"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good," appears in many passages in the Bible. In the picture, the pastors at the conference were receiving the soccer balls and copies of Neil's Navigating Life book. Thank you to the Lord for making the trip possible, and thank you to the church in Iowa for the soccer balls, and thank you to friends in Fergus Falls, MN, for the hand pumps. About half an hour later, the balls had been pumped up with the donated hand pumps, and children were playing with them. Thank you to those who donated funds that made it possible to publish 500 copies of the books in Kenya. There will be more copies to share for churches in Southeastern Kenya if Neil returns in August, and throughout the coming years in Kenya as needed.
Sometime during the day, Neil called. I heard many voices in the background. Neil asked me to say something, and then said I was speaking to the pastors. Neil was holding a mic up to his phone. Of course, I was caught off guard and said only a few words, but they sounded happy to hear my voice. It must have been okay, because Neil said, "Isn't it wonderful to have a wife like that who enjoys supporting what you are doing?" I was thankful they didn't have me on a chat feature putting my face up on a screen, because Thursday is my worst bad hair day of the week.
This morning's meeting began with Neil teaching how to be sure you are going to heaven. With a show of hands, several pastors were not entirely convinced. After the service, many thanked him for showing them passages in the Bible to give them reassurance and instruction on how to put their trust fully in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and not in their success or failure. Neil spoke about making Jesus our identity and not identifying with our sinful nature. How often do we tell ourselves and others that we are just this way or that way? But we forget that the Holy Spirit is alive within us, and we can draw from His nature as we allow Him to flow through us.
Ken from Cosmas' church, a good friend of Maurice Opondo, was interpreting for Jim Hallaway today. Richard Chacha, the pastor from Tanzania, taught about demon deliverance. In Kenya, pastors are confident when commanding demons to leave. That is something they take on face value in the Bible, and they have seen people set free. American pastors could learn from them in that department. One facet of Jesus' ministry often mentioned in the gospels is driving out demons. Jesus was never shy about telling demons to leave.
In the evening, Neil read the four passages in the Book of Acts where people were filled with the Holy Spirit. After his teaching, people were invited to come forward if they wanted prayer for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ten came forward, and they all were able to speak in tongues. Neil and Jim couldn't tell because they don't speak Kenyan languages, but the other pastors knew. Several helped pray for the ten. They were gentle and patient, not pushy, and that helped the ten relax and be open for the Holy Spirit to come.
When they returned to the hotel, those staying there gathered in the lounge to visit. Poor Francis is the favorite translator and works very hard. Although others are willing to translate, they run into difficulties because they are not as familiar with English. Neil and Jim asked what arrangements had been made for them to preach in churches on Sunday. No one thought they might be happy to preach after working so hard at the conference. However, Neil and Jim want to be fully utilized. Neil said making plans "on the go" in Kenya is typical. Jim is used to a structured calendar, but he is becoming flexible on this trip.
Prayer concerns:
- Neil still struggles with the skin rash that is making sleep difficult
- Energy and Holy Spirit anointing for all the teachers and interpreters
- Shelter from rain for the crowd at the conference
- Strengthening of relationships
- For pastors to be encouraged and strengthened in understanding and knowledge of the Bible and of their salvation and calling
Love,
Ruth