It has been several weeks since I have posted a journal entry, however, so much has transpired over the last two weeks I felt it was time to record some events that I want to remember but also want to share with others to encourage them in the Lord as a reminder of how good God is to us.
With vacation and family time over our return trip home for a brief break has been extended for a few weeks to give us the opportunity to share what God has done in Kenya and also given us the opportunity to be encouraging many others in the Lords work. We are currently preaching at Churches in Florida and Arkansas. Some of the work in Florida has included: mission conferences, preaching at the Baptist College, a bus seminar and visiting supporting Churches. One of our favorite ministries over the years has been the bus ministry. Terry and I have worked in the bus ministry for some 10 years trying to bring as many children to Christ as we could. When our Associate Youth Pastor Francisco Garcia invited me to come to a Saturday visitation to encourage the workers and to go on visitation I was more than happy. It reminded me of the many Saturday mornings I would meet with our faithful workers to go into the many areas of Inverness, Floral City, Hernando, Brooksville, Nobelton and Springhill. I shared my heart to the dedicated workers who sacrificed their Saturday to be a witness for Christ and I taught them the three main Characteristics of a faithful bus worker was to have compassion for the lost, to be consistent in our service and to glorify Christ. After teaching and visiting bus families I was reminded of the pitiful spiritual condition of the American family and the need to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. While we are thousands of miles away sharing God’s love in Kenya our hearts are broken from what we see taking place in the USA. We are praying for God to raise up more Christians who will be missionaries to America. After the Missions/Faith Promise conference at our church we attended the Missions Conference at Lighthouse Baptist in Springhill, Florida. I was also given a great opportunity to preach at my college, Emmaus Baptist College. Then we hit the road for the longest leg our trip traveling to Oklahoma to visit my friend, Jimmy Jones, who is the new Pastor at Eastside Baptist in Broken Bow and then on to Arkansas to visit two Churches and attend the Pastors/Missionaries conference in Texarkana.
Sunday morning we attended Dean Springs MBC in Alma, Arkansas. These wonderful folks lead by their fine young Pastor, Jason Rutherford have purchased a plot and a tent on Mt. Elgon and been a great encouragement to us over the last year. The men of the Church also purchased safety glasses and reading glasses for us to distribute to the welders, mechanics and fabricators we work with on a weekly basis in Eldoret. We attended evening services at Olive Branch Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The evening service was very special as we were able to meet with Geoffrey Keospy who is the young Kenyan National and is the nephew to the Olympic Gold medalist, Noah Nygny, who is our landlord in Eldoret. Kind of a long story about how God brought us together but he is attending the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff on a full scholarship as a long distance runner. I put him together with Pastor Roger Stuart of Olive Branch Baptist Church so Geoffrey would have someone to care for his soul while living in America. Pastor Roger and Church have whole heartily embraced Geoffrey and meet every Spiritual and Physical need this precious young man has had. It was a blessing to hear how much they love him and to see the Love of Christ in Action. Geoffrey Keospy, the young Kenyan & I...
I shudder to think of how difficult it would have been for Geoffrey to go through the culture shock and adjusting to life from a village in Kenya to the urban life of America without a Church family like Olive Branch. These pieces of the puzzle where put in place by God Himself long ago to insure that Geoffrey could be saved, scripturally baptized and become a member of a local New Testament Church in America that loves him dearly. Thank you, Lord, for loving us so much that you intervene in our lves on a daily and personal basis.
Please continue to pray for us as we travel to other Churches, conferences and retreats in order to encourage God’s people and to raise support for the work in Kenya.We return April 5th. May God keep you and bless you.
Geoffrey explains his culture...
Kenya, East Africa
