Lottie Moon Week of Prayer : Day 3

Before he found Christ, Bishwa Karmacharya was destined to become the temple priest, making sacrifices on behalf of others. Instead, the Nepalese church planter grew up to tell others about Jesus’ sacrifice.

Karmacharya is Brahmin, the priestly and highest caste in Hinduism, the religion followed by most Nepalese. It’s typically unthinkable for Brahmins and high-caste Hindus to associate with lower-caste Hindus.

But Christ has no caste, says Karmacharya, who was trained in church planting by IMB worker Carl Russell.* Russell watched God develop in Karmacharya a gift for sharing the Gospel and church planting. Now he and his wife, Ramila, plant churches among all castes and people groups in Nepal.

His radical obedience has permeated a growing generation of Nepalese pastors who, like Karmacharya, have chosen the road less taken, braving threats and bombs to see Christ’s name glorified in the Himalayas.

“We don’t pray for one more church,” Karmacharya says. “We pray for one more healthy church.” This means having local, indigenous leadership. That’s why the Karmacharyas regularly pile into their car and drive down roads that hug the hips of mountains to train these leaders.

Many Nepalese would call Karmacharya a radical because he’s chosen obedience to Christ over caste, culture, family and Hinduism. He sees himself as only obedient.

Pray for healthy churches and other godly leaders to be raised up in the Himalayas; pray for safety for the Karmacharyas.

Pray that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal will be met so more obedient workers like Carl Russell can disciple and train national leaders.

Many of the people the Bratchers work with are illiterate. LMCO giving allows them to purchase materials for oral learners. An example of these materials are picture flip books that tell Bible stories from creation to Christ. These picture books cost $8.

The Bratchers say they use many audio-based materials like the Papyrus Solar Audio Player. This audio player is solar powered so it can be used in areas without electricity. These solar players cost $50.

They also use “The Hope,” a DVD Gospel presentation that has been contextualized for the Tibetan Buddhist world. Copies of the video cost $10.

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer: Day 2

Grace* shakes her head. Feathered earrings dance, framing her face with motion and color. She is a member of one of the indigenous tribes of South America and is talking about the future of her people.

There are outsiders who would keep them in something of a museum — as living history, she says — stuck in a time that has not been a reality for several generations. It’s not what she wants. Yet the identity of her people in the global community is not an easy issue. “A lot of our people don’t even know our [culture],” she says. “They say they do, but they hide behind it.”

She wants her people to move ahead — to “win.” She wants them to take advantage of all that is going on about them while retaining the best of their culture. That means having to change.

Grace and her tribe are among 3,400 unengaged, unreached peoples across the world. Nearly 400 are in South America. Isolated by language, culture, history and — in some cases, geography — they live mostly in small clusters of fewer than 3,000 people. Most will never have a missionary assigned to them. Yet the church is called to take the Gospel to all peoples.

Gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering allow IMB personnel to identify and understand these often forgotten people, offering Southern Baptist churches committed to embracing unengaged, unreached peoples a basis for beginning their work among them.

Pray that Grace’s people truly will “win” and have the opportunity to hear about their Savior.

Pray that your church will be one to embrace an unengaged, unreached people group that might not otherwise hear the Gospel. 

Your Dollars at Work in UPG's: For $100, a worker can purchase a water filtration bottle needed when trekking through the jungles of South America to find the nearly 400 tribes that have never heard the Gospel. They also spend $30 on waterproof bags needed to keep their Bibles and other materials dry.

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer: Day 1

A glimmer of light shines in Egypt. It’s not pretty and it smells worse, but it’s hope. It’s a sign of God at work. In the middle of a city dump, which more than 3,000 people call home, God is raising a church.

Leading the vision to build this garbage city church is a 31-year-old man who moved to the community as a teenager. “I have a strong sense for what it is like here, since I have lived here myself,” says Joseph.* “So God put in my heart to build a church here. That has been my dream.”

Joseph’s church is but one of many in a country with a rich history of Baptist ministry. “Southern Baptists were very influential through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon,” says Ron Robinson,* who served in Egypt for 29 years and witnessed the beginning of Baptist work. “When we first went [to Egypt], the work was evangelism that resulted in churches. That was our statement.” The work has led to a vital impact on Egyptian churches who are answering the call to reach their own people.

Especially with the unrest in the region, Southern Baptists need to stay focused on how God is working in Egypt, says Ron. “He sent His Son to die for these people and we cannot lose the eternal big picture. [We] have to stay on track.”

Pray for Joseph and other leaders who are carrying out the vision to BE His heart, His hands, His voice.

Pray that Southern Baptists will act now with generosity and obedience while the doors of opportunity in Egypt are open.

How Your Dollars Count in Egypt: 

Today Christian workers are continuing the work of building up Egyptian churches. For $70, a worker can hire a driver and get safely to remote locations like the garbage city. That same amount of money can also be used to transport pastors like Joseph to training events and discipleship seminars.

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer

This week is the week of prayer for Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 

The Theme for this years offering comes from Matthew 16:24-25, HCSB

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it."

Engaging people groups in the hard places comes with risk and sacrifice for all who obediently choose to be His heart, His hands, His voice. Most of us aren’t threatened because of our faith, but we need to be in prayer for those who are — not that persecution will end but that believers in persecution will stay courageous and bold.

Giving is also a call to obedience and sacrifice. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® enables IMB missionaries to live and work at the forefront of lostness and extend our witness through their full-time ministry.

Each of us and our churches are called continually to take the next step in our obedience so that Christ is glorified and to ask “What am I doing and what is my church doing to be obedient — to BE His heart, hands and voice, no matter the cost?”

Each day I will be posting the 8 days for the offering highlights a dark place where the gospel is working. Thank for you for praying and giving to Lottie Moon. 

"They must really like you" ...

This was said a lot over the last week in reference to Bethany and Andrea coming to visit me last week. People were surprised they would travel such along way for such a short amount of time. So their response would be " they must really like you!"

Bethany, Me, and Andrea at Teafarm 

I am incredibly humbled and grateful for ALL the visits of 2012. When someone comes such a great distance to see what God has been doing and 'walk in your shoes' means the world. Thanksgiving day a man who got to know my parents in their visit of August 2012, said " Ya know, they really like you. They are just so proud of you." I laughed - but its true. My entire family has been so support in the last year and this crazy adventure.


Softball season is over. We ended the season with a party eating ballpark themed food and the 90's classic "rookie of the year." The point of the party was to help Emily with her relationships next season when I'm gone.

Softball girls! 

We have also met some new friends who are Hindu. We had a Diwali party watching bollywood movies and eating Indian food. After the movie they explained to us what Diwali was really all about.
One of the girls even came over and did come henna for Bethany and Andrea during their visit.

Beautiful Henna

Christmas is taking over Nairobi! All the malls are getting decorated and Im doing some shopping! 

Its beginning to look like Christmas!

See you in 2 weeks America!

6 Weeks and Counting!

Here's me riding the camel- I was actually terrified 

The month os October has been a wild one. From Uganda to the desert to the coast. I can't believe its already November. Surprisingly Christmas Decorations are already up at the malls in Nairobi! My friend and I took a break to the coast and had a wonderful time being pampered by the family there and the hotel we stayed at for the night. I even got to fulfill my goal of riding a camel! Halloween I had some friends over for dinner and cheesy "Hocus Pocus" - Em and I carved "african" pumpkins! "Georgia was on my mind" as you can see from the photo. :)

November will wrap up softball. We have had only a couple of games this season. The expectations I had from this ministry kinda proved to disappoint. We have hardly had practice, much less opportunity for devotion time due to girls showing up on time.

Prayer Requests:
- Girls from softball and opportunities to share
- Our University friend's salvation
- My friends Bethany/ Andrea are coming for Thanksgiving!
- Ladies Prayer retreat ( Im leading worship)

Our view for the Saturday Afternoon 

Deep in the Desert

Meet Evelyn 

Nursery School in Kargi 

Patience, Ruthie, and Peace 

Kibaki in Kurkum 

Kids in Kurkum 

Meet my Rendille Mom! 

Pastor Brown 

Story time under the tree 

How creative is Our God in cultures! 

100 KM from the nearest town you find a unreached people group called the Rendille. Deep in the desert- where only thorn bushes and acacia grow. Our trip started with a long bus ride to a town in northern Kenya called Marsabit.  We took an all night bus where the three of us were stuck on the same bench crammed together, attempting to sleep. We arrived the next morning and crashed until the next journey. Our next mode of transport was called a "Lory." This meant we sat on top of large bags ( maize or rice) for three hours while the people stared at us. The dust was so bad I had to wrap my head in a scarf. Finally we arrived to where we were staying for the night. The Ndegwa's welcomed us with open arms. This family has been serving in Kargi for about 5 years. They have 3 beautiful girls who made the house always "alive." Our first day in Kargi I went to the school with a girl named Evelyn. She is a short term missionary. I taught the story of Noah to the kids in 4th grade. Most of the kids just stared at me or wanted to play with my watch. Its so hot you cant possibly do anything for most of the afternoon so each day we took a break from about til about 4 to rest. That afternoon we went to the first Manyatta. A manyatta is a cluster of thatched houses. The children came in droves. Some of the women came over - mostly older women. Emily told the story of the demon possessed man. Day 2 I went to the new nursery school. The kids were crazy and hardly understood any Swahili. This was the first time any of these kids had even been to school so they were restless. In the afternoon we went a different manyatta to do a birthday party for some rescued twins. The kids were anxious to get their hands on the goodies we had for them. We moved to Kurkum that night. We stayed in the manyattas where the 2 missionary guys stay. We had to learned to take a bucket bath in the moonlight praying no one was watching. Day 3 I went to the local school with one of the missionary guys to teach class 3. That afternoon we had the frustration of having no translator to speak in Rendille for us so we just walked a greeted people. As we walked up to one lady she stated she wanted to adopt me. She gave me the name "Kurkumea Nalea" Which meant I was born in Kurkum. (The Rendille believe we were all once Rendille and we have come back home). She gave me a necklace on the last day. She was a very sweet and affectionate lady. We were also able to go to the tree where the old men sit all day. This has been unheard of for me when Ive gone to other places, but they received us well. Emily shared C2C with them and they actually answered the questions when asked what they thought about the story. Day 4 I spent the morning in the Manyattas. We walked, greeted, and prayed for many sick people. The Rendille only eat what "relief food" is provided on the trucks when it comes, which basically consist of starch and beans. No vitamins - which means their immune systems are poor. One lady's house we stopped into gave us soured camel's milk to drink. This was by far the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth in all my trips abroad. The missionary, pastor Brown took the bullet and drank most of it for me. That afternoon we visited another manyatta and shared the C2C story with the women and children. The children were restless and the women didnt respond as well as the men did, but they at least heard the story.  That evening we had to pack up our stuff and leave. It was very sad to go after such an incredible week.
This week I learned so much about "counting the cost" Seeing Kenyans reaching to their own people was humbling. The Rendille have nothing but can always afford a smile. They give sacrifices to a fake god and believe in witchcraft. Their "sin" and "doing wrong" is OK when it is done to someone who has wronged them or have "more" than them. One man will have multiple wives and a girl will marry as young as 9 years old. A woman's role in life is to have children and feed them. Having livestock is more important than food in your children's bellies. Going to school is only for the few. The Rendille need to know the gospel.
Please pray for ...
- Pastor Ndegwa and his family as they minister to the people of Kargi.
- The nursery school as is begins and for sponsors to supply needs.
- Evelyn as she finishes her time there.
- Pastor Brown in Kurkum
- Kibaki as he finishes his time there.
- That the Rendille people would come to know God.