18 March, 2025

 

Faith and hope in Pakistan despite persecution

Leon and I spent a week staying with the Ernest family in their Lahore home in a time of mutual encouragement and edification. Although Leon had visited them some years before, this was my first trip to Pakistan, and it was a striking reminder of the value of cross-cultural Christian community. It is so easy to slip into a self-reinforcing mindset that our expression of Christianity is most valid, and this is healthily challenged by spending time with committed believers in other cultures and experiencing how they express their faith so differently.

Although churches are allowed to exist in Pakistan, and it is not illegal to be a Christian (about two percent of the 250 million population, which is about five million people, are Christian), there is much resistance from the surrounding people against those who openly profess their love for Christ or convert to Christianity. This opposition spills over into acts of violence and other forms of persecution that make life very hard for the Christians, particularly those who lead or speak of their faith to non-believers. Naturally, this brings times of hardship and discouragement for the Pakistani believers. This is the case for the Ernest family, who lead a group of about 40 home-based churches in and around their hometown of Faisalabad, west of Lahore. They experienced such violent persecution over the last few years that they have had to relocate to Lahore for their safety, and now do a 150 km, 3-hour commute to visit the churches every weekend. 

The purpose of Leon’s and my trip was to live with the Ernest family for several days to really hear their story and understand their context and to ‘lift their arms’ in prayer and mutual encouragement, so that they would know that there are believers elsewhere in the world who love and care for them. During our time together we enjoyed wide ranging conversation over delicious home-cooked meals, walks through the neighbourhood and long drives to Faisalabad compressed into the tight interiors of cars designed for people a lot smaller than I. The value of these life-uniting times cannot be calculated or easily appreciated, and yet they result in heart bonds that stretch across the distances of geography and culture.



Although we focused primarily on building personally with the Ernest family, we travelled twice from Lahore to Faisalabad to spend time with the church communities there, including visiting and praying in peoples’ homes. It was very humbling to join in worship and other expressions of faith with believers whose lives are so different to ours. Their perseverance in faith and love for God and each other, despite difficult and arduous earthly circumstances, is inspiring, and it forms a new appreciation for how free we are in South Africa to live, worship, and express our ideas and thoughts, without fear of reprisal or persecution.

Despite, or because of, the hardship faced by the church in Pakistan, it is evident that God’s supernatural grace rests upon the believers in that nation. What is lacking in terms of ‘earthly’ treasures is made up in an abundance of faith, hope and love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless the believers in Pakistan, providing for their every need in spirit, soul and body, and equipping them through the Holy Spirit to bring his Kingdom in ever increasing measure.

Richard Lechmere-Oertel

24 February, 2025

 

Encouragement in Egypt

Eqypt... the land of the Nile, the pyramids, the Sphinx, the great Alexandria library, The Pharaohs lighthouse (where Fort Qaitbay Citadel was constructed on its site, during the Mamluk rule of Egypt, after it was destroyed by an earthquake) and some of the earliest history recorded by mankind. 
 
Paul and Shannon recently travelled to this ancient land, to spend some time with one of our dear friends and Issachar partner; and to support and encourage his ministry amongst his pioneering discipleship school. This school draws partners from largely displaced communities in the region. 
 
We were also joined by South African friends, who lead a church in Potchefstroom, who long to see their community catch a heart for partnership amongst the unreached. They have a passion for intercession and spiritual freedom – it was a delight to be with them and pray in this nation together. We look forward to seeing what Jesus unpacks with our friendship.
 
Another friend from the region, who has an influential ministry among the unreached, met us in Cairo. We had a wonderful time praying together at the ancient Islamic city gates of Cairo, and strategizing how we can collaborate and gather partners together, to be more effective in reaching the unreached, through mobilising indigenous church planting networks. We are excited to see how God is extending our borders and influence amongst the unreached and persecuted church.
 
It was so encouraging to be amongst brothers and sisters, many of whom have been displaced by war/political upheaval/financial difficulties, and to see what God is doing amongst them, despite severe trials. The indigenous discipleship school offers a highly practical and discovery process of exploring and building scriptural foundations of the Christian faith and applying these truths into their particular cultural context. 
 
We were privileged to worship and fellowship with believers from Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Egypt. Our friend ministers amongst other partners from North Africa and the Arabic speaking world. Please continue to pray for him, his family and his work amongst the unreached.

03 January, 2025

 

Brave Church visit Mbeya in Tanzania

At the beginning of December, we hosted a team from Brave Church, Denver in Mbeya, Tanzania. This was an opportunity for Philip Mahali to gather pastors from 17 of his churches in Mbeya, Mwanza and Burundi for a week of training with Phil Largent focused on ‘Building the inner man’. At the same time, the rest of the team focused on outreaches in local schools and public spaces.

Here is some feedback from Philip...

“Firstly, I want to thank all those who made this week happen. This was a dream come true for me to gather my leaders all in one space for a time of growing together. Many of these church leaders have stepped into the role with very little training, so this was a significant week. Even though it felt too short, we have all left built up, encouraged, and fired up to plant more churches. 
 
Most of the Americans were in schools, running programs with the kids. This is the first time as a church we have got into the schools to do something like this. All involved had great fun, and many came to know Jesus. 

Since that week:

• I have received more than 15 calls from parents wanting to know more about what their kids have told them about Jesus and about our church. 
• 4 of the teachers have given their lives to Jesus
• More schools are asking when can we come to them!

This week has truly wonderful. Healings, salvations, joy and encouragement. It has given us a platform to grow the work of God in Mbeya and beyond.”

28 October, 2024

 

Blessed to be a Blessing

“May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.”

Psalm 67: 1-2

Paul gives his feedback on a recent trip to the US...

As I was preparing for this trip, I felt God speaking to me out of Psalm 67. God’s blessing is on us SO THAT we take the message of the gospel to all nations. God has blessed us so much personally, first and foremost he has given us Jesus. We have become His for His glory in the nations. Everything we do for him is in the overflow of what He has given us already.

All that God has entrusted to us—our finances, connections, resources, and gifts—is meant for His glory not only in our communities, which are important, but also for those who have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2).

A significant aspect of our trip involved building strong relationships with our partners. We gained deeper insights into their calling, while also sharing our own hearts and vision, particularly during this exciting period of growth in Issachar.

A real highlight was connecting with those who have been on short-term mission trips to different parts of our world (and some who will be on a team to Tanzania this December), seeing what an impact these trips have had on them and sharing stories of the fruit of the trips from our side.

Please continue to pray for doors opening in the 10/40 window, and for provision as we support mission work in these places.

16 October, 2024

 

Building connections in Tanzania

Colin recently spent some time with Fabian in Tanzania, here is what he had to say:

“Fabian has a vision to plant a reproducing church and a training centre in each of Tanzania’s 27 provinces. This trip was a chance to travel with him and meet some of the people that he has built relationships with in two of the provinces, Dodoma and Tanga.

I have realised that the main goal of these initial trips is to gain credibility among the local church leaders for the training. Bringing new training into an area is frowned upon if it hasn’t been checked out by the local leaders. So this means taking the time to invite the local leaders, providing a good lunch, and trying to give them a meaningful idea of what the training entails, without keeping them for more than a couple of hours.

Thankfully, the leaders I engaged with were genuine, humble followers of Jesus, and were extremely open hearted towards me, welcoming me to come and teach in their cities, and plant churches there.

The highlight of my trip was undoubtedly visiting the church in Tanga which was planted in a completely Muslim dominated village. All the congregation were converted from Islam, including one older gentleman, who gave me a very warm greeting. I later found out that he had threatened the pastor with a knife when his wife had been converted, but later also came to faith.

Here we can see the potential for multiplying leaders who will carry the good news into places that have never heard it. If you want to understand the heart behind Mobilise Global, the reason we do what we do, the last sentence says it all.”
 
Here is Fabians feedback from their time together:
 
“The mission trip with Colin to Dodoma and Tanga was amazing and we experienced many new things. There is a high demand for training in the churches in Tanzania, many pastors leading churches have never had any training. They are so faithful and doing all they can, but they need help. 

Spending a few days in these two regions made us realise we need more substantial training. We need a training centre so leaders from different regions can come and spend a few months being trained. After training with Colin, I now feel equipped to understand and teach through the training on biblical theology.”

And to top a successful trip, Pastor Mabisi from Tanga gave Colin Cookoo the chicken as a ‘thank you.’

03 September, 2024

 

Women of faith and miraculous healings

Here is a testimony from Mandy about her recent missions trip to East Africa.

“From August 2-10, 2024, I had the incredible privilege of traveling with the ladies from Freedom Church to Tanzania and Zanzibar. Our goal was to go and encourage the churches there and particularly the women. As it was my first time venturing beyond South Africa, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was eager to see what God had in store.

At the outset of the trip, I was carrying a heavy burden and looking forward to being surrounded by women of faith. Each of the ladies on the trip became a living reminder of God’s promise to never leave nor forsake us. Our first women’s conference in Zanzibar was especially impactful. Sheila spoke about how God crowns us as His princesses, and the powerful testimonies shared during our prayer time made God’s presence palpable. I believe this conference marked the beginning of healing for many of the women there, including myself.

Our journey then took us to Dar es Salaam, where we held a three-day conference. The messages shared by the ladies resonated deeply with the Tanzanian women. We witnessed miraculous physical healings, including restored hearing and healed knees. Personally, I experienced a profound healing from depression. Mama Kusele’s testimony, in particular, was a beacon of encouragement, illustrating God’s unwavering faithfulness through trials.

I shared my own story during this time of personal struggle, and God met me in my brokenness, wrapping His arms around me and bringing miraculous healing.

I am in awe of how the women from South Africa were used to minister so powerfully to the women of Tanzania and Zanzibar. The impact of these conferences was profound; many women left knowing that Jesus is Lord and will never be the same.

This experience was extraordinary for me. It was as if women from our group came as candles, lighting up the lives of others. I am now inspired to share about God's power and love, having witnessed it firsthand through the lives of these incredible women.”

07 August, 2024

 

I have brothers and fathers who are with me

A recent testimony from Philip Mahali, who leads a group of churches in Western and Northern Tanzania as well as Burundi.

“Before I came into Issachar, I was feeling very discourage. Ministry was tough and I was losing the motivation to keep going. I had seen God do great things, I had planted churches in Mbeya and even beyond, but I was tired.

Then I got invited to meet with Issachar leaders and I heard the testimony from Baba Kamole (from Zanzibar), even though he is old, he is still planting churches and reaching into new, difficult to reach areas. I was so encouraged.

From the time we met in South Africa at the Issachar gathering I came back and began to plant more churches. Knowing that I’m no longer alone, I have brothers and fathers who are with me and God still has much for me to do.”

01 August, 2024

 

Gathering young leaders for impact

In July 2024, we gathered some young, key leaders for a time of input and encouragement. Here is a review of our time together from Phiwe Selema.

“I was honoured to be invited to a gathering called "Sent," and was looking forward to the opportunity to connect with both familiar faces and new ones. My past experiences at these gatherings had profoundly impacted my life, and I was excited to be inspired by the stories and journeys of my fellow believers.

I can hardly find the words to express my gratitude to the families who hosted us. Their care and hospitality were truly exceptional. I thoroughly enjoyed staying with them and building meaningful relationships through our shared experiences.

Upon arrival, I had the pleasure of meeting the rest of the group, 11 guys from South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi and Uganda. Over the five days we spent together, we had the chance to bond, learn about each other, and engage in some good-natured teasing. I deeply valued the mutual respect that characterized our interactions and the thought-provoking conversations we had.

The sessions were marked by a genuine sense of vulnerability from the leaders, which I found deeply meaningful. Their openness, combined with their encouragement to pursue God’s call on our lives, was truly uplifting. I also cherished the prayer and worship times, which enriched our mornings and sessions. Sharing the gospel with the youth in Howick was another highlight for me.

As our time together drew to a close, we focused on understanding how apostles and prophets work together to advance the mission. It was during this period that I felt God speaking to me about a vision for our church—one centered on teamwork and partnering with the Spirit. This word from God is currently unfolding among us, and I am profoundly grateful for those few days. God's presence was unmistakably with us, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the team who organized such a memorable and impactful event.”