God, Send the Rain

 

Neil driving to Mombasa

At around 4:30 a.m., Ruth noticed that Francis had been sending the receipts for the children's caregivers that had not come through on his bank records earlier. It is reassuring for Ruth that Francis is able to transfer the funds on to the caregivers and document the transactions. With God's help the two of them should be able to keep the funds for Kenya flowing, and Ruth will be relieved of some of the work and most of the stress. Jesus, you are so good!

At 6:52 a.m. Morris time (4:00 p.m. Kenya time), Neil texted his morning greeting:

"Good morning, Sweet Pea! I slept well -- 'til 10:00 a.m. Kenya time. Now we are half way on the Mombasa Road. It is very dry all over Kenya. Please have our prayer team [that's you] pray for rain.

"There are traffic stops at places where there are hills and the international trucks are moving at 10 mph. Other vehicles pass and the police up ahead see it and pull them over. Francis just got pulled over. The fee started at 10,000 Kenyan shillings (around $80 USA). Francis settled for 750 Kenyan shillings (around $6 USA)."

Ruth asked if the police are trying to improve public safety, and Neil replied:

"No. It is a trap. They are doing nothing where the guard rails are mashed into the ground from vehicles plummeting over the cliffs. When they see a white boy in the car, they motion for the vehicle to pull over. Other than that, it is a beautiful day here, partly cloudy and about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. I wish you were here to share the drama."

Ruth said, "Bernie and Judy et all will be on Zoom in half and hour for our 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning prayer. We will pray for rain. Then I'm heading to Doug Webster's funeral in Fergus Falls at 1:00. I watered the garden yesterday. Everything looks good. I love you, Honey. You're getting lots of prayer support."

Neil: "Hi to Bernie & Judy and whoever else shows."

Ruth: "Whoever else didn't show this morning. I sent a text to Jon Power saying I hoped he and Donna would be able to come, and how important it is to Doug Webster that someone give the invitation for folks to entrust their lives to Jesus for salvation. I got a text right back informing me that I had the wrong Jon Power. If I had been Doug W, I would have asked THAT Jon Power if he was sure of his eternal destination."

Neil: "Yah, that was a missed opportunity with an open door. Here it is now 7:00 p.m. and dark as pitch. I had told Cosmas 3 weeks ago that we would no longer travel the Mombasa road in the dark. We still have a couple of hours to go. We are constantly needing to pass, because most semis are going 20 mph. Every time we pass, there are one or two sets of headlights coming right at us. The only remaining question is, "Do we feel blessed?" God never says "lucky". About 10 miles back there was a semi flipped on its side in the middle of the road without any other visible damage. How do they do that?"

When Neil saw Ruth begin texting a response, he called her. She was able to fill Neil in on the funeral. Jon & Donna Power were there and they sat together. At lunch, the young pastor at Life Church joined them. Ruth mentioned Neil giving his mentoring book, Navigating Life: A Mentoring Toolbox, to the pastors in Kenya. When the Life Church pastor expressed interest in the book, Ruth went to the car and gave him a copy. 

Ruth is meditating on God turning what Satan meant for evil into good in God's kingdom. Does God use death to weave the threads of broken hearts together into a beautiful tapestry? Take Jon Power, for example. When Jon was still in high school, his brother Gary died in a car accident, and Jon inherited Gary's drum set with the condition that he needed to take lessons before using it. Ruth had taught the percussion portion of the brass and percussion methods course for music majors earning their teaching licensure. Jon called Ruth and asked for lessons. After showing Jon the basic techniques, Ruth turned Jon loose with the drum set, seeing that he was highly motivated and was learning more quickly by listening to groups and imitating their styles. Years later, Jon's father mentioned to Ruth that Jon was the co-director of a Christian coffee house ministry in Alexandria. It wasn't long before Jon and his wife Donna started a Christian coffee house in Morris and then helped Neil start a church. Jon became Neil's right arm in leading the Morris Community church.

Doug Webster was Judy Webster's brother. Judy was Ruth's best friend when Ruth was a freshman at the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1964. When Judy's father died in the early 1980's, Doug came home for the funeral. He spent much of his time at Judy's home in Morris the week of the funeral. Neil and Ruth Thielke attended a Bible study at Judy's house. They were looking for a church that followed the pattern found in the Book of Acts. Doug was part of that type of church. Doug spent many hours with Neil the week of his dad's funeral. Doug called his pastor friend, Fred Herzog, and invited him to come to Morris to meet with Neil and Neil's friends. Fred brought a young man named Jim McCracken with him. Jim had just received a prophetic word at a conference that he had an apostolic calling on his life. Jim agreed to work with the Morris church plant, and we became the first of Jim's churches that later developed into the family of churches known as TrueBridge as other churches asked Jim to serve as their apostle.

Out of Gary Powers' and Don Webster's deaths Jesus brought new life. We believe that out of Doug Webster's death, Jesus is calling all who knew Doug to carry on the work of evangelism. Doug laid down a mantel of Holy Spirit anointing to help others put their trust in Jesus through good humor and genuine interest in their eternal wellbeing. It is that genuine love for others that prepares the good soil in their hearts so the seed will produce a crop -- a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown [Matthew 13:8]. Evangelism wasn't just Doug's calling. Every member of Jesus' body is called to carry on Jesus' work of bringing new believers into the Kingdom of God so we can share eternity together in the home Jesus has prepared for us.

Later back in Kenya, Neil was up during the night hearing mosquitoes. There is a travel warning about dengue fever along the eastern coast of Kenya. Neil was making sure his mosquito netting was securely fastened around his bed. He said they were staying in a small hotel that was bare bones, but clean. They are about 45 minutes from the church where they will be teaching tomorrow. 

Please pray for:

• Pray for Neil, Francis, Martin, and the people they minister to along the Indian Ocean coast in Eastern Kenya to be protected from dengue feaver.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit's annointing to love and care for the people in their circle of acquaintances to prepare good soil for Jesus' invitation by asking "How are you doing? I mean, how are you really doing? As in, how are you doing with Jesus?'
• Pray for God's good rain to fall on Kenya -- both for their crops as well as for their hearts.

Safe Landing in Nairobi

 

Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi

Thank you so much for your prayers for Neil and Sonja's flights to Nairobi. The first 
miracle was weighing the 4 large checked bags, mostly filled with new leather bound
study Bibles still in their boxes for safe keeping. Each passenger is allowed 2 checked
bags at 50 pounds each. For accurate weights, Neil had carefully weighed the bags
on his grandfather's platform scale, used for weighing sacks of grain on the farm.
However, just before leaving our house, Neil tucked a favorite old pair of tennis shoes
into one of the bags to have the soles repaired in Nairobi, which put that piece of luggage over the weight limit by one pound. Thankfully, there was another bag that was just that much under the limit, and he was good to go. But when explaining to Sonja the luggage allowance for the cabin, Neil had not been clear enough, and her carryon was overweight. Sonja would need to use a small sack of some sort to carry some of the items separately. Neither Neil nor Sonja had such a small bag. The counter agent saw Sonja begin to fret, and kindly pulled out a courtesy bag from Delta, assuring Sonja it was her's to keep. When Neil called Ruth after boarding the plane, he said both he and Sonja considered that a miracle. 

Another courtesy was allowing Sonja to board early, along with her traveling companion, because Sonja had requested wheelchair service to the gate. In order to help Sonja deplane upon arrival in Paris, their seating assignment was rearranged, moving them 20 rows closer to the exit door. Please pray for Sonja. Her family has experienced some tragic events recently, including a death of one of the younger family members. Sonja has also been overcoming the grief of losing her dear husband Dale in December of 2025. Dale was her lifelong companion and dearest friend. When he began playing golf in retirement, Sonja had chided him asking if God might have something else in mind. But Dale just smiled and asked if Sonja could think there would be some on the golf course who might need to hear about Jesus. 

While Sonja and Neil were in the air, Ruth was in the midst of another type of flying. Western Union became another of a series of money transfer companies who were unable to provide timely service. On Tuesday Ruth got an error message when trying to send the funds for the Kenyan caregivers for the destitute children supported through Outfitters for Adventure. The customer care agent courteously explained that all USA customers were experiencing difficulty in sending their funds. However, the tech experts were refreshing the tables, and Ruth should be able to get the funds through. After failed attempts for the next 4 hours, Ruth began searching for another company and found Pangea. It took only a few minutes to enter the needed information to create an account with Pangea, and as quickly as pressing the send button, Francis had received the funds in Kenya. A few hours later Francis sent Ruth copies of the transactions he had completed to send the funds to the caregivers. However, in comparing Francis' transaction receipts with Ruth's list of caregivers, there were several that hadn't posted yet. Francis has his hands so full finalizing preparations for taking Neil to the east coast, that Ruth told him to send her the remaining receipts when he has time.

That brought Ruth through the night, as she glanced at the flight tracker now and then, following the progress of Neil's flight to Nairobi. At 8:30 a.m., Ruth joined the Wednesday morning prayer team from several nations praying for the work of a Canadian missionary couple in SE Asia who had been bringing humanitarian aid to the refugees along the border of the country they worked in. They trained a team of young people who wanted to help them, to become vibrant Christian witnesses, as they shared their talents and love for Jesus. One of their team members heard of a cousin who was dying, and she cried to think he might not have heard of Jesus. Family members were afraid to be near someone who was dying, but she traveled to where he was and arrived after he had gone into a coma. However, she hoped that the Holy Spirit would allow him to hear her tell of Jesus' love for him, and then she prayed a prayer of dedication of his life to Jesus. She asked if he heard her tell him about Jesus. He blinked his eyes not once, but twice. Then she asked if he had prayed with her to give his life to Jesus. Again, he blinked his eyes twice. She stayed beside him as his life drained from his body, and she had the reassurance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was on the other side taking him by the hand.

At his funeral many in attendance were Buddhist, but the one leading the service explained that there was a road that separated into two paths. Those who were Christian should walk in one direction, and those who were not should walk in the other direction. So as the people came forward, they had to make a decision which path they were to take. One of the family members looked back at the young cousin and asked, isn't she the one who was the black sheep in the family? How has she become so confident and full of light? The Buddhists had one funeral service, and the Christians had their funeral service where they worshipped Jesus. When we heard that story this morning, we prayed for the family members who walked the Buddhist path to have spiritual hunger for the true God, and that they will allow the Holy Spirit to draw them to the young girls' path who is hoping they will all come to Jesus.

When Neil and Sonja arrived in Nairobi, Sonja was greeted by an escort with a wheelchair. She smiled and waved goodbye to Neil as she was wheeled out to meet the friends in her mission work. Neil brought his 4 suitcases of checked luggage to the Customs area. When the Customs officials saw the beautifully leather-bound Bibles still in their original boxes, they said Neil needed to pay $600 in customs taxes. Neil texted Ruth to ask for prayer, so she quickly shared the urgent prayer need with their church prayer team and with some friends. Cosmas was called in to help and with the prayer support, Cosmas was able to bring the amount down to $300. Those Bibles belong to God, and He will make sure they get into the hands of the pastors who need them. Most of the pastors have not been through a Bible college, and many of them have not had a Bible of their own. They can get the Bible on apps on their phones, but there is something so special about having a Bible in your hands, and especially one with study notes, pictures, and maps to help them understand the history and cultures of the various nations mentioned throughout the Bible. When you can put the Bible into context, it becomes so much more real and alive as if you are walking through those times with the characters in the Bible. 

Please pray for Neil:

• for safety as he travels with Francis and Martin to teach in the small churches along the east coast near Mombasa for the next few days.
• for rest and good health for all of the travelers.
• for Cosmas' van to hold together and run well.
• for the people in the churches to have receptive hearts and that they will be strengthened in their faith in Jesus.

Love,

Ruth Thielke

Outfitters for Adventure

How to Help Kenya

Pre-Departure Prayer for August 2026 Kenya Trip

Neil Thielke and Sonja Kvale will be traveling together to Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday, August 4th. Neil will be met at the airport by his translator, Francis Owuor, who is the overseer for the churches Neil visits in Kenya. Sonja has her doctorate in counseling and often helps women suffering with post traumatic syndrome after having had abortions to find forgiveness and spiritual healing through Jesus. Sonja will be met at the airport by her friends in ministry who

she has worked with on several previous trips to Kenya. 

Neil and Francis will spend the first week teaching in small churches
along the eastern Kenyan coast near Mombasa. The second week they
will return to Nairobi to teach in the national pastors and leaders
conference for the Riverside Ministries churches led by our longtime
friend, Cosmas Solamba. Francis is one of Cosmas's assistants, helping
train church leaders and raise up churches all across Kenya. Sonja has
been invited to teach the women who will be attending Cosmas'
conference, so she will try to join them for a day if her schedule permits. 

Please pray for Neil & Sonja:

• Safe travel with good connections
• Good health & ability to sleep on the two 8-hour legs of
  their flight. 
• God connections to share Jesus with others along the way.
• Protection - there are heightened travel warnings with the
  wars in Europe and the Middle East.
• For Jesus to be their shield against spiritual warfare.

Please pray for Ruth:

• Pray for a good method to be found to continue to send funds to
  Kenya. Changes in the banking industry in July to make it more
  difficult for banking fraud have caused Ruth's access to sending
  funds to the destitute children's caregivers in Kenya to be closed.
  Most international money transfer companies are now requiring
  street addresses, which the poor in remote villages do not have.
  Ruth is able to send larger lump sum payments to Francis for him
  to distribute, but that raises other issues in tracking the receipt
  of funds.

• Also, please pray against spiritual warfare. The hard drive on
  Ruth's laptop suddenly was destroyed without warning last week.
  Although critical files have been reconstructed, there was serious
  anguish and hours of work. 

One of the items that was lost on the hard drive was this email prayer
list. Ruth has done her best to re-create a list, but if for any reason you
prefer to discontinue receiving the prayer emails for Neil's travels, please
just let her know by responding to this message.

As you pray, you are joining Neil and Sonja in their missions work in
Kenya by releasing the Holy Spirit to do His work through them.

Love,

Ruth Thielke 
Outfitters for Adventure

Ways to Help Kenya

"Look, Here Is Water."

Acts 8:36-37 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” [NIV]

In this passage, the Holy Spirit had prompted Philip to catch up with a chariot in which a Eunich was reading aloud a passage describing Jesus' death from the prophet Isaiah. Philip joined the Eunich who asked Philip to explain the Scripture to him. Philip began with that passage and told the Eunich the good news about Jesus. He must have mentioned baptism, because when the Eunich saw water, he immediately asked to be baptized. We have helped many people learn about Jesus and heard them pray to give their lives to Jesus. New believers often want to be baptized in water as soon as possible after they believe, as a public testimony that they now belong to Jesus. More about this to come, but let's catch up with Neil's texts describing the happenings on Hama Island.

Saturday, April 11

Eunice and her herd returned home after worship this morning. They live on another island in Lake Victoria, three hours by boat Northwest of Hama Island. I have some great videos of their worship. I walked Eunice and her church attendees to the boat to say our farewells.

I will be teaching on water baptism this morning, which will liven the discussion like a boxer coming off the ropes. One pastor ventured the idea of multiple born again experiences. I explained that being born again is a one-time occurrence when we give our life to Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit begins the work of sanctification in our thoughts and hearts. Sadly, many people backslide after becoming born again. But to get back on the road with Jesus, we do not need to be born again, again. When we fall back into a life of sin after being born again, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. We need to confess our sin, ask forgiveness, and obey the Holy Spirit as He helps us line up our lives with God's Word, becoming more and more like Jesus.

The worship teams from each church are taking their turns leading worship. The MauMau Market team of 5 girls is leading, making the little stage platform bounce with their dancing. Earlier, Rosemary did a gig with the children. There are many stories of the recent flood running in the background.  

We had lunch at the pastor, Maurice's house on the other side of the island. He lives in a two-room mud hut. I waited until everyone had completed their hand washing, then took the soap to Lake Victoria and had my daily bath. My clothes were washed today in preparation for us leaving tomorrow. East of us across the lake, they are getting thwacked with a thunderstorm. Here it is a lovely sunshiny evening with warm weather like we have in July. 

The first night there were about 150 people in attendance, but our worship with the use of the new sound system carried to the village on the other side of the small island. What was intended to be a church leadership training conference, turned into an evangelism outreach event. The people in the fishing village heard the music and singing and wanted to come join the party. There had never been an event like this on their tiny island. The second night we had at least 300 gathering for an outdoor church service on an island where the total population is estimated at 1,000. 

Sunday, April 12

The people keep coming for our final service. We brought them down to the shore where 46 people came forward to be baptized. A mentally challenged girl was taken to Jim and we baptized her. Back at the service area, there were many introductions. Francis took a photo of people standing to give thanks for the sound systems that our friends in America had provided through donations. 

I needed a guinea pig who wasn't saved, so I walked back through the crowd asking various people if they had given their lives to Jesus. Apparently most of them gave their lives to Jesus, if not before the meetings, then during the past few days. When I reached the last row, I lamented that there were usually a few hangouts in the last row. Then Joyce brought a gal over to me, and it was game on. I had someone who agreed, although somewhat reluctantly, to take part in a conversation with me about the steps an unbeliever goes through as they consider making the decision to live for Jesus. 

At noon Francis rounded up those who had traveled with us from the Kisii District to make our way to the boat landing. The boat arrived by 1:00 and we set out across Lake Victoria back to shore. The waves weren't as choppy today, but picking up. Not to worry, the boat is just rolling side-to-side going slightly cross-wave.

Two hours later Neil texted that they were now on the road to Kisumu with Atkinson driving. He would leave them at the intersection with the Nairobi highway. Everyone in the van is happy with the conference. It is hard to believe it is all behind us in Lake Victoria. 

After dropping Atkinson and the others off to catch a bus to the Kisii District, Neil texted that they were on the main highway to Nairobi. The roads were dry and the sun was shining. He texted again at Nakuru where there was a lot of traffic. Neil had driven the van from Kisumu, and Francis took over in Nakuru. Neil figured they had 3 hours to go before arriving in Nairobi. It was around 8:00 p.m. Kenya time (noon Minnesota time). 

At 11:00 p.m. Kenya time (3:00 p.m. Minnesota time), they had not arrived yet in Nairobi. They had just climbed the long hill coming out at the top of the rift valley. Neil understated that it is pretty dangerous to travel at night. He said they might need to re-think that in the future. (Apparently, there are some scarey parts of the story Neil didn't want Ruth to hear.) Nixson, a pastor from Nairobi, was with them in the van and began telling of losing his first wife in childbirth. Although it was a gripping story, Neil was gripping the steering wheel with the drivng demanding his full attention. 

At 12:30 a.m. Kenya time (4:30 p.m. Minnesota time), Neil texted, "Well, we just made it to Cosmas' house in Nairobi. All of us are shot. We have been on the road for almost 12 hours. 

Monday, April 13

Neil texted Ruth at 7:00 a.m. Kenya time (11:00 p.m. Minnesota time) to say he found his Minnesota cell phone that had been tucked into the far reaches in one of his large luggage pieces. He uses a Kenya cell phone while traveling. 

Neil's plane is scheduled to depart Nairobi at 11:05 p.m. Kenya time (3:05 p.m. Minnesota time). Ruth will be tracking the progress of Neil's flight to Paris and then the Paris flight to St Paul. The St. Paul flight is scheduled to arrive at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, Minnesota time). 

Prayer items:

• Praise and thank the Lord for all the wonderful things He did this week.
• Safe travel for Neil and Jim as they return home. 
• Special prayer for those who dedicated their lives to serving Jesus, that they can remain faithful.
• For the Holy Spirit to help them share the new joy they have discovered as they realize Jesus washed all their sins away.

Thank you again for your prayers, and thank you to those who contributed, for making this mission trip to Kenya so wonderful! Your prayers will continue being answered.

Love,

Ruth

Helping Outfitters for Adventure's Kenyan Missions

Outfitters for Adventure Web Site

Preach, Hear, Believe

 

Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? [NIV]

That is George from Nairobi preaching at the church leaders training conference today. George is a brother to Maurice, the pastor of the Hama Island church. Preaching for George is a full-body activity. He gets everyone's attention. Neil says that when George preaches, he burns through 3 interpreters. They just can't keep up George's zeal for teaching. What George has been gifted in energy, Neil has been gifted in sound Biblical teaching. George is another pastor who uses our book to mentor young pastors in training, and asked Neil for another 10 copies. He told the conference our book impacted him personally. Now Neil has given away all the copies that he brought with him. 

Although Ruth thought Neil would be out of communication as soon as he entered Ugandan territory on Lake Victoria, Neil actually has the best cell phone signal there. Many of Neil's phone texts are now arriving, so Ruth can better help you become part of this new island adventure.

Thursday, April 9 

I left the church this morning to walk down to the beach. The lyrics of a song, "Sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away . . ." came to mind. An egret sits 10 yards from me. The little warblers are 4 feet away on the beach. Dan Belgum, eat your heart out. :) 

The "digs" last night weren't even 1-star. They were more like jail cell level, except for the bonus of having the latrine only 10 steps down the hall. I am considering washing that latrine. 

Joanne from MauMau Market, where the conferences were held the last 2 years, has arrived. She said the recent flood waters were chest deep. Joanne lives in a temporary house of plastic with 5 kids. Yet, she came faithfully to lead worship. 

I was given the first teaching slot this morning, explaining that although salvation is freely given, it costs everything. When we identify with Jesus in His death, it is like we are the worm that becomes the chrysalis that becomes a beautiful butterfly. We become a new creation in Christ. Jesus gave His all without condemning us. However, in doing so, He left nothing in our hearts untouched. Both Ken and Francis kicked in some great insights afterwards. 

Jim and I are manuevering for a bath in Lake Victoria. He is next to teach. It is amazing to me that I am given only a few thoughts before each message, and from there, more is given by the Holy Spirit as I begin to speak. I have the talks I worked out before the trip. It is always good to be prepared, but my prepared teachings are not the direction the conference is going. 

The Lake Victoria bath has been confirmed! Then the phone went silent.

Neil called at 9:00 a.m. Morris time (5:00 p.m. Kenya time), but this time his phone call was abruptly cut off. They had walked to the north side of the island for their bath. The beaches are not white sand, but the pebbles are small enough to make the water accessible. Francis, Jim, and I and our caretaker Douglas were like 4 little boys splashing around in the water. So fun!
 

Back at our accommodations, Francis, Ken and Maurice, the pastor at the Hama Island church, are eating lunch and roaring in laughter about old times. It is about 80 degrees Farenheit today. If I dice raw onions on top of my rice and beans, and eat it with raw sugarded tomatoes, it is delicious! Kitchen staff were instructed to have a thermos of hot water for me at all times. I have consumed 3/4ths of my instant coffee.

Dozens of egrets grace the trees near the meeting tent. The tin shack church building is just too hot, and not large enough to accommodate the approximately 150 guests who arrived for the conference. Now we are back at the conference. Eunice from the island just to the west of Hama has arrived, and is wearing a floral dress on a black backgound. I am sitting between Eunice and Hellen from Sengera. We can see the lake in the distance as the sun is setting behind the church. It is still 70 degrees in the shade. George is preaching in English with Ken translating in Swahili. The attendees speak various tribal languages, but they all understand Swahili, which is the language of trade.

I tucked tissue into my ears to protect from the decibel level. Our little speakers are straining to put out the sound that is amplified by the lake and carried around the island on the breeze. About a dozen kids prayed to receive salvation and there have been lots of deliverances from demonic oppression. As the sun sets on the equater, the sky suddenly darkens. 

Friday, April 10 

Jim and I picked up garbage around the grounds this morning. I am having my clothes washed tomorrow. It is amazing that Joanne is dressed like a queen, but now after the flood she is living in a plastic refugee hut in MauMau Market. 

We all prophesied for each other today in groups of five. Today, Eunice's worship team led us in beautifully colored dresses. Diana Ross and the Supremes had nothing on these gals in beauty or talent. Eric Schmidt, wish you were here to witness the worship teams and dancing! They have a rickety stage about 8' X 6'. There are 10 people bouncing up and down as they dance and sing. It is a miracle that the platform can withstand that much weight! This morning I learned that all on the worship team are navigating one type of suffering or another. Wonderful to see how they abandon their sorrows to put on the garment of praise as they sing, "I'm trading my sorrows." It makes me weep. Joanne's husband Patrick arrived from MauMau. He is a motorcycle driver by trade, but he smashed up his bike. When their house was destroyed by the flood, they lost their Bibles. 

We also all spoke in tongues. You could tell they were getting the baptism of the Holy Spirit by the questions they asked afterward. Ken and Francis gave helpful tips afterwards. George from Nairobi preached again, and blew through three interpreters. When those who are demonized begin shrieking, they are summarily carried into the church where they are delivered. 

There are about 200 people now worshipping Jesus. Rosemary, Hellen, and I are sitting against the church wall. What a glorious time! They kept up the worship and dancing for 45 minutes in the 90 degree afternoon sunshine.

George asked me to stop by to visit him when we are in Nairobi. I will be passing out the tooth brushes from our friends in Alexandria tomorrow. 

Prayer Needs:

• Pray for those who are suffering, that they truly will sense Jesus carrying their burdens and lifting their sorrows. 
• Pray for those who were delivered, that they will be able to retain their deliverance as they draw near to Jesus.
• Pray for those whose homes and property was destroyed in the flood, that the Lord would supply all their needs.

Thank you again for your prayers. You have truly been with Neil and Jim on this trip!

Love,

Ruth

Helping Outfitters for Adventure's Kenyan Missions

Outfitters for Adventure Web Site

Make Disciples of All Nations

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

___________________________

Tuesday, April 7

Neil and Francis have completed their teaching and interviews at the churches in the Kisii District. On Tuesday morning, Hellen's church members gathered at their church and had their quiet memorial service for their friend who had died, sharing meaningful stories of the ways she had impacted their lives. Neil told of Horatio Spafford, head of a large law firm in Chicago and friend of D. L. Moody. Horatio sent his wife and daughters ahead on a family vacation to Europe where D. L Moody was scheduled to speak. Horatio stayed behind to finish business before he could join them. However, his family's ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel, and it sank losing 226 people, including all 4 of their daughters. As Horatio sailed to Europe to join his grieving wife, the captain came to notify him when they were passing the location where his daughters had drowned. Horatio went to his cabin and filled with the comfort and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, Horatio wrote the words for the well-loved hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." It was that hymn that the Holy Spirit sang to Ruth in the Willmar hospital in 1980, when a nurse came to her room during the night to let her know their first son, born prematurely had died at the University of Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis. Ruth didn't know the words, but the Holy Spirit sang all the verses to Ruth in her heart that night as He wrapped His comfort around her.

After the memorial service, Francis brought Neil to visit his favorite barber shop run by a friend of Atkinson. In Morris, Neil is his own barber, so Neil felt especially pampered. After haircuts, Neil and Francis had lunch consisting of cooked bananas, ugali, kale, and boiled potatoes. Neil passed on the bananas, ugali, and kale, opting for boiled potatoes with fresh diced green onions and tomatoes to top off the spuds. 

The pastors traveling with Neil to the Hama Island conference are looking forward to meeting their friend, Jim Hallaway from Menagha, in Kisumu tomorrow. Atkinson will be their driver and three pastors, Hellen, Rosemary, and George, will be fellow travelers. Another pastor, James from Naivasha, is accompanying Jim Hallaway on a bus from Nairobi. 

To prepare Neil for what to expect on Hama Island, Francis said, "Think the Kabara slum," which is the worst slum in Nairobi. But my curiosity began to take over. Hama is just over the border into Uganda, and their tourism industry advertises the island as a sought-after destination for honeymoons and anniversaries. The pictures on the tourism web site show lovely sand beeches with palm trees and resort accommodations. Neil was quite certain that nothing like that would be in the part of the island where they would be staying. We both thought if Holly Witt was in charge of logistics for the conference, she would find a way to upgrade the facilities. 

Wednesday, April 8

Hellen, Rosemary, George, and Atkinson were at Hellen's house a little before 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning (9:00 p.m. Minnesota time), so they got off to an early start. Just after they were on the road, Neil called Ruth and put her on speaker so she could greet each passenger. Then Neil settled into the van seat for a nap.

He had no sooner fallen asleep when he heard the loud whirring sound of the tire stuck in mud. The van had slid into the ditch. Most Kenyan drivers spin the tires when that happens. Neil hopped out of the van and took over. Easing the van back and forth while Francis, George, and Atkinson added their strength pushing and pulling, the van was soon back on solid ground. Then Neil noticed they were low on fuel. However, there seemed to be a general gas strike of some kind. They finally found gas available at the 5th station they tried. Neil and the others had not heard that Iran had closed the Straight of Hormuz, and there is a serious fuel shortage in many parts of the world. 

When they arrived at Usenge, on the shore of Lake Victoria a few miles beyond Kisumu, Jim and James were there to greet them. Francis suggested that Neil needed to switch out of his muddy jeans, because he looked like a farmer. Coming from rural Minnesota, Neil takes that comment as a compliment, but Francis soon was trying to help Neil look more presentable. As they stood together working on Neil, Ken kept their attention by telling his testimony, all the while doing his part by washing Neil's shoes. The plan was to board a boat in Usenge. Usenge is the village where a pastor named Ken lives. Actually, Jim Hallaway got a short sleep at Ken's house before Neil and Francis arrived. For those of you who know Rich Kao, a very gifted prophet, pastor, apostle and Bible teacher, Neil calls Ken "the Rich Kao of Kenya." Their visit at Ken's house was extended, because the boat did not show up. 

By then it was mealtime. As fish were being prepared to feed the group, Neil walked down the street and bought some French Fries from a street vendor. Francis was upset that the boat was taking so long to arrive, so Neil reminded Francis that Neil is the most patient man in the world. Francis said that if that is true, that would make Francis the "Super Patient Man!" They were visiting with Ruth on the phone, so she asked Neil to tell Francis that she might be considered to be a super patient woman by others, but our impatience comes out in due time, which is usually longer than expected. That got Francis laughing.

Then they got word that the boat "is coming". Apparently there were engine issues. Neil asked a riddle, "What is worse than a van broken down along a Kenyan highway?" Ruth asked, "a boat broken down on Lake Victoria?" 

Ruth didn't want to say goodbye to Neil, because she thought he would have no phone reception after leaving shore. However, a few minutes later while making their way across the water, Neil called from the boat. The reception was as clear as if Neil was sitting next to Ruth in their Morris home. So Neil reported that the boat had 11 passengers. They were experiencing some pretty strong waves crashing around the front of the boat: nothing dangerous, but exhilarating. Just to be sure they were safe as the front of the boat kept rising up and then crashing down in the waves, Neil glanced back at the pilot of the boat. Neil didn't worry when he saw the pilot had a big smile on his face, but Neil said Ruth would not have enjoyed the ride. 

Neil called again a couple of hours later after arriving on the island. There was a crowd of children around the group of pastors with Neil. The children were all laughing and chattering excitedly. One little girl took Neil's hand and was happy to walk beside him. Neil thought they should bring her back to her mother, but others said not to worry. All the people in the village knew who the child belonged to. Yet, Neil sent the little girl back just to be sure. Ruth asked Neil what his accommodation was like. He said, "Think one-star hotel." There is a fishing village on the island, but the rest of the island is mostly farmland. The church is in the middle of a field of corn. From the church he was looking out over Lake Victoria. There were sandy beaches and there were some palm trees. The island was about 2 miles across. 

Francis had been at the church just a couple of weeks before Neil arrived to set up a new sound system purchased by Neil's friends who had donated funds to Outfitters for Adventure. Francis noticed that the floor of the church was dirt, so from his own funds, Francis helped the church members buy bags of concrete so they could lay a cement floor. The church members were very excited to be hosting a pastor's training conference. They had never had such a wonderful event on their island! James of Naivasha was the first pastor of their church before moving to the mainland. 

Neil has never seen himself as a builder of church buildings, but rather as a helper when Jesus is establishing believers. But looking back over his 22 years, when he began visiting Kenya in 2004, the churches met in the open. They didn't have shade or shelter. Neil began by buying tarps that they set up on frameworks of poles. They made wooden benches to sit on. Neil bought Bibles by the case to make sure each pastor had one, and then distributed one per household. Then Neil gave out mosquito nets for them to use at night to guard against malaria. Friends of Outfitters for Adventure kept asking how they could help. Their financial gifts provided transportation so those with HIV or full blown AIDS could get to clinics where the Kenyan government was furnishing medicine to ease the symptoms of that dreaded disease. As Neil was brought around to visit the places where the destitute children lived, he noticed the holes in the thatched roofs that let the rain pour through on top of the families trying to sleep inside. Funds were given to purchase steel roofing sheets to replace the thatch. In time, more funds were donated to purchase roofing sheets for churches. If the church members were provided with the roofs, they put up the walls and built the rafters. So, although Neil doesn't think of himself as a builder, God sees the needs of people and provides. The work can be overwhelming when thinking about the part we play. But when we think of it in terms of what God can do, it is just so exciting to see God go to work as He opens up heaven's storehouse.

Prayer Needs:

• Much thanks to the generous friends who offered to sponsor Esther's grandchild. That need has been supplied. There, of course, are other similarly needy urchens who Neil is meeting.
• Pray for peace in the Middle East and that the Straight of Hormuz will be reopened and the mines removed so that the shipping lanes for the oil tankers can safely supply fuel again. 
• Thank God for the conference on Hama Island, and pray that the villagers' hearts will be drawn to Jesus as they hear Him being joyfully praised and worshipped in the little church.

Love,

Ruth

Helping Outfitters for Adventure's Kenyan Missions

Outfitters for Adventure Web Site

My Father's House

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” [NIV]

In the picture, the woman's house has only one room. Her roof is leaking. Outfitters for Adventure will help her replace it using funds given by friends before Neil headed to Kenya. One of Jesus's final instructions to his disciples before he went to the cross, was an invitation to come live with Jesus in his Father's house. 

On Easter Sunday, Neil's sermon was about the many precursors in the Bible of Jesus becoming the perfect sacrifice. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God sacrificed an animal and clothed them with its skin. Similarly, those who put their trust in Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for their sin, are clothed in Jesus' righteousness.

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son of God's promise, his only son through whom his desendents would become as numerous as the sand of the sea and as  the stars in the sky. How Abraham must have wondered if he heard God correctly, but Abraham had learned to trust and God. As Abraham was lifting his knife to end Isaac's life, an angel stopped Abraham. Then Abraham noticed a ram caught by its horns in the bushes, which became a substitute sacrifice. Jesus later became the substitute sacrifice for us, paying the full price for the sins of all humans for all time.

Then consider Pharaoh who kept refusing to let the Israelite slaves return to their promised land no matter how many miracles Moses performed, until finally the firstborn sons in Egypt were all slain supernaturally during the night. The blood of the lambs God instructed the children of Israel to sacrifice and smear on the doorposts of their houses marked them as belonging to God, so the death angel passed over them that night. Jesus' blood on the doorposts of the hearts of believers marks us as belonging to Jesus, so death will have no hold on us. We will spend eternity with the Lord.

God provided so many markers throughout the Old Testament pointing the way to Jesus as the promised Messiah, the perfect Lamb who would pay for our sins. Isaiah 53 is such a clear description of Jesus' death in our place, that when it is read to Jewish people today, many think that passage is in the New Testament. They are amazed when the are told it is in their Holy record of God's word! So you might wonder, how did the Jewish people of Jesus' day miss it? How did they praise him as a conquering king when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and demand his crucifixion when Jesus was brought before Pilot at the end of the week? God hardened their hearts so that the gentiles could also become believers. The first believers were Jewish, but when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Penticost, it was as if the Tower of Babel was being played in reverse. A crowd from many regions were in Jerusalem that day, and heard the disciples speaking in tongues as they understood the gospel message in their own languages. 3,000 new believers were added to the disciples from that crowd of onlookers.

Neil has been busy the last two days. After church at Rosemary's church on Easter Sunday, they had a lovely meal and then completed the last interviews of the 4 remaining ROCK children and their caregivers. It isn't only the children who Neil visits while in Kenya. Neil and Francis took a long hike to the top of the mountain behind Rosemary's house to visit a woman who had been given a heifer by Outfitters for Adventure. Neil was happy he was able, at his 72 years of age, to make it up the long trail. The villagers who accompanied him seemed to just take the uphill journey in stride. Most of them have very long legs. They have distant relatives who were Masai herdsmen in the neighboring Masai Mara district. Outfitters had discontinued purchasing heifers a few years ago when one cow died for lack of proper care, and another was taken back by the previous owner after he pocketed the purchase money. Neil was happy to see this cow seemed to be just fine. The hope was that a cow would produce milk and milk products for the family, and that the calves would be shared with other needy families.

Today was the funeral for our friend who had died in Kenya. Neil and Francis were planning to attend with our friends at another Sengera church where our friend's relative is the pastor. The casket was to be in a procession from the funeral parlor in another city. However, a dispute arose yesterday, and things were all in an uproar. We are thankful Neil was there to help calm things down. Our friends decided they could not attend the funeral. Instead, a quiet service of rememberance was held in our friend's church this morning. Neil spoke of the importance of forgiveness in healing broken relationships. Jesus' primary purpose in coming to earth was to purchase our forgiveness from sin in his death on the cross, giving it freely to us. Jesus asked that we would just as freely forgive to others. We all know from experience, that although Jesus' forgiveness is free, it is not easy to forgive those who are out to destroy us. But when we remember that the purchase of forgiveness wasn't easy for Jesus, either, we can allow forgiveness to do its work in our hearts toward others. As many have pointed out, our unforgiveness often hurts us far more than it punishes those who hurt us. It isn't easy, but it is oh, so worthwhile!

Neil also tried to comfort our friends by reminding them that when our spirit leaves our body in death, it is home with Jesus. Our body is just our earthly coat that is left behind. At funerals we comfort those who mourn, but the One we worship is Jesus who has prepared our new home in heaven. There was a popular worship song a few years ago that compared God's 6 days of Creation, with the 2,000 years Jesus has spent preparing a place for us! 

It must have been over 30 years ago that I had a vivid dream of ministering to a sea of people who all wanted prayer, and I was the only one on hand to pray for them. It seemed as though I had been making my way through the multitude for a very long time as I prayed for each one. There were so many people all standing shoulder-to-shoulder covering the hillsides patiently waiting for me to get to them. Then I saw someone coming toward me also praying his way through the crowd. When he reached me, I studied his face. He looked vaguely familiar, as though I had met him many years ago. Then it all came back to me. I was quite upset as I realized we had been married. But immediately after the wedding, he left me alone while he went off to do his ministry elsewhere. He didn't say a word, but quietly took my hand and led me away from the crowd, up and over a hill. There, stretched out in a valley was the New Jerusalem, the golden city that he had been preparing all those years. It was so beautiful it took my breath away!

That must have been how the disciples felt when they saw Jesus lifted off the earth as they stood gazing into heaven:

Acts 1:9-11 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” [NIV]

So, today, back at the ranch, Neil and Francis visited a barber for hair cuts. They will try to get some rest before a very long road trip that begins at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow, Kenya time (10:00 p.m. tonight, Minnesota time). In Kisumu, our friend Jim Hallaway from Menagha, MN will join them along with James, who is a pastor from Naivasha, Kenya. For those of you who enjoy geography and like finding locations on maps, Kisumu is the 5th largest city in Kenya with a population of 438,588, according to 2026 estimates, and is a seaport on Lake Victoria, which area-wise, is the 2nd largest fresh-water lake in the world. When Neil called Ruth this morning, he seemed unclear about exact travel plans from shore to Hama Island, Uganda, where the second church leadership conference is taking place. Hama Island is home to many fishermen. Francis had difficulty arranging lodging. There may not be WIFI available, and phone connections may be sketchy. 

This much is planned. Neil's return flight leaves Nairobi, Monday night, April 13th, at 11:30 p.m. Kenya time (3:30 p.m. Minnesota time).

Prayer Items:

• Pray for comfort for our friend's pastor, Hellen, and her church in Sengera. 
• Pray for safe travel for Neil and Francis, Jim and James, and the pastors from the Kisii District accompanying them to the church leaders' conference.
• Invite the Holy Spirit to bring clear understanding, knowledge, wisdom, power, peace to Hama Island.

Thank you for your prayers. Neil and I both feel them. 

Love,

Ruth

Helping Outfitters for Adventure's Kenyan Missions

Outfitters for Adventure Web Site