As my time here in Africa draws near its end I look back and think of all
that has happened over the past three months and I am amazed at what God has
done in me, through me, and for me. I must say that landing in Africa felt like
starting a whole new trip from what we experienced the first several months in
Europe and the Middle East.
We spent
the first week of the new year in Nairobi, Kenya and enjoyed a few days to be refreshed
before heading into Africa ministry. I had the
opportunity to go on a short safari there and enjoy some of God’s most awesome
creations. An afternoon seeing Rhinos, Giraffes, and even a couple Lions
welcomed me to one of the wildest places on earth.
In our first month of ministry on
this continent we spent our time in Bungoma,
Kenya. The
moment I walked into King
Jesus Faith
Church and they were
singing praise with nothing but voices, I was rocked to my core and the Holy
Spirit swept over me in a way I have craved the entire trip. It was the
beginning of a month of close fellowship with the Lord a
nd the workers of the
harvest there in western Kenya.
I had the privilege of working with Bishop Emanuel Mayeku, who is the founder
of King Jesus Faith ministries and responsible for dozens of churches in
western Kenya,
and I learned a lot from him about what it means to serve the Lord with a
joyful heart and a care free trust. He is a man after God’s heart and I am
thankful that the Lord allowed me to minister with him and the other pastors
under his leadership there. It was in Kenya that the Lord ignited a flame
that had been burning inside me to preach by the power of the Holy Spirit in
churches near and far. When I had the privilege of speaking to the churches
there in Kenya I was excited at how the Holy Spirit shows up and speaks through
“a dog such as I” when one humbles himself and becomes an open vessel. 
When we reached Bugiri,
Uganda for our second month
in East Africa I was challenged a new with the
weight and gravity of how big the spiritual war for souls really is. The
presents of darkness was almost tangible and the hold of witchcraft and cultish
practices was strong to the point of a physical weariness that we felt every
day. We worked with several pastors who are bravely hunkered down in the
trenches there and slugging it out day by day to win souls for the only true
god and bring sheep into the fold of the Kingdom. I was humbled that I have
taken so much for granted previously in my life and that God would choose me to
go into such a place and fight for those souls. The most inspiring thing to me
in that month was the child like joy of a pastor in the bush there named Pastor
Robert and how excited he was to receive us and show us his church. It almost
brings tears to my eyes when I remember the smile on his face and the pride and
joy in his words when he showed us the tiny little mud and grass structure that
is his own church, built with his own hands. “This is my church!” he repeated
over and over with a grin ear to ear. My heart burst when I think of the little
flock that he so bravely shepherds there and I tell you that the honor I had to
share my testimony to that dozen or so people on a Sunday morning I wouldn’t
trade for a chance to stand and speak before thousands. Our time in Bugiri was
a hard battle but I know that we are the winning side. The blind person whose
eye’s were opened, the Aids victim on deaths door who found strength in his
body to stand and speak, and the 400 plus souls who gave their lives to Jesus
are evidence of the Kingdoms triumph there.
After the intensity of our
ministry, the Lord blessed us with a chance to raft the most intense
white
water in the world on the river Nile near its source in southern Uganda.
I began the day with a 145ft bungee jump and then spent hours riding class five
rapids in one of the most exciting and adventurous days of my life.
For the long month of March we have
had the opportunity to work in Mwanza,
Tanzania with an
Assemblies of God church and pastor. Pastor Paul is a true servant and a hearty
leader. Our ministry here has been similar to our ministry in all of our months
in Africa. Visiting hospitals, going door to
door to witness, and sharing in the responsibilities for preaching and speaking
in church services are our tasks here. During our evangelism door to door I am
continually amazed at how white the fields are for harvest and how many desire
to here about Jesus. The enemy builds lies in our minds about how imposing and
unwelcome we will be if we try to share the gospel with people. When we buck up
the courage, and trust in the Lord’s promise that it is not us who speak but
the spirit speaking through us, we are rewarded with the joy of leading souls
into everlasting life and a relationship with the friend who never fails.
Again here in
Tanzania God gave me
the chance to wonder and marvel at His beautiful creation on a safari through
the Serengeti. I grew up on Discovery Channel and Animal Planet and so you can
imagine my excitement at getting to see it in person. We had close encounters
with the most incredible mammals on the planet and I even got play Croc Hunter
and watch a gigantic Nile Crocodile chow down on a dead Hippo. Lions,
Elephants, all other kinds of creatures, and breathtaking landscapes impacted
me again as to how big our God is and how mighty his creation.
My three months in Africa hav
e been a dream come true and some of the most
amazing time of my life. God has been with me, stretched me, grown me, and shown me signs and wonders of his greatness, power, and love for us. Nkosi
Sikelel Afrika (God Bless Africa).
