How was Africa?

I’m hearing great things about what you did in Africa last month.

What’s that? You say you didn’t do anything in Africa? Yes you did! You helped train African believers to establish churches among unreached people groups.

Oh, sorry, I’ve confused you, haven’t I? Let me back up.

Missionaries in Africa had a problem. They wanted to get African believers involved in reaching tribal people who haven’t had an opportunity to hear the gospel. And they had some believers who wanted to get involved. But they needed training.

Here’s how one of those African believers, Jean, put it:

“For several years, my wife, Sylvie, and I have had a burden for unreached peoples. There are many challenges in missions, especially among unreached peoples.

“It is important for us to get more training—particularly from those who are experienced in this work. … NTM, in light of their history and experience, can provide us with the skills we will need.

“Even having a lot of experience working with the church does not prepare me for ministry among unreached peoples. I am struck with the need to be trained before starting work in this context. … This necessitates taking the training that NTM is offering.”

As NTM missionaries began putting together a pilot training program, they realized they had a problem. They did not have the money they needed to fund it, and charging the African believers the full cost of the training would put it beyond their reach.

So they put together a project to allow others to give so Africans could be trained. I used the information they provided to write up a project for the NTM website and posted it online. So your participation in our ministry helped make that opportunity available.

This was a strategic project, so I also wrote to the folks organizing the training and asked for information on one or more of the participants so we could write a news story to make the project better known. After I got that information, I assigned it one of our writers, then I edited the article she wrote and put it online.

The article was highlighted in our Weekly Digest and Daily Bulletin prayer email newsletters, as well as on NTM’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. We also mentioned the project in a follow-up article. Thousands prayed, many gave, and the project was fully funded.

So your participation in our ministry helped NTM to publicize the project so people were able to take part.

More than that, your participation in our ministry helped train Africans to establish churches among unreached people groups. Thank you!

So I’d like to ask you to do something for me this week.

Tell someone what you did in Africa. When they give you a funny look, tell them how. Then bring them to our blog and help them subscribe to our newsletter (it’s in a box on the right), or get their email address and send it to us so we can subscribe them.

Please. Not just for us. For God. So that two God-honoring things happen: So God’s people have opportunities to take part in the task He has given to all His people, and so more unreached people have the opportunity to be freed from the darkness they are trapped in.

Thanks again!