November and December were incredible months of travel for our team. We literally reached the four corners of the Earth by touching Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America with all of our traveling team deployed. Read more about the God stories that happened as they traveled!
Josiah Boyd
Traveled to Romania to teach Making Disciples and Spiritual Fathering
In November, I embarked on a week trip to Romania as my first trip since rejoining the PI team. Our fall has been such a transition and it was good to have a week where I was practically serving one of the primary visions that we moved to Europe for. I spent the week training in three schools, with the focus on making disciples, the core of the Great Commission. One of the most impactful moments was seeing an older man catch the potential of what could happen through his life. You could see it at the end of the day, as he exclaimed, “I’ve spent most of my life living for myself. When I found Jesus, I had very few people that were helping me discover Him. How much better will it be for others when I help them know Jesus more!” Catching the vision of making disciples, at any age, is a blessing to watch, as the fire of the Great Commission ignites our hearts to see God’s Kingdom come in our life.
Drew Brown
Traveled to Hungary and Macedonia to teach on the Renewed Mind
Vera is a student in our Skopje, Macedonia school. As I was teaching on the Power of a Transformed Mind, I could see the lights come on in her! After the teaching, I heard her story. Vera’s daughter is a police officer and an aethiest. Even after marriage and children, the daughter remained hostile to anything spiritual – including the church. She did not want her children to go to church, or to be under the influence of their believing grandmother. However, the daughter’s husband was in a severe accident and broke his forehead bone. The bone was separated and protruding, causing problems with his sinuses and his sight, and the doctors could not operate. While visiting him in the hospital Vera asked if she could pray for him and the protruding bone moved back into its proper place. He was healed! Since then, the daughter has softened to the Lord and the church. Their grandchildren are gladly under the godly influence of their grandmother! God is on the move in Macedonia! Continue to pray for the excellent work Sasha and Marija are doing in the nation!
Walter Boston, Jr.
Traveled to Poland to teach Principles of Leadership, then traveled to Ukraine to train on Preaching & Teaching then Divine Communication
When your stomach is hungry it growls; when your mind is hungry it searches; when your heart is hungry it yearns. In Poland and Ukraine, I eye-witnessed an insistent heart-yearning from school to school, church to church, group to group, individual to individual. Audiences were from 14 to 70 years of age. Their pursuit of Christ and HIS Kingdom was infectious! Youth and young adults worshiped radically. The leadership team enthusiastically participated in development. Key senior leaders of denominations and independent works genuinely fellowshipped in unity. Heart-matters in small groups were leaked unashamedly. The Lord was powerfully present in every place. HE taught us, HE touched us and then talked to us through the gifts of the Spirit. John Piper has said, “God is committed to rewarding those acts of the human heart that signify human helplessness and hope in God.” Jesus said, “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires God will satisfy them fully!” PI rejoices that hearts are being satisfied — Hallelujah!
Tommy Hood
Traveled to Costa Rica to teach on the Renewed Mind, then traveled to two schools in Peru to train in Divine Communication
Nahum Gil and his wife Anabell, are missionaries to the Amazon from Venezuela, and two of the boldest evangelist I have ever met. They are natural leaders who simply attract people and burn with passion for reaching their region. Last year they moved to Chiclayo, Peru and have planted a church to spread the good news in the jungle. While teaching in the hard to reach places has become one of the favorite things I do with PI, spending personal time discipling leaders has indeed become my passion. It’s amazing how the school courses naturally lead to many hours of one on one discipleship with leaders. As our school in Bagua ended discipleship with Nahum and Anabell continued in a ride back to the hotel from our time in an Awajun village. For 2 1/2 hours, we kept talking about what it means to live a life of hearing God for yourself and others. During that time we encouraged, prophesied, and gave practical steps on how they can continue to grow in their walk with Christ. At the end of our time together they said, “We love the PI schools, but it’s in these personal times with you guys that we feel our lives have been changed. We feel like we are truly being discipled.” This is what PI is all about.
Callie Boyd
Randy and Callie Boyd traveled to South Africa and Kenya to teach on the Holy Spirit and His Gifts.
After two days (24 hours in flight), we landed in South Africa only to drive another 4 hours to our destination. In Vredendal, South Africa, we were honored to serve multiple races of people coming together with hunger for the Kingdom. While the world around us is calling for separation, these people are purposing to come together.
We then traveled another full day to the PI Pastors Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. Pastors/leaders from various tribes and gender were gathering to be encouraged and equipped to change their worlds. Some of these pastors traveled from the barren land along the Tanzanian border, a 10-hour trip one way on a matatoo (a very crowded mini-van). Others came from the Tana River and the Lamu areas closer to the Somalian border, which live under the threat of martyrdom 24/7.
There were 110 pastors sleeping on pallets placed on cement classroom floors. Despite the conditions, they received the Word and were filled with God’s Spirit with hungry, joyful hearts. They are my heroes. I love these people. Back at our hotel, we were often faced with cold showers and toilets that wouldn’t flush. I was about to get grumpy, but I felt like God said, “Really! You want to be pouty about a cold shower in over 90-degree weather, but turn around and tell my people, who have traveled so far with little other than intense hunger for Me, that they can persevere?” I repented.
As I write this, Randy and I are in Githunguri area, north of Nairobi. We have around 50 pastors and leaders, 18 of which are young men from the Maasai tribe. Wow! This is crazy how God is working through PI to touch such great people. We are humbled.
The reality is that it takes a great deal of money and time to serve in Africa. But when I look at my African brothers and sisters who are willing to leave their livelihoods, travel great distances, with very little income or comfort, we can only say YES, GOD. As long as we are useful to you, we will travel the distances; we will believe for the money and steward it well. We can only say, ‘Thank You,’ for letting us and our financial/prayer partners join You in seeing Your Kingdom come to the nations. And forgive me for my pouty fits of grumbling! This is the adventure of a lifetime!
