A Message from Dan Hamer

Since I am assuming that Steve has filled in everyone on this crazy trip I won't go into detail on that. Suffice it to say that when Steve says "Don't worry, Stonic and I just drove on the road between Eldoret and Kitale this morning and there's no problem", he is a LIAR!!!. Choosing to visit Kenya in the middle of a revolution is probably not the best time to visit but God has shown up in unimaginable ways. Despite the chaos, God has used our visit to encourage our ministry partners who are facing a very difficult time ahead. Please continue to pray for them.

What I did want to talk about is the miracle of being at the house which a group of "changed lives". As I looked around the room on Tuesday night at Steve's house in Kitale I saw example after example of the transforming power of Christ. Under Steve's leadership Saddleback's ministry in Kenya has been a part of each of these stories. There was Juma who left a hopeless life on the streets of Kitale to become a fine young Christian man after receiving a chance when a team from Saddleback took him to Tumaini. There was James who was always around on Saddleback trips since he was a very young boy. Dawn and DJ Shuster gave him a chance in life and he now has a good job as a prison guard and cares for his brothers and sisters and their children. There was Leloc who was a little neighbor girl who lived next to Tumaini but the infectious nature of the Christian life helped her cross over the fence to find Christ. She is now a beautiful sixteen year old who hopes to become a doctor. Charles and Thomas were there. Many of you know them as the little boys in "Glue Boys" who appeared to have no hope when their mother died during the filming. God had different plans and now they are amazing little boys with a bright future thanks to caring Christians that are determined to make sure they do not fall between the cracks. There was Geoffrey who is transforming the street children of Kitale thanks to his work with Lydia Monroe and others at Saddleback. There was Jacinta who cares for 22 children at the Purpose Driven Academy and treats each of them as a child of God. And others were there with an equally amazing witness to the power of relationships with a person that eventually led to a relationship with Christ.

Each with a story. Each with a transformed life thanks in large part to Steve and his ministry in Kenya that so many of us have been blessed to be a part of. When we are praying for the political situation in Kenya, we should never forget to praise God for the changed lives and the mission ahead to have an even greater impact in the days and years ahead.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!

EMAIL I RECEIVED:

Megan, Steve wants to pass on an urgent prayer request for Stonic and Allen. The three of us flew out safely but Stonic and Allen, trying to get back to their families in Nairobi, had to drive. They got most of the way to Eldoret when the second MP (Member of Parliament) was assassinated in Eldoret. Their safety was immediately at risk with mobs burning trucks just ahead of them on the road. They had to turn back to Kitale. For Stonic to turn back it must have been bad.Pray that Stonic will have wisdom on the timing and discernment on the route to get back to his family.

A Broken Heart

AGAIN, JEFF FRUM:


After Stonic literally climbed over the biggest roadblock yet, a telephone pole fortfied with boulders in his amazing "Indiana Jones" like Land Cruiser, Steve asked Dan and me if we could just stop by the Kachibora Refugee Camp.We ended up spending a couple of hours walking through this surreal scene of extreme poverty. It didn't take long to attract every child in camp to our side. The three funny Muzungu's lead hundreds of kids in singing and dancing. It was a privilege to provide a brief moment of escape for these innocent victims.We were told by the Red Cross there were over 6,000 children in this camp that were separated from there families in the chaos. 6,000 new orphans!What amazed me was the pure joy in these children's eyes. They couldn't stop touching us. Dan and I were walking with twenty kids each clinging to us and I said to him that this place just can't exist on this planet. How can this happen? No human being, created in God's image, should ever have to live in conditions like Kachibora. Yet, God was working to redeem lives in the midst of all this suffering. My life cannot be the same after seeing what I've seen.

Perspective from the backseat

THE FOLLOWING IS A MESSAGE FROM JEFF FRUM:

This is my first trip to Kenya so my anticipation of adventure was high. Especially traveling with two veterans, Dan Hamer and Steve Rutenbar. I never could've prepared myself for our journey on the backroads from Eldoret to Kitale. Steve warned us there were roadblocks the entire 50 mile stretch so as a good rookie would do in the back seat - I had my camera ready. Five minutes into our journey we slowed to drive over downed powerlines and around fires set to block the road. Stonic, our driver, a fearless Masai warrior, contined to navigate this dangerous stretch. I looked out to the left and saw a mob running toward our car upset that we passed their obstacles. I thought - this would be great picture - after I snapped the photo Steve yelled back at me, "Put the camera away!". I'm thinking I could've used that information a few minutes ago!The mob completely surrounded our car and began climbing onto the vehicle. I looked at Dan and wondered if this was it. Dan with his dry humor asked Steve, "Was it like this when you came this morning?". We began wondering if we had offended Steve in any way because it sure seemed like he was trying to get us killed! All joking aside, God intervened through the amazing courage of Stonic and through the compassion of Steve as they talked us through more than a dozen roadside confrontations. I saw angry men carrying machettes, bows and arrows, wood planks with nail spikes, and rocks charging our truck for three hours.In a strange way it is such a blessing to get out of Orange County where my pace of life often prevents me from seeing God at work. He is doing miracles in the hearts of Kenyans - I was a witness of that today!

Exit Strategy

I first heard the term 'exit strategy' in a missions class at Wheaton Grad School, and I'm very sure it had nothing to do with what we went through today.

Since the killing of the MP in Nairobi(go to http://allafrica.com/stories/200801290995.html to read a story about it), and the subsequent tear gassing of his home and mourning family, there has been an incredible step up in anger across the country, even in otherwise calm and pastoral areas like Kitale. Harmon Parker, the founder of Bridging the Gap, called me with a message from his friends in intel at the US Embassy and the UN. He said the Kitale area could be next area to explode and the Embassy is asking Everyone get to safe ground because ALL roadways will be closed down in the next days.
Angry mobs between ElDoret and Kitale have taken over the highway and

search every car one lorry for Kikuyus.

Moi's Bridge has been completely torn down, making it impossible to pass the way we traditionally do.

The area of MATUNDA is in complete chaos, no vehicle is able to pass...roadblocks of steel and telephone poles and boulders are all across the road today the community of Soy...where there is always a little market going on is just crazy...people are lashing out...saying they want justice, but being incited by the boldest in the change drinking crowds.

We got together with Butaki and Stephen Mairori, and found out there was an airlift out of the airstrip by Sister Freda's. Some of you guys who flew to Kakuma Camp by Sudan, remember this strip...it's basically just a cornfield with a weathervane. As much as we didn't want to go in this way, ...we had 30 minutes to decide ...Stonic told us, "Steve, get on this flight...it will be the only way back to Nairobi for a long time."

So we quickly prayed for and said goodby to Ayub, Mary, James, Juma, Jason, Lilac, Freddy and Sylvester, all of whom have been riding out the storm on our compound, and headed to the airstrip.

Stonic talked with the pilot of the turboprop and Dan Hamer, Jeff Frum and me on the flight...Nathan Chesang, the board chairman of ICM and director of Circle of Light, a partnership with the COORS family, pulled up with his son Allen and prayed for us. Then...before we could even reflect on the last few days...we were in the air and heading for El Doret.

El Doret Airport was quite a scene...Military EVERYWHERE. Marksmen carrying machine guns and rifles.... hundreds of soldiers being moved onto and off Airforce transport planes. We're pretty sure they are headed for Kitale to fortify things there. Each soldier , steely eyed, with the look of combat ahead .Let me tell you this is not the city we have ministered in over the last 10 years...it's absolutely Dodge City..Hamer and Frum and I watched from under an acacia tree, sucked down an Orange Fanta (mmmm) and tried to picture what lay ahead.

From the air... fires and smoke all around...well that's for another message....

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging comments.

Sister Freda

Hey Folks!
No, it's not Steve this time, but rather, me, Megan Affleck. Thanks so much for checking the blog daily and for your ardent pleading before the Lord's throne. Below is a copy of the e-mail I received the other day from Sister Freda. Her insights paint a poignant scene that breaks my heart, but encourages my fervent prayers to the Lord.

In Him,
Megan
--------------------------------------------------

Dear Megan,

Greetings from Kitale , Kenya . The once peaceful country has now become war torn.

Today, as Pastor Steve Rutenbar and I headed towards Kachibora Refugee Camp 35 Kilometres East of Kitale Town on the foothills of Cheragani Hills, we saw many abandoned homes; these houses were burnt by arsonists after announcement of Presidential election results. As one woman described to us is that the grass thatched houses were set on fire, while the stone houses, petrol was used to set the houses on fire. There are other refugee camps, on Kitale Show ground, which is a Kilometre from the town centre, Wamuini Refugee Camp which is 5 Kilometres West of Kitale Town and Endebess Refugee Camp which is 15 Kilometres North West of Kitale Town.


We arrived at Kachibora Refugee camp; we saw rows of very small tents, which housed family members of up to 7. Entering the tents we saw dusty and flea infested floors, there were no blankets or anything to cover the floor, most houses had little or no earthly belongings. We met mothers and sick children. In the camp there were cows and calves tethered securely on the posts at the side of the camp.

The women made make shifts Kitchen that were composed of three stones and what was used as firewood was maize stalks which emit a lot of smoke and burn very fast to cook the very little food they have been supplied with. Other women were washing clothes with filthy water.

Many women and children were lined up for the precious commodity of water which was brought by Red Cross tanker. This water was not enough for over 20,000 people living in the camp. Men were sitting in small groups discussing and pondering what next.

Talking to some people we learn that on the night of 30th December 2007 immediately after result of the Kenyan elections following the dispute of elections hell broke loose all that did not belong the tribe that is indigenous that region were driven away by the arsonists who razed their houses, and killing some of them.

So day and night, women, children and men walked miles to get to the nearest police station which was many miles away to seek help. Help come several days late as the roads, everywhere was blocked, women and children had run through the night. One woman who was then seven months pregnant , with a toddler on her chest and another on back with two younger ones on her side, she ran non stop to the centre only to have a miscarriage a few days later. Another one who is 56 year old widow with her nine children left their home after their house was torched and all her sheep and goats perished. She was glad that she was alive with her children. She ran and thanked God for her miracle of life.

Another man who was a senior pastor was ordered out of his residence and shot dead. All his cattle were stolen. Policemen and other government officials have been killed in these tribal clashes.

Hunger, disease, devastation is felt all through the camp. Women, children, and men sleep on the bare ground. They have nothing to cover, no clothes to wear, no shoes, no medication as the medicines are scarce, and those on Anti retroviral have no medicine and this will affect their health in that they will have to start their doses all over again when the it is available. There was one woman who asked for a bible.


Pastor Steve is preparing to stay in the camp praying for these people and giving them moral support. Please Megan pray for him.


God’s blessings!


Sister Freda.

Kachibora Refugee Camp

Hi Everyone!

I know a few of you have been wondering if I'm safe...you watch the news reports coming out of Kenya and wonder just how safe I am. Well, don't worry. I'm perfectly safe.

Last night I spent the night at the Kachibora refugee camp with 22,000 displaced people. They were so appreciative of our coming. We brought blankets, Swahili bibles, and the most popular item we brought was, believe it or not, feminine sanitary pads! The women were jumping up and down screaming and doing their ever-so-distinctive "yell." Many of you know the sound I am talking about...it's a cross between a yell and whistle of sorts and they do it while singing and apparently, when they are very excited. Anyways, the people at this camp had fled their homes with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Some even left without their children. They are sleeping in tents provided by the Red Cross, which are nothing more than tarps slung over wooden stakes. Sleeping on the red Kenyan dirt, these refugees fall asleep not to the sound of the stillness of the night, but rather, the incessant chewing of termites overhead threatening the stability of their makeshift shelter. They have been there for a month and honestly, they just want to go back. But, go back where? Many of their homes have been burned. The road ahead is shrouded by the unknown...barriers both seen and unseen.

I preached a message on Luke 5 and the men who brought Jesus their paralyzed friend. I spoke of their four defining attributes: persistence, cooperation, unselfish love and faith. The men were persistent in trying to get to Jesus...so much so that they climbed up on the roof to get to Him. They worked together being that there was no way they could do it alone. When everyone is in it for themselves, the group as a whole suffers tremendously. This point truly resonated with the people. The men were unselfishly loving because they could have brought their own problems, diseases, etc. but instead they brought their friend to Jesus. And, certainly, these were men of faith. If they had no faith in Jesus, they would have looked like total fools going through all of the trouble to reach Him not knowing if He could really help them. No, they had faith and the bible says Jesus saw their faith and forgave them and healed the paralyzed man.

That night, 100 people knelt down on the cold, rain-soaked Kenyan earth and accepted Christ. I can't even begin to describe the scene...just a sea of white tents. It looked almost like a civil war encampment. Quite an amazing experience. We gave Pastor Mwange, the camp chaplain, a copy of the Purpose Driven Life and a Swahili bible and he did a dance of joy. { Ok, so now it's Megan Affleck here...Last night on the phone, Steve told me a story that I am going to share with you whether he thinks I should let this out or not haha I am just kidding. He told me I could include it on the blog so, here it goes: It was just after dinner and the dirt was now mud from the rain that had belted down on the camp. They had been playing with all the children, muddy and tired I assume, but happy to have had some fun amidst the circumstances. Laughter had turned into silent anticipation for the imminent message. Steve was now up on high ground preaching the message I detailed a paragraph ago when all of a sudden a flare goes off in the sky. Picture it if you will...600 people immediately hit the floor and were lying frozen, face first and not about to move an inch. People were screaming and running around. Steve had no idea what the flare meant. Turns out, a flare is a sign of an imminent attack! Thank you Jesus, our Precious Lord and Savior, for being a fence for Pastor Steve and all of those people in the camp that night. }

We are now on our way to go pick up Dan Hamer...Stonic is taking us through the back roads. Also, thank you guys so much for all the comments. I love reading them and they are a real blessing!

Instant Refugee Camp

Many of you have traveled with me through the years up to the Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya where 100,000 Sudanese and Somali citizens are living in limbo. Picture Kakuma in Kitale. There are at least 50,000 displaced people at two sites...Cherengany hills about 20 minutes out of Kitale and Endebess. Over the last two days James, Juma, Jeffrey and I have given out wool blankets to thousands of folks stuck in these encampments. No where to go, no homes to return to and most people are separated from their family and friends. During the day they roam through the encampments looking for relatives or any familiar faces. At night, they huddle under tarps provided by the Red Cross and lay in the dirt and mud waiting for the light and the warmth of the next day. When I call this place "camp," don't get me wrong...this is NOT Hume Lake or Forest Home. This is a "Grapes of Wrath" type scene with people just trying to get by the best they can until things stabilize here. I met with the pastor who is in charge of the spiritual life of the 20,000+ people at this Cherengany camp. As you can guess, he's a bit overwhelmed by the task of caring for all of these people with virtually no resources. The people are not starving, but have to wait 4 hours for water and it's nasty water at that. They get a little bit of maize flour to make up some ugali and some beans and that's it. No one is starving but no one is well-fed either...it's survival mode. It's impossible to send the photos because they take an hour to upload, but I'll bring home photos of the camp life.
But here's the basics:

• People sleeping in the dirt.


• Four+ families to a tiny tent.


• At least 6,000 children separated from their parents. Tiny kids wandering through the camp crying out for their mommy and daddy. Their parents just ran to spare their own lives but left their kids behind.

I wish Dean was here with me today to help organize a soccer game in the field next to the camp. 6,000 kids...3,000 on each team. There's a sight for you...just choosing teams is a day long event. Tonight I've been invited to preach a message around a bonfire we're going to build...a message of reconciliation and hope. So, please pray for me...I'm digging deep.

Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Eldoret to Kitale

Through the years at Saddleback I've had the opportunity to see people in circumstances of distress. Beslan, Russia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oaxaca, Mexico, New Orleans during Katrina, but I've never seen such heartbreaking circumstances as what I've seen in the last 2 days. I was able to catch a flight from Nairobi...that's the good news. The only place I could fly to was Eldoret...that's the bad news. Stonic and Allan drove Stonic's Landcruiser through the night. The route he took I'll never really understand, but he was stopped at least 50 times by gangs looking for fleeing Kikuyu. Stonic met me at 10a.m. on Saturday morning at the Eldoret airstrip and we proceeded northwest toward Kitale. All along the journey there were Kikuyu shops and kiosks that had been completely destroyed or burned to the ground. The sheet metal roofs, the steel doors and windows just ripped out and nothing left but ruble. We saw maybe 200 of these businesses. At one point, we were stopped by a group of men who wanted to know what I was doing and I asked where the Assemblies of God church that was burned was located. The leader of the gang asked, "Do you want to go there?" And Stonic and I both said at the same time, "Why not?" So, this gang leader got in our van and escorted us backwoods to the church that had become the symbolic "ground zero" for these tribal clashes. It is disputed in the press, and even among tribal elders, just how many people died. But, the number really is not important. Two tribal elders escorted me to the site and the 1st thing that caught my eye was the burned-out wheelchair of a grandmother who was trapped inside the church by the murderous gang outside. What happened that day was a disgusting standoff between an angry mob bent on revenge over the election results and fear-filled villagers inside the church unwilling to come out and face the mob that had now grown to over 1,000 people. Whether they chose to face death by flame as some say, or they were forced by the rioters to stay in the church may never be resolved. But, between 35-50 people died that day in Eldoret. We also went by a Baptist church about 500 yards away that had been torn from its foundation and burned. The village elders took us to 5 homes that were also looted, destroyed and burned. I did get some photos that I will share with you when I get home. The village was completely eerie in that everything was abandoned. No children, no possessions, no cattle, nothing. Everyone has fled to a refugee camp to avoid episodes like what happened here. I wish I had something perfect to say here, but honestly, I'm just tired and aghast and trying to filter through exactly what I've seen today. There is no way in a million years I would have made it to Kitale without Stonic and Allan. STONIC IS THE MAN! We've always known that but today we saw it. He just faces down people and plays his Maasai card very well.

Mixed Messages

Everywhere I turn there are signs of hope...and signs of lingering anger.

Today I read in the Daily Nation www.nationmedia.com the headline HOPE AT LAST.
There was a full page picture of Kofi Annan applauding a handshake agreement between Kibake and Odinga. GREAT NEWS.

By 6 am news spread about a massacre overnight in Nakuru...we've ALL been to Nakuru ...we've led PDL conferences there...Katie Edwards did a PD youth congress there...Well, right now no one...not a truck, not a bota bota is moving through Nakuru. There were 200 homes burned overnight. The Daily Nation reports 51 deaths as of right now with scattered gunfire as it returns to a "relative calm."

Good News...Bad News

I prefer the good...what's the alternative?

Prov 3:5&6

A Friend's Sorrow

You would recognize Christofus in a moment, from his engaging and friendly smile, from his royal red Safari Park uniform, but mostly you'd remember his sheer size...he's 6'9" and can lift a 50 lb.suitcase like it's a pillow.

So when I saw tears in Cristofus' eyes and pain in his voice, I knew something wasn't right.

"They killed her..... the mob took my little niece and they chopped her," he said, still in disbelief. "Now she lays in the morgue and we cannot even take her to Kakamega to bury her properly. The mob on the road will not let us pass...the pangas (machetes) are drawn. Pastor Steve, my little niece is gone."

What turns neighbor against neighbor, so frighteningly fast, in this land that has been a model of peace and harmony? What has turned Kenya inside-out in the days since the disputed elections?

The answers are complex...born out of tribal rivalries and historic grudges, and fanned by politics and poverty.

In the next week I'll be asking myself that question a thousand times...why here? why now?
I'll also be asking the Lord, "How do people get back on track?"

The shirt I grabbed from my duffle this morning is the one many of us wore in Katrina 2 years ago.
On the back are the words that have become a motto to us in PEACE RELIEF, "We're not here to SOLVE...We're here to SERVE."

LORD...in the process of serving our broken friends like Cristofus, help us come to grips with your words, "Love God and love your neighbor".

When your neighbor has a drawn panga...it's not so simple.

Attention Prayer Warriors

Ok, all you prayer warriors out there...here's a few requests that could keep you on your knees for a few days...Please ask the Lord to work his perfect will in these issues over the next days.

1) Many of you know that we've had a container of medical equipment and supplies for Sister Freda's Cottage Hospital and shoes for the prisoners at Kitale Prison being held up in Mombasa customs for quite some time...we and our Kenyan partners have not been willing to take part in the proposed 'quick fix' approach of paying off the right person. Corruption, even in the name of doing good, is still corruption. Well, the short version is that with all the chaos of the last weeks since the elections...Mombasa Port is impossibly backed up and officials are trying to clear all they can immediately.It appears they are now willing to back away from their previous position and let us get the container out of the port and over to Kitale...still a ton of issues, like safe, secure transport, but that's where you guys come in...
Please pray for a miracle on this...that the stuff get's cleared and that we are able to get it safely through El Doret, which is presently like Dodge City...and through to Kitale.


2)Matt and Misha McGill are in mid-stream of the adoption process for Baby Moses (pictured above), a child abandoned to die near Freda's place. Ask Dan and Kathleen about all the red tape that comes with Kenya adoption and they can fill your evening with intrigue-filled stories...short version...the paperwork appears to be done...things are very close to resolution...I'm meeting with the attorney in the next couple days, but ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN...wacky stuff just crops here...so, again..even if you don't know exactly WHAT to pray for. Ask the Lord Himself to guide this to a successful conclusion and to get Moses home with Mat, Misha, Max, Mark, and Morgan. Anyone lacking wisdom? Re-Read James 1.

3) I have to make a decision in the next few hours of which way I'm going to Kitale...Each has their own unique challenges, which I won't go into here. But please pray for God-given discernment for which path to take...road or by plane onto the Kitale airstrip.The pilot is having second thoughts about the flight, but we had a good conversation moments ago and I think he is willing to try it tomorrow, if the Kofi Annon/Raila Odinga/Pres. Kibaki summit doesn't explode tonight. Stonic says he has a 'back roads' route that can get us to Kitaleno problem...but I'd just soon avoid the 13 hours of road trip adventure...my kidneys are still bleeding from our last trip to Norok. Please pray.

I've spoken with almost everyone in Kitale and everyone is safe. 5 folks were murdered yesterday in Endebess, if you remeber the team where Mike and Michele Robison met LUCY for the first time...that's Endebess...where Katie and Allison and others painted murals on the walls of the school for handicapped kids.

Gotta go but will have more tomorrow...looking forward to seeing how God answers YOUR prayers. (Don't you love how I so subtly I shifted the responsibility!!)
Steve

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." NIV

Traveling to Kenya

January 22, 2008

I'm at the internet cafe at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, mentally scrolling through the faces and memories of folks that I hope to see in the next few days in Kenya.

Stonic Koipah...my trusted friend and travel companion for 10 years...Stonic assures me he has a way to get us to Kitale while avoiding the troubles on the El Doret Highway.
Sister Freda Robinson (pictured)...and her Cottage Hospital...after a 3 week communication'blackout' I was finally able to hear Freda's sweet voice a few days ago...She and Richard are safe, but supplies and food are in short supply.
The inmates and staff at Kitale Prison, where a clean water project is close to completion...I'll be interested to see how Celebrate Recovery in coming along on the 'Yard'. Jana O'Guin's efforts have been tireless.
Stephen and Roselyn Mairori, and all the ICM family...the seminary in Mt. Elgon may be able to reopen in the next month...God has miraculously spared the campus, even though homes and churches just yards away were burned to the ground.
Patricia Sawa and her HIV/AIDS center 'Discover to Recover' Patricia was trapped in Kisumu for a week or so while she was speaking at an AIDS conference and clashes broke out that shut down all travel...two of the children from her Kitale center have gone missing in the Nakuru area...they were travelling with only a weeks supply of anti-retrovirals and it has now been a month since they were swept up in the chaos in Nakuru.

The entire church family of Deliverance Church, Kitale...Moses, Margaret and family and the 450 children of Purpose Driven Academy...
Geoffrey (pictured below) and the street kids at Oasis of Hope...the latest report from Lydia Monroe is that all the kids are safe and accounted for...even the ones who were stuck up in Lodwar, by the Sudan border.
Jacenta and the Mercy Home kids who rode out the recent storm of chaos and insecurity on our compound...

and so many others...James, Sammy, Juma, Jason, Peter, Ayub, Mary, Andrew...and Jambi.


Psalm 133:1
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together unity !"

How good , indeed...please Lord, bring peace and reconciliation to your children in Kenya. May a leader emerge in the next days, who is willing to set aside self-interest and set Kenya back on the road to safety and prosperity. Show us, Lord, how we can follow your will and way and be an encouraging presence in the lives of our Kenyan friends.

Lord, please bless and keep these friends safe and secure.

Travel

Hey folks-

Today is travel day! Pastor Steve is currently on his way to Kenya. As many of you have experienced firsthand, it is a very long journey. Please pray for his safety and traveling mercies. Also, let's pray for divinely appointed seating arrangements...that God would allow the opportunity for Steve to share God's word with a fellow passenger!

Kipsongo Baby

So often it is the children who suffer the most in times of tribal conflict. Food, health, housing and security become life and death issues. Pray for our little friends in the Kipsongo community.