I just returned from Tanzania a couple days ago, another big training time filled with some victories and many challenges. At the very end of the training, I preached a “demonstration sermon” from Romans 8:31-39 to give the pastors a picture of the kind of preaching they can do if they implement our Pathways principles. In that passage, Paul emphasizes that because God if for us, although we experience many difficulties in this life, yet even in all these “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (v.37) God provides for us, defends us, and loves us.

On this last trip, (full disclosure) I encountered many challenges, and one stacked on top of another resulted in me being fairly discouraged at some points. None of these were surprising, since I’ve been working in Africa for over 15 years, but I found myself “stretched.”

• Lack of sleep for the first three nights was tough: first night on plane; the next night arriving very late in midst of muggy rainstorm, only few hours sleep before getting up early to preach in church. Then the third night our bus broke down  on the way to Muheza in the north which turned a seven hour trip into 11 hour trip. At one point (again in the middle of a downpour) I was waiting to get on a substitute bus in a crowd of people at midnight and the bus pulled away. As I ran after the bus, yelling and hauling my luggage, finally it stopped and I could board the packed bus (the only one available in the middle of nowhere, TZ.)  That night was again only a few hours of sleep before getting up to start training.
• However, in normal African fashion, no one showed up on time, and over the next two hours slowly people trickled in. Many of the pastors were called away from the training at various points due to ministry demands, so our numbers oscillated significantly.

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• None of the pastors were prepared with the “pre-assignment” I had given to them months earlier and had reinforced the need to prepare adequately.
• Only two had trained others in the previous workshops (a requirement of ours) which meant that an already challenging workshop (three workshops distilled into one big training) would be extra difficult.
• The coordinator informed me that, “Most Africans, including these participants, are not serious.” What he meant is that culturally most Africans, especially in rural contexts, are used to doing the minimum to get by, they adjust last minute to “make things work,” most have never learned good study habits (many only receive primary school education), and if some better opportunity comes along, they will choose that instead of putting in the hard work of studying. This creates a difficulty both for participants and instructors.
• Nearly all the participants had missed (and not made up) multiple workshops, so adding new principles without the previous foundation was tough.
• Also, finances are always a challenge in Africa, and none of the pastors made any contribution for the costs of the training so it was on me to cover all food, photocopies, etc.

All of these elements compounded in me being a bit discouraged at various points in the training. However, as I was praying about these matters, a thought came to mind. In personal fitness, one principle I have heard is, “Something is infinitely better than nothing.” It occurred to me this motto may apply in this situation. Any training I offer to the pastors is much better than them receiving NO training, which is what the case would be for most of them. As Paul said in Romans 8, through all these difficulties and discouragements, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. My dear African brothers have many of their own challenges to overcome, and rather than allowing the enemy to gain a victory in discouraging us, we can rise above, adjust our expectations, and delight in the opportunities as they come along. I prayed for forgiveness for my shortsightedness and lack of faith, and offered the best training I could for the pastors who attended. At the end, several of the pastors shared testimony of ways they had grown through the training. May our gracious God accomplish His purposes through the efforts extended for His glory. I’m encouraged to know God is at work, whether or not I see it, both in the pastors and in me!

At one point in the training, we needed to pause because the downpour of rain on the metal roof was so loud we couldn’t hear each other even when shouting.