New Tools for Next-Gen Tentmakers
Global Opportunities is one of the oldest organizations focused exclusively on training Christian professionals to take the Gospel as tentmakers where missionaries can’t go. With over 25 years of field experience we share best practices for effective marketplace witness in cross-cultural settings.
The picture above was taken in one of the GO Equipped Tentmaking Courses which have been run in 13 countries. It's not theory, it's practical.
While more doors are being closed to traditional religious workers, we have found that no country has barriers to believers (tentmakers) bringing their passion and skills to contribute to the host country’s development. Not everyone is called to be a missionary, but all are called to be disciple-makers where they are – in their workplace.
A new generation of students, professionals, business people and retired people is ready and willing to serve. There are more retired people than ever before. But changing times require a fresh approach to reach and prepare them to fulfill their calling.
In order to equip this new generation to go to the unreached we need to re-design and re-package our training tools to better serve them.
The funds will be used to develop:
· online, on-demand teaching
· inter-active personal coaching and mentoring
· mobile-focused access
We need the seed-funds by the end of the year in order to launch in 2017.
Tentmakers’ opportunities are endless. Imagine if you had been this tentmaker, or had contributed to his training.
When I was a tentmaker teacher in Libya there was not a whole lot to do for a single man on my days off. The school was far away from major cities and I seldom met any other foreigners.
My students encouraged me to join them on weekend excursions far into the sahara, driving with their 4 wheel vehicles over massive dunes. We frequently camped at a desert oasis surrounded by palm trees, swimming in warm tepid water, enjoying BBQ’s on the open fire and drinking tea late into the night.
One evening as the sun was setting I decided to hike to the top of a nearby sand dune. As I sat at the top waiting for the sun to set, a man with flowing robes with his face mostly covered walked up to me out of nowhere. 
He greeted me and asked where I was from. When he heard I was from Canada, he became intrigued and sat down on the sand beside me. His questions poured out in quick succession: How do you like Libya? Are people treating you well? Are you getting enough food? What do Canadians think of Libyans? Why do you come out from the city to this desert?
My reply to the last question was that I enjoy the silence, solitude, clear skies at night that allow me to see the stars so clearly and that this is a good place to think about important things and hear from God.
The man responded by saying, that is why I come out here as well! We had a bonding moment. He was respectful and intriguing but seemed distressed. He earnestly listened to my story of why I was a follower of Isa.
As he stood up to leave, he asked me one final question. Should I give up my quest for nuclear weapons? As an idealistic young Canadian, I was surprised by his question and passionately blurted out: Of course you should, they are evil and all of them should be destroyed!
The man thanked me for my response. After saying farewell, he walked down and over the next dune.
I was left wondering who this man was. There was a presence about him, like he owned the Sahara.
I decided to follow his tracks and got as far as the second dune, when two men in black clothes and machine guns stopped me. Down in the valley I could see a large encampment of tents and black SUV’s. I asked the men in black if it was Qaddafi! They nodded yes and told me to go back.
Of course it was a total co-incidence that only a few weeks later, in December 2003, Qaddafi announced to the world that he was voluntarily ceasing his quest for nuclear weapons.
