At 6:30 PM this Tuesday, October 8th, we will be hosting our annual Take The Challenge Missions Banquet here in Branson. I will be sharing, among other things, how the East Africa Disciple-Makers movement currently hosts over 50 DM groups training over 400 pastors and leaders each week. Wow! In support of this, God has expanded our team, raising the number of TTC missionaries from 1 to 4. Praise God!
Along with additional discipleship activity come additional costs. Our goal for this year’s banquet is to gain 20 new monthly partners (and/or have 20 existing monthly partners increase their monthly giving). If you would be willing to be one of these 20, please let us know. We have already had one couple who cannot attend the banquet give online, and this has been a great encouragement to all of us.
If you are not able to attend the banquet in person, we plan to Livestream the event at our TTC Facebook page. We have a great story to tell, so we expect this to be a great evening. I hope you will be able to join us to see everything your prayers and giving are enabling God to do through Take the Challenge. Thanks for partnering with us in this great work!
As you know, Scott just returned from a hugely successful 26-day mission trip to East Africa, during which God moved and ministered to hundreds of pastors and their spouses. Many of those people have now joined newly forming disciple-makers (DM) groups, and Scott is especially excited about the new online DM group he began leading yesterday with pastors from several East African nations. He has great anticipation for this group, and we expect that some of these men will eventually establish new DM outposts in Tanzania and Uganda.
Back in the U.S., on Wednesday morning, September 15th, Scott will begin leading a local, in-person DM group with seven pastors from Branson and Forsyth, Missouri. These folks are fired-up and ready to cause a wave of biblical disciple-making to build through churches here in Taney County.
Never bored, we are now only two weeks out from our annual TTC missions banquet, which will be held in Branson on Thursday evening, October 8th. If you are in the area and would like to attend, we still have seats available; please reply to this email requesting banquet information. Our goal for this fundraising event is to raise 35 new monthly partners for Take the Challenge. If you are out of the area and would like to become one of those 35, please reply to this email requesting partnership information.
Finally, Scott has a personal prayer request. During his journey home, he spent 15 hours sitting next to a passenger who was very sick, and he seems to have caught whatever that man had. The worst of it is a Covid-like headache along with body aches and cold-like symptoms. With only two weeks to finalize preparations for the banquet, Scott says, “Please stand in agreement with me that I will fully recover quickly (immediately) and that God will protect Patty from this plague.” Patty says, “Amen!”
We appreciate you so much and look forward to hearing from you or seeing you on October 8th!
Scott’s luggage came with him, always a nice touch. His Dallas to Springfield flight was delayed an hour, but there were no problems. Goals tonight are sleep, sleep, and sleep.
Pastor Mark is on his way to Germany via Qatar, and Scott and the “Pillars” (James, Hellen, and HIllary) have enjoyed some R & R. Thursday they will do some planning on getting DM groups going for the 100+ people who’ve signed up, as well as longer-range ministry planning.
Wednesday’s Prayer Requests:
1. Safe, timely travel for Pastor Mark, sound sleep, effective teaching sessions, God to help him and the Ukrainians to connect easily with each other. 2. “Iron sharpening iron” discussions among Scott and the Pillars concerning fulfilling current ministry needs and moving TTC forward in East Africa. 3. Scott’s travels home to go well (safety, sleep, connections made, luggage arriving with him) and a smooth “re-entry” to life at home together. = )
Wednesday’s Details:
Scott, Mark, Hellen, James, and Hillary had a relaxing day on Wednesday. Scott’s goal was for them all to rest peacefully and have fun, and he thinks that goal was achieved.
You may know that Scott is a man on a mission; if he’s awake he’s doing something purposeful. Well, those three Pillars are similar. They each have much to do and are always busy working for God, people, the ministry, etc. This means that, unlike Scott, they don’t play games! But it sounds like the past few days together have changed that.
They laughed uncontrollably while playing Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (a great party game!), and then they struggled while Mark and Scott tried to teach them to play Catan (a much more complicated game). Can those of you who have played Catan imagine teaching it to people who, culturally, just don’t play games?!? But those Kenyans were troopers and gave it their best shot. = )
Catan players counterclockwise from Scott: Joyce (Hillary’s wife), James, Hellen, Susan (James’ wife), Hillary
They all seemed to agree that this mission trip overall has just been phenomenal, and they are amazed at what God has done. Scott held a similar “retreat” in Nairobi a couple years ago, but that was mainly with people who had never been in DM groups. He said, “There has been a night and day difference between that retreat and this one, because this time everybody who came is actually leading a group. Some of these folks have been leading their groups more or less like a Bible study class, but now they realize that the priority MUST be on developing “family” relationships, not conveying academic doctrine.
“They came with lots of questions, and after the Q&A session (where I ended up crying) they truly understand what discipleship is really all about. And that it’s NOT about what’s in it for them. One man told me that now he is determined never to ask for money again!” = )
In conclusion, Scott reiterated to me that they now have 100+ people signed up for DM groups, and we know from experience that in order to be effective, those groups need to start within 10 days of when the sign-ups occurred. So he asked us again to pray for the Pillars as they review all those application forms and figure out who to assign to which group led by whom meeting how, when, and where.
God surely hears our prayers and answers. Thanks for standing with us and continuing to PRAY as this great mission trip concludes!
God really touched hearts as the DM Retreat concluded on Tuesday. Pastor Mark heads to Germany on Wednesday for ministry to Ukrainian pastors, while Scott and the three Kenya leaders have a couple days together to debrief, relax, and play.
Tuesday’s Prayer Requests:
1. The Holy Spirit to guide the DM Retreat attendees as they continue to fulfill the specific assignments God has given them. 2. Safety for Pastor Mark as he travels, great translators as he teaches, divine connections with key people, and grace for his family at home in Missouri. 3. Scott, Hellen, Hillary, and James to be refreshed and encouraged as this mission trip concludes; their hearts even more firmly knit together for One Purpose.Tuesday’s Details:
Scott said, “It is finished! 51 pastors for 2 nights and 6 meals for $2991. $30/person per day. It was truly incredible.
“This morning they submitted their questions, and I spent over an hour responding. About half the questions were about them receiving financial support of some sort – money for photocopies, transport to lead DM groups, etc. I took them through Gal 6:2-5 about each one carrying his own load. Also to 1 Cor 8:1-8 about the Macedonian church.
“Then I said, ‘Silver and gold, I have none, but what I have, I give to you.’ Actually, I broke down in tears as I shared about all I had sacrificed to be there with them. God’s presence was so tangible. Many of the disciples were also moved to tears. Just such a great ending.”
And how we end matters more than how we begin, right?
51 pastors who are leading DM groups attended the DM Retreat. Of those 51, the people in this picture below received special recognition. Scott calls them “Disciples Indeed” because not only are they leading groups, their disciples are also leading groups. = ) Disciples Indeed !In closing (as pastors say, ha!), shortly after he arrived in Kenya, Scott wanted to get a picture of a pineapple field. He tried one evening but it was too dark. Another time, a guard motioned him away, indicating that photography was not permitted. But as we all know, Scott is not one to give up easily. Today he sent us this photo of Pastor Mark. Maybe the guard was off duty…? “Pineapple fields forever!”Scott said, “They harvest them by hand!” That seems pretty slow, very labor-intensive, and not terribly efficient. But isn’t that how God “harvests” us too? One individual, one heart, one disciple at a time. He has done his part. Now it’s up to each of us to do ours.
For something like the 22nd time, let me say it yet again: Thank you for PRAYING for all our TTC laborers out in the fields. God hears and you are making a difference!
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