The Indonesia Project: The Launch
Last night my wife and I joined a special group in Nashville, Tennessee. The group that gathered was comprised of family and close friends of Troy and Tracy Allen, a young couple that is launching out today to the other side of the globe to begin Disciple Making Movement work with Unreached People Groups. This couple represents the culmination of over 15 years of prayer and preparation to place missionaries on the ground in this particular region. We are calling this project, The Indonesia Project. You can give toward this project by choosing the give option on the blog or using the give button on the WME website (www.worldmissionsevangelism.com). Then choose "Projects" and then choose the option "Indonesia Project".
As I said, the Allen's deployment represents a milestone for WME. It is the end of 1 phase and the beginning of the "on the ground" stage. Here is the story of how, in God's timing, He gave a vision for outreach, called the missionaries, and prepared them for this important work.
Around 15 years ago we heard of the Adopt-a-people Clearing house. This ministry was focused on getting churches and mission agencies to "adopt" unreached people groups (UPGs) for prayer and outreach. We felt a desire to participate in this, and so WME and the Church that I was pastoring at the time, Christian Fellowship Church, decided to do this. We called the Clearing house and told them that we wanted to adopt a UPG. They asked which one we wanted. At the time, we had no idea. They told us that they had a plan for groups such as us.
"What is your zip code", they asked.
"42025", I replied.
"For people like you, we have assigned a UPG to every zip code in the United States", they said.
Ours turned out to be the "B" people group (Real names and locations are not used, ever, online or in publications concerning this project because of the sensitive nature of this project). We began to research this people group and found that they lived on a certain island in Indonesia and that not much was known about them. We shared this information with the church and people began to pray for this UPG.
Years passed, and the only thing we had done was mobilize prayer in the local church. I remember beginning to feel under conviction that we needed to get started on some kind of outreach. I reconnected with the clearing house and told them I wanted to get the name of missions organizations working with the "B" people so we could partner with them financially. They said they would check it out and get back with me. A few days later we got a call (at the church). They said, "Yes we found a group that has targeted them. It is World Missions and Evangelism, in Benton, KY".
"That is US!," I said, and realized that that meant that we were the only agency known to be focused on these people. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of responsibility. Unfortunately we knew almost nothing about this people and had no missionaries in the general region. We continued to do research and pray.
Finally in 2005, I took the Perspectives class. We brought the class to the local church in the spring of 2006. During that time 2 key things happened. First, one of our perspectives teachers was with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and he put me in contact with a former translator in the near region. From this man we learned a lot more about the people group.
Second, and most importantly, there was a young man in the class who was finishing his Junior year in Bible College. We now call him Troy Allen.
During the class, I was contacted by the US Center for World Missions and told that as a Perspectives Class Coordinator, I could nominate a student, fitting certain qualifications, to an intensive 1 year program at the US Center in Pasadena, Ca. Troy came to mind. I talked with him and he said he would consider it. At his college he approached his missions professor who made arrangements for his year in California to be his Senior year at the college. Thus, in the fall of 2006, Troy moved to California and spent the next year at the US Center and finishing his Bachelor's degree. Then in 2007, he enrolled in Fuller Seminary and by 2010 had a master's degree in missions with an emphasis on the kind of UPG that we were targeting.
While at Fuller, Troy contacted me and said he felt the call to be the one who would go to the "B" people that he knew we were praying for. We were overjoyed to hear this, and realized that God was putting this together.
In 2008, in cooperation with Fuller and WME, Troy spent over a month with the "B" people doing the first "Ethnographic Survey" of this UPG. We found that this group was "partially" reached and that more work was needed. We presented the Survey to the Clearing house to update their database. Through this research and through connections that Troy made, a strategy for engagement began to form. The plan is for Troy to go to a near region where there are several totally Unreached groups. Here, as part of the only team focused in this region, he will learn the language and begin Disciple Making work. He will work among 8 UPGs in the Prep region, and then also connect directly with the "B" group. What started as an assignment with 1 UPG will now include at least 9 groups we believe.
But still it was not time to go. Troy finished his training and began to raise support for the project, but God had 1 more vital preparation for him. He brought Tracy into his life. Tracy was a wonderful young lady, who already had full time missions experience. Troy and Tracy met and each one knew that they had found "The One". They got married and began to prepare together for deployment. Tracy is a phenomenal woman of God and I believe has been selected for this assignment by God!
In the last year, in addition to raising support, they have been getting training and doing research on the CPM/DMM strategy. Troy and Tracy are ready to launch!
So last night we gathered together. There was a lot of joy and laughter, and some tears as well.
This morning, they boarded the plane and are in the air as I write these words. After 15 years....the real journey has begun!
Pray for Troy and Tracy Allen, the Indonesia Project, and the 9 UPGs that will be impacted. Pray for safe travels, physical recovery from the trip. Pray for smooth adjustment to the new culture and assignment. Pray for wisdom and anointing in all that they do! Pray for the advance of the Gospel into the 9 UPGs!
As I said, the Allen's deployment represents a milestone for WME. It is the end of 1 phase and the beginning of the "on the ground" stage. Here is the story of how, in God's timing, He gave a vision for outreach, called the missionaries, and prepared them for this important work.
Around 15 years ago we heard of the Adopt-a-people Clearing house. This ministry was focused on getting churches and mission agencies to "adopt" unreached people groups (UPGs) for prayer and outreach. We felt a desire to participate in this, and so WME and the Church that I was pastoring at the time, Christian Fellowship Church, decided to do this. We called the Clearing house and told them that we wanted to adopt a UPG. They asked which one we wanted. At the time, we had no idea. They told us that they had a plan for groups such as us.
"What is your zip code", they asked.
"42025", I replied.
"For people like you, we have assigned a UPG to every zip code in the United States", they said.
Ours turned out to be the "B" people group (Real names and locations are not used, ever, online or in publications concerning this project because of the sensitive nature of this project). We began to research this people group and found that they lived on a certain island in Indonesia and that not much was known about them. We shared this information with the church and people began to pray for this UPG.
Years passed, and the only thing we had done was mobilize prayer in the local church. I remember beginning to feel under conviction that we needed to get started on some kind of outreach. I reconnected with the clearing house and told them I wanted to get the name of missions organizations working with the "B" people so we could partner with them financially. They said they would check it out and get back with me. A few days later we got a call (at the church). They said, "Yes we found a group that has targeted them. It is World Missions and Evangelism, in Benton, KY".
"That is US!," I said, and realized that that meant that we were the only agency known to be focused on these people. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of responsibility. Unfortunately we knew almost nothing about this people and had no missionaries in the general region. We continued to do research and pray.
Finally in 2005, I took the Perspectives class. We brought the class to the local church in the spring of 2006. During that time 2 key things happened. First, one of our perspectives teachers was with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and he put me in contact with a former translator in the near region. From this man we learned a lot more about the people group.
Second, and most importantly, there was a young man in the class who was finishing his Junior year in Bible College. We now call him Troy Allen.
During the class, I was contacted by the US Center for World Missions and told that as a Perspectives Class Coordinator, I could nominate a student, fitting certain qualifications, to an intensive 1 year program at the US Center in Pasadena, Ca. Troy came to mind. I talked with him and he said he would consider it. At his college he approached his missions professor who made arrangements for his year in California to be his Senior year at the college. Thus, in the fall of 2006, Troy moved to California and spent the next year at the US Center and finishing his Bachelor's degree. Then in 2007, he enrolled in Fuller Seminary and by 2010 had a master's degree in missions with an emphasis on the kind of UPG that we were targeting.
While at Fuller, Troy contacted me and said he felt the call to be the one who would go to the "B" people that he knew we were praying for. We were overjoyed to hear this, and realized that God was putting this together.
In 2008, in cooperation with Fuller and WME, Troy spent over a month with the "B" people doing the first "Ethnographic Survey" of this UPG. We found that this group was "partially" reached and that more work was needed. We presented the Survey to the Clearing house to update their database. Through this research and through connections that Troy made, a strategy for engagement began to form. The plan is for Troy to go to a near region where there are several totally Unreached groups. Here, as part of the only team focused in this region, he will learn the language and begin Disciple Making work. He will work among 8 UPGs in the Prep region, and then also connect directly with the "B" group. What started as an assignment with 1 UPG will now include at least 9 groups we believe.
But still it was not time to go. Troy finished his training and began to raise support for the project, but God had 1 more vital preparation for him. He brought Tracy into his life. Tracy was a wonderful young lady, who already had full time missions experience. Troy and Tracy met and each one knew that they had found "The One". They got married and began to prepare together for deployment. Tracy is a phenomenal woman of God and I believe has been selected for this assignment by God!
In the last year, in addition to raising support, they have been getting training and doing research on the CPM/DMM strategy. Troy and Tracy are ready to launch!
So last night we gathered together. There was a lot of joy and laughter, and some tears as well.
This morning, they boarded the plane and are in the air as I write these words. After 15 years....the real journey has begun!
Pray for Troy and Tracy Allen, the Indonesia Project, and the 9 UPGs that will be impacted. Pray for safe travels, physical recovery from the trip. Pray for smooth adjustment to the new culture and assignment. Pray for wisdom and anointing in all that they do! Pray for the advance of the Gospel into the 9 UPGs!
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I am reminded of the sentence I repeat so often with my kids: I am patient, I will wait!
Patience, perseverance, prayer. Godspeed!