A Future with Promise!
/Sometimes things work out much better than you thought they would. When we arrived in Mongu, Zambia to discover that fifty students awaited us, we were concerned. Our strategy is to work with small groups, typically no more than fifteen or so. We believe that when it comes to discipleship training, small groups work best.
We quickly adapted to the situation, as I mentioned in my previous blog, and the week went very, very well.
On Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a celebration service with our students, several of whom shared what they had learned during the week. We were pleasantly surprised at their grasp of the material, especially because we had covered so much so quickly.
Earlier in the week, on Thursday, we had enjoyed lunch with the leaders of New Vine who had invited us to Mongu, and cast vision with them for intensive training of a small group of selected students from multiple churches beginning next year. To our delight, they responded enthusiastically, and we agreed to begin intensive training over 2-3 years starting next April and August.
We so appreciate New Vine's vision and leadership, and look forward to working with them in 2020 and beyond.
Thanks, as always, for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Without you, we would not be here. With you, we are a great team. Where we go, you go.
Please continue praying as we begin training next in Nangweshi, Zambia, a bush village where we have trained three times before. We'll spend ten days there focusing on church planting (Doug), the Christian family (Abby), and biblical worship (Percy).
We enjoyed a great lunch with new vine leadership (L to R: Nama, Esther, jonathan, Patrick, Dan, and honorable who took the photo). we agreed to begin intensive training with their key leaders in 2020.
Sunday morning, abby taught at the vineyard church on the subject of “love on the frontline,” encouraging the congregation lovingly to share their faith on their frontline, the place where they spend most of their time, whether at home, work, school or…what’s your frontline?
Mrs. Mundia, the mother of new vine founder, yuyi mundia, and the vineyard congregation listen raptly to abby's teaching.
I saw this gnarled tree on the way to training one afternoon and hurried back during a break to photograph it at sunset.
