On the Road Back to Sierra Leone, New Member Care role at TLI, and some excellent books
Tomorrow morning I leave for another week of training in the capital of Sierra Leone – Freetown. This will be my eighth week of classroom instruction in Freetown over the last two years. The students have grown tremendously and I’m excited about teaching apocalyptic literature from the book of Revelation. It’s an amazingly practical book, especially for the church in Africa. I taught this course in South Africa and in Makeni – it’s impact on the students was impressive.
Below are some excerpts from our training manual.
“Biblical apocalyptic writing reveals supernatural realities—what is really happening and what will really occur—to help God’s people patiently endure.”
“The opening verses of Revelation identify it as one kind of apocalyptic writing called an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter. In these ways, Revelation paints an engaging and dramatic picture of God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness over everything happening in heaven and on earth—both now, in the glorious end, and beyond.”
- “As an apocalypse (Rev. 1:1), Revelation uses vibrant symbolic visions to reveal a supernatural reality meant to change how people think about the situations they are in.
- As a prophecy (Rev. 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18–19), Revelation tells God’s new covenant people what he requires of them, encourages them to repent for living differently, and announces judgment and hope.
- As a letter (Rev. 1:4, 11), Revelation helps God’s people live wisely in any situation by contemplating their lives and the new covenant with God in King Jesus by the Spirit. Its recipients were real people
in a real time and place with real struggles.”
Please pray for the students, especially their ability to see the truths related through the images.
I’ve added member-care to my duties at Training Leaders International which includes one week in Minneapolis every month. I’m looking forward to contributing to the ongoing vitality of our US based trainers and staff. My Africa travel will not be as extensive as it has for the last seven years, but I will keep traveling to strengthen the church and train leaders.
Most of us read. But finding good books is sometimes difficult. So… if you purchase and read any of the books below, and are disappointed, let me know, I’ll reimburse you. Reading good books is good. These are my newest, most excellent, and insightful ones from this year.
Here’s a picture of a not-so-recent family outing – 36 years ago.
Thanks for reading and praying and giving. Our ministry would not be possible without your generosity and prayer support.
Bob and Vickie
I love Sierra Leone, and I love being home
I’ve had a pretty long stretch of trainings in South Africa and Sierra Leone. I’m finally home and it feels good.
In Freetown all of the students’ presentations stayed in the biblical text which the students were assigned. There was no wandering. There was no outside influence. They stayed with what the Bible said. It was amazing, and encouraging.
During the second week of training, in Makeni, we taught skills for understanding apocalyptic literature. Revelation! It was an exciting week of learning about symbols and signs and what is happening in the supernatural world. The students were amazed, especially with the final chapters. Christ triumphs over all His foes; there’s a wonderful joining of the church with Christ, and a new heaven and a new earth. As we finished reading the last chapter they clapped.
Two amazing weeks of training. Here are a few pictures.
And link of the month. It’s a good one.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/listening-that-hurts/
Thanks for reading and praying and giving.
Bob and Vickie Burris
South Africa training, Mini-safari, Mission resources
I’m back. South Africa has been a wonderful experience. The students have grown in their teaching and preaching abilities. This will be my last trip to South Africa for now. We are looking to open up new training sites in new countries so stay tuned.
Students in Queenstown.
David Garland’s comments on Luke 24:25, the road to Emmaus. The Psalms are God’s guidebook to change our feelings and emotions to align with the godly feelings and emotions of Jesus. Our decisions are emotional decisions, and so our emotional life becomes crucial to the life of a disciple.
Thank you for reading. It truly is a great work God has allowed us to be a part of.
Bob and Vickie
Two Tremendous weeks in Sierra Leone
Here’s a picture and video recap of my recent trip. It‘s a very satisfying experience to see the students grow. These two weeks were amazing.
Delivery services. Sierra Leone has an almost infinite variety of transportation alternatives, although the back of a motorbike might be the most common.
I have a 8 1/2 X 11 sheet, PDF file of the skills we teach. If you’d like a copy send me an email.
This is at the core of our teaching. Learning skills, practicing in class, reporting, refining.
I locked my door on Friday night and the lock broke; my calls for help were finally heard at 8am Saturday morning. No worries, I slept through the night.
Group work.
Next week I leave for two weeks in South Africa. Pray for the students as we study poetry in the Psalms and Proverbs, and apocalyptic literature in Revelation.
Thank you for praying and reading and giving. At both sites in Sierra Leone we are making great progress. Bob
Loving spaghetti at grandma’s house.
Training Pastors Worldwide 