Africa – Page 6 – The Rousehouse

Stories from Senegal

Posted on August 18, 2016August 19, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

I received this story from a missionary that I get to serve with in Senegal, West Africa. I asked them if I could share this story and they were glad for me to do this because of the One who gets the glory from it. It is a story of how God is still at work even when the Evil one has such a strong hold. I pray that this encourages you and opens your eyes to see how God is at work in your day and life.

What we are about to share with you is a story of power, a story of who God is , a story of salvation and deliverance. It’s a story that involves you and I and those who are in Christ’s kingdom here in Senegal.

We are still awed at how God works in different ways around the world and yet He never wavers or changes. He is an absolute constant, a faithful Rock. He is all powerful!!

In this story I am going to use different names for the safety of us all.

A STORY OF SALVATION AND DELIVERANCE

Our story unfolds in one of the villages we minster to along with Mission Inter Senegal “MIS”. It is a story about two wives who came to know Christ in a most unusual terrifying way! The entire family is actually saved now.

These two ladies are now part of the church in this village and their story of salvation is mind-blowing and miraculous! A Sene and F Sene are both married to the same husband. There husband was a very evil man and practiced witchcraft. In fact he was the right hand man of a super powerful man witch called a Laga. They deal deeply in demonic activity. In order for A and F’s husband to maintain his power he has to do what the Laga tells him to do. This involved sacrificing his own children.

A, his first wife, only had two children left so the husband tried to take children from his second wife, F, to sacrifice. F was a very outgoing lady and very talkative, boisterous and loud. According to the Laga and demonic spirits they like to perform rituals secretly, under the radar so to speak. F was so loud and talkative about the situation to the village that the Laga and the demons refused to use her children for sacrifices. A and F’s husband had to quickly come up with a child to sacrifice. The Laga, through the influence of the demonic spirits, grew impatient with A and F’s husband and cast a spell on him and he died quickly.

Now the Laga was looking for someone to replace A and F’s husband to continue the demonic work in the village. He chose A’s eldest son P to replace his father. A and P were terrified and could not stop the events that were about to take place.

The demons attacked P in the form of a bull but only P could see this bull. It was a terrifying situation for all the family and those nearby even. P was under such fierce combat with the demons he appeared crazy!

A and F remembered how a women by the name of E who was the wife of the pastor in this village, was delivered from demons by a group of people at an evangelical center. They did not know where to turn for help and this was the only thing they could think of that could help A’s son P.

So they sent P to the same place that E received deliverance from the demons. At the evangelical center they prayed for P. He was delivered instantly from the demons. P said he could see the demons fleeing. P gave his life to Christ and returned to his family. When A and F saw P for the first time after being delivered they could not believe their eyes and were amazed. They gave there lives to Christ that day and now the whole family are believers!! Wow, Praise the Lord!

It is hard for us Americans to comprehend the magnitude of this story but it is real and God is victorious over the darkness. Rest assured this is happening in many places in Senegal and around the world. Jesus Christ is showing Himself strong! Hallelujah!

I wanted to share this story with you to remind you that GOD IS AT WORK! And at work in some mighty ways all around this world! Thank you for your prayers and financial support. You are helping and enabling us to serve some great men and woman of faith around the world!

Take just a minute now and pray for West Africa. Pray for the believers that are working hard to spread the good news of Jesus. Pray for the harden hearts to be softened to the love of Jesus. Pray that evil will not win. Pray for our workers that are giving their lives to this great work. God bless!

Mac’s trip to South Africa

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 6.10.06 PM — I will travel with this kid anywhere because he knows how to eat! Sushi!

As many know, last week I was able to take Mac with me to Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was so fun to have this cool guy travel with me, especially on such a long trip. When he was 5 he had the chance to go with Lara and I to Panama but honestly he doesn’t remember much other than the ice cold showers we had out in the jungle first thing in the mornings. He even asked me if we would be able to take hot showers this time a few days before we left. haha! This trip was kind of special and it was his first time to Africa which was pretty special for me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t praying that he would fall in love with this place and the people much like Lara and I did 10 years ago.

It was a long journey just to get there. 32 hours to be exact. He was a champ the whole way there and back. He slept, talked, ate, talked, read, talked, did home work, talked, watched movies, talked, played games, and then talked a little more. Let’s just say I was more tired by the time we got there than he was. It was fun though!

This week in the Cape Town area was good for he and I. I was busy many of the days in a conference/leaders summit with some remarkable leaders from multiple African countries, Thailand, India, Mexico, multiple European countries, and the US. We dream, talked and planned for how God can take this way of life, living and serving in intentional community, and transform lives around the globe. Let’s just say He is up to big things…and by His grace I have a chance to be a part of it! Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 6.10.40 PM

Mac had a full week too. When I was in meetings he would hang out with some of the families that live in Stellenbosch and are a part of the East Mountain community. I think he really liked being with them more than me but I can’t blame him for that! The other half of the time he would come along with me to visit ministries, head into town, or go have a meal by the water. Lunch by the ocean with your son and friends is pretty cool if you are 11 or 33 years old! Mac also just hung around with us at the East Mountain house and busted out some homework. Yes, he had to do homework per his teachers but just being in Africa was pretty educational.

“Dad, I need a coffee and I have my own money.”

I asked Mac a bunch of questions on our way home so that he would be ready for when people asked him, “how was your trip?”. I know how this kid works and I didn’t want him to just say, “good” in his non-excited tone. Once we talked through the trip he really had some great answers so, I thought I would share just a few of them.

What was the craziest/best thing you ate? Ostrich steak and kudu sausage…This kid loves some meat!

Braai – South African for cookout or BBQ. We had 7 or 8 different meats!

What kind of money do they use? The use the Rand which is around 15 ZAR to $1USD. I love math so I liked figuring the price of things out when we went to buy something.

Did you see any cool animals? penguins and seals

Was it what you expected? No, I thought it would be a bunch of huts and animals but it was really normal.

What was the funnest thing you did or visit while you were there? The day we visited the township and saw just how poor some of the people were. I couldn’t believe that people in the world actually lived that way. They were also cooking goat heads on the side of the road which looked weird, but smelled so good.

Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 6.09.24 PM — Over looking Khayelitsha

What language do most people speak? I think it is called Afrikanns but they also have some tribal languages but I can’t say them.

What’s one cool fact that you learned about South Africa? There are 2.4 million people live in the Khayelitsha township which is only about 15 sq miles.

The top of Table Mountain. Usually you can see for miles.

What was the weather? Well, they say that it is really nice but it rained while we were there, especially the day we went on top of Table Mountain. It’s not too cold though.

What did you do most days? When I was with you (dad) we hung out at the East Mountain house which is really cool and when I wasn’t with you I played with my friends Asher, Madeline, Caleb, Dylan, and Isaiah. They were pretty cool!

How do think God could use you in a place like Africa one day? I would love to work in the poor townships teaching people about Jesus, playing with kids, and helping with whatever they might need.

Mac visiting a church sponsored school in the township.

Well, I think we have another lover of Africa and future missionary in the RouseHouse! He did great and loved every minute of his time in South Africa. It was a really blessing to be able to spend so much one on one time with this kid and see him love being a world traveler! He was made for this.

17 Hour flight with NO TV! What else can you do but sleep.

Visiting the Community, South Africa part 2

Posted on March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

The second half of my trip to South Africa was pretty amazing! My beautiful bride was able to fly down and join me for the second week which very cool for us. It was the first time in 5 years that we have been able to travel to Africa together. When we are together in that special place it is always some kind of wonderful.

The reason for this part of the trip was to visit one of the biggest projects/ministries and groups of missionaries that I support and have the blessing to serve alongside here at UWM. My biggest priority for this part of my trip was to gain a better understanding of who we are and what we do in South Africa. My favorite part of the trip was having the privilege to spend time with the people that are living and serving in South Africa. What better way to get a feel for the ministry than to get to know the people.

I have wrote about East Mountain, the ministry there outside of Cape Town, a couple times and many of you have heard me talk about them because they are just that awesome. **Actually the very first missionary couple and the first intern that I had the opportunity to work with when I came on board here at UWM, both went to serve here with East Mountain South Africa. I just wrote a blog post on East Mountain not long ago and you can read more about who they are and what they do here EAST MOUNTAIN or you can check out their website for more info here eastmountain.tv

DISCLAIMER – This may sound like no work and all play but…I enjoy my work so much and most of my co-workers live in beautiful places around the world so…most of my work does feel like it is all play. Great things were accomplished for the Kingdom while we enjoyed every sight, sound, and taste of South Africa! If you got to have a job it might as well be one you enjoy, right!

When I travel I usually get the question, “how was your trip” from many of you and my response is often, “amazing!”. This time I would say exactly the same thing, “amazing!” So, I thought I would share with you some of the experiences, pictures, and stories that Lara and I had from being there and being with the East Mountain Community that made it “amazing!”. It was a full week but really fun! Fun, not just because we were in one of the most breath taking places on earth but because of the people we were with…the giant mountains, gorgeous beaches, perfect weather, wine country, and delicious food didn’t hurt either!

Sunday: Lara had just arrived the night before so we took it easy and hung out with the Halbert family. They allowed us to crash with them for the week and it was great. These guys are great host and friends to spend time with. Sunday lunch was at a local winery where they have what they call, “market”every week. It was like a small, relaxed festival with local food and crafts. Then we headed to the famous Table Mountain to hike and see the sunset. The views were unbelievable! Pictures can not do it justice. Unfortunately, we did not see the sun set because the winds were so bad they evacuated the mountain. Still an awesome day!

Monday: We did the “Loop” as they call it. Basically, you start going down the eastern coast of Cape, down to Cape Point, then back up to Cape Town. This was a long day but a really fun way to see much of the area and cool sites like, penguins, Cape Point, and the beach! We finished the day off having dinner with all of the interns from the US and Africa that live at the East Mountain house. Awesome day!

Tuesday: We were invited to the staff meeting where we had the chance to hear about some of the things happening and coming up in the next few weeks. It was good for me to see all of the Community together and working together. Later that afternoon Lara and I went out with Gabe Smith, friend and founder of East Mountain, to the oldest winery in Stellenbosch. We had a good time catching up on life and ministry while doing a wine and chocolate paring. So yum! Later that evening we sat around with the more friends catching up, laughing, dreaming about the future, and talking about how God is doing a great thing with this work here in South Africa. Awesome day!

Wednesday: The morning was freed up so that Lara and I were able to spend a little bit of time together in the city. We walked around exploring this quaint city, checking out little coffee shops, talking just to two of us, and we enjoyed all of the fun shops that line the streets of Stellenbosch. For lunch and dinner we went out with two different couples that serve at East Mountain and got their view of life, ministry, and experiences as they have just recently finished up their first year being in South Africa. These times are valuable and very helpful for me as I work with others interested in serving overseas in the future. Another awesome day!

Thursday: This day got off on a good start! We had an early meeting to talk about future work and plans for East Mountain and how I could help resource them with the right people. The kicker is, our breakfast meeting was at the beach starring at the cliffs running off into the ocean. In the words of a wise person I know (wink wink you know who you are), this did not suck! We were then able to visit with another leader at East Mountain who serves one of our partner churches and school in a local township to see transformation…real life changing, long lasting transformation. Today this poor, lower class community is better than it was last year and in the next 5-20 years it will radically different! This isn’t the nicest, safest, or most welcoming township but there is a bit of light that is springing up out of the local church. They are educating, feeding, loving on people, tutoring, creating fun spaces to learn the bible and how to worship, meeting needs, interacting with the least of these, and making it a better place today and for the future. We have the opportunity to come alongside them as a resource, friend, and support to help them do even more of the things God has called them to do. This was one of the most impactful times of our trip for Lara and I. We were able to participate in some of the ministry while sitting with people in their homes and walking the streets. We ended the day by having dinner in the home of another “fresh to the field” missionary family that seem to be rocking it! It was truly an awesome day!

Friday: We headed back home but before we did Lara and I took advantage of this great weather and wonderful little city. We went walking, site seeing, got some coffee, ate at our favorite breakfast spot, and said our goodbyes to some of our new friends! It was an awesome day other than the fact that we had to leave!

East Mountain is a community of people who love Jesus, the local church, and each other. We are blessed to have spent some time with each one of them. For all of you who partner with the RouseHouse through prayer, financial support, and encouragement we want to say a BIG THANK YOU for making this time possible! It meant a lot to us as well as to the men, woman, and families we were able to sit with and encourage during this week. Thank you and God Bless!

J-Life Leaders Summit, South Africa part 1

Posted on March 7, 2016March 14, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

IMG_5573[1] — Leo (my friend from UWM living in South Africa), Palgrave (from Ghana), and me

Two weeks ago I arrived in another country for the first time. South Africa! I have heard a lot about this place but really had no idea what it was like. All I knew about this country was Nelson Mandela and the rugby movie with Matt Damon. South Africa is an extremely beautiful and wonderful place! It definitely has a different feel than anywhere else in Africa that I have been to but still has a little sense of Africa underneath the initial impressions.

This week I was invited to come to a leaders summit for a new ministry that we are looking at partnering with called J-Life. J-Life focus is raising up indigenous leaders who will passionately pursue the mission of making disciple makers. I don’t know that I have seen any other organization so laser focused on making disciples like these guys. Their vision is clear and their methods are simple and highly effective! They believe that if they can especially disciple the youth of this continent they can reach the entire continent of Africa. They are currently serving in 30+/- countries and doing pretty well. I am excited for the future of United World Mission and J-Life’s partnership. J-Life

J-Life country leaders working on strategies together

While being here in South Africa I have come up with 10 things that I have seen, heard, or experienced that stood out to me this week. When I get the opportunity to travel to a new place I love seeing the differences as well as similarities of other places so making a list of 10 things really helps me with this.

So here they are…

Africa is the most beautiful place in the world to me and I find myself falling in love every time I come back.
No matter what country, region, or tribe you are from, all of us need some close relationships to make life better.
Africans wake up ridiculously early and when they do they are not quiet they immediately get LOUD! Usually with singing.
Africans will willingly give you the shirt off their back if you asked for it or not.
Everybody loves free stuff! No matter what continent you lI’ve on, you love free stuff but Africans appreciate the free stuff more than most.
Africans love you and make you a part of the family within a couple minutes meeting them. They have never meet a stranger.
God is always present no matter where you go in this world. The problem is, the enemy is also.
Africans don’t always do simple things in simple ways. They do it the way their families have always done it.
Africans love to sing and dance no matter what country, culture, or language.
This place and these people are like good medicine for my soul! You should try it sometime too.
A late afternoon way out away from the city enjoying a long walk

What Africa really needs

Posted on February 5, 2016February 6, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

This is an article that I read on The Gospel Coalition website a few weeks ago. This story proves why we are focusing on more training of Christian leaders and discipleing believers in Africa at UWM (read to the end to hear more). It is an inspiring story of what God can do through anyone.

Bringing Christ to Castaways

He was cursed before he ever came out of his mother’s womb.

Maxwell Blay grew up in Ghana as an outcast of his tribe, stigmatized as unclean by virtue of being the tenth-born of his mother. The Bulu curse branded him and all those around him. Yet he had not been aborted before birth—the fate of his kind—or killed or abandoned in the jungle. Instead, his parents chose to keep him, even in the face of condemnation. His mother, strengthened by her Christian faith, put her trust in the Lord in sending Maxwell to them.

The belief in Bulu or Badu, the Ghanaian name meaning tenth-born child, springs from dark tribal folklore in remote areas of the country, and marks people as cursed. This same superstition applies to so-called “spirit children,” those born disabled or diseased, or whose mothers die in childbirth.

Though no official statistics exist, it’s believed that thousands of babies have been put to death. Untold more are abused, exploited or abandoned.

Maxwell, whose wife, Joana, is also the tenth-born in her family, carries a heavy burden for castaways. Through God’s miraculous providence, he became founder and president of Ransom Foundation, an indigenous Christian charity. In 2007 he partnered with the Children’s Hunger Fund Mercy Network (CHF)to reach out to people in dire poverty. To read more….http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bringing-christ-to-castaways

In 1910, 9% of Africans professed to be Christian. Today, that number is 38%. This tremendous growth has left Africa in a desperate need of discipleship and leadership training. By 2050, it is estimated that 1 in 3 Christians in the world will be African.

NewEastMountain2016_Front

One of the ways we, UWM and the RouseHouse, are tackling this great need is through a ministry in South Africa called East Mountain. They are dedicated to developing Christian leaders from Africa as well as the US. Participates in the East Mountain program receive practical experience in local ministry while being mentored spiritually and theologically by seasoned leaders. These participated return to their local communities more equipped to be effective, godly leaders. m,mm

I am very excited to share with you that Lara and I will have the chance to visit East Mountain in Cape Town this month! We both feel blessed to have this opportunity to travel together as well as it is the first time in 5 years that both of us have been in Africa!!! Please pray for us as we prepare and travel to South Africa. We will be sure to send some vlogs (videos blogs) while we are there.

Thank you for all that you do in partnering with the RouseHouse!

Everything is going to be alright

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Tis the season…

This is this Christmas season. It is also the season that most of us get sucked into stress, worry, and feeling overwhelmed because of the extra financial items in the monthly budget. I could talk about how bad this is and how this is nothing more than the enemy distracting us from the real reason for the season, Jesus, but this week I am caught up in the cycle of worrisome and frustration too. Therefore, I am probably not the best to be talking about the reason for the season.

We have been trying to save money for a new car since both of our cars have well over 200,000 miles but it seems like the more we try the harder it gets. Just in the past few weeks we have had expensive plumbing issues, both cars needing extensive repairs, medical bills from Lara’s shingles and my ankle, and all that comes along with Christmas. Needless to say the car fund has been depleted and I have been stressing over my stupid, rich, first world problems! (Embarrassed but honest)

–On the bright side I am SO thankful that we had the money to pay cash for some of these items. That is a blessing and we know it!–

After spending some much needed time of being refreshed by the Holy Spirit, I began looking through some emails and work stuff when I ran across this..It was a video from one of the missionaries I support in Africa that serves local at-risk-children. It was a GREAT reminder that “everything is going to be alright because of Jesus“. Hearing little African voices singing this song broke me, renewed me, and reminded me that life is all good with Jesus. I am blessed.

Error

This video doesn’t exist

I am thankful for the small reminders my Heavenly Father sends me right when I need it! He is so gracious and merciful to this slow learner he calls, His beloved.

A day of first!

Posted on October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Today is a day of first! October 1st, my first video blog, and my first year anniversary with UWM.

Zimbabwe

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

That isn’t smoke, it is midst rising from the falls. You can see it from miles away.

Every couple of years we gather all of our missionaries from around the African continent for what we call conference. This is a time of renewal, rest, realignment. This was my first time attending the UWM African Conference and it was held in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe…It’s actually called the Afro Conference but I just can’t bring myself to call it that :)… This was my first chance to meet many of these missionaries. I have talked on the phone, Skype, and emailed most of them but there is nothing like face to face time! I spend almost every minute of this week meeting with people to hear their stories, getting to know them, finding out ways I can better serve them, and praying for them. They are long days and I am always exhausted by the time I get back on my plane to head home but I wouldn’t want it any other way! I love what I do!

The Baobab is also called the upside-down tree because when bare of leaves, the spreading branches of the Baobab look like roots sticking up into the air, as if it had been planted upside-down. – This isn’t even the largest of their kind!

I had an opportunity to speak to 3 different groups while I was there and give a brief presentation on how we were going to serve them and their ministries better. My number one goal was to connect with them personally and have them leave feeling like I was for them and their ministry. By the power of the Holy Spirit it went great! I was able to gain their trust, let them see my passion for Africa, and begin building a strong relationship with them. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Psalm 66:3Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. 4"All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name." — Psalm 66:3Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. 4″All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name.”

I was texting Lara one day to tell her how the day was going and she said, “You have the best job in the world!” I think it was because I mentioned to her that I was standing at the glorious Victoria Falls having a delicious cappuccino. My “job” is pretty awesome! I get to travel to amazing places, meet awesome people, help others achieve their dreams, passions, and calling, and I have the privilege of seeing/being a part of the Church taking action by equipping leaders, establishing new churches, and engaging in holistic ministries.

Some crazy, fun parts of my trip to Zimbabwe were:

Two of the great minds and missional hearts that I get to serve alongside! Kevin (expansion) and Tom (strategy)

visiting Victoria Falls – it is mind-blowing at how grand and beautiful it really is!!! NO WORDS!

eating some wild game like buffalo, crocodile (taste like tough chicken), warthog (the best meat I have ever tasted! So tender you need no knife), antelope, ox tail (fatty, I do not recommend it), ox liver (not bad), some other animals liver, and a couple other ones.

rafting sown the mighty Zambezi – No joking here, I thought at one moment I had taken my final breath of air while being tossed around a whirl pool in a class 5 rapid! It was an amazing experience after that! The hike in and out of the gorge was pretty awesome too!

watching elephants from the deck just before dinner come to the watering hole in large herds!

watching the sunrise over the African plain each morning!

One of my favorite pictures! This is the sunset on the Zambezi river.

taking a sunset cruise on the Zambezi leaves you breathless!

Shortly after snapping this picture this little guy attacked me! I was definitely more scared of him than he was of me!

Watching monkeys jump in your room to steal food or jump up on the table in the restaurant to grab the sugar packets never gets boring.

Africa always seems to surprise me with its beauty and awaken my soul to the voice of God. The sights, sounds, smells, taste, and people refresh me every time and leave me wondering when the Father is going to ask my family and I to move there. But until then I am choosing to enjoy this wonderful

journey that He so faithfully is leading me on! Jeremiah 1: 4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

To all of you who prayed for me and for my family during this time I want to say Thank You!

Summer Update

Posted on June 26, 2015June 26, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Mac having a water fight on one of the last days of school

Summer is off to a good but busy start for the RouseHouse! And man is it hot here in the south! We wanted to pause for a few minutes and share some quick family and ministry updates with you as well as share some ways that you can continue to partner with us in prayer.

Mac, Grey, Elly, PawPaw, and their cousins, Jake and Cole. Everyone loves to sit with PawPaw!

The kiddos are doing great! Mac keeps saying, “it feels so weird to not go to school every day!”, while Greyson is loving a break from the regular routine of getting up and going to school. Sometimes the guys can be night and day different. For Elly I think she is loving this time of having “her boys” at home with her…for the most part they are enjoying her too. They have already spent much of their time at the pool (and yes they have a nice tan already), at Nana and PawPaw’s with their cousins, riding scooters, having water gun fights, playing with the dog, shopping (Elly talks us into this one) and staying up late. There is still so much for them to do this summer!

Scooter ridging is a new family favorite! Elly is a little more concerned with everything matching (all Pink) than most people.

Lara is just getting over the Shingles and starting to feel a little more normal. She was a real trooper! You can tell she really tried not to complain even though she was in horrible pain, scratch even though it felt like a large patch of mosquito bites, and lay around even though that is probably what she should have been doing. She is one tough momma! I wish we had a dollar for every time someone would say, “I thought only old people could get the Shingles.” For the record it isn’t just for old people. This has been a painful and very uncomfortable time for Lara and we are thankful for all of the prayers and support! Other than that she has been busy taking care of these 3 crazy guys. It really is a full-time job! My favorite quote from Lara this summer so far is when Mac ask if it is time to eat again and Lara says, “do I have to feed you everyday!?” For the record Mac thinks it is always time to eat. When he is done with one meal he is planning the next before he gets up from the table.

Move in day! A group of friends and family gathered to pray for us and our new home. It was a very special time!

We are loving our new home! It is an answer to prayer that we had been asking the Father for years to grant us! We regularly look at one another and say with a big smile, “this house is perfect for our family”. We have been able to meet most of the neighbors on our street and regularly take walks to pray for them. God has big plans for the RouseHouse here and we believe that we will see Him transform this community and families for His glory!

I have been busy with some cool things at work but have also had some opportunities to spend a little extra time with the family since school has been out. Summer time can be a little slower for mobilization at UWM (this is the team I serve on) which has been good for me with the move, kids being out of school, and Lara being sick. But I have had the privilege of being a part of some great missional things too. We are in conversations about taking on more of a role with Business as Mission (BAM) and I have been chosen to be on that team which I am very excited about. I have also been able to be a part of some expansion opportunities. Expansion is when we open a new country for UWM or a new type of work we currently are not involved in. I can’t be too specific because of security reasons but we are opening some new African countries, possibly Asian countries, and Middle East areas. Taking the Gospel to some dark places! My team will also be leading a new missionary orientation/training in July for families going all over the globe. Did I mention I am heading to Zimbabwe next week too! I am so excited!

We truly value the prayers of our ministry partners! If you could please spend a few minutes over the next month praying for some of these specifics and anything else the Father brings to your mind we would appreciate it!

Physical good health for our family
Safe travels for Spanky and for Lara and the kids as they head out on a couple of trips
God’s wisdom and favor with all of these new opportunities at UWM and around the world
Peace, the kind that only the Father can give!
And anything else He leads you to be praying for the RouseHouse will be good

For those of you who financially partner with us to see His kingdom come around the World and right here in Charlotte we want to say THANK YOU! Our hearts and lives are blessed daily because of you therefore we thank God for you often. We have begun setting sometime aside to pray a little extra for you on the first Monday of every month. If there is ever anything specific we can be praying for please let us know by emailing us at spanky.rouse@gmail.com.

If you are wondering what it means to be a ministry partner of the RouseHouse you can simply click here. We always need and are looking for new partners! Generally, it means that you are praying for us, financially supporting this work God has given us, and are encouragers to us. We would love to share more with you and have you join this team of family and friends!

Never did I ever….

Posted on April 7, 2015April 14, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Never did I ever think that I would be teaching and coaching others in support raising!!!

I remember just about 10 years ago when Lara and I went through our first training on how to raise financial support for ministry…we hated it! When we answered the call of God on our lives for missions and ministry we didn’t plan to be some of those weird radicals that ask other people for money to fund our ministry…just to be honest it is a little crazy! But lo and behold we found ourselves in a workshop called “Funding Your Ministry” and 10 years later we are still in the process of funding the work God has called us too through asking others to partner with us and financially give to our ministry.

For many years this has been a tough path. There has been times of tent making (cutting grass, selling insurance, bartending weddings, whatever I could do) and times of not enough. It feels like we have been through some “valleys of the shadow of death” and barely floating in the deep in of the pool. But on the flip side the RouseHouse has seen God move in radical ways, heard His voice clearer than ever, and experienced His faithfulness in some really crazy ways during these years…those of you (co-laborers/partners) that have walked with us through these years know some of those stories as well as we do. Mountain tops and supernatural moments that God could only do! Many highs and many lows. Many blessings and many scary moments. In these times the Word of God reads richer than ever, the Spirit of God is more present than ever, and My Father God is nearer than ever…don’t rush through or take advantage of the rough patches in life, it is God drawing you into His embrace.

Now to today…Never did I ever think that I would be teaching and coaching others in support raising!!! One aspect of my role at UWM is training and coaching new missionaries in how to raise support to fund the ministry. As I sit in my first training I am thinking to myself that if these people knew just how unqualified I am to be doing this I would either be fired or no one would be listening to me. To be honest I am not qualified but on the other hand God has been using my journey over the past 10 years to prepare me for this. Am I an expert? Have I figured this all out? HECK NO! But I have tons of experiences and stories of how to, what not to do, and just how awesome GOD is. This is why I decided I was going to share a part of my journey and somethings God had recently taught me when I was asked to lead the devotion before we began this weeks training.

When I was praying about coming on staff with UWM I knew that I was going to have to raise even more support than I currently was doing…it scared me tremendously! Fear took over but thankfully God got my attention. I had 3 questions come to mind and as I answered them through prayer and scripture I gained the confidence and assurance that I needed to keep moving forward. I believe that if ANYONE would answer these same questions for whatever journey or struggle you may face, you will find the truth that can break open doors of fear, anxiety, and timidness! We can then walk in confidence and peace!

Is God able? Yes, He is exceedingly abundantly able! Ephesians 3:20

Is God good enough? His promises of “good” are littered through out my life everyday(just take a minute to look around). Psalms 31:19

Do I trust him? This is the REAL question when raising support…and for everything else in life! It was the divine hand of God that the first bible verses my mom taught me as a child are Proverbs 3:5-6

It is worth it! Support raising is worth it. When I look back over the years we are able to see that our God has done amazing things in our lives. Even though some days are tough we know that this life style forces us to live by faith which by the way is the only life Jesus says is worth living, and it allows the RouseHouse to be partnered up with some really amazing families, friends, churches, and people to equip Christian leaders, establish healthy churches, and engage in holistic ministry among the nations (and here in Charlotte)! We are extremely grateful for every single person that partners with us, the RouseHouse, through giving financially, praying for us, and encouraging us to keep going! You guys are the real heroes of faith!

If you would like to know how you could partner with the RouseHouse or what kind of mission opportunities we have available please let us know! We have attached giving info below and to know ways you can be praying for us or serving alongside us please visit us at Will you…