Five Countries, Eight Cities, and Eight Partners in Five Weeks

This Friday, June 7, I leave for Africa again, and I will be spending most of my time in West and Central Africa.  I will start in Ghana, where I will spend time with each of our three partners there (Assemblies of God Ghana, SIM, and Hopeline Institute), doing training in four different cities:  Kumasi, Tamale, Navrongo, and Ho (see yellow stars on map).  I am blessed to join with three amazing DML leaders there:  Rev. Derek Amoo-Sakyi, Yvonne Mildred, and Apostle Emmanuel pictured below (L to R). 

Ghana Team

From Ghana, I will travel to Benin, where I will be joined by Pastor Theo from Burkina Faso, who is leading the workplace discipleship ministry for the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination in Francophone West Africa. The CMA in Benin has called for this opportunity, and Pastor Theo has responded!  This will be my first time in Benin.

Pastor Theo

Pastor Theo has also started work in Togo, but that work has gone beyond the CMA to the Pentecostal and Baptist churches, with the help of our Life Ministries (CRU) partner.  We will be doing the "Work As Worship" workshop and the Basic Business Training while in Togo.  DML started in Togo in 2023 and we are seeing a good reception and application! 

From Togo, I will travel to Burundi, where I will join the amazing DML team that is doing youth entrepreneurship with 400 youth in twelve churches.  The trainers for these 400 youth are pictured in blue shirts below.  DML Burundi is doing a five-year study to see the impact of church-based workplace discipleship on youth (aged 18-35) and the greater community at large.  We will be gathering all 400 youth for one week to do some intensive business training and inspirational teaching on work as worship.

DML Burundi Trainers

Lastly, I will travel to Cameroon for the launch of a "BAM Cameroon" initiative.  BAM Cameroon is a consortium of churches, businesses, government, and education, looking to see how these institutions work together for the flourishing of the nation.  I have been asked to speak on the roles of these institutions and how they can complement and not compete with each other.  

Please pray for this trip and all the different opportunities that are involved in it!

As a DML team, we have been spending our time in the book of Ezra where the people are engaged in rebuilding the temple of God.  In this book, we have seen the role of the prophets in not only calling the people to that work but also joining in that work (Ezra 5).  The DML team is also seeing our team members learning to "flex" their prophetic voice as they call the church to a new understanding of a holistic gospel from a Sovereign God.  The evidence of this voice is showing up in multiple new partnerships across Africa.  We are thankful for the old and new voices that are being brought into this message of purpose and meaning for each person!  In just this past week alone, I had conversations with potential partners in Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Chad, and the Congo, with more voices looking to join this movement!

God is at work in rebuilding His temple through His people and we are delighted to join Him!