Refugees in South Africa are being trained to carry revival to their nations. The South African branch of OMS International is identifying and training missionaries from the ranks of refugees living there.
...Millions of people living in south and central African nations have fled to South Africa since 1994, Greenwood, Ind.-based OMS International said. Ethnic conflicts, political instability, and food shortages are rife in Africa and people come to the democratic country for safety, the ministry's David Dick told Religion Today. Most end up in refugee camps with few prospects for the future.
...The situation redirected the mission of OMS International's South Africa office. The ministry had been training and sending missionaries to go to other countries, but decided to focus its efforts on ministering to the refugees, Dick said. "They told us they would be doing better meeting the needs of the refugees in their own country rather than sending people outside."
...Teams of evangelists work among the refugee communities, preaching the message of Christ and connecting new converts with local churches, Dick said. The refugees are open and receptive to the gospel and the results are encouraging, he said. "There are a good number of conversions and discipleship is happening."
...The outreach will fulfill the ministry's mission to send missionaries to other countries because some of the converts are expressing a desire to return to their homes and preach the gospel, Dick said. "Many of them are saying that they have a burden to go back. Once they receive the gospel and it becomes a part of their life, there seems to be a calling to return."
...Two teams are preparing to return to their countries by January 2001. About 20 people from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been receiving training to go back and start churches and evangelistic ministries, Dick said.
...The two countries are among the most dangerous in Africa. Burundi borders Rwanda where 800,000 reportedly died in ethnic fighting in 1994 and many refugees from the violence still live there. Civil war and ethnic violence have torn apart the DRC for several years.
...The teams are willing to go back in spite of the danger, Dick said. "It is amazing to me because they are putting their lives at stake to return." He said a team leader told him that he is willing to go back even if it means he will be killed. "It is humbling and inspiring to hear them talk like this."
...OMS South Africa hopes to train thousands of like-minded individuals from the refugee community in the next 20 years. Workers estimate that about two of every 100 converts accept a call to return to their homelands as missionaries, Dick said. By the year 2020 they hope refugee-based mission teams will have established 20 new ministries "from Cape Town to Cairo," he said.
...Helping Africans minister to other Africans is a crucial part of the ministry, Dick said. "It's a ministry by Africans to Africans and that is important because it is culturally adaptable." The vision and techniques are easily transferred to others so new ministries can be started, he said.
...Working with indigenous missionaries is the core of OMS International's ministry, Dick said. The ministry works with more than 7,000 nationals and 3,500 churches to spread the gospel of Christ through evangelism, theological training, and church planting in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.
