Hanging Out in Western Kenya

We love to hang out in Western Kenya, where it’s cool, green and mellow.  We especially love to hang out with the church planters in that region.  They’ve been at this (church planting movements) for a while now, so our job mainly is to come underneath, cheer for, strategize with and bring whatever we can to encourage, empower and support their work.  Their vision?  To reach all of Kenya.  Their mission?  To make disciples and open house churches in every village in Kenya. 

Here are just a few of their accomplishments from last year:

• Increased numbers of Discovery Bible Studies
• Increased numbers of baptisms
• Increased numbers of house churches
• Reaching the unreached in northwestern Kenya
• Increased prayer
• People are happy and love each other in house churches and are going out to their neighbors

They say things like:

“I just go out.  I go to someone’s house and meet and sit with the family.  We talk.  I listen to them.  They invite me back and when I go, they have invited others to come.”

“I go out.  I found people run from me if I open my Bible.  I have learned to develop a relationship.  That’s the most important thing.”

“We are known as women of peace.  The house churches in our area are on fire.  The reason is that everyone has become a disciple who obeys.  They want to make another disciple.  I tell them to be patient with this challenge.  Sometimes we are welcomed and sometimes not.  I tell them don’t lose heart.  If you want to make disciples, you are in the right place.  You will not be hindered if you are a woman or if you are not ordained or have a credential.  If you are a child of God, then you are free to obey His Word.”

“I drive a motorcycle for my business.  I use that bike to make disciples.  When the Holy Spirit leads me, I ask that passenger for his contact and ask to visit him at his home.  Many times I am welcomed.  This is how I make disciples for Jesus Christ.”

“Just last year I heard about disciple-making movements by way of house churches.  Since then I really thank God.  I have reached three sub-counties and there are 12 house churches.  This is a very humble work.  Before I was really struggling, but now I’m free.  These people are not my disciples, no, they do not belong to me.  They belong to Jesus Christ and are free to obey him in what He tells them to do.”

“This movement is not a joke.  This is the way Jesus told us to go.  A disciple called me on the phone and asked me to pray with a woman.  I took time and mpesa (money) but felt the Holy Spirit is leading me.  So I prayed with that lady and she was healed.  That lady is over 80 years old, but now that lady she gives me 2kgs per month of sugar two times every month to help with the work of making disciples.”

“That place (Turkana) where God sent us was so very hot.  The place we sat was like an ocean that was dried up.  It was so very big and there was only dry soil.  You can’t see anything green, only sand.  I cried when I saw how the people are living, but it was so hot and dry, my tears could not even fall.”

“If what they wrote in the Bible is right, those disciples died a very hard death.  There was no disciple of Jesus who died a good death.  You know so many times in the Bible it says, “Do not fear.”  When God tells us to go somewhere, we don’t need to be worried.  It is ok.  When we went to that place up in Turkana, the police stopped us and said those people had shot people up ahead of us.  But, God had told us to go, so we went.  If God tells us to go somewhere, then He is with us and we must go.”

“Let us depend wholly on the Holy Spirit and learn to obey the voice of God.”

“I depend on the voice of God.  There was a married couple arguing so much.  They were accusing each other very strongly.  The Holy Spirit showed me something.  I told that man to go look in his mirror.  I told him God has shown me that man is the one causing the problems in the marriage, not another man.  When I listen to the voice of God, then I know I am somewhere for a divine purpose even though there is much chaos there.”

You can see our job is pretty easy.  These strong young men and women of faith are running, running hard, sacrificing much, live with little, but still, they run.  They know they’re in a race and nothing stops them.  Our job is to pray and cheer, encourage and bless.  You guys, all of you, in whatever role you are playing are all part of this amazing race we get to be in. 

Be blessed!