Riverside Ministries Conference

 

Esther, Eunice, Hellen, Mary & Neil at Conference

The conference is live on YouTube. You can turn down your computer volume during the worship. Using the slider locater, at 1:15:00, a 7-year-old girl is dancing next to Neil. Neil's teaching begins at 1:23:35. Neil looks like he is hiding behind the post until the cameraman finds him. Neil laid the mic down so folks would only need to listen to Francis' voice until someone asked Neil to use the mic for the English listeners on YouTube.

Just past midnight Tuesday night (Kenya time), Neil texted at a stop along the main highway from Mombasa to Nairobi:

Neil: We are having fries and tea at a bus and mutata stop. This place is booming. After four hours of driving, I met only one car approaching fully in my lane. Now I can say I have driven the Mombasa road at night.

Ruth: I am thankful you were awake enough to avoid a head-on collision. My sister Jeannie says you seem to have divine intervention when all seems lost.

Your friends from the Kisii District will be so happy to see you. They arrived on time at the conference on Monday looking for you. Having the van running rather than using public transportation to get around Nairobi is nice for you and Francis. How many passengers are in your van?

Neil: Besides Francis and me, there are two men, two women, and a baby. We still have five hours to go. 

Francis took over the driving as they approached Nairobi. They got 3 hours to sleep at Cosmas' guest house and then joined the conference. Neil texted:

Esther, who was almost dying from HIV in April, looks great. Eunice, the pastor whose church on the Ugandan island is getting a new roof and whose daughter is now supported on ROCK, looks happy. James, whose church is also getting a new roof, arrived this morning. George is one of the leaders. He is a happy man.

For lunch, Shawn, Janet, and I went to the house where a friend cooked a 5-star meal. Shawn and Janet are from Dan & Vicki Eastvold's church in Minnesota. 

Neil got to sleep around 9:00 p.m. Kenya time. Our concern now is how to get Neil home. The 7-day airport workers union strike is still planned to begin on Monday. Neil's return flight is scheduled for next Thursday, during the strike. Also, the riots have continued partly due to the strikers' concerns.

Prayer Requests

• Thank God for Neil and Francis making it safely to Nairobi.
• Thank God for Neil's friends making it to the conference.
• Ask strength for Neil and Francis to teach at the conference through Friday.
• Ask God to preserve Kenyan airline workers' jobs.
• Ask God to provide a flight home for Neil before a strike. 
• Ask the Prince of Peace to help those on both sides of the riots to dialogue and work together to resolve their issues.