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A JOYOUS THEME:
Pastors Find New Life and Hope
at Kenya/Uganda Conferences
By Frank R. Parrish
“Bwanasa Feway!” Whether
shouted, used as a greeting or reverently whispered, this oft-spoken phrase
meaning “Praise the Lord!” was heard everywhere I went in Kenya.
Kenya is an amazing blend of
cultures, peoples and history. This country has known centuries of tribal
warfare, as well as periods of Arabic slavery, European colonialism and
now, since 1963, democratic freedom.
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya,
is the primary communication and financial hub of East Africa, and one of
the largest and fastest-growing cities in Africa.
It was into this crowded metropolis that our ministry team landed.
From Nairobi, we traveled to the city of Eldoret, where
the first two conferences were to take place simultaneously. One was a
pastors’ conference with several hundred in attendance; the other was an
intercessory ministry gathering for over 600 leaders.
I was
part of the ministry team with Don Richter (president of Harvest Preparation
International) and Dale Haight (pastor of Praise Fellowship Church).
Maximizing our time in Eldoret, we were ushered
back and forth between both conferences for teaching sessions each day.
It was
a joy and blessing to share these days with our brothers and sisters in Eldoret. The intercessory leaders could pray like no
others I had ever witnessed. They know what it means to depend upon God for
everything, and they truly believe that without Him they can do nothing. So
they call out to Him with enthusiasm and faith, brokenness and humility. Far
beyond just volume and intensity was the manifest presence of the Spirit of
God in their midst, moving them to intercede in one accord with the will of
God and with one another.
The
pastors all shared the same intensity and hunger for God and His purposes.
The theme for the pastors’ conference was “God’s Equipping For Ministry”.
This broad topic allowed the ministry team to teach pointedly and
prophetically as the Holy Spirit directed them, training the pastors to preach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple their congregations.
A
primary focus of my teaching at most leaders’ conferences at which I speak is
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This time is followed by a time of leading
the pastors into receiving that infilling for the first time, or into
experiencing a fresh touch and empowering of the Holy Spirit to renew them
personally and re-equip them for ministry service.
God
was faithful to meet the pastors and intercessory leaders. The Kenyans are
very responsive to the working of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of God’s
Word. They hunger and thirst to know God and to represent Christ in their
churches in a way that honors and pleases Him – faithful candidates for
God’s purposes, indeed!
We hope
that our time with these pastors and leaders was an encouragement to them,
fostering unity among them and raising their level of expectancy about what
God can do in them, with them and through them as His servants!
Rising From The Depths
From Eldoret, the team continued on into Uganda. It was eye-opening and
heart-rending to travel through this war-torn country. In one city, we
drove past several thousand women in the public square. Our driver
explained that these were widows, awaiting a handout of a goat and some
seed from the government in order to help them survive.
We
later learned that there are more than one
million widows and over three
million orphans in Uganda
– tragic victims of years of warfare, the devastation of AIDS and a very
poor economy.
But
God is answering the prayers of many for Uganda. The current president
is a Bible-believing, born-again Christian who has sought out genuine help
for his people. The government is sponsoring widespread abstinence
education programs, which have helped to control and even reverse the
epidemic spread of AIDS in Uganda.
Officials are working hard to curb rampant corruption within the
government, and to bring peace among the warring factions in Uganda.
The efforts
and results are bearing fruit, so much so that other African nations are
now employing similar methods in the hopes of the same results. May God be
praised! It would be good to keep the Ugandan people and their government in
your prayers.
Exuberant Song
In Kaberamaido,
Uganda the
ministry team again had two simultaneous conferences in which to minister.
The first was a pastors’ conference, the second a women’s conference.
The
pastors’ conference was held in the middle of a refugee village that had
sprung up in recent years. A cement-block church had been built in the
center of acres of thatched-roof huts to assist those living there or
passing through. Several hundred pastors and their wives crowded into the
church building, hungry and anxious to receive all that God would give
them. Their receptivity and desire for equipping was almost overwhelming.
Joining
with us in this conference was Ugandan-born pastor, Ben Mwema,
who was a powerful asset to the ministry team.
The
worship of the Ugandans was heartfelt and powerful, touching me in the
depths of my spirit. Though the temperature in the building was over 100
degrees, no one complained or slipped out of the sessions. God responded to
those gathered, meeting us in great power to encourage and strengthen these
pastors who minister in such difficult circumstances.
It was
a joy to minister in the women’s conference as well. The ministry team was
ushered “two by two” back and forth between the conferences. Worship with
our dear Ugandan sisters was an unforgettable experience. They would sing
with exuberance and then begin to jump up and down together in rhythm to
the music. There was great joy in their midst, despite the suffering and
hardship most of them had endured.
The
theme of the women’s conference was “The Love of God”. In one session,
Brother Don Richter shared powerfully from the Scriptures the truth of
God’s love. As I followed him in ministry, I was prompted to pause and
invite the Holy Spirit to come and minister
the love of God to the women. It did not enter my mind at the time that
these were primarily widows – most of whom had watched loved ones die of
disease or be killed in warfare, and who struggled just to survive in
horrendous poverty. I was just following the Holy Spirit.
As the
reality
of God’s love – which far surpasses circumstances – began to enter the
women’s hearts, they began to wail and weep. Decades of heartache were
being replaced with healing and hope in a way only God can do. As the
volume and intensity increased, I soon realized the meeting was completely
out of my hands. Yet I was humbled to be part of directly them freshly into
the loving hands of their Father in heaven, inviting them to the foot of
His throne of grace, “to obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).
As our
time in the Ugandan refugee village drew to a close, we could see in their
eyes the new life and hope born afresh in the hearts of the pastors and
women attending these events. Burdens had been lifted, healing and
deliverance had occurred, the Word of God had been imparted to bring
freedom – what a mighty God we serve!
Profound Spiritual Hunger
From
the steamy heat of Uganda,
we returned to Kenya.
But this time, our destination was a city called Kitale
in Kenya’s
central highlands. With the higher elevation came lower temperatures, down
to the 40s at times. (Despite my wife’s advice, I told her that I wouldn’t
need a coat in Africa; thankfully, mercy
was extended and another team member had an extra jacket I was able to
borrow!)
In Kitale, about 175 pastors gathered under a large tent that
had been set up for this occasion. During one of the sessions, we had a
torrential rain. In the midst of this deafening downpour, we lost the sound
system. Then water began running into the tent, collecting in a large pool
right at the front of the meeting. Many of the pastors were lifting their
feet onto their chairs, but they were not about to leave – for they had
come to receive!
So we
stopped and prayed – and within moments the rain stopped, the sound system
began to work and the floods subsided. We were able to go on with the
conference, enjoying several days of edifying teaching and uplifting worship
with these dear brothers and sisters.
From Kitale, we traveled to Thika, Kenya, where our sixth and
final conference commenced. Pastors had gathered from a wide spectrum of
East Africa beyond the borders of Kenya
– from Rwanda, Congo, and Sudan. Meeting these pastors
was an honor and a joy, and some “divine appointments” have resulted in
conferences later this year with World MAP’s
involvement. We will again draw pastors from these most-desperate areas
where few have any help or training resources available.
We
again encountered profound spiritual hunger among the pastors who gathered
in Thika. God by His Spirit met us in powerful
and distinct ways, as He is faithful
to respond to genuine hunger for Him (Matt 5:6; Jer
29:13). We praise the Lord for a very fruitful time with these pastors as
well.
Grace And Gratitude
Throughout
my travels in Africa, pastors were asking
for training materials. I returned home with hundreds of applications for
World MAP’s two primary equipping resources, ACTS
Magazine and The Shepherd’s Staff.
Many told me that next to their personal Bible, they most desired these two
training tools.
I was
humbled and blessed to know that World MAP continues to meet genuine needs
with solid resources. But I was also reminded that it is you
– by your gracious support and prayers – enabling us to provide this help. Whenever
I am in the field, whether in a city or out in “the bush”, I know that it
is solely by God’s grace and your help that this ministry continues. We are
so very grateful for you and your partnership.
Let me
take this opportunity to extend to you the heartfelt thanks of hundreds of
pastors in Kenya and Uganda
– and multiplied thousands more throughout the world who
are on the frontlines of God’s Kingdom advance! You are blessing them more
than I can possibly express. All I can say is – “Bwanasa
Feway!”
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