Getting the two for one deal

by | Jul 18, 2025 | Pray

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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!)
  3. 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!

Blessings,

Patty

So much exciting news!

by | Jul 9, 2025 | Pray, What's New

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Greetings Prayer Partners,

We are now halfway through the year, and God is doing such amazing things that we can hardly contain ourselves. We at Take The Challenge are excited to introduce you to a new voice.

As we mentioned last month, Mark Phillips was quitting his day job on June 30 to join TTC as a staff missionary, and now I, Mark Phillips, am the one writing to you! Our family could not be more excited to share with you what God has been doing with us through our work with TTC these past few months (even before coming on staff).

First, I want to share a picture of a group of Filipino pastors that we’ve had the privilege of leading this past month. Each week my wife and I meet with them and help them experience the disciple-making process for themselves, so that in the months to come they can launch their own DM groups in their churches and communities. This is just one of 45 disciple-makers (DM) groups currently meeting in the Philippines. God is transforming the nation!

Filipino pastors DM group

Next, I want to show you a special photo that brings great joy to my heart. In this picture you will see me, my disciple, his disciple, and his disciple’s disciple. This has been five years in the making, and as a result, each one of these disciples is now leading his own DM group and helping his disciples raise up their own disciples.

This is happening right here in the USA, in Anderson, Missouri, a small town of about 2,000. God is using everyday people who are willing to invest themselves in others to fulfill his Matthew 28:19 commission. Do you hear the call? If you’d like to learn how to disciple others, contact us. We have online groups available that you can join today.

Four generations of disciple-makers in SW Missouri!

Finally, Scott and I are wrapping up preparations for our mission trip to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. We are actively working with our national leaders in Kenya to finalize the details; this trip is now less than two weeks away!!!!

Praise Reports:

  1. The continued expansion of the disciple-making movement around the world.
  2. Mark Phillips and family having successfully joined the TTC team to advance the kingdom.
  3. The Philippines DM Movement growing from 3 groups to 45 groups in just 13 months!

Prayer Requests:

  1. Remaining funds needed to launch the Philippines Command Center this month.
  2. Favor for our Kenya leaders to connect with the pastors and leaders God wants us to minister to during this upcoming trip.
  3. Successful roll-out of the new Disciple-Makers Movement (DMM) app to our U.S. partner base.
  4. 25 people in southwest Missouri to serve as table hosts for the Sept. 9th Missions Banquet.

Following Jesus as his apprentice,
Mark and the TTC team

Happy Birthday!

by | Mar 14, 2025 | Pray, What's New

Dear All,

Friday’s Bottom Line:

All is well in Loo, and Scott has just a few more days of ministry in the Philippines. As he heads to Phase 2 of this trip, we’ll need your help as our email updates change in some important ways. [Please get in touch with us if you need details.] We will not make daily website posts for Phase 2, but please keep praying!

Friday’s Prayer Requests:

1. God to use Saturday’s seminar in Loo to ignite a desire for disciple-making in the local pastors and church leaders.
2. Continued physical and spiritual strength for our team; for the various ministry events on Scott’s remaining few days in country to be maximally productive. 
3. The Holy Spirit to go ahead of Scott [as he continues his journey and the second phase of this trip.]
Friday’s Details:

I wish I had mentioned this a few days ago, but today (Pi Day, 3/14) is Scott’s birthday! At the DM retreat this week, his friends surprised him with a birthday cake!

The happy birthday boy!

A delicious work of art 
If you’d like to send Scott a message, birthday-related or not, please reply to this email and I’ll get it to him.  = )

Following their Saturday seminar and Sunday morning service in Loo, Wilson, Angelica, and Scott will travel back, through scenery like this, to the Villasis area where Scott will hold a Better Together marriage seminar and have a day of debriefing and planning…

So gorgeous!

And gorgeous-er!
Would you please take a moment today to once again pray for our folks in the Philippines? Thank you so very much!

Blessings,
Patty

A Princess, an injustice, and some Shona

by | Nov 13, 2021 | Pray, What's New

Dear All,

Saturday’s Bottom Line:

Scott is jazzed that so many Mutare area pastors are interested in being in a disciple-makers group and that today’s Better Together marriage seminar went really well. He will be preaching at Pastor Rose’s church on Sunday morning (~1:00 AM Sunday MO time).

Sunday’s Prayer Requests:

1. The people at church to be greatly encouraged by Scott’s message (“The Place Called Best”).
2. God to advocate and fight for Pastor Rose concerning her deceased husband’s business. (please see details below **)
3. Sound sleep and good rest for Scott and his jet lag to resolve.
Saturday’s Details:

On this trip, Scott will present eight two-day seminars. He just completed his first one and was amazed that already 25 people grasped the concept of Raising Disciple-Makers and want to be in a DM group. After seven more seminars, he may need lots of people to help lead groups! This is a good problem to have. = )

At his Better Together marriage seminar, Scott hosts a little competition for the husbands to share why their wives are their princesses and for the wives to share why their husbands are their heroes. I’m not sure how the judging goes, but the winning “princess” and winning “hero” are awarded prizes. All the couples are also invited to have their picture taken with the hero goggles, princess tiara, and Scott’s “Better Together” plaque. Here’s one of today’s couples.

Happy couple
And this lovely lady was the winning princess! Her husband is down on his knees honoring her. They have been married for FORTY-NINE years!!! Scott was truly impressed by them; by their evident love and respect for each other as well as the length of their marriage. What a great example they are for all married couples.

What a princess she must be!
** Concerning the prayer request above for Pastor Rose, here’s the situation. Pastor Rose’s husband died of COVID in late 2020. He co-owned a hardware business which has now passed to Pastor Rose. Shortly before his death, his business partner, Gary, purchased a large inventory and sold it to him. Two weeks after his death, Gary quit the business and demanded payment for all that inventory. It seems that Gary is not on the “up and up” and is trying to take advantage of Pastor Rose. Her husband was about Scott’s age and their oldest child is the same age as ours, all of which brings this seeming injustice really close to Scott’s heart. He is asking us to pray for God to fight for this godly widow, pastor, mother, and businesswoman. She is God’s precious child, and she needs an Advocate in this very difficult situation.

Finally, Scott told me he’s learning a few words in the local Shona language. Can you guess what “Zvakanaka kuva pamwe chete” means? It’s “Better Together” in Shona! And in his Better Together seminars, Scott always teaches about “The Ten Most Powerful Words,” which in English are “I was wrong. I am sorry. Will you forgive me?”

In Shona they are only six words. Feel free to try them out the next time you hurt someone else. = )
“Ndakatadza
Ndine urombo
Ungandi regererewo here?”

Note: that last word is not “here.” It’s pronounced “HAIR-ay.” And no, I don’t know how to say any of the rest of it. Neither does Scott, but he’s trying. = )

Thank you for praying for Scott today!

Blessings,
Patty

Bad news and good news

by | Nov 12, 2021 | Pray, Uncategorized, What's New

Dear All,

Friday’s Bottom Line:

Pastor Lovemore and his wife were not able to cross into Zimbabwe  = {, but Scott’s first day of teaching on Raising Disciple-Makers went great!

Friday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Pastoral couples to come to the “Better Together” seminar on Saturday with open hearts and minds. It’s a fun and powerful seminar.
2. Scott to sleep well, have energy, and stay healthy.
3. God to go ahead of him, giving him wisdom, favor, and joy in each situation.

 

Friday’s Details:

Some days I get a lot of information from Scott and some days not. Thanks to jet lag he was probably up early, and he taught all day. By the time I was available to talk, he was asleep, but he sent me this message. “Good beginning, challenging middle (the power was out for 2.5 hours – hard to show slides and videos) and awesome ending. Everyone went away encouraged and smiling even after 5 hours of teaching. Also, we had about 20 pastors sign up for a DM group. Yay!”

Some of you have attended one of Scott’s Raising Disciple-Makers seminars, and you can imagine how challenging it could be for him to teach that without his usual Power Point slides and videos. And I assume that while the power’s out there are no lights or sound system. Never a dull day!

Scott also said, “Pastor Lovemore and his wife did not make it through the border. 😔” This is very disappointing.

Please take a moment to pray for Scott and tomorrow’s marriage seminar. 

Thank you!
Patty

Important Thursday prayer requests

by | Nov 11, 2021 | Pray, Uncategorized, What's New

Dear All,

Thursday’s Bottom Line:

Scott is in Mutare (“moo-TAR-ay”) now and will begin his first seminar there Friday morning (~1:00 AM Friday MO time). Clearly our enemy is not pleased, as challenges have already arisen. Please join us in praying now for Rose and her family, for Pastor Lovemore and his wife, and for Friday’s Raising Disciple-Makers seminar.

Thursday’s Prayer Requests:

1. Peace, comfort, and great grace for Pastor Rose, Scott’s coordinator in Zimbabwe, who has had a death in her family.
2. God to make a way for Pastor Lovemore and his wife from Mozambique to cross into Zimbabwe and attend this first RDM seminar.
3. The Holy Spirit to make a powerful connection between Scott and the pastors during his Friday/Saturday seminar.
Thursday’s Details:

On Thursday morning Scott traveled four hours from Harare to Mutare, where he was able to meet with his Zimbabwe coordinator, Pastor Rose, and some bishops (church overseers) in that area. Goals for Thursday’s meetings were for the bishops to meet Scott (and be encouraged to come to the seminar and bring the pastors they oversee) and for Scott and Pastor Rose to nail down any final details for Friday’s RDM seminar. Pastor Rose has been very proactive in inviting pastors to this seminar in Mutare and to the one next Tuesday in nearby Dangamvura.

Scott said, “Pastor Rose has had a death in the family tonight [Thursday night] and has had to leave home at 9:30 PM. Please pray for her as we prepare for our first RDM seminar tomorrow morning.” A death in Pastor Rose’s family is tragic, and I don’t know if or how it will impact her participation on Friday. But God knows and he is good.

Scott continued, “My host family for my time in Mutare is Pastor Phillip, his wife Doreen, and their 9 yo son Abraham. They are absolutely awesome and so is their home. I am so excited about these next two sets of seminars in Mutare [and Dangamvura]. Pastor Rose has done an amazing job (or so it appears). The folks in Harare have not done nearly so well (but that’s okay), so they make Rose really shine.”

I assume that most of the pastors signed up for this first seminar live in Zimbabwe, but one of them is coming from neighboring Mozambique (the two countries share a border). He has been a member of Scott’s online Africa Disciple-Makers group in recent months.

Scott wrote, “Prayer request: Pastor Lovemore and his wife from Mozambique traveled 6 hours to attend tomorrow’s seminar only to be turned away at the border because they did not have the right papers and had not had a PCR covid test. Please pray that God will give them favor so they can cross in the morning and attend the seminars.”

I assured Scott we will be praying for these requests. Thank you for joining your faith with ours for all things to go WELL on Friday!

Blessings,
Patty