September 16 BBQ Fundraiser

Sunday evening, September 16, we hosted an outdoor gathering at our house that was envisioned and planned by our MST - "a barbecue fundraiser with an African twist." All the local Mennonite churches were invited and represented. We even had family members from out of state. A good estimate is that about 100 people attended. The weather was good, there was plenty of food (barbecued chicken and pork barbecue, many other side dishes), and a display with African items and information. Everyone seemed to enjoy being together. We are truly grateful for our MST who planned the event and for many other persons who contributed in various ways to provide food, setup/breakdown, and those who attended. There was opportunity to write notes of encouragement, and also money contributions. We appreciate the notes, and we are grateful for the more than $3,000 that was received towards our support.
The Delaware Missionary Support Team gathered for a picture.

We continue to be amazed, but also grateful, for the ways our needs are provided. The support and encouragement we feel from others around us is just amazing. We are now on our final weekend before leaving Tuesday evening, September 25. Our travel will take us through Zurich, Switzerland, where we have a short layover and change planes, then on to Nairobi, Kenya by Wednesday evening. East Africa is 7 hours ahead of US, so when it is noon in the US, it is already 7 pm in East Africa.
We look to God for grace and strength as we take care of the numerous details left to be done between now and Tuesday evening.

September update

We are so blessed and grateful for the ways you have shared your interest in our assignment to East Africa. We were required to have 100% of our financial support committed for our first 2 years before booking our flights, and we have reached that. So we are planning to leave Tuesday, September 25, from Dulles airport, Washington DC, flying to Zurich, arriving in Nairobi September 26. It has been a journey of faith, sometimes wondering if financial support will come together, but never doubting the love, encouragement and prayer support of many friends and family. So now we are in the final days of preparation. And we must say that we are eager to arrive in Kenya and begin making contacts with Mennonite church leaders there. We will remain in Kenya for about 2 weeks to consult with Kenya Mennonite Church leaders before traveling on to Tanzania. We are just finishing up a round of visits to our children and grandchildren in Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a rich time of connecting more deeply than we can do in shorter visits, and we are so thankful for the opportunity. We invite your prayers for the final preparations and for safety in traveling. Thank you for standing with us and supporting the growth of the Mennonite churches in Kenya and Tanzania.

Thank you!

The email from our support team treasurer yesterday informed us that pledges toward our support now total 99.72%! And there is good evidence of a couple recent pledges not included yet in the report. So that means we are finally ready to make definite plans to travel. We have requested tickets to leave September 25. Needless to say, we are happy to have a definite leaving date, but it also means there is a lot of preparation to be completed. We have been busy sorting, storing and disposing of things that we have accumulated, and not quite finished yet.
We are grateful for all those who have contributed towards our financial support, both individuals and churches. It means a lot to feel the trust and encouragement, and we are confident of continuing prayer for us and for the work will take on in Kenya and Tanzania. For that, we say "Thank you and God bless you!"

World Missions Institute

We are in the middle of a 4 week training event put on by Eastern Mennonite Missions at Lancaster Mennonite High School for persons going out for a mission assignment. It is designed for persons going out the first time, which doesn't quite fit us, but we have not attended this before, so we were encouraged to participate. We have enjoyed the interaction with presenters and also with the rest of the group. We find it refreshing to associate with people who are thinking about cross-cultural life and mission work. The group includes both individuals and families, going to Albania, Botswana, Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau, Montenegro, Peru, Sicily, Thailand, and Tanzania.
The training includes theoretical subjects such as biblical foundations of mission, relating to other religions, and cultural dynamics, and more practical subjects such as conflict management and team building. It has been time to build relationships with a variety of people and personalities and to support each other as we face the uncertainties of the future. We have been reminded that people in missions are ordinary, fallible, vulnerable people with a commitment to follow God and serve others in cultures other than their own.
Following the World Missions Institute is the one-week OASIS mission orientation, held at Black Rock Retreat near Quarryville PA, July 16-20. So keep us in your prayers as you think of us during these events.

Business as mission

On June 4-6 I had the opportunity to attend a training by Global Disciples on Small Business Development. The emphasis is using small business in developing countries as a way to build positive relationships with local people and thereby share the Good News and strengthen the local church. It is designed primarily for persons who are starting churches in new areas. Many believers in developing countries have the idea that persons in business are less spiritual than persons in full-time Christian service, and so they tend to withdraw from involvement in the business world. This training emphasizes that God calls us, not to withdraw from the world around us, but to enter into it as persons sent by God into the world, using "what is in their hand" as the start of the their business venture. It includes organizational tools such as developing a business plan and financial management, and also the spiritual tools such as prayer, integrity and vision for ministry. It encourages believers to use "what is in their hand" and develop a bu
When I visited East Africa in March, I heard requests for this kind of training, both to strengthen the financial base of believers and the church, and also as a way to engage in ministry in local towns.
Theologically, this is an incarnational approach to mission. Just as Jesus took on humanity in order to relate to humankind, this is an example of the messenger taking on the "humanity" of the local community through  entering into the business community and bringing God's kingdom near. I am planning to use this as a tool to strengthen the life and witness of the churches in East Africa.

Update

Sometimes it feels like not much has been happening, that we are in a kind of holding pattern, mostly waiting. In the meantime, Gloria is continuing with her nursing job, and Joe is busy with gardening and keeping up with other, mostly church-related activities. And enjoying the grandchildren whenever we get the chance.

We have visited several churches to give presentations about our Africa assignment, and we have a few more scheduled. We are encouraged with the interest in what is happening in the Mennonite churches in East Africa. We share much in common as we try to be God’s people in our own world and we have much to offer each other.

The need often expressed by the African church is for leaders who are equipped. Three phrases I heard repeated on my recent visit were building capacity, training trainers, and sustainable with local resources. The churches are growing at a rate of nearly 10% each year, but they are not able to train enough leaders. We are looking forward to partnering with the church to “build capacity” for leadership training. That includes training models that can be maintained with the limited resources available locally. Up to now, the training has depended heavily on funding from outside the country. The churches are also looking for ways to improve the economic base of its members, and that will strengthen church finances.

We have had conversations with Global Disciples and also with Mennonite Central Committee’s Eastern Africa personnel to address these two needs – effective leadership and small business development.

Many of you have pledged financial assistance towards our support, and we are grateful to you. We have not yet reached our goal, but the pledges are coming in slowly and we hope to be ready to locate in Africa by August or September this year. We are also grateful for your prayers. Some specific items for prayer are:

§  Pray for the bishops in Kenya and Tanzania Mennonite Churches as they consider the needs of the churches and look for ways to develop leadership.

§  Pray for peace in Kenya. In March, one of the towns in western Kenya experienced tribal violence, probably politically motivated, and Mennonite Bishop Clyde Agola and his church were directly affected. Local authorities are engaging the different parties in dialogue to maintain peace and seek long-term solutions.

§  Pray for understanding between Christians and Muslims in Tanzania. Recently, the president of the country called a conference for dialogue between Christian and Muslim religious leaders. Tanzania is about 1/3 Christian and 1/3 Muslim and so far have avoided serious conflict, and the president wants to promote understanding for the sake of national unity. The Mennonite bishops were involved in planning the conference.

§  Pray that financial resources will be available for this ministry.

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