Latest Africa Updates

Earliest letters at the bottom!

05/08/2026

Greetings prayer team! 

I continue to be thankful for you all as I see God answering prayer in the most unexpected ways. 

Today was a pretty light day, but a wonderful one. Last year when we were here as a family, Andrea and I met a new friend who we met through a dear friend and mentor who does quite a bit of ministry in South Africa. 

When I found out I was going to have a couple of extra days in RSA I reached out and set up a meeting with him. Sam came with me and it was an incredible time of fellowship and vision casting for the African continent. 

This was another one of those, no-way-to-describe-it-in-an-email, kind of meetings. Suffice it to say that God continues to sow into this vision God has given to Andrea and me in ways I could not have anticipated or imagined. And the confirmation of the Spirit has been strong. I am unbelievably thankful and filled with gratitude. 

Please continue to pray that God would be bringing all of the pieces of the puzzle together so we can be obedient to Him. This is His work, not ours. We want to honor Him in it all, by following His lead and trusting Him to involve all the people He has planned for it. 

After I got back I spent a restful afternoon praying, reflecting on the visit so far, and also got a nap. 

I spent the evening with the Pereira family since 3 of them have birthdays today and tomorrow. It was a very fun evening. I especially enjoyed hearing Ellie tell me about the escape room experience she and her friends had today. She was as excited and effusive as I have ever seen her. Super fun. She is such a sweet young lady. 

Thankful I got a quick chance to chat with Andrea. She and Cassia arrived safe and sound back in Hinckley. Please pray that they would have a good, productive week and be a blessing to those they will be serving. 

This may be my last update. Not sure I will have an internet connection at the airport tomorrow evening. We’ll see. 

So, please pray for a few things: 

- safe travels; I leave tomorrow evening at 11:15pm (4:15pm ET) and will arrive back in KC at 11pm Central on Sunday [from Andrea: please let me know if you want specific flight numbers]

- for God’s leading for my day tomorrow. He has been so faithful to hear and answer that prayer; please continue 

- please continue to pray for John Chinyowa’s (now I got the spelling correct) son Ngomi. As of this evening he was in the same condition. That is concerning to me and I am sure it is for John too. John has to head back to Zim tomorrow afternoon. Pray for wisdom as they consider the possibility of John's wife (Orpah) coming down. 

Thank you again for your faithful battling for me in prayer. I truly believe that prayer is the primary work of the kingdom. And your participation in this adventure has been an essential part of it all. To God be the glory! 

With love and appreciation, 

 Joe Denner 

05/07/2026

Hello prayer team! 

It was an early start to the day as I had to be at the airport by 7:15am.  Peter and I said our goodbyes, and I made my way to my gate. Peter capped off his week of selfless service by staying around the airport until my plane was in the air. I told him not to worry, but he refused to leave until he was sure I was on my way. Kind friend. He even sent me a video of my plane taking off. 😊 

The flight back to Jo’burg was smooth and easy. Thank you Lord. 

One thing I should mention is that I am very thankful that all my border crossings have been uneventful. I wasn’t anticipating any problems since they have all been at airport arrivals. But I do want to pause and thank the Lord for everything in that department! 

My very good friend, and Bill Rapier’s right-hand man, Sam Ndou, picked me up at the airport. I had no specific plan for the day, but I soon found out that God did. As we headed out of the airport Sam informed me that our good friend and pastor John Chinyowe from Zimbabwe was here in Jo’burg at the hospital because his son is in an induced coma. 

He asked if I had other plans or if we could go and see John and pray with him and over his son Ngomi (which means mercy). I said I had no other plans and that we should definitely go right to the hospital. John took me back to the ICU and we prayed over his son together. 

John’s son is a cyclist and lives here in Jo’burg. Last Sunday he was out cycling and was struck by a car. Fortunately, he has no broken bones but is suffering from multiple severe bruises over his body and he has been in an induced coma since they life-flighted him to the hospital. 

Thankfully the medical team is very confident that Ngomi’s life is not in danger. How that can be true when they will have him in a coma for 5 days I’m not sure, but we’ll see how things play out. Please keep praying for Ngomi. Sam, John, and I had lunch together and I’m sure John just appreciated having some time with two good friends. 

I asked John if he needed anything and he said he was cold and could use a coat. It’s unusually cold here right now and he left home in such a hurry he wasn’t prepared. So Sam and I ran to the mall and got him a coat. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be a blessing to my dear brother and friend. 

After that Sam took me to Mia and Julian’s house. Those of you who have prayed for me in the past will recognize those names. We got here around 6:30pm. Through the evening, I had the opportunity to talk with them both and before I knew it, it was after 10pm. I got in a quick chat with Andrea and a quick (“short, sharp”) shower and it’s off to bed. 

Please pray for my time tomorrow. I have one meeting set up with a new friend we met last July and am also praying that I would just be available for whatever God has in store, like today. 

God bless and keep you all! 

Please also pray for Andrea and Cassia as they will be driving to our home in IL on Friday, that they would arrive safely. 

In His service, 

Joe Denner 

05/06/2026

Greetings all!

Another wonderful day under God’s gracious guidance. It was our longest day so far. We left the hotel at 8:30am and didn’t get back until around 6:30pm. It was a very full, but really profitable day.

As I sit down to type, my mind is whirling. There is literally no way to share all that Peter and I have seen and heard and had the opportunity later to discuss and debrief over these three days. But we are both excited about what God wants to do - knowing we don’t see it all ourselves at this point.

Peter and I met Pastor Moss and Simbiso at the TMG office and we were off immediately for the day, heading to Ebenezer, which is where the actual training takes place that we have been interested in. For context, Ebenezer is about 90 minutes from TMG’s office.

We spent the day meeting with the head of the program, with one of the main Ebenezer trainers, and then visiting a number of the different sites where the practical, hands-on training takes place. At each place we had the opportunity to talk with students who are running each area (similar to internships).

One thing I should probably state clearly is that Ebenezer runs a 2yr certificate program for young people ages 18-23. These are the students we were interacting with.

How TMG works is that they utilize the Ebenezer farming campus to bring in pastors and community members for 1 week of training. TMG provides the classroom training for their groups and then the Ebenezer students assist in the hands-on training that occurs throughout that week.

The third piece of the puzzle is that there is a camp called Shalom. Shalom is where the TMG trainees stay during the training. We also got to see the camp and it is really very beautiful.

All three of these organizations fall under the umbrella of Peter Cunningham’s ownership and leadership. He is the visionary behind it all.

But the bottom line (to try to keep this brief) is that Peter sees a great opportunity to unlock the massive, agricultural potential of both Zimbabwe and even deeper into the African continent.

Peter’s vision is for the training, equipping and discipling of the youth of Africa who will then be linked with pastors and churches who share the vision and will then together be able to affect their communities.

There’s no way to capture this all in one little email. I am still getting my mind around it all, but it is a very hope-filled, gospel-centered, discipleship-oriented vision and model. And we believe there is a great opportunity for the Legacy Collective Global (a new NFP of Andrea’s and mine) and African Leadership Development (Bill Rapier’s ministry) to partner together with Peter Cunningham’s organization (which includes TMG, Ebenezer, and Shalom) to make a significant impact on Zimbabwe and beyond.

Would you please pray with us that we could understand fully our part in all this and begin to take the steps necessary to see it come to fruition? We need your prayer partnership, especially in these early stages.

Lastly, and probably my favorite part of the day, was when we got back to the TMG office. I had asked Bishop Netha if I could speak to the entire team (as I had requested you pray for yesterday). The interesting part is that we had normally been back to the office each day by 4pm or so. But today we didn’t get back until almost 5:45pm.

The 3 remaining staff had patiently waited for us (Moss and Simbiso were obviously with us) and I thanked them all. Bishop Netha joked that I should only thank his two staff members because they stayed willingly. But he was stuck at the office waiting for his car (which we had all day).

I shared briefly from 3 different passages of Scripture (Ps. 32:8; Mt. 11:28-30, and Heb. 6:10). I encouraged them mainly along two lines. First, to make sure they get and stay in the yoke with Jesus. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When it feels hard and heavy it’s because we’ve gotten out of the yoke with Jesus. Stay put, by God’s grace and through the power of the Spirit. Second, I encouraged them from Ps. 32 and Heb 6 that God sees them and knows everything they are doing for Him and for His people. He’s going to instruct them with His eye upon them and He is faithful not to forget anything they have done in serving and caring for God’s people. There was more but that was the main gist.

When I finished Bishop Netha looked at us and said, “You do not know how much we needed that encouragement.” Hallelujah!!! What a blessing to be led by God in what to say and to have Him use it. And your prayers were directly involved. Thank you. (And thank you to Andrea whose idea it was in the first place to try to do something to bless their team.)

I then invited Peter to share something and he relayed a short story from the OT demonstrating how God wants to work in and for His people. They were very blessed by his comments as well and then prayed a blessing over their team as we all shared our final good-byes.

God has been so gracious. While there are some things I would have really liked to have experienced from the training, we would all agree that this was so much better. And any of those gaps can be filled by sharing info via email. The opportunities to see and meet all the people we did, to hear their hearts and see their work in action in multiple contexts was invaluable. Praise God!!

As I said at the beginning, my head is spinning and my heart is full. I am trusting God to lead us forward as we pray together for what’s next.

I fly back to South Africa tomorrow morning. Peter will drop me off at the airport at 7:15am then he will head home to Masvingo.

I cannot even begin to express what an honor and privilege it has been to spend these 3 1/2 days with Peter. He is a dear brother in Christ and a real servant to God. I love how he thinks and dreams and then acts. He has challenged me on this trip in some beautiful ways. Having him experience all this will be of enormous value to the work ahead, and I am thrilled to say he learned a LOT that he is going to be able to take back home and apply on his own farm. That fills my heart with joy.

Please pray for safe travels back to South Africa and also please pray for the effective use of my time there. I have a few people lined up to spend time with and am trusting God to both lead me and use the time for His purpose.

I head back to the US on Saturday evening.

May God richly bless each of you in the work He has you doing!

Your fellow servant,

Joe Denner

(from Andrea: I will try to get some pictures out this evening!)

Greetings prayer team! 

Today was another great day. If you joined me in prayer, God answered in opening the door to meet personally with Peter Cunningham. If you’re not sure who that is check out yesterday’s update. 

We were supposed to head out to one of the farms TMG is working with at 9am this morning, but plans got shuffled. Patson found out that Peter had a board meeting this afternoon that would severely jeopardize the possibility of us being able to meet with him so Peter requested we come this morning. 

We all gladly agreed to change our plans around, and we had an absolutely wonderful meeting with him at his home office and on the grounds of one of his plants - the one that processes all of the chicken feed for all their projects throughout Zimbabwe. 

His heart and vision for Africa is humbling and exciting. His love for Christ and the church seemed evident and our conversation was both confirming and inspiring. He’s very enthusiastic about partnering with us and extended a personal invitation for us to stay with him next time we are in Zim. I look forward to sharing more about his vision and hope for Africa in a later communication. 

After this we headed to the Bubi farm. This is a farm about 1hr outside of Bulawayo that is being run collectively by 40 women and which TMG has come alongside recently. The farm currently has 13 hectares (a little over 32 acres) of arable land, with another 18 hectares which could eventually be cleared for farming. The specific project they are collaborating on is 1 hectare of sugar beans. The beans are doing very well and are due to be harvested at the end of May. 

This is truly an impressive operation. The women have had some help and support from other local aid organizations, but they have done a tremendous amount of the work themselves. They have built a large water tank that gets water pumped into it from 3 different bore holes. They then built a pump house that sends the water to multiple areas of the farm for irrigation through a drip process using hoses. All this is powered by solar panels. 

The farm has grown corn (maize), pumpkins, and now sugar beans. They also are raising some chickens and have other plans for expansion and testing other agricultural products. 

The women are divided up into 4 teams of 10 and they share the responsibilities for tending to the crops. They have been an excellent example for TMG of what true teamwork looks like and gives hope for other similar projects. I say this because TMG has not always seen collaborative works succeed due to conflict, despite the training they provide on this topic. 

Then the women surprised us and announced that they had made us lunch. So we all gathered under the shade tree (it was sunny and about 87 today) and enjoyed a meal together. The people here are always such a great example of hospitality! 

The last two days have given us two very different models of what TMG is doing and can do and helps us understand how they might help support our work going forward. 

Tomorrow we go to Ebenezer College and the Shalom camp to meet the people and see the facilities for the chicken farming training (and ag training) that we are interested in. 

I have been encouraged to find out that TMG’s training is very holistic. They not only train on the technical aspects of farming, but they provide vision casting critical to people experiencing some of the mindset shifts that will be necessary for them to succeed in this venture (with the background of the darkness and despair that many here experience). They also provide training on basic financial management and record keeping. 

Pray for our safety in travels. I forgot to mention that the roads to Bubi rivaled many of the terrible roads I have encountered on past trips. Very thankful to be back in Bulawayo safely this evening. The way people drive here (and the way pedestrians handle themselves even out on the highways) can really keep you on edge. 😎 

Last thing from today is that we got two brand new tires for the HOH truck. Since Peter literally got the truck the afternoon before he picked me up at the airport he has been discovering things that need attention. The biggest one was the front tires. He did not feel safe driving back home or to Whunga from here, so we took care of it after we finished with the folks from TMG. I’m just thankful he made it to Bulawayo safely in the first place. 

It was quite fun watching Peter haggle with the manager. He had the whole group laughing with him as he talked them down on the price. So thankful he’s going to be much safer now in future travels. 

Praise the Lord with us as we celebrate His continued kindness and favor! He is so good.

Finally, please pray for me as I am planning to share a brief word of encouragement with the TMG staff as we wrap up tomorrow. I want to bless them and pray over them. Pray for God’s leading in that time.

“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” (2Co. 1:11) 

May God bless you for your faithfulness! May His name be praised!! 

Joe Denner

05/04/2026

Thank you all for praying. We had an excellent day today! 

Peter and I had an excellent time at breakfast today. He shared pictures and videos with me of the farm he is working on getting started on his property back home. I have always been impressed with Peter - he’s faithful, servant-hearted, hard working, and an amazing artist. 

But this morning my respect for him shot up to a whole new level. He shared with me the story of how he purchased the 3 hectares he owns and the dream and vision he has had and is working out. And the amazing hard work he has done to clear and prepare the land for planting. And the additional amazing work he has done to learn how to be a farmer - with no training and not much education. Just prayer, hard work, determination, and the grace of God. 

I connected well with his story because of all the work I have done on our Hinckley property to clean it up and make it look better. But, what I did with a chain saw, he did way more with an ax by hand pushing through blisters and bleeding hands. Amazing! And the persecution he endured from his neighbors who thought he was crazy for his dreams. Well…he has silenced them for sure with all he has accomplished and he has more in mind. Incredible. 

And on top of that he is making an effort to be a godly husband and father AND he is pouring out his life for the orphan home in Whunga. He’s the kind of man I want on my team every day of the week!! 

Sorry for the long introduction, but I thought it was worth it. May we all be encouraged and challenged by it. 

We met at the offices of Turning Matabeleland Green (TMG) and were introduced to Bishop Patson Netha and Pastor Moss Tshuma. We met with them for a few hours as they shared the work and story of TMG and all that God has been doing with and through it. We pelted them with questions and went deeper to better understand how this might be a fit for what God has called us to do in equipping and supporting pastors and their families in Zim. 

After tea (there’s always tea 😊) we headed out for a tour of some local farmers, which is the primary active project they have going right now. We were escorted on our tour by Pastor Moss and their main Field Officer, Simbiso Mucheche, who is a very talented young woman who graduated from the 2yr certificate program offered by Ebenezer College. These two were excellent tour guides. 

There are about 94 farmers in this current project. They have all been through the training TMG offers in partnership with Ebenezer College. One thing that struck Peter and me today is that all of these “farms” were in neighborhoods (townships). We envisioned farms and fields, but these were all in backyards. 

One thing Peter and I learned was how important TMG’s follow-up support and accountability is for those who have gone through the training. I could say a lot more, but this was very encouraging to me and shows their commitment to the success of this initiative. 

There are many more details, but suffice it to say that Peter and I were very impressed with the work and appreciate the gospel-minded passion this organization operates with. They are unashamedly sharing Christ with all who “come through their doors” and working very hard to create an economy of self-sustainability. 

One God moment, among many, from today. You may remember that my original plans for going through a week of training got changed fairly last minute, and that Andrea and I both agreed that the current plan was going to be better. Well, as we were walking out of Bishop Netha’s office today after we all prayed together, he looked at us and said, “You know, I think this new plan is actually much better than the one we originally had.” And then he added a comment that for people who pray, God always works out the best plan. Amen! 

Peter and I enjoyed a nice dinner together and we got to talk via FaceTime with two of his adult children. It was such a blessing to see him interact with them - a loving, joy-filled, affectionate father. 

Please pray for Peter. He is carrying a lot and has been through a tremendous amount of hardships in his life. Pray that God would use him for His glory and purpose. 

Tomorrow we’ll be heading out to spend the day touring another set of farms, but I think these will be more of what we expected today. And then, God willing, we will meet with Peter Cunningham who is the founder of this amazing eco-system that has been created. I really want to meet with him, but the plans are a bit up in the air. Please pray that God would open that door for us. 

As always, I walk in deep appreciation for and am upheld by your faithful intercession! 

Joe Denner

05/03/2026

Greetings prayer team! 

Today was a pretty low key day. Due to some unforeseen circumstances the Pereiras and I were not able to go to worship. While that was disappointing, we had a good morning together. Then it was off to the airport. Thankfully the airport was an uneventful experience. Got checked in, through security and to my gate without any trouble. Instead of a normal jetway we took a bus to our (very small) plane which was waiting for us out on the tarmac. The flight was only a little over an hour but they actually gave us a nice little snack plus a beverage. It reminded me of flying in the old days. My seat was both an aisle seat and a window seat (a single row along the left side of the plane). It was a beautiful day as we flew and the Zimbabwean countryside was lush green and beautiful.

Getting through customs here was super easy (as it was back in South Africa last Thursday night). And my beloved friend Peter Gondo was here to greet me with the truck. I praise the Lord for that because him getting the truck for this trip was no guarantee. Thank you God! 

While we were driving to the hotel Peter told me a fun story, which could have had a very bad ending. 

Peter literally picked up the truck yesterday afternoon. It is a used truck, but brand new to Houses of Hope - the orphan home our family has been serving for the last 16 years. He picked it up in a city far away (north of Harare) and went to the petrol station to get some petrol. 

He asked the attendant to fill it up and the guy started right away. A few moments later, as the fuel was flowing, Peter thought to ask what he was putting in the truck. The guy said, “Diesel.” Yikes!!!! This truck doesn’t take diesel. So Peter told him to stop immediately. 

The God part of the story is that our good friend and pastor John Chinyowe was nearby and he “just happened” to have a mechanic in the car with him. So they took it somewhere nearby and the mechanic removed the gas tank, got the diesel fuel out and replaced it with petrol. Praise the Lord! No damage was done. The truck is in great shape. 

Peter and I made it safely to the hotel and I let him rest a bit. He had driven all through the night to get to Bulawayo to pick me up. Such a dear, servant-hearted man. If you knew Peter you wouldn’t be surprised. 

Peter and I enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner, which I think we both needed, him especially. We talked a lot about our strategy for the next few days and I think we are on the exact same page. Excited about that. 

Lastly, Andrea helped to connect me with a gentleman, located right here in Bulawayo, who is a regional leader for Youth For Christ (long story we don’t have time for here). We had a wonderful phone conversation after dinner! There is a lot of alignment in the passion of our hearts and we figured out that we will both be in the western suburbs of Chicago on May 17th and are going to try to figure out a way to meet up. Praise God!!! A small world indeed! 

That’s all for today. Please pray for the next three days with Bishop Patson Netha and his organization and their partners. (Andrea adding here, "a very good night of sleep for Joe and Peter") Peter and I are excited and ready to see what God has in store for us for both this week and the months and years ahead. 

May God richly bless you as you seek His face! 

With love and gratitude, 

Joe Denner

05/02/2026

Greetings all!! 

Today was a very good day. 

The day began with Greg asking me to lead their family in a time of family devotions. I have been spending a lot of my personal quiet time in Revelation so I read a passage from Revelation 22 and shared some brief thoughts. We had a very nice discussion and then I prayed with them. 

Then Greg & Nadia’s daughter Ellie showed me a picture she had painted of the Titanic - really amazing painting with incredible details, and then she told me more than I could ever have imagined someone knowing about the Titanic. It’s a passion of hers. 😊 

After that, the Pereira’s and I took advantage of another beautiful day and went to a local historical museum - located at the home of one of their Generals and Prime Ministers from the early to mid 1900’s. Fascinating place. There is so much history here (just like anywhere) and so much has been so unknown to me (which makes sense since I’m from half way around the world). There was no way we could take it all in, but it was very fun. 

Then we returned home and I set in to finish up preparing for the 2nd day of the conference. I also took a quick nap because I didn’t have the best night of sleep last night and I was having some troubles with my stomach. 

We had two extra families that joined us tonight and once again, God really moved. I spoke on communication. The first message was very focused on a Biblical perspective of communication and the state and posture of our hearts as we engage in communication, especially within the home. 

The second message was a very practical workshop focused on teaching them the specific skills of active listening and asking powerful questions. 

Both sessions went very well, but I could tell that the 2nd one hit home especially and gave them some very simple “handles” to grab onto (in the Spirit) that have the ability to really improve their conversations. One mom in particular shared with me later that while she enjoyed the entire conference, the last message was especially encouraging and helpful. Praise God! 

In between sessions we had a good old fashioned “Bring and Braai” (BBQ, bring your own meat). The food was delicious and the fellowship was really sweet. I got the opportunity to sit with some old friends and some new ones and we had a delightful time. 

I also had a great opportunity to talk with a young man we met last time and he shared how God has been working in his life and how the conference last July had made a real impact on him - Praise God! It was truly an iron-sharpens-iron conversation and I walked away strongly encouraged about what God is doing in his life and family and also my trip to Zimbabwe and my life back home. It was God’s kindness to us both. 

The second session ended a little after 9pm and a number of the families stayed for dessert and more fellowship. I had the blessing of sitting with 3 couples and I asked each of them to share how God is working in their church and where they believe their church leadership is focusing their attention right now. It was an encouraging conversation and it was interesting to see how God is working in each place. Each couple were enthused about what they’re seeing. Praise God! 

As everyone got up to leave one of the men called all the families together and said he wanted them to pray over me, in thanksgiving for the conference, for my trip to Zim, and for my return home. It was a very touching time for me and I really felt God’s favor in it. 

After everyone left (around 11pm) Greg and I spent another 30-60 minutes talking in the kitchen. I have really come to appreciate and value my friendship with Greg. He really loves the Lord and is leading his family and the homeschool group well. May God continue to get increase here with these precious saints. 

I will be going to church with the Pereiras in the morning and then they will drop me off at the airport. My flight to Zim leaves at 2:20pm and I arrive in Zim at 3:35pm (8:35am Central). 

I am genuinely excited for my time in Zim. I would ask prayer for special discernment in my time there. That I would prioritize relationships and people over my natural desire to “get things done.” I believe I am in the right mindset for that, but I continue to need God’s grace for living it out. 

Thank you again. I covet and am grateful for your prayers. 

My love to you all! 

Joe Denner 

05/01/2026

Good afternoon. Joe wanted me to add something about the homefront before I share today's update. The Hinckley house has a problem with the water, like no water at all, which appears to be with the water pressure system. This would not be an immediate problem for us except that we have some good friends using the "Villa" at the Hinckley House right now. Sigh. So pray that the problem gets pinpointed QUICKLY and can be resolved without huge expense.

On to Joe's report:

 We had a very nice day today. It was beautiful weather, around 60-65 degrees today with clear, sunny skies.

As you already know I had a great night of sleep, praise God!

The family was gone when I got up but they returned soon after I got out of the shower. We had a little breakfast and then they wanted to head out to a big market that was being held today because it was a public holiday.

I soon discovered that it was an outdoor mall we visited last year when we were here, but with all the pop up tents and people it looked quite different. We couldn’t even find a place to park so we had to park at another place and walk.

It was fun to see all the people and all the different kinds of vendors all around and we had a lovely lunch together.

The day flew by and by the time we got home it was 3pm and Greg wanted everything ready for the guests to begin arriving around 4pm so everyone got to work, including me wrapping things up with my preparation.

We had a small, but intimate group and things went wonderfully well. The theme for this mini-conference is “Building the Kingdom of God With Work and Home.” Tonight was about “Becoming a Kingdom Leader” and “Building a Kingdom Culture” - two sessions, both which leaned toward a business theme, but we wove in the priority and centrality of the home quite a bit.

In between we shared a lovely supper of soup and breads and had good fellowship.

During the break I had a very nice opportunity to interact with two young men (both 13, almost 14) who have a pretty clear idea of what God is calling them to for a career. I was very impressed with both of them and their level of maturity and how well they carried themselves. May God continue to grow and mature them! (Names are Jire-lee and Luca).

God really showed up for both sessions. It was clear that the Spirit of God was moving among us and confirming His word to His people. The feedback was encouraging and everyone said they were looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions. Praise the Lord! Please pray that God would guard the seeds that were planted in their hearts and that the application would be clear.

Afterwards some of the people hung around until after 10pm and there was a lot of good conversation. I got to know one new family a good bit. It is obvious they love the Lord and are intent on serving Him. It was also obvious that the family relationships are solid. The kids were very joyful and they were very open in expressing affection for their parents. A real blessing to see. (And they drove 75 miles to come to this event and will be back tomorrow).

The father of the family mentioned above is really trying to discern God’s will regarding the possibility of getting back into entrepreneurship. They had a business launch that didn’t work out because Covid hit right in their launch phase. But he is sensing their may be another opportunity and these two sessions really encouraged him.

Greg and Nadia were very encouraged by the evening and are looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions.

The titles for tomorrow are: “The Heart of Effective Communication” and “Reaching and Opening the Heart of Your Child.” Please pray that God would really help these families strengthen their communication with one another and that it would be a strength to each home and their ability to minister to each other and others.

No other plans for tomorrow that I know about. Please pray for God’s leading and that I would use my time wisely.

Also, please pray for direction for Sunday morning. I need to figure out what God wants me to do for church. Then I need to be at the airport around 12:30pm to leave for Zimbabwe.

Thanks again for your faithful prayers. You don’t know how much I depend on and appreciate all of you.

In Him,
Joe Denner

04/30/2026

Good evening praying friends!

Joe wanted me to pass on to thank you all for praying and that everything yesterday and today everything went smoothly, praise the Lord. 

He was fetched from the airport by Greg Pereira, and is hopefully now getting a good night of sleep. You can pray for that as he hits the ground running tomorrow. He said that he would send an update, his tomorrow morning.

Thank you!!!

Andrea

04/28/2026

Good evening!

I wanted to send this out tonight so that you would be ready to pray for Joe before he was in the air for the first leg of this trip to Africa at 6 am, but you may end up reading this while he is in the air. I know that many of you enjoy Joe's "journaling" during his trips as you pray. If you were included in error, please let me know! 

There is a link HERE and below to sign up for our prayer list (from which will send monthly notes), a button if you should choose to give, and an explanation of what we mean when we now say we have a "not-for-profit".

The reason for this particular trip: It will be a miracle if I can keep this short, and we are glad to share the full version with you sometime. On prior trips that Joe has taken, he has been asked repeatedly to teach more on business. It probably is unnecessary for me to describe the economy of Zimbabwe and others we are involved with. They need help. While we will continue our collaboration with African Leadership Development, we have decided to explore a partnership with an organization called Turning Matabeleland Green. There is way more to this, a whole business ecosystem. Think "creating entrepreneurs, not aid recipients".

Anyway, Joe will be visiting, accompanied by Peter Gondo, to evaluate what they are doing with their agricultural education, meet the staff, including the visionary of the organization, Peter Cunningham, etc. to make good and certain that we want to connect our dear friends there with the organization. I am certain that much will be relayed as Joe gives his updates, so I will leave it at that.

The itinerary:

Wednesday April 29th and Thursday the 30th: Travel KC to Boston to Amsterdam to Johannesburg

Friday May 1st and Saturday May 2nd: (You knew Joe would also end up speaking) Joe will be doing a mini-conference - two messages on Friday afternoon/evening and two messages on Saturday afternoon/evening on Building the Kingdom at Home and Work

These will be given in Centurion, South Africa to a group with some of our newest friends, the Pereiras, whom we spent much time with last July. Let me know if you did not see the pictures/videos from that trip.

Sunday May 3rd: Joe does not know what he will be doing for worship yet, but I am really hoping he gets to rest. He will travel that afternoon, by air, to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Monday May 4th to Wednesday May 6th: Joe was originally scheduled to literally go through the agricultural/chicken training all the way to Friday, but since this particular training was cancelled for the week he is going to be able to meet many more people and hear a lot more of the heart and vision of the different parts of this ecosystem. 

Thursday May 7th to Saturday May 9th: The new plan is that Joe will be flying back to Jo'burg in the morning on Thursday and, now that the schedule has changed he may get a chance to get together with other friends in that area. 

Saturday evening through Sunday May 10th: Johannesburg to Amsterdam to Boston to KC

I am so very thankful for the enthusiastic "YES" answers I received from so many of you when asked to partner in prayer. Please consider joining the prayer team. It would really be easier for the monthly emails if you are on there!. The plan is to send a monthly note and then Joe's "journals" on here when there is actual travel going on.

Thank you again!

Andrea Denner