You never know…

About seven or eight years ago we went on a road trip with our Kenyan friends, Dawson and Elizabeth. Our mission? To do a DMM (Disciple-Making Movement) training at the eastern Kenyan coastal city of hot, hot Mombasa. We began our journey assured that their little sedan was cooperating well, had new tires and was up for the long 12-hour journey from Kitale town in the West all the way to the coast.

Everything went well, even though the roads were not as they are today, with mostly two lane highways, often with potholes and few communities along the way. Dawson even allowed us to stop for a coke and white bread occasionally and find somewhere to “relieve ourselves.” Until. Until the smoke billowing from under the hood of the car could be ignored no longer. By then it was getting darker by the minute, which was very unsafe because of either wild animals (as in lions) or thieves and we were somewhere out on the plains with no town in sight and few vehicles passing by.

After some time a large semi stopped to help. With shillings to provide incentive, the driver pulled out a heaving metal chain, precariously looped it around the front bumper and then hauled us to the nearest town, which happened to be Voi. Well, we ended up never making it to Mombasa, but did find literally a half-built hotel/conference center where we could stay and also host a training there on the roof. So, then people from Mombasa traveled the two hours by matatu or motorbike out to us there in Voi while we waited for our car to be repaired. That was a long time ago.

Now, all these years later here we are in Mombasa again…doing a training, not with Dawson, but with some of the Kenyan DMM team who have been working in this area as disciple-makers. Seventy people have joined us. One of the very first people I met, I recognized right away and asked him, “Have I met you before?”

With a big smile a tall, lanky guy named Paul answered, “Yes, we have met! We met in Voi a long time ago and the things we heard about have been in our minds and hearts for all that time. It wasn’t until Kennedy (from the Kenyan team) came to our place last February that we were able to hear about these things again. We were so grateful because our place is tough and people need to hear the Gospel and be able to meet in simple ways. Since that time we have reached the Makunde tribe. You will hear their testimonies. We have eight leaders now who have each started between 8 and 12 house churches themselves.

Sometimes we wonder what or why or is anything happening at all…in our own lives, the lives of our children and families, in the lives of the people we meet. But, then, there are those rare times that we actually get to see and hear how God can take something so small done in Jesus’ name and multiply it a hundredfold…because that is who He is and that is exactly what He does!