News > Africa

Africa UBF
January 21, 2014

“Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season...” (2 Timothy 4:2)

1. 2014 New Year Directors’ Conference

We had the African New Year conference from January 10-12 in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. 34 missionaries and African leaders from 11 nations, including the USA and Korea attended the conference. Gaborone is like a small country town that is green and quiet. Many of the missionaries came to Gaborone via Johannesburg because travelling there directly is more expensive. Missionary Timothy and Deborah Chung prepared and served the conference with all their hearts. Because of their hard work, we all enjoyed the conference.

The main program of the conference was the group Bible studies. Through the deep group study of the Book of Timothy, we learned about the qualifications of being leaders and how to raise African leaders who will succeed Korean missionaries as future directors and missionaries. Missionary Daniel Rhee from Pretoria prepared the study books with his own expense and labored to lead the group study during the conference.

Missionary Daniel Rhee has sacrificially served African mission for the last 23 years as a coordinator. He has always prepared gracious words of God and fed us as a shepherd. We had a special and meaningful time giving our thanks to him who passed along his duty to shepherd Moses Yoon from Jongro center. We welcomed Shepherd Moses Yoon to be the new Korea UBF continental representative for Africa.

2. Mission reports

We listened to the mission reports and New Year prayer topics from each chapter during the conference. Despite many difficulties, our co-workers struggled to serve the gospel mission in their campuses the past year. Africa is the continent of possibility and hope. However, many people are still suffering from war, famine, diseases, and tyranny. Many innocent people were killed in a terror attack in a shopping mall, which many foreigners go to in Nairobi, Kenya last year. Many foreign missionaries were persecuted and expelled by the Muslim government in Sudan and thousands of people have been killed in the civil war in South Sudan. Nigeria Yabatech center and Tanzania center were even robbed. Still, I thank God for protecting our co-workers through all the dangerous situations the past year. I thank God for their devotion to the campus gospel mission despite many difficulties and danger.

God has blessed us to raise many African leaders through one to one Bible study and fellowship meetings in each chapter. As evidence of the fruitful ministry, Shepherd James Odejimi from Lagos was raised as an excellent messenger as well as Dr. Oyor Moses from South Sudan, Shepherd Andries from Cape Town, Shepherd Kevin from Kenya, Shepherd Patrick from Uganda, Shepherd Stephen from Pretoria and Shepherd Oliver from Zimbabwe who were all beautiful testimony speakers in the International Summer Bible Conference in the USA last year.

Also, God blessed us to complete the new building of Bethesda Medical Center and dedicated it to God in Uganda. God helped Pretoria center to purchase a Bible house which has a big and beautiful garden. Also, Shepherd Duke was trained in Korea to be a new Yabatech chapter director, succeeding missionary Andrew Yoon. Five Zimbabwe medical students visited Korea and received medical and spiritual training at the end of last year. Brother Ayman registered the UBF name in the Egypt church council and lent a house for the Bible center with his own expense and began Sunday worship service with 30 people despite the political unrest and Islam extremist’s persecution. Missionary Nehemiah Kim from Zambia opened an optician’s shop for his self-supporting ministry and Missionary Peter Park from Nigeria is struggling to maintain economic self-support without giving up spirit as well as his successful disciple ministry.

3. Vision and prayer topics

We received one word, “Preach the Word” from Dr. Abraham Kim in the conference. When we see our situation only, we can do nothing. But the Bible commands us to preach the word: be prepared in season and out of season. When we obey this command, the Almighty God will help us in season and out of season. We have decided to hold the next Africa New Year conference from December 26-28 in 2014 in Kenya. We have also decided to invite all African chapter directors and director candidates from each chapter to the next conference. It is because African shepherds should be the future leaders and stewards of the African ministry, succeeding Korean missionaries in the near future. We are praying continually for God’s help to pioneer 55 African nations with African leaders and for Africa to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Amen.