Wild Hope - Going FAR
Merry Christmas from the Russells
Sabbatical
What a time of rest our Sabbatical has been: from beautiful Santa Barbara, California, to sweet Salem, Oregon, to snowy Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and now the wide expanses of the Sonoran desert of Tucson, Arizona.
Each place has so obviously been hand picked by God for Peter and I…such inspirational settings to write the book.
Pause and Retooling
Wild Hope Tanzania has been in the COVID pause that many are experiencing around the world. Our outreach plans to communities in the coastal and southern regions of Tanzania had to be put on hold, training conferences to equip our teammates were cancelled, and the Wild Hope Retreat and Training Center closed down completely for six months.
This is a challenging time for international missions. Many have left…many have closed down their work. But in the economy of the upside down Kingdom of God, road blocks so often become stepping stones to higher places. And so it has been for us. We consider it a miracle that we have not had to let one of our 15 staff go. And in the midst of this pause there has been a pivot and a reigniting.
On November 28th Skyler and Justine opened the Esther Russell Memorial Prayer Garden they have been working so hard on during the COVID pause (see picture in the header). The Garden will play an important role in instilling the importance of prayer and intimacy in those we raise up.
And here in the States during COVID, Peter and I have also been retooling. The Perspectives on the World Christian Movement online class has been so timely and inspiring for me as I studied the Biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic perspectives of God’s heart for the nations. And it has been a time of retooling for Wild Hope. God has been clarifying and unfolding new strategy to us.
God is raising up the next generation!
Passing the Fire On
Now we see the flame of God’s Spirit strong in the next generation of leaders. We are so glad that God has raised up Solomon and Sarah Kipi, two of our first disciples from Maasai, to help us with this task. They are joining Wild Hope in January 2021 as missionaries to focus full time on the unreached in Tanzania.
November 6-12, the Kipis led a small team in traveling two days by bus and taxi to a strange people with a strange language in Southern Tanzania (to remain anonymous for the time being). They taught on the Father Heart of God and the importance of small groups for discipleship, growth, and outreach. God showed up and the people were blessed and challenged to win their own community for the Lord. It’s with joy that we see Maasai now going to other tribes and we pray that this trickle becomes a flood, especially with the youth.
We had a precious three weeks with Skyler, Justine, Baby Zephaniah, and the Kipis before we left for the States.
Prayer at the cross on Wild Hope land before the outreach trip.
Family News
Sianna married Paul Congdon on July 11th in a beautiful wedding in Southern Oregon. Though it was delightful it also was a tad bitter-sweet since many family members couldn’t be there due to the pandemic including Skyler, Chase, and their families.
Chase and Amanda welcomed their third son Rex Alexander in Austin, TX on August 21. He is chubby and always laughing!
Leighton graduated from UCSB in May in Zoology and he and Emily moved to Denver, Colorado so Emily can work on her Masters in Justice and Mission at Denver Seminary.
Skyler and Justine have done a wonderful job in Tanzania keeping the home fires burning. We all are in delightful anticipation of their daughter’s birth in Tanzania, due Feb. 5th.
Returning to Tanzania
We hope to be back in Tanzania by March of 2021 and are excited to get back to our team re-energized and with fresh vision.
And other great news! Through some dear friends, God has answered our prayer for a dorm to house the folks we are training! Our builder Saji should be able to begin in January. We have hoped and prayed for the ability to host larger groups for our spiritual formation and training, and now we can! With so many needs and provisions coming together, it seems so much like God’s perfect timing!
Please pray for our teammates Solomon and Sarah!
To understand their hearts better, watch this brief video about their encounter with a pastor in need.
They face many challenges in Southern Tanzania including malaria and walking miles on flooded roads.
Our prayer for you (and us!) this Christmas is that in the midst of these unusual times, Emmanuel’s peace reigns in your hearts and and His presence brings you joy.