Very soon, my family and I will be on our way back to Uganda to begin a new phase of ministry there. Many people have asked me what the next two years will look like for us, and we wanted to take this opportunity to update everyone.
Please welcome into the family Corban Elias Via. He was born to Smooth and Kelly Via on December 28 in Roanoke, VA.
Firstly, we will continue with what we have been doing these past several years. That includes leading Jinja Town Church, helping run and manage international teams, and doing village outreach and church conferences.
But secondly, what I am perhaps most excited about is beginning a systematic program of training pastors and planting churches. In 2018, we will begin training around 15 of our Arise Africa pastors in a course called The Timothy Initiative. At the end of this course, each trainee is required to plant another church and then begin training another group of pastors and church planters. Then, at the end of their training, those new trainees also go and plant churches and begin teaching others, etc.
For the first year I will be doing most of the training first-hand. The second year, I will be overseeing the second generation of church planters. We are excited to see what God does as we seek to move from simple addition to exponential growth. We believe we can see a church planting movement take place in East Africa!
Will you please pray for us as we begin this new phase of life and ministry? Pray that the Holy Spirit will move in such a way that only God can receive the glory.
The proposed 4WD Camper Truck
Also, this new phase of ministry will mean that I must spend even more time in remote villages. This often takes me away from my family for weeks. We have been given the opportunity to purchase a four-wheel-drive camper truck that would enable me to take my entire family with me as I travel throughout the African outback. But unfortunately, in Uganda these kinds of things are extremely expensive. The camper is going to cost approximately $22,000. Would you pray with us that God will provide a miracle so that I might be able to do what he’s calling me to do without having to be away from my family so much?
Thank you for your continued love and support. It means the world to us.
– Smooth
