The Kenya Mission Report
In Acts 13:1-5 we see Paul and Barnabas heading out on an evangelistic mission to a foreign land; the Holy Spirit directing them and arranging the details. While they were cared for by godly men and sent off by them, it was ultimately a working of the Spirit who acted to bring Christ to the nations through Paul and Barnabas. With prayer and fasting, the Holy Spirit arranged the details of our own trip this spring that saw for the first time team members of the Hearts for the Lost heading internationally, to the country of Kenya over 7,000 miles away.
The summer before this mission, the details were just starting to come around. In the beginning, I have to admit, I had no intention of heading outside the country; much less to Africa. I didn’t even have a passport. But God already had this plan and mission underway before I even knew of it. I thought the idea was crazy…later I didn’t see how it would come together, and finally I resolved to trust that God would either have me on the plane or keep me at home…it was His mission.
Heading to Kenya
In Acts 13 we see Paul and Barnabas heading to Seleucia, a port along the Mediterranean Sea to catch a boat to Crete. My Seleucia was BWI airport, where I embarked on a 24-hour flight that took me through the Netherlands, (where I met up with David and Scotty, the other half of the HFTL team along with Pastor Mike, Steve, and Gavin) ending in Nairobi. Arriving late at night we made it through customs and meet up with our new brothers in Christ, who we would work with over the next week; mainly Pastor Harrison.
The team stayed together at a home in Muranga that was owned by a local Christian family who had the gift of hospitality; Mr. Wilson and Rose Bell. It was surrounded by a wall for protection, had no a/c and limited hot water. They grew some small crops out front, had some cows, goats, geese, and chickens. They even had a rooster which I discovered the first night. Had this rooster lived in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, Jesus would have warned Peter that when the rooster crowed thirty-six times he would deny him. There was even a monkey that would occasionally steal fruit from the kitchen.
Training up Evangelist
The first day we hit the trail running. This was the first day of the Compelled Conference. Here we had the blessing to speak to and provide evangelism training to over 300 pastors, elders, and their families. Another part of the team (Steve and Gavin) went to a local prison in Kenya to proclaim Christ to the captives. Back at the conference the other half of the team continued the three day training which featured teaching on how to share your faith, family worship, the gospel of Christ, and a question and answer session.
Reaching the Youth
It was during this training that we discovered the thirst of the youth to ask questions about us, the bible, and life in general. The last day we arranged for a special session with the youth for this very purpose. I was personally amazed by the questions they asked. Here are a few examples:
Is it good for Christians to engage themselves in secular things such as music and the rest?
What decision can a person take when the some of the members [of the church] do not love them, but the pastor encourages them to stay in the church?
How are you supposed to conduct yourself as a Christian when you are in the midst of non-believers?
Bear in mind, these questions were written by middle and high-school age youth. Are they on level with what you would expect from American youth? We were greatly blessed with our time with these young ones and continue to reach out to them even now.
In the Villages
At the end of the conference we encouraged the people attending to join us as we head out into the villages to practice what we had been preaching all week. It was then that Pastor Harrison stood in front of the group, raised his hand, and began to speak in Swahili saying what I presumed to be something like, if you can join us please raise your hand. At this not a single person raised their hands. I began to be discouraged. But then with a smile on his face, Pastor Harrison leaned over and said, they are all going. Amazing! All 300 plus left and headed into the villages to share Christ. Here we joined other Kenyan pastors and family and had conversation with the locals. Many heard the good news, and some where saved that very day; Bwana Asifiwe [Swahili for Parise the Lord].
Handing out Tracts
We also passed out thousands of gospel tracts. The tracts that looked similar to the Kenya money called the Shingling. On the back there was a simple gospel message in both English and Swahili. We found that since traffic is normally very bad in Kenya we could hand them out to the drivers and passengers in the cars next to us. Try doing that in America.
Visiting Nairobi
We also visited the biggest city in Kenya, Nairobi, and had an opportunity to talk with and share Christ with people on the street. People are very eager to hear what you have to tell them…if you only take the time to speak. These three men listen to men tell them about Jesus Christ in a downtown side ally.
The Crusade
As we neared the end of the trip, we had a unique opportunity to speak to thousands of Kenyans during a Billy Graham like crusade that drew most of the population of the town of Kenol. Some there that day heard the precious words of the gospel for the first time. We made many friends during our time in Kenya. We also saw the Holy Spirit at work as the week flew by.
Support for our Sponsors
The team at Hearts for the Lost wants to thank everyone who helped sponsor this trip, raised funds to feed the pastors and their families during the event, purchase thousands of gospel tracts that were distributed, bought many bibles for reading the gospel word, sent gospel literature for the masses, and ties for the pastors to wear. Each one of you has taken part in this mission. Looking back at the verse we began with, the Holy Spirit instructed the church to set apart Paul and Barnabas. There was active participation in the mission by the whole church. The gospel mission to the nations is not accomplished by God just through those who travel…but also those who stay home. Whether it’s in prayer, fasting, financial support, or sending items such as bibles, tracts, and clothes; each activity is part of fulfilling the great commission. God bless.