May 2026 E-News — Not by Might, Not by Power
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. — Zechariah 4:6
Everything you are about to read happened because someone listened. Not to a strategy. Not to a missionary. To the Holy Spirit.
That is the thread running through this month's report — from a hand-dug baptismal pool in Ethiopia, to a young man named Jacob who sold his belongings and walked into a conflict zone because God told him to, to Isaac sharing the wisdom of Proverbs 31 in a Gambian currency exchange shop, every word from memory, no Bible in his hand.
Not by might. Not by power. By His Spirit.
This Month in the Field
Kenya — Zúme Discipleship Training
In Kenya, a Zúme Discipleship Training gathered in a home. Tea and bread on the table. Chairs arranged in a circle. People leaning in.
This is what disciple-making looks like at street level — no stage, no program, no budget. Just believers gathering around the Word and one another, being equipped to multiply.
Ethiopia — Where There Is No Water
In Ethiopia, finding a natural body of water deep enough for baptism is difficult. So believers do what the movement has always done: they find a way. They dig holes in the ground, line them with plastic sheeting, and fill them with water.
This month, a young man in a white robe was baptized in one of these hand-dug pools — on red African soil, surrounded by his community. When you want to obey the Lord badly enough, you find a way.
The worship gathering that same month — drum, clapping, call-and-response in an East African language — reminded us again that the church in Ethiopia is alive and moving.
Uganda — We Are Together
In Uganda, a group of women gathered under a large tree and sang together. Their song mixed their local language with English, and the clearest line said everything:
"We are together, we are together, in Christ Jesus."
Mothers with babies on their backs. Children sitting at their feet. Voices rising in the afternoon light. This is the church as it was meant to be.
The Gambia — House Churches Multiplying
In The Gambia, the West Coast Region is seeing house churches multiply. Young men gathered at night under a single light, their Journey booklets open, a young leader walking them through the stories.
A worship gathering brought men, women, and children together under a mud-walled shelter — voices lifted in praise in the middle of everyday life.
The movement is taking root.
A Conversation with Isaac
This month, I had the privilege of sitting down with Isaac — born Sulaimana Abdul Aziz, from the Gonja tribe of Ghana. What he shared stopped me.
At 27, Isaac was working odd jobs in Ivory Coast to stay in school when he heard the gospel for the first time. Everyone else walked away. He stayed — because the message about Jesus's authority over spirits and death spoke directly to the fear that runs through Muslim-majority communities. He accepted Christ. His family disowned him. They gave him three days to reconsider.
He reconsidered outwardly. His heart never changed.
For years, Isaac secretly memorized scripture while appearing to still practice Islam — using prayer beads to count repetitions of Psalm 23, reciting Bible verses on his prayer mat, bowing in the name of Jesus. He went through the three stages he now teaches others to expect: mockery, then violence, then acceptance.
Today, Isaac shares the gospel across Ghana, The Gambia, Niger, and beyond — and he does it by listening before he speaks.
His approach to village entry: Enter a community and ask them to tell their stories. Sit around the fire. Hear their folk tales. Facilitate discussion — "What did you like? What didn't you like? Is this story worth keeping?" Let them evaluate their own traditions. After about four weeks of listening, say: "I too have a story to tell." By then, they want to hear it. Then you share creation, Old Testament parables, the stories of God.
His contextualization approach: Isaac uses the name "Isa Al Masiah" rather than "Jesus Christ" when sharing the gospel with Muslims. Why? Because Muslims already know Al Masiah from the Quran — recognized as the leader above all prophets, the one who will guide humanity on the final day. "Jesus Christ" can sound foreign and threatening. "Isa Al Masiah" opens a door. His communities identify themselves as "followers of Isa Al Masiah."
His method of discipleship: He teaches believers to fill their inner man with scripture through memorization and recitation — in their mother tongue, so every word makes meaning. Scripture recited in a language you understand is not rote repetition. It is the Word of God becoming alive inside you. "The cumulative effect of these scriptures is that they have hope. They move about full of hope."
Watch the full interview in four short clips:
- Watch: Isaac's Story — testimony from Islam to Christ
- Watch: Listen to Their Stories First — village entry method
- Watch: Followers of Isa Al Masiah — contextualization approach
- Watch: Holy Spirit Dependency — teaching insiders to hear from God
From The Gambia: A Woman Who Couldn't Sleep
In The Gambia, Isaac walked into a currency exchange shop and began speaking the wisdom of Proverbs 31 — entirely from memory. No Bible. No phone. Just the Word living inside him.
The Muslim woman behind the counter said, "Your words are full of wisdom. Where did you learn these?"
When he told her it was the Bible, she was surprised. She had been taught the Bible was an evil book. He opened Proverbs 31 and she read it for herself.
That was 2021. She has been reading the Bible ever since.
Later in the same region, a Muslim man approached Isaac. His wife had not slept more than two hours at a stretch in three years. They had prayed and tried everything. Could Isaac's group come and pray for her?
They came. They prayed. She slept from 8pm to 7am. The husband thought she had died.
This is what happens when the messenger has been filled with the Word.
When the Lord of the Harvest Sends
"Nobody told him to go. The Holy Spirit showed him."
Earlier this month, a brother named Jacob came to his coaching circle with a word: the Spirit had been showing him a people group in the western part of Gonja land, near the border with Côte d'Ivoire. No human told him to go. No mission organization funded the trip. Jacob sold some of his belongings to cover the cost and went.
When he arrived, he found a community in conflict — youth who needed someone to step in and speak peace into their lives.
Jacob returned last week. From four households, 27 people gave their lives to Christ.
This is the difference between being sent by men and being sent by the Lord of the harvest. As Isaac teaches: "Let these people know early — learn to hear the Holy Spirit's voice, so they know it is Him sending them, and not you."
Not by might. Not by power. By His Spirit.
Prayer Requests
Please join us in prayer:
- For the health and protection of Disciple Making Movement leaders across Africa and beyond.
- For people of peace and families of peace to disciple.
- For discernment to see the open doors of God, and boldness to walk through them.
- For Terry and Amy as they train and coach people how to be and multiply disciples.
- For our disciple makers ministering in especially dangerous places — South Sudan and Northern Nigeria.
In His Service,
Terry & Amy Ruff