Pro-vision for the Vision
It is an awesome responsibility to have fifteen people, ages 22 to 60, from all walks of life come to Ukunda Missions School (UMS) to train for seven months to become missionaries to the Moslem nations of the world. Some of the students have been street boys; some are pastors; some are medical doctors. Some are fathers and mothers with young children. Some have college and university education; some have not finished high school. Some have adequate resources; others are trusting God to somehow supply the very modest school fees of $350 (which includes room and board) for the seven month training program.
But all the students are convinced they were divinely directed to UMS and that there is no other place in the world that they would rather be. They have put aside all other work and responsibilities and have ‘placed themselves on God’s altar’ with one passionate request;, “Lord, speak to me! Speak to me; and I will do whatever you direct me to do, even though it costs me my life.”
The students are taught to hear the voice of God and to walk in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit with miracles, signs and wonders following. They are taught to live in community with love and holiness. They are taught to trust God in impossible situations. They are taught to pray for boldness to take the Gospel into places hostile to the Gospel. And they are sent our two by two as ‘lambs among wolves’ in multiple mission assignments across Kenya throughout the months of the training program.
Last year’s class, (the first graduating class, graduating in April 2014) saw hundreds come to the Lord throughout the seven months of their training program. Four bases were established in four different locations, to disciple these new believers and plant house churches. Each base is staffed by at least two graduates from last year’s class. These staff are given a monthly stipend from the school to cover their living expenses. Angel, a young woman graduate from last year has developed a deep burden for the young early teenage girls of her base-town whose families see marriage at this young age as the only option for their daughters in that they have no way to provide for them. Angel is recruiting resources to take the whole gospel to these girls and provide training that will help them delay sexual involvements and marriage and will help them to get their high school education.
Vaughn Martin, founder and director of the UMS, counts himself greatly blessed by the high quality leadership team that God has placed around him. These are multi-gifted persons of great commitment to the vision who have made great personal sacrifice to be a part of the ministry. (Often people are attracted to a new work by what they hope to get financially from the work; but for these men participation in the ministry has come at significant sacrifice of business and income opportunities.). The team includes Mbali a building contractor who is now pastoring the newly formed Ukunda Missions Church. Mbali is a wise leader who is respected for his compassionate involvement with people in the Muslim community surrounding the school. Katana is the third person of the administrative team. He had an electronics repair business and led a family gospel band. Katana is a powerful worship leader and he is now school administrator. Vaughn’s team spends significant time daily listening for God’s direction for dealing with issues and for discerning next steps. Even ideas which seem intuitively good on the face of things, are laid before the Lord for His answer. God has blessed this style of careful listening for His direction with success far beyond what anyone would have imagined in this first year and a half of the school’s existence.
Vaughn has drawn teaching faculty from across Kenya and around the world. Dr.Solomon is the capable professor of Moslem evangelism. He has very effectively led teams into areas in Kenya where the gospel has never been preached. In one of these areas, the village leader, an imman, asked the UMS to start a school for their village so the children do not have to cross a crocodile infested river to go to school.
Other teachers include an American couple living in Kenya who teach a one week course reviewing basic Bible Doctrines. They also, at the same time, train the students in how to teach this course to others. Alejandro leader of a large network of churches in America teaches at least a week on power evangelism. John Harris of North Carolina who moves with a prophetic gifting, trains the students in activating and walking in the gifts of the Spirit. He also ministers prophetically to each student. Joa Ephraim of Belgium teaches on team ministry and church planting.
I teach a one week course on “Creating a Culture of Blessing.” I train the students in how to hear the voice of God and in how to create a space so that those they are ministering to can hear the voice of God. In addition to lecturing and class exercises and demonstrations. I spend at least an hour with each student listening to their life stories and then enabling them to hear the Spirit of Truth for their life and issues. This concludes with giving each student the blessing of the Heavenly Father. God has moved in amazing ways in these experiences.
This new class of students is eagerly preparing themselves for their first missions outreach assignment. In addition to their daily class work from 9 am till 5 pm., they participate in local house churches and in weekly evangelistic meetings at the school.
The UMS administrative team is sensing that God is leading them to do some further building on the school site. They plan to construct a building to provide classrooms for the school. They also plan to construct a number of apartments for staff, students, and Muslim believers who accept the Christian faith and are then banished from their homes.
Vaughn and his team are also sensing that what they are doing is part of a move of God in releasing a new passion for missions across the church. They are sensing that they will be establishing missionary training schools across Africa similar to UMS. They are stirring up a new interest in mission in the Kenyan Church and in European Churches as well as the American Church.
The passion for this vision is fueled by the conviction that in these last days of global chaos, turmoil, violence and immorality, God is raising up an army of ‘bond servants’ who are completely committed to Jesus Christ and who are fearless in their passion to take the glorious gospel to the world. Their motto is the motto of UMS: “ They overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony and by not esteeming their lives unto death.”
The rapid explosion of growth of the UMS has led to an expected increase in monthly expenses. Even though staff work for very low stipends, the number of staff has increased because of the need for persons to staff the four bases. Therefore each month the prayer is “ Lord, you gave us this vision and you blessed this vision; now we ask you to be “pro” this vision and provide the necessary ‘provisions’ to meet our obligations.”
And God has been faithful.
d the cry of Ishmael ( Genesis 21:17) and sent a messenger from heaven. God continues to hear the cry of Ishmael’s descendants and again he is sending help from heaven. Within months after the Ukunda Missions School (UMS) was opened, an attractive mosque was erected on public school property within a short distance from UMS. The money for this structure was undoubtedly provided by people from other countries who wanted to strengthen the daily cries ascending to heaven from Ukunda.
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