Training former imams, sheiks, and militants

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By Dr. Howard Foltz

Dr. Howard Foltz (left)

AIMS has done a total of 30 trainings in Ethiopia (10 of these trainings were without my presence). We keep going back because it is so fruitful. This trip introduced me to a new group, The 10/40 Ministries. I was networked with them by my friend Adar Amin*, a former PLO Political Operative who is now leading a tremendous ministry to hard to reach peoples throughout the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. He told me that The 10/40 Ministries is exactly the kind of group to partner with.

 

Teklu's Group
Dr. Foltz standing with the 10/40 Ministry Leadership Team

The 10/40 Ministries has fielded 141 Ethiopian missionaries among the most unreached people groups throughout Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti. Their inspiring plans are to reach the North Africa and the Middle East nations! Their leader convened 25 of his top leaders for my training in Addis Ababa. Some of them came from over 700 Kilometers (270 miles). These are leaders that supervise the other missionaries, and in the past five years, this team has won over 25,000 souls of very hear to reach people to Jesus Christ .

 

Half of these leaders were former Imams, Sheiks (community leaders of their religious groups), and militants who were fighting to destroy the Christian values in the country. I trained them in our Harvest Connection materials, equipping them to not only reach the most unreached of the people groups, but to also mobilize local churches in prayer and witness to reach the unreached as well. This was another divine appointment, a historical kairos moment.

Former Imam
Dr. Foltz with a former Imam named “Jihad” who has become a missionary

 

My four days with this team convinced me that we are to partner with The 10/40 Ministries and help them in their ongoing advance into the dark, most unreached areas of the Horn of Africa, where religious militancy is rapidly growing. The responses of this team was highlighted by a former Imam who said, “Dr. Foltz, you need to move to Ethiopia. Go back to America, get your wife and come back to Ethiopia so we can bring closure to the Great Commission in our country.” Closure was a new word to them, but they got the power of the concept–let’s make the Great Commission the Great Completion.

 

Prayer for UPGs
Prayer for Ethiopia’s Unreached

While in Addis Ababa, I also met with our other Ethiopian partners–all requested more AIMS training. Please pray with us–we need more trainers to help equip the emerging Ethiopian missions movement. Ethiopia and China, two of the principle places where AIMS is working, present what are probably the greatest expressions of mission sending from national churches in the world today. What a joy to be involved!

 

So, the conference in Egypt and The 10/40 Ministries training all blended together into a triumphant victory for God’s glory. — Dr. Howard Foltz, founder and president of AIMS