Doug VanDevender:
Friday & Saturday (19 & 20) we wound up our three week ministry tour with a two day training event of pastors in the Langus slum (between Eldoret airport & Eldoret City Center). About 70 attended.
On Friday we taught on what God is Doing in the World, Doing the Ministry of Jesus, Equipping God’s People to Do the Ministry of Jesus & Forgiveness as a Christian Distinctive.
When we invited people forward for prayers for physical healing, uncharacteristically only one woman came. As we prayed for her, God took away the deep seated pain of abuse and bitterness and apparently the pains of asthma as well.
We left the meeting very concerned that the group was reluctant to embrace the spiritual healing of forgiveness. Their area was marked by severe violence two years ago during post-election chaos, and the Church in the area had been fractured by suffering, suspicion, bitterness and the desire for revenge.
We prayed overnight that God would withhold rest & remove the flavor of their food as they struggled over whether to respond to God’s offer of forgiveness and liberation.
Saturday began with testimonies. Several reported their painful struggle to forgive, and their eventual success. Some prayed all night. As we ministered the introduction to Transforming Prayer there was a growing joy that God was providing them a simple means to bring freedom and healing to their churches and their communities. The meeting ended in celebration!
The week concluded with successful prayer for several key leaders. Several declared, “This message will heal Kenya.” Our host was more expansive, “All Africa is waiting for this message.” That’s a daunting thought, but we agreed that training meetings should be scheduled for other areas of Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda at the direction of the Spirit and as soon as logistics permit.
We return home deeply humbled by what God has miraculously done in only three weeks and optimistic that God will take our small contribution and grow it into something transforming and beautiful.
Thank you ALL for your prayers. They were felt by us and acknowledged by the Kenyans. We have never before ministered under such protection and grace.
Richard Cazzell: As Doug remarked, we both thought that the Langas meeting was “going South” after the 1st day. We were even discussing our thoughts with Ben at supper, when the conference leader, a pastor Isaac, called Ben to say how excited he was about the day’s meeting, & how we were right on target, and to please continue tomorrow! Well, we went to sleep believing God had it under control. When we heard testimonies the next morning, oh my goodness… we were like “laser bombing” the target. At the conclusion of the meeting, an attendee named Lucy, was ask to close us in prayer. She spent 5 minutes affirming our words, reciting many of the teaching highlights verbatim. After she prayed, Doug & I felt like we could fly home from right there… without an airplane!
After we left the conference, about 4:15 Saturday afternoon, we went to Ben & Mary’s home for a quick shower & change of clothes, before our 7:30 flight to Nairobi to catch the international flight to Amsterdam. Ben & Mary’s house is only about a 15 minute drive to the airport. After getting ready and having some tea that Mary prepared, she asked if Doug & I would pray for her. She said she wanted to receive from the Lord like Ben had received last night.
So here’s what happened. The night before, after supper, Doug & I prayed for Ben, and the Lord delivered him from some real painful discouragement issues he was having. When he went home, he told Mary about it, and she could see how happy he was. So from 5:15 until 6:00, we prayed for Mary, and God healed her in the same way from several emotionally painful things.
The setting was kind of funny in that the noise distractions included loud rap worship music from outside, the hammering sound of some boys fixing a speaker cabinet, and a goat braying on and on and on and on.
Mary was so happy when we finished! You could see in her face how the pain was gone. Then, off to the next adventure at the airport.
The incoming plane was 15 minutes late, arriving at 7:45. As we stood on the tarmac to go up the stairs into the plane, the power went off. All the lights went off, and the jet engine shut off, just like the entire thing had blown a fuse. We were sent back into the terminal to wait. Were we destined to spend the night again in Eldoret? After 20 minutes, the engine restarted and the lights came back on. We were finally released to board, and we took off at about 8:45, and landed in Nairobi at 9:20. We scrambled through security at the international terminal, and managed to hit one store for a couple of gifts for home before to time to board the KLM flight.
The rest of the trip went very smoothly, with maybe 7 hours of total good sleep time on the two 8.5-hour cross-continent, cross-ocean flights. Finally, Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, we were once again in the land of Blackberry’s and fast, reliable internet. Praise the Lord.
Monday, February 22, 2010
P.S. Updates - Wed & Thursday; Feb 17-18; Eldoret, Kenya
We finished the two-day event at the Spiritual Life Center in Eldoret (Bishop Ben Bahati’s church). We had more than 100 church leaders. We finished the day with two prayer demos which sent the group into orbit. The sessions seemed rather routine and subdued to us, but the people knew the two men we prayed for and know they had been locked up for a long time with deep emotional matters. Of course God quickly and gently healed them.
Bahati said afterward, "All Africa is waiting for what you are teaching and demonstrating." (We'll try to get that scheduled before we leave on Saturday… and Paul, could you wire us some more schillings?)
We're getting a bit weary and fighting sore throats, but the Holy Spirit is in overdrive and both the public and private testimonies are blowing our socks off.
God is speaking to the leaders day and night, transforming their thinking about themselves, God, life in general, and ministry. He is lifting them from a place of great weariness and energizing them with hope and fresh resolve.
God is really cooking up something in this area… and the smell is sweet.
Please pray as we wind up our whirlwind Jesus-tour with Fri and Sat in the Langus slum where post-election violence two years ago was quite shocking.
We are expecting over 60 bishops, pastors & other church leaders. Then a dash to the airport where home is only a short 30 hour hop away.
Please hang in there & pray the next 48 hours!
God bless you guys! We love you. Richard & Doug
Bahati said afterward, "All Africa is waiting for what you are teaching and demonstrating." (We'll try to get that scheduled before we leave on Saturday… and Paul, could you wire us some more schillings?)
We're getting a bit weary and fighting sore throats, but the Holy Spirit is in overdrive and both the public and private testimonies are blowing our socks off.
God is speaking to the leaders day and night, transforming their thinking about themselves, God, life in general, and ministry. He is lifting them from a place of great weariness and energizing them with hope and fresh resolve.
God is really cooking up something in this area… and the smell is sweet.
Please pray as we wind up our whirlwind Jesus-tour with Fri and Sat in the Langus slum where post-election violence two years ago was quite shocking.
We are expecting over 60 bishops, pastors & other church leaders. Then a dash to the airport where home is only a short 30 hour hop away.
Please hang in there & pray the next 48 hours!
God bless you guys! We love you. Richard & Doug
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Farewell, Kenya from Doug and Richard
Good morning. We arrived in Amsterdam in good shape & on time. Right now it is 6:25 A.M. I slept the whole way after having our dinner after takeoff, so I’m feeling rested & ready to head over to the McDonalds.
I just wanted to report that the final day in Langas (a “suburb” of Eldoret) was a major breakthrough. Our thanks to everyone who was praying! Also, in those last 2 days we got to pray for Ben & Mary, and each of those sessions was nothing short of a major tsunami!!! Greet the church. Send our greetings to Apostle Tim, and Sub-Bishop Bill!
In Christ, Travel Bishop Richard.
I just wanted to report that the final day in Langas (a “suburb” of Eldoret) was a major breakthrough. Our thanks to everyone who was praying! Also, in those last 2 days we got to pray for Ben & Mary, and each of those sessions was nothing short of a major tsunami!!! Greet the church. Send our greetings to Apostle Tim, and Sub-Bishop Bill!
In Christ, Travel Bishop Richard.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Testimonies from Turbo, 2/16
Pastor David Papella was bitter at his parents because he didn’t get to finish school. He was told that if he would grow his parents a good banana crop, they would pay his school fees, but they reneged on the deal. His friends advised him to start drinking, and that it would make him strong enough to beat up his father. So he did. But he said it never made him strong… only drunk. David said that he heard the word of God through Richard’s prayer testimony, and that he has forgiven his parents. David said his wife also had bought a herd of goats & her parents agreed to tend to them for her. They sold them out from under her, and never paid her… and even denied they had anything of hers. Thus, she hasn’t spoken to them in 3 years. David shared about forgiveness with her, and she is forgiving her parents, too. They are both planning to go visit their respective parents and share they have forgiven, and restore relationship.
Pastor Joseph wasn’t buying the forgiveness message yesterday. He had many of his things stolen in the violence. He woke up this morning & thought he would read his Bible. He randomly flipped to Matt. 18:21 and started reading (which he preached to the group!). When he finished verse 35, God spoke to him & said Joseph, all of your things were “little things.” So, he has forgiven those who stole from him.
Margaret said she was so happy, & she knows the Holy Spirit arranged this meeting. She & another lady were sent by their pastor to attend. She was not happy about coming. She further said she was bitter at a man who had defrauded her of 1000 ksh ($13). She prayed yesterday forgiving this man & he unexpectedly had called her today apologizing and sending her the money! She also apologizes to her pastor because she is so blessed to have come.
Pastor Francis Kamou said he left yesterday’s meeting feeling like what Doug & Richard shared was a bunch of junk. But, he said, the Holy Spirit followed me home.
At 3:00 A.M., he thought someone had broken into his house. A “lot of noise” had woken him up. He said it was the Holy Spirit who telling him he needed to forgive, and he said, “I did.”
Pastor Isaac (kalenjin tribe), said he has been ministering in his church his own way, and now he is turning it all over to the Lord. He is not going to continue to run it like a petrol station, but trust God. He repented to everyone for the crimes his tribe committed, & is asking God to grant forgiveness to his tribe for their sins.
Mama (Mary Mandoni) shared her joy w/Ben having brought them together in unity. She says we are all serving one God. She told us, “You have brought love!” She said, “You are blessed, for you are peacemakers.” She had an orphan’s school that was burned down, and lost other personal things. She said she has forgiven all!
James’ wife was murdered in the violence, plus his house and church destroyed. He and his 4 kids escaped to Turbo & were helped by Ben & Mary. He shared about God healing his heart yesterday, and how he was able to offer forgiveness to the offenders.
Turbo, Kenya Day 2
From Doug:
Before our trip, I was praying and God reminded me of some of the amazing things we have seen Him do through the years. Then He said, in reference to this trip, “Don’t assume you’ve seen everything yet!” He assured me there would be surprises on this trip. Today, those words came to pass.
The pastors and other leaders (some 51) arrived early and were in high worship when we entered the building. Ben Bahati, who had called the meeting, began by asking for testimonies of what the people had learned yesterday and what the Holy Spirit had been saying to them.
Richard will give snippets of those testimonies after my wonderful contribution…
The initial three testimonies astonished us, as the people reported what God was doing. Two years ago, post-election violence swept through the area. Many of the people were targets of political gangs. One pastor’s wife was murdered, their home and church burned. Another had her home, church and orphans school burned. And on and on.
What we had not realized is that since the violence the churches had been totally disrupted and bitterness and hatred severely divided the Christian community. So much so, that many of the leaders who came to the meeting had not spoken to one another in two years and refused to shake each other’s hands at the door. One pastor reported later that it was an astonishing event to see all these people in the same room.
BUT…the teaching we did yesterday on “God is Creating One People for Himself” and “Forgiveness as Central to the Christian Faith” was projected into the hearts of the people by the Holy Spirit. During and after the Monday meeting the Holy Spirit convicted (apparently) all of the leaders of the necessity of forgiving all their offenders and embracing one another as spiritual family.
To say that this is one of the most profound experiences we have had in our Christian lives is an understatement.
Richard gave an overview of the prayer model. Then I gave examples from my experiences in prayer to illustrate that TP is God’s tool to enable us to far better do the ministry of Jesus: i.e. evangelize the poor, heal the sick, peel the darkness off people, heal wounded and broken hearts & demonstrate that the season of grace inaugurated by Jesus is still in effect.
Particularly surprising is the response of all to our take on dealing with the demonic. Demons in Africa feel little need to camouflage themselves and the ministry to expel them is aggressive and loud. The demonic is viewed as a constant adversary needing constant vigilance.
The model we are introducing is quiet and hardly engages the demonic at all, rather looking for the root of the activity and having eliminated that cause to expect the demons to leave without much ado.
To our surprise (as in Mombasa and Nairobi) the people enthusiastically embraced the teaching, repenting of the way they have been ministering and rejoicing that God has already defeated the foe (Colossians 2:13-15).
After lunch we had announced plans to do 3-4 demonstration prayers for the group. However, God had other plans in mind!
Ben asked for additional testimonies, and the most astonishing flood of reports poured out for the next 2 ½ hours: twelve stories of God’s confrontation in the night; of deep repentance for feelings of hatred, bitterness and desire for revenge; of deep grief that they unwittingly had individually and collectively prevented God from working in their churches and the community at large for two year.
Again, Richard will report on specifics, but we are humbled and frankly a bit “fried” having never seen God in such a brief moment in time so dramatically initiate healing for a town and region. Many agreed this was their first experience of Christian unity, and declared that this is the message that can save Kenya and must be preached to the nation. They all agreed to begin in their own churches, then to consider having a community-wide service of confession-repentance-reconciliation, and pledged to take the word beyond their area.
Ben summed up the message that the group had collectively embraced:
There is only ONE Gospel
There is only ONE Ministry (Jesus’, not ours)
There is only ONE Nation of Kenya (not 42 autonomous tribes)
On that foundation he called everyone to unity to receive God’s forgiveness and healing themselves, minister healing to their churches and bring healing to the Turbo area.
I closed with an exegesis of 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 and a long period of prayer during which the Holy Spirit continued to speak and minister to the leaders.
We took up an offering for one of the pastors who leaves tomorrow for evangelistic meetings with Muslims in a very dangerous, remote area of NE Kenya.
Thank you all for your prayers. You cannot imagine how God is fashioning them to give us exactly the right words and timing for ministry, and for the extraordinary favor and protection we are enjoying.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Turbo, Kenya Pastors Conference (Cazzell)
We certainly had a fun time with God & the pastors yesterday. There was stuff like Doug’s opening session where he told everyone he was going to teach the entire Bible in just 5 minutes. There was the “cell phone blessing” by Ben in which he instructed everyone to turn them off. After lunch when I spoke, I passed out chewing gum for everyone to exercise their mouth & not fall asleep while I taught. As we drove from Eldoret to Turbo today (appx 25 minute drive), Doug told me to explain the 16-week prayer ministry training course to the group this morning in 30 minutes. I said “How can I do that???” Ben chimed in, “That should not be a problem. Doug taught the whole Bible yesterday in 5 minutes.” Then we laughed the next 10 kilometers! These guys are so neat to be with, because they are really fun-loving, and genuine. What you see is what you get.
Well, today’s meeting felt like some sort of sci-fi sonic wave blast that could surely be felt all the way to Campalla, Uganda. I’ve been in conferences in Australia, Colombia, Singapore, Hong Kong, many places in the U.S., and several times in Kenya………………….. and I’m telling you that I have never experienced anything like what took place today. If Paul can match the pics w/the testimonies, hopefully you can get a little insight. Love you all. Thanks so much for your continued prayer support. In Christ, Richard
Before our trip, I was praying and God reminded me of some of the amazing things we have seen Him do through the years. Then He said, in reference to this trip, “Don’t assume you’ve seen everything yet!” He assured me there would be surprises on this trip. Today, those words came to pass.
The pastors and other leaders (some 51) arrived early and were in high worship when we entered the building. Ben Bahati, who had called the meeting, began by asking for testimonies of what the people had learned yesterday and what the Holy Spirit had been saying to them.
Richard will give snippets of those testimonies after my wonderful contribution…
The initial three testimonies astonished us, as the people reported what God was doing. Two years ago, post-election violence swept through the area. Many of the people were targets of political gangs. One pastor’s wife was murdered, their home and church burned. Another had her home, church and orphans school burned. And on and on.
What we had not realized is that since the violence the churches had been totally disrupted and bitterness and hatred severely divided the Christian community. So much so, that many of the leaders who came to the meeting had not spoken to one another in two years and refused to shake each other’s hands at the door. One pastor reported later that it was an astonishing event to see all these people in the same room.
BUT…the teaching we did yesterday on “God is Creating One People for Himself” and “Forgiveness as Central to the Christian Faith” was projected into the hearts of the people by the Holy Spirit. During and after the Monday meeting the Holy Spirit convicted (apparently) all of the leaders of the necessity of forgiving all their offenders and embracing one another as spiritual family.
To say that this is one of the most profound experiences we have had in our Christian lives is an understatement.
Richard gave an overview of the prayer model. Then I gave examples from my experiences in prayer to illustrate that TP is God’s tool to enable us to far better do the ministry of Jesus: i.e. evangelize the poor, heal the sick, peel the darkness off people, heal wounded and broken hearts & demonstrate that the season of grace inaugurated by Jesus is still in effect.
Particularly surprising is the response of all to our take on dealing with the demonic. Demons in Africa feel little need to camouflage themselves and the ministry to expel them is aggressive and loud. The demonic is viewed as a constant adversary needing constant vigilance.
The model we are introducing is quiet and hardly engages the demonic at all, rather looking for the root of the activity and having eliminated that cause to expect the demons to leave without much ado.
To our surprise (as in Mombasa and Nairobi) the people enthusiastically embraced the teaching, repenting of the way they have been ministering and rejoicing that God has already defeated the foe (Colossians 2:13-15).
After lunch we had announced plans to do 3-4 demonstration prayers for the group. However, God had other plans in mind!
Ben asked for additional testimonies, and the most astonishing flood of reports poured out for the next 2 ½ hours: twelve stories of God’s confrontation in the night; of deep repentance for feelings of hatred, bitterness and desire for revenge; of deep grief that they unwittingly had individually and collectively prevented God from working in their churches and the community at large for two year.
Again, Richard will report on specifics, but we are humbled and frankly a bit “fried” having never seen God in such a brief moment in time so dramatically initiate healing for a town and region. Many agreed this was their first experience of Christian unity, and declared that this is the message that can save Kenya and must be preached to the nation. They all agreed to begin in their own churches, then to consider having a community-wide service of confession-repentance-reconciliation, and pledged to take the word beyond their area.
Ben summed up the message that the group had collectively embraced:
There is only ONE Gospel
There is only ONE Ministry (Jesus’, not ours)
There is only ONE Nation of Kenya (not 42 autonomous tribes)
On that foundation he called everyone to unity to receive God’s forgiveness and healing themselves, minister healing to their churches and bring healing to the Turbo area.
I closed with an exegesis of 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 and a long period of prayer during which the Holy Spirit continued to speak and minister to the leaders.
We took up an offering for one of the pastors who leaves tomorrow for evangelistic meetings with Muslims in a very dangerous, remote area of NE Kenya.
Thank you all for your prayers. You cannot imagine how God is fashioning them to give us exactly the right words and timing for ministry, and for the extraordinary favor and protection we are enjoying.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Turbo, Kenya Pastors Conference (Cazzell)
We certainly had a fun time with God & the pastors yesterday. There was stuff like Doug’s opening session where he told everyone he was going to teach the entire Bible in just 5 minutes. There was the “cell phone blessing” by Ben in which he instructed everyone to turn them off. After lunch when I spoke, I passed out chewing gum for everyone to exercise their mouth & not fall asleep while I taught. As we drove from Eldoret to Turbo today (appx 25 minute drive), Doug told me to explain the 16-week prayer ministry training course to the group this morning in 30 minutes. I said “How can I do that???” Ben chimed in, “That should not be a problem. Doug taught the whole Bible yesterday in 5 minutes.” Then we laughed the next 10 kilometers! These guys are so neat to be with, because they are really fun-loving, and genuine. What you see is what you get.
Well, today’s meeting felt like some sort of sci-fi sonic wave blast that could surely be felt all the way to Campalla, Uganda. I’ve been in conferences in Australia, Colombia, Singapore, Hong Kong, many places in the U.S., and several times in Kenya………………….. and I’m telling you that I have never experienced anything like what took place today. If Paul can match the pics w/the testimonies, hopefully you can get a little insight. Love you all. Thanks so much for your continued prayer support. In Christ, Richard
Please Pray
Richard and Doug have asked that we all please keep praying for them. Pray specifically that the Holy Spirit shows them what to say and when to say it. Also pray for physical protection and spiritual insight so they can discern the needs of the people they are ministering with. We don't take any of this for granted!
Monday - from Richard and Doug
Monday, February 15, 2010 (Cazzell)
Do you remember the old worship song, “Let’s all go up to Zion?” I don’t hardly remember the words myself. But you repeat, “let’s all go up to Zion…” and then sing “the city of our God”. “Sing hallelujah…”, etc. Well, anyway, I was singing “Let’s all go up to Turbo” as we drove out this morning, and guess what?... God was out there today! I can’t explain quite where Turbo is, all I can say is to “Google” it.
As we did some errands this morning, Pastor Joseph of the GFE Life Center here in Eldoret shared his testimony. He was living in Nairobi in 1988 when his brother became saved at an open-air crusade. He said his brother really changed and suddenly was respectful of their mom, and was being responsible around the house. They asked him what had happened to him. When he told them that he had accepted Christ, Joseph said that he made a lot of fun of him, and gave him a generally continuous hard time about it. The God ambushed Joseph at a meeting with some friends, and he surrendered his life to Jesus. Soon afterwards, he found Ben Bahati in the slums playing an acoustic guitar and witnessing for the Lord. He liked what Ben was doing, and decided to throw in with him in ministry. They lived in a very meager place in the slums, even sharing a mattress to sleep on. And now, here they are… overseeing a fantastic ministry based here in western Kenya.
When we had dinner last night, we saw Valentine’s decorations at the restaurant, and again here at the hotel. I asked Ben how Valentine’s Day came to Kenya, because I thought it was a unique U.S. holiday. He said the media brought it here (I had thought maybe U.S. missionaries had brought it). I told Ben that this was a very big day for the women in the U.S., maybe even bigger than Christmas! Then I told him about my terrible mistake on the 1st Valentine’s Day I had with my wife… only 6 weeks after we had been married. I told him how my family never really bothered with the day when I was growing up, but Kathy’s family made a very big deal of it. Kathy & I were still students at the U of A, Fayetteville, and after I came home from classes that day, she had fixed me a very special dinner… with candles, and chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner she gave me a very sweet card and a gift. Then, I gave her…. a kiss, but that was it. It didn’t occur to me to even get a card (even at the gas station). I asked Ben, “Do you know how long it took her to forgive me? Ten years!” I went on to say. He laughed and said, “She forgave you on the installment plan!”
This story is just to say how great (and sharp) the Kenyans’ sense of humor is. We laugh all day long at stuff. It’s like I would never have the time to write it all down.
The meetings today were pleasant. Powerful, & well received by the group today. The church building is located on the bank of a small river running south of the town. It’s a beautiful venue for a pastor’s conference… completely different from the noise, hustle & bustle of Nairobi. We are still missing Paul, but we both agree he was vital in the 1st two weeks, whereas here the receptivity is greater. These guys are very appreciative of the fact that we would come to them out here in the country. It is not only verbalized, but you can see it in their attentiveness. These pastors are literally like sponges wanting to soak up every last tiny drop.
Doug is writing his reflections, too. So read on. Please pray hard for this final week! We love you all, in Christ, Richard Cazzell
Monday, Feb 15, 2010 (VanDevender)
Eldoret, Kenya
This morning we ran a few errands with Ben Bahati and his associate pastor Joseph of the GFE Life Center Church, and then headed west for the forty minute, bouncing drive to Turbo, Kenya. (And NO, we don’t know how it got the name Turbo!)
Turbo lies astride the railway line and national highway connecting Uganda with Kenya. It reminds us of a west Texas cattle town in the 1870s: primitive, dirty and alive with grassroots entrepreneurial activity.
This part of Kenya was wracked by the political violence of December 2008. Several tribal groups occupy the area and antagonisms are real and just below the surface.
Into this mix God has brought scores of Kenyan evangelists and church planters who are penetrating the area with the Gospel. One almost has the feeling, from a sociological perspective, that this area is in a race between the healing, reconciling grace of Jesus and the forces of violence and social chaos.
Ben organized the meeting, inviting pastors and evangelists from all the surrounding churches. Only about ¼ of the 45 or so participants belong to GFE (Ben’s group)—the rest are from independent churches and other denominations. The meeting didn’t start until 11:30 as some pastors had to walk long distances to attend.
As one pastor at the end of the day said with amazement, it is extremely difficult to get these diverse individuals and religious perspectives into the same room together.
Yet, as we taught through the day---really pushing the envelope as change agents with applied scripture, there was a quiet unity of acceptance to the message God had given us to deliver.
I opened with the theme of what God is doing in the world: creating a People for Himself out of every tongue, tribe, nation and people-group---a People called by his name---a People in whom He can come to dwell. I identified this People as a new ethnic group, a new race really, that produces a new people with more in common with each other than the non-participating people we grew up with.
We are a People who know God, love, God, worship God, obey God, serve God, represent God and enjoy God, now and forever.
Then we looked at the ministry of Jesus in Luke 4:16ff: to evangelize the poor, heal the sick, peel the darkness off folks, heal wounded & broken hearts and to declare that GRACE is “in season”. We noted that this Age of Grace is still in season, but will come to a definite and dramatic end---possibly quite soon---with the appearing of Christ to judge the nations.
We understand our calling as becoming functional members of God’s Forever People with the determination to bring along as many other folks with us as we can.
Richard taught on Ephesians 4:11ff---that the ministry of Jesus is not only for clergy, but for ALL of God’s People. He spoke as one who is not in the clergy, but as a “mere saint” as mentioned in 4:12---yet fully capable (because he has been equipped) to teach pastors and do the power ministries of Jesus.
Richard also taught on the centrality of FORGIVENESS to the Christian faith (versus other world religions). He dealt with the personal aspect of God providing us forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross. And reminded everyone that forgiveness is a conditional offer from God (Matthew 6:14-15), i.e. you can have as much from God as you are willing to give away to others.
Following his excellent presentation, I led the group in a group prayer using the conversational prayer, and God appeared to be doing a deep work within many.
Ben closed with the request that we begin Tuesday’s session with testimonies of what God had been speaking and what He had been doing during the meeting in general and during the prayer time in particular.
Although this group of pastors could easily be overlooked because of their remote location and abject poverty, God assured us that this was as important as any meeting we would do in Nairobi and Mombasa, and He is being good to his word.
This entire mission has been characterized by peace, unity and fruitfulness. The only concern I would express today is that I feel the extraordinary prayer covering we have enjoyed the first two weeks slipping a bit. Perhaps that is just a reflection of Paul’s departure and a shift in focus of his community.
I would plead with all of you to hang in there with us for a few more days. We are doing solid meetings Monday – Saturday, literally until the last moment before we dash to the airport to fly home. Each day is crucial for the participants, and Richard and I cannot even begin to do what God has put into our hands to do without unusual “spiritual cover”.
Thank you all so much.
Blessings,
Doug VanDevender
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday and Sunday - From Richard
Paul has given me “the con” on the blog, charging me with staying the course for all of you with my pen… so here goes.
In I Timothy 4:11, writing about his travel details, the apostle Paul wrote, "Only Luke is with me." That is how it feels here now (both for Doug & myself). It’s not really a statement of feeling abandoned by Paul. It’s just a statement that he has left, with a twinge of “will we see each other again”?
Let me tell you, we are very happy and grateful for his past two weeks with us. Paul accomplished with the groups of the last two weeks something that neither Doug nor I could have ever done! That is because he is a pastor of a church, and he could speak to the hearts of the pastors in the meetings. Paul was such a hit with these people because I honestly believe they had never before seen such a servant leader from the U.S. that was willing to walk with them, eat their food with them, and not only talk with them… but actually listen to their individual stories one by one. I cannot express strongly enough to you of what a powerful impact he has made to the people of Kenya.
As Paul was leaving Hampton House, a clerk we had prayed for the day before, Evelyn, had just come to work. She was glowing! She reported to me that: 1)- she slept very well… no fear; 2)- she felt rested, and had no physical pains; 3)- she had peace & was still feeling the Lord’s presence. I only wish I had a “before” picture you could have seen to contrast with the “after” picture that you are seeing now! What a change. What a mighty God!
Well, we had a fairly relaxing day today (Saturday)... mostly hanging out at the Hampton House. Emmanuel (Bishop Chai) has been with us this week, and his flight back to Mombasa departed at 8:00 PM. So I decided Paul should go at that time too for his 10:50 PM flight. Doug stayed here at the hotel because of the small car, & I went to make sure Paul got to the right place. We arrived at security check-in about 7:30, and I watched from outside through the windows as he went through the check-in process, and then up finally up the escalator to the departure gates. And just like that, I Timothy 4:11 hit me.
I then had the car driver, Geoffrey, take me by Java House on the way back from the airport, & I got supper to go for Doug & myself. It was a great meal of cheeseburger, fries, soda, & chocolate-banana tart for dessert.
Sunday morning we checked out of Hampton House and went for our final breakfast at the Java House. Omelet, passion fruit drink, and a “celebration mocha”. It was a very fine meal. I’ll go ahead and share the following as it’s really sort of funny, and another example of “missionary misadventures” at it’s finest. Our bill for the last 6 nights at the Hampton House was 28,000 ksh ($373 U.S.), which is a fabulous price for 4 guys for 6 nights (Emmanuel has been staying in the room w/Doug). Problem is, Hampton House only takes cash… which I had forgotten. So, after the hotel bill and the 2000 ksh ($27 U.S.) overweight baggage fee for our flight today, we arrived safely in Eldoret with a grand total of $40 cash for the week. We’re going to really “one-up” Rachael Ray on her “New York for $40 per day” gig!
Now after reading this, be anxious for nothing. We are staying at the Sirikwa Hotel this week which has a full breakfast included with the room. Supper can be charged to the room, plus there’s a great Chinese restaurant in town that takes credit cards.
So I’m not knocking Dave Ramsey here, but sometimes a Visa card can really be nice to have for such unexpected things like this. (Side note to Paul- we are at Sirikwa again as communication w/Ben & his business manager lead to booking us 6 nights at Poa Place hotel beginning February 20… the day we leave Kenya.) Hakuna matata!
Okay, back to ministry stuff. We had a great time at Pastor Albert’s church today. I preached one verse for the 1st service which I told them was the most important verse in Ephesians 5. It is verse 25. I finished in half an hour and every man seemed sort of stunned with the message. The women wanted me to preach for 3 more hours.
Douglas next did the 2nd service which lasted appx 75 minutes. He spoke on the 3 relationships we can have with God: 1)-Bondslave, 2)-Friend, & 3)-Child. It’s getting too late to go into detail, but this had a very powerful impact on this church. One example: as God’s children, it’s like having a “rock star” dad. Everyone wants to see him, speak with him, touch him, & be noticed by him in a superficial way. The “rock star” passes by all these people for the most part, ignoring them as he goes by. But when the rock star gets home and walks in the door, his children get access! It’s just to say… we as god’s children get access 24/7, over all others (non-believers).
At 2:00 PM we drove to the airport (paid our overweight baggage fee) and hopped over to Eldoret (6.5 hour drive by car – 45 minutes by air). Pastor Dixon picked us up, and we went straight to Langus slum where an open-air crusade was just beginning. John Baxter & I had been in this place for a crusade last August, and Bahati reported that this was the 1st time they have held a crusade here since then.
Anyway, this was another party! The choir/dancers, comedian Moses, and Ben Bahati, all in a vacant lot next to one of Bahati’s small churches located there. Doug & I estimated 500-600 people stopped to watch & listen. It turns out that Moses was saved right in this same place during a crusade in 1999. Before, he was a rapper/DJ, who liked to frequent strip clubs. This guy is now a powerhouse for Jesus. An incredible transformation… right from the slums!
Well, they introduced Doug who explained to the crowd why he had a bald head. Then, they introduced me, & I did my “direction on the highway” set up for the local pastor, Joseph, and for Ben. Joseph spoke a few minutes, and then Ben gave an infamous 10 minute gospel message. Very close to 325-350 people came forward to accept Christ. We saw 3 who were Muslim praying in the crowd. It’s hard to get your mind around the fact that what’s taking place is real.
Now for the rest of the story. At this empty lot where the crusade was held today, during the post-election violence two years ago, 20 people were killed here. They cut off some of the heads of those murdered, and placed them on the stakes of the fence which separates the church land from the vacant lot. God has now re-taken this killing field, and Doug & I were here to see it. Saying that God is awesome does not describe Him well enough.
Love to you all, Richard
In I Timothy 4:11, writing about his travel details, the apostle Paul wrote, "Only Luke is with me." That is how it feels here now (both for Doug & myself). It’s not really a statement of feeling abandoned by Paul. It’s just a statement that he has left, with a twinge of “will we see each other again”?
Let me tell you, we are very happy and grateful for his past two weeks with us. Paul accomplished with the groups of the last two weeks something that neither Doug nor I could have ever done! That is because he is a pastor of a church, and he could speak to the hearts of the pastors in the meetings. Paul was such a hit with these people because I honestly believe they had never before seen such a servant leader from the U.S. that was willing to walk with them, eat their food with them, and not only talk with them… but actually listen to their individual stories one by one. I cannot express strongly enough to you of what a powerful impact he has made to the people of Kenya.
As Paul was leaving Hampton House, a clerk we had prayed for the day before, Evelyn, had just come to work. She was glowing! She reported to me that: 1)- she slept very well… no fear; 2)- she felt rested, and had no physical pains; 3)- she had peace & was still feeling the Lord’s presence. I only wish I had a “before” picture you could have seen to contrast with the “after” picture that you are seeing now! What a change. What a mighty God!
Well, we had a fairly relaxing day today (Saturday)... mostly hanging out at the Hampton House. Emmanuel (Bishop Chai) has been with us this week, and his flight back to Mombasa departed at 8:00 PM. So I decided Paul should go at that time too for his 10:50 PM flight. Doug stayed here at the hotel because of the small car, & I went to make sure Paul got to the right place. We arrived at security check-in about 7:30, and I watched from outside through the windows as he went through the check-in process, and then up finally up the escalator to the departure gates. And just like that, I Timothy 4:11 hit me.
I then had the car driver, Geoffrey, take me by Java House on the way back from the airport, & I got supper to go for Doug & myself. It was a great meal of cheeseburger, fries, soda, & chocolate-banana tart for dessert.
Sunday morning we checked out of Hampton House and went for our final breakfast at the Java House. Omelet, passion fruit drink, and a “celebration mocha”. It was a very fine meal. I’ll go ahead and share the following as it’s really sort of funny, and another example of “missionary misadventures” at it’s finest. Our bill for the last 6 nights at the Hampton House was 28,000 ksh ($373 U.S.), which is a fabulous price for 4 guys for 6 nights (Emmanuel has been staying in the room w/Doug). Problem is, Hampton House only takes cash… which I had forgotten. So, after the hotel bill and the 2000 ksh ($27 U.S.) overweight baggage fee for our flight today, we arrived safely in Eldoret with a grand total of $40 cash for the week. We’re going to really “one-up” Rachael Ray on her “New York for $40 per day” gig!
Now after reading this, be anxious for nothing. We are staying at the Sirikwa Hotel this week which has a full breakfast included with the room. Supper can be charged to the room, plus there’s a great Chinese restaurant in town that takes credit cards.
So I’m not knocking Dave Ramsey here, but sometimes a Visa card can really be nice to have for such unexpected things like this. (Side note to Paul- we are at Sirikwa again as communication w/Ben & his business manager lead to booking us 6 nights at Poa Place hotel beginning February 20… the day we leave Kenya.) Hakuna matata!
Okay, back to ministry stuff. We had a great time at Pastor Albert’s church today. I preached one verse for the 1st service which I told them was the most important verse in Ephesians 5. It is verse 25. I finished in half an hour and every man seemed sort of stunned with the message. The women wanted me to preach for 3 more hours.
Douglas next did the 2nd service which lasted appx 75 minutes. He spoke on the 3 relationships we can have with God: 1)-Bondslave, 2)-Friend, & 3)-Child. It’s getting too late to go into detail, but this had a very powerful impact on this church. One example: as God’s children, it’s like having a “rock star” dad. Everyone wants to see him, speak with him, touch him, & be noticed by him in a superficial way. The “rock star” passes by all these people for the most part, ignoring them as he goes by. But when the rock star gets home and walks in the door, his children get access! It’s just to say… we as god’s children get access 24/7, over all others (non-believers).
At 2:00 PM we drove to the airport (paid our overweight baggage fee) and hopped over to Eldoret (6.5 hour drive by car – 45 minutes by air). Pastor Dixon picked us up, and we went straight to Langus slum where an open-air crusade was just beginning. John Baxter & I had been in this place for a crusade last August, and Bahati reported that this was the 1st time they have held a crusade here since then.
Anyway, this was another party! The choir/dancers, comedian Moses, and Ben Bahati, all in a vacant lot next to one of Bahati’s small churches located there. Doug & I estimated 500-600 people stopped to watch & listen. It turns out that Moses was saved right in this same place during a crusade in 1999. Before, he was a rapper/DJ, who liked to frequent strip clubs. This guy is now a powerhouse for Jesus. An incredible transformation… right from the slums!
Well, they introduced Doug who explained to the crowd why he had a bald head. Then, they introduced me, & I did my “direction on the highway” set up for the local pastor, Joseph, and for Ben. Joseph spoke a few minutes, and then Ben gave an infamous 10 minute gospel message. Very close to 325-350 people came forward to accept Christ. We saw 3 who were Muslim praying in the crowd. It’s hard to get your mind around the fact that what’s taking place is real.
Now for the rest of the story. At this empty lot where the crusade was held today, during the post-election violence two years ago, 20 people were killed here. They cut off some of the heads of those murdered, and placed them on the stakes of the fence which separates the church land from the vacant lot. God has now re-taken this killing field, and Doug & I were here to see it. Saying that God is awesome does not describe Him well enough.
Love to you all, Richard
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday morning reflection
Well good morning. I didn't think I would be posting again, but it has been a very relaxing Saturday morning with zero pressure to go do anything. This is a nice prelude to a very long flight home :) so below are some collection of thoughts this morning:
Wow. We are refreshed this morning. We have had a relaxing morning, there is a nice cool breeze blowing through the rooms, and we have no obligations today. My flight leaves at 10:50 pm tonight, so I think Albert and Nancy are planning on showing us some things around Nairobi, but it should be a restful day.
Here are some pictures from last night at the Carnivore restaurant, and the suitcase full of nerf balls, soccer balls, and Frisbees that are going to the orphanages.
Doug:
Our eyes have been opened in a fresh way to the extremely high level of emotional pain in the people of Kenya, and Christians are not excluded from that. It seems clear that for the church to fulfill its calling to be salt and light to the Kenyan culture the church has to be healed. Based on the quick response of the people and the desire to use this method of prayer, it seems that God will use this to accomplish that purpose based on what we saw happen over the past two weeks in three different locations. Lord, give us wisdom on how to respond to the need that we see as so critical.
Richard:
He has made a trip each year for the last 5 years and it seems that he has been building the fort to help strengthen it. On this trip he feels like the three of us linked arms and the doors have burst open, like a monstrous breakout has begun like Hoover dam bursting. In the past he and many others have brought helps and teaching that have strengthened the church, but having his pastor along has supercharged and energized the people to encourage them to put teaching into action. God’s timing seems perfect, and based on the reaction from every place we have been he has never seen such impact to the church waking up, getting it, and embracing it in one sweep.
Paul:
I am so humbled and privileged to think that the Lord would give me the opportunity to pour into the church of Kenya. Generally speaking, the pastors came out of obligation and weariness but left uplifted, refreshed, encouraged, and equipped to strengthen their churches so the body of Christ is healthy and functioning. The people have so much pain in their life and the Lord is ready to heal their broken hearts. When that happens, their life is changed and the Holy Spirit freely flows through them. The fruit is restored and they live with joy.
Wow. We are refreshed this morning. We have had a relaxing morning, there is a nice cool breeze blowing through the rooms, and we have no obligations today. My flight leaves at 10:50 pm tonight, so I think Albert and Nancy are planning on showing us some things around Nairobi, but it should be a restful day.
Here are some pictures from last night at the Carnivore restaurant, and the suitcase full of nerf balls, soccer balls, and Frisbees that are going to the orphanages.
Doug:
Our eyes have been opened in a fresh way to the extremely high level of emotional pain in the people of Kenya, and Christians are not excluded from that. It seems clear that for the church to fulfill its calling to be salt and light to the Kenyan culture the church has to be healed. Based on the quick response of the people and the desire to use this method of prayer, it seems that God will use this to accomplish that purpose based on what we saw happen over the past two weeks in three different locations. Lord, give us wisdom on how to respond to the need that we see as so critical.
Richard:
He has made a trip each year for the last 5 years and it seems that he has been building the fort to help strengthen it. On this trip he feels like the three of us linked arms and the doors have burst open, like a monstrous breakout has begun like Hoover dam bursting. In the past he and many others have brought helps and teaching that have strengthened the church, but having his pastor along has supercharged and energized the people to encourage them to put teaching into action. God’s timing seems perfect, and based on the reaction from every place we have been he has never seen such impact to the church waking up, getting it, and embracing it in one sweep.
Paul:
I am so humbled and privileged to think that the Lord would give me the opportunity to pour into the church of Kenya. Generally speaking, the pastors came out of obligation and weariness but left uplifted, refreshed, encouraged, and equipped to strengthen their churches so the body of Christ is healthy and functioning. The people have so much pain in their life and the Lord is ready to heal their broken hearts. When that happens, their life is changed and the Holy Spirit freely flows through them. The fruit is restored and they live with joy.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Last Day - Nairobi Conference
Faith Victory Christian Church, Nairobi
Part of the church property is used for P.E. with an elementary school across the street.
Emmanuel, David Mgomba, Paul
The kitchen at Faith Victory cleaning up after lunch on Friday
Part of the church property is used for P.E. with an elementary school across the street.
Emmanuel, David Mgomba, Paul
The kitchen at Faith Victory cleaning up after lunch on Friday
Nairobi - Day 3 and Final Day
We are back at the Hampton House after a full day. The Lord has fully blessed these past two weeks in ministry to these servant leaders of the flock in Kenya.
The day started with a breakfast of mandazi’s and coffee. Mandazi’s are like square donut holes, and they are excellent warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds. They were fresh last night for dessert before we left the church, and we took some to have for breakfast this morning.
We got to the church late, as usual – or maybe on time Kenya time. Doug started right off with a quick review of some basics of prayer, and said some really powerful but simple statements based on Romans 12. He shared that prayer is not magic. It is welcoming the Lord to participate in transforming and renewing our mind. His second statement was that it is not our job to parent people. The Lord never takes away our free will and ability to choose, so we can just help clarify their belief system and see if they have been believing lies that are not in accordance with the Word.
We then broke into four groups with each of us leading one plus a pastor from Mombasa who has followed us here leading the fourth. There was so much ministry taking place during the prayer time. The Lord was healing broken and wounded hearts all throughout the building.
I wrapped up the meeting with a teaching from Luke 6 about giving. They have an interesting and uncomfortable way of taking an offering here, so I received permission to bless the pastors by giving what would normally have come in the offering and then teaching on the joy of giving. I encouraged each one to take what they were going to put in the offering and pray, watching and listening to the Holy Spirit to see who he wanted them to bless, not expecting anything in return. They had never experienced anything like this. It was like a shock wave to them, but they got it and I pray they will follow through with it.
Emmanuel Chai, the overseer of 70 churches, closed out by giving a quick encouragement from Genesis 26:22 about digging a new well with fresh water, and challenging the pastors to put into practice what they have learned. It was very encouraging.
We were able to pray for a few more people after we were done, had lunch at the church, and then came back to the Hampton House for a quick clean-up. While there, Richard and I prayed with one of the employees here. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and the doctors have said there is nothing they can do, so she is experiencing fear, depression, and anxiety. As we prayed, the Lord showed her that she was in fear but he was speaking for her not to be afraid; that he was protecting her. She then shared about an earlier time when she felt the same way, and the Lord healed that fear in her heart. She said she was feeling a pain in her heart, physically, but that was all. Then we just asked if there was anyone she needed to forgive and if the Lord would show her the source of the pain. The tears started flowing and she gave the details of a situation where she was holding a deep grudge. She was able to forgive and pray a blessing over the person and the pain in her heart was gone. You call it what you want, but she was healed and joy was fully restored in her countenance.
It’s been fun asking people about their relationship with the Lord. Our waitress at Java House last night, Mercy, is not born again but told us she would really think about it during the night. We had a different driver, John, tonight and he said he is thinking about it also.
Well tonight was a real treat because our “Hotel Bishop”, Richard, made arrangements to eat at the Carnivore restaurant. It is well known and serves non-stop meat as long as the flag is up. We took Emmanuel, Albert and Nancy (none had ever been) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Albert and Nancy rarely have the opportunity to eat like this, and were very appreciative.
We made it back to Hampton House about 10:15, writing the update, then going to bed. The Lord gave Doug this scripture: Isaiah 25:1 – O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”
This will likely be the last update until I am back in US airspace on Sunday where my cell phone works. Richard and Doug plan on sending updates for posting during their last week in Eldoret.
I thank you, Lord, for the marvelous things you have shown me and giving me the humbling privilege of watching you at work. I pray I will be faithful with the knowledge and experience you have shown me and what you have confirmed in my heart.
The day started with a breakfast of mandazi’s and coffee. Mandazi’s are like square donut holes, and they are excellent warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds. They were fresh last night for dessert before we left the church, and we took some to have for breakfast this morning.
We got to the church late, as usual – or maybe on time Kenya time. Doug started right off with a quick review of some basics of prayer, and said some really powerful but simple statements based on Romans 12. He shared that prayer is not magic. It is welcoming the Lord to participate in transforming and renewing our mind. His second statement was that it is not our job to parent people. The Lord never takes away our free will and ability to choose, so we can just help clarify their belief system and see if they have been believing lies that are not in accordance with the Word.
We then broke into four groups with each of us leading one plus a pastor from Mombasa who has followed us here leading the fourth. There was so much ministry taking place during the prayer time. The Lord was healing broken and wounded hearts all throughout the building.
I wrapped up the meeting with a teaching from Luke 6 about giving. They have an interesting and uncomfortable way of taking an offering here, so I received permission to bless the pastors by giving what would normally have come in the offering and then teaching on the joy of giving. I encouraged each one to take what they were going to put in the offering and pray, watching and listening to the Holy Spirit to see who he wanted them to bless, not expecting anything in return. They had never experienced anything like this. It was like a shock wave to them, but they got it and I pray they will follow through with it.
Emmanuel Chai, the overseer of 70 churches, closed out by giving a quick encouragement from Genesis 26:22 about digging a new well with fresh water, and challenging the pastors to put into practice what they have learned. It was very encouraging.
We were able to pray for a few more people after we were done, had lunch at the church, and then came back to the Hampton House for a quick clean-up. While there, Richard and I prayed with one of the employees here. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and the doctors have said there is nothing they can do, so she is experiencing fear, depression, and anxiety. As we prayed, the Lord showed her that she was in fear but he was speaking for her not to be afraid; that he was protecting her. She then shared about an earlier time when she felt the same way, and the Lord healed that fear in her heart. She said she was feeling a pain in her heart, physically, but that was all. Then we just asked if there was anyone she needed to forgive and if the Lord would show her the source of the pain. The tears started flowing and she gave the details of a situation where she was holding a deep grudge. She was able to forgive and pray a blessing over the person and the pain in her heart was gone. You call it what you want, but she was healed and joy was fully restored in her countenance.
It’s been fun asking people about their relationship with the Lord. Our waitress at Java House last night, Mercy, is not born again but told us she would really think about it during the night. We had a different driver, John, tonight and he said he is thinking about it also.
Well tonight was a real treat because our “Hotel Bishop”, Richard, made arrangements to eat at the Carnivore restaurant. It is well known and serves non-stop meat as long as the flag is up. We took Emmanuel, Albert and Nancy (none had ever been) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Albert and Nancy rarely have the opportunity to eat like this, and were very appreciative.
We made it back to Hampton House about 10:15, writing the update, then going to bed. The Lord gave Doug this scripture: Isaiah 25:1 – O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”
This will likely be the last update until I am back in US airspace on Sunday where my cell phone works. Richard and Doug plan on sending updates for posting during their last week in Eldoret.
I thank you, Lord, for the marvelous things you have shown me and giving me the humbling privilege of watching you at work. I pray I will be faithful with the knowledge and experience you have shown me and what you have confirmed in my heart.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Nairobi Conference - Day Two
We were greeted at the church this morning with two Kenya Eagles flying overhead.
Today was good teaching. Richard started out by reviewing Ephesians 4:11-12. He does a great teaching on this by asking, “Where do you think I fall in this list?” (Apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc.) They always guess teacher, but he says no, and they never guess that he is in verse 12 – the saint. The saint that leaders are supposed to equip. They got it.
I followed Richard by teaching Colossians 2:13-15 about how Jesus disarmed the enemy on the cross and made a public spectacle of him. We talked about the lies that the enemy tells us, and if we choose to believe them it looks just like he still has a weapon and the end result is the same – he has victory in the life of a believer.
Then Doug introduced transforming prayer that just invites Jesus to be a part of the communication and healing. After lunch we prayed for four people and three out of four encountered healing – and two experienced physical changes as we prayed. One man would not reveal any problem, pain, or issue that he wanted us to pray for. He was just asking us to bless his home, his work, and his ministry, so we did with joy. But there was no healing in him. The great part about all this teaching which we reinforce is that anyone can do it – it doesn’t require a magic formula from special people saying or shouting from the rooftops.
I invited Margaret to come and share her experience when I prayed with her yesterday after the day had come to an end. The Lord revealed to her that she needed to forgive her son, and she did as well as asking for forgiveness, and since then she had contacted her son which she had cut off all communication and was received with great love and joy. She was healed.
These people deal with the demonic all the time. And traditionally, the louder they shout and cast out demons the better it is. We have shown them that in quietness and gentleness, just inviting the Lord Jesus to speak and reveal himself to them, the demonic presence is subdued and has to flee. There is no wrestling or contending. It is simply inviting Jesus to speak truth and heal.
This day was more difficult. We were told that people in Nairobi tend to wear masks – not literally, but just like we do in America. In fact, yesterday I showed them the most common lie of the day. The greeting here is “Habari?” (How are you?) The answer is “Mzuri” (I am well). So I said, “Habari” and they answered “Mzuri”. And I waited. And after about 7 seconds they got it. That it was we encountered when we prayed, but it was a good demonstration of John 5 when Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” It is difficult if not impossible for a person to lead someone in prayer for healing if they don’t want to get well.
At the end of the day we debriefed and felt like the Lord was with us and we did what he was asking to do. We had dinner at Java House and were back to the guest house by 8:00.
One great observation we had today – yesterday there was an overwhelming sense of exhaustion in the people – sheer exhaustion. This morning it was very obvious that the Lord had refreshed, and there was a clear spirit of refreshment where people worshiped with joy and received the word well. Thank you, Lord.
This is Albert and Nancy Mulemi, pastor of Faith Victory Christian Church in Nairobi. Their beautiful children are Hope and Jesse. Nancy is lovingly referred to as Mama Hope (this is a sign of great respect by calling the women by the name of their first-born).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Nairobi Conference - First Day (Wednesday)
Today we met with another group of pastors, mostly from the Nairobi area but the region extends much farther than just the city. There were about 50 pastors this first day, and we provided some basic tools for ministry that seemed to be very encouraging to them.
These pastors are tired. Most of them do most of the work themselves and are available 24/7 because of cell phones (cell phone service in Kenya is excellent, and service is available everywhere. Even in the most remote areas there is still cell phone coverage, so almost everyone has figured out an inexpensive way to get a cell phone).
We taught mostly on unity of purpose in ministry and equipping the believers for works of service. Our discernment is that there are many who are trying to do it all themselves, and they are exhausted. So we encouraged them to rest, to turn their cell phone off or let it go to voice mail, and serve their families first and then the body. This was a whole new concept for them. It’s like they are getting their jewels for the crown by the harder they work. They are going to suffer incredible burnout and they will end up loving Jesus but resenting the church.
We spent considerable time ministering to individuals tonight after the session was over. We thoroughly love the opportunity to pray with these people who have such pain in their stories. The Lord is healing hearts every time we do it.
Here are some reflections:
Every time we speak we have to have an interpreter who is speaking Swahili, so we teach in phrases. Yesterday in the City Center we spoke in English with no interpreter and that may be one reason we were able to significantly connect with the people. The idioms in English don’t really translate well into Swahili so we never really know if they are understanding our examples. Today I talked about people coming in the front door but losing them out the back door. They just looked at me like, “What?” Then I walked over to a side door and said people come in the front door but leave out an exit, and we have to close the exit door, and they understood.
As we got into the teaching, it seemed the Lord was really shaping the direction of the ministry to this group, and we were responsive to that. The pastors we talked to individually are extremely appreciative of the encouragement they are receiving.
It will be exciting to see what the Lord gives us tomorrow to encourage and shepherd these beautiful servants of the Lord.
Back in the USA
I made it back with no trouble at all, and since our airline bishop (Richard) was not with me I traveled coach the whole way. But I was sitting next to a lady from Norway on the AMS-MSP flight and from just a little conversation while we were deicing in Amsterdam we spent the next 6 hours talking about Jesus and the Bible. This lady had never read any of the Bible, was forbidden to go to church growing up, but knew in her heart that there was something more. She gladly accepted the gospel, I prayed with her for healing in her heart from the past, and she was healed. She is very close to the Kingdom. I guess the Lord had purpose for me to be in coach.
I will continue posting this next week as Richard sends me updates. It looks like Sunday that Doug and Richard were at a street crusade where several Muslims accepted Jesus.
I'm still in Northwest Arkansas but will post Richard's report when I get back to FSM.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
I will continue posting this next week as Richard sends me updates. It looks like Sunday that Doug and Richard were at a street crusade where several Muslims accepted Jesus.
I'm still in Northwest Arkansas but will post Richard's report when I get back to FSM.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Spiritual Observations from Tuesday
Tuesday's meeting was really awesome. We met so many people from so many different backgrounds, and they were in sync with what we were teaching.
I'm going to test your African geography. Today in the meeting I met a 32 year old woman from Nairobi, Jemmima Waithera, who is a missionary to Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. We met another woman, Rahab, who is a missionary from Kenya to Namibia, Botswana, and Angola.
In talking with Jemmima, she was saying how open people in those other countries are to the gospel. I asked her to compare with Kenya, and she said Kenya is pretty much a Christian culture now so people respond well to street preaching and crusades. But in these other countries, mostly Muslim, they respond to the gospel message of love which Islam does not offer. So most of her witnessing occurs in relationship with people, similar to U.S., rather than mass crusades. She would appreciate you agreeing in prayer with me that the Lord provides her a husband who has the same heart for the gospel as she does and they can work in partnership reaching these countries for Christ.
Kenya appears to be running 1990 technology in a 1910 infrastructure, but there is a contentment among the general population. In Kenya, 1 out of 8 people have HIV and 3 out of 5 are related closely to someone with HIV. But abortion is still against the law here, and in fact a member of parliment has stated that it will never be legal in Kenya because life begins at conception. So there is still great value placed on human life. Could that be why the harvest is ripe here?
And I am ashamed of the trash that our entertainment industry is polluting the world with. Yesterday at the airport we were waiting for our ride and Tyra Banks was on TV with a girl who pumps her own stomach, a girl who eats toilet paper, and a girl who eats her own feces. Contrast this to the culture in Kenya where Bible study is still part of their public school curriculum, praise music is playing for entertainment at the Hotel Sirikwa in Eldoret, there are about one hundred Christian radio stations in Nairobi, and here is their National Anthem:
O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders.
Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavour
And our homeland of Kenya
Heritage of splendour
Firm may we stand to defend.
Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.
This country has not removed God from its environment, and even in the midst of extreme poverty the Lord is healing and blessing visibly.
I'm going to test your African geography. Today in the meeting I met a 32 year old woman from Nairobi, Jemmima Waithera, who is a missionary to Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. We met another woman, Rahab, who is a missionary from Kenya to Namibia, Botswana, and Angola.
In talking with Jemmima, she was saying how open people in those other countries are to the gospel. I asked her to compare with Kenya, and she said Kenya is pretty much a Christian culture now so people respond well to street preaching and crusades. But in these other countries, mostly Muslim, they respond to the gospel message of love which Islam does not offer. So most of her witnessing occurs in relationship with people, similar to U.S., rather than mass crusades. She would appreciate you agreeing in prayer with me that the Lord provides her a husband who has the same heart for the gospel as she does and they can work in partnership reaching these countries for Christ.
Kenya appears to be running 1990 technology in a 1910 infrastructure, but there is a contentment among the general population. In Kenya, 1 out of 8 people have HIV and 3 out of 5 are related closely to someone with HIV. But abortion is still against the law here, and in fact a member of parliment has stated that it will never be legal in Kenya because life begins at conception. So there is still great value placed on human life. Could that be why the harvest is ripe here?
And I am ashamed of the trash that our entertainment industry is polluting the world with. Yesterday at the airport we were waiting for our ride and Tyra Banks was on TV with a girl who pumps her own stomach, a girl who eats toilet paper, and a girl who eats her own feces. Contrast this to the culture in Kenya where Bible study is still part of their public school curriculum, praise music is playing for entertainment at the Hotel Sirikwa in Eldoret, there are about one hundred Christian radio stations in Nairobi, and here is their National Anthem:
O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders.
Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavour
And our homeland of Kenya
Heritage of splendour
Firm may we stand to defend.
Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.
This country has not removed God from its environment, and even in the midst of extreme poverty the Lord is healing and blessing visibly.
Another Great Day - One-day Nairobi Conference
Today’s conference was a one-day session meeting with about 100 pastors who are from many different denominations all over Nairobi, similar to a ministerial alliance except these people are alive :). Tomorrow we will begin three days of training in the northern part of Nairobi with a different group of about 150 pastors.
The day started with a lot of frustration for me. I found that six e-mails did not send last night, so my sweetheart thought I wasn’t thinking about her. I’ve said before that I know Jesus was tempted in all ways but I would like to know what his equivalent of Microsoft was.
I’ve learned more Swahili –
nataka kewa biriki – I bless you
nataka neku biriki – I bless you all
nataka kuku biriki – I want to bless you
nafurahi ime okoka – I am glad I’m born again
nafurahi ume okoka – I am glad you’re born again
When we introduce ourselves to new groups, Richard starts and explains how they can tell the difference between him and an African – he has grey hair. Doug explains the reason he is bald is because God only made a few heads that were so beautiful they couldn’t be covered up, and I usually tell them it is ok to laugh at me when I practice my Swahili.
As usual, the conference started late and it looked like we were going to get two hours with them. There was no frustration on our part, because we are very content to walk through whatever doors the Lord opens for us. We really don’t have a preset agenda and we are flowing with the Spirit well, simply taking advantage of the opportunity before us.
By the way, all of us mentioned today how much we sense and experience the prayers of those who love us back home. We appreciate you greatly, and will have many stories for you when we get back of how the Lord sustained us.
Doug started the early session by sharing that God has created us to know him, to receive and return his love, to worship, obey, serve and represent him – a new tribe. I began after lunch by encouraging the pastors to carry out servant leadership taught by Jesus by washing their feet and equipping the saints for works of service. Pastors here frequently end up doing all the work and are getting exhausted. Doug finished up by giving a brief overview of the prayer that invites the Lord to speak and heal. In our evaluation, it seemed like nothing was wasted today. Nothing was left over, and in fact the people are hungry for this type of practical encouragement in their ministry. We just thanked the Lord that he would give us the opportunity of being involved in strengthening these brothers and sisters.
If you want an example of how the system works over here, when we parked in the city center of Nairobi for the conference this morning, Albert (the pastor here) was paying the parking attendant. He was wearing a vest that said, “Corruption is Evil.” Albert gave him the money and waited for his change, but the man would not give it to him and just walked off. If they have to tell you they are not corrupt, then you can bet they are corrupt.
After the conference, we walked to the former U.S. Embassy building that was bombed by Al Qeda in 1998. The building has been rebuilt and the embassy relocated, but they have a beautiful memorial garden area in honor of the hundreds that were killed.
Nancy Mulemi and the church prepared a wonderful dinner for us, and it only took us two hours to go 9 miles to get there. So we had an 8:30 dinner and back at the guest house at 10:00. We then had a pleasant interruption from Ben Buhati’s brother, Richard and his wife Helen who are responsible for another feeding school in Kitale with 350 children. They are in Nairobi with an orphan, Sammy, about 6 years old, who will be having open heart surgery tomorrow morning. We had a wonderful prayer time with them.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ben and Mary Buhati took us to the feeding station in Kakamega this morning. Kakamega is probably 50 miles away from Eldoret. This area has been one of the hardest hit by HIV, so about 10% of the children in the community had parents who died of it.
The first observation is that feeding station is not an appropriate term – feeding school may be more appropriate, and it is an incredible rescue to orphans. Let me explain:
People who do not have any other resource or provision end up in the slums, where they usually make deals with people to get a thatch roof over their head. Then the mission of each day is to try to find something to eat. This is probably the most dramatic culture shock for me. Very few people at our home really struggle for food, and the norm is, “What do I feel like having?” Here, food is the precious commodity. People do anything and everything to scrounge for food. Well the people in the slums will end up scavenging through garbage piles just to see if there is anything they can get a little nutrition from, and then return to their one-room dirt floor thatch-roof hut. There are no government handouts.
Slum children do the same thing, and when it comes to school they usually can’t attend because they can’t afford the uniforms. If they can, they are rarely successful because they have no foundation. So they end up living on the streets learning how to survive with no language or job skills, and they usually don’t survive long because of the diseases they pick up.
The system Ben uses is to provide a preschool for 3, 4, 5, and 6 year old children. They find the most destitute children, and their invitation to the school is, “You will no longer have to look for food.” They are fed breakfast and lunch, educated, and loved 6 out of 7 days. They are given uniforms that are sewn by the School Mother, Rebecca. The children go home, wherever that is, at night and return the next day. Older children go to public schools but come back to the preschool for lunch. These children end up being very successful in school and have been able to go on to high school and college.
As the Lord provides sponsors for the orphans in the feeding schools, they move them into an orphanage which gives them a home and school environment where they are taught responsibilities and chores around the orphanage. We visited one of these homes yesterday.
The Kakamega Feeding School has 127 children in it, and was a beautiful experience. We arrived just in time for flag-raising, and they gave us a wonderful welcome as usual. Then we asked if the children would just continue what they would normally do so we could see their classes in action. They have two classrooms, both with 63-64 children with two teachers. One class was teaching math, using participative active repetition where everyone was participating, and the other class was learning the English alphabet using the same style of learning. The children were having a great time learning and the teachers had the full attention of their classes. It was so enjoyable to watch!
They gave us a great send off where we all were invited to dance, which we did, while the children did their rhythm dancing. It was so much fun and the children were beautiful.
It didn’t take long, though, to see the intense pain in their eyes. These children have ended up in the slums through no fault of their own and have stories that are worse than anyone at home can even imagine. Let me tell you two:
Washington Malika is 12 years old. He has a brother Nelson, 10 and a sister Brenda, 7. His father died of HIV in 2000 and his mother died of HIV in 2007. All three live in a one-room thatch hut in the slum with their aunt.
Twins Haggai and Erick are orphans whose parents died of HIV. They are living with a grandfather in the slum who is too old to care for the boys. They just came to the orphanage and both had distended stomachs, ringworm, and other body sores that had to be treated.
All of these children need sponsors quickly so they can move to an orphanage.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the teachers are certified, and some of the best, but they volunteer to do this and walk by faith for provision.
Much to dwell and ponder. These people are doing really effective ministry to orphans.
We had a farewell lunch with Ben and Mary, then boarded our Jetlink flight to Nairobi. The Lord was with us on that as well, since because of traffic in Eldoret we did not make it to the airport until 4:45 for a 5:00 flight. This would never work anywhere else but we passed through security, walked to the ticket counter, got our boarding passes and waited about 10 minutes to board the airplane. Akunamatata – no problem. We are back at the Hampton House in Nairobi tonight. Thank you, Lord.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Discussion Question
I would like to open this question up for discussion, prayer, brainstorming, and thoughts:
How do you help people in severe poverty without creating a welfare-state similar to what we have in the US?
The Kamkunji slum, and all the others, are forgotten people. They don't even exist, as far as the city is concerned. So these people eat from what they can scrounge in the garbage, they look for jobs all day, and if they can find glue they sniff it to stop the hunger pains. The people are industrious and are very hard workers. They won't do anything to lose their job if they have one, so they work for pennies. They have all kinds of roadside individual small businesses - anything they can figure out to be able to make a few shillings. They are not lazy at all; there are just no jobs, and there is no government programs. If you want to eat, you have to work.
If the church were to step in and provide everything, does that solve the problem? It will be a long time before the government does anything about these, because most government agencies here are corrupt and take the biggest bribes. Plus you have the tribal rivalry and struggle for power.
If the American church provides the financing, does that solve the problem?
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