Follow the Backpack?

Recently, a long time STS instructor, Pastor David Mateli, went home to the Lord. We called him the wood carver for all the African animals he carved to and from STS trainings. All proceeds from his carvings that sold at TGSP helped David in his ministry, as well, future sales will continue to help his family. He loved the Lord and served our Saviour diligently. David became one of our best instructors in East Africa. This article comes from the heart of Bramuel Musya, former leader in The God’s Story Project, and has been slightly edited.

“Pastor David Mateli, the man in white stripes in the photo, my friend and confidant. A partner with me every step of the way for 12 straight years. A distinguished record of service and an unmatched passion and commitment to our vision to equip pastors with tools and skills for effective ministry. A man at equal ease with the urban and the rural folk without pride or prejudice. 12 years ago while still new in the ministry of equipping pastors, I went and trained 36 Baptist pastors in Nairobi Kenya. The training was on Bible storytelling (Simply The Story). The pastors were amazed. But the trainer (myself) was young but passionate.

“In the end the pastors asked me, ‘where is your office In case we need more material?’ The ministry was still being birthed. I had no team and I had no office. I lived in a little apartment, which doubled as my office, my home and my training center. Lifting up my backpack, I got up and said to the pastors, “I don’t have an office. But I have this backpack. It has my Bible, my phones and a laptop. And where it goes, that’s where the office is. If you want this dream to grow, you have to choose today to join me and follow the backpack and let’s make a team and reach African pastors.

“The next morning Pastor David showed up at my house. He said, ‘I’ve followed the backpack. I want us to work.’ That was a rainy Friday morning in 2007. The man traveled far and wide and trained countless pastors and leaders with me. Always ready to go. For his income he made wood carvings. All the while never losing sight of his ambassadorial role to the Galilean woodcutter of old (Jesus Christ). The man was a hard worker, never shy of getting his hands dirty. Rest in your rewards pastor! I sure will miss you.”

Please continue to pray for David’s family as they adjust to life on earth without David. Although we sorrow and miss him, we sorrow not like those who have no hope.

God’s Story More Than Anything?

Since May 2017, a small team of committed believers has been showing God's Story, conducting Simply The Story workshops, and planting STS Oral Bible Schools (OBS) through out the Uganda refugee camps, the Sudan and recently, the Kenya refugee camps.

In the Uganda camps we estimate about 90 showings of God's Story occur every month with 2000-5000 people watching a night (about 216,000 to 500,000 total in 2018). In Northern Sudan about 200-500 people a night, or about 10,000 people total, watched (for safety reasons).

The power of God's Story gives people the meta-narrative from creation to eternity in just 80-minutes. This impacts people greatly as they hear that even with Adam and Eve, God comes to man to rescue him. Continuing through the video, the people see that man repeats his mistakes. Even though people have multiple chances to trust in God, they choose to trust their own ways, as seen in the Cain and Abel story. This pattern continues in Noah, the Tower of Babel, and so on. God's Story clearly shows man's ways to sin and God's mercy and provision for man to be reconciled back to God.

Many people learn the truth about God for the first time and thousands trust in the Lord Jesus as their personal savior. One Turkana man in Northern Kenya said he likes God's Story more than anything in his life because it starts in creation and is very fundamental.

The God's Story program in languages like Madhi, Arabic, Juba Arabic, English, Swahili, Turkana, Amharic and more, helps give people a desire for more of Scripture, which leads them to Simply The Story (STS) workshops. Each workshop has from 40 to 140 attendees. The pastors and leaders can do the STS process after just a little bit of training, and learn an average of 15 to 20 stories.

The leadership team also visits the public schools. Amazingly, the children answer Bible questions well because of watching the film in the evenings. The pastors teach STS style and the people are learning, making discoveries of truth and applying God's Word to their lives.

After STS, Oral Bible Schools (OBS) are planted where students learn 296 Bible stories and lead discussions, developing a greater Biblical worldview. Since the students discover these deep truths with the help of the Holy Spirit, they own the information, as well as leading students to tell others what they are learning each day. This impacts the community! We have more than 800 students in our OBSs in Northern Uganda, another 151 students in the camps in Kenya, and 10 OBSs in Northern Sudan.

In the Kenya refugee camps, almost 90% of those who heard STS style Bible stories made life changing decisions. Our leader described the situation like Joseph who chose the harder way to be faithful to God, even though it meant going to prison (Genesis 39:11-20).

One woman committed adultery in S. Sudan and denied the accusations. She went to Uganda pregnant and continued to defend herself and deny the adultery claims. When one of our leaders taught the one leper story from Mark 1:40-45 at an STS workshop, the woman said that the man (the healed leper) disobeyed Jesus even after Jesus healed him. She then publicly confessed, "I did the same. I disobeyed Jesus."  She was ready to change her ways.

When another leader taught about the man with the withered right hand (Luke 6:5-11) many saw that the man had a problem with his hand, but the scribes and Pharisees had problems in their heart. When the leader asked if anyone had hidden problems in their heart, many people came forward to confess and pray.

Items for Prayer

Please pray for the graduates from our STS Oral Bible Schools. This year we are expecting at least 800 people to graduate from the Uganda refugee camps. Abigail Miller, Tom and Dorothy’s granddaughter, and I will spend most of April in Uganda, Europe, and Kenya with OBS students, as well as with leaders from all over East Africa.

Please pray that every graduate will receive a solar audio player ($42 each) with their language of God’s Story, Bible stories, and the Bible in audio. Most our students are instant evangelists almost from the time they start learning the 296 Bible stories. We call this program “Gift for Grads.”

God’s Story recordings and translations continue throughout the world. Some languages have funding ($3500 each), but not all. Please pray for the Lord’s provision on the unfunded languages, especially for the team that has started 10 languages in West Africa, in a place that needs the Truth. As well, if you would like to “adopt a people group” for prayer, let us know.

We also need prayer for the many projects and people in this ministry. If you desire to help with a project (short term) or for on-going needs or specific prayer needs, please contact us in the office.

Giving thanks to the Lord in all things!

Andrea
Executive Director
& the whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)