October 2025 - McCarty Ministry Minute

Dustin L. McCarty
4 days ago
8 min read

FAMILY UPDATE

Greetings from the McCartys!

I usually take the first page to update you on everyone else in our family. This time I am going to take some space to give you a brief update on me, my current condition, and possible future direction.

I spent the month of July overseas — Tanzania, Dubai, Ghana, Burkina Faso — training, teaching, coaching, and working with various Strategic Impact teams to further our work. Everything went well. My health was strong throughout, I had built in “rest days” to ensure I was not overtaxing my heart or placing myself in unnecessarily stressful situations.

The LAST DAY I was in Ghana, just about to catch my flight toward home, my heart decided to misbehave and ran up to around 130 BPM. I assure you, I had not done anything weird or different which would cause this. I followed the protocol provided by my cardiologist for such an event, but my heart rate did not return to normal.

Within a few days of returning, I was back at Oklahoma Heart Hospital for a third ablation. There were some complications with my blood pressure and kidneys as I came out of surgery. My recovery has been quite slow. After I was finally released, a few weeks later I had another heart episode where I blacked out and my implanted defibrillator had to restart my heart. This led to additional doctor visits and slowed my recovery further.

At this time, all my doctors are telling us that there is nothing more they can do for my heart. They have all encouraged us to begin pursuing a heart transplant.

Those are big words and come with a truckload of questions and potential consequences — none of which I have an answer for as of yet.

QUESTIONS...

Yes, I am questioning what God is doing in the midst of this. Yes, I am confused at the timing within my life. No, I do not know what the potential outcomes might be. No, I do not know a time-frame… or if I will even be approved for the procedure. NO, I have not lost faith, though there are days which are harder than others. To any other questions you may have (or I may have)… I simply do not know anything at this time.

My current condition is that I am marginally limited in physical activity. I can do things, but some things are unwise for me to attempt — like mowing the lawn. I can work, I can cook, I can change the oil in the truck, I can teach… I can do most non-physically taxing things. There are good days when I am not retaining fluid, and there are a few bad days when I am out of breath walking to my office behind our house.

We are figuring things out as we go. The life-theme is “do the next right thing.” As things develop, we will keep you posted.

Tracy is doing well and holding up with a strength and courage that is amazing to me.

The Chidesters

Gideon & Reuben’s parents (Cody & Dakota) are doing fine. Dakota started a new Saturday PRN Physical Therapist job. The boys are awesome!

Trinity completed her Master’s and passed the Registered Dietitian certification exam… so she is OFFICIALLY a Registered Dietitian!

Remington is now at TWU studying Kinesiology and likely headed toward a career in Physical Therapy.

Sierra is in her Senior year of high school with all its activities and events!

Maw (Vival) has recovered much of her strength and is doing quite well.

Some scenes from our summer vacation in Arkansas

Don't Forget our upcoming Wrestle Through The Nations Fundraiser!

MINISTRY UPDATE

A MONTH OVERSEAS!

I left for Africa on July 5 and returned to Texas on July 31. It was a great time split between 4 countries conducting 6 trainings!

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Our team of 4 caught the ferry from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania over to the island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar has its own culture and feel - they view themselves as distinct from Tanzania and the island is 98% Muslim, though a few churches exist there now. Just a few years ago, they would search luggage for Bibles and confiscate them at the port. While the attendance was much smaller than we had anticipated, the work of the ministry was very effective, with 18 leaders starting in our ongoing Journey training which will lead them toward multiplication of disciples and eventually planting home churches. During the evangelism and discipleship training in the community, 119 people heard the gospel and 40 came to faith.

One of the many who heard the gospel was a witch doctor named Fidelis Mwema (literally “faithful good man” in a combination of Latin and Swahili). He said he is following a spirit of light and desires to help people. He also said there was a prophecy spoken to him that in his future he would serve God. Pastor Simon (our host) was a witch doctor — that is how he ended up in Zanzibar — who heard the gospel, trusted Christ, grew in faith, and became a Pastor. He was the right guy to share his testimony and the gospel with Fidelis. Pray for Fidelis. He is not far from the kingdom of God!!!

Fidelis chanting in his hut as we approached.

Somehow I always end up holding and praying blessings over babies over here! This is Crispo. He is the only child of the younger woman in the photo - after 9 miscarriages. Crispo is a true blessing and joy to this family. Crispo’s grandfather came to faith that day.

This is Kudra. She runs a small salon and shop and is was a Muslim until this day, when she met Jesus for the first time. After hearing the simple and clear presentation of the gospel, she decided to place faith in Christ for salvation. As we finished our conversation and began to leave, we heard the small voice of her younger sisters who had been listening in. They also wanted to trust Christ for salvation and did so. They requested prayer because they are struggling with their classes and for their mother, who has high blood pressure. Pray for this family as they begin a new life of following Jesus!

Dubai, UAE - Global Leadership Summit

On to the next location, where we gathered our top-tier senior leaders from around the world for our biennial Global Summit — a time of prayer, equipping, planning, sharing of struggles and solutions, re-casting of vision, and general encouragement. It was a powerful time and is already bearing fruit as ministry approaches from South Asia have begun to be applied in West Africa… where I was headed next!

NOTE: Some photos are blurred to protect those serving in perilous situations.

Navrongo, Ghana - West Africa

5 car breakdowns later, I finally arrived in Navrongo, Ghana, where our North Ghana team of 19 Pastors and Leaders gathered for a Fan-the-Flame Summit to encourage them to take the work to the next level of ownership and multiplication. This team is doing great things — bringing the gospel to many villages, discipling new believers, and planting new churches where there are NO churches for many miles. Lives are being transformed and communities are being impacted!

Some worship from Doba Good News Bible Church near Navrongo, Ghana

And of course dancing in worship!

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - West Africa

After a frustrating delay at the border due to a recent policy change and 3+ hour drive northward, I arrived in Ouagadougou, where our 12-member central Burkina Faso team gathered for a Fan-the-Flame Summit. This team is a bit further along in the Strategic Impact process. They are multiplying the work across the capital city and into nearby rural villages. I truly believe we are on the brink of a multiplication movement breaking out for the kingdom of God here! After the Summit, we worked together to conduct a Leader Launch basic training for 58 Pastors and Leaders from across Ouagadougou. 55 of them started into the Journey ongoing training process. Even with heavy rains, the experiential evangelism and discipleship training yielded 124 new believers who will be lovingly gathered into the church and discipled toward maturity in Christ!

Of the many who came to faith, here is one story… Nathaniel and I led Sofa (seated on ground) to faith. Praise the Lord!!! She is of Muslim background but her husband left her and their 3 children. She asked for prayer for her and her children, for work, and for protection. The older lady doing Sofa’s hair is a Christian and a part of the host pastor’s church. She said she would bring Sofa with her to church and get her plugged in to the community!

Nathaniel (L) and Sosthene (R) - our translators for the week. So good to be with Nathaniel again! He and his wife just had their 3rd daughter 4 months ago!!! He came from Bobo-Dioulasso to translate for me. Good friend and a good man! I teach a few sessions. They taught every session in French and the tribal language of Moore!

*58 pastors and leaders trained - 124 people led to faith - 55 pastors and leaders launched into the Journey!*

The reason why we have to pause for rains to subside...

The rains as they lightened up some.

You might recognize this one...

Nathaniel and I led Sofa (seated on ground) to faith. Praise the Lord!!! She is of Muslim background but her husband left her and their 3 children. She asked for prayer for her and her children, for work, and for protection. The older lady doing Sofa’s hair is a Christian and a part of the host pastor’s church. She said she would bring Sofa with her to church and get her plugged in to the community!

*Closing the Leader Launch with our tradition of “Locking Arms” and prayer, along with a commitment to the Lord that we will fulfill the Great Commission or give our lives in the effort!*

Journey Teams launching into the ongoing training process!

Tamale, Ghana - West Africa

Back to Ghana and a LONG drive past Navrongo to Tamale, where we conducted a third Fan-the-Flame Summit with the recently formed Strategic Impact team from the Tamale area. They have already begun to bear the fruit of multiplication, bringing the gospel to the lost in a city viewed as the stronghold of Islam in Ghana. Pray for these brave men and women as they spread the word and plant new churches!

Immediately after my time in Tamale, I headed to Accra where everything changed [see family update]. The power of Strategic Impact is that it is not what I do directly in Africa that makes the big difference… it is what those leaders continue to do day-in and day-out for the kingdom of God. This is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action! They are the true heroes of Christ, for they keep using what they are learning to follow God’s call. And they could not do this without YOU sending and supporting. THANK YOU! You are true partners in the fulfillment of the Great Commission!!!