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.

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 Gods 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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

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