51. Aila Tasse – Cabbages in the Wilderness

We have the privilege to hear from Dr. Aila Tasse from Africa over the next two podcasts. Many of us have heard Aila share as part of the ‘Engage Africa’ training videos. Today we hear him share part of his story of seeing movements birthed in Africa. 

After meeting Jesus as a Muslim teenager in northern Kenya, God soon called Aila to 14 unreached people groups (UPGs). This was through a burning bush type vision where God asked Aila, “can cabbages grow in the desert?”. 

We hear from Aila how he struggled to have faith for movements amongst these people groups or ‘cabbages’. Aila describes how God had to shift some mindsets in him when it came to embracing movements. He shares how God had to tell him to ‘get out of the way’. 

Since God first gave Aila a vision for northern Kenya, all 14 of these UPGs are now being engaged. Indigenous teams have been raised up for each with some seeing movement take off. This is all despite Aila once thinking “it can’t happen here”. 

Fast forward to today and Aila shares how God has called him to a wider vision for East Africa. Being home to around 300 UPGs, we hear how 147 of these people groups are now being engaged with a total of 39 movements* happening. 

Allow God to renew your vision of what it means to be a disciple as you listen. Aila speaks to how important it is for us to embrace Jesus’ vision to see groups of disciples established who obey his commands. He encourages us to stay intentional in obedience even when it feels like we might have failed. Jesus wants us to simply obey. We can trust God with the results. 

*Aila describes a movement as at least 100 churches that go to 4 generations or more