Dear Praying Friends of Take the Challenge,

Thank you so much for standing with us as we endeavor to raise up disciple-makers among the nations. We are excited to let you know that we held our second International Disciple-Makers Network fellowship meeting earlier this month. We currently have active Disciple-Maker groups in India, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Philippines. At least six of our Disciple-Makers are now spiritual grandparents as one or more of their disciples are now actively discipling others. May the number of disciple-makers multiply greatly around the world!

International Disciple-Makers Network Fellowship meeting
Stateside. We had a successful Raising Disciple-Makers seminar at Hope Community Church in Andover, KS last month. A couple dozen pastors, leaders, and believers attended the two-day training, and our host, Randy Moss, is close to beginning a follow-up DM group with those who attended. One leader who attended from the Joplin, MO area has already begun leading a DM group at his church and reported that there is a great hunger among those in his group to grow up into true disciples. Hooray!
India. Scott has been in communication with our team in India, working on his plans to return to their country very soon. After 18 months of not issuing tourist visas, the Indian government will begin to issue visas to tourists on November 15, 2021.

Just prior to one of their calls this week, Pastor Rajan was at the hospital praying for and encouraging a young pastor who had been beaten by the local authorities. His crime? He had been evangelizing in a neighboring village, and as a result he was arrested and beaten. This type of situation has greatly increased during all the pandemic-related lock-downs in India. The government there recently banned all large meetings on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This means that churches and mosques are not able to meet on their worship days, Sundays and Fridays respectively. But on Tuesday, the Hindu worship day, there is no such restriction.

We praise God that Pastor Rajan has recently restarted his monthly disciple-makers training sessions. Last month he hosted 14 of these sessions in various districts in and around his home. Also, praise God that Pastor Benjamin and his wife Esther are both healed and have returned to their work. Thanks to all of you who prayed for them and/or contributed to their medical bills.

Pastor Benjamin and wife, Esther (daughter Mercy in foreground)
Africa. Plans are in the works for Scott to minister in Tanzania and Zimbabwe next month. He has been training pastors from these nations online for over six months now, and he is excited to be able to go, encourage, and equip pastors in those countries, and help them to establish more disciple-making churches in their areas.
Today’s Prayer Targets:

1. Healing for Pastor Adaikala Raj, who was beaten for preaching the gospel in south India.
2. God’s favor and direction regarding Scott’s Africa trip next month.
3. God to continue to increase the network of disciple-makers around the world.

Thank you for praying! As you stand with us in faith, we are diligently…

Planting Trees,
Scott, Patty, and the whole Take the Challenge team

Dear Praying Friends of TTC,

Here is a quick update for you on Pastor Benjamin and his wife Esther in India; they have both been hospitalized with Covid. 

On Friday, we heard this report from Pastor Bernard (Pastor Benjamin’s son-in-law): “Latest News from Hospital that Esther become Normal Condition and Pas. Benjamin having Blood pressure high and Sugar level high Breathing issues. I spoke to higher authorities to the Hospital and explained about their Situation they accepted my request and reduced some Amount which we have to pay. Praise God For that!!!! And they ask me to pay 200,000 Thousand only.”

Then on Saturday morning we received another update: “Just Now I spoke to Hospital and they said Pas. Benjamin Become Normal and they reduced Oxygen level 3 liters to 1 liter. Lungs infection reducing if it goes everything Normal within 3 to 4 days he can discharge from Hospital. I really thanking to all who are upholding them in Prayers.”

Through your generous donations, we were able to send 40,000 Rupies ($550) toward Pastor Benjamin’s medical bills. This has caused them to thank God for his great provision!

We also heard that Pastor Rose in Zimbabwe has launched that nation’s first Disciple-Makers group. There is so much interest among the pastors there that she had to create a waiting list for a second group to be opened soon!

Saturday’s Prayer Targets:

1. Continued healing and restoration for Pastor Benjamin.
2. God’s blessing on tomorrow’s International Disciple-Makers Network Fellowship meeting.

Raising Disciple-Makers,
Scott, Patty, and the whole TTC team

Prior to the Kenyan government’s suspension of all in-person meetings nationwide, Scott was scheduled to hold a two-day pastors conference at Pastor Mwangi’s church on Friday and Saturday of this week. This tragic event highlights the continued need for prayers for the church in Africa, as well as for God’s watch-care over our ministry – both in protecting Scott and in helping us to not be part of spreading this cursed sickness among God’s servants through our meetings. 

Today we also received an urgent prayer request from Pastor Bernard (one of our disciple-makers in India) about his wife Mercy’s parents who have contracted COVID. Mercy’s father, Pastor Benjamin, oversees over 100 churches. Both he and his wife are now in the hospital, but in addition to their physical challenges, they are also struggling to pay for their needed medical treatment. In this remote part of India, you have to pay up front in order to receive medical care. (If you’d like to donate toward the cost of their care, click here and under Fund, select “Pastor Benjamin’s COVID Hospitalization – India.”)

But… even while the enemy is coming in like a flood in so many parts of the world to steal, kill, and destroy through the pandemic, God is doing wonderful things among us and through our team in Africa. This past Friday, Scott was able to invest in 15 pastors who have been attending TTC Disciple-Makers groups for several months now. Each of these pastors will soon begin training leaders in their own churches, utilizing the practical training Scott provides to ensure that each disciple-makers group actually raises disciple-makers, as opposed to becoming just another Bible study. It was encouraging to hear their feedback and to envision all the disciple-makers that will be raised up in the months to come!

We are also excited to announce that this coming Sunday we will hold our first ever Disciple-Makers Network fellowship meeting (online) at 8 AM in Missouri, 3 PM in Zimbabwe and South Africa, 4 PM in Tanzania and Kenya, 6:30 PM in India, and 9 PM in the Philippines. This meeting is only open to those who are leading Disciple-Makers groups and their guests. Scott will be recognizing four of them who we consider to be Disciple-Makers Indeed. These are people who have trained disciples who are in turn teaching others. Including Scott’s initial training of them, each of these leaders (with their disciple-makers and those their disciple-makers are training) are a living example of the four generations of disciple-makers described in 2 Timothy 2:2.

There’s lots more to share, but we will save the rest for future updates. In the meantime, here are…

This Week’s Prayer Targets:
1. Comfort for Pastor Mwangi’s family and church, and for the families and churches of so many other pastors in Africa and India who have perished from this dreadful pandemic.
2. Pastor Benjamin and his wife to recover fully from COVID; provision of funds for their medical treatment.
3. Scott’s upcoming Raising Disciple-Makers seminar in Andover, Kansas on September 17-18, 2021.
4. God to guide the dozens of pastors who will be opening new Disciple-Makers groups in their churches in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and support!

Raising Disciple-Makers,
Scott, Patty, and the whole TTC team