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.