Sudanese Graduates of Uganda Baptist Seminary: A Good Investment

Women's Bible School, Bidibidi Camp

Sudanese Graduates of Uganda Baptist Seminary: A Good Investment

The picture to the left was sent to us by Edward Dima.  It is of women who are enrolled in a Bible school program carried out in the Bidibidi Camp of northern Uganda.  The class recently graduated, and Edward posted a video and pictures of the big celebration which attended that event on his Face Book account.

The class was started by two ladies whom CRM sponsored to attend the Uganda Baptist Seminary (UBS) of Jinja, Uganda.  The school recently posted a video on You Tube and its link is  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmBuqTocPSc&t=108s.  You can also visit the school's website at https://ugandabaptistseminary.org/  

The ladies who started this particular ministry are named Joyce and Rose.  They have also been helped by another lady CRM sponsored name Mary Yanga.  Two classes have now graduated from the school.  Given that most Sudanese women, historically speaking, have not been given the opportunity to attend school, this ministry is very special. 

With the help of partners, we began sponsoring Sudanese students to attend UBS back in 2012.  Since that time, we have lost track of how many have graduated and gone on to an effective ministry.  Those graduates are serving the Lord in Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan.  They all serve in hard places and among least reach people groups.  In a few days, I will have the privilege of visiting with some of them in Juba, and seeing with my own eyes the ministries they have carried out since 2014 in area IDP camps.

You can help us sponsor both current and future students.  You can do that by sending a check directly to the International Mission Board designated "For Uganda Baptist Seminary, sponsorship of Sudanese students."  You can also do that online at https://www.imb.org/give/ and use the same designation.


CRM also provides Bible training and leadership development for Sudanese women by carrying out training events on the ground in E. Africa.  You can help us fund our upcoming November event by donating to CRM, www.calvaryroadministries.com.  See the "donate" tab and choose "Giving for Going" and "While it Is Still Day."  Or send in a check to the supplied address.

Funding future church leaders for Sudan is a good investment.

David


 

What Men Intended for Evil, God Meant for Good

Edward Dima President of BCoSS

What Men Intended for Evil, God Meant for Good

Our on-the-field partner in our CRM related ministry is the young, but growing, Baptist Convention of South Sudan.  The president of this coalition of Baptist churches since 2011 is Edward Dima.  The picture to the left is of him holding some MP3 players we provided back in August of 2018.  Edward and his wife, Rose, have provided outstanding leadership for the convention, and having the privilege of working with him since 2011 has been a major encouragement in my life and ministry. His commitment to seeing that all Sudanese have an opportunity to hear the Gospel has inspired and challenged many.

However, like many of history's other outstanding Christian leaders, the character and qualities displayed through Edward and Rose's lives were forged on the anvil of hardship.  The main cause of their toughest hardships has been fighting and war within Sudan and Uganda.

Several years ago, Edward and Rose both told me stories connected with their growing up years which involved living in refugee camps.  Edward's own grandfather moved his family to a refugee camp in the mid-1950s after war broke out in Sudan in 1956.  Later on his father had to move him and his siblings into a refugee camp because of renewed fighting within Sudan.  Edward and Rose are currently on refugee status in Uganda, which means their children are fourth generation refugees.  What a sad and regrettable set of circumstances!  Rose and her family have actually lived on refugee status in both Uganda and S. Sudan.

However, all of those hardships did not lead them to be embittered.  Instead, God used what people intended for evil to produce within them a firm commitment and resolve to be used of Him to serve the suffering communities of both northern Uganda and Sudan.  As a result of living on both sides of the Uganda-Sudan border, they established a wide relationship network in both places.  Because of their commitment to the vision given to the Apostle John in Revelation 5:9-10, they have utilized that network to help both Sudanese and Ugandans do evangelism, plant churches, train disciples and start Bible schools.

While doing a mobilization ministry for the IMB, I studied factors which have impacted the willingness and ability of the American church to give money and personnel for taking the Gospel to the world's remaining least reached peoples.  One study I read had convincing proof that Americans gave more during the Great Depression than in the economic boom years of the 1990s.  This in terms of the percentage of both personal and church income.

God forbid that it require circumstances such have transpired in northern Uganda and Sudan over the last 6 decades to wake up His church in the USA.

Whatever happens here or anywhere in the world, God be praised for the hope inspired by the words of Joseph spoken in Genesis 50:20 "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."   (NIV)

David

Leadership Pyramid: Bible Teaching at Mulitiple Levels

Kakuma Camp Bible School

The Leadership Pyramid: Why We Support Bible Teaching on Multiple Levels

 This picture is of the signboard located just by the gate of the Bible school center we built in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in 2018.  We used money raised during my "Hiking to Help Refugees" campaign.  The center includes two dorms, classrooms, a small house for teachers, a kitchen and of course toilets and shower stalls.  Because of the generosity of our donors, we were also able to supply a solar system and build a baptistry.  I will attend the graduation of the school's first class on August 31.

The bulk of what we do has what I call the "common man approach."  This implies that before one begins ministry among a particular people group, one has to study their culture and way of life.  One big factor which will determine how you go about making disciples among the people is that of literacy.  If it is determined that the "common man," or average person, lacks sufficient literacy skills to read the Bible or other literature then an adjustment must be made as to how you will go about doing evangelism and Bible training.

We have for years worked with people groups having a very high illiteracy rate.  This factor forced Calvary Road Ministry, in conjunction with the Maasai Team of Kenya, to develop what are called "Story Cloths."  They can be viewed at www.calvaryroadministries.com. 

Now to relate this to what I call the leadership pyramid.   A pyramid is obviously held up by its base.  If the base is not wide and strong enough then the whole structure will topple over.  In the same manner, if one is to be used of the Lord to initiate and grow a movement among an unreached people, the strategies employed must meet the needs of the "common man."  Thus we use the chronological Bible storying method when teaching church leaders, and we supply scripture resources in digital format which can be listened to or watched, as in the case of the Jesus Film and other Gospel films.  Using such strategies enables people who have never, and may never, attend school become effective evangelists and disciple makers.

However, in every society there will be a certain percentage of the population which is literate.  To move those folks up the leadership pyramid, we help start and support local Bible schools.  Then a certain percentage of those who complete the Bible school will qualify for a seminary education.  Those who graduate from a Bible school or seminary will be the most likely to start similar schools back home, once their days as refugees are over.  They will be the folks who can read, teach and preach the text of the Bible in their churches.

If you visit CRM's website check out the "donate" button and give so that we can continue to sponsor students at the Uganda Baptist Seminary, or in a local Bible school.  Even more importantly, you will thereby enable us to supply more materials to the "common man" who forms that very important base, without which the "structure" cannot exist.

 

Vistas, Inspiration and Hard Work

Wayah Bald

Vistas, Inspiration and Hard Work

This picture is of me standing atop the Wayah Bald, a mountain located in western NC.  A nice couple from FL made this picture and emailed it to me.  The sun shining on the clouds below made the vista in the background that much more beautiful.

Standing on a promontory like Wayah Bald, or Max Patch, affords one the opportunity to better see where he/she has already hiked, and to view what work lies ahead.  The view backward brings a rewarding sense of accomplishment.  The vista ahead reminds one that much hard work remains undone.  Thus, as one reluctantly descends from such a view, one feels both inspired and challenged.  Thoughts of territory already conquered bring fond memories.  Contemplation of the unknown lying ahead can raise doubts, questions and worries.

For example, when a thru hiker sits on a high bald like Max Patch, it is almost impossible to resist the temptation to pull out one's copy of the ATC Trail Guide, and contemplate the route ahead.  Such contemplation involves thinking about issues such as: where will I get off the trail to resupply; are there good sources of water; will the shelters ahead be as nice as those behind; will I be more likely to encounter bears and snakes ahead?  These questions, and a plethora of others, can temper the feeling of exhilaration just inspired by the vista looming ahead.

The Bible offers followers of Jesus views of what lies ahead for them.  One such "vista" passage is found in Revelation 5.  Verse 9 states "worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..."

Wow, now that's a view which inspires and gives real hope.  As Vance Havner once said "I read the end of the book, and Jesus wins!"  However, that view of what lies ahead is tempered by where we currently sit, for millions of people still remain without any portion of scripture translated into their heart language, and billions of people still are denied access to the Gospel and to the privilege of membership in a local church.  Much work remains, and that knowledge poses its own set of questions to each disciple.   

Thankfully, for each of us granted the awesome privilege of owning God's guidebook, the Bible, we can take heart in knowing and claiming its promises of His continuous presence and provision.

Join us please in empowering the suffering Sudanese church with scripture resources by visiting www.calvaryroadministries.com and using the "donate" button.  The "vista view" God has given us should call forth from each of us our "upmost for His highest." 

David

Context Makes All the Difference

Baptism Aiyolo Camp, Northern Uganda

Context Makes All the Difference

 We have all heard the saying "context is king."  It is one employed when teaching followers of Jesus who are new to the faith in matters pertaining to interpreting the Bible.

Many cults have arisen over the years which claim to be Christian, but in reality their teachings involve biblical texts which they have wrested out of their original context.  They do this so they can claim biblical authority for presuppositions and practices which in reality have no true biblical basis.

Many popular public figures have, to their dismay, discovered that a TV news outlet has edited an interview they granted in such a way that the final version appears to make them supportive of viewpoints or opinions to which they do not hold.  Only the original version or context could disprove the distortion.  Yes, context is king, and can make all the difference in how a text, an act or statement is interpreted.

The above picture was taken by me in 2016 in a refugee camp located in northern Uganda.  It was conducted openly and those who witnessed the event were supportive.  Hymns were sung, people applauded as those baptized emerged from the water, and overall it was simply a celebrated event.

Baptism is one of the first steps of obedience a new follower of Jesus should take.  It supplies his/her public testimony to the fact that God has done a work of saving grace in their lives.  As Christ died, was buried, and rose triumphantly from the grave, even so baptism represents the reality that this new believer has also died to their old life, buried it, and is now risen to new life in Christ. Baptism is one of the ordinances Jesus gave to His church which represents the believer's union with Him.  When undertaken in contexts which are majority Christian, or at least neutral to the practice of religious faith, the act generally does not immediately result in persecution and rejection.

 However, when conducted in contexts which are openly hostile to the Gospel, the act of baptism can result in immediate hardship.  Thus a person who has been raised in a Muslim context will see the act of being baptized in the light provided by such a context.  The potential and actual dangers sure to follow taking this step of obedience generally force all involved to exercise precautions not necessary in more friendly contexts.

Our work with refugees has now expanded to those who at some point fled Sudan.  Almost %100 of those who now follow Jesus came out of Islam.  Yet, even though the contexts in which they witness to the truth of the Gospel message present dangers foreign to Americans, they still joyously baptize, celebrate the Lord's Supper, and witness to the power of their Risen Lord to forgive sin and transform lives.  Their boldness and determined resolve to reach their own people has in turn challenged us to be more faithful and courageous in our ongoing attempts to empower them by providing scripture resources.

If you want to help us empower those whose natural context would deny them access to the Bible and to a local church then visit www.calvaryroadministries.com and use the "donate" tab.  Heaven will provide our ultimate and eternal context.  Until we reach that environment, may our use of our time and money reflect that "make disciples of all nations..." is indeed our number one priority.

David

False Summits

Patriot Point on AT

False Summits

In 2017, my nephew Adam and I hiked many miles on the AT together.  The picture to the left was made in NY State on a peak called Patriot Point.  The New York City skyline is visible on the horizon.

When you meet fellow thru hikers on the AT, you exchange information about what's up ahead so you can be aware of various challenges.  Quite often this related to seeing a snake alongside the path.  Those warnings never panned out and only served to turn on my "snake radar" for no purpose; making the next mile or so just that much harder.  However, one piece of advice which always proved helpful was the warning about how many "false summits" the upcoming mountain climb presented.

A false summit is just what the name implies.  When you approach such a point on the trail, and they are always associated with a turn or curve, you have the distinct impression that at long last you have reached the summit and it will be all down hill from that point.  Yippeee!  Then you turn the curve and there you view the trail continuing on at the same steep grade.  Yikes!  The Cheoah Bald, located near Bryson City, NC, had at least 11 of them.  Knowing that fact ahead of time serves to reduce the frustration and sense of despair a tired, hungry hiker has to deal with, especially during the latter hours of the day.

The image of a false summit can be applied to the Christian life in various ways.  For example, Hebrews 13:14 says "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."  This statement follows the writer's plea for disciples of Jesus to be willing to follow the example of Jesus who willingly endured suffering and rejection to achieve eternal results.  So the "city that is to come" is the real summit; everything else on our path to eternity with God (heaven) is just a false summit.

What a blessing it is for weary pilgrims to have this warning from God.  This warning instills hope when life presents us with challenges, rejection, persecution and all sorts of hardships, making our life's path appear like its winding on a grade too steep to handle.  What a joy and privilege it is to have access to God's Word, the Bible, and to be a member of a believing community where it is taught, preached and obeyed.

One major goal we seek to achieve as we work with Sudanese refugees is to supply them with a copy of God's Word, so they can also be warned and equipped.  We mainly do this by supplying it in digital format on MP3 players or micro SD cards which they can place in their cell phones.  We also teach them Bible stories which they can hide in their hearts, using the two Calvary Road Ministry produced Story Cloths.

Please consider helping us continue with such ministry by making a donation at www.calvaryroadministries.com.  See the "donate" tab and choose the "While it Is Still Day" option.

David

Resources We Use to Empower the Suffering Sudanese Church

Recognition Certificate for CRM from FCBH

Resources We Use to Empower the Suffering Sudanese Church

The picture's bottom plate may be tough to read, but in brief it recognizes CRM for the amount of money it used to purchase solar powered MP3 players from Faith Comes by Hearing (FCBH).  That group is based in Albuquerque, NM and has been instrumental in pulling together the New Testament in digital format in over 2,000 languages.  You can check out their work at www.bible.is.  

Since 2016, we have used over $50,000 to purchase such players not only from FCBH, but also groups like Talking Bibles and Renew World Outreach.  We utilize such digital resources because the illiteracy rate among Sudanese, women in particular, is very high.  This tool also enables people who have attended one of our training conferences to at least hear all the stories of the NT once they return home.  Of course it is also used by them to share the Word with their friends and neighbors and thus stimulate evangelism and help with discipleship.  

In Touch with Charles Stanley has been a very generous partner of ours.  They have donated 1,025 players thus far, and we are hopeful we will be granted hundreds more in the future.  Their players are not only loaded with the Bible in English, but also the NT in tribal languages.  They also place 36 messages by Dr. Stanley on the internal memory.  Sudanese pastors report listening to these messages have helped them become better preachers.  Many refer to Dr. Stanley as their mentor in ministry.

We also utilize other digital resources for our partners to use in their camps.  We have given out 7 battery powered video projectors made by Anker (Nebula Capsule).  When its battery is fully charged, it can last up to 4 hours.  We load Gospel films on 16gb flash drives to be used with the projector.  The films include those produced by the Jesus Film Project, two films granted to us by the ministry of Bruce Marchiano, Acts and the Gospel of Matthew, and others.  Viewing such films helps those who are illiterate, and who have not been exposed to many movies or TV shows, to see the type of contexts in which Bible stories occurred.  We also loaded on to them the 1 hour 20 minute video of Nabeel Qureshi giving his testimony.  It is found on You Tube and is helpful to those who have left Islam.  

We have also begun to utilize the Light Stream sold by Renew World Outreach.  It is a 16gb device we can load here in the USA with films, digital Bibles and books.  It has a port for micro-SD cards and can download its contents onto one in just minutes.  The card can then be placed in a cell phone for viewing/reading/listening.  Folks can also stream its contents with their phone as it produces a signal only requiring the phone have internet capability.

We have also bought and loaded SD cards here in the USA, and carried them to the field loaded with the NT in up to 13 Sudanese languages.  These cards can also hold the same films.

Such resources are not cheap, but they are effective and only God knows how much fruit they have
produced for the Kingdom.    

Please help us purchase and provide more of these resources.  Visit www.calvaryroadministries.com and if God so leads, use the "Donate" button.  BTW, the cost of 1 MP3 player is $54, a video projector is $320, SD cards fully loaded cost $7 each and each Light Stream is $85.

David

Team Members: Takes a Special Kind of Person

Jiffy Kay and Friend

Team Members, Special People

Our mission statement is "Empowering the suffering Sudanese church with scripture resources and leadership development."

One way we accomplish fulfilling our mission is by periodically carrying out training events in venues located close to refugee camps in Uganda, or, in the case of Kenya, within the Kakuma Camp in the center we built there in 2018.  When we travel, we carry in our luggage scripture resources in digital form.  The scripture is loaded on media such as: solar powered MP3 players, micro SD cards thumb drives, Light Streams and video projectors.  

During our training events, we focus on teaching the Bible stories found on the two CRM produced story cloths.  We also offer the ladies trauma healing counseling, and instruction in how to make washable feminine products from locally available materials.  The Lord has called some very special people to be a part of our teams.  They hail from various states in the USA, as well as South Africa,  and represent a variety of educational backgrounds, life experiences and skills.  One quality which certainly is required is the faith to trust the Lord who said to his earliest disciples "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves."  

When one considers the background of some team members, it would not be hard to reach the conclusion that they appear to thrive on experiences which produce a lot of adrenaline, while others are grandmothers who normally are very cautious folks.  One of the former is pictured above.  For this article I will refer to her by her nickname, Jiffy Kay.

Jiffy Kay served as a Journeyman with the IMB in South Sudan around 2008-2009.  Her parents raised her in Eastern Europe where they served as church planters, so she was a third culture kid before living in Sudan.  You many ask "why are her friend and she posing in military gear ?"  Legit question.  The easy answer is because when one lives in South Sudan, guns and soldiers are simply a daily part of one's life. So on that day, some soldiers they encountered allowed them to put on their gear and pose. I never asked her if this was her profile picture for some dating site.  Hmm. 😉

During those two years, she and her team members saw firsthand the effects produced by acts of violence.  Those effects included shattered lives, physical and psychological wounds, poverty and poor infrastructure.  Jiffy and one of her teammates introduced us to the idea of training women how to make washable feminine products 8 years before we incorporated it into our training events.

Given all the tough times we knew she and her teammates experienced during those two years, we wondered if she would agree to join one of our teams.  How pleased we were to learn she was ready to jump at the opportunity. Since January of 2017, she has made two trips with us, and most likely will remain the only team member willing to return to Kampala from Arua by public bus!

I Corinthians 12 and 14 make it clear that the Holy Spirit gives to believers varying gifts, so that the local church can respond to all sorts of needs and opportunities.  So we are thankful that our team members range from the very adventurous to the cautious but willing-to-be-challenged types.

Perhaps you would like to join us in fulfilling our mission?  There is certainly a place for you if you are willing to trust Him who also said "but be of good courage for I have overcome the world."

Check out www.calvaryroadministries.com.  And if the Lord so leads, make use of the "donate" button.

DC

True Hunger for the Word

Crossing the Nile River

Hunger for the Word

I Peter 2:2-3 says "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."

The state of biblical literacy in the USA is at an all time low.  Multiple researchers have queried both children and adults with Bible related questions in an attempt to discover just how bad things are.  Check out what Dr. Al Mohler said in this article to get some examples: https://albertmohler.com/2016/01/20/the-scandal-of-biblical-illiteracy-its-our-problem-4/

America certainly is not the only country where biblical illiteracy is rampant.  However, the difference between the USA and countries, say like Sudan, is that Americans have no excuse.  We own Bibles, often multiple translations, and have access to Bible book stores and every conceivable form of Bible study help.  

The above picture includes Sudanese people who traveled down to Uganda for our March training from the refugee camps in which they live.  The camps are located in the extreme NE of South Sudan.  The picture was made while they were crossing the Nile River in route to the venue.  Their journey to and from the venue involved: small planes, UN helicopter, public bus rides, motorcycle rides and yes, crossing the Nile in a dugout canoe.  

Their tribe of people historically have lived in a section of Sudan called the Southern Blue Nile.  Their people have no translation of the NT or Bible portion in their heart language.  They are what is commonly called a "scripture-less people."  So they have to learn a second language if they want to hear or read the Bible.  They, and most people of their tribe who have chosen to follow Jesus, have done so only since 2015.  However, their hunger to know and grow in Bible knowledge and application is refreshing, and yes, a challenge to those who have grown complacent.

Those who support what we do among refugees through the non-profit called Calvary Road Ministry (CRM) enabled us to send these folks back to their camps loaded with scripture resources.  Their reports make clear they are putting them to good use.  Within 5 weeks of returning home, they had shown the Jesus Film to over 1,200 people.  It is extremely encouraging to place scripture into the hands of people who are hungry to hear it and share it with others.

Want to learn more about our ministry?  Check out https://calvaryroadministries.com/  And if the Lord so leads, make use of the "Donate" button.

Semper Paratus "Always Prepared"

Two Jacks, Stephenson and Dempsey

        

Semper Paratus  "Always Prepared"

The above Latin phrase is the motto of the US Coast Guard and also the title of its Marching song.  My stepdad, Jack Stephenson, served in the USCG during the final years of WWII. He and my mom, Mary Etta, live with us.  Because of his service, small things around the house and in his truck serve as reminders of that important and formative time in his life

 His time was spent in the Pacific.   On one occasion he was given the chance to have his photo made with another guy named Jack who might have been a little more famous than he.  Yeah, in the top photo is our Jack posing with Jack Dempsey, the boxer.  The photo below is of the front tag on Jack's truck, which Renee and I often drive on longer trips.  It has a hard cover over its bed, and I will never forget the first time I opened it and saw all the equipment the man carries in case of emergency.  I think the only things missing are what might be required in case of a nuclear strike.  Semper Paratus!  Even on America's highways, much less the mighty Pacific, the man is living the motto.

If you have known Renee and me for very long, you know that our Lord has called us to do ministry among S. Sudanese and Sudanese refugees.  Our mission statement is "Empower the suffering Sudanese church with scripture resources and leadership development."  We would like to always be prepared to walk through any and every door the Lord opens up for us to serve our brethren.  For a fact, great things have been happening Gospel-wise within the refugee camps located in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.  Many churches have been started, people won to faith in Christ, disciples made, leaders trained, choirs formed, growing women's ministries, Bible schools started, and lots of other Gospel work done as well.  

Now that Sudan is in the process of a regime change, a process in which well over 150 civilians have been killed, it appears more doors may be opening for us to supply scripture resources.  However, whatever route one takes to place the New Testament or full Bible into the hands of people who live in places like Darfur or the Southern Blue Nile, it is going to cost money.  

For a fact, the Dar Islam (House of Islam) is now a divided one.  The violence Islamic governments is perpetrating on its citizens is creating a vacuum in many hearts.  We would like to think it could be filled with scripture resulting in many choosing to follow Jesus.  You can help us to be "Always Prepared" by donating either by sending a check to Calvary Road Ministry, or donating online.  The online address is www.calvaryroadministries.com.  The mailing address: CRM, 4100 Fulton Rd., Corryton, TN  37721.  Together let's live and serve "Semper Paratus."

Front Tag on Jack's Truck

 

Martha's First Bible

Martha's First Bible

When our CRM teams do on-the-field training events, we always carry out scripture resources to give to church leaders.  They normally take the form of solar powered MP3 players, micro SD cards for phones, etc.  Giving away scripture and scripture resources in these forms is most helpful because those whom we train are generally illiterate.  This is especially true of Sudanese women.  However, at times a lady will attend a training who can read but does not own a Bible.

In the case of the lady pictured above, Martha (not her real name), she can read several languages, but her issue was she had never owned a Bible. Actually, in the Muslim culture in which she was raised, women are not allowed to touch the Quran or books considered holy. So she was given an English Bible by a team member.  Though raised in the Muslim faith, she came to the training very open to the Gospel.  God had in the past given her dreams which she interpreted as leading her to seek truth she did not yet understand or have access to.

When she first read from the Bible, she was with Amy, a team member.  She opened to Genesis 1 to begin reading aloud.  Not too far into the chapter, she read verses which Renee had just quoted as she told the Creation Story.   Reading the same words Renee had quoted earlier caused her to exclaim "what Renee said is true!  I can see it for myself in the Bible!"

Martha apparently stayed up late each night reading her new Bible.  This meant at times during the day, while the training was happening, she would fall asleep or be so sleepy it appeared she was not paying attention.  At first, this was taken by the teachers as a lack of interest.  However, later on in the week the truth would come out.

During the week of training, the ladies were challenged to write a song or perform a drama which went along with one of the 42 stories of the first Story Cloth.  Martha composed one after she was baptized.   She wrote it on the chalkboard located in the conference room.  She was happy to be able to sing it for the whole group.  A big indication that God was indeed had done something in her life through what she had heard and experienced during the week's training.

Martha and her Song

Before requesting to be baptized, she relayed to team members that God had given her a dream the night before.  In the dream she was trying to wash her hair, but no matter how much she scrubbed, she could not cleanse her hair.  Then she saw that someone was trying to hand her something, something precious which, if she could obtain it, would enable her to become clean.  Upon awaking, she realized that "something precious" was the Bible, the Word of God.

On the fourth day of our training event, five MBBs were baptized and Martha was one of them.  Receiving baptism is a very big deal for folks coming out of Islam, a step not taken lightly.

Please join us in praying she will keep singing her song, and come to compose many more.  Pray she will be a faithful steward of the teaching she received by sharing the Bible stories with other women.  Pray she will stand strong in spite of the persecution bound to come her way.

June 4, 2019

The Journey Continues

I started this "Hiking to Help Refugees" blog using Google's "Blogger" app back in early 2017 just before my nephew, Adam, and I started our AT hike.  I used it all the way through the end of that year, but then discontinued its use.  I did so because that venture ended with us surpassing our goal of raising $100K for our ministry among South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees.  So the next stage involved staying busy putting that money to use. 

So I started relying solely on the newsletter I send out from my Hotmail account, and periodically sending the same messages out through my Mail Chimp account.

However, I have come to miss having a forum for writing down thoughts or sharing news which pertain to our ongoing ministry among refugees via the non-profit called Calvary Road Ministry (CRM).  So I am going to resurrect this blog and start writing.  If you so desire please feel free to once again join me in this God-appointed journey; a journey which like a long Appalachian Trail hike, has presented us with: unexpected events, twists and turns, the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, and a lot of satisfaction mingled with real pain.

Several recent things have happened which would fall within the "unexpected" category.  As has been announced already by the President of CRM, Alan McAlister, I was asked by him and its board to become its next president.  Renee and I have accepted this as the Lord's will for us, and I will assume that position in October of this year.  The second unexpected event took place in March of this year.  That was having the opportunity to do an on-the-field training event for followers of Jesus known as MBBs, Muslim Background Believers.

This particular community all originally hail from the southern sections of Sudan, but now live in refugee camps located either in northern Uganda or the NE of South Sudan. They all represent scripture-less people groups.  That is to say, a translation of the NT has not been completed in their language. So when we provide them with electronic media loaded with scripture, we utilize the language of Sudanese Arabic. They represent the new wonderful people we have met on our journey.  However, hanging out with these folks is sure to expose you to some serious pain, as you hear their individual stories of horrors experienced at the hands of Khartoum sponsored militias.

This training ended on March 30.  Not long afterwards, the military of Sudan staged a coup and placed their long standing president in detention.  This happened because many citizens of Sudan took to the streets starting in January, calling for regime change.  Until just the last few days, it appeared that the Transition Military Council (TMC) and civilian representatives were working on a plan that offered hope for real change. However, the latest reporting on the BBC, coupled with reports direct from the streets of Khartoum, paint a different picture.  Twists and turns.

During the brief hopeful period, we enabled a leader of this MBB community to travel to his home area.  He is staying where his parents now live; in a town located near a large IDP camp.  He has found the people of his home area, who are probably %99 Muslim, to be very open to the Good News.  He took one of the MP3 players we gave him and his own dad has been listening to the NT.  His dad has even taken it into the IDP camp and enabled men of his age to hear about Jesus.  Now they all want either a printed Bible or an MP3 player for themselves.  The bottom line is our brother has discovered his people are more open than ever to learn more about Him who is "The Truth."

Pray for this brother's protection.  Pray also for those of us who want to place more scripture in his hands while he is living back home.  The journey that undertaking will require will be far more dangerous than any thru hike of the AT!

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DC