Surprised by Hope Blog

Monday, July 20, 2015

July 2015 Newsletter

Facilitators in Training

We recently invited you to invest in training Surprised by Hope facilitators so that we can expand our reach in both Uganda and Kenya…and you responded. Not only were we able to invest significantly, we identified a few new facilitator candidates as well. Here are the results of what those facilitators were doing because of your gifts.

Pastor Fred delivers sections of the Entrepreneurship Series at Nebbi Baptist Church in Nebbi, Uganda (below).

Pastor Fred delivers sections of the Entrepreneurship Series at Amari Community Development Organization in Bulisa, Uganda (below).

Pastor Ephantus studies both with the Watamu Pastors' Fellowship and with Mountain of Glory Ganda both in Kenya (below).

(Pr Ephantus is on the far left)

Pastor Ephantus delivers sections of the Entrepreneurship Series to the Thika Pastors' Fellowship in Thika, Kenya (below).

Before heading to Thika, Pastor Ephantus translated for me at Kanana Knitters in Njoro, Kenya where we answered an emergent need to provide financial literacy for the ladies who over extended themselves with loans (no photos, sorry). Then, Pastor Ephantus delivered sections of the Entrepreneurship Series at Deliverance Church in Tala, Kenya (below #1). He is a very gifted and powerful preacher as well and had the opportunity to share the Word at a sister church there (below #2).

Pastor Ephantus is a very gifted worship leader too, which is how we always open our sessions. He really prepares our hearts and minds to receive from the Lord. He also delivers additional portions of the Entrepreneurship Series in Kiwanza, Kenya. Because we were able to spend a concentration of time together, he really shined!

We thank God for these men who share their talents with us as we serve the Lord together. Please pray for them and for Pastor George who is currently in Singapore attending leadership training with the Assemblies of God churches and for Pastor Augustine who will soon begin training. Please also pray that the Lord would continue bringing people to us who are serious about serving him through Surprised by Hope.

We Need Your Time and Talents

Are you a gifted craft maker? The 100 Christmas Dollies campaign has been running for several years now, but the Dolly Maker needs your help. On Christmas Day we’ll give 100 dollies to 100 children and use the money raised to invest in the local church where we see evidence of self-motivation and teaching application. Would you be willing to commit to making a few dollies before November 1? Click here if you’d like to share your talents as a craft maker.

Are you a gifted videographer? Our facilitators-in-training suggested that a video recording of the teaching would be extremely useful in bettering the participant experience as they facilitate the various practical exercises. Participants affirm this need by requesting a leave-behind recording of the teaching as well. Would you be willing to come on a short term mission trip to create a video of the teaching that creatively incorporates the biblically based business lessons with the story of these many tribes and nations? Click here if you’d like to share your talents as a videographer.

Thank you!

Thank you for investing in Surprised by Hope, our vision and mission, and our team. You are making a difference! If you haven't invested yet, and would like to, please click here to find out how you can join together with us.

Meet Norah

In mid January of this year the person who stayed in my house when I traveled for the past three years left for the States. Uh-oh! Though I’d kept my ears open knowing this day might come, I suddenly needed to get very serious about replacing that caretaker. Several posts on various Facebook groups continued to result in no luck, and the recent break ins didn’t help.

Even knowing that the Lord’s timing is perfect and that he is most certainly in control, I began to release peace in lieu of anxiety…until one day. As I walked through the doors of the church just a few weeks ago, Norah the cheerful greeter, whom I met in a Bible study group a few years back, whispered into my ear, "I want to come live with you." Um…say what?

I proceeded to take my seat and lean over to friend Jennifer to ask if she happened to mention my need to Norah or to Pr Zeddie. Her negative response led me to explain what just happened and we both were showered with goose bumps. We agreed it must be one of those creepy things you couldn’t orchestrate yourself – a God thing.

And so, I’d like to introduce you to Norah. Norah is the newest part of all that is my life. I am incredibly thankful for this faithful, servant-oriented woman of God who is sharp, kind, and sweet. We will be staying together in my home and she will care for all of its needs (safety, upkeep, administration) so that I am free to travel without worry. Norah comes into my life with all of her own needs too and so I’m glad the Lord brought her into my story.

Please welcome Norah to my story and watch for her name to pop up every now and then. Pray for her, encourage her, and love her just like you do me.

Vineyard School of Ministry

Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to learn how important intellectual stimulation is to me as an individual. But have you thought about how important ongoing learning ought to be to ministry leaders too? It’s easy to feel intellectually isolated in developing countries, and to focus on serving others and not on replenishing yourself.

That’s why I’m excited about the opportunity to press into the Word alongside East Africans at Vineyard School of Ministry (VSM) in Nairobi. I’ve been in conversation with the important leaders in my life and we all agree that this program is God-shaped ideal for several reasons.

Vineyard Affiliation

The VSM program is affiliated with the Vineyard Association of Churches (both Vineyard USA and Vineyard International), and the Vineyard Institute. Learn more about what it means to have a Vineyard flavor here.

Like-minded Missions

The VSM and Surprised by Hope missions are like-minded in that 1) VSM is committed to empowering East Africans to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God as missional agents, and 2) SbH is dedicated to seeing East Africans become positive influencers in their community, in their country, and in the body of Christ. The majority of those we serve are pastors or church leaders who are trying to serve their communities.

African Context

The VSM program delivers its teaching from a uniquely African contextual lens and is for leaders who wish to express their faith in a distinctly African style. Being submerged in the African perspective will certainly improve my understanding of the source of some of the rather peculiar (to Westerners) thinking as well as prepare me to address unbiblical theologies as I minister here.

Daystar University Collaboration

Daystar University is one of the largest Christian liberal arts universities in Africa and is committed to offering Christian education to the church and the world. This collaboration means jointly working to set performance standards, monitor and evaluate students, supervise and approve instructors, and approve exams and final grades. Better yet, the collaboration means the school will have degree of rigor from which I will benefit.

Schedule Ideality

The VSM program meets for two consecutive weeks during the three primary school holidays – April, August, and December, which means I will focus on school when in school and ministry the remaining weeks. I won’t be dividing my attention with too strenuous a workload therefore exposing the ministry to suffering.

Our first week of class begins April 3 and will address Father God & His Family: Systematic Theology I. Our second week of class begins April 10 and will address Church Planting. After that, I return to full time ministry until the first two weeks in August. Your prayers and encouragement are appreciated as I begin this new endeavor in a new town with new people under a new system of education.

Let's see what the Lord will do with Surprised by Hope through our obedience.

Windows from Loduk and Church on Fire

Many of you read my recent post “Plink…and the Window Swung Open” about one successful break in and one attempted break in at my home in Uganda. Both occurred within two months of one another. One church and one ministry made one BIG difference by responding immediately to the problem (once I finally spoke it aloud). I tend to suffer in silence thinking “I am supposed to figure this out myself,” but what happened next was proof positive that the Lord created us to be in community for a reason…a very good reason.

Church on Fire and Loduk Development Initiative both said, “We’ve got you covered.” They both recognized what I wanted to ignore, that my safety (or simply having a good night sleep, a night without fear) is part of being successful in ministry. I know so many people face far worse safety risks than I do, and so I am humbled and grateful for their care for me.

Many thanks to Bob at Loduk – a ministry operating out of Karamoja, Uganda whose primary purpose is to support nonprofits through drilling water wells, aiding with construction projects, and supplying/installing solar systems – and who simply said, “We’re on our way.” We brainstormed possible solutions and when we landed, Bob sent Bryce to follow through. And many thanks to Bryce who came with an incredibly humble heart, tolerated my perfectionism, and managed to choke down my food.

Many thanks to the Church on Fire family who joined together to provide the funds needed to bring safety to my home and peace to my mind. Take a look at what your generosity did.

1. We added horizontal bar spacers to reduce the space thieves might find small enough to send their child-sized explorers through. Please pray for those small children, being ignorant of the wickedness of their actions, and for their abusers.

Before

After\

2. We added a "lip" to the outside window to cover the seam between the window and frame, thus preventing thieves from releasing the handle to open the window.

Notice the bubbly weld spots, you can't really see the lip well.

3. We added "loops" on each window and frame so that a padlock would secure the window closed from the inside.

The challenge, of course, is keeping 16 sets of keys and locks paired.

I trust the Lord to guide and protect me and in that he provided a community of people at Loduk and Church on Fire as his hands and feet. I cannot possibly express my gratitude except to say thank you for responding to his prompting. Thank you that every sound outside my window doesn't raise goose bumps, bring my heart to full speed, and keep me that way all night long.

In everything, I praise the Lord for you.

Plink...and the Window Swung Open

In the early morning hours of December 29, just days after the Christmas gift-giving holiday, I received a phone call while sleeping in my Malindi vacation bed. Thieves had entered my Uganda house, through a formerly locked window, only a short time before. Covering the face of my friend, who was keeping the house in my absence, with a rag soaked in chloroform, they proceeded to steal all his electronics and a few of my household items before departing through the front door.

The shoe print of a child could be seen on the frame of the window, the only means by which to enter and access the door keys though which the group of adult men entered. A small child! Were the windows left unlocked? We never even open those windows, there are others but not those because they receive direct sunlight and so remain locked and covered to keep the heat at bay. But how? To this day there are so many questions and the only thing to do is accept that sometimes we never receive the answers we so desire.

My mind raced with thoughts of ideas for strengthening security, and even as I await the box sent from the US containing a few of those tools…

At about 12:30 am the morning of February 26, I woke from a dream which was filled with the sound of rattling windows, like in beach houses during stormy nights. I lie silently listening and hearing nothing, arose and searched the house – a simple endeavor given its two rooms – and returned to my bed though sleepless. For the next three hours I occupied my mind with various thoughts and finally began to doze. And then…plink!

Eyes wide open, I searched for the source of the sound and the source of the now cool breeze passing over my legs. Not moving an inch, in the space of about three seconds I saw the window swing open. The sound of that plink was the brace falling against the window frame. And with an effort to focus my eyes in the dark, I saw the shadow of a man-boy looking in at me perhaps wondering if I heard the sound and wondering how I would respond. What could I do? Inside those three seconds I realized that as soon as I moved he would be gone. Could I catch him? Did I want to catch him? Would he enter through the narrow bars or run? Had others already entered? Do I have a weapon?

Perhaps I should have called out in the name of Jesus, but instead in an aggressive manner I raced from the bed and ran four steps toward the window screaming “get out, get out, get out” over and over again. In the black of night I could only assume the people who blended into the darkness so well fled…and I prayed it was so as I opened my screen to pull the window closed again imagining them pulling my wrists and somehow trapping me.

The adrenaline pumped through my body, far more than necessary for that tiny span of time. Who should I call? Who can come? Who can help? My only option was to call my parents way far away, knowing that the worry and helplessness they would endure was unfair. I discovered that my voice had gone. For three days my voice left me, apparently my screaming was more intense than I realized.

The aftermath of the first successful break in and the second attempted break in has really left a mark. I trust the Lord to protect me and at the same time I know the enemy is allowed to reign in the hearts of unbelievers. I’ve done my best to improve security, but as I wait for that box from the US and for the other security plans to come together, I find distress.

I lay in my bed with my eyes and ears more alert than a watchdog. Every rattle, every plink, every footstep, every voice must be thieves plotting to enter. I turn on the lights, but what if I can’t see them coming in the dark? I play movies, but what if I can’t hear them and get the frying pan ready for a swing? I lose Facebook Scrabble game after game with my mother, who patiently listens to my fears.

And finally dawn comes and I boldly step out of bed hoping all in the house is as it had been the night before. Work begins around 4:00 am and I take only a short nap in the heat of the afternoon hours. With daylight comes a renewed determination to experience the next night as normal. But when darkness falls, the fear returns.

Missionaries living in foreign countries, particularly developing countries, face so many trials. Yet somehow many of us feel it’s most appropriate to keep quiet about them because we ought to count it all joy, right? I’ve struggle with the decision to share for some time, obviously, and decided that it’s important for you to know the truth. Why? Because we are in this together. We are partners in the work of the Lord spiritually, financially, prayerfully, and relationally. We cannot effectively continue to serve him without all the information. And so here it is…all the information. Continue serving him, please, with your ongoing intercessory prayers.

I know the Lord is my greatest peace; however, please join me in praying that truth into my head. Pray that the Lord would cover this house with his protection and that would-be intruders would bass by with blind eyes. Pray that the planned security measures would be implemented soon, that they would be more than enough, and that a sense of safety inside my sanctuary would return.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” 1 Peter 5:10.

Amen.

2014 Annual Report

The Surprised by Hope 2014 Annual Report is ready for your review. We've covered the facts and figures well, but you'll also find lots of beautiful photos, testimonies, and a sneak peek into our plans for 2015.

Click on this link to view the 2M pdf document as it was intended to be displayed on your screen. Click on this link to download that document for print.

Administrative Work Isn't Painful, It's Prophetic

Thanking the Lord this morning for all the administrative tasks that have been accomplished while I've been in Nairobi. Many of these tasks were already in various stages of completion as they can never be far from our mind. But having them finished but flexible is such a rewarding feeling to a former operations manager like me.

First, we took time to reflect over all that the Lord has accomplished through Surprised by Hope during 2014 and continue to wonder at the way he orders our lives (Romans 8:28) with tremendous thanksgiving. While his vision for the future of this ministry has been clear for a while now (we've been communicating that medium-term vision for about a year) it was nice to ask for and receive his confirmation of that vision and all that must be accomplished in 2015 once again.

Second, we closed out 2014 by reviewing our stated goals and recording all that was accomplished in more detail. We examined our budget results (right on target) and reviewed financials for accuracy (all good), collected all the statements and other documents needed for audit and sent them off to Whitewatermark. We prepared and distributed year end tax statements to all of you. Finally, we prepared the content of our annual report and sent that off to the designer (coming soon).

Third, we opened 2015 by establishing short-term goals, preparing a general schedule for ministry, and setting budgets to support those activities. We reviewed legal requirements for annual reporting when operating in three countries, and prepared those materials. And we prepared and conveyed all the materials needed for the Annual Meeting of the Board later this month.

While these are just a few of the task-oriented highlights for these past few weeks, my bigger appreciation comes in two areas of revelation. First, purpose. We are so thankful in knowing that we are exactly where the Lord wants us to be and that we are doing exactly what he wants us to do. The continued sense of Divine purpose over these past 4 years is like nothing I've ever experienced before, which allows a measure of certainty in our decision-making. In all we do, we desire to walk alongside him in seeing his plans fulfilled in the lives of so many East Africans and in those who support Surprised by Hope.

Second, prophetic. Cornerstone University professors are always challenged to incorporate faith into learning into application (which is not easy in the business world) and having been raised in that environment I strive to do the same. When we bring these kinds of administrative activities before the Lord, especially our future plans, we have an opportunity to invite his prophetic voice to speak over us and our future. I believe that allowing the Spirit to speak into our plans gives power and shape to Surprised by Hope in a way that sets us apart. This intense time in the Spirit offers hope, depth, and transformation both for us and for those we serve. For that we praise the Lord.

Onward to a greater depth of ministry and service than has ever before been seen in Surprised by Hope. Amen!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

100 Christmas Dollies 2014 Delivered

The breeze failed to pass through Grace Abundance Church, which was covered with heat producing iron sheets. Those of us who were unaccustomed to such heat (me) were drenched within minutes. Thankful for young boys to send after cold water from the local shop, I replenished myself. As I waited, though, I wondered if it was hot the night Mary laid down in that stable to deliver her baby. Did the straw and dirt stick to her too? Did she have some cool water to drink after bringing the Son of God into the world?

Telling the story of the nativity brings no surprises at a Christmas morning service, but our reading was to be tailored for the children. We moved the chairs to the rear of the church and laid out a giant blue cloth for the children. About 30 made their way to the front and kicked off their shoes, if they had any, before finding a space on that blue-now-dirt-colored cloth. But before settling in, we instructed the children to go out and find the children who are not in church and to welcome them back here. Our little evangelists.

Almost 100 children returned and squished themselves into the front of the church where I sat and told them about Jesus' birth through the eyes of Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. Keep in mind that about 70 of those children listening didn't usually attend church or were of the Muslim faith. All 100 children heard the story of Jesus' birth read from Scripture and narrated for their age and understanding. All of them.

We finished with the part of the story where the wise men give gifts to the baby Jesus. I asked if the children would like to give a gift to the baby Jesus too. Some responded that they would, but when asked how they were unsure. Jesus isn't a baby anymore and we aren't in Bethlehem. I told the children that they could give Jesus the gift of believing in him as their Savior and we invited them all to do that. After praying with them, I moved on to tell them that I wanted to give them a gift to remind them that God loves them so much he came to earth as a baby. When they see this baby doll, they should remember that love.

A few notes about the photos. 1) East African's don't smile for photos...usually. 2) 100 kids requires a LOT of organization and control, and well... 3) A few dollies snuck off without photos. 4) Blogger seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to managing this many photos.

The shirt in the next picture is what this boy received.
I mistakenly cropped the photo without saving.
But...when you see his eyes, you'll see why.

Pr Owino and Martha are finally pregnant.
Pr selected a boy dolly for his child.

After receiving their dolls, I explained to these kids about the maker of these dollies and about you as sponsors of these gifts. I told them there are people in America who will receive the pictures we took together and who will pray for them throughout the year. Will you do that please? Will you pray for these children as you remember this very special Christmas gift that you made possible for these very special children? Pray that they would be protected, that they would know the love of Jesus, and that they would grow to be spiritual giants. Thank you. Thank you for your generosity and favor, compassion and grace. We love you!