Though they were far-flung over the past week or so, our team was already “in one accord,” and now that they are also in one place, they are experiencing God’s clear direction as one unit and are working together exceedingly well!
On Friday they… had a great lunch meeting with another co-worker; officially set up the Kenya Disciple-Makers Movement Command Center, carefully reviewing the Policy and Procedures Manual and delineating responsibilities of each member; planned for next week’s several summits and decided who would lead which sessions on which topics; and prepared for Saturday’s Better Together marriage seminar. WOW. God’s grace has been amazing, and Friday has been a gold medal day!
Friday’s Prayer Requests:
1. Each team member (Hillary, James, Mark, and Scott) to have insight and creativity in successfully completing his specific tasks over the next few days; the sum of their efforts to be greater than its parts.
2. Clear communication among team members; no confusion.
3. The Holy Spirit to speak strongly to each person at the Better Together marriage seminar on Saturday, and positive changes in their marriages to endure long after they return home.
4. Continued healing for Scott. He’s still dealing with cold symptoms but seems to have turned a corner.
Friday’s Details:
For a number of years, our wonderful co-worker Hellen has been – along with James and Hillary – a key leader of the disciple-making movement in Kenya. However, 25 years ago, long before we met her, Hellen’s husband Symon, left her, and all that time she has been standing in faith for him to return and God to restore their marriage. A few months ago, that exact thing happened(!), and Hellen is now on a sabbatical from her TTC work so she can focus fully on rebuilding her long-severed marriage.
Today Scott had “a very productive” lunch with Symon and Hellen, and we are all praying for God to help them re-create a new marriage. Please join us in rejoicing with them!
Rev Hellen and her husband, Symon
Scott sent me an audio clip about our team’s amazing Friday, saying repeatedly that the day was “very powerful” and “really productive.”
Kenya Disciple-Makers Movement Leadership Team meeting(L to R: James, Mark, Hillary, My Hero)
I’ve mentioned how Scott is laser-focused on making TTC sustainable, and getting everything for the Kenya arm of TTC well-planned, lined out, and clearly communicated is a big step in that direction, because the Kenya team has been “out in front” as far as organizing and expanding disciple-making. It is currently the flagship of Take the Challenge internationally and is setting an example for teams of disciple-makers in other nations to follow. All that to say that we believe it’s strategically important that we “get it right” in Kenya. Now and always we give God the credit for guiding our team to do just that.
Scott said, “We’re getting everything in order, and everyone is so moved by the opportunity to become TTC missionaries.” This will basically be TTC saying “Amen” to – and increasingly helping facilitate – what they’re each already doing as disciple-making leaders. Scott said, “Everyone is on board, and God is so good. He knows our needs and is able to help us. Everybody knows their assignment. Everything is in order. It is well!”
So that’s the heavy-duty ministry news from Friday, but our gang is also having fun. I believe this is the remnants of Hillary’s dinner. Looks like he enjoyed it maximally.
Umm… blackened some-kind-of fish with lime?
And for game night, they played Spoons using Uno cards.
You may remember Spoons. It’s a classic, high-tech game (NOT!) that works like Musical Chairs, in that there is one less spoon than the number of players. With the spoons piled in the middle, you pass cards around the circle, and when one player gets four cards of one kind, he stealthily grabs a spoon. Everyone else then does the same and the spoon-less player has to do something silly or embarrassing; in this case, a chicken dance.
Five of them were playing at Hillary’s house where Mark and Scott are staying. James and his wife, Susan were not there; their home is also in or near Nairobi.
Scott encouraging Ephraim (Hillary and Joyce’s son) to do his chicken dance (L to R: Joyce, Ephraim, Scott, Hillary; Mark is taking the picture)
It’s only 0:09 long, but here’s the chicken dance.
You may want to watch that one again. A merry heart does good like a medicine. = )
And would you take another moment now to pray for our folks in Kenya? Thank you so much!
By now, you know that I always put the “bottom line” first, so you all can quickly see what’s going on during a mission trip. If at all possible, please also read the prayer requests and pray. Then, if you’d like to know more and have the time, read on for more details.
Thursday’s Bottom Line:
Our two U.S. missionaries have wrapped up their various separate seminars and summits, and all have gone well, praise God! Now Mark and Scott are both back at Hillary’s house near Nairobi, where they are resting and gathering steam for leading the Better Together marriage seminar on Saturday. Scott is not feeling well and is looking forward to some extra sleep and better health.
Thursday’s Prayer Requests:
Restorative rest and great health for both Mark and Scott, as well as for James and Hillary.
Many existing DM leaders – and especially those eager to start leading – to “take the challenge” to organize and begin their new groups by August 9th.
Absolutely nothing (spiritual, logistical, financial, relational, etc.) to keep the ministry couples God wants at Saturday’s Better Together marriage seminar from coming; the Holy Spirit to clearly direct our team’s specific preparations for that event.
Thursday’s Details:
Here’s Scott at his DM summit at Hillary’s church in Juja…
What a happy preacher!
… Scott said, “36 people currently in DM groups who are not DM Coaches signed up to become coaches today. Only two came who are not in a DM group. Here are the ones requesting to start groups.”
He continued, “Notice the one(s) with the white turban(s). They are called Akurinu. The one [on the left of the screen] is a pastor. According to their tradition, they are not to fellowship with any outside their church, but through the DM process, they have found many new friends in the family of God. Hillary will be holding a vision-casting in one of their churches a few weeks after our mission. God is bringing His body together!”
Scott also sent us some kitchen-ish pictures.
Crockpot in the carport
And here’s a close-up of the features and controls of such an appliance.
“African crockpot”
Whether or not it’s been simmering in your garage, may your dinner tonight be as tasty as theirs was, and may God bless you and your family bigtime as you keep praying for Our Heroes during this mission trip!
Surprisingly, the pastor at the church where Scott preached Sunday morning took up an offering for him! That, plus the registrations paid by the DM group members at Monday’s DM summit in Kirinyaga covered 20% of the cost of the summit. That may not sound like a big deal, but trust me, it was. Following that powerful Monday summit led by Hillary and Scott, those who attended are now strategizing about how they can start new groups to “pay forward” what they have experienced through the disciple-making process. What encouraging news!
Mark and James flew (and did not drive six hours!) to Eldoret to hold a DM seminar there on Monday (great), and a wonderful DM summit the following day in Niavasha.
Tuesday’s Prayer Requests:
God to bring healing and significant change to ministry marriages through the upcoming Better Together marriage seminar on Saturday.
Grace and insight as our team plans for the three DM summits next week.
Our leaders (at all levels) to thrive in the midst of the growing pains associated with setting things in order.
Plenty of restful sleep for our team members; healing for Scott’s sore throat.
Recent and Upcoming Details:
The word God gave Scott for TTC in 2025 is “sustainability,” and Scott, the TTC board, and a number of our wonderful partners have been laser-focused on making the ministry sustainable in many ways. This includes adding personnel, establishing reproducible procedures, improving communication and documentation, upgrading and expanding TTC’s website and social media presence, and strengthening its financial foundation.
That latter one is why Scott was so pleased to see so many people register and pay to come to the DM summit in Kirinyaga (“kee-rin-YAH-guh”). Although the financial cost of that summit far outweighed the monies that came in, the fact that monies did come in(!!!) represents a mental shift among many of those who are being discipled. Scott said, “… it is a great start. In all my years ministering in Kenya (and India), we have never had registration like this. Hillary also shared about the need for Kenyans to support this Kenya DM movement. He spoke in their native vernacular and then it was translated to Swahili. I couldn’t understand it at all.” = )
Hillary speaking the truth in love
But Hillary’s words obviously made an impact. Scott said, “There were 90 attendees, and 14 signed up to join DM groups. Many of those currently in groups set a goal to start new groups by Dec 31, 2025. They understood that although they have received freely of the DM process, it wasn’t truly free. Their coach had to pay the cost. Now it is their turn to fall to the ground and die like a seed, so they can multiply.”
Planning how they can start new groups
While Hillary and Mark were leading this DM summit, James and Mark were leading a DM seminar some 200 miles away in Eldoret. Mark said, “James and I flew on Monday from Nairobi to Eldoret at around 6:00 AM and then had our disciple-makers seminar starting at 9:00 AM that same day. About 43 attended, and over 20 of them are eager to join DM groups.”
James telling it like it is
All these folks were at the Eldoret Disciple-Makers seminar!
Mark continued, “Then we had a disciple-makers summit today in Niavasha (“nee-uh-VAH-shuh”), and that took a 5-hour matatu ride, and that was exciting. [The summit] ended very well with all 70 that came being very energized and focused on wanting to start and raise more disciples out of the groups that they’ve already created.” (In this picture, James is grinning third from the left on the front row, and Mark is grinning on the back row.)
What a great crowd at the Niavasha summit!
James and Mark and Hillary and Scott will all wrap up their various regional seminars and summits on Wednesday. Then the four of them will have some down time together (down time? what is that?!?) back in Nairobi on Thursday and Friday to rest and plan before Saturday’s “Better Together” marriage seminar and next week’s much-anticipated summits.
For clarification, here’s a friendly review of terms: Unlike our DM seminars that introduce new pastors and church leaders to the disciple-making process, DM summits are special all-day meetings designed to encourage and further train people who are already involved in disciple-making at some level. The first summit next week will be for the many coaches who are leading groups. The next summit will host our regional “pillars” (leaders) who are discipling numerous coaches in a given area, and the third summit will minister to our national “pillars” who are spearheading the expansion of disciple-making throughout all of Kenya and in the surrounding nations.
In TTC’s organizational framework, we have many coaches, fewer regional pillars, and an even smaller handful of national pillars; I like to think of TTC’s levels of servant-leadership kind of like Jesus, who had his 70, his 12, and his 3. = )
Let’s close today with an exciting testimony Scott shared. Since we all know DM summits are designed for anybody who is “already involved in disciple-making at some level,” that could include any member of a disciple-makers group, a coach, a regional pillar, or a national pillar, right?
Well, two 20-something young men came to Hilary and Scott’s summit yesterday. They have each had rough lives, including alienation from their families, addictions, and living for years on the streets. A local church member has provided them a place to stay and got them involved in a disciple-makers group. Scott said, “Alex, in red, lived on the streets from age 9 to 25.” Can you believe that?!? “He has been greatly changed by the DM group, which he started attending 2 months ago. He said he has learned so much through the DM process, including forgiving his mom, and getting free from drugs. The other man, Edwin, has experienced similar growth.”
Edwin and Alex with Scott
Edwin and Alex were coming to a DM group and didn’t even have Bibles, but thanks to Hillary they do now. They are both so glad to be involved and are asking all kinds of questions as they grow in their faith. Praise God!
These are the kinds of results God is doing as YOU pray for our TTC team. Thank you for once again taking time to bring today’s prayer requests to him in faith!
I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon, and relative to Sunday, here’s a three-day version of Before, During, and After.
Saturday was a travel/tourist day for Mark and Hillary and a DM seminar day for Scott and James, at the end of which they all convened at Hillary and Joyce’s home near Nairobi, Kenya for a birthday party.
Sunday’s schedule had Scott preaching at a church an hour or so away in Kirinyaga, while Mark preached at Hillary’s church in Nairobi.
On Monday, Mark will drive with James to Eldoret to hold a DM seminar there, while Scott drives back to Kirinyaga with Hillary to hold a DM summit for group members and coaches in that region.
Sunday’s Prayer Requests:
Safe travel for all our missionaries.
Folks who heard Mark’s and Scott’s Sunday morning messages to remember and apply what the Holy Spirit spoke them in those services.
Receptive hearts and minds at the Eldoret DM seminar on Monday; no strife or distractions.
Refreshing, rejoicing, and refinement of processes at the Monday DM summit in Kirinyaga.
Sunday’s Details:
This trip is involving many hours of “ground transportation” which can be draining both physically and mentally, and all the moving of people and supplies from place to place can increase opportunities for things to be misplaced or forgotten. Thanks to God, our guys’ good planning, and your prayers, so far, so good. = )
Scott said his and James’ DM seminar in Mtito Andei “went really well” with 95 attending and a total of 44 registering to join disciple-makers groups!
[NOTE: Any believer in the U.S. or overseas can join a DM group and be trained in several months to lead his or her own group, but our preference is for church leaders and especially pastors to join DM groups because the pastor sets the direction and pattern for the whole church. Raising disciple-makers happens most effectively when the pastor has the vision for it and has personally experienced the process. That’s why Scott is always so jazzed to see how many pastors are registering to join DM groups.]
Scott said, “All of these [pictured below] are pastors, and they committed to join DM groups. Pastor Steve [of Disciple-Maker Indeed fame a few days ago] will travel with 3 of his coaches the 1.25 hours every week to lead these pastors in in-person groups.”
Many pastors who want to experience the disciple-making process
This weekend, our missionaries are trading partners, much like what happens in a square dance: you dance with one partner for a while and then you swing to a different partner. Last week, Mark and Hillary were working (dancing?!?) together to lead DM seminars for new people in Uganda and Rwanda, while Scott and James were doing their DM summit “dance” for DM group members and coaches in Kenya.
This coming week, all our folks will be in one country: Kenya. Mark will be partnered with James, both in Eldoret (some six hours from Nairobi) and other locations, and Scott will be traveling with Hillary to several additional places, generally closer to Nairobi.
I do realize all this travel information can be hard to follow and keep up with, and I/we very much appreciate your reading these updates and praying for these four missionary men and the many others who are helping them do so much ministry work. But thankfully it’s not all work and no play. = )
Saturday was Mark’s birthday, and his wish came true.
He got to tour a coffee plantation!
That evening, everyone gathered at Hillary and Joyce’s home to celebrate Mark’s birthday. (Hillary is taking the picture, and his wife, Joyce, is on the left in red.)
Birthday boy with cake and happy friends!
A good time was had by all, and Scott captioned the following two pictures, “Birthday celebration, African style!”
The cake has been cut…
And Mark is “serving” Hillary
Happy birthday, Mark!
And happy Sunday, praying TTC partners. We really appreciate you!
Both of our U.S. missionaries are having good meetings in their respective locations, with numerous people requesting to join DM groups and current disciple-makers being warmly appreciated and strongly challenged to lead more groups and raise more disciple-makers. Scott and James are holding their 2nd DM summit in Makindu, Kenya, while Mark and Hillary, after a spontaneous additional opportunity(!), are holding their 2nd DM seminar in Nyamata, Rwanda.
Friday’s Prayer Requests:
God to protect and help Scott with some 7 hours of challenging driving today and tomorrow.
Good health and physical stamina for Hillary, James, Mark, and Scott as they travel from place to place and lead many meetings.
The disciples who have been raised up and trained as DM coaches to promptly organize and effectively lead the many new DM groups now being formed in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya.
Friday’s Details:
First, here’s the latest news from Mark. He and Hillary have led two DM seminars in the Kigali, Rwanda area (2 red map pins in lower left corner below). On Saturday they’ll fly back to Nairobi; no super-long bus ride this time!
Yesterday in Kanombe, Hillary and Mark had about 45 people attending the DM seminar; 14 want to join online groups, and 3 want to join in-person groups.
Mark teaching during Rwandan DM seminar #1 in Kanombe
Answering a question; what eye contact!
Mark said, “We were also invited to teach the youth that night. Hillary volunteered me! It was good. About 100 youth were there, and I shared with them how the refiner wants to transform them into his design to make them useful in the kingdom.”
Lots of Kanombe youth listening attentively
Mark says, “We are now heading to Nyamata about an hour away. After the seminar, Bishop Podo is going to take me to the genocide site. [Readers may recall the horrific slaughter of tens of thousands of Rwanda’s ethnic Tutsi minority population in 1994.] I am deeply honored to witness this. Lastly he will be taking me to get something very important. Real Rwandan coffee beans!!!!!!!! Thank you, Jesus. 😉” On Saturday Mark and Hillary will FLY back to Nairobi; no all-day bus ride this time!
Dinner is served!
And last, but definitely not least, here’s the latest news from Scott about his 2nd Kenya DM summit (for current DM group attendees and leaders) in Makindu, Kenya.
He says, “Pastor Steve has raised up 8 coaches that have now [raised up] over 50 disciple-makers. He was my interpreter into Swahili.”
Pastor Steve interpreting for Scott
We acknowledged him as a Disciple-maker Indeed.” [Note: A Disciple-Maker Indeed is one who has raised up disciples who are making more disciples; that is, he or she is a spiritual “grandparent.”]
James and Scott recognizing Pastor Steve as a Disciple-Maker Indeed!
“At today’s Makindu DM summit, we had around 80, with 63 paying the 100 KES registration. That was a big win!”
NOTE: In some nations/cultures/places, there exists the idea that when a missionary, especially from the west, comes to lead a seminar, the missionary should pay the expenses for local people to attend. While we are definitely willing to help when necessary, TTC generally believes that people (anywhere) tend to benefit more from a meeting when it costs them something – even a small amount – to participate. Exchange rates always vary, but today 100 KES (Kenya Shillings) $0.77 USD. For comparison, the average daily wage across all jobs in the U.S. is $256. The average daily wage across all jobs in Kenya is $22.
Scott said, “About 18 signed up to join DM groups, and about a dozen current group members committed to lead additional new groups. One will start this Sunday! We held the meeting at Pastor Steve’s bishop’s church. He (Bishop Dr. Japheth Munyao) attended some of the sessions, and what I was saying resonated with him. He asked one of his regional overseers to talk to Steve about how to implement the process in his churches. He has 400 churches, all in Mukueni County. 🤠” Mukueni (“muh-KWAY-nee”) County is about the size of the state of Delaware.
Scott continued, “It is about 1.25 hours to Mitito Andei for tomorrow’s DM Seminar and 4.5 hours home. 😳 I have to drive on a two-lane road with trucks like interstate 44. Prayer please!”
James and Scott have now wrapped up their time in Makindu (red map pin near bottom center of this map). On Saturday morning (about 11:00 PM Friday MO time), they will do the 1.25 hour drive to Mtito Andei (no, I can’t pronounce that!), lead a several-hour DM seminar, and drive back to Hillary’s home near Nairobi (red map pin at left center of the map, just below large green “25th JUL” leaf), where they will eventually meet up with Hillary and Mark. It will be a very long, full day; hence prayer request #1 above.
Finally, Scott said, following his time in Makindu, “There is a school at the church. I had to get a picture!”
Aren’t these girls adorable? = )
We hope you are encouraged as you follow along during this mission trip and pray for our guys today!
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