Africa Trip Recap | December 2024
Hello friends,
Lincoln and I just returned from a gathering in Nairobi, Kenya with the 12 Step Up to Life African Champions, each of whom lead many other pastors and leaders throughout the continent.
Africa is a vast place with massive opportunities for the Gospel. We’re eager to share more about our time there, and we want to thank you so much for partnering with us in prayer and finance as we see this great continent transformed for the Kingdom!
Keep reading to hear more about the trip, see some photos, and listen to a message from several of our champions in Africa.
When we departed for Kenya, I was particularly eager to share with the champions from my doctoral work on pastoral pain and ministerial resilience. Training included a half day focused on the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of each champion. We really wanted to help them reframe their thinking and navigate ministry challenges in the way Jesus approached them for better outcomes.
Our champion from Zimbabwe (William) plans to take some of this original content to the pastors he leads all over Zimbabwe. He believes it will encourage and counsel them toward greater ministerial health, encouragement, and endurance. Praise God!
We had wonderful, insightful and fun discussions around our three meals together each day, including lots of laughter and some fun teasing. Lincoln had a great time trying to remember French. He spoke the little he could “drum up” with the two Champions who speak French, and he didn’t always get it right!
The challenges facing African believers are great, and Lincoln and I are both encouraged by these leaders' lives and ministries, and discouraged by the ongoing challenges they face. Some of these leaders are facing physical danger in their work, and one even had his church burned down. All the men feel pressures and continue relying on the Lord in a way that humbled Lincoln and me. Together, we laughed, prayed, encouraged, mentored, coached, and worshipped during our fellowship.
Here’s a short clip of one of our times of worship together!
In addition to pastoring and leading, each Step Up to Life African champion has also translated SUTL into his primary language and is teaching and training other leaders in how to use the booklets. The group has requested many new languages and tens of thousands of reprints of current SUTL booklet translations.
