It is exciting to see how God’s kingdom continue to expand not just with pastors and men, but also with women. Since 2018, there have been three women’s discipleship groups that have concluded their meetings, and there are two women’s discipleship groups that are currently meeting in two different villages with women from area churches in the same cluster. These clusters are made up of area churches who come together for encouragement and helping one another.

At the end of April, the first two women discipleship groups met together for a time of prayer, encouragement, and spurring on one another to making disciplemakers. These groups started in 2018 and 2019, so we moved together through two Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions that delayed our group meetings, extending our time together for more than three years. It was a challenging journey for both groups, and we completed the groups unsure how the ladies would take disciplemaking to their churches and villages.

While we have met with these two groups separately in the past, this was the first time we met all together with the purpose of being able to hear from those who have been doing disciplemaking in their churches and communities. Our hope was to encourage and give advice to others who may have trouble in their disciplemaking efforts. We have been blown away at how God has worked in many of the women’s lives, and how He has been using them in their churches and in their communities.

This meeting was a beautiful time for each woman to share how she has been discipling others, and how God has been working in her life. But each woman also had the opportunity to share the struggles and challenges she has in her relationship with God, and the difficulties of trying to disciple others who may not be so committed. This was a chance for these women to see that they are not alone in their journey. They were able to ask advice and gain wisdom from one another in practical ways to continue growing more mature in their faith, as well as continue to pour into other women who are eager and interested to live more like Jesus.

It has been a blessing to come together over the last few years and see how God continues to expand His Kingdom in and through these women. It feels like A Little Glimpse of Heaven as we worship and pray together, being from different cultures, tribes, languages, and communities. It is a reminder to myself, and to each of the ladies, that while we are all on different parts of the journey with Jesus, we are all on the journey together eagerly seeking Him.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…”
– Hebrews 10:24-25