Dear ministry partners, I have just returned a few days ago from quite an amazing time in Kenya. As I shared in my previous entry, I conducted two trainings, one in Nairobi and one in Mombasa. The trainings went great, working with the local coordinators was fabulous, and there are many open doors for future ministry in both these locations.

As I reached Paris enroute to Nairobi, I received a notification that political demonstrations opposing Kenyan President Ruto’s tax reform bill had degraded into riots. It seemed that Nairobi and Mombasa were “powder kegs” waiting to explode with people turning to violence to express their opposition. Apparently this was not on the part of the opposition party, but many thieves and other violent people had used the demonstrations as an opportunity to sow mayhem. There were fires, lootings, and police used live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber bullets to hold back the crowds. People were killed, and it was a mess. Our mission organization (ReachGlobal) was justifiably concerned. So in the days to come I was on guard, communicated frequently with RG leadership and risk assessment teams, formulated contingency plans, and tried to avoid problem areas. At no time was I in danger, but tensions were high in Kenya as more demonstrations and riots happened while I was there. I ended up adjusting my training in Mombasa because there were threats that the bridges to the airport would be locked down and impassible, thus I would miss my departing flight. Fortunately I was able to cover all our material in three long training days.

As troubling as all this was, the connections with our coordinator Pastor Silas Kadenge in Nairobi and the other 32 pastors and ministry leaders present at the training were fabulously productive. I stayed in Silas’s home with his family, and we made great headway in forming a plan to reach much of Kenya and even other African nations with Pathways in the future. Watch this brief one minute video Silas made sharing his enthusiasm and appreciation for Pathways.

In Mombasa, the group I trained was made up of 18 amazing young people (25-45 yrs old) who are finishing a seven-month training program and then will head to northern Kenya and adjacent nations (Ethiopia and Somalia) to plant churches. For security reasons, because the area where they are going is under careful scrutiny and intense persecution, I am not able to share details or photos, but please keep these dear servants of God in your prayers.  They were truly encouraged by the training, I was inspired by their commitment to the Lord and His church, and participants grew much in their Bible handling and preaching skills during our time together.

What I can post is that the school where I taught was quite close to the beach, and along the way I was able to visit the beautiful coastline. Between monkeys at the school and camels on the beach, it was fun to observe some of the local wildlife, a bit different than what we typically have in the Pacific Northwest. 

Thank you for your prayers. It was a very full, productive, and God-anointed time investing in key African leaders. At present, the plan is to return to Kenya in January 2025, possibly with Holly, to launch a new Pathways Bible Training network in Nairobi with Silas, offer a refresher training and graduation down south in Matiliku, and then perhaps return to Mombasa to offer another training to a new cohort of church planters.