One of our supporting churches interviewed us and wrote an article for their monthly newsletter. The article did a great job capturing our hearts and what is going on, so we wanted to share it with you. Other than one small change that was specific to this church, the article below is verbatim from the church‘s newsletter. One significant piece of news at the end of the article is the live link for the pre-publisher, pre-published, e-version proof of our book. We will have more information on that in our next update. As always, thank you for being on Team Cox.
Paul and Donna Cox Ministry Update
Where in the World are Paul and Donna?
After a 6-month interlude back in the states getting to spend time with their moms, children and grandchildren (they even welcomed a new grandson in September!), Paul and Donna Cox have returned to Africa Theological Seminary (ATS) in Kenya, ready to take on more of the Lord’s work in Kitale and beyond! Paul is teaching two courses: Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to the New Testament.
Meanwhile, Donna is teaching a diploma level course (similar to an associates’ level) called Introduction to Children’s Ministry, which all ATS students are required to take. She will also be leading two Sunday School workshops with attendees from more than 20 local and regional churches. “It’s an intense month when we’re [here]; there’s really not a day off!” says Donna. “We try to be as prepared as possible upon our arrival so we can just hit the ground running.” Additionally, Donna plans to spend some of her time processing – and celebrating! – the single largest one-time gift the seminary has ever received: more than 1,300 textbooks, commentaries, references, children’s books and Sunday School resources that were graciously donated to ATS by Christianbook International Outreach (who also covered the shipping and customs cost). What a tremendous blessing!
Motorcycles for a Mission
Before heading off to Africa, Paul had the privilege of representing ATS at the 21st annual Jon “Just Get Er Done” Memorial Motorcycle Ride and subsequent Motorbike Ceremony in Minnesota, held in memory of Jon Just, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2004 on the way to pastoring the youth at his church. “A year after his death, his friends wanted to do something to remember him,” explains Paul. “About that time, his parents had heard of a missionary in Ghana who needed a motorcycle, so they were inspired to raise money to buy it for him.” Since that first memorial ride in 2005, more than 600 motorcycles have been gifted to pastors in Africa via an application process, and ATS receives 30-40 of those each year for its students and graduates – taking a heartbreaking tragedy and turning it into something for God’s glory.
“Many of our students must walk everywhere or use public transport,” says Paul. “So when a pastor can go out on his own with a motorcycle, it dramatically changes his ministry – it truly is a game changer. And there are so many stories as to how God has used the motorcycles.” For example, the husband of one of Donna’s students had told his wife that if she applied for and got a motorcycle, he’d buy a projector and generator so she could go and show the Jesus film in the more isolated areas up north – which she is now able to do! Paul recounts another story in which a woman in a remote village was having a difficult labor and delivery; they literally tied her to the motorbike and to the pastor, who got her to the hospital in time and was able to save the mom and baby. And in another miraculous occurrence, an imam (Muslim leader) was very sick, and a pastor with a motorcycle took him to the hospital and spent time with him and shared the gospel. By God’s grace, the imam accepted the Lord and was also transformative in getting his family and followers to as well. The Coxes look forward to sharing many more accounts of how God is using these motorcycles in and around their community in Kitale.
On the Cusp of Publishing a Book
Paul and Donna Cox have always had a heart for helping others connect with and better understand Africa, which is just one of the reasons they’ve invested time over the last several years to write a manuscript, Navigating Culture: A Simple Guide and Map to Cross-Cultural Ministry.
The inspiration for the manuscript stems from Paul’s many years of PhD research and studying cultural biases in biblical interpretation. “I was looking at how we can identify biases in a meaningful way and how to move past just saying, ‘Oh, that’s an African thing,’ or ‘Oh, that’s a Western thing’,” says Paul. “What do these things actually mean?” He goes on to highlight the work of Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede, who provided the framework for understanding this very question with his cultural dimensions theory. “Hofstede provided a grid in which to work and evaluate cultural biases,” explains Paul. “One of his dimensions is that of individualism versus collectivism.” For example, in individualist cultures like the U.S., we have a guilt/innocent society (in which “right” and “wrong” are internalized). In collectivist cultures, such as countries that place a strong emphasis on tribalism and family, they have an honor/shame society (in which you feel shame if you do something that hurts your community). “That’s part of why it’s so hard for Muslims to convert to Christianity – because it brings shame to their families,” Paul says.
Paul and Donna collaborated with 3 other missionaries from Asia and Central America to put together a series of anecdotes, maps and illustrations that help explain these complex cultural concepts. “We’re working from a well-researched grid that cultural scholars have spent astronomical amounts of money to figure out through surveys and statistical data,” Paul explains. “So we’re helping to illustrate that grid with stories from our own personal experiences.” They have striven to make Navigating Culture a reader-friendly, pocket-sized tool ready to equip those who are interested in or heading out to the missionary field.
The Coxes plan to share their pre-published proof with various people they know to help generate interest, and they invite YOU to take some time to read through this e-version and provide any feedback you may have for them (send to family@cox-net.com)!
