it makes you feel rather inadequate not to be able to understand anything but we praise God that he is our adequacy.

The pastors here seem articulate and mature as far as I can tell. In the evening we had a general discussion with all the pastors and I could not understand anything that was being said. It turns out that the time was a great blessing as all the men were responding so well to the teaching and encouraging one another to band together to do more church planting. It is apparent that God was working although he did not include me until later when it all was explained to me. Pray for Mark today as he teaches with translation and for me tomorrow that God would work through us as well. Thanks for being partners with us in serving Him.

Al

Day 1 in Venezuela

2010-05-19T10:54:00.006-05:00

We arrived last night and everything went well. We flew first into Coracao, part of the Dutch Antilles, and then on to Valencia. I had a little trouble filling out the visa form, it was really small print and my glasses were in my luggage (I know, I should be wearing them all the time). The other guys, all with glasses, helped me out.

It was a short drive on over to Limon where we will be staying and teaching. Our room was a step up from Africa, but had air conditioning that worked well. It is warm and humid, coming into summer sooner than we are at home. We are at the edge of the mountains as far as I can see, it is very hazy, almost foggy here.

Mario met us at the airport and seems to be a fine brother, one of the leaders of the EFCA here. If I can figure out how, I will try to send some photos later. We have internet in the eating area of our small hotel. Hopefully I can write often.

Al

Home Again

2009-08-28T18:23:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

We’re home and beginning to think back on all God has purposed and planned for the Pastors of Burundi and Kenya. As you step into the ravaged, impoverished places of Bujumbura and Kilifi, it’s a wonder how people are so friendly. When you meet the people of God, you can’t help but see a glimpse of the character and Grace of God. Men and women, who do not have the books, education, a comfortable physical environment or cultural and political advantages we do, are growing, vibrant Christians. God is simply amazing in what He can do in the hearts of His people according to His grace.

We had gifted men to translate for Alan, in ways that the Africans would best understand. The narrative approach to teaching systematic theology, that Alan worked on before going, was well received beyond our expectations. The African believers were able to see how these concepts come out of scripture and how they relate together. Also, there was a huge and unexpected impact on their marriages and families. We are thankful to God because it was so helpful and blessed the African men so much. In fact we were told how they appreciated the fact that Alan got deeper with them and that they were learning so much and were thinking hard together about how they needed to change as a result of what they had learned.

My time with the women was equally as appreciated. I addressed what the bible has to say about our biblical role as a believer, wife, mother, friend/mentor and partner with our husbands in ministry. I shared stories of women from the scriptures that illustrated my points. In Burundi, I quickly realized that most of the women were not pastor’s wives and probably had little bible knowledge so I revamped some of my material and was careful to see that the gospel was woven in throughout the time. I was also asked to address issues of child bearing and child rearing. My interpreter was a man who was gentle but impatient with all the children and goings on. He told me he wasn’t very knowledgeable of women’s issues. The Lord just gave me grace and perseverance and I was well aware of His presence with me. Then we went to Kenya and I tasted the delight of teaching women who were thinking with me, eager to apply it practically and asked lots of questions. I praise God for the experience because again when I went to Czech the women were attentive, thinking but not at all interactive, verbally or non-verbally. I am sure it is partly my inexperience and the cultural issues that contribute to responses. I am content to just do as much as I can to prepare my heart and studies ahead of time and leave the results to God. My “social” times with the women were definitely productive and there were teachable moments throughout those times as well.

Of course Satan delights in frustrating our efforts and downright sabotaging what he could in order that the church continue to be hindered. However we could tell his fiery darts couldn’t get very far and that your prayers here in the states were effective in the battle with us. Please don’t take lightly the power and eternal work you do when you pray. We had peace that moved us through the challenges with calmness and assurance that He would prevail. Believe me that is not us in the flesh.

Briefly, Burundi offered no concern for safety. We were busy all day teaching and handing out glasses. The bags and bibles in both places were greatly appreciated. We are so thankful for the opportunity to provide such gifts to them. We knew they had never done something like this and this was our first experience with teaching in Africa so our expectations were low. We learned so much about what to be aware of and how something like this needs a liaison from the US to work out the details. As it was we ended up with significant extra costs for the training to continue. Our recommendation would be for the ReachGlobal Africa staff to work with the Burundi Free Church to help them mature in some of these areas. They have so many needs and they need help in how to manage that beyond thinking money is the answer. We look forward to seeing their progress in the years ahead.

In contrast, the group of churches we worked with in Kenya, the FGP was much further along in their thinking. They have been building a relationship with the Canon City Free Church through a man by the name of Jim Watson for close to 5 years. His wise and patient relationship building made working through logistics much more culturally and biblically compatible. For one thing, the attendees were indeed all Pastors, along with their wives and a few key church elders. We knew our roles and were able to give our all to that. As newbies we also learned how to work with the culture and people through the observation of the church leaders, Jim Watson, and by their interaction with us. It was almost a “too good to be true” experience especially given what we encountered in Burundi. It gave us an invaluable resource to draw on in future planning of training conferences. We anticipate going back next year to do more teaching there.

One of the highlights of our trips to each of these areas is visiting churches. Sometimes Alan would preach if it was a Sunday, but other times we would just take time out to see what is going on in various areas and meet the congregations. God’s people are friendly and warm wherever we go it seems. The children are a plus too, so much fun for us.

It was with great joy that we joined with the Czech City Team to minister to believers there. As much as we delighted to come and serve them by teaching on the Holy Spirit, I think they served us more with their love, encouragement, hospitality and generosity. We are so thankful that God has joined us in a special way with these ReachGlobal missionaries and we anticipate that God has a purpose beyond what we know for the relationships there. A special treat for us was a crossing of paths with Gary and Elizabeth Inrig. They, along with their church, put on the European regional conference and were taking a few days off in Prague. We were invited by the Prague team to join them for a tour of a castle. It was such a good time to renew our friendship with them and of course Elizabeth has had enormous impact on my life, in preparing me for the ministry God has given me today.

Soon we will hit the road again visiting Churches to update you on God’s activities and our participation with Him. We want to share our experience as we continue our efforts to equip the church through the building up of pastors and their wives. We plan to post some more stories and details on our blog in the coming days. Stay tuned!

With hearts filled with thankfulness to our great and awesome God,

Al and Edie Lewis

A Day of Rest

2009-08-20T09:53:00.002-05:00

We are finally able to update you. We are here in Prague. We start our multi-church conference at 4:30 pm today meeting with the leadership and then tonight with the group Al will teach. We had a much needed day of rest yesterday. Took a walk in this awesome park that belongs to a castle near our hotel. Worked some on our teaching for here and slept too much. It was interesting that as we were coming to Czech we were looking forward to a more familiar and normal culture. Then we realized how we didn't used to think that way about Eastern Europe! We've come a long way in our view of "cross cultural".

Our time in Kenya went super! It was so wonderful being with the people of God there and giving them a gift they considered priceless; a deeper knowledge of the word. We plan to write when we get home about many of our experiences because we know that they will be encouraging and really boost your faith to know that God is alive and active in the hearts of the people of Africa.

With Joy, Al and Edie

Last leg of the Journey begins

2009-08-19T11:36:00.004-05:00

We got a brief email and phone message from Mom early this week. Here's the latest:

They arrived safely in Amsterdam from Nairobi and are in route to Prague. Their flight was delayed and they were very concerned that their luggage arrives with them. We have not heard, but pray that God grants them that mercy! The last few days Dad was fighting an intestinal bug and not able to eat much. Mom asked for prayer for him to recover quickly. They felt really good about their time in Kenya and plan to return next year.

Now they will have 24 hours of rest (18 & 19) in Prague before they begin leading a multi-church conference in Vlasim, just south of Prague on Thursday the 20th. The topics of the conference will be the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship to Christ, to one another, to the Word and in ministry to one another. My parents have asked that you pray for them to be effective in helping the Czech brethren to be more unified as they encourage these believers to work together more effectively as churches. They will meet with leaders and their wives on the 21st and my Mom will teach the women on the 22nd.

They leave for the long trip home on Monday the 24th.

Thanks for continuing to pray for endurance, energy, health and God's presence with them as they complete the last part of their trip.

~Anne Lynn, Al & Edie's daughter

Adventures in Africa

2009-08-14T10:18:00.002-05:00

Editors Note: This email from my Dad was very difficult to decipher. I am sure there were things lost "in translation". The technology there is somewhat lacking.

We are finally able to get to an Internet place. We were warmly received in Burundi and enthusiastically received in not only the town where the conference was held, but also in the two churches in remote areas that we visited. On Friday the 10th, some of us rode to the southern part of Burundi along beautiful Lake Tanzania. We saw many beautiful areas with all kinds of palm trees, which are harvested for palm oil and coconuts. On the way our van broke down, but it was very near to a mechanic, who fixed it really fast. The rear axle gears were out of oil. On the way back we broke down again within 100 yards of the first place. Any other place would have taken hours to get it fixed. We were on the road for nearly 12 hours that day after all the errand runs we had to make before the 3 hour trip and then the stops etc. The people were very happy to get the bibles and we had a great time all week giving out the eye glasses.

They responded well to the teaching Al did, following along very well. The pastors were coming from a very different background and Al helped them with issues ranging from eternal security to how to treat their wives. It was very interesting to see them struggle with loving their wives and helping them. Edie had a more difficult time working with the women, who were mostly uneducated and had a hard time following the teaching. She had a male translator who said he didn’t understand women’s issues. The Lord worked anyway. Many of the women were young and nursing babies. Edie was asked to address the issue of having many children, which many there think is a command of God. Al talked about that as well. Edie developed a good rapport with one young woman who was trying to learn English. There were some frustrations with organization and financial issues, but Esron, our translator from ReachGlobal, helped a lot with that.

Losing our luggage was a trial, but the Lord helped us. We went to the airport 6 times to try to get it, staying up to 2am and 3am on Saturday and Sunday nights. Al had only a couple hours sleep Sunday night and wondered how the teaching would go. We got our luggage Monday morning, changed to new clothes and began teaching. The Lord gave us strength and Al did not get tired until we left for home at 5 pm. Thank you for your prayers for us!

We had a great time with Esron who is the president of the Rwanda Evangelical Free Church. He is a great man and Al loved working with him. Our accommodations in Burundi were okay and the cold showers were exciting after a hot day. The food was simple but tasty. I think we are losing a bit of weight!

Our trip from Burundi to Kenya went fine except once again our luggage did not arrive with us. We got it three hours later and then traveled three hours to our housing. Again, our lodging is simple, and when we have water it is cold, but we do have a ceiling fan which helps a lot with the 85 degree heat and high humidity here. The teaching has gone even better here in Kenya. What a great group of men and women! Edie is having a much better time teaching with the women and enjoying it a lot. Again, husband and wife issues are at the top of the list of concerns, with the culture teaching men to treat women poorly. Some of the men have really been convicted and want to change. They are very happy with the doctrinal teaching and the method of using Genesis to teach theology has worked great. Pray that God will teach them in their hearts by His Spirit. We have two days of teaching left. Each day we have a question time, during which they can ask anything they want. There have been some really great questions which have stretched Al to answer.

Thanks so much for all your prayers! You do not know how much we need them and how much we realize their value. We will give a more detailed update when we return. We hope to write again when we get to the Czech Republic in a few days.

Al for us both

More News from Kenya

2009-08-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

My sister Amy was able to talk to my parents for a few minutes tonight. She said they were upbeat and happy, and seemed to be having a really good time. This can only be attributed to God's presence with them when they told about their living conditions! There is no electricity at all in the village where they are at. Thus, they have no access to email. On the days that they have running water, it is icy cold and only comes as a trickle. On the days when they don't have running water, they have to haul water in buckets for washing up. The weather is very hot and humid and there are lots of bugs. My Dad has a pink rash on his feet, they are asking for prayer for that. It does not itch, but they have no idea what it is.

Every day the people kill a goat to feed my parents and the people attending the conference. My Dad is going through the bible from Genesis to Revelation in a narrative form, teaching theology along the way. The African pastors and their wives are asking lots of questions about marriage and family life. Mom and Dad are very much enjoying the teaching times and are so glad to have the privilege to share the truth of God's Word with their brothers and sisters in Kenya. They said they are taking lots of pictures and have many "stories" to tell about their time there.

We will continue to post updates here as we get news.

Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis

News from Kenya

2009-08-12T19:26:00.003-05:00

News from Mom & Dad is sporadic and sparse. However, I did receive a brief message from them today saying that the days are very long and the accommodations are rustic but that their teaching times are going really well. The people there (they are now in Kenya) are very warm and receptive and grateful to have my parents there. Apparently they lost their luggage again when traveling from Burundi to Kenya. Thankfully it was located after 1 day. Quite a scare, however.

Please continue to pray for my parents safety, health and stamina. Pray also for the Lord to use them to speak to the hearts of the Kenyans and that the teaching of the Word would be implanted deeply and immediately applied to their lives. Mom and Dad asked that you specifically pray that the teaching of the Word would begin to affect marriages and families among the Christian believers in Kenya.

Thank you for your continuing support and prayers,

Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis

First Report from Burundi

2009-08-04T11:54:00.004-05:00

We have begun our work here and it has been fun! We received our luggage Monday morning after five days in the same clothes (with heat and humidity, mind you) and 6 trips to the airport. Just in the nick of time. Al didn't get to bed until 3:30am so was exhausted but God gave him the strength he needed and he was impressed with all God did in and through him. The pastors are soaking up what they are learning, asking questions and interacting with him. My teaching is also being received well and my rapport with the women is amazing. I feel so relaxed and at peace, teaching and mentoring. I have met one young woman who is single and applying herself to learn English. We have connected so well and with her not having a mother or father I may have opportunity through email to mentor her. We passed out bibles and glasses today. What a privilege for us to be able to provide these special things for them. The bags and notebooks were a hit but there was not quite enough as the group has grown. We feel very safe, the people are extremely warm and accepting of us. Al has had good rapport with Esron from Rwanda, who is his translator. We are so grateful for the many prayers answered but don't quit praying for us yet, we still have many days to go!

Al & Edie

Urgent Prayer Request from the Lewis'

2009-08-03T08:58:00.003-05:00

My mom was able to call briefly on Sunday to let us know that they arrived in Africa safely after 30+ hours of travel. However, ALL their luggage is lost. With the all the airline restrictions on carry-ons, they were not able to carry much with them on the plane. They have been teaching and ministering wearing the same clothes they have had on for 4 days and all they have for toiletries is a toothbrush. Of course this is not like America where the hotels have things for them to use like soap and razors. Nor are there shops nearby where they can purchase clothing. The people they are teaching are extremely poor. Mom said their room was comfortable though very sparse. They get to share the space with geckos, lizards and large spiders. It has been very hot and humid and the mosquitoes are very thick. She said the people have been very kind and wonderfully welcoming to them.

Please pray that God would miraculously locate their luggage (intact with nothing stolen) and that they would easily be able to be re-united with it. They begin all of their training classes today (Monday) and it would be a real encouragement to them to have their luggage.

This has proven to be, and will continue to be, a very challenging trip. Thank you for faithfully praying for them as they begin to equip our African brothers and sisters in the Word!

Anne Lynn,
daughter of Al & Edie Lewis

We go out with your prayers!

2009-07-30T10:04:00.001-05:00

We’re on our way to Africa and Czech this morning. We feel really prepared and ready to get going. This past Monday some in our church here and Ft. Dodge had a prayer meeting for us. What a blessing!! We broke into three groups and prayed and then they all gathered around us and laid hands on us. It was a wonderful expression of solidarity with our ministry from the body. As their hands were upon us I thought of the many people elsewhere who are praying for us as well. Their touch seemed to me to communicate the whole body of Christ praying for us. Thank you so much for your partnership with us. At times we feel a little alone and isolated because we are not able to be engaged with one congregation. But this morning we feel fully connected. In a real sense by the Spirit you are traveling with us to serve pastors and wives that desperately need our help. I am certain God is pleased with that.

We will try to update as we can as we travel. God bless you.

Al

Request for Prayer

2009-07-20T13:57:00.006-05:00

Dear Friends in Christ,

It is hard to believe that we have been home since the middle of April. Time has flown by and we have been incredibly busy developing training materials and doing support team building with churches and individuals. It still feels like we still have two full time jobs. We are thankful that we have made a lot of progress on our teaching materials for our upcoming trip to Africa and Czech Republic. The support building has been a little slower. Please pray that we will be able to raise the remaining 45% by the end of the year.

It is difficult to communicate how much we appreciate your partnership with us in this ministry. We especially sense a need for prayer as we leave for a 26 day trip to Africa and Czech on July 30th. It will be a very challenging trip so we are asking you to pray diligently for us. Here is our schedule and requests:

July 30: We fly to Bujumbura, Burundi, arriving on the 31st about midnight. This is our first time in Burundi as well as our first training trip and it is their first time hosting a training event so we all have a lot to learn together. The communication has been a bit sketchy and the country is still a little unsettled after war. Pray for the arrangements and for our safety.

August 2: Al preaches in a Burundi church. We do not know exactly where or what it is like so pray for our flexibility. Pray that God will use Al to preach the word in a way that builds up the church and spiritual leaders here.

August 3 - 7: We will be training about 30 pastors and their wives. None has had any biblical training so the need is great. Al will teach both men and women in the morning and then we will split them in the afternoon with Edie working with the women alone. Pray that we will both communicate well and that our teaching will be helpful.

August 8: We fly to Nairobi and then on to Mombasa, Kenya. We will train about 50 pastors and 35 wives again in Kilifi, Kenya, just north of Mombasa.

August 9: Al preaches somewhere near Kilifi. Again, pray for the ability to bridge the culture in preaching and that the Spirit will give the message that will speak to their hearts.

August 10 - 15: This training is much better organized and we will be working with a team who will share in the training. Pray that Al will be able to condense his training into a much shorter time frame. Pray again for Edie as she works with the women in the afternoons.

August 16: Al preaches again at a local church.

August 17: We fly to Nairobi and then late that night on to Amsterdam and Prague, arriving on the 18th around 8am. We will need some rest and recovery before our conference starts. Pray that our accommodations allow that.

August 20 - 23: Al leads a multi-church conference in Vlasim just south of Prague. The topics of the conference will be the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship to Christ, to one another, to the Word and to ministry to one another. Pray that we will be effective in helping our Czech brethren to be more unified and to work together more effectively as churches. We will meet with leaders and their wives on the 21st and Edie will teach the women on the 22nd.

August 24: We fly home.

Thanks again for your willingness to support us financially and in prayer. By doing so, you have a real and vital role in the development of these men and women in ministry in Africa and Europe. We look forward to giving a good report about what the Lord did when we return. We will try to update our blog as we can. You can check it out at: alandedie.blogspot.com.

Yours in Christ,

Al & Edie

Getting Ready to Go Out Again

2009-07-16T15:13:00.002-05:00

Two weeks from today we leave for our next trip. This one is our “maiden voyage” so to speak. We will be teaching, mentoring and building relationships. Lots of details need to be checked off in order to be prepared in a “physical” sense. But more importantly we have the subtle battle with our flesh and the enemy to be in shape with the Spiritual. It is time to gear up for real mission and that is to Glorify God and serve Him as He leads us. There are many unknowns particularly in Burundi.

We will be sending off a prayer letter soon and posting it as well on this blog. Our contact will be limited in that we won’t have our computers so thought I would start informing you now on what is coming up for us. Thanks for your prayers and interest in our ministry.

May all praise with thanksgiving be given to Him.

Al and Edie

Busy Days!

2009-05-28T12:16:00.023-05:00

It is hard to believe we have been home for over a month! So many things we need to catch up on, along with taking many opportunities to travel and share our ministry with others. We have needed this time to reflect and now plan for what is ahead.

This last trip was the most challenging and thought provoking of the trips we have taken so far. We were in Mongolia and India. If you followed our blog, you know some of what we experienced in these very unique cultures. It has taken some time to combine all our experiences from this past January through April (3 separate overseas trips) and gain a broad perspective of what it is God is calling us to do now. Since our “job” was created out of a need for teaching and equipping the church, we are especially called upon to lean on the Lord for wisdom and insight. Proverbs 3:5-7 guides our actions. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. “

What we do know now is that tremendous effort is being done on the part of brothers and sisters in many different spots around the world. Christ’s church is growing in places that have not seen much witness of the gospel recently, in some cases for centuries. Despite many obstacles, God’s truth is being revealed in the hearts of people and they are being transformed. Unfortunately, the men who have been called to shepherd these churches are largely untrained to carry out their role as pastors. Our primary task is to help them, and their wives, to understand how to study the Bible and to teach it effectively, so that they can then accurately evaluate cultural norms and beliefs and begin to transform thinking of their congregations to be more like Christ. Our ultimate goal is to raise up gifted national pastors, who in turn will be able to train others.

At this time we would appreciate your prayers for our present efforts. Alan is developing a course of basic theology to teach to men who have little education and /or minimal reading skills. This is a huge undertaking requiring some “storytelling” to help in the development of theological/biblical thinking. Edie is working on a series of “talks” related to the biblical role of women as a wife, mother and ministry partner. She would also like to include some practical application of women from the bible and history. We both need time, inspiration , and a sensitivity in our hearts toward those we will be training. These projects need to be done by early June for translation. We will be leaving for a trip to Africa & Europe at the end of July.

We also ask you pray for us as we will be on the road for many weekends sharing our ministry with churches and individuals. We still need to raise about 48% of our support and want to work diligently at that task. By God’s grace He has given us freedom and peace to trust in His provision as we try to be faithful in our part. Still it is a battle of the mind and heart and we would appreciate your prayers on our behalf.

On a more personal note, we are still adjusting to all the new circumstances of this new role. For example, we need to learn when to quit working each day. Since we both work at home now, it’s hard to know when work ends. It seems there are always deadlines and a constant need for mental creativity and learning. Then there is also the regular stuff of life around the home and responsibilities with caring for Edie’s elderly mom. It gets to be overwhelming at times. Thank you for lifting us up before God’s throne of grace.

Here is our schedule for the next several weeks.

May 16-17: Hope EFCA Dubuque, IA

May 17-18: Meeting with Area Leaders of South Asia

May 23-24: EFCA Algona, IA

May 31: EFCA Fort Dodge, IA (evening)

June 13-14: EFCA Erie, IL (preaching )

June 20-21: EFCA Muscatine, IA (preaching)

June 23-25: EFCA National Conference in Mpls, MN

June 23-25: Meet with Kenya Team, ReachGlobal event

June 28: EFCA Albert City, IA

Thank you so much for your faithfulness in prayer for us and for your service to Christ in all that you do. He is the Almighty God, at work in our hearts to conform us to the image of His Son.

To Him be all the Glory,

Al and Edie Lewis

al.lewis@efca.org

edie.lewis@efca.org

Parked for Awhile

2009-04-29T11:44:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry we have not been able to get back to this blog sooner. We arrived home on Apr. 10th in the afternoon to a clean house thanks to my mother-in-law and a nifty housekeeper. We were able to attend the Good Friday service which I must say was the cup of cool water we needed. Our daughter Amy's in-laws also arrived which is always such a big blessing to us. They are strong, mature and wise believers that always give us rich fellowship. Paula is also a very talented artistic person and was a huge help with getting our display done for the following weekend.

I was asked to give a talk on missions to the Central District Women's retreat. It forced me to do some reflection and debriefing with the Lord as I struggled to know just what to say. I was very concerned that the message would not be diminished by the weakness of the messenger. I really felt the Lord answered prayers my prayers and the women were so receptive. Actually the retreat was perfect timing for me. I was running pretty much on empty and these serious, godly women in their 70's delivered a spiritual retreat that lifted all up to a higher plane of thinking concerning our bridegroom coming for us and what that means to us today.

Meanwhile, Alan came along to be introduced on Friday night along with our district superintendent and his wife. Then he had Saturday to just veg-out and do what he wanted. We were in Branson, MO, so not too bad though it was raining. Sunday afternoon we headed for a cabin we rented outside of Branson and slept! Then Monday had a wonderful time recapping what we have done the past 4 months, prayed for many things and headed off for the outlet malls. We even prayed about that. We were looking for shirts that are designed for humidity. We found that when we would wash our sweaty clothes while in places like India and Africa, the clothes would not be dry by morning so then you put on slightly damp shirts to begin another humid day. We were like kids finding the right toy, when we found these moisture-wicking shirts on clearance and on sale.

The rest of the week found us beginning to shape up what the next 3 months will look like. We must get busy at support raising and developing teaching with hand-outs to be ready for the first of June (in order to get it translated in time). Alan especially has a lot on his plate as he meets in Dallas with the Center of Church-Based training. They are bringing in people from all over the world to discuss important issues regarding the training of Pastors and leaders in places all over the globe. In August we will be going to Burundi and Kenya to be with pastors and their wives for a week in each place. Our teaching needs to be primarily of an oral approach as the education levels are limited for some and most of the women cannot read. It is an exciting thought to open an understanding of the scriptures to these called ones who are ministering to the body of Christ in their areas. Alan is especially on a time crunch to completely write his own "Basic Theology" course with hand-outs by the first of June. That way the materials can be translated in their own language. In Burundi we are on our own but in Kenya we are with a team. In both places I am the only American woman so I am praying for God to send me an assistant to go too. In the upcoming weeks I hope to enlist the help of our daughter Anne to post some pictures.

We also want to share about our trip to India as it impacted us in so many ways. It is truly a praise to our God that our health remained strong and our attitude positive despite many frustrations. We are learning more vividly that our God reigns and is not thwarted by anything despite the strongholds Satan has in many of the places we go. When you think of us please pray Ps. 18:28 "For it is you who light my lamp: the Lord my God lightens my darkness." In many ways we are in the dark as to what is the best way to reach these people, may the Lord bring to light what we should teach and how best to communicate the truth.

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

Al and Edie

House Calls

2009-04-09T11:03:00.003-05:00

We have left Kolkata, in West Bengal India. The last night we were there we did house calls. The first home we visited was a family of believers. The man asked some practical questions that Alan answered for him from the scripture. They were such a sweet family. The second home was multi-family members of which the wife of the owner was the only believer. The son had slit his wrists recently and been in a hospital for 1month. He isn’t any better but had honest and hard questions to ask Alan. He did the best he could to answer them and then prayed passionately for him. His name is Michael. If you think of him pray for his salvation. Their other son died of a brain tumor.

We spent last night in Delhi and are headed this morning for Varanasi. It is a village with only 4 million people. We have to be discreet and careful since it is a strict Hindu area. We return here the next day and spend 2 days meeting with people here . On Friday the 10^th we leave late at night and then arrive at 3:15pm on the 10^th in Fort Dodge. Funny huh?

India is a difficult place to see. But what a light the Christians are here. They are really in contrast to their culture around them.

Thanks for listening and praying for us. We know your prayers are a sweet aroma to God on our behalf.

Love In Christ,

Al and Edie

Experiencing India

2009-04-06T13:36:00.003-05:00

It is quite amazing to be here to say the least. So many people and mostly appear to be living in squalor. It is hard to imagine so many people infirmed, begging and washing themselves on the street corners from an old fashioned pump. We are in Bengal, which is communist-ruled, but the conditions are awful. Still Christ has compassion and so should we. His church is growing too despite all the bondage from Hinduism. It seems like hopelessness is all around. We leave here to go to a poorer and darker part of India tomorrow. This is Calcutta, which is considered to have more upper caste people. We are far from where William Carey started it all. I really wished we could have visited his residence.

I purchased fabric to make a sari but don’t know if I can have it done tomorrow or not.

We were out sightseeing last night and were by the river. A pile of garbage that people and birds were going through then several groups of people came to release idols in the river. Some were covered with colored dust. It was a sight to actually see people doing this bizarre thing. A train went by, old just like the movies and what a ride that would be. Not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination.

We are headed to do house visits (pastoral). You can’t imagine what it is like to be doing so many things without schedules or routine. In other words, it is always new situations we are having to quickly adapt to as best we can.

Our accommodations are comfortable. It is twin beds, but we figured out how to heat the water heater so will have a warm shower in the morning though the bathroom we don’t cool and it is very hot. It is also very humid. I actually had swelled ankles for the first time. I am drinking lots of water. The city traffic is just outside our window and is quite noisy. It quieted down though later and didn’t really get going until 6 am. I hope we can find a way to send this. The Cafe is closed today so will try tomorrow .

Love and miss you all,

Edie

Leaving Bangkok

2009-04-06T13:14:00.002-05:00

We don’t have Internet access here so are going to try an Internet cafe down the street. Here it goes….

Hello Fellow Sojourners!

We finished out in Bangkok making new friends in ministry, and feeling like we learned a lot from our African brother who spoke on “Discipling the Nations” and the need for a mind transformed by the Word of God. Just as we in America tend to act in ways that are more “American” than Christian, other cultures do the same, only with more contrast, such as pagan practices of sprinkling salt on the ground around a house to keep the spirits away, as we heard one teacher in Africa was teaching. Unless people can see the difference of applying what God’s word says concerning who we worship, how we worship, how we are to think and live, etc., it is hindering to the change that can really be seen. We thought it interesting that we saw more visible signs of idol worship in the city of Bangkok than when we were there in January but then they were celebrating Christmas with trees , Christmas music etc.

We are now here in India. We are having plenty of interaction with nationals who are pastoring either full time or part time. The testimonies have been amazing. One member of our team from a church in Calif. said in the Middle East God is working through dreams and visions. Here it seems He is working through wonderful healings. The Hindu religion has been here from hundreds of years, encouraging worship of a lot gods. Many problems in families and the society are occurring because of that. People who come to Christ really know He is the true God, and that they have been rescued out of a harsh and oppressive religion. It isn’t the miracle that is important as much as it is the God who did it to show them He is good and just, and to worship Him is to obey Him. They are not looking to have all their problems solved because they see He doesn’t heal all the time but they know they need to just submit to His sovereign will, no matter what He chooses to do.

Alan and I both have enjoyed getting to know the congregation this morning. We had many opportunities to pray for different ones individually. That is a practice I wish we could incorporate more in our church fellowships. They love prayer and praising the Lord. Alan preached a powerful message about the man healed of his blindness but didn’t see who healed him. Eventually he was thrown out of the synagogue and when Jesus approached the man who now could see and told him who he was, the man fell down and worshipped Him. He now was given spiritual sight, but of course his problems didn’t go away---in fact he had new ones. Very culturally understandable here.

In the way of prayer requests for Alan and I , I ask for stamina. Good rest helps too. Also we ask that you join us in asking God to give us extraordinary ability to hear and understand what the Nationals are saying even if it is in English. Our hearing is not too sharp to begin with and we are finding it extremely hard to enter conversations or repeat names because we just can’t hear them clearly. So we ask you lift that up for us. We also would like the Lord to show us if he would have us to work here and what his will is in all of this. We need wisdom and the Spirit to prepare hearts for Alan’s presentation tomorrow regarding Church based training.

Thank you for your support and prayers,

Edie

A Day in the Forbidden City

2009-03-30T12:51:00.002-05:00

We are learning so much about the “ways “ of different countries. In particular, we are learning so much about the places where we are able to spend time with the missionaries serving there. For instance, we learned that China doesn’t want their airplanes left out of the country. So if they think there is a chance they won’t get back because of weather or I suppose other reasons they will not let their planes leave the original location. Hence our plane that was supposed to leave from Mongolia at 4:30 pm did not leave until after midnight (we had some snow and wind). When we arrived at the Beijing airport it was deserted but fortunately our missionary arranged for us to have documentation that our plane had been delayed and we missed our connection. Through the lost luggage place we made headway and were given a hotel room free of charge. Only one condition, there were 2 to a room and our team member, Gene had to share a room with a stranger. We dropped into bed at 5:30am and got up around 10am. I had my first shower since we left, it felt heavenly!

Since we were here and given a special visa to move around without having to pay for the expensive visa, we thought we couldn't ignore this opportunity. So we went to the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square. It was sobering to think of the history involved here and also the total absence of God everywhere. There is an elevating of man and the nation of China here. We have found food to be expensive here too. Glad this is only a short stop.

We are growing in a deeper appreciation for our missionaries everywhere. In Mongolia there is a cost to their physical bodies as well as sacrifices in other ways. Their dedication to the call and their love of the people is testimony to the grace our God gives when we live eternally. I am so grateful for the opportunity I (Edie) have had to give the women time to share with me, to give me a glimpse of their lives and offer opportunity to hear their concerns. It was a blessing to be able to see them light up as they would share. One lady said specifically that they usually have men visit but it was nice to have a woman come too for a change.

Alan and Gene gave a lengthy assessment of the work they are doing in Mongolia and the priorities they are working on. Their stand for a translation that does not use the same word for God as for Buddha is so important. A fight that won’t be necessarily be won in the near future but worthwhile in continuing to press with love among other believing foreigners. Another issue is foreign money funding pastors for full time work. Because of the culture this is a very detrimental system for the Mongolians. Several groups do it but our missionaries have refrained. It has many points to it’s argument that I won’t go into. The most positive outcome of all of this is that they have a team in Mongolia that is extraordinary. Their love and willingness to work through things together is admirable. A model for us all!! Al and Gene also talked through some things that they saw that would be good to work towards, perhaps some needs for setting up ways to help bring change but overall no red flags whatsoever.

Finally about to board for Bangkok.

So long…Edie

Another day in Mongolia

2009-03-27T23:35:00.004-05:00

How are all of you doing? We are feeling very well. We are taking an immunity booster vitamin which is doing it’s job. We are packed up ready to be picked up. We are meeting with the team to do an evaluation of them. I am not a part of this except to be present.

It’s Snowing! It did this yesterday too but only for a few hours and then the sun came out. It is very dry here with little vegetation. Their power plants are coal burning which causes terrible pollution. Part of the sacrifice of serving here is the toll it takes on your physical life.

We have been learning a significant amount of historical and cultural information regarding Mongolia. The reason is that it factors into the development of the church as well as reaching the people here. Some interesting things you may not know is that many still live in Ghers, round homes, shaped like a circus tent with a stove pipe up through the middle of the roof. The people have been nomadic herders but that lifestyle is becoming increasingly more difficult to sustain a family.

The country has been vulnerable to domination by Russia and China. They are doing their best to make alliances with the west to keep from that happening again. Because of their history of it has become inherent in their culture to be “chameleon” like. Accommodating themselves when it most benefits them. Hence a challenge is to discern whether someone is truly born again or simply doing what it takes to gain financially from foreigners.

Another interesting consideration is how the Chinese worked to change the fierce Mongolian warrior to a more peace loving person. They did this by killing all their horses and encouraging the practice of Buddhism (pacifistic). When the Russians came they destroyed the temples and tried to wipe out the religious practices. Today there is a resurgence of Buddhism and animism. The Mongolian people are struggling to find their identity. They idolize Genghis Khan a violent dictator as well.

Thank you for continuing to lift us up in prayer,

Edie

Mongolian Mindset

2009-03-24T21:32:00.004-05:00

Today was a day of further broadening our perspective of the Mongolian mindset. After a delightful breakfast with a key missionary family, and some stimulating conversation of the state of the Christian church both in Mongolia and America, we then set out to see a Russian monument of the peaceful relationship with Mongolia.

The communists relinquished control of the country in 1990. This monument is alongside a huge statue of Buddha and a hillside picture of the national hero Genghis Khan. Piles of rocks with religious paraphernalia dotted the countryside. These are places where people have left shrines to appeal to the gods to help them or to appease the spirits. We then went to town, parked and walked aways as there were one shop after another of Buddhist religious stuff, until you arrived at the Buddhist temple. There was a HUGE statue again of Buddha inside.

The struggle here is over a bible translation that was not professionally done. Among the problems with this translation is that they use the same word for God as for Buddha. As it was explained to us, the meaning of Buddha brings a mental picture of a man for the Mongolian. Whereas when we speak of God we don’t have a mental picture but rather a concept of the attributes of God. Sadly the Christian community is divided over the issue and it looks like a losing battle. More discussion on this issue is coming. We would appreciate your prayers for all the Christians involved in this issue and for us to be used of God however He so desires. This is such a dark place and the gospel is needed here badly. It is easy to see how Satan could take advantage of the opportunity to stir discord. It gives great hope and encouragement to know we can approach the throne of grace and appeal for His leading and understanding in matters like these.

Thanks for listening, and now I ask you stop and pray for the Word to be translated by trained linguists so that God’s people can know Him in Truth and Worship Him as the only true God.

Edie

Greetings from Mongolia

2009-03-23T16:48:00.002-05:00

We are currently staying in an apartment set aside for short-term mission teams. We are meeting with George, a missionary on the far border of Mongolia near Siberia, Russia. Ulaanbaatar is the city we are in and it is like a high desert here. Not much vegetation. All our flights went well. Alan is still feeling dizzy, kind of car sick. The flight from Fort Dodge and then from Minneapolis was extremely bumpy, moving the plane all over the place. He hasn’t been right since even though the other flights were fine. Pray for his ability to engage as the time is short and they are asking for input on an issue over translations being used.

Our accommodations are nice, clean and modest. I couldn’t get hot water so washed my hair in the shower and then my body with a sink of heated water. Again I am thankful for our family vacations in remote camping spots. We are going to see if it is like Eastern Europe where you get hot water at night and then they shut it off until the next evening.

The missionaries have been very sick including the wife of the main missionary. She has a sinus infection and the western doctor said it may have gone to her small sinus bones. If so they have to do a procedure. Pray for her, Lynn is her name. We will go to lunch with him. Then we hope to rest this afternoon, and spend the evening with Tom and Lynn, the missionaries here.

I will sign off for now,

Edie

Preparing to travel again

2009-03-19T12:30:00.006-05:00

Hi, this is Al & Edie's daughter Anne. I will be helping Mom & Dad manage their communications with all of you in order to better keep everyone informed and up to date on all of their ministry comings and goings. They will continue to communicate as they can while they travel. They are leaving tomorrow for a 3-week trip to Mongolia, India and Thailand.

A recent prayer letter was sent out via email giving details about their upcoming trip, as well as some highlights and pictures from their last trip to Eastern Europe and Africa. If you would like to be added to the list to receive the prayer letters, please email me at jayanda@charter.net.

As always, please be praying for my parents as they set off on a new adventure---following where God leads them to serve!

On the road again

2009-03-06T09:42:00.000-06:00

Dear fellow Sojourners,
No matter where we are and what God has given us to do, we are still on a path taking us to our true home. I read this prayer by Susanna Wesley as my path became steeper.

"Almighty God, I thank you because day after day has verified the truth of our Saviour's words: "Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof." Through the weakness and corruption of human nature and the unavoidable business of my station in life: in cross occurrences, with abundance of other things incident to human life, I find occasion given to me daily to exercise virtues of one kind or another... I draw near unto you the supreme fountain of virtue, for grace in the perplexed affairs of life, and thank you for every occasion on which I have found your strength to be made perfect in weakness: and I thank you that you are truth itself and that all your promises are yea and amen, through Jesus Christ, your mediator. " This prayer gave me words for my own prayers and direction for my thinking as I carried through with His grace the "perplexed affairs of Life" since we have been home.

Today we head off across the state for Al to present some messages at a mission's conference in Oelwein. I don't know how the Lord has lead his thinking but am really looking forward to hearing what the Lord has given him. I am feeling the need to be fed with real food. We then are meeting with a mission's committee in another church Monday night. We expect to be home on Tuesday evening.

Please pray for hearts to hear what the Lord is saying. "The fields are ripe for harvest but the workers are few" That we as the messengers do not get in the way of the message.

Pray for us to have strength especially Al who will be doing the speaking. We are both recovering from a chest cold that has really zapped our energy.
My computer's hard drive crashed losing all the information (if this isn't an ongoing saga, part of my "station in life"). That means it will be alot of work to make sure our prayer partner list is up to date. I had saved some on our stick but not sure how much. Then I need to get a prayer letter out. We leave on our next overseas trip 2 weeks from today.
Prayer for preparation of messages in places and with people we have never met on our next trip overseas. More about that later.

Thanks so much for keeping up with us. Journeying with the Savior, Edie for us both

2009-02-21T12:13:00.000-06:00

It is already Saturday afternoon. Tomorrow we have a church service and then everyone will begin to leave to go to their various places of ministry. It has been a long time in Africa for us but a rich time of meeting both nationals and US missionaries.

The cultural, medical and spiritual challenges are numerous but we know our God is not frustrated or without the wisdom or power to handle it all. We just need to do what little part we are called to do.

We are to meet with the ReachGlobal director and our team after the last session tonight and that will conclude our responsibilities. I am trying to figure out when I will pack. We have some things we are bringing home for the Westers whose home church is Oakdale not far from us. We are glad we can do the favor.

Yesterday afternoon they offered a shopping excursion. Alan was not feeling well so I went ahead, cramming into a bus that clearly was built to carry one third less of us…oh well. Rules for safety and hygiene may not exist, at least I am not seeing evidence of it.
The Africans we are working with on a leadership level are by God’s grace educated and very sharp recognizing and addressing some of this in the context of the church and reaching out to their communities.

Anyway, we headed off in intense heat and humidity. When we arrived almost immediately the vendors were shoving their wares in our faces naming prices. The shops are long, narrow and dark. I would go in to look at something and felt like I was in a sauna. The sweat was literally running off of me to the extent that I had to change my clothes when I got back because they were very damp. I purchased some material, a necklace and some sandals. I really didn’t like the atmosphere and was wishing Alan could have come with me.

The ministries are so exciting to hear about. Everyday they have someone in the morning and evening give a story of people coming to Christ and how that came about or the open doors that are happening. Many of them are Muslim which is exciting.

This will probably be it until we get home. Think about today how maybe you could reach out to someone you know with the message of hope.

Love, Edie

2009-02-20T07:19:00.001-06:00

I, (Al), finally have a few moments to share my thoughts about our trip. We were so thankful to the Lord that He helped us maintain a good attitude at the London airport after flying all night and then standing in line with thousands of other stranded passengers. Thank you for praying for us as we travel.
We had a great time in Prague with our CZ missionaries. On Saturday I was able to speak to them from I Thess. 2 on continuing to give yourself in ministry even when it is personally painful. It was good for us to get to know them better and to see their hearts for ministry. On Sunday I preached at the Vlassim church south of Prague. I did not know what to preach on since I had no idea what was going on in the church. The Lord led me to preach on unity as taught in John 17: 20-24. It turned out to be a perfect fit for what they needed. The missionary with us said he could see the pastor getting more and more excited about what he was learning as he translated for me. Afterward they immediately asked me to come back and do more teaching on that subject as they want to gather several area churches and seek to develop a better working relationship together.
On Monday, we flew on to Nairobi by way of London. We stayed in a guest house that was quite nice for our first taste of Africa. The traffic rules in Nairobi were interesting to say the least. We had a wonderful time with the brothers and sisters gathered there for training. Rwanda is a beautiful land with beautiful people, so many smiles. The pastors we began with were leaders, like district superintendents in the Free Church and were eager to learn. We soon found out however that they were at a much more basic level than we expected. Only five pastors in the Rwanda EFC have formal degrees and many have only a primary education. They are good and godly men but we will have to start our training at a foundational level. I am going to be working on developing a basic Bible study course that fits their abilities. We also plan to do some training in chronological story telling through the Bible, as soon as I get a good grasp of the concepts myself. I think this will be especially effective in helping them train their people to share Christ with others and also in helping them learn theology.
On Friday we traveled north to where the volcano area of Rwanda. They were just like you imagine but without smoke or lava. It was incredibly beautiful. We drove about three hours on pavement, although we had to constantly slow down to avoid huge potholes, and then about an hour on a dirt, rather a rock, road. What a ride! We visited an EFC school for kids. The primary kids swarmed us when we arrived. I had about 50 to 100 crowded around me all saying “Good Morning”, about the only English they knew, even though it was well into the afternoon. A few started feeling my arms which are hairy, unlike anything they had ever seen before. The whole group erupted in almost a frenzy of joy and laughter. It was a very emotional moment for me seeing their openness and enthusiasm to experience my differentness. I could not help wishing I could share something much more significant and joyful with them, the joy of knowing Christ. Later we met with a group of country pastors gathered in a simple church with no lights or coverings on the windows. We enjoyed worshipping with them even though we could not understand anything they said. They also are so eager to learn and so passionate about serving Christ. It struck me that hearing about people, kids or pastors in Africa, as you are now, is way different than meeting them in person. To get to know these dear brothers even a little bit fires up my passion to make a difference in their lives by teaching them how to study and teach, and apply the Word. We left Rwanda with a commitment to return as soon as we are able.
We came to Dar es Salaam on Saturday and then toured various ministries here after church on Sunday. We were so impressed with the devotion, skill and perseverance of our workers here. We continue to be thankful for the wonderful partners we have. I have been able to reconnect with several leaders from various African countries and to meet several more. We are grateful for the the opportunities that are unfolding for us to return to partner with them in training their pastors. Thank you so much for your role in helping us in this significant work.

2009-02-19T07:06:00.000-06:00

I am very disappointed that I have not been able to write in my blog for some time. Currently we are in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We are in a “4 star Hotel” that has had numerous electricity and internet problems. We had a rain storm today that literally came down in sheets of water. I am not sure what the temperature is but trust me it is hot and extremely humid. We have a beautiful view of the Indian Ocean.
Friday, in Rwanda we spent all day going up into the mountains. We visited a training center an American free church built and a school another Amer. free church built. Both are tremendous success stories. They are located far apart but well worth the effort. I say that because we had a flat tire and the roads were very rough to cross so it was slow. The children would come up to our car to greet us as moved along (that gives you an idea how speedy we were). Eight of us were crammed into an SUV. Fortunately at least 3 were on Dramamine because initially the paved road was quite winding.
At the school the kids were so excited to meet us, greet us and practiced what little English they had learned. The grades included up through high school with about 40% orphans. It is a Christian School. You pay for any schooling for your children in Rwanda and that was one of the things the women expressed as a desire. They want their children to go to school but can’t afford it. When we arrived each of us had a group of kids gathered around us. At some point I looked over at Alan and the kids were feeling his arms. They had never felt hair like that. They eventually, after we had had a presentation by the principal, by some students in an older class and a tour, walked with us a fair distance to our vehicle. They were so precious and I will always remember that time.
Part of the morning was spent training about 20 pastors from the rural areas of the mountains. Alan didn’t participate except to get to know the pastors and later think through what was done and how successful it was. It was concluded that Church health was not what they need, it is basic bible survey which is more Alan’s area to handle. We had lunch in this church and then were on our way.
All throughout the mountainsides crops were being tended. They have flat areas and then terrace up the mountain other crops. The soil is black and they were harvesting potatoes and carrying large bags to the village to be sold and taken away by trucks. Most carried the sacks on their heads. Probably 50-100 lbs. It was Amazing. Everyone we saw smiled and waved. They were such a blessing to us.
Sat. morning Alan left with the group while I stayed back to pack. He saw the real Hotel Rwanda and they drove around town. Then we left for the airport to come here. It has been a time of getting to know several new people and get to know what creative evangelistic efforts are being done in this predominately Hindu and Muslim city. There are a lot of Indians that live here. The work I was especially impressed with is what 3 single gals are doing in schools and in their home. It is very intentional and strategic and meeting the needs it is intended for.
Tonight is the official kick off of the conference and things will be especially busy with meetings etc. I hope this gets posted soon and that I can say more later. Thanks for following us and especially for your prayers. Edie

Training time

2009-02-12T12:57:00.000-06:00

Just in case you didn't notice. A couple nights ago I realized a couple of my posts were in a drafts listing. So I went ahead and sent them. I am very sorry but probably in my haste hit the wrong button (or jet lag).
We have had a couple of long hard days. Yesterday was my day with the women. It is hard to say how much they profited but I feel confident we established a rapport. From the discussion tonight with some pastors/leaders they want more teaching for women in the future as they certainly are pleading for training for the Pastors and church leaders. The women dressed in beautiful fabrics and all had such vibrant smiles. They work hard and have numerous children as well as being very helpful to their husbands in the church. Alan had to be mostly an observer but was hard at work connecting with the Pastors. A question was asked about the biblical view of women and Alan spoke up how to view the submissive role as not one of lesser value using the example of the trinity. The American team talked about this later as being a significant contribution to the training. He also lead some other discussion times.
Today was a big celebration. The church where we are meeting has a number of outreach ministries one of which is a cyber cafe. They have hired trainers that will help you. For a small fee people can come to use the computers. They were asked to partner with the police department and train the police officers in computer skills. Today was the graduation. They had a children's choir, marching band and a couple to provide lots of music. Speeches by the police chief, mayor and our regional leader for Africa. They did tours of the campus too.
After lunch we headed to the genocide memorial. That was a tastefully done, sequencial list of events as the whole nightmare unfolded. One million people were killed in 100 days. It was carried out by sharp and blunt objects along with awful torture. Some killing by guns however that seemed to be too merciful. It is amazing how much people, especially Christians have forgiven those who did this. It was friends, neighbors and in some cases family members. It was sobering to say the least.
We next went to a craft market and looked around. Later connecting with local Pastors to talk over what can be done in the area of training in Rwanda and Burundi. The mosquitos were in full force as we sat outside in the gardens of a local hotel.
Tomorrow we head for the mountains at 6:30am to meet some Pastors in an area for training. It is a 3 hour drive and won't be home until late tomorrow but may see some volcanoes.
It will take some time to process the last couple days. Good night, May the Lord's mercy be on us all in these last days. Love In Christ, Edie and for Alan as well

Winging it, my favorite thing (NO!)

2009-02-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

It is afternoon in Kilgali, Rwanda. It is beautiful and with lush foilage. We have a few hours and are enjoying fellowship with Al's team partner (does church health) and his wife. A whole group of pastors met us at the airport. They were dressed in suits and were so friendly and welcoming. Tonight we will have supper at the church not far from here. Then at 7pm we will have some introductions and an hour where we separate as men and women. I did not have anything planned and so I prayed and prayed. I decided to share my life verse and share how what we will be learning on the next two days has to do with putting our roots down deep. I will tell them what that has meant in my life as I have been a wife, mother and Pastor's wife (these are all Pastor's wives). I doubt you will get this on time but if you do your prayers are greatly appreciated. I am not the most eloquent especially without prep. so the Spirit must be in control!! Take on the Day for the Lord, Edie

Can't wait to wake up tomorrow

2009-02-09T14:59:00.000-06:00

We are here in Africa!!! Words cannot express how I felt as we began to discend into Nairobi, Kenya. Never ever did I think I would see Africa much less minister here. Our God is an amazing God. It is so humbling. We are staying at the Mayfield Guesthouse owned by African Inland Mission. Tomorrow we fly out around noon to Rwanda. We are now with 2 of our 4 other team members. We will join the others in the airport in Kigali. It is cooler here because it is the Altitude of Denver. Still it is summer and I feel warm. Not a bad thing. :-) . Good night my fellow sojourners. Serve the Lord with Gladness! With so much gratefulness in my heart, Edie

On the Plane again

2009-02-08T07:52:00.000-06:00

It's a wet, snowy day in Vlasim, Czech Republic. We went to church this morning and Al preached a message that seemed to resonate with the men. He spoke on John 17:20-24 on our oneness in Christ and how that is related to how we treat one another. Someone asked the Pastor if he told him to preach on that and he said the Lord did. So guess it hit a chord with them. The Fellowship afterwards was wonderful! We stayed and visited with translation. I was able to talk to one lady in her early 30's Katrina who spoke good English. We had a very interesting conversation. Al has been asked to do a teaching time to expand on the topic in Aug. when we are in Poland for the European Conference.

This past weekend we spent Friday and Sat. with the Prague team. We really enjoyed our time with them in prayer, study and reflection. Alan gave a message from the word that I have to say was excellent. Short but so good.

We are leaving now for the airport and on our way to Africa. I may not have good internet connection until we go to Tanzania. We will be in Rwanda...I can't wait. With Joy, Edie

We're Here in Budapest

2009-02-04T03:08:00.000-06:00

Greetings from a wet budapest, Hungary.
It is so good to be here sitting with a bunch of men discussing the ins and outs of Church based training. I am here using the internet connection. I had planned to go back to the hotel but it is a challenge especially since he took us a short cut. Then we go to a cafeteria for lunch and I have to find that. Oh dear...
The last two days were a hardship but I am thankful it was not a trial. Yes, you can stand for 13hrs. with little sleep and still survive. I thought my feet would hurt for days but I guess IBP works well for me. People were friendly, and the airport did their best to have lots of people around to be helpful. It was very disorganized but other cultures are used to that. It is Americans and Germans that value timeliness and good methods of efficiency.
I was thankful that God provided us an elderly, Indian, pastor's wife to share her home with us. Her husband and her were from India and came to England to pastor a Methodist Church. She left her church (her husband is deceased) to help a struggling Baptist church in her area so it would not fall in the hands of muslims. The neighborhood she has lived in for 44years has become Pakistanie which adds even more intrigue in that she is partnering with her Pakistanie pastor to reach families in the area. You know the history.
I was praising the Lord that he provided in a way you know it was a God happening, a man to get our second cancelation rebooked on the next flight without having to get in a undefinable massive line. As it was we only had to wait 4hours to get our bagguge checked in. Then the security line went pretty fast, comparatively. We were able to get near our gate and find a bite to eat.
It was a God-send that as I was cleaning out the fridge and found some fried chicken leftover from the night before. I also had some cheese sticks. I frozen them over night and a blue ice. We went to Des Moines for church, lunch and then a friend took us to the airport. I put that and some fruit in a small insulated bag. (I left the blue ice in the car when we left) That was our lunch the day we were stuck in line (still cold). It was such a blessing for us and that we weren't taking food from others. They ran out of food as you can imagine.
Enough of that! He went before us and will go before you whether it is going to the grocery store, or across the ocean. We belong to Him and He cares for us. When we got ready to leave the lady we stayed with said she enjoyed having us and that it was nice to know God can still use her.
Take on the Day for Him, Edie

With Mixed Emotions

2009-01-31T09:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was an emotional day. Al's Dad died early that morning. It was an answer to prayer as it gives us a few days to comfort and have phone contact with Al's Mom. She is doing remarkably well since she had some time to adjust. Her daughter and Son are also there with her helping her take care of so many details.
We are looking for a home for our beloved dog Kirby. Anne, our daughter took him and is trying hard for us to find him a home. Pray I don't have to go through separation and then have him back again to wiggle into my heart. (We are traveling too much to keep him).
Al has come down with a cold, draining what little strength to keep on keeping on. But we know God is superb at using situations like this to give us His strength and the where with all not to just give-up and climb into bed!
We appreciate you lifting us up, we love you all and thank God He has provided ways that the body of Christ can truely be a family. Take on the Day with Joy, Edie

preparations for Rwanda

2009-01-28T13:05:00.000-06:00

As the thoughts, prayers and inspirations come together for my (Edie) Mentoring talks in Rwanda, I am in awe of what the Lord is doing. I read in Col. 1:16-18a "that all things have been created through him and for him. this includes thrones,or dominions,or rulers or authorities. He is also the head of the body the church. " Whereas I am ticked over our legislature and govt. leaders it is nothing like Rwandans face on a regular basis. What does a wealthy American has to say to a group of Pastor's wives in Africa???? We have been told there is unrest in areas around where we will be going . But that is a daily consideration for them. By God's grace I am eager to bring good cheer and take the ladies to the "cleft of the rock" I know so well. I am finishing sewing some quilt squares for a gift to them and will tie them while traveling. My theme is "Piecing it all together" talking about our role in God's Kingdom to influence others for Christ with the Gospel and how we can do that practically and principally. Pray for it all to "piece together well" and that He will be magnified and glorified in all that I do. Edie

2009-01-20T20:30:00.000-06:00

Greetings from the icebox.