Africa…..what an amazing place! The worship is a celebration! The people have welcomed us into their homes with open arms! The pastor and his church have bent over backwards to make us feel welcome and loved! We are currently in the town of Kachibora, about 25 Km from Kitale. There is a small central market with many maze and tea fields surrounding it as well as mostly mud homes. We are currently staying at a compound that houses Deliverance Church as well as a private Christian school that teaches most ages. Pastor Nicholas is the senior pastor and is someone in whom you can truly see the love and compassion of Christ. I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to be here and to have the opportunity work with this church and community.
Deliverance has a lunch service and evening time service every day except Saturday, then 2 services on Sunday. Pastor Nicholas has asked us to speak at every service so far except Sunday where instead we helped with Sunday school. This past Tuesday (9/14) I was able to give me first message before a congregation ever. I have given my testimony a number of times, but never an actual message. It truly was an honor and privelage to speak before the people of Pastor Nicholas’ church. I trully feel like the Holy Spirit has touched this team and is starting to display His gifts and annointings in many of us.
Also here in Kachibora, Pastor Nicholas has had us do door to door Evangelism. This has been a new experience for me. It’s much easier than I had initially imagined it to be, in no small past due to the fact that the community here is so welcoming and hospitable. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the people here!
During these door to door visits we have seen the Love and Compassion of Christ manifest through the people’s stories and testimonies. There has been so much sufferring in this country. Please pray for Kenya and for the community of Kachibora! Our team has been blessed to speak to women who have sold themselves to provide food for their children. This is also where Pastor Nicholas’ heart is. He has taken some of these women and children into his home to disciple them and give them to opportunity to break free of the chains have keep them in this lifestyle. Unfortunately he has often been unable to continue to provide for them and often as soon as they leave his home, they feel no other choice but then to return to a life on the streets. Often the children they provide for are unable to go to school since they barely have the ability to afford food and clothing. I just want to be clear that Pastor Nicholas is not asking for money and I am not asking anyone to send money for them. He strongly feels that merely throwing money at the people here will not solve any problems but only provide a temporary bandaid that just covers up the true wound burried underneath.
What we ask you to pray for is that The Lord opens windows and opportunities for this church and community to lift up their own people and provide for them until they can stand on their own two feet. We are even hoping that maybe an organization like Compassion International, who my wife used to work for, can partner with Deliverance Church to setup a mission of their own that enables the community to provide food, education and medicine for the children here. So please keep an opportunity such as that in your prayers to present itself!
That’s all for now, so I hope this blog finds you all well and God blessed you all!
