It has been an incredible week as I’ve traveled with my translator, Pastor Tom Ojiambo and my driver, Sezi to Kenya and held our first extended Secret Church conference. Last year, I was blessed to facilitate several one-day Secret Church events, but this year thanks to Disciple Making International, a wide and effective door opened for extensive training to be held over a 5-day period.

Two weeks of each month, I will travel to different districts for this training to take place. I am blessed to serve with an association of Baptist churches here in East Africa called Grace Calvary Christian Ministries. It is this association of churches that these conferences are being extended to.

There are 13 districts within this association. These districts represent 265 churches across the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Southern Sudan and The Congo. As I travel this year, these Secret Church studies will be available not only to these 265 pastors, but also the new pastors of new church plants that will develop.  A low estimate of participants is 300 pastors by year-end.

The Pastors I was blessed to serve this week...

Most of the pastors of these 265 churches have little to no bible training. Not until last year did these pastors receive study bibles. For many of them, the study bible they received was the first complete bible (Genesis through Revelation) they had ever had. As you can imagine these bibles made an impact in their understanding of the Word, yet they desired more instruction.

As we loaded the van to head out on Monday morning I experienced a great sense of excitement. I was in awe of God’s hand working through His body of believers to make this happen. Through the grant Disciple Making International had provided, I was taking along with me mats and blankets for the pastors to sleep on. 3 Secret Church study guides for each pastor; Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey and How To Study The Bible as well as funding for the feeding of the pastors during their five day stay.

I also had the equipment Helping Hands provided; DVD player, speaker and projector along with our screen ( a white bed sheet:)).  Of course none of this equipment would have worked without the new generator the Sunday School classes of Jim Wallace, Joel Cobb and Terry Teakell at my home church, Blackshear Place provided.

I share these specific details because it is a clear indicator of how it takes ALL of the body of Christ, working together to accomplish His plans and purposes.

As we drove out to the bush area of Kenya for our conference, I was thinking about all of the knowledge the pastors were going to gain over the days ahead. I was especially excited as the first session…Old Testament Survey began. Each Secret Church that has been taught has focused on a persecuted area of our world. The Old Testament session focuses on the continent of Africa.

Pastors remained attentive 10 hours a day as they learned....

This is the first exposure these pastors have ever been given about persecution. They have never been told of such things and it impacts them greatly. I know God used the first session when Pastor Platt taught it years ago to help others learn about the persecution in Africa, yet I also know that God in His wisdom allowed this to be the first area of our world to be spotlighted as He knew the impact it would one day have on the pastors here in Africa.

Throughout the week they were impacted as we also learned about our persecuted brothers and sisters in Asia and Indonesia. However, I believe the first session being on Africa penetrated their hearts the deepest as they developed a passion for their fellow persecuted brothers and sisters; especially those within their neighboring country of Somalia.

Pastors humbling themselves before God...interceding for their persecuted brothers and sisters...

Over the next few months as Secret Church goes out throughout Kenya, I am expecting God to call some of these pastors out to Somalia. At the end of the conference as the pastors were sharing….more shared about their desire to go out and teach Secret Church in the restricted countries, than those who only shared specific things they had learned at the conference. God is working in a mighty way. Please join me in praying for the men of God we know are going to say yes to the call.

As I mentioned earlier, it takes ALL of the body of Christ to fulfill His plans. These precious women were part of His plan. They walked hours daily for water and cooked for these pastors. What a joy to serve with them as they happily worked for the Lord.

Precious Sisters in Christ who love their pastors....

Also, the family who gave me a place to stay should be thanked for their generosity. I had a sweet little home while I was there.

My room for the week...

This is their granddaughter Metrine who stayed in the room beside me….

My neighbor for the week...

We head back out to a different district on the 27^th. Please keep us covered in prayer. Thank you for praying for the needs requested for this past week. God heard your prayers and answered accordingly.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

I’ve had my last shower and used the toilet the last time and am heading out to the Kenya bush to facilitate 5 days of Secret Church studies. I’ll stay with the closest neighbor to the church where the conference will be held, so there will be no showers or toilets or running water, yet there will be wonderful fellowship and joy spending time together with those I have been called here to serve alongside. Not only wonderful fellowship and joy with my brothers and sisters in Christ, but more importantly, fellowship and joy with our Lord as we listen over these next few days to Pastor David Platt teach us via podcast the three foundational Secret Church sessions he began with several years ago. We will cover the teachings Holy Spirit gave to him on Survey of the Old Testament, Survey of the New Testament and How To Study the Bible.

This is the first of 10 weeks I’ll be traveling throughout Kenya and Uganda facilitating these studies over the next several months. As I leave this morning, I do so in anticipation of God working in ways I have not seen here before as more than 300 pastors will be trained during these next few months with these incredible seminary lessons. I don’t think I can truly grasp the outcome of it all because there will be no way to tract how the gospel and these teachings go forward until we get to heaven and see those whose lives were touched because God entrusted His word to Pastor Plat and through Disciple Making International, (disciplemakingintl.org) it has now reached us here in East Africa.

Please pray specifically for these areas:
Pray for the pastors who will be participating.
Pray for all of us be to protected from the spiritual warfare the enemy will be enforcing.
Pray for the 5 ladies who will walk several hours daily for water to cook the food.
Pray for safe travel as most of the pastors will walk for very long distances to attend the conferences.
Pray that our minds will be clear and we will have the ability to comprehend the lessons and that we will retain the knowledge we learn in order to go back out and teach it.
Thank the Lord for Pastor Platt and his team at Disciple Making International. Ask the Lord to continue to bless them abundantly as they make a difference all over the world.
Pray for my endurance as the heat here has been 100 degrees  or more daily.
Thank you in advance for praying….it soothes my soul to know we are covered by the prayers of the Saints of the Lord.
Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

It’s been a great day today here in Uganda. Today was my first travel day since I returned from my visit to the states.  The past couple of weeks I’ve settled in and completed the scheduling and preparation for the months ahead.  2012 is going to be an amazing year! My calendar is full but so are the blessings that come with busyness with God!

Arafat is doing well, with the exception of a small opening that has opened back up in his stomach. He is back in school half days and enjoying being back with his friends.  Please pray for this new opening to heal quickly and for there to be no complications with it.

Arafat....he weighs 72 pounds now....Praise The Lord!

Today was a two-fold blessing as I traveled to the bush. The first blessing was distributing bibles to the bush school children. These bibles were donated by a special 12 year old girl named Laynie England.

Spent an afternoon with Laynie before I left the states... a very sweet girl! The bible she is holding, is the bibles she raised money for.

Laynie heard me speak at her church youth group at Air Line Baptist Church and her heart was moved when she learned the children here have no bibles. She began a campaign to raise money for me to bring back with me and purchase bibles for these school children. With the funds she raised and the funds others like Carol Brown who was inspired by what Laynie had done, I was able to purchase 160 bibles!

These are pictures I took today as the bibles made their way into the hands of the children.

What is so incredible about this is, it is not just the children who will benefit from the bibles. The guardians/parents/grandparents whomever the child lives with, most likely cannot read, so these children will be taking the Word of God home and reading what they can of it to their families.

The other blessing of the day was meeting with the women leaders from the northern zone of our churches here. These women are doing amazing ministry here among the widows as well as sharing the gospel. Our meeting today was to begin planning for our first women’s team conference.

Northern Zone Women Leaders - Syonga

A few months ago I began to pray about asking my home church, Blackshear Place to send a women’s teaching team. I am thrilled to share that this is now happening and a women’s team from Blackshear will be here in July to join me in teaching these amazing daughters of the King!

Today we planned our food budget because much of the food has to be purchased now, as there will not be another harvest before July. They are expecting more than 300 women for this conference so advanced planning is required to have adequate food.

On Saturday our BSI (Bible Skills Institute) classes resume. It has been so good to hear from the pastors who have all called, in anticipation of class resuming. I will have the pastors who’ve been with me the past year here in Busia back, as well as the pastors beginning their second year at Lake Victoria. Also, a new class in Buradi, Kenya. All together we have 56 pastors taking these courses.

On Monday I leave to stay for a week in Kenya for the first Secret Church conference. Conferences that are a direct blessing from our Heavenly Father. I will wait until next week and write an update on this event while I am there and share some pictures. But in the meantime, please be praying for the pastors who will be attending. Pray there will be no hindrances in their participation.

As always I am blessed to be here, to represent the Lord and all of you who faithfully pray/support the work He has called me to do.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Serving with: Helping Hands Foreign Missions

helpinghandsmissions.org

It’s been an incredible week here in Busia! The team has served in various ministries throughout the bush areas. They’ve done children’s ministry, hut to hut evangelism and revivals. What a joy to watch God call unto Himself new members of His family! I have lost count of how many have surrendered their lives to Jesus this week, I know it is more than 100, but I don’t know the exact count! We just know that the angels in heaven have spent this week rejoicing!

Chris....loving on some children....

Christie...making children happy....

Joel sharing the gospel with the evangel cube

Jonas, Jason, Joel and Henrik...resting a bit after a morning of hut to hut evangelism and children's ministry

Chris, Nathan and Hal resting a bit after a morning of hut to hut evangelism and children's ministry

Stacy, Conny and Leonie resting a bit after a morning of hut to hut evangelism and children's ministry

Two of our translators on one of the paths the team did hut to hut evangelism

Mike and Greg receiving their chicken and eggs as a gift for leading the ministries this week...

It’s hard to believe their journey back to the states and Germany begins tomorrow. My life has been enriched as they have served alongside me. Overall, it has been a joy to watch God work in each of their lives and transform them. I know they are not going home the same….the changes are evident as they have personally sought God in a deeper way than ever before. My prayer is that what you see in them when they return will be contagious….and you too will be encouraged to grow in your own personal relationship with God.

Thank you for all the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf this week. Please continue to pray for all these team members as they travel home and take what God has taught them to others.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary-East Africa

As I write this all of you are just waking up and getting the Lords Day started. We have had an amazing GOD SIZE day! There is so much to tell!

Christie with her translator teaching the women....

We arrived at church this morning and I was blessed to join Christie as she taught the women. She did a wonderful job!

As service began Hal and Joshua gave their testimonies. Both of them did a great job!

Hal giving his testimony

Joshua giving his testimony

Joel preached one of the clearest messages I’ve heard preach on salvation.

Joel preaching with Pastor Moses translating....

Now comes the most incredible part….go ahead and get your tissues! As I said, Joel preached an amazing message. At the end he gave an altar call. It seemed like time just stood still for a moment and no one moved, then very slowly a man stood up and began making his way to the altar. Joel had no way of knowing who this man was. It was our sweet little Derick’s father. My heart was filled to overflowing with joy!

Derick's Father and Joel

After service was over we were able to talk to them and we learned that not only did the father pray and accept Christ today, so did the mother, a brother and a sister. Immediately after church we were having baptism and they all went down and were baptised.  

Our path down to the water hole for baptism

Derick's new born again parents and his siblings....

 God has shown up and showed off His majesty here in Busia today! We are headed out to a soccer game….Muzungu’s vs Africans…..Of course the muzungu’s are our team….so…..its going to be fun to watch!

Keep the prayers going….here are some pictures from today.

Me and Mike with our Germany team members...Conny, Jonas, Henrik and Leonie

My sweet Blackshear Place girls.....Christie and Stacy

Sweet men of God and dear friends from Blackshear Place...

Our Blackshear Place team....

All of our team together...three nations...Uganda, Germany and America

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary-East Africa

Its hard to believe I’ve already been back for a month. God has been working all around me and I’ve been so caught up in Him, the time has just slipped away.

I have a wonderful Arafat update for you. He is truly better….here is a new picture for you. Pastor Moses took him for a ride on his motorcycle! He loved it….I asked him was it more fun to ride one than be hit by one and he laughed!

Arafat enjoying an afternoon riding with Pastor Moses around Busia on his motorcycle

Its been over three weeks now since he has taken anything for pain. He is no longer in the bed for hours during the day, he gets up early and stays up all day. His wound in now about the size of a quarter….a miracle as for the previous 6 months, it was often the length of a dollar bill. All of his body functions are working properly and he is happy and playing all the time. Sometimes I forget how much better he is and it shocks me to see him walk by the window laughing and playing with our other children here. God has blessed us with a miracle. There is no other explanation as to why he is still alive!

The best part of the update though is this. The first week I was back he and I were sitting together just talking about random things. Out of nowhere he said….I’m a Christian now and I want to be baptized! My heart was thrilled…..for a child from a Muslim background to accept Jesus as his Savior and on his own share his desire for baptism is just as much a miracle as his healing has been. Please take some time when you read this and thank God for the miracle He has sent.

I have two prayer request I’d like you to pray. I have a good friend in my bible fellowship class at Blackshear Place, Donna Gabriel. She has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Her and her friend Melanie, both of whom are nurses have been planning diligently to come here on a mission trip and possible make a decision to stay here fulltime. I would like for you to pray for God’s divine total physically healing so some day soon she can make the journey she’s been planning.

Another request is: there is a mission team leaving out of Atlanta today from my home church, Blackshear Place headed over here to serve. Please pray specifically for their safety and for this trip to deepen their relationship with the Lord in such a way that they will never be the same again.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary-East Africa

Serving with:

helpinghandsmissions.org

Today is my 3rd day back in Uganda and much has happened. My plane landed late Thursday night and I hadn’t been off the plane for an hour when I received the call that Derick was dying. I felt so helpless…..I was so close…back in the country, yet, hours away that couldn’t be traveled during the night.

When my phone rang early Friday morning, I assumed it was a call to let me know he had died, but, it was a call saying he had lived through the night. I was overjoyed to reach Busia late Friday and find him still in this world. The cancerous tumor had taken over most of his face and was coming out of his mouth….he looked so pitiful. I couldn’t really tell if he knew it was me, but I talked to him as if he could hear me…told him how much I loved him and how happy I was to see him.

 When we went to bed, he was still the same. I woke up about 2:30 from jetlag and listened to the quietness of my surroundings. It is so quiet here when I get back from the states. We didn’t have power so I couldn’t get up and do anything even though I was wide awake. About 4:30 I heard Derick’s Momma cry. I jumped up and went where she was and she collapsed in my arms. Derick had just slipped into the arms of Jesus.

Sweet little Derick...now home with Jesus

While I was holding her, she looked at me and said, “he waited to see you before he left this world.” I had only been home about 8 hours when he slipped away….and I will always be thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the blessing of seeing him before He took him home to heaven.

The hours that followed brought all different kinds of emotions. Our hearts broke when the father and brothers arrived. Then again as Pam helped prepare his body for burial. I am not sure I could have helped her, although I would have tried if she asked, but instead she gave me the job of taking care of Derick’s Momma until they finished the worst parts of preparing his body.

One emotion that didn’t feel normal at first, was a great sense of peace because I knew he wasn’t hurting anymore. Yet, I wasn’t crying and that boggled my mind…I kept thinking…what is wrong me…my heart is broke but I am not crying. Later as I looked back I could clearly see God had given me strength so I could be strong for Derick’s Momma. It wasn’t until I called my son and daughter and heard their voices that the tears began to fall and I ached from the heartache of what had happened.

His little body stayed here with us until the family could get a wood coffin built. Then Sezi came and took the body and the family to the place where they are originally from, about 3 hours away…Derick’s grandfathers place. Because the family had seen the love of Christ shown through the care given to Derick, they decided they wanted him to have a Christian funeral.

Today, Sezi drove us back there and we were able to take part in his funeral. It was all very sweet, yet sad. His father collapsed at the gravesite and his Momma had to be helped away.

Derick was buried in a field where beans and potato's are growing...his grave will not be marked...

Both of these circumstances broke my heart and then I noticed an older woman walking away…she seemed as if the burden was more than she could carry. I had not met her, but in my heart I knew she was Derick’s Grandmother. As I went to her all I could think about were my children and grandchildren. She was buckling under the burden of not only losing her grandson, but also watching her daughter bury her son. As I held her, the tears flowed freely….I didn’t know anything else to do but cry with her.

One of the greatest blessings for me as all of this took place, was being able to talk to Derick’s family about heaven. What an incredible honor it was to be the first one to tell them about our eternal heavenly home. To assure them that if we have been born again, we will one day join Derick…never more to be apart again. This happened in the first couple of hours after Derick died so I didn’t get to give the full plan of salvation…yet, at the funeral today, one of our Pastors here from Busia, Pastor Joseph…. preached the service and the gospel was shared. No one accepted Christ today, but I know the seeds are planted. I invited them to come visit with me when they return to Busia….and I will share with them. I pray they will make a decision to surrender their lives to the Lord.

Before I left the states to head back, my son and daughter-in-law and my daughter and I  prepared to do a long distance bible study. It’s a study called, “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn. We serve a mighty God…He knew this study would mean even more to me because He knew He was taking Derick home just as the study was beginning.

A word of thanks to those of you who support me financially. You helped Derick’s family with the cost of the funeral. They are truly the poorest of the poor here. They would not have been able to take him back home for burial if Pam and I hadn’t stepped in to cover the cost. Thank you for loving me and caring about what God is doing through me here in East Africa. Thank you for trusting me to represent you here on the mission field.

I have a wonderful update to share about Arafat. He has gained 12 pounds and his wounds although they are still bad, are better than they were. This morning, he got up, got dressed and planned his day to go with us to Derick’s funeral. I am not sure how long its been since he has been out of the bed, but its been a long time. He did great today….6 hours of travel plus the funeral and he didn’t go back to bed when we got back!

He and Derick’s beds were 3 feet apart…so he felt a close friendship with him. He was going to do whatever it took to attend his friends funeral. I took this picture of him when we got back…doesn’t he look great!

Arafat....our continued miracle....

God continues to work miracles in Arafat’s life…..he has been close to death more times that we can keep up with! I don’t know what God is doing…but it sure is fun watching Him work! Keep those prayers going…..

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary-East Africa

Serving with: helpinghandsmissions.org

Sometimes there are occasions when I travel to the capitol city.. Kampala and return back to the mission house in one day. Its a very long journey, usually about a 12 or 13 hour trip. On those days I try to take some of my friends along with me as it makes the journey much more fun. Especially when I get to take those who have never been outside of Busia and never traveled to the capitol city. Such was the case on Sunday as we escorted our new Helping Hands Missionary, Pastor Loren Hildebrant back to airport for his return flight to the states.

This trip Eriya and James went with us.

Eriya and James...loving their new cowboy hats!

I love watching as those who get to come along see the big city for the first time…shop for something new for themselves (never dreamed they would chose cowboy hats…but they loved them)…make their first visit into a grocery store….and eat their first slice of pizza.

Eriya's first bite of pizza ever!

But what I love most of all is the conversation we have during those long riding hours.

James and Eriya are 18 years old and have been orphans for a very long time. They were both first born in their families which is a big responsibility. The first born takes the responsibility of the younger siblings when the parents die. Both James and Eriya have younger brothers and sisters who live in other places because they can’t take care of them…but…they have not forgotten them or their role as these others children’s caregivers.

As I asked them about their siblings, both of them replied that their goal is to get their education so they can earn a living and build a house where they can be reunited. Both of these young men have tender hearts and love their younger brothers and sisters. They miss being together.

The conversation eventually turned towards their parents. They told me they love to tell stories about their parents that make them laugh. So I am listening intently as the stories are being shared, and all of sudden James gets quiet and the deepest look of sadness takes over. He said, “do you know what I don’t like to think about….I don’t like to think about that our parents didn’t know God before they died.”

I had no words of wisdom or comfort…I sat in total silence as my mind was trying to comprehend what these boys live with every day…that their parents died and went to hell and they will never see them again. They can get their education, reunite their siblings and try to ensure no one else goes to hell, but they will never be reunited with their parents.

As the days have past since James and Eriya shared their hearts with me, I find myself thinking about those in my own family and my friends who are playing games with their eternity. They know the truth…they’ve heard it over and over again…yet they continue to turn their backs on the very One who created them and gave them life. If the Lord should come back today…they will not go with us…we will be forever separated. Please pray for those in my family and my friends that need to get their lives in order and prepared for eternity….

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary-East Africa