Here’s a quick photo update (praise the Lord for somewhat stable internet!) about what I’ve been doing in Kenya:
Below is the water tap that received God’s overflowing power. See A Tribute to the God of all Creation.
Below are some of the street children from The African Church (PG 13).
My grandfather once said, “A teacher’s first duty is not to assign, but to inspire. He is not merely a walking textbook filled with encyclopedic facts, but a dynamo charged with a contagious enthusiasm.” I took that message to heart for this sermon. Knowing that we must leave this country soon, I wanted to excite the local church members about the Bible, praying to inspire them to read it for themselves so that God can teach them long after we leave. After the message, several men came up to me excited about the Word and asked for their own Bibles! And ever since this message, God has been answering my prayers by stirring in people’s hearts all around me the yearning for God’s Word. I’m raising funds to get the Bread of Life into the hands of those who are seeking. We’ve already raised enough for 16 English and 24 Swahili Bibles, and the need is growing every day! To read more about my sermon, see Mind, Matter, and Majesty.
Below is Pastor William, my host and good friend. I wrote some about him in The African Church (PG 13). God has begun great works through this man, and I believe God will continue to honor his ministry. I pray that God uses me to support his vision and serve him in every way I can. He told me about the day God spoke to him. It was after the post-election violence, and the economy was broken. He could hardly find food. On this day, he felt like a failure. He had seen terrible things, he could not support his wife, and his ministry felt like it had completely dried up. He remembers sitting on his chair (the very chair on which I am now typing this) and praying earnestly to God. At that moment, the water man came to his house asking for payment. Pastor William had no money to give, so the water man shut off the water. He felt like his life was falling apart, and then again he heard a knock at the door. The electric man came asking for payment, as well. Again, he had no money, so he pleaded for more time, but the electric man shut off his electricity. William went back to the chair in the dark, without water or electricity, with little food, and full of despair, and he began to cry. He prayed for God to bring him to heaven now because he couldn’t do anything else in this life. He longed to be with his Father in heaven. At this moment, he felt God speak to him in a vision. God spoke life into him, promising a rebound in his ministry. At the lowest point in his life, God filled him with hope and shared with him a glimpse of His will. Just as God heard Jonah from the depths of the sea when darkness surrounded him, He pulled William from his miry clay. God even spoke to him about people coming from other countries to encourage his ministry. William remembers listening to all of this and looking around at the pitiful condition he was in. He was full of wonder at how these things could come to pass, yet the newfound hope inside of him lit him up despite his conditions. Now he has seen many of God’s promises fulfilled, and we expect his ministry to continue to grow into fruition, but his need here is still so great. He desires to build an orphanage for the street children, to continue feeding them every week or more, to pay off the rent that he owes, to improve the conditions of the church, and to expand God’s kingdom. I am also raising money to support him. Please remember his family and ministry in your prayers.
Below is Allen, a street child who has grown on all of our hearts. Marisa has been doing her best to bring hope and love into his life. It has not been a picture-perfect process bringing him from the streets into a home, but we have faith that God will provide for him. As a team, we have sponsored him with our money, time, and affection, but there is still so much more that needs to be done. Marisa has really taken it upon herself to see everything through, to be a transition mother in a time of need, and to record the delicate process from a street child to a son: http://marisabanas.theworldrace.org/. Please remember Allen in your prayers as things are still unsettled and as we wait for God’s direction in his life.
I want to thank you for helping me get this far. All of your donations, prayers, comments, encouragement, and love have really, really, really paid off in my life. Even if I discount every piece and parcel of ministry and everything we have done so far, the work God is doing in my heart, mind, and soul is priceless to me. I have seen leaps and bounds in my own faith and hope to be able to blog about it soon.
Finally, I am still in need of exactly $4,444 in support to make it possible for me to continue ministering with my team!
Praise God for the work He is doing in Kenya. Praise God for the strongholds He is breaking. Praise God for His daily provision. Praise God for His faithfulness. Praise God!
