Present Ministry
David and I (Debby) are involved in a number of different but related ministry activities.
1. Discipling for Development: Debby is presently implementing Discipling for Development in the Rwandan Friends Church. It is s a ministry of Mission: Moving Mountains and the Navigators http://www.navigators.org/us/ministries/movingmountains. We now have three teams of trained volunteers (30 people) working in three communities. We consider these our pilot projects and hope to expand in the coming years.
Discipling for Development® is a ministry that helps people in a community to become all God intends them to be. This is a God-empowered, relational process, in which experienced facilitators assist the people of a community to grow in their ability to solve problems and to reproduce this process in other communities. Ongoing transformation of individual and collective thought and behavior results in personal growth and improvement of community (spiritual, health, agriculture, water, and relationships) for the glory of God.The Discipling for Development ministry process is based on the following principles of effective community development and discipleship:
Spiritual Formation—Ongoing transformation of the messenger is a prerequisite for transformation of communities.
Incarnation—The messenger identifies with the community to create understanding and demonstrate the Good News.
Transformation—Transformation of communities results when the Good News comes in power, truth, and love.
Integration/Holism—Effective community development integrates all of life and community.
Empowerment—Effective community development builds the capacity of a community to become all that God intends for it to be.
Community—Impact is magnified as a unified community ministers among other communities.
2. Kingdom Business: Ubuzima Moringa is a Kingdom business that we are starting in 2009 (planning in 2008) demonstrating God’s love by selling life enhancing moringa products to the poor in Rwanda. God has given us the ability to produce a highly nutritious powder from the leaves of the moringa tree that can fight the malnutrition that plagues Rwanda. We have decided to start a business producing this powder so that we can offer it to the poor at a reasonable price, while still making a profit in a long term sustainable way.
Debby showing some of the moringa powder they sprinkle on top of cooked food at their table.The owners and managers of this business are deeply committed Christians. We all desire to use our gifts, abilities, strengths, time and resources to further God’s Kingdom. We will use holistic discipleship with our employees, and with the community in which we work. We believe that we can impact the nation of Rwanda as we interact in a godly way with others in the business world and as we offer a much needed product to Rwandans. We desire to see God’s holistic transformation in those with whom we work.
3. Furthering our knowledge: Both David and Debby are studying for their masters degrees at Fuller Theological Seminary. We are studying in the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program which focuses on leadership and missiology. Debby has just finished her studies with an emphasis in Transformational Development. David has about one more year before he finishes. We study on line, while continuing our lives and ministry in Rwanda.
4. We both continue involvement in the Rwandan Friends Church at a leadership level. We use the gifts, knowledge and abilities that God has given us to work together with the Rwandan church leaders to further the work of the church. The Rwandan Friends Church presently has approximately 5,000 members. We work together with church leaders in the area of pastor training, church planting, evangelism, development, report writing and financial accounting.
Projected ministry goals 2009
Debby:
1. To lead three teams of Rwandan Christians through the process of holistic Bible based development in three communities. This should take about three years, will be accomplished by 2011. Also, to use methods of holistic community transformation in other ministries throughout the Rwandan Friends Church.
2. To continue to be involved in National Level leadership especially using the insights I am gaining in holistic ministry to help the church in the areas of evangelism, outreach, pastor training, church growth and church planting.
3. To start Ubuzima Moringa, a kingdom business in Rwanda. I want to help provide jobs, disciple individuals, produce a product that will benefit the poor, produce income that will support D 4 D in Rwanda, and do holistic community development in the community the business is located in.
4. To be a good wife and mother, supporting my husband in his work and loving and nurturing my children.
David:
1. Become a man of prayer. In helping move EEAR out of crippling dependency I grew in my giftings. I can see that God has given me gifts that work together well with the other giftings God has placed on our mission team and with our Rwandan leaders. I need to continue developing this gift of intercession and prophetic vision, to help all of us move towards the vision God has given us. I want to see Debby, Brad and our Rwandan leaders empowered and fully released into the ministries God has for them.
2. Serve my family. Become an excellent servant of my family. Free, empower and mentor Debby into the ministry God is moving her into with D for D and business-as-mission. Disciple and mentor my kids to empower them to reach all that God has for them.
3. Study well in my Fuller MAGL classes. These classes take 2-3 full days a week. I will finish within a year and a half.
Financial needs 2009
We would like to thank you first of all for your faithful financial support of us as missionaries over the last 12 years. We realize that we cannot live in Rwanda and do the work we feel God has called us to without your support.
Our personal support has been struggling this year. There are a number of reasons for this. Gwen, our third child, has been struggling learning to read (10 and in 4th grade). EFM graciously allowed me (Debby) to take her to the US for testing since we couldn’t find anyone to help us here. She has been diagnosed with Dyslexia and we are doing a special reading program with her. Aren, our second born, (12 years old) has been struggling in school and with relationships. EFM again graciously allowed us to take him to Kenya for counseling. We discovered he has ADHD. We are very thankful to have the kind of help that allows us to care for the needs of our kids. We feel that these interventions will allow us to stay on the field where as otherwise the kids learning problems could force us to leave the field. However, these were two unexpected expenses we have had this year. We have written letters asking for help covering these expenses, but we are still behind on our support. Our last September financial updates showed us to be $15,000 behind on our support.
Also, our oldest daughter Breanna just started boarding school in Kenya this year. Her school fees (room, board, school, and flights) are about $8,000 a year. Since we are not going on furlough for another two years, we are having a hard time raising this much extra support per year.
We are very grateful for the support you give us. If it is at all possible, we would ask you to increase the support to our family in 2009 to help us cover the cost of our daughter’s schooling. We realize that the economy is on the rocks and know that you may not be able to increase our support. We trust that the Lord will provide whether through your church or from elsewhere.
There is also an opportunity to invest in the Moringa business. If you know of individuals in your church who may be interested in investing in a Kingdom business in Rwanda, please pass on their contact information and I will send them a full copy of the business plan. Or have them contact me at debdavethomas@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Moringa Pictures
Here are a few pictures that Kathy Weibe took while she was here. She was especially interested in the Moringa Kingdom Business we hope to start up by the end of the year. If you want to know more about it, just send me an email and I'll send you a copy of the business plan.
This is Daniel (the manager of the business) and I at the land where the business will start up.
This is me with some of the Moringa powder that we keep at the table so we can sprinkle it over our cooked food.
This is Daniel (the manager of the business) and I at the land where the business will start up.
This is me with some of the Moringa powder that we keep at the table so we can sprinkle it over our cooked food.Start With the Little in Your Hand
Here is an article written my one of the people who is mentoring us in Discipling for Development. This is a description of some of the people we visited on our trip and how their lives are transforming.
by Greg Brown, Guest Mentor
It was late Sunday morning in the small village of Kirambo in southwestern Rwanda.
Church service had just ended and we were gathering back in the church with a group of
people who wanted to share their stories. Over the past 6 months they had been involved
with a group savings program that they had started themselves after returning from a
Discipling for Development Foundations training in March. In this group, each member
contributes $1 per week to the pot (and about $0.20 to a group savings account). Every
week, a different member gets to take the contributions of the week and invest them in
some way to improve their life. This gives them enough buying power to start something
they could not start alone.
Pastor Tertullian Nsabimuna – a key Discipling for Development team leader – had said
that only 2-3 people would share, but it was clear that the excitement and enthusiasm
these folks felt in their hearts could not be constrained to so few opportunities. Before
Tertullian ended the sharing, seven men and women had told us of how this simple
initiative had begun to transform their lives, both spiritually and physically.
This really seemed quite remarkable given the fact that the young team from this village
was barely half-way through their first year of training and team building, a time when
usually very little happens in terms of engaging with the surrounding community. But
the three team leaders who had gone through D for D training had committed to each
other that they and their teams needed to be personally and visibly transformed
themselves before they began to take this out to their communities. One such example of
which was the savings group we were now hearing about.
Somewhere near the end of the time a young man named Emmanuel stood up to tell his story. He was a member of the team of eight from this village that had taken part in the March training. He began by describing his simple beginnings. He was born to a very poor family. He married shortly after returning from the training and was living with his wife in a rented, single room. He described it as having so many holes that snakes frequently came in and people would just reach in and steal his things. He had no land and he believed raising any kind of animal was something clearly outside his grasp. He was poor and felt that he would always be poor. But at the training he was challenged with the simple principle, “Use the little you have in your hand.” With that he and his wife planted the tiny area outside their rented room with some of the techniques he had learned. As part of the savings group, they also invested $5 to purchase 2 rabbits and 3 guinea pigs. He made $14 from selling the first litters and with the small profit from his crop and his return from the savings plan they rented a larger plot of land. With successive harvests and cycles of the savings group, they were able to supply their home with vegetables, rent a nicer home with cement floors and even purchase their own plot of land. His dream for 2009 is to build his own home on his land. He also said that he has started tithing and is thinking about how to make his family, his home, his church, and his country become a better place. He closed by saying, “I see that if I use the little I have in my hand, I can improve. I can be a light to others, and in my home I can have both physical and spiritual food that I can give to visitors.”
Stories like Emmanuel’s caused Nellie to give the savings group a try. In her own words
she shared:
“I am a very poor person. I rent a
room since I don’t have a room of my
own. I hoe for money for other
people. I have faith that God can help
me, so I have begun saving money
with this savings group. Sometimes I
have to give a tax that means I don’t
have enough money to pay my rent.
Even though this is my situation, I
save every week, and I hope that when
it is my time to get the pot I can use it
well to help my life. There are times
when I am discouraged, but Pastor
Tertullian comes and encourages me
and tells me to keep hope and to keep
saving together with the others.”
What started as a group of 16 women has now expanded to a group of 32 including
several men like Emmanuel who begged to be included. They have completed three
cycles of group members getting the “pot” on their week.
by Greg Brown, Guest Mentor
It was late Sunday morning in the small village of Kirambo in southwestern Rwanda.
Church service had just ended and we were gathering back in the church with a group of
people who wanted to share their stories. Over the past 6 months they had been involved
with a group savings program that they had started themselves after returning from a
Discipling for Development Foundations training in March. In this group, each member
contributes $1 per week to the pot (and about $0.20 to a group savings account). Every
week, a different member gets to take the contributions of the week and invest them in
some way to improve their life. This gives them enough buying power to start something
they could not start alone.
Pastor Tertullian Nsabimuna – a key Discipling for Development team leader – had said
that only 2-3 people would share, but it was clear that the excitement and enthusiasm
these folks felt in their hearts could not be constrained to so few opportunities. Before
Tertullian ended the sharing, seven men and women had told us of how this simple
initiative had begun to transform their lives, both spiritually and physically.
This really seemed quite remarkable given the fact that the young team from this village
was barely half-way through their first year of training and team building, a time when
usually very little happens in terms of engaging with the surrounding community. But
the three team leaders who had gone through D for D training had committed to each
other that they and their teams needed to be personally and visibly transformed
themselves before they began to take this out to their communities. One such example of
which was the savings group we were now hearing about.
Somewhere near the end of the time a young man named Emmanuel stood up to tell his story. He was a member of the team of eight from this village that had taken part in the March training. He began by describing his simple beginnings. He was born to a very poor family. He married shortly after returning from the training and was living with his wife in a rented, single room. He described it as having so many holes that snakes frequently came in and people would just reach in and steal his things. He had no land and he believed raising any kind of animal was something clearly outside his grasp. He was poor and felt that he would always be poor. But at the training he was challenged with the simple principle, “Use the little you have in your hand.” With that he and his wife planted the tiny area outside their rented room with some of the techniques he had learned. As part of the savings group, they also invested $5 to purchase 2 rabbits and 3 guinea pigs. He made $14 from selling the first litters and with the small profit from his crop and his return from the savings plan they rented a larger plot of land. With successive harvests and cycles of the savings group, they were able to supply their home with vegetables, rent a nicer home with cement floors and even purchase their own plot of land. His dream for 2009 is to build his own home on his land. He also said that he has started tithing and is thinking about how to make his family, his home, his church, and his country become a better place. He closed by saying, “I see that if I use the little I have in my hand, I can improve. I can be a light to others, and in my home I can have both physical and spiritual food that I can give to visitors.”
Stories like Emmanuel’s caused Nellie to give the savings group a try. In her own words
she shared:
“I am a very poor person. I rent a
room since I don’t have a room of my
own. I hoe for money for other
people. I have faith that God can help
me, so I have begun saving money
with this savings group. Sometimes I
have to give a tax that means I don’t
have enough money to pay my rent.
Even though this is my situation, I
save every week, and I hope that when
it is my time to get the pot I can use it
well to help my life. There are times
when I am discouraged, but Pastor
Tertullian comes and encourages me
and tells me to keep hope and to keep
saving together with the others.”
What started as a group of 16 women has now expanded to a group of 32 including
several men like Emmanuel who begged to be included. They have completed three
cycles of group members getting the “pot” on their week.
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