When Passion and Vision Connect

Today we visited some ministry partners of the Stotlers (our missionary family) who serve in Bizana. It is a good-sized city in East Cape province. Tembe and Lucky are their names and they have a ministry and church called Arise and Shine. These are the sorts of people that just exude passion for God and for ministry. As I listened to them share their vision, it was as if they had just been reviewing the latest writing on ministry approaches, good church planting ideas, missiology, medical missions, etc. They have a church that is made up of tin sheeting with tent material on the inside. It can fit about 700 or so chairs and they said it is full every Sunday. They also operate a school. They are developing a microcredit system (something Elliott Stotler is helping with). And they want to open a medical clinic. When they see needs, they think of creative ways to address them.

Lucky talked about how each time they start something, they start small. "If you are trustworthy in the small things, the Lord will bless. So we start small." They seem to be completely outwardly focused as a church - a refreshing thing to see since churches in so much of the world tend to be inwardly focused. They involve the whole church in the ministry rather than having a pastor-focused ministry, again running counter to what is common especially in the African church. They really have a heart to see transformation in their community and beyond - even using English in their service in addition to Xhosa as a way to be open to the many foreigners who live in Bizana (Nigerians, Chinese, Pakistanis, etc). 

This is probably my favorite part of my job. It isn't the sights, the food, or even the cultures as much as it is seeing how God has placed key people all over the world. People who have true vision and passion, who have anointing, who aren't waiting for someone else, and with whom it is truly a privilege to work.