“Look up at the sky and count the stars” – Genesis 15:5 (NIV)

Uganda is a special place—“The Pearl of Africa,” they call it. It’s a beautiful country of rolling hills, mountains, and vegetation. The source of the Nile River is there, bubbling up from underneath Lake Victoria. During the day, my eyes couldn’t get enough of all that they were seeing.

It was when the sun went down, though, that I saw and was reminded of something even more beautiful.

Far from the city, the light burns brightly

My colleague, Pastor Keegan Dowling, and I had the privilege and honor of traveling to Uganda just before Christmas to teach about the life of Jesus to a group of pastors, evangelists, and lay leaders in the Obadiah Lutheran Synod (OLS). The OLS is a church body with whom WELS will be declaring formal fellowship during its 2023 synod convention. The workshop took place on the property of the church president, Pastor Musa (Moses), located in a village away from modern conveniences. The only electricity around was produced by a generator sparingly after night fell. This might not sound very pleasant, but it revealed something often hidden from our eyes.

The night sky…

Seeing that sky and the starlight that pierced its veil is something I will never forget. Thousands upon thousands of the great starry hosts twinkled above us, casting their soft light and dispersing the gloom. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the conversation God had with Abraham about the stars… “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them…So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).

Pastor Dowling and I were blessed to be introduced to about 40 of those believing stars at this workshop. We taught many stories from the life of Jesus, from his birth to his ascension, and these stars soaked it up. Then they showed us their own capacity for light-bearing as they taught and retaught the same lessons in our practical sessions. Our goal was not only to teach them more about Jesus but to teach them to teach their people more about Jesus.

Who could have guessed that we would meet some of Abraham’s descendants in this remote village in a country halfway around the world from the home we knew? Jesus can count the stars.

Count the stars of Jesus

He knew he’d be introducing me to Tony, a persistent optimist and a man trained to be an educator. He sees many challenges facing their church body (lack of Bibles, for one), but he sees more opportunities for doing gospel ministry. He wants to give Bibles away, show films about Jesus to the community, start a Lutheran school for children, travel to Sudan to do missionary work there, and more.

Jesus knew about Jaka, a refugee from South Sudan due to the war going on there. He lives and serves in a refugee camp on the Ugandan side of the border. Jaka lives separated from his parents. In spite of his experiences, he praises and glorifies God. He also keeps his sense of humor and was often the one making everyone laugh.

Jesus introduced me to another star, Isaac, one of the few men there who has been seminary trained. He had been doing work with another church in Uganda, but eventually left for doctrinal reasons and has been in touch with WELS for some time. I was privileged to be part of the meeting where he and his two companions officially requested to become a part of the OLS in Uganda. Three others who weren’t able to make it to the workshop will also be joining. More stars…

Finally, Jesus knew about Pastor Musa, the current president of the OLS, shining brightly for all of them. He and two others started this church body back in 2008. They had neither congregations nor resources. Today, the OLS has nearly 30 congregations in spite of still having very few resources. Their motto has often been: “We will make use of whatever resources are available.” That goes for money and people as well. Many of the workshop participants were young, in their late teens or early twenties, and they had very little training. But Musa is determined to train them and have their gifts put to use to teach the people in their congregations. That way the light of Jesus may shine all the more brightly, and more and more stars of Abraham might make themselves known as they pierce that blanket of night.

As you look up at the night sky, wherever you are, count the stars you so often can’t see. Count these descendants of Abraham who shine with the light of Jesus. Pray that our Savior would cause them to burn ever more brightly, that the whole world may be bathed in the light of God’s fulfilled promise to Abraham.

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia and coordinates One Africa Team’s Outreach efforts.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

For every two steps we advance forward, we often take one step back. Nobody takes a wrong turn on purpose. But when we understand where we have made a mistake, we back up and take another run at getting it right.

Steps Forward

In 2016 the Confessional Lutheran Church of Liberia appealed to the One Africa Team for ministerial training. The One Africa Team rapidly took several steps forward in our relationship with the Liberians. Our first recommendation was to study Luther’s Small Catechism together, and we began making regular visits.

Then COVID disrupted our plans.  We realized that we had seen only a small portion of our students in action. So, we asked to attend an entire worship service.  In doing so, we remembered that there is more to Lutheranism and conservative Christianity than the classroom and academics.

Teachers know that their students know by what their students do.  So, what are the congregations in Liberia doing?  We have not seen infant baptism. We have not seen the Lord’s Supper distributed. We have not seen a liturgical order of worship. We have not seen solid law and gospel teaching. 

A Step Back

We are taking one step back and reassessing our approach while our brothers continue to do the hands-on, feet-on-the-ground work of Gospel ministry.  Maybe our job is not as big as we anticipate.

The One Africa Team learned a lot in Liberia in November of 2022.  Now we are challenging our Liberian friends to put our new-found knowledge to use.  We are challenging the leaders of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Liberia to be an active part of an online group platform.  We are challenging them to participate in Multi-Language Productions’ online TELL Bible Study.  We challenge them to show their ministry in writing via keeping track of statistics like church attendance and confirmations. These are all new ideas that may be a bit of a challenge for them to accept.  But God challenges all of his disciples to carry out Gospel ministry regardless of the circumstances.

We also met a man and several of his team members in ministry at the “City of Refuge Kingdom Ministry.”  Clarence Pillepor has had a bit of experience studying the Bible. He recognizes that in the past he was not teaching the truth of Scripture.  After some months of online discussions, we took the opportunity to meet him in person.  He was very excited to receive a copy of Luther’s Small Catechism, which he had never seen before. We are making plans to visit him in 2023.

Whether forward or back, we trust God to direct our next steps. Nothing can stop His kingdom from coming.

Missionary Dan Kroll lives in Malawi and is One Africa Team’s Liaison to West Africa

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Liberia’s coat of arms contains the slogan, “The love of liberty brought us here.” It reminds me of an oft-repeated (and misused) verse from John 8: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ( v32).”  The truth of which Jesus speaks is the truth of the Gospel, the truth that his death on the cross redeemed all mankind. The Gospel truth sets us free from the slavery to sin and the guilt that plagues every one of us. The love of Gospel liberty has brought One Africa Team to Liberia.

Political Liberty

Liberia’s history as a nation is rooted in the soil of liberty. In the early 19^th Century, thousands of people of African American ancestry emigrated from the United States to Liberia. The American Colonization Society established Liberia as a refuge for former slaves. In 1847 the local leaders declared Liberia an independent nation. Soon afterward the American settlers elected Joseph Jenkins Roberts as the country’s first president. European governments never colonized Liberia during the “scramble for Africa” in the late 1800s.

Sitting at Roberts International Airport just outside of Monrovia, I reflect on what just happened. I was here for 11 days of teaching with our One Africa Team Outreach leader, John Hartmann.  Missionary Hartmann had been here a little over two years ago in December of 2019. He came to lead doctrinal discussions with leaders of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Liberia (CLCL). Four months later, COVID canceled our trip just days before take-off.

Two years later we were making preparations to return to Liberia. Changed requirements for COVID vaccines and visas delayed our return to Monrovia by a couple of months.

Love of Liberty in Christ

One Sunday I was privileged to listen to lay preacher Cyrus Shagbeh. Loudly and vehemently he begged the Lord to free him and all his members at Jehovah Fire Ministries. He asked for freedom from slavery to fornication, envy, gossiping, jealousy, anger, and selfish interests. The devil uses all manner of sins to enslave us to frustration and fear in this world. But the love of liberty brought Christ to our world. He came “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…and to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18).

One Africa Team supports ministries that promote local responsibility and ownership.  We are working hard to strike a balance. On the one hand, we respect that the CLCL is conducting its ministry autonomously without outside oversight or support. On the other hand, the love of liberty requires us to stand firm in the freedom of the Gospel. We must not let anyone be burdened by the yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1).

We desire to strengthen the unity in teaching and practice between our Liberian friends and other Gospel partners in Africa. Please keep the men and women of the CLCL in your prayers. Ask the Lord to bless our efforts to share the Gospel freedom with our brothers and sisters in Liberia. May he strengthen their love of liberty through the mighty name of Jesus.

Missionary Dan Kroll lives in Malawi and serves as One Africa Team’s liaison to West Africa

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa