Missionary profile – Mark Kolo

By Mercy Kambura

Mark Kolo

A missionary from Nigeria to Kenya

While serving in the National Youth Service, I accompanied a missionary to the mission field. I saw places where people had never seen a Christian. I was appalled. I lost my peace. Questions plagued me. What would happen to these people? I asked God, “Can You do something about it?” God said, “You do something about it.”

I read in Matthew 9:37 that “the labourers are few”. I wondered how labourers could be few when the churches are full. Although Christians are plenty; it’s the labourers that are few. I was broken. I wanted to be a labourer.

I grew up surrounded by missionaries. My dad served with the mission, SIM. I didn’t know that some people had never heard the gospel. Born in Jos, Nigeria, and raised in Lagos, I was used to urban life.

I had accepted Jesus during a morning devotion at home in September 1985. I decided not to remain stagnant, but to pursue God more so that I could grow, although I wasn’t receiving any formal discipleship.

Now here I was, in rural Northern Nigeria, in an uncomfortable setup where there were no Christians. This missionary spoke, and God was talking to me. I gradually surrendered my will.

After my Youth Service, I returned to the field. Although I was thoroughly fulfilled in the mission field, I saw the struggles of the missionaries. God spoke to me from II Kings 7 saying, “I want you to go and tell my household the things that I am doing here. This is not meant for you alone.”

That began my journey into mobilization. I harassed everyone I knew, telling them that they needed to be involved. I shared with my parents and challenged our whole family; we would pray every morning for missionaries.

I joined Mission Supporter’s League (MSL) and went to Kenya. I reached hundreds of young people in the first year, and only one committed to serve God.

I wondered what we were doing wrong. It dawned on us that Jesus sent out disciples. We first needed to make disciples. So we taught the issue of commitment to Christ and his work, and that bore fruit. We even sent people for short-term missions trips.

If people are shallow in their faith, they can’t fulfil the commitment that missions demands. Disciples deeply rooted in their walk in Christ are ready to pay the price for the gospel. I left MSL and returned to Nigeria to re-strategize.

I founded Activate Mission Trust and, after hearing God, my wife and I returned to Kenya in 2017. We have devoted our energies towards disciple-making as a necessary prerequisite for missions.

I have two words for the church: “Wake up!” Many churches are asleep. The world is sleeping in the dark, but the church is sleeping in the light.

#Pray:

For us to remain faithful to what God has called us to do – make disciples who go to the ends of the earth and make more disciples.
For more labourers.
For the church to awaken to discipleship as a lifestyle. Mobilization is easier when discipleship is in place.