Some Pictures From Our Recent Training Trips To Asia & Africa

Home Again

We are home and adjusting to both the time change and the weather change. The last two days were hot and humid in Kenya, but we arrived back home on Saturday night to a slight snow and then a high of 20 on Monday. On the Thursday before we left Africa, it rained hard for about 15 minutes or so early in the morning. When it rains there it does not cool off at all, it just adds a lot of humidity. That was the hottest day of training I have ever had. It felt like teaching in a sauna. Even the Africans were slowed by the temps, although they said it was just moderately hot to them.  

The time there was generally encouraging. The last series of presentations was excellent. The realities of the situation make for less progress than what we would like, but we can see the Lord working. Many of the trainees are making great strides, but one is not getting it all. It is sad to see that he just does not have the education or ability to grow very much in understanding what he reads. The ladies struggled with the women as well, many were illiterate and all nearly functionally illiterate. We are not sure that our material will ever work well for them. At the same time the progress with our training group since the beginning is substantial.  The report is that the whole denomination has really grown as well. It moves us deeply to see such profound and permanent change taking place. We spent some time studying some passages of scripture on the topic of marriage at the workshop. Our Kenyan brothers are eager to apply the Word to their lives but face immense challenges in light of their cultural models. I was reflecting on that and realize that complete transformation is not to be expected in our lives. More likely we will see bigger changes in successive generations as steps of progress are made in understanding and applying the Word in our broken cultural settings. I am happy to be a part of that progress in Kenya and other places around the world, including in my own life. Mike and I commented on how much we learned about Psalms in our study with the Kenyans and how much better we are going to be in understanding that portion of the Word in the future. God continues to work on the trainers as well as the trainees.

We have a little time off before our next overseas trip to India in February. That gives some time for catching up here at home and working on future workshop curriculum, planning, recruiting and US training. We would appreciate your continued prayers for us even when we are home and the work is not as exciting. The days continue to be long and the work at times can be grinding, but the time we put in enables us to do our work when we are overseas. Thank you for your continued interest. We would love to hear from you from time to time. May God bless you this Christmas season.  

Al

Training goes well despite challenges

We had a great day today teaching on the Psalms. This has never been a strength for me, but I have really been enjoying learning about the Psalms and teaching about them. I had the added pleasure today of learning as I taught. Sometimes the Lord really surprises us. I am being refreshed by my own teaching and by my good friend and partner Mike as he teaches. He is such a godly man and an extraordinary teacher. Often we add into what each other is teaching. We have a lot of fun doing teaching together.

I was about 1 and 1/2 hours late to the training because I was meeting with the man from Ethiopia. What a joy that was! He is a good humble servant who shares many of our concerns and passions. We are praying for how we might work together in the future. 

Mike taught in my absence but we got a late start. We taught all day and ran out of time to do the electives on marriage. The pastors were concerned and wanted to start earlier so we could get to that subject. We will do our best to do that tomorrow. They are really hanging in there in spite of the heat but don't seem to be sleeping well as their quarters are even hotter than ours.

It has been a challenge for Edie and Suzanne. The women here are not well educated and are having a hard time catching the training. They also don't seem as motivated as the men. Tomorrow one woman who helps with the translation will  be missing. Edie and Suzanne are so wonderful, working hard and keeping a good attitude with all the challenges. They are heroes to me, so willing to be challenged, stretched, and face hardships, and soldier on with smiles on their faces. They are gems and one of them belongs to me. Thank you Lord!

 

Al

From Uganda to Kenya

We are now in Kenya, on the coast. We have had no internet service until yesterday so I had no way of writing. I finally bought a modem to use here yesterday. When we got back to the hotel we found that indeed they had internet but had not told us. Two girls from Italy had kept the modem in their room. So, now I have two ways to get online.  

Our last two days in Uganda went well. The trainers are all leaders from various organizations so we have real hopes that the training will expand through 5 or 6 different organizations and denominations across Uganda. They seem really motivated to pass the training on. We were very pleased with the progress that they made in learning the material. Some were very bright, with advanced degrees, so it was easier to train them. Many expressed a real change in their understanding of what it means to preach the Word and felt that their preaching and teaching would never be the same.  

I personally did not feel that I connected with the group very well. I was not there the first two days and only taught a couple of sessions on the last two. But the other team members did great. I found out that the job God wanted me to do on that part of this trip was to encourage and help one of the other team members with some major challenges they are facing. As I said before, ministry is always interesting.

We are now in Malindi, arriving on Saturday afternoon. It is much hotter here than it was in Uganda and we are paying the price in our training. Our hotel is very nice and inexpensive, but without air conditioning. It sometimes gets down to 85 by morning and we are thankful for ceiling fans. Everybody is sleeping ok.  

We travelled to a remote village church on Sunday where I preached to about 7 women and 20 or so children. It is always a bit challenging to prepare for this kind of preaching, not knowing what kind of congregation we will find. I  had a couple of options ready, but when I found out the situation at the church I chose a third option on the way. Years of preaching experience comes in handy at times.

I was anxious to see and to reconnect with the brethren here after not having been here for 8 months. The last workshop in August was conducted by others and I had not been here since April. I wanted to see if they were making progress. I was so happy to see that they are thoroughly committed to preaching the Word and are working hard to become more skilled. One poor pastor has hired a tutor to help him learn to read better so he can study more effectively. They gave me such a warm welcome that it was like coming home to family. What a joy. Many of them are still struggling to catch on to all we are teaching. They have such limited education, but they are all making progress for which we thank God.  

One surprise that we found here was that a man from the other side of Nairobi came to watch our training. It turns out that he is an Ethiopian who is church planting in an unchurched area of Kenya. He happened onto our information when he was on the internet. He asked me by email if he could attend to observe, and I agreed. I thought he knew where we were meeting but he did not. He hunted for us on Monday and almost went home. He finally reached me by email and I was able help him come see us today. He is a fine brother who is committed to the same principles that we are but has not been able to find the right training process until he found us. He said today was historic for him and wants us to come help him start the training on the other side of Kenya among many different denominations. The Lord is amazing. I meet with him for awhile tomorrow as Mike trains, to talk about what we might do together.  

Today was very hot and challenging. It gets up to around 90 every day with high humidity and we train the men in a room with open windows but little air movement and no fans. We are drained by the end of the day. Mike and I take a liter of water each and drink it all and want more by the end of the day. I never see the Kenyans drink at all. I do not know how they do it. We get back to the hotel about 6 and take a quick shower, no hot water, and rinse off. Then we head out to find supper. By the time we are back around 8:30 we are mostly beat. I find it easier to get up early to prepare for that day's training than trying to do it the night before.  

Edie and Suzanne are doing very well in spite of all the heat. They are training ladies out in the yard under a huge tree. It is much cooler there with a good breeze. But there are other challenges. A calf came by and bellowed at them, a herd of goats surrounded them, and ants kept falling from the tree onto them. This is Africa at its best. The ladies are not as well educated and the learning is a bit slower with them than the men, but they also are making progress.

We all are saying that the days are long and hot, and that this job is physically, mentally and spiritually challenging, often beyond our capability. But the Lord is with us and we would not trade what we do for anything in the world. Through us the Lord is training pastors and wives to study and teach the Word of God accurately, often for the first time in their lives. We were talking and realized that in the past month or so we have trained trainers, who will train over two thousand pastors. They in turn will teach the Word much more effectively to over 100,000 believers. And, we are just getting started. How can you top that? Not in this life, not in my book. Thanks for your help in praying, encouraging and giving. We could not do it without you. 

Al

Flexibility & Faith

The last two days In Uganda have been interesting. As I say that I am reminded of something Pastor John Newton said many years ago. It went something like this: "I never know what a knock at the study door will bring. It may be an opportunity to repent or to minister to some one's soul. In either case it will be interesting." Ministry can be exciting and rewarding, and sometimes difficult and confusing, but it is always interesting! That has been the case here. Edie, Suzanne and I have been conducting meetings in a small isolated rural church. This was supposed to be a ministry to women but for whatever reason it became a general conference for everyone in the area, including pastors. I felt it necessary to take two days off from the training of pastors in Iganga to attend and work with the ladies in this village church. Mike and Eric have been covering the pastor training in my absence. On the first day, only 3 men and about 8 women showed up. I sat there thinking, "What in the world am I doing here?" But the Lord quickly reminded me that I am nothing special and that He is in charge of what He wants me to do. I decided that if He wants me to help Edie and Suzanne teach this little group instead of training pastors for two days, my job is to say, "Yes, Lord" and to do so with joy. As it turns out, as the day progressed more and more trickled in and we finally had almost 60 people, including several pastors there.  

This was all last minute for me. Edie and Suzanne have been trying to prepare for weeks but it was difficult because the situation seemed to be constantly changing. I came on board just before we left and had no prep time. But I have a fair amount of material that I can pull up on short notice so it was not so hard on me. I began preparing around 5 in the morning of the day we were to train. When we got there we had to adjust even that. As the Lord would have it, the driver left with all of Edie's prep and notes in the car, including her bible. That was hard for her but she quickly got that settled with the Lord. It is pretty threatening for her to have to teach without great preparation and detailed notes. But she pulled a few notes together as I taught and was able to remember all the passages she meant to use. Her talk was unbelievably good considering the situation. Suzanne is simply amazing. For her first trip to Africa she looks like a veteran, connecting well with the women, children and even the men so well. All this instability didn't seem to faze her at all. She came up with some of the most amazing and creative ice breakers for the group that really fit with what we were teaching. And she came up with the ideas on the spur of the moment, and in spite of the huge cultural differences, the people loved what she came up with. It added just the right amount of fun to the conference. All our teaching seemed to fold together well almost like we had planned it out ahead of time instead of creating it on the spot. It was obvious that Someone else was doing the planning.  

One interesting side note was that one of the pastors attending had heard me teach last April in Iganga. And, another pastor had heard me teach last year in Mbale. They were surprised and excited to connect with me again. One of them ended up doing some translation for me which was a great help. Another little ingredient was added to make the first day even more interesting as I battled intestinal problems from something I ate the night before. Nothing like a 3x3 squatty back behind the church to add to a sense of adventure. All in all we were astounded at how well the first day went.

The second day we were supposed to talk to married couples about marriage. We had it all planned out to have me start the day for a couple of hours and then for the ladies to fill in the rest of the day and have me close. But, it rained and we got a late start and very few people showed up. There was only one or two couples there so my teaching on marriage wouldn't work. So, we readjusted on the spot again and the ladies started with two talks on Hannah and then I added in some thoughts that connected what they had done with what we had taught on the day before. Again, you would have thought we planned the whole thing out ahead of time. Gradually more people came and then just before lunch the whole group arrived.  

After lunch I taught on marriage from Genesis one and what I taught was in stark contrast to African culture. But the previous day's teaching had prepared them to consider what God was saying and then to ask, "How am I different from that? How does God want me to change? And, what steps am I going to take to start to change?" After the first hour it was such a joy to see a group of about 10 men, several of them pastors, and a couple of women talking together excitedly about what I had taught and how they needed to change. It made me wonder if I had taught something so confrontational in America, would our people have responded so enthusiastically seeking to grow and change? It really turned out to be another miracle day.

We now look back on the two days we spent with God's people in this little rural church. I cannot say why God had this all happen as He did. I do not know what the lasting results will be. But I do know that Edie, Suzanne and I were all forced to change to be a little more obedient, a little more trusting and a little more useful to our Lord. If that is all that God intended, that is not a bad result.

Al

Arrival in Uganda

We are safely in Uganda and had our introductory meeting last night. We flew to Nairobi, arriving on Sunday night around 11 pm to our guest house. We were up at 5:15 to go to the airport to fly on to Uganda. We had a number of stops for various things but arrived in Iganga around 4:30 pm. The country of Uganda is beautiful and green most of the year. We really enjoyed the sights as we travelled. We crossed the Nile river close to its source in Lake Victoria. We passed by several sugar plantations and tea plantations that were also beautiful. I was especially tired for some reason after all the travel but the Lord was with me and I was able to speak and introduce what we will be doing this week. It is such a pleasure to work with people who are so eager and enthusiastic. Several remembered me from last April but most were new. Almost all of them are leaders of movements or groups of churches in Uganda. We are hopeful that these leaders will spread the training to many organizations and churches throughout the country.  

One great disappointment was that our contact in Mbale, Patrick Okabe, who we have been trying to connect with for training was not able to send the trainers he had hoped to. He was going to send 4 pastors to receive our training to take back to his organization, but suddenly on Saturday night his son passed away. Last April we were supposed to meet, but this same son got a serious blood clot the night before we were to meet and Patrick was not able to come. It is so very tragic and perhaps there is an element of spiritual warfare involved in the timing of these incidents. Please be in prayer for Patrick and his family. Pray also if possible I may be able to travel to visit briefly with him. He is about 1 1/2 hours away so it may be difficult to arrange a time and the transportation to go.  

Today I travel with Edie and Suzanne, a friend from our church who traveled with us to help Edie train the women, to a remote village to speak to a group of believers. I had not planned this since it was intended to be a teaching time for women, but now it is apparent that men also will be attending. We thought it prudent that I travel with the ladies and do some of the teaching as well. I am trying to decide this morning, around 5 am., what to teach. Life is interesting in service to the Lord. I will report later how our time went. My partner Mike and our coworker Eric, who usually lives in Africa, will do the training of the pastors in my absence. I will join in with them on Thursday and Friday. 

We appreciate your prayers as we manage fatigue, jet lag, and changing circumstances. Your prayers will end up helping many pastors learn to preach and teach the Word of God well. This will in turn be of great benefit to many believers in their churches, as they hear the Word and are transformed by it. 

 

Al

Heading Home

I am in the Amsterdam airport having just arrived from India. Both Edie and I were able to get a couple of hours of sleep on the plane so we are thankful. We are quite tired from a long three week training trip. But at the same time we are overjoyed with what we experienced along the way. At each stop we were increasingly encouraged by the progress of the trainers. The new young guys in the NE made great progress. The men in the South showed real progress from the last workshop and continued to improve during the present one. They had worked so hard passing on the training to others, five groups in all. They also want us to connect with groups they know in Sri Lanka. We are investigating how we can partner with them to initiate this training there as well. Then in Ahmadabad we were blown away with how well the students did. They really understood the material from last time and worked so hard together and seemed to master the present training as well.  The training they did over the past four months in three levels covering about 1500 pastors, seemed to go well also according to all accounts. The pastors and potential pastors they trained were excited about what they were learning and most had talked about taking the training on into their churches as well. Mike and I are having a blast teaching together. We fit well together and can easily insert ideas and comments to each other's training that are helpful. I count it a great privilege to have the Gundersons training with us.  

The ladies experienced many blessings working with the women as well. It was a bit harder for them since the training process was new to both Edie and Linda as well as to the women who came. Only three women participated in the first site, one with a baby, and they covered two workshops in that week. That was challenging but seemed to go well. At the second site, the opposite was true, 20 women came and most had been through the first workshop. It is really hard to work with that many women with our system. They had some translation problems as well. But all in all the training went very well, by God's grace. In the last site 7 women participated and none had previous training. This seemed a bit more normal and Edie and Linda had two weeks of practice behind them, but they were also very tired. Through dependence upon God they persevered and He helped them make good progress. In all our training sites the schedules changed significantly from what we thought so flexibility was key.  

There is a new possibility for future training with one of the largest denominations in India. We will be working on that in coming months. This group has been weak theologically and weak in the Word. Having an opportunity to influence them through our training in the Word could have huge impact. Pray with us about this.

Our days have been long and wearing, but full of joy and thankfulness for what God is doing. We were especially thankful that the weather was pleasant in all three places, we had expected it to be quite hot at least in the last venue, but it was almost perfect, inside anyway. The Indian experience is still challenging even after many visits here. The food wears on you after a few weeks and the brokenness of the culture is hard to see day after day. But the delight of working with such vibrant brothers and sisters in the Lord balances out all costs. The traffic continues to amaze me. One night on the way home we got stuck in a "jam". No one could move except some on scooters squeezed through tight spaces to keep going. When an opening occurs everyone jams forward. No one waits for anyone else, but in the end it seems to work quite well most of the time. I do not know if I will ever get used to it.

I am hoping for a shower here in the airport lounge before we have to run to our gate for our plane to Minneapolis. Only 16 hours or so and we will be home. We commented that it is a relief to be coming home but at the same time a hard thing to say goodbye to all our dear friends in India. We are encouraged that we will be back soon. God is doing really amazing things through our ministry both with and through us and sometimes in spite of us. The fruit of what we are doing will last generations. Thanks for your help along the way! 

Al

On to Ahmedabad

We just finished our last day of training in South India. We are all really tired but it is a "happy tired." The group here did really well in picking up the training, perhaps the best of any group we have trained. We are really hopeful that they will spread the training to many groups. They all will be good trainers. We have many stories of moments of insight, good presentations and enthusiastic learning. We always learn during these trainings as well, not only about better methods of teaching, but from the Word of God itself.  What a privilege we have!

The electricity here goes on and off every hour or so. Each time it does they have to switch to a generator and then back again in the next hour. I have no idea why that is. Tomorrow we have a much needed day off, the first in the last two weeks. Our days are long, from early morning to late at night, training and preparing for the next day. Thankfully we are sleeping well most nights.

Sunday I preach in one of the churches here and then we leave in the afternoon for Ahmedabad. We are looking forward to another good week of training there.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support,

 

Al

South India, October 2012

Our time here in South India has gone very well so far. We were so excited to hear about the 6 trainings that the pastors had conducted since we were last here. It is such a joy to work with them because they are not only eager learners, but also enthusiastic to take the training on to others. They told us some of the pastors they have trained keep asking when they will get the next workshop. I am sure the men we are training will begin training others as soon as we are finished training them. They are bright, well educated and pick up the material quickly. In spite of the fact that many of them have bible school training, and several have taught in bible schools, none of them have actually been trained to study the bible itself. We find this to be the case everywhere we go.  

We have had a few challenges, as usual. Several men showed up who have not had the previous workshop and have had difficulty catching up. Two are not English speakers and have had difficulties understanding the teaching, although one man has been translating for them. We have worked these issues out so that everyone receives the previous workshops from the leaders here before they attend the next workshop. We also agreed that non English speakers will be better trained by the Tamil leaders here than by us. The three leaders here, whom we affectionately call the three amigos, are so cooperative and easy to work with.  

Edie and Linda have had a great time with the women. One problem they have had is too many women are coming. They had 20 women yesterday, way too many to effectively train with our method. We discussed that also with the leaders and I think we will have that solved next time as well. We will need the women to catch the vision for training other women. You can pray for that with us.

I am feeling much better, almost no back issues at all, and we are getting good rest at night. It is amazing how much better things go when you feel good. Thanks for praying for us. We feel your assistance through the Lord every day.  

Al

A Visit to Tea Country

Our time in Siliguri ended up going quite well. In spite of all the physical problems I experienced, the Lord saw us through and the students made remarkable progress. They began the week not understanding the most basic aspects of Bible study and ended doing a fairly good job of understanding assigned passages in II Timothy. We were delighted with how all that went. The training with the women went very well also. Edie thought they made amazing process and feels that the relationships she and Linda built will be lasting. We are not at all sure what the group will do in terms of passing on the information or who will continue with the training. That all has to be worked out here by February, the time for our next workshop.

During the course of the training one of the students gave an amazing testimony. He and his wife married without their parents blessing and were cast out to be on their own. They struggled to have enough to eat so he joined the Maoist army (they lived in Nepal). He was caught by the police and beaten so badly he was paralyzed. Somehow he was taken to a hospital and gradually improved. He had to flee to Cyprus to escape with his life. There a friend stole all his money and ran away leaving him destitute. He lived in a bathroom for a week. There a Irish missionary happened on him and started talking to him. When the missionary found he was from Nepal he started talking Nepalese with him. It turns out the missionary had served in Nepal for about 20 years. He was taken to a church, befriended, helped and eventually came to Christ. He returned to Nepal to his wife and they now serve as youth ministers in their church (the wife was one of the women Edie trained). He later told me that he had killed the father of one of the families in the church when he was a Maoist but that they had forgiven him. Is God amazing or what?

We left Saturday afternoon for Darjeeling, far up in the mountains, to visit one of the leader's churches. It was supposed to take 3-4 hours and ended up taking 6. We had 4 straight hours of winding, twisting, narrow mountainside roads. We all took car sick medicine but all still struggled to one extent or another. I, of course, got thoroughly sick and had to survive hours of miserable sickness in the car. For some reason the Lord has chosen to especially test me physically on this trip.  

We awoke this morning to a beautiful, sunny, cool day in some of the most picturesque scenery you can imagine. The place we are staying is on the edge of Darjeeling and the whole area is a tangle of steep mountains and deep valleys. There is almost no flat ground at all. People here must be hardy because the walking is something else. We are at about 8,000 feet and we walked a mile or so up the road to catch a ride to the church. We could tell we were at a higher altitude. The church is over 9,000 feet up and and the view from there was spectacular. I felt my sermon was very flat (I suppose I could use the excuse given for Obama that I had not acclimatized myself long enough). It was good to see the people in the church, many are new believers and four were announced as having been baptized this week. They were each given a new name. The idea is that they are all former Hindus or Buddhists and they needed Christian names.  I thought it was a pointed reminder that we are new creatures when we come to Christ.

Darjeeling is world famous for its tea. There are tea plantations all around. We were to tour a tea factory  today, but when we arrived a regional manager happened to show up and he felt the workers were not wearing the proper safety equipment and would not let us tour. They did give us a package of tea though.

Tomorrow we have to be off at 5 am to head back to Siliguri in order to catch our flight out to Trichy. We fly all day with three stops arriving around 9 pm. It should be a grueling day. I plan to take two of the car sick pills to be prepared and hope that works better. We will see. 

Thanks for your continued prayers,

 

Al

India October 2012, #2

We arrived safely in Delhi on Sunday night. We had  good night's rest before heading to Siliguri on Monday morning. Unfortunately I came down with significant back problems. I was fine when I got up in the morning but later noticed a slight catch in my back which progressed rapidly into a major problem. It got so bad that I could not walk well and had to eventually get a wheel chair to make it to the gate and onto the plane. Edie was able to get me some ice and it was slightly improved when we arrived, enough so that I could walk down the stairs from the airplane and into the airport. Fortunately, I did not have to teach on Monday but even yesterday, Tuesday, my back was so tight that I could not stand up straight. I walked like an old man, which I guess I am becoming. I taught most of the day sitting. This morning, (it is around 3:30 am, we have not gotten over the time change yet), my back feels better so I am hopeful for a better day. Your prayers would be appreciated.

The students are mostly young and bright and a delight to work with. They come from about 4 or 5 different countries and almost all them speak English quite well. We were delighted with their progress yesterday. They all need to learn how to discuss and interact in the classroom, something they have never had experience with before. We are not sure that they fully understand what our vision for a training network is and we will need to work further with them on that. It is essential for them to take the training to others if we are going to have a successful network.  

Only 3 women showed up for the training. Edie and Linda were planning on 10. But the ladies are connecting well and are learning the material quickly. It has been a good start for Edie and Linda as they are learning how to teach together and how to use our training materials with women. So far it has been a joy for them to work together, even though they are very different in personality and gifts. God is good.  

We have a challenging week ahead as we present two full workshops in one week, twice what we normally do. We can accomplish this only because it takes less time to train when we can do it in English without translation and because we are limiting our electives. Still it is a lot for them to be introduced to in such a short time. We felt it was necessary to do two workshops in order to catch them up with the two other groups we are working with in India. We are praying that all of us will  have the energy to accomplish what God has put before us. Thank you for your help in praying for us. We know that is one of the reasons we can make it through some of the physical and spiritual battles we face. Our Internet access is limited but we will try to keep you posted as we can.

Al

India, October 2012

I have had multiple problems getting hooked up to the Internet, so I am using someone else's computer today.  We arrived safely in Delhi, India on Sunday night. Unfortunately on Monday morning I had some pain in my back that started with a slight catch and gradually became more intense, to the point that I had to get a wheel chair to make it to the gate at the airport.  Edie got me some ice and I improved slightly by the time we arrived in Siliguri.  I was able to walk into the airport and to the car.  But I have struggled with a lot of pain and tightness in my back so that I can not fully walk upright.  This is challenging for my teaching and I have had to sit during much of the training.  It is better a bit each day but I have a ways to go.  We have all experienced quite a bit of different types of opposition in preparation for this trip so we think this is one of many strategies by the enemy to discourage us.  It has been more apparent than usual for this trip, so we feel the enemy must not want us here.  That is all the more reason for us to press on.  Please pray for us in these regards.

The training is going well although it is not the group we expected.  Many of the leaders invited sent young people to represent them so our group is quite young and inexperienced, although there are several that are seasoned and mature.  We are not sure what this will mean for the future.  But we press on with who we have and they are making great progress.  Edie and Linda have only three women to train but that is also going very well. 

Hopefully I can send a more complete blog soon when I get my own computer hooked up.

Al

Conclusion of Training in Asia, Sept 2012

We just concluded our training time with ReachGlobal and national leaders. We had been worried how we would do with such a large group; around 50 participants with many different languages represented. However, we were delighted with the results, which were beyond our expectations. There were many blessings along the way. Some of the RG staff and most of the nationals have no bible or theological training. For all of them it was an exciting way to learn how to study the bible, and a fun and effective method for learning how to teach others. We foresee our materials and methods being used in many parts of Asia as the year progresses. Already the first workshop is translated into Mandarin, Hindi and Burmese, with work starting on Lahu and Thai. We had many requests for us to come and train pastors in new countries, Bhutan, Nepal, Japan, Mongolia, etc.  

On Thursday night we met with the leaders of the Lahu group we trained last week. It was such an incredible blessing to see how our training was already influencing their thinking and planning. We had asked for prayer that we would be culturally sensitive as we trained. They affirmed that we had come across humbly and lovingly. Thank you for praying with us. The Lahu have a growing vision to train pastors all over SE Asia with what they have learned. They also are thinking about how they need to change the way they teach in the bible school, learning to teach from the bible itself instead of just from books. I was overwhelmed again with the idea that God would choose to use me in such a strategic way to help so many others learn to study, apply and teach the bible. I continue to be amazed at His grace.

I leave for home tonight greatly thankful to the Lord. I am anxious to see grandchild #14 who was born last night: Levi Nathan at 9lb 12oz.

Al

Rainy Days in Thailand

It is another new day with rain, and clouds hanging low around the hills. This part of the training is over and we are having a fun day today. Yesterday we said our good-byes and were very encouraged with the feedback we received. Having the language barrier gave Linda and I (Edie) a huge challenge in communication. The Lahu don’t show physical affection and are quite shy and reserved. It took 3 days of slowly and carefully trying to say we love you and care about you, but in the end they really appreciated our teaching from the bible. Our translator, who was wonderful and skilled, said keeping it simple like we did was different but so effective. She also said teaching the women to read and study the bible on their own was a new concept for them and really needed. When we come back to do another training, Linda and I hope to have our own group of trainers, who will then go on to train other women.

The training with the men went well, although it had its challenges. The men were having a good time and all seemed free to talk and laugh among themselves during discussions. With about 50 in the room it was a little chaotic. Many have not had training in studying the bible. One of the projects we did was a case study of conflict in the church. They tried to solve it from culture and tradition instead of going to the text to find answers. We hope as we teach them how to study they will have a new resource for finding the answers to life’s questions. They also resisted a bit the teaching on marriage, not liking the idea of a husband sacrificing to serve his wife. But I think they finally got the idea that we were not trying to impose our views on them but just looking at what the bible said. How they apply it in their culture may differ from how we do. 

The group seemed very enthusiastic about starting a training network here early next year. We are excited to come and help them make good progress in seeing all their pastors equipped to teach and preach the word effectively. 

The days were quite warm and very humid as this is their rainy season. It seems we are literally watching the rice grow before our eyes. Standing water is everywhere and people are always fishing in the water canals. Today 2 of us are going to a Thai cooking class. I am really looking forward to it. The rest of the group are going to see some tigers. Tomorrow I (Edie) head home. Al will stay for a conference on church planting next week and then have a chance to take about 60 leaders through the first Pathways workshop. It will be a great opportunity for him to initiate training across Asia. 

Though we have really wondered if we were making any progress, as usual God was producing the fruit. We are so pleased with the prayers God has answered. 

Edie  

Thailand, Sept 2012

We arrived safely late Friday night into Bangkok and then on into Chiang Mai on Saturday morning. It was a long and brutal trip and I have lots of aches and pains to show for it. Our aging bodies don't handle these long flights quite like they used to. Our room is nice; clean and comfortable although the bed is the usual Thai bed: hard as a rock. It is only a short ten minute walk to the training center.

It is fairly hot here and very humid since this is the wettest month of the year and it rains almost every day.  But it is beautiful and green and we have enjoyed a couple of adjustment days before we had to start the conference, which begins today. There was a meal and worship service last night and we really enjoyed it. At the meal the Lahu were mostly shy and afraid to come up to us. One young woman that we sat near slowly moved away and finally got up and went to another place. They are timid because they cannot speak English and do not know what to do with us, something I can identify with myself. As the week goes on, I am sure this will improve. At the the worship service the singing was fantastic, rich with great harmony. The Lahu are excellent singers. We were given a song sheet, mostly hymns, and sang along although we had no idea what we were singing. We had about half the preaching translated so got the just of the message and afterward we had a chance to greet people. It seemed to break the ice somewhat.  

Yesterday, Sunday, we attended a local church. I thought what I could catch of the translation of the sermon was very good. After the service we went to a man made lake next to a new subdivision that is under construction to have a baptism. The water was chalky brown, but they were not deterred. I think the people were happy that we were there to celebrate with them.  

Our host missionaries, the Callahans, have been super in caring for us. This is a special couple. They are rather ordinary Minnesotans, he was a technician for a phone company and she was a secretary, and in their early fifties felt God calling them to missions. But we are so inspired by their deep love for God and the Lahu people. They have taken on huge responsibilities and have flourished not because they were well trained or gifted, but because they have great dependence upon God. They are a great example of what God can do with anyone who is willing to depend upon Him and follow His leading. We have grown to admire them so much. I love to be around people like this! What an encouragement.

Please pray for us as we begin the conference. Edie and her partner Linda will be working with the women in the afternoons while Mike, Mark and I will teach the whole group in the mornings and the men in the afternoons. Our goal is to introduce them to what we do in our training workshops and to excite them about learning to study the bible well. The Lahu are a gentle and humble people and we want to teach in a way that fits with their culture. We have a lot to learn about how to communicate well with them not only in words and ideas but also in manner and character. Thanks for standing with us.

  

Al

Southern India July 2012

I am finally home.  I had no internet for the last week so I was unable to write.  The meetings in the south of India went very well.  Most of our students were leaders of various ministries and church organizations.  It was a blessing to be able to teach in English.  I was not sure what the situation was going to be there as there had not been much communication.  But the students responded well to the course and want to start a training network there.  They all agreed to teach 10 to 12 others, one of our conditions for doing the network.  I was especially encouraged by one man who asked if I would be willing to do a course in Sri Lanka.  I said I would but it would be better if he did it.  That seemed to open the door of understanding of what we are trying to do with training trainers.  We will be coordinating the training in Ahmadabad with the training in the south as we go forward.  Thanks for your prayers for me as I went.  I really sensed the Lord going before me.

Al

India, June 2012

Hot work in India

I apologize for not writing sooner but it has been difficult to find time.  We get home just in time to eat and hit the sack.  It has been a great week, but a taxing one.  I have battled various ailments, upset stomach issues from the food, hay fever, jet lag, etc.  It is quite hot, around 104 each day and humid.  We have no air conditioning but plenty of ceiling fans at the training center.  I am spent by the end of each day.  But the Lord has sustained me and given me strength for what I am here to do.  In some ways it is tough work to train here, but I love the people so much that it makes it worthwhile.  The students have performed better than expected so we are delighted.  They are all engaged and eager to participate and catch on quickly.  It has been a great start for the training network.  

I have worked with the leaders on challenges they face in organizing the effort and planning all the logistics for 4 training levels across 14 states.  It really is an amazing effort and will take the Lord's provision to succeed.  I think we got some issues ironed out today that have had them confused.  We have a good plan, but it is dependent on so many people to accomplish that we know the Lord must work in each one to get it done.  There are still financial challenges ahead as well that must be met soon for the project to keep going.  If you would like to sponsor a trainer, a state network or just help with some of the cost we would welcome any help you can give.  Just contact me at my email.

I am attaching a few photos of the trainers and the surrounding area.  We finish training tomorrow and head south to Trichy early on Monday morning.  They are not as well organized down there so we are not sure what we will face.  But the Lord knows.

Al

Darkness in India

I am sitting in my hotel room overlooking a major street and intersection in Ahmedabad India.  I estimate that 10,000 people pass by here every 5 minutes or so.  I know that almost all of them are lost in darkness.  I am thankful to be working with a group of Christians who are aggressively doing something about that.  I was talking today with the leader and he was telling me of some of the problems in the church in India. 

Unfortunately many have moved away from the real gospel to either self satisfaction or to a health and wealth perspective.  I was reminded of the problems in Corinth where even spiritual gifts given by God became a stumbling block to the church.  Here many "come to Christ" through healing.  Someone prays for the sick and they get well and say they believe in Jesus.  But for many they never hear more of the gospel than "Jesus helps us".  Because they have never been told of the need for forgiveness of sins and the provision in Christ, their salvation is incomplete.  Many of these when they later become sick again and are not healed, return to Hinduism.  As in the time of the gospels where Jesus healed many who were never born again, even today many are being healed by God and yet apart from the gospel they are still lost.  The group I am working with wants to keep the real gospel central in the church.  Paul said in Romans that it is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation.  I fear that in the US we have the same tendency to make the gospel more what Jesus does to help us have a better life, than the true message that he came to save us from the wrath of God by taking the punishment for our sins.  

Tomorrow we start the training network that we hope will result in thousands of pastors being trained in the Word.  We are excited abut what God will do through His Word as it is preached in thousands of churches across India.  I will keep you posted about the progress of the week.

Al

Pictures from Africa, April 2012

Pictures: Two leaders from northern Uganda. One of the men had his wife kidnapped by soldiers 15 years ago in the war and he never saw her again. The others are of pastors studying together in Iganga, Uganda. There were pastors from all over the city, from many different denominations.

Final Stretch in Kenya

My life sometimes feels like a zoo where they let all the monkeys out. Actually, this morning there was a monkey in a tree outside our building screaming at some birds. But otherwise life has been a bit chaotic since leaving Uganda. The trip to Kenya went fine but before I left I got a sore throat. I still have it a week later, although it is not bad. I am not sure if it is viral or allergic. A doctor gave me some antibiotics but they did nothing. Also I have a significant rash on my feet and lower legs. It doesn’t bother me much either but is awful to look at. I do not know if the two are related. The medication has made sleeping difficult and the meals have been haphazard so I am feeling a bit weak. From what I am not sure: food, lack of sleep, sickness, the heat??? This is Africa.

The training here did not get off to a good start. Only about half the class came the first day, so a lot of time was wasted. Today was better with only two missing. The pastors are such eager learners and though the progress is slow, it is consistent. I celebrate each small step forward as a major victory. By the end of the day I am beat, even though I have a training partner here, which helps a lot. I am not sure I could do it this week without help and the breaks that come when he teaches.

I have struggled for the past couple of weeks with internet availability. I thought when I got here it would be better because I brought a Safaricom modem in past years and it has worked great. But the first day somehow I accidental erased the driver on it and have been unable to fix it. So we go down to the Cyber Café in town and hook up there. It severely limits availability and makes the evenings long. But it is cheap, about 50 cents for a one half hour session. It’s not a place you want to stay in for a long time. I am attaching some photos of the time in Uganda. Enjoy!

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Al

Eyes opened in Uganda

A lot has happened since I last wrote. I have been in Iganga, Uganda for the past three days and have conducted a pastors conference for the past two. I gave a simple introduction to the methods and principles we use in training pastors to study the Word. It had a powerful impact on the pastors. Let me give you one example. I was teaching them the idea of doing good observation of a passage before we try to understand it. I broke them into groups and assigned passages and asked them to find 10 observations in the passage. One of the passages was Romans 12:1-2. My translator worked on that passage. He came up to me and said that he had been preaching for 18 years and had never realized that he needed to study like this. He was so excited with what he was seeing just by taking time to observe carefully these two verses. He said he felt like crying that he had not learned to do this earlier. I was reminded in my heart that this is exactly why I do this ministry, for men like Robert. What a joy to see them begin the discovery of the scriptures.

I rode from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to Iganga with a famous bishop here in Uganda. He had been invited to come and preach in the evenings for the open air crusade they were having. As I conversed with him I was unsure about the man. What he said was all good but I felt uneasy. That first night at the crusade I realized that what he had told me privately and how he preached were two different things. It was pretty close to the health and wealth gospel, calling people to come to Jesus for all the good things he would do for them. There was no mention of sin, forgiveness, etc. None of the other pastors said anything to me that night. The next day we started the conference and I began teaching them the beginning steps to studying the Word and challenging them to preach the Word to their churches. That night we had more of the same in the preaching at the crusade. But that night all the pastors realized the difference between what this man preaching and what I was teaching them. They were very disappointed that he was not preaching the gospel or using the Word accurately. Several said the Bishop should have been at my training and he would have done better.

Tonight the bishop had to go home and they asked me to preach at the crusade. It was an open air affair in a vacant lot near the center of town. I would not say this is my area of giftedness, but the Lord calls. The men all wanted to hear how I would preach the gospel differently so there was a little pressure on me to do well. I had very little time to prepare and had no idea what to preach. The Lord gave me the idea to preach from Luke 5 and the story of the man let down through the roof. It worked perfectly. The former preacher talked only about coming to Christ to get your problems solved, receive health, financial blessings, etc. In the passage I used, the man was paralyzed so had a very apparent need. But Jesus did not heal him immediately, first he forgave his sins. I used that to teach that we have a bigger problem than health, wealth, etc. We have a problem with sin and the judgment of God. I was able then to present the gospel clearly. It appeared later that a few people responded and gave their lives to Jesus. The pastors all really appreciated the model. God is good.

The pastors are all excited about organizing for future training. I think within a year we will start the 3 year training cycle here, perhaps in at least two locations. One large disappointment came today as I was supposed to meet with an important potential partner for training in another part of Uganda tomorrow. I did a conference at his church last year and I had hoped to begin discussing setting up the training program with him on this visit. Unfortunately, his son came down with a life threatening condition so the man cannot come and meet with me. I am not sure what the Lord is doing with regard to that but I choose to trust Him.

Thanks again for your prayers, and for following along with my adventures with the Lord!

Al

Pictures from Elephant Park in Thailand

More Pictures from Czech Republic

Pictures from Czech Republic

Thai Elephants & The Czech Republic

Before we left Thailand we spent a half day at an elephant camp where we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with dozens of elephants. We watched them bathing and saw some really young calves. The elephant keepers did a little demonstration of what the elephants can be trained to do. Elephants kicked a large soccer ball, painted pictures with brushes held by their trunks and moved large logs. Edie was even kissed by one. It was a fun day.

We have been in the Czech Republic for a week now and have had a great time here. Initially, we spent a couple of days in a pastor's guest house getting accustomed to the time zone, and it was much appreciated. Just being in a small town like this is a walk through history. It has been interesting to come to Prague again. The weather has been much colder than it was in Thailand. We went from the 90’s there to snowing the second day we were here. We have been learning how to navigate the subways and trams and made our solo trips today without any problems. During our time off we have seen some of the sights in downtown Prague and around the area.

I also made a trip a couple of hours north to meet with some pastors who want to train in Sudan and the countryside was beautiful, although I was not able to get any pictures (I am sending some pictures of the area around Prague in other emails). The meeting was quite confusing as I tried to keep up with the conversation with part time translation. The men were really struggling with how to form a missions effort to send on pastor to Sudan for ministry. We all felt that their plans had many significant flaws and tried to gently encourage a new direction. Hopefully we were of some help to them.

I have been able to connect with several missionaries and Czech nationals concerning training here in the future. It looks like something may get started after the first of the year. Training in the Word is needed here as most pastors do not preach the Word well even though most have gone to seminary or bible school. We will see what the Lord provides as time goes by.

From Edie: I too have really been enjoying my time here. The friendships are growing and I have a great respect for what the women are doing here to share the gospel and their very lives with the Czech children and families in their neighborhoods. I had a really good time visiting the English classes. Judy and I were asked to play a 20 questions game with the students answering with something unique we have done, something unusual we did as a family, and an interesting place we have visited. There were three 1 hour sessions, each with varying degrees of difficulty. The 20 questions game was with the advanced group. Other groups just asked us simple questions. Another activity we did was to join Renee and her preschool Roma kids for a time of songs, activities, bible stories and a snack. She was doing the resurrection eggs with the kids this time and they seemed to really enjoy it. During the time we met with the team, the ladies asked that I share my faith story. I didn’t have much time to prepare but felt the Lord gave me a way of honoring Him, while at the same time talking about the life He has given me. It was a personal blessing for me to recall all His “mysterious” ways and to look back upon the seemingly obscure things he has done in and through me. Our God is so amazing!

Tomorrow Alan leaves for Uganda and I will leave for home on Monday. I am looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday in the Czech Republic with our brothers and sisters here. It will be memorable as we all consider what His death, resurrection and life in us means.

In Christ,

Al & Edie

Pictures from our time in Thailand

Asian Adventures

We had a wonderful time meeting with the Lahu leaders. We had good discussions and were able to address many of their questions about starting a training program here for pastors among the Lahu churches. They had a lot of questions because they are not used to being asked to receive teaching and then to pass it on to others. They feel inferior to the American pastors and teachers who usually come. We want to assure them that with the Lord’s help they can do a great job. Our hope is to lay a foundation that will in the future spread to Lahu churches throughout SE Asia. Our current plan is to have an initial pastors conference in September and then start out training a few months later.

It is quite hot here, averaging in the mid 90’s during the day and a little cooler in the evening. Our room gets down to about 87 at night so sleeping is a challenge. The first night I did not sleep well and really struggled with the various meetings we had the next day. We travelled several hours and met with pastors in some rural churches and finally in a large city. Somehow the Lord sustained me as I was hardly coherent for much of the time. We did stay in a hotel, for about $13 last night and it had air conditioning, or at least it began with it, and the room stayed around 75 so we slept well. Tonight the room is at 89 at 8:30 pm so we have a ways to go.

One evening we had dinner at a small roadside restaurant with outdoor seating under a thatched roof. We enjoyed unique and wonderful Thai food. As we were finishing a cat jumped up a pole and reached up into the thatching to grab a rat. All this happened over my head and I was rooting for the cat to keep a hold on the rat. He did and all ended well. We were glad it happened after we finished rather than at the beginning of the meal. God is good to us, and to the cat; I cannot speak for the rat.

Al

From Hong Kong to Chiang Mai

Our conference here in Hong Kong finishes tomorrow and we fly off to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It has been a great conference with about 20 national leaders from around the world attending. It has been fun to interact with them especially on training issues. I have been talking today with a leader from India about including training from a brother in Kenya into our training schedule. An Oriental Indian leader from NW India will also be attending one of our future training sessions. We are talking with the Kenyan about training in Haiti. That is just a sampling of the day’s discussions. Who knows what God will do with all this cooperation around the world.

We have been going out into Hong Kong in the evenings for our supper. We often ride the subway around town to various restaurants. Tonight we went to the American Chinese restaurant and it was the best I had ever eaten. Then we went to the laser show on Hong Kong bay. This is an incredible city. It also has a dark side as we walked by numerous prostitutes on the way from the subway to the restaurant. So sad.

Please pray for our time in Thailand as we build a relationship of trust with the Lahu leaders. We want to be culturally sensitive and genuine in our care for them. We will report on how it goes.

Al

Pictures from Hong Kong

Photos: Fish market on Cheung Chau island, one of the ferries we traveled on, the landscape of the island, a market in Taipei.

Hong Kong

We’ve been on the road now for over a week and we are getting our first break to write. Our time in Taipei went very well. It was so good for us to see the Taguchi family. I mentored Jeff for a few years back in our time in Las Vegas. It was touching to see how much he attributed his work to that early relationship. It reminded me that even when you think your work is not that significant, it can be impacting to others with lasting results. Spending two days there also helped us adjust a bit to the time change before we started our training in Hong Kong.

It was a bit of a challenge to find our way from the airport to the island in the Hong Kong bay where our training took place. We rode a train, navigated through a major mall, and finally rode a ferry 45 minutes to the island. Then we wound through the village and up a steep hill to the retreat center dragging our three suitcases, briefcases and tired bodies along. We were thankful for the good night’s sleep and the beautiful surroundings.

The training went very well the first day. All but one of the ReachGlobal leaders who had registered showed up, and all embraced the training and were enthusiastic about how they might use it in various places in Asia and elsewhere. We think significant opportunities will come from all this, and we built some great relationships during the time as well. The second day was more challenging. One of the participants reached down to get something from his suitcase and his back immediately went into terrible spasms. I have never seen anyone in so much agony so quickly. He even started to go into shock. The camp nurse came and helped and then called an ambulance. The interesting thing is that there are no vehicles on the island except small ambulances and even they could not come all the way up to the camp. The attendants took him on a stretcher down to the ambulance and then they flew him by helicopter to the Hong Kong. He just was released today, 4 days later but must still lay flat for several more before he is flown home later this week. All of that basically ended the training but fortunately we had covered the majority on the first day.

We rode two ferries and a subway to get to our hotel in Hong Kong for the Lead Team meeting we are attending. Rolling the suitcases down the hill from the retreat center was almost as difficult as going up, really taxing our legs. I ended up having to carry a lot of luggage for us and another woman up a long flight of stairs out of the subway and have really been feeling it for the past several days. We have walked a lot around the city in the evenings going to dinner, etc. and both of us are quite sore. We need to get in better shape. Easier said...

Our meetings are going well and we are networking well on training issues. I am proud to say that our ReachGlobal staff is top notch with wonderful people serving the Lord wholeheartedly. We feel really blessed to be a part of this global missions effort. We have several more days of training and then set off for Chiang Mai, Thailand to establish the groundwork for training Lahu pastors there. We will blog as we are able. Thanks for standing with us as we travel and serve the Lord.

Al