We have good news today: Hillary and Mark held their first Disciple-Makers seminar on Monday and all went well, with half the people requesting to join DM groups. Mark and Hillary are now gearing up for the next seminar in another part of Kampala on Tuesday, Mark has been reunited with his lost luggage (thank God!), and Scott is on his way to Nairobi, where he’ll land in the middle of the night on Tuesday night (MO time).
Monday’s Prayer Requests:
Good attendance at Tuesday’s DM seminar; no distractions that would hinder what God wants to do; Mark and Hillary to effectively communicate WHY raising disciple-makers is so vital.
Safety, peace, and good sleep for Scott as he travels to Nairobi. All his luggage to arrive with him.
Our Two from the States (Mark and Scott) to have great relationships with our current and potential team members in the various countries they’ll be visiting on this trip.
Monday’s Details:
First, any guesses on what this is? Read on to find out!
Is it decorative? Edible? Functional?
Hillary and Mark’s first DM seminar was held in a church in the village of Nakabugo on the outskirts of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, which has a population of over 4 million. Mark said, “We had 23 in attendance today, and out of the 23 we had 12 sign up for DM groups.” Here’s the whole gang! Mark is the guy near the back on the right with the long red beard, and Hillary is to the left of him wearing glasses.
DM seminar attendees in Nakabugo, Uganda
Although the crowd wasn’t huge, it was a very powerful session, and Mark and Hillary were encouraged. Both a WhatsApp [online] group and a physical [in-person] group will be starting there in Nakabugo. Hillary and Mark understand that more people are expected at Tuesday’s seminar in Rubaga, which is one of five sections of the city of Kampala.
I think a few more comments about geography might be helpful here.
You may recall this map of Africa showing Kenya (blue star) and Uganda (red star). I’ve added a purple arrow pointing to the tiny country of Rwanda.
The whole African continent
Now, let’s zoom in a bit. Here’s a map of central Africa, the part “below” Africa’s big hump on the west, showing Kenya (blue star, where Scott is headed), Uganda (red star, where Mark and Hillary are now), and tiny Rwanda (purple arrow).
Central Africa
And we can zoom in even farther, to show our particular countries of interest in East Africa: Kenya (blue star, where Scott is headed), Uganda (red star, where Mark and Hillary are now), and tiny Rwanda (purple arrow).
East Africa
Now, you may well be thinking, “Patty, why on earth are you showing us all these maps?!?” Well, actually just so that this next one will make more sense!
On this mission trip, Mark (and often Hillary) will be ministering in one place, while Scott (and often James) will be ministering somewhere else. And these great men will often be in a given place for only one day. So… our good friend and TTC team member in India, Edwin, has created a series of daily maps, so that we can see where various people are when. And since it’s still barely July 21, here’s Edwin’s July 21 map. = )
At the top, right under “2025 Mission Trip,” there are two red map pins. One is Nakabugo village, where Hillary and Mark led the first DM seminar today, and the other is Rubaga district, where they will lead the next seminar on Tuesday (July 22). Those pins are very close together because Nakabugo and Rubaga are both basically in Kampala. The land to the east of Lake Victoria is Kenya, the land to the west of the lake is Uganda, and tiny Rwanda is in the bottom left corner.
July 21 – Mark (and Hillary) near Kampala, Uganda
All that said, here are the three most important things to remember today:
All these maps show places that are full of people, and reaching the people with the gospel and a proven way to make disciples is what matters.
Your prayers each day for our team and for those they are interacting with are powerful and so vital. Thank you!
Mark’s portable espresso machine was still in his lost suitcase when he got it. = )
And the mystery picture we started with? Mark said,
“Coffee beans! As a snack. I am [such a] blessed man!”
Mark preached Sunday morning, met with Hillary that evening, and is ready to lead a Disciple-Makers (DM) seminar in one location in Kampala on Monday and a second one in another part of town on Tuesday. No news yet on his lost bag.
Tuesday’s Prayer Requests:
Grace for Mark as he adjusts to the time change, climate, and food.
His lost bag to be found and returned quickly with all its contents.
A powerfully impactive DM seminar on Monday; the attendees to be motivated to join DM groups and move forward!
Tuesday’s Details:
First, a little background. Our team in Kenya is doing an excellent job of introducing pastors to the disciple-making process, starting and leading DM groups with those pastors, and equipping them to start and lead their own groups. In the past couple years, the number of disciple-makers in Kenya has multiplied greatly. Currently two of our leadership “pillars” in Kenya, James and Hillary, have each raised multiple “generations” of disciples who are now raising more disciples. This is very energizing, and these Kenyan disciple-makers are passionate about 1) extending the DM ministry into more and more counties of Kenya (counties are like U.S. states, and 2) expanding the DM ministry into neighboring countries.
James is overseeing the Kenya team’s domestic expansion, and Hillary is overseeing its international expansion, reaching into several nations, including Uganda and Rwanda. On the map of Africa below, Kenya has a blue star, and Uganda, just to the west of Kenya, has a red star. (Rwanda is the teeny-tiny nation at the southwest corner of Uganda, but today we’re just dealing with Uganda; we’ll get to Rwanda later this week.)
So Hillary, who lives in Kenya (blue star) has traveled to meet Mark in Uganda (red star) for two DM seminars, one on Monday and one on Tuesday. If you’ve followed all that, congratulations! You deserve a gold star!
As to Mark’s lost luggage, we don’t know anything yet. He had submitted a claim at the airport in the middle of the night, and according to Whitney, “Mark has called and emailed, but no word. Hillary said he could call again for him tomorrow and try as well. So it sounds like they both will try tomorrow.”
We assume Mark did get some sleep early Sunday morning, and he said that after he shared his message (somewhat later Sunday) at the church where he’ll be doing the first DM seminar on Monday, Pastor Thomas was really encouraged. Thomas is working with his leaders to prepare them for that seminar.
Sunday evening Hillary and Mark got together to plan and discuss details for these first two seminars. And it looks like their dinner was delicious. Kampala, the capital of Uganda, is on the shore of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. Mark was clearly pleased with his fish.
“Real tilapia fillet. From Lake Victoria. They are massive and good.”
Uganda is eight hours ahead of Missouri, so as I type this it’s the middle of Sunday night there, and Monday morning Mark will begin his exciting seminar with a great group of folks. Thank you for praying for him now!
Other news: One of his bags has not yet appeared. They’re working on that, and his driver took him to his hotel, where he’ll get to rest for a few hours before preaching at church Sunday morning.
Saturday’s Details:
Mark’s wife, Whitney, and Scott explained what they know about Mark’s situation.
First from Whitney: “…He is tired of course. It took a while to get things going and after all the bags went through he found that they lost one of his. So he is filling out the paperwork to hopefully get it back. As of right now he is still at the airport. Praying he gets the bag back and can get to the hotel soon.” And she sent us some pictures from Mark’s very long day of travel.
He flew through Doha, Qatar – Anybody know Arabic?
“Of course coffee!”
She had good news a little while later: “Finally with his driver! He said he will call the airport there around 5pm his time to see if they have found it. 😂🤞”
2:00 AM Sunday and heading for the hotel!
Then from Scott: “Missionary Mark has arrived in Kampala, and one of his bags is missing. He is on his way to the hotel now. It is 2 AM local time. After sleeping for 4 or 5 hours, he will freshen up and go preach at the host pastor’s church. Then he will meet up with one of our Kenya directors (Hillary) at 4 PM to plan for Monday’s DM seminar. Please pray for Mark to rest, for him to connect with his bag and for God to use him greatly as he preaches. Thanks so much! ”
Saturday’s Prayer Requests:
Mark’s missing bag to be delivered to him intact, at no charge, and quickly!
Refreshing sleep for Mark despite the short night.
A wonderful church service Sunday morning (probably about 2:00 AM Sunday MO time), and a very productive planning meeting with Hillary.
Let’s all pray as fervently as we would if it were OUR bag missing on the other side of the world!
Today’s exciting news is that our current TTC mission trip to Kenya and surrounding nations is now officially underway! And… drumroll, please… this time, we have TWO seasoned missionaries who will be working in tandem to encourage and equip disciple-makers in eastern Africa! Pastor Mark Phillips and Scott Roberts will both be leading Disciple-Makers (DM) seminars in different places and often at the same time over a roughly three-week period. This will greatly increase the number of pastors and church leaders who can be introduced to Jesus’ disciple-making process, motivated to join DM groups, and trained to raise disciple-makers in their own churches.
I (Patty, Scott’s wife) will do my best to keep you updated on what’s happening where, and how you can be praying specifically for Scott, Pastor Mark, and our Kenya-based team. It’s going to be great, and we’re so glad you’re along for the ride. = )
Our two Heroes are actually not traveling together on this mission trip. Pastor Mark has already hugged his boys, kissed his wife, and is right now en route to Entebbe, Uganda. His trip dates are today (July 18) through August 9.
Pastor Mark, all thumbs up, with two bags ready to roll
Heading into the Northwest Arkansas airport
Pastor Mark will be in transit for the next 26 hours, arriving in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, around 1:00 AM Sunday local time. Then, after finally being able to sleep horizontally, on Sunday afternoon he will meet with Hillary, one of our Kenya directors, and then lead his first DM seminar on Monday.
Scott’s trip dates are July 21 through August 11, but because he’s adding a couple personal days on the front end for a visit with his mom in North Carolina on the way, he’ll leave home tomorrow (July 19).
Friday’s Prayer Requests:
Safety, comfort, and good sleep for Pastor Mark as he travels (he has three flights of 2 hours, 13.5 hours, and 5.5 hours, respectively); he and all his luggage to arrive intact and on time.
Scott to have God’s grace and favor to deal effectively with several unexpected challenges that have arisen while he’s packing and preparing to leave. (We do have an enemy, but we also know that he loses!)
God to guide each member of the TTC team as they fulfill their specific roles. The Holy Spirit to draw in the “right” people to attend Pastor Mark’s Monday and Tuesday DM seminars.
Thank you so much for praying today for Scott, Pastor Mark, and our team on the ground in Africa. God hears and answers when we pray!
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