PLEASE DON'T SEND ME TO AFRICA! - Part 1

Man, this is long overdue... I kept intending on posting the e-mails I sent out during my 3+ week trip to Uganda the last two weeks of January and the first 10 days of February. I'm only getting to it now, believe it or not! So, here goes:


Hello from Uganda!

I thought I'd summarize my first week here in Uganda below.  Oh, what a privilege to be here serving the Lord, even if it is only for 23 days! Read on...

Tuesday, Jan. 18 - Friday, Jan. 21

After participating the Dr. Henry Krabbendam's (PEF board member and co-founder of ACTI - The African Christian Training Institute) School of Evangelism (SOE) last week, along with 240 Ugandans from the Teso District, in Palissa (pronounced "pa-lee-SA") in eastern Uganda, and around 6O from Kampala, we went out to put the training into practice in the surrounding neighborhoods as well as in a local health clinic, a hospital and a prison. My two groups - one on Wednesday and one on Thursday - preached the gospel to 34 people, including 23 Muslims! Since Muslims don't believe Jesus died on the cross, nor do they believe in the resurrection, they basically "gut" Christianity of its gospel [i.e., "Good News"], according to 1 Cor. 15:1-6. So when a Christian evangelizes a Muslim, he needs to boldly affirm that gospel and, if he senses skepticism, he should address it.  

Therefore, I ask Muslims that if Jesus truly didn't die on the cross and resurrect from the dead, then how do they explain the fact that all the apostles but John died as martyrs preaching that he did? Who would be foolish enough to die for a lie? I tell them that I would rather trust the eyewitness accounts of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection than some religious writings denying those facts written several centuries after the events in question. Up until now no Muslim has had an answer for me.  

(Note: Although Uganda officially speaks English, very few people outside the capital - Kampala - speak it.  There are around 47 tribal dialects spoken in Uganda, depending on what region you live in.  In other words, I'm communicating the gospel through translators up until this point.)

But not all Muslims are totally close-minded. One Muslim lady we shared with couldn't answer many questions we posed to her, so she promised to attend a worship service at the church hosting the PEF School of Evangelism that week. Another Muslim woman invited us as we were walking by to pray for her children, who apparently had malaria. I found it intriguing that a Muslim woman would invite two Christian pastors and a youth leader in to pray for her, so now I know that not all Muslims are so sure about what they supposedly believe. On Thursday, our last day of "practical" training, at least two townspeople were so convicted of their sins that they approached two different groups of evangelists asking, "What must I do (to be saved)?" - right out of the book of Acts (e.g., 2:37)!

This SOE was developed by PEF board member Dr. Henry Krabbendam, a retired Biblical Studies professor from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, TN. Over the past 27 years "Dr. K," as he has been warmly nicknamed, has been coming to Uganda 2-4 times a year, bringing teams of Covenant College students and/or pastors and laymen to experience what he calls an "abundance culture." Americans can do things here that would be unheard of in the U.S. For example, where in the U.S. can you go up to a house and get a family to stop everything in order to to hear the gospel?And be so well received that they'll give you their only chair, stool or bench to sit on while they sit in the dirt to listen? And to top it off, the family is Muslim??!! Uganda was part of what is commonly known here as The East African Revival, which started back in the late 1920's. One denomination - the Anglicans (Church of Uganda) - has had an average of 100,000 converts a year over the course of its 150 year existence in Uganda. Even today there is a church that has seen over 500 Muslims convert to Christianity and become members of the church! Abundance culture!

Taking advantage of this openness, we went room to room to talk with patients - mostly with malaria - and their families at a local health clinic last Thursday. Again, we were so well received. In addition to preaching the gospel, we prayed over the sick and are trusting in God's healing, especially for those who need a sign of His love and power to help motivate them to repent and believe the gospel. One patient was a pastor... who doesn't own a Bible! Incredible! Did you know that about U.S. $6.50 will buy a Bible in the local dialect? Yet this is very expensive to the majority of Ugandans. I couldn't get my hands on a Bible in the local dialect of that pastor before having to leave the next morning, but I left him in the hands of host church's youth leader, who lives two blocks from the clinic. I am increasingly burdened over the needs that leaders of God's people have here. On the one hand English materials are in such abundance in the West, but few find their way to English-speaking pastors in Africa (not to mention non-English-speaking ones)! Something must be done!

Oh, and that health clinic? The most appropriate word for it: SCARY! It was dirty, had windows missing glass, no screens, one sink to wash hands... that didn't work! Patients lying on vinyl mattresses. If you want a sheet, you have to take your own! No ambulances. If you're in an car accident, the police will put you in the back of their pick-up and take you as fast as possible to the nearest hospital. Assuming you survive the truck ride, you'll be facing the same conditions I just described. In other words, good luck! The wife of one of the pastors on our team - from Birmingham, AL - is a nurse and was horrified!

Okay, I guess that's about it. We headed back to Kampala - a 6 hour drive - to join up with six more pastors from the U.S. We are a team of thirteen Americans and several Ugandans from Kampala on this project, not to mention the hundreds from the towns and surrounding areas that are participating in the School of Evangelism. May our/their tribe increase!

God bless!

Bill

BIBLICALLY-GROUNDED AFRICAN PASTORS!

Late last month I had the privilege of attending my first FIEL Ministries pastors/leaders conference in Águas de Lindóia, São Paulo. I, along with over 1,300 pastors and leaders from all over Brazil, was greatly ministered to on the theme The Way of God. God's way is not a new, post-modern/emergent way. In fact, someone has wisely said that we don't need to reinvent - a lá Brian McLaren - Christianity; we need to rediscover it. And rediscover it we did!

With speakers of the caliber of Dr. Joel Beeke, Dr. Steve Lawson and Dr. Don Kistler we were taken back several centuries to sit at the feet of John Calvin, the Puritans and Jonathan Edwards. I stocked up on several Puritan books, which I am currently reading. The wisdom that emerged from the pens - and lives - of those godly men (16th through the 18th centuries) is still educating us today! What a legacy!

I would like to now draw your attention to a very special program highlighted at the conference called "Adopt-a-Pastor," which is coordinated by FIEL for pastors in the Portuguese-speaking world, including several African nations.  Having spent two summer vacations in Mozambique, I can honestly say I have developed a deep love for the Mozambican people, especially the Church there.  We've also been to Cape Verde and Angola on missions projects, where the need for theologically-solid books is just as acute.  For example, a study bible that costs US $50,00 here in Brazil costs US $200.00 in Luanda! Of course the average pastor's salary makes it virtually impossible to acquire such expensive, imported items. Spend a few minutes watching the following video on the Adopt-a-Pastor program in Mozambique. Then, if God leads you to get involved, please follow up on that leading! There are some pastors - and congregations - literally starving for want of the good teaching that comes from good books! 

Mozambique Project (English Subtitles) from Editora Fiel on Vimeo.

God bless you!

CARNIVAL & OTHER OPEN AIR ADVENTURES

After flying all night from Houston, TX to Rio de Janeiro - with intermittent sleep - we arrived at our Brazilian home across the bay from Rio on February 16, 2010. I had a few hours to rest before finally getting my shot at doing some serious evangelism during Rio's world famous - and largest - Carnival. I had intended to preach with Ruben Israel of Bible Believers at Mardi Gras (the U.S. version of Carnival) in New Orleans, but we had to come back to Rio a few days earlier than originally planned due to space limitations on the flights right after Mardi Gras/Carnival.

I understood, after talking with Alexandre, a guy I'm discipling from Candido Mendes University (UCAM), that I'd be preaching with the aid of 2 or 3 guys from the Jews for Jesus Carnival project in the homosexual district of famous Ipanema. However, it became clear that the local Jews for Jesus leaders weren't about to associate their group with a hell fire preacher accompanied by a bullhorn and confrontational banner. So, suddenly, I was on my own. I could have submitted to their approach and been able to don the project t-shirt, but I was anxious to inaugurate my banner - with "You Deserve Hell" and a quote of Rev. 21:8 on one side; a quote of Heb. 10:31 on the other - in sin-soaked Rio de Janeiro. And boy was Rio "sin soaked!"

The first group I encountered in the park just two blocks from the homosexual district was a group of guys (who turned out to be homosexuals) waiting for a bus. I was walking with my banner unfurled and preaching from my bullhorn. It is amazing how people react to the statement "You deserve hell." Even well-meaning, so-called Christians seem to cringe at this biblically true statement (based on such well-known verses as Rom. 6:23 and Rev. 21:8). In my humble opinion, evangelism today is more defined by the culture than by the Bible! Oh, for a return to God's word for our evangelistic training - vs. such emphases as "We need to be connecting with the lost," "You've got to earn the right to be heard" or "That was appropriate for that time period, but this is the 21st century."

Not wanting to take away from legitimate and necessary changes in one's approach (e.g., evangelistic films, the evangelistic use of the Internet, etc.), have people really changed? My Bible tells me that no, people are still sinners under condemnation and in need of a Savior. That's why I still see - and expect to continue to see - a need for confrontational evangelism. Talking about a biblical method that is also one of the most cost-effective ones around! An open air evangelist can literally give thousands of people the bad news they so desperately need to see and hear so that they will either stop to ask him - like they did Peter in Acts 2 - how to be saved or, at least, go their way with God's relentless Word pounding away in their consciences.

Back to Ipanema (Remember the famous Bossa Nova song The Girl from Ipanema?), my homosexual "listeners" began to get a bit too agitated for my tastes. I was getting verbally "assaulted" from all sides to the point of not being able to adequately handle their objections and questions. Meanwhile, a thirty-something woman got into the fray, tearfully asking me for help. What I couldn't figure out was what exactly she needed help with! Finally, amidst all the confusion - complicated by my lack of sleep - I decided to walk to another part of the park. I was initially followed by several homos, who took it upon themselves to "denounce" me to those within earshot. One even hit my banner after trying to grab it and pull it down, but his friends called him off. Another kept unplugging my microphone from my bullhorn while I tried to preach, but I was just grateful he didn't try to cut the cord like some have done with a couple of my open air preacher friends.

I started preaching toward a heterosexual night club and was told I should go home since it was past my bedtime! One indiscreet woman expressed her disapproval of my message by bending over and "flashing" me with her gluteus maximus! A guy kept telling me to preach to his friends - by name - who had cans of beers in their hands. The "flasher" then threw her can of beer in my direction, but was well off the mark.

I decided to move on and preach to the folks waiting at the bus stop on the other side of the park. That group was calm and seemed particularly attentive. When I moved in the direction of the side of the park where I had encountered the homo crowd two guys stopped in front of me to read my banner. I soon discovered that they were Irish, so I had a good time challenging their presuppositions regarding the bible and Jesus Christ - in English! One of them seemed more "in tune" with the things of God, but the other was in blatant rebellion against his Maker.

I made one more attempt to preach to the nightclub on the other side of the park, and to my surprise, encountered two Americans - one from my old stompin' ground of San Diego. They both wanted pictures with me before discovering that I was a fellow American with a banner - in Portuguese - that said "You deserve hell." One told me in a rather crude way that I was courageous (i.e., "Bill, you've got b_ _ _ _!"), while I challenged each to seriously consider their true condition before a holy God and how to remedy it. One of the Americans - an airline pilot - told me he'd meet up with me again somewhere to continue the conversation . . . as he walked off with his Brazilian "date" (i.e., one-night-stand?).

It was already 3:00 a.m. and I could tell I was too tired to keep going, so I packed it up and headed for home. However, my curiosity led me to check out the Lapa area of downtown Rio, which is notorious for being one, big all-night block party during Carnival. Things were all lit up with hundreds of people still going strong at 3:30 in the morning. Next year I know where I'll be going! The Ipanema park was dimly lit, had at any given moment only 75-100 people in it and NO POLICE! The Lapa makes more sense . . . next year!

MISSIONARIES: Why Do We Do What We Do?

Somebody visiting my blog may be wondering what I/we do and why I/we do it. So, without further ado, presenting . . .

THE 8-32 MOVEMENT

Transforming the World with the Truth

8-32's mission is to "Produce change agents in the Brazilian university, workplace and Church via the bold, deep and urgent exposition of the Truth (John 8:32; 14:6)."

8-32's focus is on REACHING students, professionals and unconverted church members with the biblical gospel, DEVELOPING true converts into effective Christian leaders and MOBILIZING these leaders for the worldwide harvest (Matt. 9:35-38; 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15). In addition to evangelism and one-on-one/small-group discipleship, 8-32 seeks to train Christians from these primary target audiences - via the 8-32 Institute - in Christian/biblical worldview, biblical evangelism, apologetics, bible study methods, etc.

Our day-to-day ministry activities may include campus evangelism in Rio de Janeiro, "happy hour" evangelistic meetings with professionals, discipleship of key students and professionals, planning meetings, proclamation of Truth (i.e., open air preaching) in Rio's business district, ministry materials development and experimentation, classroom training, etc. Occasional ministry activities include retreats, training projects, conferences, proclamation of Truth (i.e., open air preaching) at morally questionable events (e.g., Carnival, gay pride parades, religious festivals, night clubs, etc.), short-term missions projects to other regions in Brazil or other countries (especially other Portuguese-speaking nations), etc.

Now, this is what we do, but why do we do it? In the ultimate analysis, we all exist to glorify God, right (Is. 43:7; 1 Cor. 10:31)? There are lots of ways to glorify God, but we are convinced that serving God on the foreign mission field is where we can glorify Him most effectively and efficiently. In other words, we are able to invest the best hours of our day and the best days of our week in the Harvest (Matt. 9:35-38), which is why the Son of God came to earth (Lk. 19:10) in the first place. In addition, we get to hold HIM up through sound teaching and preaching for the edification of His Church. Finally, we get to do all of this in a nation that has been predicted by at least one missions' statesman to become the world's missionary-sending leader: BRAZIL!

So, that's about it. Feel free to comment on what we do and why. God bless!

EVANGELIZING THE OLD-FASHIONED, BIBLICAL WAY!

As we try to get our new ministry, The 8-32 Movement, off the ground, two days a week I have been going on the campus of Cândido Mendes University (UCAM) in Rio de Janeiro's business district (known as "The Center") to share my faith and to try to scrounge up some Christians interested in revolutionizing their campus for Christ. Actually, I was unable to go on campus for two weeks (the last week of October and the first week of November) due to our trip to Collierville, TN (just outside of Memphis) for the Worldview Weekend Training Institute. My wife, Aïda, is now in charge of training and materials (including the development of a transferable - for training purposes - evangelistic tool) for our new ministry (under the umbrella of PEF), where we are targeting university students and professors, professionals and churches. Our motto is Knowing, Living and Proclaiming Biblical Truth in a Postmodern World. We are doing this by reaching, developing and mobilizing students, professionals (including professors) and churches for the worldwide harvest. We reach via biblical evangelism, develop via apologetics and biblical/theological/worldview training and mobilize via short-term missions projects and long-term service opportunities.

Besides my wife and me, The 8-32 Movement (given this name based on John 8:32) has enlisted the participation of former Priority Associates (Campus Crusade for Christ) staff member, Erica Ribeiro, to help us get the professional component off the ground. Erica is currently discipling and training three professional women on the staff of Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ).

Getting back to my ministry activities in downtown Rio, I have found, in light of my strengths and gifting, the best of both ministry worlds! Not only do I get to interact with students about their faith (or lack thereof), but I get to open air preach in the notorious "Largo da Carioca," where tens of thousands of people pass daily. "Carioca," as this nerve center is commonly called, is a smorgasbord of sights, sounds and experiences. You never know what's going to happen next!

For example, I was introduced to a slightly-built preacher two months ago when a crowd gathered around him and an older gentleman decided to start slapping him! I intervened, holding the aggressor at bay long enough for the municipal guards to show up. I wrongly assumed they would uphold the preacher's right to preach, but they hauled him off and warned him to stop. Seeing a crowd of nearly 100 gathering out of curiosity, I whipped out my bullhorn and began preaching! After scolding the guards for violating the Brazilian equivalent to the preacher's First Amendment rights, I started to use God's Law to show the crowd its need for a Savior. After asserting that the Ten Commandments condemn lying, I asked anyone who felt they had never lied to raise their hand. Two men raised their hands. I told them they were lying about lying, and asserted that I knew they were sinners based on Romans 3:23. One guy grumbled something as he walked away, but the other guy - probably in his late teens to early twenties - started getting visibly angry, saying I had no right, as a foreigner, to be preaching. I responded with the fact that I may have been in Brazil longer than he, assuming he was 18 years old or less. He looked like he wanted to attack me, but his friend ushered him out of the area.

So, it's never a dull moment in the "Carioca!" This past Wednesday I was preaching against the gay agenda in our schools here, and a guy stopped to listen. He interrupted me to inform me that a well-known comic book series was introducing the gay lifestyle into its stories; 5 minutes later he handed me a copy of the comic book in question, pointing out the subtle, yet clear, message: "Let's all be tolerant of our gay friends and their choices." I'm going to boycott this comic book publisher from now on, as well as encourage others to do the same! Absurd!

When I was wrapping things up, a guy shows up and asks me to look up a verse in my bible for him. He then took issue with the fact that the verse translated God's OT name - Yahweh - as LORD. I knew I had a Jehovah's Witness (JW) on my hands, so I asked him about his view of Jesus. I confess that I didn't handle the situation the way I would have liked to (Hindsight is always 20/20.), so I plan to take a different approach next time. I encourage you to get your hands on the following tract and/or memorize it's approach to dealing with JW's. I know I will! Fortunately there's a Portuguese version.

To finalize, I came across the following video that graphically explains the benefits of open air and campus preaching. Yeah, it's considered controversial today and the results are not often immediate; nevertheless, God uses it to change lives. Invest just 7 minutes to see what I mean: