We Worship

It was such a blessing to be able to participate in worship. Although most of the worship songs were in Swahili a few were in English. The ones that were not in English were explained to us by Pastor Emmanuel. It was fun to see the faces of those attending light up as we participated in worship through dance.

Worship

Psalm 100

"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.

We are His people and teh sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving. And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting.

And His faithfulness to all generations."

Nairobi Safari Park

Here we watched as a zebra was moving toward the watering hole. A lion came out of the tall grass and pounced toward the zebra but the zebra had a little extra adrenaline and propelled forward out of the grasp of the lion. It was a near miss.

We worked hard every day we were there but we did have a morning off. We went to the Nairobi Safari Park for a drive through photo safari. I did not know what to expect, hearing that the last time a group of people I knew went through this park they did not see many animals. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! We saw so many zebras, cape buffalo, giraffes, gnus and other deer-type animals that I could not count. We also saw a 7 meter long python crossing the road, a fresh kill with many buzzards and vultures eating away, a white rhino, a black rhino and 11 lions - two of which were walking down the road in front of our vehicle. We saw ostrich adults and babies as well as warthogs. What a sight! It was a great day!

Small Groups

We went with the idea (or at least I did) that the course would be run the same as we do it here. That was not to be. You see, here in the USA we are used to breaking into groups and sharing ideas - not necessarily what is on our hearts, but ideas nonetheless. We found that to be a "foreign" concept there. These people are fully comfortable with responding to God during an altar call (although we rarely see altar workers as we know them). They are willing and eager to respond to God with no hesitation. But to break up into small groups to discuss the teachings and to receive counsel was new. So we started out slow. John and Jan taught on forgiveness/repentance/restitution. They ended the teaching with James 5:16, emphasizing the importance of confession and receiving forgiveness. The students were asked to break into groups of two to discuss the teaching, what God was teaching them through it, confessing any sins that the Holy Spirit revealed and receiving forgiveness of that sin through prayer. NO ONE MOVED! You could have heard a pin drop.

Fortunately, Pastor Emmanuel gets up at the end of each teaching and recaps the teaching. It is as if he is telling his people that "Yes, this is what we believe." So this day he got up to recap. He emphasized the importance of doing what was asked of them in order to receive healing. He again read the passage from James. He then said, "We will do this. Choose a partner and discuss the teaching and pray for one another." He then proceeded to go to a person seated, grabbed his hands so they were facing each other and modeled what he was requiring his people to do. It was amazing to witness! People were being set free right before our eyes - we had nothing to do with it. It was the power of the Holy Spirit visiting down on his people because they were being obedient to authority. AMAZING GOD WE SERVE!

The next time the people were asked to break into groups of three or four they could hardly wait to do it. Right away the buzz of discussion and then prayer could be heard throughout the building. So what if it did not fit what we do here or what I had experienced in India or how God worked in Ukraine, Japan or Lithuania. God was at work here in Kabiria in a way that would bring lasting fruit for them - Hallelujah!

Family

The last time we were there in Kenya, a prophetic word was given forth-telling about the "family." We were "the family - others will come and go but we are the family." Here is Emmanuel and Joyce in their home in Kabiria, Kenya. It was wonderful for Jan and me to have our husbands meet their "brother and sister."

James, our translator from last year was also present that day, as was Fauston.

There were others who we met this time who fit in just as easily as if they were already family. There was Joseph and two Sammys (one with wife, Agnes) and a few more.

The Children

The children are always the most curious and the most accepting. And, if you have a camera in your hands, the most willing to pose for a picture. Here are two boys looking out the window in the wall that surrounds the church.



Apparently, a few years back some foreigners were taking pictures of the homes in a certain community they were visiting. Shortly thereafter the families were robbed. Thinking that there was a link between the photos and the robberies, it is illegal to take pictures of peoples homes. In fact, most of the time while walking down the streets a visitor is to keep their camera put away. However, we were allowed to walk down the streets in Kabiria from the church to the school. Life Changing Sanctuary Free Pentecostal Church supports two schools in their area. We were able to visit one of them.

Here are pictures of Pastor Emmanuel and Joyce's children. Nystrand is the baby at two years old followed by Larry (or Jo-Jo as his family calls him) at three years old. Then there is Tracy who is 8 and Finney who is 12. They are lovely children who are smart and playful. Tracy is shy and wants to be a doctor someday. Finney, like many twelve year olds, was able to help John figure out how to get his watch to quit chiming. I think it took Finney all of two minutes. In turn, John gave him the watch as a gift - afterall, he could figure out how to best use it! Larry was the entertainer. Everywhere, in almost every picture, we would see his head pop up. It was a riot! Nystrand seems to be a calm child who takes everything in. He watches and learns about his surroundings. We really enjoyed getting to know them.

Here in front of the church yard, John is posing with the children. Every day they would wait to say hello, to get a hand shake and to "high-five" John on our way back to our lodging. They were so excited to be acknowledged.

Transformation Keys to Kenya

Again I travelled to Kenya only this time with my husband, my best friend and her husband. The specific task was to take Elijah House counseling principles to the pastors there in Kabiria, Kenya. We had clear confirmation when, as we had not shared the proposed dates with anyone including the host pastor, I recieved a text from this pastor proposing the exact dates we were praying about. Isn't God amazing?

The provision for this trip was a joint effort between peoples and churches. Offerings were taken at Cornerstone Church in Walker, MN and at Community of Hope Church in Rosemount, MN as well as Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington, MN. Several individuals also gave offerings toward this trip. The Counseling Dept at Cedar Valley donated 90 books published by Elijah House Ministries to the pastors and lay leaders in attendance. You should have seen the gratitude. One book can cost them up to three months worth of food for their family. The overwhelming request for future visits is to bring books and study Bibles.

We did receive several invitations to come again and teach these materials all over Africa from the pastors in attendance. We had pastors from Rwanda and Masai pastors as well as those from Kenya. We will pray and seek the Lord on future visits but know we are welcome.

Rick spent many hours video-taping each teaching, downloading them onto the computer, formatting them into movies with titles and copying them onto DVD's. The last Sunday we were there we presented these copies to Pastor Emmanuel. The look on his face was priceless. You see, there is too much information to take complete notes, although the people are copious note takers. So when we leave the videos they are able to watch them over and over as well as pass them around to friends and neighbors. It becomes a tool of evangelism for the heart. I don't think Rick knew what an essential part of this trip his video taping would become. AND we can encourage them to learn from the videos and GO teach it elsewhere.

Along with teaching the Transformation Ministries, we also were able to preach both Sundays we were there. John started the preaching off on the first Sunday in first service with a message on Sanctification, I believe. I preached second service about the lap - God casting blessings as well as our destiny into our lap, what it is to have a lap and how we can so easily lose the lap. There was a tremendous response afterward. The following week Jan taught on the Jewish Wedding and how Christ fulfills each aspect with his Church and then second service spoke on the Feasts of the Lord. We were each presented with gifts before ending the service that day.

Every day we had lunch at Pastor Emmanuel and Joyce's home. Joyce is an amazing cook! I thought for sure I would come home heavier than when we arrived. She has a tender heart and a tremendous gift of hospitality. During the conference, everyone who attended was fed lunch at the church. There were several ladies who prepared this lunch. Here is a picture of them.

Pastoral Charge to Hold Firm to Each Other

Before leaving Bugiri Town, Uganda, we were able to meet with the pastors who had traveled from different parts of Uganda for the conference which was held. Each of the pastors gave such kind words to us, some even offering to build us homes if we would consider staying. (I think our husbands would have something to say about that!) They were touched by the Lord while we were there. Dawn had a prophetic message for these pastors about sticking together during tough times. We come and go as the Lord leads, but they will always have God and their local family of Christian believers.