Around Town

Mark and I have been back in Nairobi since Thursday. We had a couple of adventures on our way up north and on our way home. A reliable four wheel drive vehicle is a basic necessity here...

On Friday Tim and Dan took us to a meeting at FTT (Finish The Task). FTT is a Kenyan organization that Bethany has partnered with to reach the unreached people here in Kenya. A group is considered a unique people if they have a distinct language, culture, customs etc. An unreached people group is a group that doesn't have a church presence in their language. Most of these people groups live in remote areas with difficult climates and harsh living conditions. FTT is focused on mobilizing the Kenyan church to send missionaries to these groups. We met with Ruben and Ezekiel, directors from FTT, to hear their vision for reaching these people and fulfilling the great commission.

We also meet with the pastors of Agape Madaraka and got a tour of the church. It was a little nostalgic for me. I remember when the church was a tent and now it is a building capable of seating 1500 with classrooms for a bible college, a computer training program and a dress making school. It is inspiring and humbling to see what God has done through AFC. They had 6 churches around Nairobi in 1999 and today have more than 230 churches all over Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.

I mentioned Pastor David and his wife Ann from Njorro in an earlier post. They have taken on the task of feeding and teaching the vulnerable children in and around Njorro. These are children who are orphans or whose parents can't provide for them. David and Ann feed them three meals a day, five days a week. To raise money for buying food they have started raising chickens. They collect the eggs and sell them to purchase food. They also raise and sell the chickens to raise funds. They have started giving a pair of chickens to people to start raising their own. When the chickens start to grow a pair of chicks is given back to David and Ann to continue their operation. Who knew chickens could be used to improve the economy of a town.

Thanks again for praying for us. Please continue to pray for us and the church here in Kenya.

Up North

We traveled to Gtown this afternoon. We got here about 3pm. Nice to see Jason, Bekkah and the girls. They seem to be doing well. We will be here until Thursday. I'm looking forward to seeing all the things that are going on here. It's also great to reconnect with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Tomorrow we will visit the school and the farm. LHC has been working with Bethany and Agape on the school since 2010 and everyone we see it the project has advanced. The farm is a Bethany project that is used to teach sustainable agriculture in arid climate. The farm is an amazing project where they grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I'm looking forward to seeing how things have progressed here.

Into Africa

Mark and I arrived in Nairobi about 9pm local time on the 13th. It was a little surreal coming to Kenya and being picked up at the airport by Tim Kelly. The flights were good and we got here with all our luggage. Blessings from the very start.

We spent Friday recovering from the trip over and trying to adjust to a nine time zone change. We also got to celebrate Micah's birthday with him. Dan and Nancy stopped by to get us and I was reminded how God had brought us all along in His plan. Tim and Chrissy are taking the leadership role for Bethany here in Kenya. Dam and Nancy will soon be back in the states leading Bethany missions worldwide and I'm blessed to be part of what God is doing both here and at home. God has surely done a lot in the 12 years I have been involved with missions and Living Hope and I'm convinced that the best is yet to come.

Yesterday we traveled to Njoro to visit Pastor David Kinyanjui and his wife Ann. We helped plant their church in 2007 and are planning on taking the adult team to work with them in October. They are doing some amazing work around Njoro with very little means. They started a feeding program for at risk children, babies really. They would feed the children porridge each morning. They soon realized feeding was not enough and opened a pre-school to prepare the children for going to regular school. These are children without parents or whose parents cannot provide for them. They now have two schools with over 120 students that they feed 3 times a day five days a week. Their students are ranked second in exams for entering primary school and they are being taught by volunteers. They also work in an Internally Displaced Persons camp. The people who live there lost everything in the post election violence of 2007. The people live in make shift tents and have very little hope. This was one of The most difficult circumstances I have seen in all my trips to Kenya. In the coming months we will continue to plan how we can come alongside David and Ann in their ministry. I'll write about what they are doing with chickens in a future post.

Today we will be going to church in Kasarani at Pastor Peter Kahunda's church. Mark and I will be speaking at the service. After church we are going to lunch at Peter's home and then visiting the church we helper plant in 1999 at Githurai. We won't be home until late tonight but I'm looking forward to an awesome day.

Please continue to pray for us and our families and have a blessed day.

Here We Go

Mark Jarosinski and I will ibe heading over to Kenya this afternoon. By the time this day is over we will be with the Kellys in Langatta, Nairobi, Kenya. I am excited and a little anxious about the trip. It is a long flight, actually two flights, and I’m not any more used to sitting for 16 hours now than I was when I first went. But my nervousness goes beyond the normal travel concerns of long flight, will I get sick, hope my luggage makes it. This trip feels different to me. It could be due to the change in my role or because I’ve never been at this time of year. It could be due to the changes that have occurred in Kenya since I’ve been there. It could be a lot of things but I believe this trip feels different because it is different. God has been working in Living Hope Church and in Kenya. God has been creatively changing the Kelly family and the direction of their lives and creatively leading Living Hope. This trip feels like the next step in an epic journey. I am humbled and blessed to have a role in God’s plan. Yes, I am feeling a little anxious about this trip but I think we should always be mindful of the awesome, amazing , holy God we serve and the role we have in His plan. I pray that God will make me worthy of the calling He has made on my life and continue to make me into the man He wants me to be.

Please pray for Mark and I as we travel. We will be sure to pass your greetings on to everyone we meet. We will be in Nairobi, Nakuru, Githurai, Kiberra and G-town. We will be planning the October trip as well as visiting the places we have worked in the past. It will be exciting and I am looking forward to every step.