As we approach Thanksgiving here in the US, we at Take The Challenge are taking this moment to say, “Thank you!” to all our TTC partners whose prayers and gifts have enabled us to fulfill our God-given mandate to raise up disciple-makers among the nations. Paul’s words to the believers in Philippi perfectly express how we feel about you: “Every time [we] think of you, [we] give thanks to [our] God. (Philippians 1:3)”
Through your partnership and our Philippines DM Movement team, we have launched 17 new disciple-makers groups in the past month! In the two weeks since we left, the PDMM team has held three additional vision-casting sessions, and at 6:00 AM on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), I will be speaking with over 25 pastors and leaders from the Philippines island of Mindanao, sharing the vision of the DM movement and inviting them to partner with us to raise disciple-makers to reach the over 27 million people living there.
In another amazing turn, I was introduced to a missionary pastor serving in the Islamic nation of Morocco. After joining one of our weekly online DM groups, Pastor Tim has introduced other Moroccan pastors to the DM process, and many of them have expressed a great excitement about joining hands with us. This coming Monday we will host another online vision-casting, after which we will give them a chance to join a weekly group to be equipped to raise disciple-makers in their context.
These are just a couple examples of what your prayers and gifts are making possible. Please receive our heartfelt gratitude for your participation with us as we endeavor to make Jesus’ final command our first priority.
Praise Reports:
God’s provision to add two new full-time missionaries to lead the Philippines Disciple-Makers Movement and purchase a ministry vehicle.
God working through Scott’s recent trip in both Nepal and India to raise up new disciple-making groups in these 10/40 Window countries.
Open doors to expand the Disciple-Makers Movement into new nations and regions.
Prayer Requests:
Filipino pastors from Mindanao to be stirred to join the PDMM following the November 27th online vision-casting.
God to connect us with the right Moroccan pastors and leaders to launch the Disciple-Makers Movement in their nation.
Provision of the remaining $15K needed to establish the Kenyan DM Movement Command Center by December 31, 2025.
Mark, Whitney, Liam, and Korbin Phillips arrived home Thursday night, and they are getting back into the swing of things in SW Missouri after their month of ministry in the Philippines. Scott is headed home from India and will arrive in Springfield Monday evening.
Sunday’s Prayer Requests:
1. The DM coaches in the Philippines, Nepal, and India, many of whom were ministered to over the past four weeks, to be energized and faithful in leading their groups; for the Holy Spirit to lead them in dealing with any issues that arise with or among their disciples.
2. The Philips family and Scott to be healthy and strong and experience God’s grace as their physical bodies process jet lag from their trip.
3. God to heal Pastor Gil; as far as we know, his thyroid/throat surgery has not yet been re-scheduled.
Sunday’s Details:
Scott wrapped up his whirlwind weekend of ministry in south India, but I don’t have any details beyond that, probably because after church Sunday he was busy visiting with friends there, packing, and possibly sleeping a bit before heading to the airport at 1:00 AM. I do know his 10-hour flight to Amsterdam is in the air. He’ll have another 10-hour flight to Atlanta and a 2-hour flight home. With layovers, he’ll be in transit for about 27 hours.
I asked Scott if he had any update on Pastor Gil, and he sent this: “From Pastor Gil: ‘Thanks for your prayers. I’m still awaiting my biopsy result due next week.'”
So that’s all I know, but tomorrow night I get to greet My Hero! But please remember that TTC’s ministry continues whether Americans are away on mission trips or not. Thank you for continuing to pray for TTC and for our team members, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Scott has left somewhere in Nepal and is on his way to somewhere in India, and I was SO encouraged to hear that his back is somewhat better. Praise God for answering our prayers! Scott has three scheduled ministry events during his next few days, and he is eager to get home. = )
Friday’s Prayer Requests:
1. God to speak clearly through Scott to those who will be at the DM seminar, the coaches mentoring session, and/or the church service this weekend; Scott to give his very best in each setting no matter what, and finish well.
2. God to be merciful to Scott and continue healing and restoring his lower back – during and in spite of the many hours of travel ahead of him.
3. The Holy Spirit to help the many, many people in several nations our team has ministered to during this trip to A) remember what they have seen and heard in various seminars, summits, and services, B) apply it faithfully and consistently in their own lives, and C) keep “paying it forward” to others they have relationship with.
Friday’s Details:
When I asked Scott how his back was doing, he replied, “The back is still hurting some, but is much better than yesterday. The brace helps.” I am so glad he was willing to take that brace with him. At home he only wears it when playing tennis, and although he knew he wouldn’t be doing that during a mission trip, he did take it. He also has some medicine that is helping. Mostly, I think the improvement is a result of our partners praying for him. Thank you.
I also asked about his meeting with Pastor Gil’s friend, Pastor V. Scott said, “The meeting went well for a blind date with the pastor of a big church and leader of a mostly online seminary. We talked a lot about how the DM process is different from Bible School, so there is a natural rub to it. The main thing is, he has the book and said he would get back with me once he has read it. He even talked about me sharing about disciple-making in one of his online classes.” It sounds like it was a positive interaction; God knows what, if anything, will develop from it, but Scott did his part by meeting with Pastor V, and we did our part by praying.
In India, Scott will be meeting up with our good friend, E. He is not a pastor but is, as he says, “just a normal person.” E is a husband, father, church member, and IT guy. In fact, you might remember seeing a map in a blog post several weeks ago that showed many places in the Philippines where coaches are already leading DM groups, as well as the areas the PDMM is working to expand into. E is the one who created that graphic and numerous other ones for us. Years ago he heard Scott teach about raising disciple-makers, determined to become a DM himself, began leading a group, and is now a Disciple-Maker Indeed several times over!
E has invited a number of people – pastors? church leaders? “normal folks?” – to an all-day vision-casting (DM seminar) on Saturday. Saturday evening, Scott will spend time mentoring the DM coaches E has raised up. This is one of Scott’s favorite ministry opportunities. He loves speaking to people who are actively doing something to raise disciple-makers and who understand firsthand the joys and challenges involved. He is energized by encouraging DM coaches and sharing helpful do’s and don’ts with those who are working in the trenches and have the same heart.
Then on Sunday morning Scott will speak at a church in the area. He may be able to rest some Sunday afternoon and evening before his 2:30 AM Monday (3:00 PM Sunday MO time) flight departs India to start his roughly 28-hour trip home. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him at the airport Monday evening!
More and more disciple-makers are being made in Nepal, and Scott will meet with Pastor V soon! Unfortunately, Scott’s back is causing him significant pain. On Friday he’ll travel to India for the final few days of this mission trip.
Wednesday’s Prayer Requests:
1. The Holy Spirit to lead Scott’s meeting with Pastor V at 8:15 AM Thursday (MO time); favor for a good relationship to begin between them for future kingdom work.
2. Healing for Mohan (“MOE-hahn”), our main leader in Nepal. He has been on the go at an intense pace for quite some time and is now sick.
3. Pain relief for Scott during his travels and teaching sessions over the next several days. Pray for God to enable him to stay focused and finish this mission trip well.
Wednesday’s Details:
As mentioned above, Mohan is our primary contact person, and he’s been in Scott’s online DM group. He is now leading his own group, and now someone in his group is leading a group! When a disciple-maker has disciple-making “grandchildren” (that is, there are two generations of disciple-makers beyond him or her), that person is publicly acknowledged as a “Disciple-Maker Indeed” and given a certificate. That’s always a joyful time, and one of those events happened earlier this week.
Scott congratulating Mohan on being a Disciple-Maker Indeed!
For the safety of all involved, it has been (by design) a little confusing to keep up with what’s been happening where, but I believe Mohan was acknowledged in #3. Mohan lives in #2, and Samuel, another of our key leaders in Nepal, lives several hours away in #4 where he leads a DM group. Samuel’s brother, Kamal (“KAH-mull”), also leads a DM group in that area. The four of them (Mohan, Samuel, Kamal, and Scott) have been traveling together and held a DM seminar (introducing the DM process to new people) in one place on Tuesday and a DM Summit (encouraging allthose currently in DM groups) in another place on Wednesday. Here are our Fearless Four. = )
L to R: Samuel, Mohan, Scott, Kamal
In this picture of the DM seminar where Mohan was teaching, notice the seating arrangement and furnishings, or lack thereof. This is typical in Nepali churches.
Explaining how Jesus made disciples
During their drive from one place to another, our Fearless Four hit a traffic jam.
Yielding to oncoming traffic!
And then ANOTHER traffic jam.
Even in Branson, we don’t see traffic like this!
For today’s DM Summit, Scott had to teach sitting down because standing and walking were too painful, but he said it was a friendly audience, and the people were really glad he was there.
Scott also said, “I will be meeting Pastor V at 8 pm on Thursday (8:15 AM Thursday MO time) in #1. That is an answer to prayer.” That would be an answer to YOUR prayers, and he will be able to give Pastor V a copy of the Raising Disciple-Makers book, so thank you! Scott continued, “I have the Saturday vision-casting [DM seminar] in south India. Pray I can stay fully present and engaged for the remainder of my ministry events.” I have assured him that we will. = )
And in case you’re wondering about the title of this blog post, that first word, the one you probably can’t read, is pronounced “NAH-muss-tay,” which means “Hello” in Nepali. Here’s what wikipedia says: “Nepal uses the Devanagari script to write the Nepali language. This same script is also used for other languages like Hindi and Sanskrit. The Devanagari script is written from left to right and has a top horizontal line that connects the letters of a word. The Nepali alphabet is a phonetic system, meaning the pronunciation is very close to the spelling. It consists of 12 vowels and 36 consonants.”
So, for those of you who love to learn something every day, you’ve already accomplished today’s task! Thank you also for praying for My Hero.
In Nepal, Scott, Mohan, and Samuel are being driven three hours from #2 to #4 where they will hold a DM seminar and a DM summit, and where Scott is praying to be able to make an important connection with Pastor V. on Thursday evening (details below).
In the Philippines, our friends are fine, but the nation has been hit hard by Typhoon Uwan (a.k.a. Fung-wong; details below).
Following one more DM seminar in Villasis on Wednesday, Mark’s family will begin their long trip home on Thursday.
Monday’s Prayer Requests:
1. In the Philippines, Pastor Gil’s surgery has been postponed yet again. Pray for God to oversee every detail of his medical care, provide clear and helpful results on all tests, and HEAL Pastor Gil’s body.
2. Pray for an excellent DM seminar in Villasis on Wednesday, and for our team to debrief well later this week.
3. In Nepal, pray for Mohan and Samuel, as for the first time they each lead one of the sessions of Tuesday’s DM seminar in #4. Pray for them to cover all the material well and for the attendees to grasp the reason for raising disciple-makers and understand Jesus’s process for making disciples.
4. Pray for God, who does impossible things all the time(!), to facilitate a warm and productive in-person meeting between Scott and Pastor V.
Monday’s Details:
Concerning the typhoon in the Philippines, [this Associated Press article] gives quite a bit of information. I was stunned and saddened to read of three children’s deaths in Nueva Vizcaya, a place where Scott held a DM seminar just a week ago on November 3rd. In our base city of Villasis, the worst weather has passed, but it is still raining.
Concerning Pastor Gil’s surgery, we understand it has been postponed because he needs to see a cardiovascular specialist. Evidently his situation is quite serious. The emotional whiplash of all this has been quite draining, but his faith remains strong, and he seriously requests our prayers.
Concerning Scott, Mohan, and Samuel’s current time in Nepal, a little TTC background may be helpful.
As TTC expands in various countries, Scott sometimes finds himself “feeling his way.” We’ve never done all this before, and since we want everything we do to be reproducible and sustainable for the long term, Scott is now working to solve problems, establish policies, and set up systems, whereas in the past “all” he had to do was teach and disciple. = )
Scott has worked with and personally mentored our national leaders in Kenya, as well as Wilson and Angelica in the Philippines, for quite a few years. In those nations, those leaders are well-trained and have proven themselves way more than capable of doing the hands-on discipleship that Scott has done personally for so long. In fact, sometimes they tell him, “Pastor, we don’t need you to come lead DM seminars; we can do that ourselves!” And they do it with excellence and amazing results!
Scott’s relationships with Mohan and Samuel, two key leaders in Nepal, are “younger” but also strong, meaning that Scott is gradually giving them more responsibility and opportunities to practice, so that they will be able to run well and accomplish even more in his absence. That’s why it’s a big deal that for this DM seminar on Tuesday in City #4, of the six sessions, Scott will lead only three or four of them. “You’re no success without a successor.”
Also, Pastor Gil in the Philippines knows many pastors all over the world, including Pastor V in Nepal. He has told Pastor V about Scott and is very eager for the two of them to meet, because Pastor Gil’s whole approach to ministry in a very large network of churches is being transformed by what he has experienced by being a DM group and experiencing Jesus’ discipleship principles firsthand. He and Scott both want to Pastor V to read Scott’s Raising Disciple-Makers book, because they believe that that book may be a key to launching DM groups in City #1. For various reasons, Pastor V has suggested a Zoom meeting, but Scott really wants to meet in person so he can leave a book with him.
If you’ve followed all that, give yourself a gold star…
Oh, wait! Scott JUST NOW sent this: “There was a person killed by a tiger on the road to #3. I’m thankful we are not traveling by motorcycle. Samuel’s brother will be riding home by motorcycle. Please pray.” Scott and our small but mighty Nepali team have all been in #2 for a few days, but while Mohan, Samuel, and Scott are now driving in a car to #4, Samuel’s brother is riding home to #3 on a motorcycle. Tigers are a problem in that area of Nepal; they have been known to drag people away and kill them. So yes, our prayers can mean life or death for fellow members of God’s family members that we have never met.
Thank you for reading all of this and for PRAYING now for Samuel’s brother and our other requests above.
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