On Expedition +

Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In my November On Expedition (with Jesus) ministry update, I wrote about our trainings in Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. I want to highlight here recent trainings we also conducted in Sierra Leone, Brazil North, and Uganda…as well as why our training in Guatemala has been rescheduled.

SIERRA LEONE

Phil (USA), Richard (UK) and Carlos (Brazil) conducted a Divine Expedition Phase 1 “Your Rescue,” and two Phase 2s “Your Heart.”  They were hosted by a medical missionary (Dr Geoff) and a Sierra Leone pastor (Philip). Pastor Philip (not my son-in-law, Phil) has a vision to plant over a dozen churches in a Sierra Leone, heavily Muslim-populated area.

One of the best moments for our team was when two of those being trained shared “the Greatest Rescue” cards with two Muslim women who prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior. The next day one of the women, not only came to church, but also brought a friend with her. 

Despite the hardship of bucket showers, lack of electricity, hole-in-the-ground toilets, and heartbreaking poverty, the Divine Expedition team found joy in helping Pastor Philip train others to share Jesus as the “source of hope.”

BRAZIL NORTH

The “Brazil North” team, from São Paulo State, traveled four hours to São Carlos, a city known as “The Athens of Brazil” for its universities full of secular intellectualism. Professor and Pastor Marcelo said he hoped the Phase 1 training (“Your Rescue”) would lead his church to walk closer to Jesus, and that it would equip them to reach out to tell others about Him. After sharing “the Greatest Rescue” card in a nearby plaza, those going through the Divine Expedition training came back with exciting stories of people’s responses. Pastor Marcelo said the training exceeded his expectation.

UGANDA

In July, Divine Expedition Master Trainers and Ugandan pastors Jedi, Moses, and Michael taught “Your Rescue” (Phase 1 ) to a group of over 40 leaders and church planters at Gaba Church in Kampala. The biggest challenge was that a dear pastor friend suddenly passed away and the Divine Expedition training team had to leave to attend the funeral. They were afraid the training participants wouldn’t return and they would lose momentum—but everyone returned. They finished the training and several potential new trainers were identified. 

Pastor Moses wants to complete all four Divine Expedition phases of training by the end of the year— “while they are still on fire.” The plan is to start new trainings in the cities of Gaba, Rukungiri and Mbarara. 

GUATEMALA…TRAININGS POSPONED

The day before Stan Gerlach, several other team members, and I were scheduled to leave for Guatemala, where we were to conduct Divine Expedition Phases 1, 2, and 3, we received messages telling us that, due to civil unrest, we shouldn’t come. Here is one of the messages:

“Hello Linus, I want to ask for your support in prayer for Guatemala.  The roads are blocked by protesters due to the political situation.  There is no gasoline in Xela and food is scarce.”

Xela is the city where we were scheduled to train. Thus, our Guatemala training there has been postponed until early 2024 when stability has been restored.

Meanwhile, we rejoice at what God is doing around the world and the progress we are seeing toward our vision to “equip leaders to multiply movements that reach people for Christ, make disciples, develop leaders, and reproduce churches.”

We thank God that by His grace we get to be a part of it, and we thank you for being part of it with us.

If it just depended upon us, it would be impossible…but “with God all things are possible.”

With much gratitude,

Linus for the Global Training Network Divine Expedition team