CELEBRATING KICS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been over 4 years since our family left our home in Africa to come to America as missionaries.   We’re due a furlough.    An opportunity has come up for us to return to East Africa.    Kigali International Community School (KICS) will celebrate her 10 Year Anniversary on September 16^th.   The KICS board has asked for us to join the celebration.    Westbrook Christian Church has agreed to pay for one of our plane tickets.   We’d like for Dave, Jana, and Timothy to attend.    We need some more financial resources.   Can you make a contribution?

This 10 Year Anniversary is reminder from God.   Eleven years ago our family entered Rwanda.    Our hope was to start English speaking church with a good children and youth program for returning Rwanda Diaspora families.    However, after just a few months we realized we were unable to stay in Rwanda unless we could develop a school for our children.   The dream of KICS began. We had to unite to stay in Rwanda.  With families from other Christian organizations we began in a rented home with 4 teachers and about 20 kids.   Then God placed before us an ideal piece of property and the need to raise $1,560,000.    With God’s help the funds were discovered and the school grew.   Not only did KICS serve the needs of missionaries and the international community, KICS also is a servant to the Rwandan Diaspora.   She is accredited.    Our daughter, Sophia teaches there.    We need to be with KICS for this season as they celebrate and encourage a new vision.

God has honored the KICS’ vision.   What new visions does He call us to?

This Diaspora journey is one on several continents.    As we’ve served Diaspora families in Africa we also serve them in America.   With America’s shifting faith dynamics the Diaspora we serve are the missionaries to America.    The Diaspora children are much like Daniel, Esther, Paul, and Timothy in their blending of language, culture, and calls from God to serve many nations.  Our son, Timothy carries both Ugandan and American passports.    It is difficult but essential for him to live in both countries of his earthly allegiance.   Many nights as we pray before sleep he asks questions about Africa.   He needs a visit home.   

Besides visiting Rwanda and encouraging KICS we’ll travel to Uganda for Timothy.   While there we’ll visit old friends at churches we developed and organizations with which we served.

In our current season the worlds of church development in America and Africa frequently meet.    While living on the north side of Chicago we became friends with a Somali Christian, Nurto Ali.    Her family are still Muslim and live as refugees in Uganda.    The Nakivale Refugee Camp where they stay is near the road from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda.   We plan to visit them.    We hope our visit will bring encouragement and keep doors open for more Gospel conversations.    We marvel at a God who keeps these conversations blending from Somalia, Chicago, and Uganda.

Also, the Diaspora world creates the largest economic engine in East Africa.   The largest source of foreign income in East Africa is the money that the Diaspora in Asia, Europe, and North America send home.    Much of those remittances are simple things like paying school tuition of medical fees for economically less fortunate relatives.    However, much of the remittances are also business investments that build middle class wealth.

Friends in the Ugandan Community in Greater Chicago have asked Dave to serve on a board of

Dave, Jana, and Tim at Tanzania Fellowship

a trust that is developing 500 acres of land on Mount Elgon in Uganda as a timber farm.   Dave has said, “Yes” to being on the board, and feels he needs to see the land and meet the Ugandan based board members to be faithful to this responsibility.    Thus he and Timothy also plan to take a trip from Kampala to Mount Elgon during our trip back to East Africa. 

Aren’t missions in the 21^st Century in America thrilling?    Where else can you find such diverse opportunity?    

However, this is a journey of humility.    While at times God has used us to discover large amounts of financial resources we like most immigrants have a humble journey in the USA.     We rarely have all the needed resources.   Each step forward is one of faith.   The gifts of churches, family, and friends sustain the journey.    We estimate our trip will cost $6,600.    With Westbrook’s contribution we already have $1,400.    Can you make a donation?  

 If so write a check to:

Westbrook Christian Church

(Memo: KICS Anniversary)

1175 Lily Cache Ln, Bolingbrook, IL 60490

Or you can give on line at https://westbrookchurch.securegive.com/SG/WebOnline/Transaction/Instant?transactionType=Donation and select for your gift Africa Diaspora Missions.

Thank you for sharing this journey,

Mungu akubariki (May God bless you),

Dave, Jana, and Timothy

Praying for a missionary team

Dear Family and Friends,

 “Jesus understood what an awesome task was before Him, so He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into His harvest field.' “(Matthew 9:37. The Voice.)

 Please join us in prayer as we are asking God to provide 5 to 10 family units to serve in the North Corridor of Chicago land with us.

 The Chicago Tribune has used the term “church desert” to describe some places in Chicago land.   For instance, the suburb of Glendale Heights has a population of 34,000 but only 8 churches of any sort.   Along North Avenue in Glendale Heights one can drive 2 miles and see 1 mosque, 2 “Girls, Girls, Girls” signs, and more ethnic restaurants and stores than we can count before you see your first church building.

 Yet the census tracts in this corridor show 20 to 40% of the population is foreign-born. Some of these countries are ones that American missionaries would not even be allowed to enter. We are hoping that some of those who join us will be from these very countries and will now be missionaries to America.

 Pray for us as we are laying the foundations for an International church: Nations' Chapel Christian Church, a campus of Westbrook Christian Church in partnership with Ignite Church Planting.

The type of colleagues that we are looking for are:

1.      Immigrants as missionary church planters to America:  Young immigrant families fit the church planting profile better than almost any other demographic group in North America.  They pursue education, attend church, stay married, have larger families, and are entrepreneurial.

2.      Missionary kids:  Most we know are skilled at blending cultures and dissatisfied with American church experience.   Those dissatisfactions are frequently a call of God to begin something new.

3.      Missionary families who return to the United States:  There are few places available for them in traditional Christian ministry silos of North America.   Yet the church deserts are in desperate need for their skills and relationship network.

As you are praying, we ask if anybody comes to your mind to contact us and introduce us to them. “Getting the right people on the bus” as Jim Collins says is the crucial stage we are in. We have some ongoing conversations with a few. Pray that God makes His will known.

Thank you for journeying with us as we serve in the North Corridor,

Dave and Jana

P.S.  Our giving typically declines in the summer months.  If you would like make a contribution you can send it to:

Ignite Church Planting
P.O. Box 189
Schererville, IN 46375

Or online contributions can be made at http://www.ignitechurchplanting.com/donate.html.
Please use the 'Purpose' field at the top of the form to designate your gift: Jenkins - Multi-cultural Church.

AN OPEN LETTER TO SOUTHERN BAPTIST MISSION LEADERS

Dear Southern Baptist Missionary Leaders,

Let me first say a very heart felt thank you.     Our family has deep roots as East African missionaries.     Through many years IMB (International Mission Board / Southern Baptist) missionaries have been very dear friends.     We’ve retreated together.      We educated our children together.    We labored together in leadership projects.    I’ve lost track of the number of times when I needed good counsel I first called an IMB friend and he nurtured me along.    In fact I’ve noticed when someone tells me my counsel is wise I frequently respond, “It’s really not mine.   An old Southern Baptist missionary once gave me that nugget of wisdom.”      Your sacrifices to support such outstanding missionaries paid great dividends not only among Southern Baptist church planting movements, but influenced many other evangelical missionaries.     Thank you so much.

Next, let me say I can’t imagine what you are going through.   I still can’t believe the news I’m hearing.    Can it really be true that 1,000 IMB foreign missionaries are returning to the United States?     What a tremendous loss you must be feeling.    One IMB friend told me, "We were once known as an organization that sent missionaries. Now we will be known as the organizations that brings missionaries home.”

Over breakfast my wife, Jana thought I had a little wisdom about such a loss, and suggested I write.   I bounced the ideas off of a few Southern Baptist friends, and they concurred.    Thus with a sense of fear and trembling I write what may be the counsel of God to people I deeply love.    I apologize for the counsel that is misplaced.   

Three bits of wisdom quickly come to mind.    The first is tough.     Please join me in repentance.    With what I know I don’t see any way around the bottom line.    In fact, I hear a an IMB missionary who returned to his eternal home, Harry Garvin say to me, “The bottom line is the bottom line.”     There is not enough funding to keep all the IMB foreign missionaries overseas.    The funding has declined due to local American churches and their movements decline.     None of us can escape our responsibility.  Over the last 20 years there has been a decline in Christian influence in the United States.  It’s time for us to repent.      

As the Southern Baptists are the largest evangelical denomination in America many are watching.    Those watching include both fellow evangelicals and secular seekers.     We believers want to see a new model that gives hope.    The seekers with a critical eye are watching for arrogance and responsibility dodging.    The tragedy of returning so many missionaries needs humble repentance for the good of Christianity in America.   

There are many bloggers assigning blame for the decline.     I’m done with the blaming.   We need to learn from our sins, but grace calls us to become something new.    Let’s go forward wiser and with stronger resolve.    Were us missionaries praying for our supporters as much as we were prayed for by them?   Were we connecting our churches in the USA with our people when they immigrated to the USA?     Did we find ways to share wisdom and pastorally hold our support bases accountable as we watched decline?    Or did we just try not to rock the boat when we saw clear signs the boat had holes that needed repair?

Second, don’t throw any “Welcome Home” parties for the missionaries who return to the USA.       The most troubling language I hear from Southern Baptist people goes something to the effect of “we’ll soon be bringing our missionaries home.”       No, you’re asking your missionaries to leave their home due to a funding crisis.    Old Southern Baptist missionaries counseled us that to understand the major building blocks of a new culture would take about 2 to 3 years.    Then around years 7 to 8 the “new” culture became intuitive.    An IMB missionary told me, “There is a wealth of experience that is getting on a plane… and never coming back."

 When you walk into a Southern Baptist missionary home you may notice the most worn Bible is of the language they preach in.      When the missionary is honest you find they pray most deeply from the heart in that language.       The missionaries’ home town newspapers are the ones where they know the editors.    In fact, some of the missionaries have mentored the editors in their place of service.    The missionary kids in college go “home” on holidays to their parents’ missionary posting.     The missionary kids’ best friends are those who blend all these diverse cultures.   Their class reunions look like the United Nations.    The missionary kids don’t understand American football, but many are skilled soccer, cricket, and rugby players.     Those missionary families’ lives may be tremendously disrupted by their return to the United States.    There may be a few familiar places and people, but for the adapted missionary America is no longer home.  Their return is a loss.    Please don’t deny their loss in a welcome home party.   

Third, commission and bless the missionaries who are being reassigned to the mission field of North America.     Missionary families are remarkably adaptable and resilient.    It is one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts to them.      You in America now have a tremendous opportunity.      We know you have fought a tough battle in which it felt like you were losing for 20 years.      Some of your best soldiers will soon be joining you in the battle for North America’s soul.   In fact by prioritizing those over 50 years old with 5 or more years’ experience for early retirement the missionaries entering the USA are in their peek career years.   

Old Southern Baptist missionaries counseled us years ago that there were bottom lines.      There were not resources, time, nor personnel to pursue every missionary dream or possibility.      Some matters had to be prioritized.       Their general counsel was to prioritize three matters.    First prioritize the unreached.   Second prioritize the receptive.   Third prioritize locations where movement replication is likely.     Missionaries of old saw those dynamics in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.    Their churches grew in amazing ways.     Now those churches people are immigrating to the USA.     Simply put the old missionary bottom lines make North America a high foreign missions priority.   

Who better to help the North American missionary cause than seasoned overseas missionaries?     They can nurture immigrants coming from Christian backgrounds as missionaries to North America.    America needs creative new church planting models.    America also now hosts immigrants from the most difficult to access countries in the world.    Currently, Gospel opportunities exist in urban centers in North America like nowhere else in the world.    Maybe even the loss of so many foreign missionaries is an answer to prayers for the Lord to send more harvesters to America?

Now is the time to put on our partnership and creativity hats.    As missionaries are commissioned who will pray for them?    Who will fund them?     Who will shepherd them?     Some may find ways to be “supported.”     Yet, others will make tents just like they do in difficult fields.    Who can open economic doors and be to them like Priscilla and Aquila were to Paul?    Those tent making opportunities in fact may be just the openings for relationships that bring Revival to North America.

Now, I’m back to where I started.   Southern Baptist missionaries have immensely blessed me.    They are dear friends.    It is tragic that they’re leaving their homes.    Yet, America is a great mission field.    America needs Revival.    History teaches Revival starts with repentance.

Can you join me in repentance?

Mzee Dave Jenkins

I AM AN AMERICAN AFRICAN

Checking the boxes as our family registers for school in America is a startling exercise.   What race are we?   Does race have to divide?   In fact, what does race really mean?  

In our family there are two adopted children and three biological children.   Each child is unique.   Yet, we are all one family.   We share a common culture, understanding, and covenant of care.

The race boxes tell us to divide.  The race boxes tell us that three children are Caucasian and two children are African American.

 

Yet, that is divisive to our family.

My son, Ethan came up with a solution.   We are an “other.”    Our other is American African.

Four of our seven were born in Africa.   Two of us carry Ugandan passports.   We all have lived in Africa a significant portion of our lives.    We use the pronoun “we” much more than “I.”   We reason in community.   We believe real food is always cooked over an open fire.   We can always find room for more to sleep in our home.   We always have enough tea and food for visitors.     We are most comfortable in English, but we know varying degrees of French, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, and Luganda.   Our hearts and minds dance to African drums.

Yet, we all carry American passports.   Those of us who earn incomes pay taxes in America.    Some of us vote in American elections.   We have relatives who serve with America’s armed forces and we pray every day for them when they are deployed.

American African is a good “other” box to describe who “we” are.

Yet, you may say, “Make a choice.   Conform to the understanding.”

How should we conform to the understanding?

Skin color?

One of us has freckles.   Three of us have moles.     One is described by those from East Africa as brown.    One is described by those from East Africa as dark or black.    Five of us have skin that gets darker in the sun.    One usually burns in the sun.    

Hair?

One of us has red hair.   One has mostly gray.    Two have curly black hair.    Three have varying degrees of blond to brown.    One of us has hair that gently curves when it is long and when the mullet comes back in style he’ll look awesome.  

The dictionary tells us race means shared distinctive traits ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/race .)

Ok.    Four of us are males.   Three are females.    A couple of us are described as tall.   A few are described as short.  Three are good soccer players.   Two of us run.    One is flexible enough to do yoga.    Two of us have worn braces.    One has a gap in his teeth that implies he is descended from East African kings.    

Are we just being ornery?   

Maybe, but being ornery is caused by offense.     A year ago I read a new thought in Soong Chan Rah’s, The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity.   Professor Rah made the point that race is a relatively new concept in humanity’s description of one another.    When you follow the historical trail it appears that race became defining as slaves were traded from Africa to Europe and the Americas.    The barbarity of slavery required the creation of another that we could easily portray as sub-human.     The consequences of such barbarity still remain with us generations later as we define humanity through the categories of race.

When I looked closer at the school forms requiring me to make a race choice and put on my  missionary lens the categories are almost pure nonsense.   The race categories tell me nothing about what languages one prefers to sing and dance.    They tell me nothing about which languages one prefers to use in school or business.     You can’t write a song book or translate the Bible in race.    They tell me little about preferred food.     You can find a few foods at a church potluck that are influenced by race, but really food is more about culture, available supplies, and creativity.   Race tells me nothing about religious preference and that’s my big missionary issue.   Race tells me almost nothing about the formation and maintenance of nation-states.    As a missionary I need a passport and a visa.   Race is again almost irrelevant.    Those nation-states tax, make policies, choose leaders, and during dark days go to war.   The perception of race may have some implications on nation-states.     However, a proverb tells us, “There are only two things in life that are certain – death and taxes.”    Soldiers from many races die for single nation- states.    All races pay taxes to their nation-states.

What if the race categories are actually just jargon to minimize the effects of systematic and generational sin?

Here is what I propose for the categories for census and school registration in the United States:

Check the appropriate boxes:

_______My ancestors likely violently stole land

______My ancestors likely had their land violently stolen

______I’m mixed.    My ancestors both violently stole land and had their land stolen.

______I’m a newbie in the United States.   My ancestors neither violently stole land nor had their land stolen.

______Other.  Explain:

______My ancestors likely made some type of profit through kidnapping of humans in Africa, trading them as property, using their labor to build a national economy, and then when they were given freedom it was as second class citizens who were vulnerable to acts of terrorists.

______My ancestors likely were kidnapped in Africa, traded as property, and were not compensated as their labor built the national economy.   When freed they were second class citizens vulnerable to acts of terrorists.

______I’m mixed.    My ancestors both likely profited from slavery and segregation and were victims of slavery and segregation.   

______I’m a newbie in the United States.    My ancestors neither profited through slavery and segregation nor were victims of slavery and segregation.   

______Other.   Explain:

Race is not as simple as a form.   The form just makes the systematic sins of America more  palatable.   No wonder my family wants to be called American Africans.