Psalm 69:32-33
The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
and does not despise his captive people. [NIV]
You may wonder how we became connected with the churches in Kenya. In 2004, Neil could not shake the "Go" message from an email he received from a pastor in Kenya asking for help. Many pastors in the USA receive emails from church leaders in other countries needing financial assistance, but something about this request Neil was unable to ignore. Neil brought a team from our church in Fargo to the Kisii District of Kenya. On that first trip, the team met mothers who were so thin that their ribs showed under their worn clothing. Many of the children were without shoes. The thatch on several roofs had holes, letting rain fall through onto the family. Thankfully, after many of you have sent support, traveled to Kenya, and prayed, the living conditions in the Kisii District have improved.
Rosemary Makori is the headmistress of a Christian school and pastor who, in 2004, pointed out the orphans wandering the streets and asked Neil if anything could be done for them. When Neil shared pictures and stories from the 2004 trip with our church in Morris, Jan Nieland, pictured above, offered to administer the Kenyan mission work, managing the finances and publicity.
Jan lined up speaking opportunities in churches, organizations, and radio talk shows in the area. Her speaking was so engaging that when interviewed by area newspapers, they ran front-page stories with large color photos. Jan joined one of the mission trips and enjoyed meeting the people first-hand. They still ask about Mama Jan. Jan chose the name ROCK (Reach Out to the Children of Kenya) for Outfitters for Adventure's child sponsorship. We kept asking Jan each year if the work was getting too much. Jan wouldn't allow us to pay her. She said it was her answer to God's call to missions. But when Jan became a grandmother, she said it was time to turn it over to us to allow her time with her grandchildren. So Ruth has been covering the accounting portion of Jan's position, but we have never been able to cover the publicity work she did so beautifully.
Tomorrow, Neil and Jim, with Francis interpreting, will begin the interviews with the 57 ROCK children. They will travel to the villages where the children live and speak in a different church each night through Sunday. In the interviews, they update each child's story and the caregiver's. They take new photos and collect the school records for the children. They pray with each child and caregiver and jot down their prayer requests. Over the last 21 years, Neil has seen the ROCK children become adults and begin raising their own families. The little ones who used to gather around him, sit on his lap, and pull the hair on his arms become shy as they enter puberty and then learn to relate as friends as they become adults.
Last year, the TrueBridge family of churches sent copies of our book, Navigating Life, with Neil for distribution to the Kenyan pastors. One of the Kenyan pastors said it was like a course in Christianity 101 and asked if the book could be published in Kenya to make it more available. Cosmas Solamba helped Neil locate a publisher in Nairobi who printed 500 copies that were delivered to Cosmas' house. Outfitters for Adventure will distribute the book free of charge to Kenyan pastors to help them disciple the people in their churches. If you have not seen the book, the first 50 pages can be read on Amazon's site, where the Kindle version is on sale for $9.99. We are having our publisher in the US print another 250 copies to have on hand. The printed copies sell in the US for $25 if we need to ship the book or $20 if purchased from us in person.
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Neil thanks you for praying for his rest last night. He slept deeply and woke feeling rested. Today, Neil and Jim traveled about 8 hours by van on one of the most dangerous roads in the world, crossing the Rift Valley. After visiting George's church on the way, they are staying in Rosemary (Mary) Makori's home. There has been ample rainfall without flooding this year, so Kenya is lush and green. Tonight, Mary served fresh tomatoes, onions, and other garden produce with dinner. Neil said it was a delicious meal!
Prayer Requests:
- Thank God for safe travel and for the van still working.
- Pray for the children and their caregivers to make it to the interviews.
- Many of the caregivers are elderly grandmothers or single mothers with HIV/AIDS who ask prayer for health and strength to care for the children.
- Pray for broken relationships among family members as well as with church splits.
- Pray for pastors' strength to teach and financial supply for their work. They do not receive salaries.
- Also -- if any of you want the Kenyans to pray for you, send me your requests. I will pass them along. They have childlike faith, and many of their prayers are answered.
Love,
Ruth