Global Update April/May 2017
Urgent Prayer Needed!

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Make Disciples Who Make Disciples Who Make….)

The Great Commission will not be accomplished in your community when everyone
has heard the gospel, but when the gospel has so changed the lives of those who receive Christ that your community is transformed through them! Isaiah 54:2-3 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your Stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left…”

Prayer Warriors, God is growing the ministry and we need your prayers for our Representative (we trained) and the great opportunities they have serving God and equip His people. Please pray for them.

Hans and Elly Timmermans Canadians serving in Northern Malawi, East Africa: They Report: “The time is quickly approaching when Hans and I will return to Malawi. We are grateful to once again spend 3 weeks with our Team: John, George and Andrew and their families. They are doing a great job! We are so blessed to be a part of this ministry. Our friend, Mike Eckert, will be coming with us. Our goal is to encourage the Team and help in setting the direction for the future of the ministry. The plan is to visit several areas where leaders have been trained and where coaches have caught the vision and are doing what John, George and Andrew are doing – expanding the discipleship and leadership training within their own areas. That’s how the work multiplies, and that’s why we are now seeing the ministry areas running into each other…. the north of Malawi has many leaders trained and many, many life groups functioning with well-trained leaders and apprentices.

There are 1.5 million people in the northern Tumbuka speaking area of Malawi. Over 15,000 Discipleship booklets and New Testaments have been distributed by the DCI Team (and are used for discipling) in this area. That means that one in every 100 people has been reached with the gospel and being discipled. God has changed the lives of these disciples and they are seeing God change the lives of their disciples. By God’s grace DCI IS making a difference!” Their work is now spreading to South Malawi and over the border into Zambia.

Simeon Oyugi Nairobi, Kenya: Simeon and his team of 47 DCI trained leaders continue to equip hundreds of Pastors in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Because of their success in seeing many churches making disciples who are establishing Discovery Groups with the people in their neighbourhood, Simeon is now getting many requests from prominent Church leaders in countries all over Africa. Let me list the ones I am aware of: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo. These are in addition to Malawi where Hans and Elly Timmermans serve and Ethiopia where Mekibibi Atela and Tesfa Chutta are working.

Simeon shares; “In Tanzania the Pentecostal Evangelical Fellowship of Africa (PEFA) has called me to go and train their 150 Pastors and Leaders in the Eastern Part of Tanzania and I told them to wait a bit until I have recovered and I will let them know the dates. (Simeon is recovering from heart problems) The Group of Pastors and Bishops who left Kenya for Tanzania have just came back, having planted a church and won 120 souls to the kingdom of God and they established 46 Discovery Groups before moving on to Dodoma which is the Capital City of Tanzania. In total the number of countries in Africa is 15 that are now active or ready for DCI by end of 2017. We are praying that God will provide finances for travel, accommodation and printing! God could use you to be an answer to our prayers!

Simeon and his team have several DCI Training sessions coming up in April, May and June. His goal is to establish 700 Discovery Groups. God graciously and unexpectedly provided the finances through a friend to print 5,000 books for these training sessions that will expand the DCI training into these countries. What God can do, no man can do and to God be all the Glory in Jesus mighty Name. When God’s time is right, you cannot stop His work! We seek to following His lead by Training Trainers to equip the pastors and church leaders to make disciples and establish New Discovery Groups. This is our model for Discipleship. Jesus said to “Go and make disciples”.

Paul and Priskila Paksoal in Indonesia: They have served with us in the past, but due to their position as President and Head of the Women’s ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Indonesia they have not been able to be as active until now. Priskila is in Kalimantan, Indonesia training 3 Churches there. One of the pastors plans to be our DCI Representative for Kalimantan. Please pray for them as they restart the DCI ministry in Indonesia.

Clair Ziolkowski – Canadian working in Zambia: On April 3rd Clair will be heading to the airport to start his 30-day mission trip to Zambia! This trip will be the most ambitious thus far and the schedule will be very demanding. Clair will be speaking at a Pastor’s conference and will also be distributing the container contents (below) during the first 1½ weeks. Al Stovall, from Saskatoon, will be joining Clair for the last 2 weeks of the mission to assist with setting up 12 new churches & doing DCI discipleship training, in a 100 x 100-kilometre square region of Zambia that currently does not have any Evangelical churches and has had very little exposure to the Gospel.
The ministry plan is as follows:
April 3: Leave for Zambia, arriving April 5
April 5 – 8: Distribute container items in the Chongwe area
April 9: Preaching in Chongwe
April 10 – 13: Preaching/speaking at Pastor’s conference in Kitwe
April 14: Pick up Al in Lusaka, buy groceries, drive 8 hours to Sinda.
April 15 – 30: Crusades, discipleship training & baptisms
May 1: Leave for home

This church planting endeavour has been in the works for almost 2 years – Bible school students have been trained and are ready to step in and pastor these church plants. They have just been ordained in March. Evening crusades are being planned, showing the Jesus film, and presenting the Gospel to all that attend.
DCI Discipleship training is also planned, as well as baptisms, for those receiving Christ as their personal Saviour.

This mission has been the most challenging to date – from customs clearing, to the container being damaged & repaired, to health issues arising, to tight time schedules.
We ask for your prayers for the following:

1. Travel safety for Clair and Al as they travel long hours to and from Zambia. Also pray for the whole team in Zambia, including Pastor Luke, Pastor Iwell & Wilson. Luke & Iwell are the Pastors that are heading up this church plant mission.
2. Health and strength for Clair, Al & Pastor Luke. Clair is doing well after a summer of health issues (early stage breast cancer and an impacted kidney stone). Pastor Luke is currently having some health issues, as he keeps a very demanding schedule. He Pastors his church and run a Bible School out of the church.
3. For the crusades – that many local people will come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour.
4. For the new Pastors, as they prepare to shepherd the new believers in their spiritual growth.
5. For the new churches, that they will grow and support the pastors that God has put in place.
6. For the orphanages – Faith’s orphanage, Life Song orphanage and Father’s House, as Clair delivers over 4,000 pillow case dresses and dehydrated soup mix to the children in need.
7. For the people who will receive Bibles and devotional material & food – that the Lord will use these to further his Kingdom.
8. That the container will arrive in the area on time and that there is zero to minimal damage to the contents of the container. Also, that the container will be in satisfactory condition to be used for a school room, as planned.
9. That funds will continue to be received to assist with the purchase of cement to build the church buildings ($200/Church) and provide pastors with bicycles ($200 x 12 Pastors) for their transportation.
10.That God will use this mission to further His Kingdom, according to His will and that His name be glorified in Zambia!

Thank you for your generous gifts of support. We are indeed humbled and blessed by your support of this ministry.
In this container, we were able to include:
– 25 skids/over 19,000 lbs of dry soup mix (about 1 MILLION meals)
– thousands of new and used Bibles
– over 800 new study Bibles, thousands of devotionals & commentaries.
– over 4,000 BEAUTIFUL hand sewn pillow case dresses, along with underwear for the orphaned girls, over 400 pairs of shoes (Crocs and lightweight shoes) and lots of fabric for orphans to use in their sewing/trade skill classes.
– Sunday School material, CD’s and DVD’s of sermons
– 400 solar messengers from Charles Stanley, 65 sermons and the reading of the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.
– medical supplies and solar panels and rechargeable batteries.
-office furniture – 2 desks, 2 chairs and 2 filing cabinets at the request of the Pastors, to assist with their ministry work.
– a 4’ x 8’ utility trailer to use for distributing the material and food.
The items in this container came from all over Saskatchewan and Alberta, and resources were brought in from Michigan and Florida. Much of this material was freely donated and valued well over $200,000!
The container has now left Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on its way to Lusaka/Chongwe, Zambia – we are praying that it arrives by the time Clair gets to Lusaka.
We covet your prayers. Your support makes it possible to do these mission trips – equipping pastors, holding crusades, planting churches and supplying resources to new Christians and those who have no Christian literature or Bibles and also providing food for those in great need.
Clair’s budget for this 30-day Mission:
Clair’s airfare, lodging and meals – $7,000 (*Note – Al Stovall is covering his own airfare, lodging and meals)
Fuel for distribution and travel – $1,000
Meals & lodging for the Zambian Nationals helping with the church plants – $2,000
Total budget – $10,000
Funds received over the above needs above will be used to purchase cement to build brick and mortar Church buildings in the 12 villages where we plan to plant Churches. Each Church costs $200 for cement. Also, bicycles for the 12 Pastors @ $200 each and a PA System and Projector with Screen, $1300.
Clair is raising the finances for this trip, but if you would like to help he would be very grateful.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support! Through you God is expanding His Kingdom. We together with you are a team and we very much need each other to accomplish the great work God has given us to do!
Donations can be sent to the address below or via credit card through Canada Helps in Canada at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/dynamic-churches-international/
or Network for Good in the U.S. at: https://www.networkforgood.org/donation

May God bless you all!
Your Brother and Sister in Christ,
Al and Mary Middleton

Download a PDF copy of the update with photos here:
DCI_April-May_2017_Middleton_Report