LINC

In less than a week I will be heading out to Jos, Nigeria.  While there I will be meeting with a team of about 12 pastors and we will invest 2-3 days in prayer and partnership to create a plan that will train 100,000′s of pastors over the next few years.  We will be laying out our strategy, deciding our training topics and categories, brainstorming key leaders to invite into the process.  Will you pray?

1)  Pray for an amazingly fruitful time for this trip.  (Our goal: over the next 3 years, to certify 500-600 trainers who can train other pastors, creating a ripple effect of training throughout Nigeria and into West Africa.)

2)  Pray for a safe trip.  Approximately 18,000 miles of travel by car and plane.  Pray for our times on the ground, we drive a lot and will be in States that have a history of tensions.

3)  Pray for wisdom.  This trip is 2 years in the making.  We have built amazing relationships in Nigeria, we have a strong trust with hundreds of pastors and leaders, pray for the wisdom I need in serving these courageous and gifted men of God.

4)  Pray for more partners.  I am on the hunt for more partners to travel and train pastors with me.  Please pray for this.

5)  Pray for the finances.  We would like to finish this year strong financially. This trip is funded but none of our 2013 trips are as of yet.

 

Thank you,

 

Leonard Lee

Nigeria Day one May 29

I have an 11:45 flight that finally arrived at 2:45  I was able to sit in my own airport for an extra three hours not counting the 90 minutes I was early.  As I sat there and listened to the complaints of people in a hurry to not be waiting…  I kept thinking about where I was going and how in any different era it would take me months to get there.  I laughed and made the appropriate adjustment to my spirit.

When I did, I was able to see to elderly women, deposited there in wheel chairs. It game me opportunity to pray for them and then to make sure they had snacks, water or anything else they needed.  One of the ladies said that my mom must have raised me right…  SHE DID!  Thanks mom.  I would have missed this were it not for God’s grace.  I think sometimes I miss the truth that serving is more than something I do when I arrive but it also something I do as I travel.    Jesus said, if you have done it to the least of these my brothers, you have done it for me.

Nigeria Day 2 May 30

Arrive in NYC at 11:30 and met my Nephew.  We drove to meet a pastor, Pastor Charlie.  What a great guy.  Serving his church faithfully and since April is no longer bi-vocational in ministry.  I loved his spirit and enthusiasm for Christ.

He just returned from Cambodia and it was so good to sit and listen, to hear of God’s work through him and to see the joy he had in serving Christ there in his context.

After this we at lunch with Jeff.  Jeff is from Ghana.  He is striving to be a missionary to Africa pastors and our hearts were intertwined immediately.  I listened to his vision and passion and could sense strongly that God was indeed preparing a great man for great things.

R.J. my nephew is such a great host to me and I loved spending time with him.  I am so excited to see what God will continue to do with his life.  I told him, next time I pass through NY is will be to pick him up and take him with me.  Meeting with these three men I am reminded of the words from James… “He gives great grace to the humble.”  I saw that in these three sons of God.

Nigeria Day 3  May 31, 2012

I arrived in Abuja Nigeria today.  About 5pm and entered the world of security, customs and ….  I was bringing 2 boxes of Medicine with me so I know customs would be a while. It was as they began to search thoroughly through each box.  We managed to get most through.

I met Dr. Chris at the sidewalk along with Goddy and immediately felt at home.  I remembered the streets and places we went as we stayed in Abuja.  This morning we will head to Jos.

My first thoughts as I took my 90+ minute stroll through the gauntlet of security is how grateful to God I am for being here.  Nigeria does not need me and to come to this amazing place and serve is a gift.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4 that it is because of God’s mercy we have received ministry.  This is the pendulum swinging fully.  To be deserving nothing but condemnation and then to be in a place to serve…  MERCY!

Thank you Jesus for this Journey!

Nigeria Day 4 June 1

This morning we met at 8:00 so we could drive to Jos.  When I stepped outside my door, the parking lot was filled with children, dressed in their uniforms and standing in rows that indicated their grades or ages.  I immediately became a distraction for a large number of kids; I think not to often is someone with my hue in their schoolyard.

We loaded in the car and got on the road.  People often ask what does Nigeria look like.  I can describe what I have seen and what I have seen is GREEN.  The terrain has many rock outcroppings and many textures of green.  The brighter greens of corn growing out of a small 50×50 plot of land, the darker greens of what appears to me to be oak trees.  The in between greens of eucalyptus and rubber trees and a mix of assorted other shades of green and brown from other plants.

People farm a lot here, you see stacks of vegetables in the market along with those who sell to passers by while traffic slows.  A few times today as kids approached the car, they were more interested in touching my skin than selling me roasted corn.

There are a lot of checks along the way, some conducted by the military and some by the police.  Each one requires a stop, often a greeting and a handshake.  You are welcome is the traditional Nigerian greeting and as you depart, you will often hear, safe journeys.

We Arrived in Jos about 12:45 and I am staying at one of the guesthouses.  I was fed lunch and then told to go rest…  I did.  After sleep and resting, I had potatoes, peas, carrots and some beef chunks for dinner.

I have been without power for most of the day, but I got the generator figured out, thanks to Greg, one of the drivers for Faith Alive.  I do not know what tomorrow brings; my schedule is not yet set.  I have a lizard in my room but it is missing a tail, he could be the victim of the last visitors.

One of the many graces of Nigerians is hospitality.  The scripture reminds us to practice hospitality.  They have been extremely kind to this stranger.

Nigeria Day 5 June 2

Today was my birthday.  Sometimes when people ask how you spent your birthday you can recall awesome memories of family, parties and cake. I have known and most certainly enjoyed these kinds of birthdays in my life time.  Today was just as awesome!  Of course no one in this part of the world knew it was my birthday and I certainly did not make a cake and invite them over.  I did however get a great card from my wife and kids along with a Payday and some Jerky.  Thanks guys!

If you were to ask me how I spent my birthday I would tell you it went like this.

I got up and had breakfast.  Oatmeal, toast and hot tea.  After this, I went to Faith Alive and watched a program for kids to learn the scriptures and be trained in God’s love.  The 45-50 kids, ages 3-11 say, recited, sang and overall acted like kids in every part of the world.

From here Daniel and I went to his home where I was able to see his family again.  We hugged, laughed and prayed.  Samuel, who is the pastor that mentored Daniel after he converted from Islam to Christ was with us as well.  He is a caring man of prayer and I have enjoyed him very much.

While at Daniels house, I was introduced to some of the most influential leaders in the local government.  There were 8 in all and two of them were also the chiefs of their villages.   We talked for a few minutes and I was blessed to pray over them for their leadership and work.  We ate lunch together.  They had something that even I am at a loss for words to describe but it was called a traditional meal for their area.

I was served a fish and some rice.  The fish, I do not know what kind was very cooked, very, very cooked but did have good flavor.  The rice was brown and tasty.  It was a good meal.  When I finished, I left to meet some other pastors whom we will serve and to continue making arrangements.  It was great to return to Torro, and on Thursday I will again get to see my brother pastor Monday.

After this, we went to another village and met some of the people there and then drove to a building Daniel is having rebuilt (Daniel is the Mayer over this region of Jos as well as the founder of Rural Frontier Missions)  Then we drove to another area where we will be holding a training and I met Pastor Musa.  Pastor Musa is a long time veteran in ministry and we connected right away.  I prayed for his wife (car accident) and his church.  We left and I came back to the guesthouse at Faith Alive.  I ate some spaghetti (very different sauce than we are used to)  and went to my room.  I was able to get some work done for my sermon, I will speak tomorrow.  I also got some training written and spent some time with God.  I crashed about 10:30 and that was my birthday.

Pretty spectacular if you ask me.  I got to do what I was made to do on the day that is my birthday.  Pretty cool!  By the way, this is 2 out of my last three birthdays I have been in Africa.  I am not complaining.  James reminds me that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father.  I am living in the reality of this truth.

Nigeria Day 6  June 3

Today began with an early morning of prayer and worship.  I spoke at a very large COCIN church.  Security is at a very high level right now and this morning in a neighboring state there was another church bombed.  As we drove there were no less than 5 checkpoints where we were stopped, windows rolled down and asked what we were doing and where we were going.

Then when we got to church there was both armed and unarmed security.  The armed security is government.  They had bomb detectors, and we were one of only three cars allowed to park in the walled and gated church compound.  With all of the threats, restrictions, searches and troubles, you would think the place would have been empty.  Rather, the place had standing room only.  I believe the next time I want to skip church because it is hot…  I will still go.

When I entered the church I found out it was their annual festival of church choirs.  If you ever wanted to hear singing in one of its most beautiful forms, then today was the day.  Several choirs from around the area sang and performed a mix of hymns and African style music.  I admit, I liked the African style better.  Someday every tongue, tribe and nation will sing in the presence of Got a loud anthem of the greatness of God.  I am so blessed to hear just a few notes from the African Continent!

After the last choir went, the host choir sang and then there was a play.  The play showed a small congregation and the pastor preaching.  From the back of the room with loud bangs and clanging, several masked men entered and attacked and killed several of the small congregation. (this is what the play was.)   As I watched, I thought about where I am and that these young people were pulling a play out of an almost daily existence.  I couldn’t help but cry.  While watching the play, I did not notice the entire host choir knelt and the moment the play finished, they began to sing a song of gratitude to God.   I cried again.  Finally, two people dressed in clothes of mourning, entered and knelt with the choir.  Near the end of the song, two people dressed as angels joined the choir to symbolize God’s presence.  Guess what, I cried again.

This morning told the story of Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount.  It was very well received and after church, we ate at the pastor’s home.  While there, we got word of a bombing at a church in a neighboring state.  Interestingly the prayer of the pastors when something likes this.

“Jesus, we pray for those hurt and for those doing the bombing.  We ask you for peace and for protection, thank you for the blessing of being persecuted.  May we forgive as Christ forgives. “

There were a few more sentences but you get the idea.  I am so grateful for these brothers and sisters!

If you have taken the time to read these words, please keep our brothers and sisters in Nigeria in our prayers.  The conflict is real.  To this day there has not been one bombing of a mosque, only churches.  Thank you Jesus for the amazing ability of Nigerians to live in faith and forgiveness.  If you don’t mind, say a little prayer for me.  Jesus said, blessed are you when you are persecuted for my names sake, for you have the kingdom of heaven.  Today I not only spoke this verse, I actually saw it lived out.

Nigeria Journal Part 2

Nigeria Day Seven June 4, 2012

After what seemed like a long night of no sleep and no power, the lights came on at about 5:30 this morning.  I was able to get myself cleaned and clear headed enough to enjoy my breakfast of Oatmeal and Toast before I walked down to Faith Alive Clinic.

When entering the Faith Alive clinic I am immediately struck by the wall and fence around it.   A place of healing has security guards with bomb detection wands, no parking in front or around it and is built to at the very least slow a problem down.  Irony is the word that comes to mind.  Once you enter, there is a canopy-covered hall  where patients and staff enter.

Today, we entered and could here from the inside of the clinic the singing and music.  Faith Alive has a chapel service every morning.  After the music, the speaker preached a sermon and there was a prayer and everyone went to his or her places.  I was able to get on-line for the first time since being in Nigeria and was also able to get my phone to access international networks.  This means I finally got to communicate with home, not gonna lie, I liked that a lot.

I went down and sat in the tunnel and thought about the people who had passed through this day.  Several hundred, all treated for free, all given love and care in the name of Christ.  The people entering and leaving had different expressions.  Those tested for HIV/AIDS are given a counseling session before and after the test.  Esther is the person who does most of this.  Esther just got married last August and she showed me some pictures.

Other patients move back and forth, sometimes kids, sometimes men, sometimes women, pregnant women, younger girls, older people, all receiving care in Jesus name.  It was a great chance to pray for them, sitting in the hallway.

After lunch, we went to the market to buy food.  This was fun.  Muslim and Christians sharing shops side by side but you could feel the tension in their hearts.  We purchased $1000 worth of food for the fennel bank and it will last about 4-6 months.  I watched as Helen and Naomi negotiated the best prices, the merchants were no match for them.  I was the only white guy in the market and this made me a novelty to the kids.  The longer we were there, the more they came around just to see.  If I wore a red hat and said “ho, ho, ho” I might have gotten them to come closer.  We returned with the food and it was loaded into the barrels at the Fennel Bank.  Jesus once said if you have done it for the least you have done it for me.  I think this place has served Jesus many times over.

From here we went to see the Banana Man.  He exchanges our dollars into Nira.  He gets in the car, a conversation is had in Hausa and I hand him 100-dollar bills and he hands me a stack of bills back.  He gives some fruit and then we’re off.

I got back to my room about 5:00, took a quick nap, ate dinner and finalized the training for Faith Alive tomorrow.

Nigeria Day eight, June 5, 2012

Today began at 3am.  No reason in particular, just couldn’t sleep.  From the moment I awoke, I could hear the calls to worship of Muslim’s and my heart became sad.  The scripture – People who walked in darkness have now seen a great light…  I long for this light to shine.  This is why I am here, to encourage the pastors and leaders who both are the light and ignite the light for others in their churches.

After a time of prayer and in the word, I did the most spiritual thing I could think of, my laundry.  When I finished, I began to read one of my text books (still working on the Masters while in Africa) While sitting, I could hear the worship and songs of praise rise up from the people of God, drowning out the Islamic prayers.  I am moved to tears and pray for my brothers and sisters here in Nigeria.

The song they are singing/praying in house is Have your will in my life, have your will in my life, have your will in my life today, have your will in my life, have your will in my life oh Lord…  Do something new in my life, do something new in my life, do something new in my life today, do something new in my life, do something new in my life, do something new in my life oh Lord.  I wonder what God would do if this were each of our passionate prayer with which we launched into our day.

After arriving at Faith Alive, we started the training.  The request was for training in how to relate and work together.  I did training in Unity, Leadership Personalities and 6 Languages in which every organization must excel.  When I was done, they covenanted with me to pass on the training to 5-10 more people.

The response was very positive and I saw the leadership personalities training already make an impact on some relationships.

I am moving from the guest-house tonight to a new location for our travel and training schedule.  I think this will be interesting on 2 levels.  Food – I cannot eat everything Nigerians can eat.  Connectivity – I do not know what this new place will provide.  Oh well, embrace the adventure and see the Hand of God.

Nigeria Day 9, June 6

I moved locations last night to begin the Pastor Training part of my my time in Nigeria.  I was treated so well by Faith Alive and the team, I almost felt guilty about leaving them.  My new location allows for quicker travel to the destinations we have set.

After meeting with Daniel and his team, we have 6 pastor training sessions.  I am thrilled to be entering this phase of the trip.

My day began at 6:00 with Samuel, my roomie for the rest of my time here in Nigeria.  Samuel met Christ through the work of a British missionary who took an interest in him as a small boy.  He is among many children in a home with a few wives.  The 40 something man has been wonderful in really helping me with logistics and such.  We prayed together and then started the day.

I stayed at the Baptist Mission House most of the day, writing talks for training, praying and studying.  I think what God has placed upon my heart will be of use to the pastors.  It is highly practical and highly personal – very pastor to pastor.

I had biscuits and gravy for breakfast and the gravy was, well, it was not too bad for country gravy in Nigeria.  I did chuckle a bit when I got in the car of one of the drivers and heard old style honkytonk country music.    My lunch was at the Net Café, but there was no “net”, just “café.”  We ate with Enoch, a student, studying missions.  He got married a week ago.  Joshua, our regular driver and tasked to my personal safety.  Sarah, Daniel’s wife and her driver, me and Samuel.  I had a cheeseburger and fries, guess what, the fries were awesome and the cheese burger not too bad.  It was a great lunch.  After this I met with Isaiah, he is another leader and we spent 2 hours discussing pastors in Nigeria, their struggles and what God is doing.  It was great to learn form him, and to adjust my thoughts accordingly.

After dinner, (spaghetti) I met with Daniel and we laughed and prayed and were able to finalize details.  Paul wrote about Epapherus, how much he encouraged and refreshed him.  I sat with 2 different pastors who did this in my heart, then as I sat with Daniel, he was deeply moved by the encouragement I gave him.  I think I sometimes underestimate the power of encouragement in the lives of those I serve.  Thanks to God for the reminder.

Nigeria Day 10, June 7

Today we went to Toro to train pastors.  We were in Toro last year as well.  It was great to return and I hoped to see my friend, Pastor Monday.

My morning began with Prayer time with Samuel and then breakfast and off to Toro.  Upon arriving, we met with several leaders and then Pastor Monday came in.  We sat together and he kept thanking me for coming back, for fulfilling the promise to return and for remembering him.  It was very emotional for both of us.

We started with training on unity as pastors and building unity in our churches.  This is very important because many of these pastors come from the same denomination but different tribes.  There has been division because of the tribal aspect.  Another reason for disunity is the bombings of churches, the persecution of the pastors and Christians.  It has fragmented them because fear always fragments.

After this, we talked about 5 global challenges pastors face.  Identity, Servant leadership, teaching biblical doctrine, resources and persecution.  This was extremely powerful for the pastors as well.

We finished with a discussion on persecution and a time of encouragement and prayer.  The day was very powerful.  We laughed together, we were moved by God to tears and enjoyed the sweetness of God’s Holy Spirit.  I left exhilarated  because I felt like I had given all I had and received even more from these men of faith.

Out trip back gave us time to debrief and then visit.  After dinner, I took time to read, rest and slept from 9:30pm to 5:00am, my longest and best night sleep since arriving.  Thank you God!

Nigeria day 11  June 8, 2012

Our day today involved 5 hours of driving but it was so fun to drive to the Zankari Game Reserve.  There I was able to go on a small safari and see some different animals.  We were unable to find the elephants and lions but did locate antelope, wart hogs, water bucks, lizards, 2 kinds of monkeys and a lot of birds.

While there, we relaxed and enjoyed each others fellowship.  Let me introduce a few people to you.  Joshua.  He is my driver and watches over me.  He makes sure I am where I need to be and keeps an eye on crowds so I do not get overwhelmed.  He is an excellent driver and has navigated the roads well.  He is 34, one of 18 kids whose dad has three wives.  His mom is wife number 2.  He is trying to establish himself and earn enough to make sure his siblings can get an education even though he did not.  Education costs money so he works to pay for theirs.  “After they are done I will see if I can get married and educated.”  He loves the Lord very deeply and would love some day to be a pastor.

Enoch is another young man traveling with us.  He has been tasked to watch over me as well and his responsibility is to make sure I have what I need.  He has taken a lot of pictures for me and is very self aware and conscientious.  He just got married 8 days ago and I met his wife.  I asked him to tell me what he thinks the secret to a happy marriage is and his quick response was to always talk about everything and not lie.  He is well on the way.  I watched them in the car and unless you talked to them, they did not know anyone else was in the car.  It was fun to see he and his wife together.  He is finishing his degree in Missions and wants to serve in Northern Nigeria reaching Muslims.  Pray for him.

Augwom is the police officer assigned to travel with us.  With him in the front seat, we get through check points and people are very kind.  He is amazingly aware and well skilled in keeping alert.  When we were feeding the baboon, he did not like it so close to me so he came and stood between me and the baboon.  I took the hint and backed up.  He also loves the Lord deeply and is married with 2 children.  He loves to laugh and when the team was worried a lion would eat us on safari, I told them that lions only like white meat.  He kept laughing about that the rest of the day.  I don’t mind when someone thinks I am funny.  Augwom is an honorable man who loves his Lord, his country and is a great example of Christ.

I have not officially introduced Samuel.  Samuel is a single man in his 30’s or 40’s, I cannot say for sure.  He is a prayer warrior.  In fact last night he disappeared for about 2 hours, locking the door (I was locked in the room) and when he returned, he said, “I felt the need to intercede for the training and pastors.”  The younger leaders simply call him “man of God”.  He has taken care of needs such as charger adapters, getting me rope for an illustration, making sure we have water and teaching me Hausa.  Samuel, is a kind man who loves to serve and be organized.  He is also my roommate these last several days and will be until I return.   A man of prayer would be a way to describe my friend Samuel.

Here is Daniel and Sarah, Shelly and Sandy.  You cannot see the baby since he will not be out until October.  Daniel is the founder of Rural Frontier Missions.  His mission is to see churches starts through the Bush where people are far from cities and resources.

Acts 17 reminds us that God is the one who determines where people life, the boundaries of their lands and live and that he has done this so men would come to know him.  In this team of dedicated people here in Nigeria, I can see the truth in that scripture.

Nigeria Day 12, June 9, 2012

Today we trained the Rural Frontier missionaries, pastors and evangelists.  They are lead by Daniel.  Daniel was recently appointed a regional chairman for Jos East.  He has his own security, driver, official car, official residence and this is a very good position.  He is using his influence for Christ.  This is a great season for he and his family but also for the ministry.

He has 25-30 staff at Rural Frontier Missions and today was our day just to train them.  Their ministry focuses on reaching lost people, starting a church with those people and then discipleing them until they can find a pastor.  Their particular challenges are how to balance evangelism and discipleship, understanding our identity as leaders and it seems everywhere I go, persecution and unity.  These two subjects seem to go hand in hand here in Nigeria.

We spent 5 hours training today and God’s presence was very real for all of us.  I was asked to come next year and already given the list for  training.  I was asked to provide 2-3 days with them out in the bush as well.

I am reading a book on the Afizere People, this is Daniels people.  They were very strong warriors, skilled hunters, experts in cattle and farming, strong iron workers and have a rich tradition of family and community.  I am gaining more and more understanding of my friends in Nigeria each day.  The Gospel came to the Afizere people when one of Afizere People had leprosy and sought medical help.  He found Christ on that trip and retuned to his people with the Gospel of Christ.  Many years later, Islam entered the Afizere People when after years of Jihad, an Islamic King made a leader from the tribe live with him in his palace in order to be a liaison to the people and this leader converted.

Right before I finished my day, my friends came by and brought me my first African Suit.  I am so excited, it was picked out and tailored just for me.    In the morning I will speak in a church for both services.  I am excited to open the word of God with my brothers and sisters here.

My heart is full today and I am truly blessed by God.  I simply feel overwhelmed by gratitude, so good night.

Nigeria Day 13, June 10, 2012

This morning began with a trip to the Ruyhana Baptist Church.  They have 2 services, the first in English and the second in Hausa.  It was Afizere Celebration day and the service was dedicated to celebrating the work of God among the Afizere people.

The pastor is a kind and gracious man, whose passion for Christ is obvious when you meet him, and if is not obvious, then just listen to him pray.  By the way, in case I did not mention this, it is really amazing to hear Nigerians pray.  I preached this service on how God moves among a people and how every culture tells a story the Gospel can speak to.  When I was done, the entire church stood to pray for God to disturb their heart for others in need.

The second service, the one in Hausa was totally different.  It was filled  with traditional dancing from the Afizere people, it was filled with songs from the Afizere People and when I spoke, the reality that God had moved into these beautiful people was right in line with the message.

Once I finished preaching and sat down, the pastor leaned over and said I needed to leave right away because there was a disturbance a few blocks away.  Turns out two bombings took place while I was preaching.  These were the third in the region in the last 2 weeks.  The first taking place in Bauchi state about 2-3 hours from Jos.

We got to our room at the Mission House and we prayed together.  God’s people here endure much for Christ and for many it makes their faith stronger, for some it weakens it.  We prayed God would strengthen the weak, and work for peace.   I spent the rest of the day at the Mission House, even cancelled a meeting, more for rest than security, but it was nice to take a nap before I head into a week where I will speak 5-6 hours a day almost every day.  As I read the bible in preparation for this trip, I knew I would be asked much about persecution, I was reminded that most of the New Testament was written to persecuted people by persecuted people.  Much of the Old Testament describes conflict and there is much to be said in the scriptures about the topic.  Hebrews 10 comes to mind.

Hebrews 10:32-36 Remember the earlier days when you first found Christ, you stood the test of persecution and pressure.  You were insulted, abused in public and stood with others who were treated in such a way.  You even received with joy the confiscation of your property and cared deeply for those who were under such trouble.  You did this because you understood that you had a better inheritance and lasting treasure in heaven.  So do not throw away your confidence, it has a great promise of reward.  You need to endure so that after the test you will receive the very promises of God.  (LSV)  Leonard Slandered Version

Nigeria day 14 June 11, 2012

My sleep was very sporadic last night as I received texts from home, from friends and these came in at different times.  I am grateful for the support and prayers.  When I finally did get up, as is the custom of my friend Samuel, we prayed together.  I quite enjoy these times together and have found him to be a great support here in Nigeria.

After breakfast, I went to a meeting with the leader of one of Nigeria’s largest denominations.  After we met together he invited me to provide a partner letter so we can be official partners in training pastors in Chad, Niger, Ghana and of course, Nigeria.  He is a very humble and generous leader and it is no wonder that the COCIN (Church of Christ in Nigeria) is so influential.

From there, we went to Jos Evangelical Seminary to train pastors, church planters and graduate students.  It was so fun today; even though the rain came so hard a couple times I had to shout to be heard.  When we finished we prayed together and I felt sad that I didn’t have more time with these men and women of God.

I want to introduce you to Ishea (Isaiah)  He is a very good and strong leader.  I sat with him for a couple hours last week and I learned much from him.  The bible says the men of Issachar were men who knew the times and knew what Israel was to do.  Ishea is such a man.  He is actually thinking of spending 2 years in the US to work on his PHD in Theology.

At dinner I was informed that the Governor is coming to the area on Wednesday and I might even have a chance to meet him.  I better be on my best behavior and wear my Africa Suit.  The truth be told, God has opened so many doors while I am here and I am humbled.  Paul told the Colossians to pray for open doors…  I have been and he has opened them.  In the morning we travel to Maijuju.  It is a couple hour drive and we will leave early.  This training is special because we are training pastors who cannot come to the city.  We are going to them and I am excited.  I will tell you more… tomorrow.

Nigeria day 15 June 12, 2012 

This morning we were on Africa Time.  We were supposed to leave at 7:45 and ended up leaving at 8:30.  We arrived at 10:15 for a 9:00am meeting.  Africa Time today.

Maijuju is a village in the bush of Nigeria.  It is mixed with Muslim, Christian and African Tribal Religions.  We set the training there because so many of these pastors cannot get to the city or other places.  Most of our drive was on mud washed and rutted roads.  As we drove the landscape is a combination of mud huts, tin roofed huts, farms, and an occasional store or row of stores.

We arrived and began right away and it was obvious that many of these pastors were in need of encouragement.  The work is hard, Islam is harsh to them and persecution is harming their churches.  They are very poor people and the burdens they carry are heavy.  As I spoke with them, we spent 3 hours training and 2 hours in a Q&A  Here are just some of the questions I have been asked by pastors and leaders in Nigeria.

Questions Pastors Ask

• What do I tell the people whose family was murdered by Muslims?
• Does the bible permit me to fight back?
• How do I get over the anger I feel towards Muslims?
• Can I protect my family when attacked?
• They are targeting pastors and pastor families, how do I explain that to my kids?
• I am angry with God for this, what do I do with my anger?
• I want to quit the work is so hard, how do I stay encouraged?
• I cannot feed my family so I started a farm, how do I manage all the work?
• Can you raise money in the US to help arm the church in Nigeria?
• My people want to fight back, how do I stop them?
• People have quit coming to my church because of the persecution, what do I do now?
• I have to work a farm to eat, I am pastoring a church that cannot pay me enough to live, I start my day early in the morning and go to late at night, how do I spend time with God.

I can only say, “I don’t know” so many ways.  Actually, we open the bible, look at the scripture and pray and have tears together.  It is a holy time.

When I finished my training, we hugged, took pictures and drove the long, muddy and rutted road back.  I ate dinner and spoke with Dr. Joseph….  He was the president of the Baptist Seminary in Jos and has lead two other seminaries too.  He retired and wanted to serve pastors so every year he gathers 150-200 pastors for a week to train them.  He asked if I would do the training.  I also met the Leader for the Baptist church in Nigeria in Christian Education as well as the assistant to the President of the Baptist in Nigeria.  It seems like God is opening doors.

I am really tired now and wish to sleep so good night and thank you Jesus!

Nigeria Day 16, June 13, 2012

My nights in other countries are unpredictable.  Not the schedule but the sleep.  Sometimes the visitors in my room too create a bit of unpredictability.  For example, I have found spiders that are really big, some cockroaches that had saddles they were so big and several lizards.  I have also come across a few mice and rats but most often what makes them unpredictable is the sleep.

Last night was no exception and I found myself awake from 1:30 -4:30 and this gave me time to reflect and pray.  What God brought to mind is a vision to see pastors and leaders loved, trained, encouraged inspired.  It is the vision God began to birth in my heart in 2002 and it is the vision that led me to resign from my church in 2011.  It is the vision that led to the founding of LINC Ministries, it is the vision that motivated me to get my Masters in Christian Leadership.  It is the vision that has lead to work with over 2500 pastors and leaders in the past 18 months and it is the vision God keeps expanding with connections.  I feel extremely blessed.

What also blesses me is the number of people who have committed themselves to this vision.  I am here in Nigeria because of the prayers of literally hundreds upon hundreds of people.  I am here in Nigeria because of the generosity of individuals who give of their finances to support a ministry.  I was moved deeply as I prayed for each person whose support has been instrumental in LINC Ministries first year.  I was drawn to pray as well for the many people who have given their time, their encouragement and, as I lay in my bed last night, I truly was overwhelmed with gratitude.  Thank you seems too small a word for what you have meant to me personally.  More than that is how amazing my wife and kids are.

Add to this the pastors whose ministries have been shaped, the churches whose pastors were encouraged to lead differently or to add another tool to their tools of ministry.  Your faithfulness and generosity is truly impacting other countries of the world.  Thank you again seems to small a word but it is all I have.

I sat with Beatrus (Peter) this morning.  He was a pastor I connected with last year.  If you remember he named his son Leonard in honor of how God blessed him through the ministry.  He has 4 children, Victory, Glory, Mercy and Leonard.  Go ahead, laugh, it is funny.  We spent some time this morning and he shared how his ministry has been difficult and how God has blessed since last year with 5 new churches.  He spoke again how the training last year was so helpful and then we prayed together.  I thank God for seeing him again.

Nigeria Day 17, June 14, 2012

Today began with the usual 2-3 hours of not sleeping followed by an hour of sleeping.  After that, prayer and then breakfast.  This morning, pancakes and scrambled eggs.

We drove to Fobur this morning, it was about an hour away, most of the roads were there.  When we arrived the program “Sports Friends” was working with boys who were ages 6-7 all the way to late teens.  What they do is lead a values based camp for soccer and while training in skills, they also present the gospel.  It is a powerful ministry.

I was able to training about 40 pastors today and it was a moving and powerful day.  When we talked about unity, there were tears and we were under the conviction of the Holy Spirit during this session.  The entire day was filled with these moments.  I was able to see Musa again and continue to pray for His wife and his church.  He wrapped up the session with words to the pastors, challenging them to be intentionally one with another in the mission of God.

We returned and while eating dinner I got a call from Daniel.  He said the church were you spoke Sunday has a suggestion for you.  I couldn’t help but think, “Oh crud, what did I do?”  When they arrived, they handed me pictures of the service from Sunday, said that the church was deeply moved and several people wanted copies of the video so they could hear it again.  Then came the suggestion.

“Pastor, we have heard your vision for training and we want to know if you would be willing to partner with us further.  If you are willing, we will select 10 men you can train, we will care for them and send them to remote parts of Nigeria to pass your training along.”  AAAAAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!  Yay!

I asked if they had the influence to gather 10 men from every state.  If they could keep these men supervised and if we could train ten men for each of the 36 states in Nigeria.  Let’s see.  360 trainers to train 2-3 times a year the Nigerian pastors.    After we prayed, I couldn’t help but have the chills.  This is the vision of LINC in the hearts of Nigerian Pastors.

I am so humbled and grateful and overwhelmed and excited.  The Lord is good!

Early this morning I read in my bible the story of Paul’s journey with Timothy and how God gave them a call to Macedonia.  Please come.  I feel like this is happening to me right now.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance as God leads us.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to speak to many leaders who have lost homes or family in the persecution happening.  I am not quite sure what to say but I am trusting the Lord to give the words.

Nigeria Day 18, June 15, 2012

My morning began at 2:30 as I was pressed by the Holy Spirit to pray.  There are so many people in this world who are hurting.  I see people here in Nigeria and they are struggling greatly.  Some sick, others hurting under the weight of life, poverty, uncertainty and simply a hard physical existence.  I received word from my dear friend John that the cancer he has been battling is back and it truly felt like a punch in the gut.  In a few hours I will speak to a group of people who have lost someone in the conflict here in Nigeria.

I asked one of my US friends, what do you say to these dear people; her wise response was “What would you want to hear if it were you who lost someone?  I am struck by the difficulty I have in answering that question.

When I arrived at the meeting place, I was informed that in addition to of words of comfort, I was offering training on how to counsel people in these situation.  I had about 2 minutes to shift my thinking and cry out to God.  What happened next was truly from the Holy Spirit.

We spent 2 hours, talking, discussing (if you know Nigeria, they are not used to discussion) and building principles of care.  We then focused our time on some specifics in counseling those who have experienced trauma.

For the past couple weeks I have traveled the region of Jos, Nigeria and the most responded to message has been the call to unity.  Pastors in each village and city have been moved to action and we are already hearing reports of connections that were not happening before we came.  Today, I actually saw what we have been teaching in action.  In the room today were pastors from 6 denominations, all praying and meeting together, acting in unity for those who have been harmed.  When I shared an illustration of unity, the room almost broke into applause for the work God had already been doing.

Afterwards, I began to hear the stories and meet the people who have been harmed.   I heard first hand recounting of shootings, bombings, machete  and other acts of violence.  I was shown pictures of homes and churches burned and bombed and I was shown pictures of children who were severely wounded or killed.  I have no words even as I type this, just a deep sense of sadness and tears.

The rest of my day was spent visiting Faith Alive, and while there, their faith and ministry once again impress me.  I felt like I was saying goodbye to my old friends, I was.  From there, we went to the market place and I was able to get a couple small items for my family.   After that, I took Samuel and Joshua to dinner and then back to the guest house where I began the process of packing.  When I am packing for the trip home, I have two thoughts – Why did I bring so much stuff and how did I fit it into these bags.  It is an exercise in mathematics, faith, geometry and physics to get your bags repacked.  In the morning I will drive to Abuja and board a flight toward home.

Isaiah wrote these words from God… “I will not forget you.”  God, thank you these words are true.

Nigeria Day 19, June 16, 2012

My day began in normal fashion for Nigeria.  I did sleep till 6:30 but after that we prayed and then chatted.  After a bit, I took my last Nigerian shower.  It is a bucket in which I put water, then I have a small bowl that I use to dip water from the bucket.  Pour, shampoo, rinse, repeat.  All in all, not too bad really.

I went to breakfast and it was a bit of a mix up – they served cinnamon rolls, boiled eggs and some oatmeal.  I was grateful.  Once breakfast was done, I finished my packing and waited.  Samuel was wanting me to take a picture in my African Suit, holding the drum I also bought.  He kept insisting but I finally said, I was not going to unpack all my things for one picture.  He laughed and said okay.

Daniel arrived at 10:45 and we were on the road.  The trip was nice and we were able to spend time together.  He had a driver with him but chose to drive since he wanted the honor of driving me to the airport.  (there is a joke in there about people wanting to drive me out of town.)   The drive to Abuja is about 3.5 hours when it includes a stop at the vegetable market, it takes a bit longer.  Once we got into Abuja the fun began.  Traffic, goats and people sharing motorcycles (the people were steering) 4 cows laying down in a small truck and people selling goods everywhere.

While changing lanes we were crunched on one side of the vehicle, a little damage but no one was hurt.  I noticed that Daniel let the driver now take over.  He was good, I will give you that.

We pulled over, flagged a taxi to lead us the shortest route to the airport and he did.  We got there, passed through the immigration and now I am waiting for my flight to NYC.  This trip was a very interesting trip.

I found my heart broke often, I was treated incredibly well, saw much fruit and saw some pretty interesting doors open.  I will include these in my news letter but if these doors open, literally thousand upon thousands, maybe into the 10’s of thousands of Nigerian Pastors will receive training in the next couple years.

On the desktop of my computer I have folders.  These folders are organize my information, documents, pictures…  When I produce an item, I put it into a folder.  Sometimes I have something that does not fit into any folder so it sits in plain sight on my desktop.  Every time I travel, there are things I see for which I have no category to file them.  Often these are the result of injustice or human poverty or depravity.  This trip gave me some images I do not think I will shake for some time.  They will sit upon the desktop of my mind and heart.

In 32 hours I will be home, this will give time for several things to happen.  First, the wonderful fermentation of a man traveling.  (Sorry in advance to those who sit next to me)  Second, I will sleep.  My mind, body and emotions need to decompress before I get home.  To decompress I pray, read, sleep, listen to music and sometimes watch a stupid movie.  Third, I will begin the “Next” in my mind.  In about 6 weeks I will be in India and then Burma.  I will be working on the open doors in Nigeria and I will be praying through what God has in store for South America.

Finally, it is not known fully how much they do, but I need to give extra shouts of gratitude to my family.  My kids pray for me every day.  They care about what this ministry does.  They care about the people we serve and how the ministry goes.  I also cannot say enough about my wife.  Not only does she work hard to get me ready, she works hard to help me get home.  She prays the whole time I am gone and takes care of everything while I am away.  Thank you Mason, Katey and Merrily.  I love you more than words can say and could never do this without you.

I have spent the last 11 days without internet, and have survived.  Sorry I could not get the updates to you more frequently.  I am humbled you read and pray.

Nigeria Day 20, June 17, 2012

It is Fathers Day and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than to see my kids after 3 weeks.  I miss them and their voices, the funny things they say and just knowing they are around.  So tonight I will see them and this makes me happy inside and out, but my hunch is that they will want to wait until my shower until I get a hug.

My flight from Nigeria was uneventful, the guy next to me did have to get up 4-5 times to go to the bathroom, meaning I had to get up and let him step through.  We got off the flight and customs was no problem.  My flight home is not until 1:00 and it is 6:30 so I am sitting watching people in NYC walking and talking, all with places to go or places they are coming from.  My final post has this thought.

When God created all the beauty of the world he said “It is good” when he created people he said “it is very good”.  Somehow, one of the ripple effects of sin upon humanity is that we have reversed this in our thinking.

When we see beauty in creation, Victoria Waterfalls, the Himalayas, the Grand Canyon, the Amazon the Pacific Ocean or just a beautiful landscape, we use words like amazing, awe inspiring, awesome.  Then when we see people we too often say…Eh, hope they do not bother me.  Yet God approached creation in the opposite fashion.   For creation – it is good  for people -  fearfully and wonderfully made.  Maybe one of the reasons we struggle to believe this about ourselves is we don’t really believe this about many people.

Traveling lets me sit in the front row of the “IT IS VERY GOOD” Theater.  I meet some of the most amazing, awe inspiring, God representing, “it is very good” people.  Then when I return home I meet some more.  I pray God gives me the eyes and heart and mind to appreciate people the way God does.

It is indeed good to be home!

Changed,

Leonard Lee

Ready… Set… GO!!!

July 8, 2011

Tomorrow we will drive another 3-4 hours and visit a sports camp.  Michael (one of our team) will give a talk and then we will see the very first church planted by Rual Frontier Mission.  Here we will encourage the bleivers and then speak to a large group that night.  On sunday we will be in a couple churches before heading back to Jos.

Thank you for your prayers, I can sense that God is about to do something huge here and that we will play a role in it.  Will you keep me in your prayers as I seek only to say what God wants said?

God Bless,

Leonard

Sunday, July 10, Nigeria

This is for real…

My daily journal so far