Skip to main content

#SHINE21GlobalMIssionChallenge- Blog 1

So I am calling this the SHINE "21" challenge. A 21-day global impact mission involving 21 people, preceded by 21 days of fasting and prayer, and chronicled in 21 blog posts. Yes, I hope to publish one blog per day over the next 21- days of our global efforts here in Rwanda and then next in Kinshasa. 


The challenge's hoped for outcome is a powerful manifestation of God's glory during two of our SHINE ministry's 2014 summer festivals in Rwanda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


The challenge is already half way through.  The first half was a 21-day fast I engaged in from July 7 to July 27.  During those days, like the prophet Daniel in Daniel 10, I ate no meat, ate no bread, and I abstained from all caffeinated drinks, drinking only water and occasional grape juice and eating vegetable based foods. 


It also involved the recruitment and training of additional people to our SHINE staff to make a total of 21 people that form the team for this high impact two-nation mission. 


For the Rwanda portion, in addition to the four SHINE staff (Stanton, Ceallaigh, Shug, and I), God gave us 14 additional participants from two Twin Cities based churches: Westwood Community Church, Chanhassen, MN and Renovation Church, Blaine, MN. 


For the next portion, I have two pastors joining me in Kinshasa; Pastor Gary Brothers of Cape First Family Church, Cape Girardeau, MO and Pastor McNay Nkashama of Global Impact Center, Minneapolis.  Along with my wife we constitute 21 people.


Today, our Rwanda team arrived here in Kigali, Rwanda and so begins the second phase of the challenge.  By God's grace we travelled safely from Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Nairobi and eventually to Kigali arriving a few hours ago.


We checked in at Kigali Serena Hotel at 1 AM. In a few minutes we will be checking out and heading to the Kigali genocide memorial.  It so happens that mid last month, Rwanda marked 20 years since the end of the genocide that killed one million people in a mere 100 days.  God forbid that that should ever happen again.


After the memorial visit, we will take the one hour drive to Muhanga which will be the epicenter of our week-long evangelistic mission. 


Today also marks the end of three-days of fasting and prayer by three-hundred Rwandan intercessors from all across Rwanda over the city of Muhanga ahead of the mission week.  They had congregated in Muhanga praying day and night and eating nothing. What a powerful thing for the church of Rwanda.  And now, let the harvest begin!


Lord, do it again!  May you be greatly famous through your servants as we reach out with your love to thousands this week here in Rwanda. Follow us on Facebook for pictures!


     

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

OPEN FOR SPIRITUAL BUSINESS- Could COVID-19 open a window for Spiritual Awakening?

None of us wished for it. But COVID-19 delivers to our doorstep what is, perhaps, the greatest evangelistic opportunity of our lifetime. It is an unusual opportunity in the Twin Cities, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and around the world. A scared world is open for spiritual business. The masks are off. People are open to hear that there is hope through Jesus Christ. For the church, the times we are in may have changed, due to COVID-19. But the mission we are on has not changed . The need to share the hope Jesus provides is now more urgent than ever.  Our nation is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Severe cases and deaths are mounting from coast to coast. Doctors, general medical workers and other essential service providers continue to do all they can to stave off the pandemic. 3 million Americans have lost their jobs. Children across the nation and worldwide are out of schools. Our economy and other global economies remain on shaky ground. All profession...

A Dream Finally Fulfilled As Academic Journey Comes to an End in 2014

Ministering at our SHINE Duluth outreach, Duluth, MN In a few days, 2014 will close on us. In retrospect, it has been a whirlwind. Besides being a husband and dad, I travelled to five different countries logging over 100,000 miles in the air for ministry. I led our SHINE team to successfully minister to over 50,000 people in Rwanda, Kenya, DR Congo, Tanzania, and around the United States.   I successfully completed, defended my doctoral thesis in global leadership, and graduated from Bethel University in the month of May. I successfully defended my statement of faith (theological beliefs) and ministry leadership philosophy in readiness for ordination through Westwood Community Church under Converge Worldwide (Formerly Baptist General Conference). Finally, I successfully petitioned to become a US citizen and voted in local elections for the first time. Graduation Day The academic journey that started sixteen years ago when I left my obscure Kenyan village to study...

No Room in the Inn...21st Century Version

It is the Christmas season 2009.  Like Joseph and Mary 2000 years ago, a young couple are on the virge of the birth of their first baby boy.  Although they are doing everything to prepare for the big day, it still catches them by surprise.  Instead of the regular 40 weeks, the baby is arriving six weeks early. Because they are not expecting it this early, their bags are not packed nor is the nursery fully furnished.  Safe for an early morning warning in a dream to the father to prepare to be in a delivery room and with assurance (from the Lord) that it would be o.k, the day started off as any other day. At 6:00 AM, the couple prays together for about 40 minutes in their home in Victoria.  They take showers.  At about 7:30 AM, the husband goes to work briefly from his home office while the wife prepares something for their breakfast together. Within a couple hours they will have a routine prenat...