Two days ago we hopped on a bus and waved goodbye to Kenya. Although we are now with the rest of our squad in Uganda, the recent memories from our life in Kenya are fresh on the mind. When our team first arrived in the town of Nakuru, we did not know what to expect. Despite our slight anxiety about what living conditions might look like, we were pleasantly surprised to be staying with an American family (from Georgia!) in a house that made us feel right at home.
This was the first of many blessings that we experienced over our past few weeks in Kenya. God truly has supplied all of our needs (and even some of our wants) throughout our time on the World Race, and Kenya was no exception! We could both sit here and go on and on about the sweet blessings God provided in Kenya, but instead we’d prefer to focus on one of the ministries we had the privilege to participate in over these past few weeks: PRISON MINISTRY.
One of the main aspects of ministry our hosts were involved in was discipleship and evangelism within the prisons in Kenya. And not the major prisons either. The ones that are unvisited. The prisons that are often overlooked. As we visited the prisons around Kenya, we were told: “These guys will NEVER forget you. You’re the only people that visit them. Many of them are never even visited by family members. It may not seem like much to you, but these men will remember you forever.”
How amazing is that? What an opportunity to show the love of Christ to men who have been overlooked not only by society, but by their very families. Many of them dealing with regret, loneliness, depression, shame, condemnation—the list goes on. But we came bringing the message of hope that many of them needed to hear:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17
During our time in the prisons, we encountered men who wished to turn from their life of sin and follow Christ, we met guys who were already followers of Jesus but desired further prayer and discipleship, and we even got to hear believers within the prison sing praises to God! One of the special things about it all was that some of the men who had been discipled in these prisons and are now released were going back in with us, sharing testimonies of God’s faithfulness to them. How great is that?
(Most weekdays we spent time with the inmates going through a discipleship class in the Nakuru Prison. However, we did end up taking a road trip to two different prisons: Tambach and Kabarnet. If you’d like to see more about that, there you can watch the two short videos linked below)
Overall, building relationships with inmates in Nakuru Prison and visiting those in the Tambach and Kabarnet prisons was an unforgettable journey for both of us. It was something we were a little uncomfortable with at first, but The Lord used it to push us out of our comfort zones and rely on Him. He reminded us both that we have a story worth sharing. No cultural chasm, language barrier, or prison wall makes God’s redemptive story less relatable. We are all people in need of a Savior.
– Kaydan & Katherine
(Photo taken at Kabarnet Prison, Kenya)
We have just 5 short days left in Africa. In less than a week we will be back in America spending Christmas with friends and family! We cannot say enough about what God has taught us this year, but we are going to try, so stay tuned for one more update on our time in Kenya with Pokot Tribe and a final blog post about returning home to America!
Thanks to all of you who have faithfully supported us this past year. Our journey doesn’t end here though. We are returning to the field in January to help lead the next group of missionaries for 6 months. So please continue to read the blog and stay updated on our journey, praying for us and the people we encounter along the way. And if you feel led to financially help us fund the next 6 months please use the “Donate” button at the top of the page.
