Just a couple days ago I returned from an outstanding training time in Kenya, unique in several respects.
For one thing, I brought my son Andrew (18) and it was great seeing him soak up our Pathways training (much of which he’s heard through our family devotions), and then use it by preaching twice on Sunday morning. For his preaching debut, it was a unique experience. He was invited to preach before 500 young men (ages 15-20) at an all-boys school, as well as the faculty and staff. This went so well that the pastor who brought him asked Andrew to preach the same sermon that morning at his church. Andrew was very encouraged by the experience.
I just wish I’d been able to be present, but while Andrew was preaching, I was preaching at another church in two services. Praise God, at one service a older man named Davis Skivungi, a retired teacher, responded to the call and placed his faith in Jesus Christ.
I also brought the youth pastor the boys have worked with for the past several years, Aaron Garness, who did a great job bonding with the Kenyan pastors, and skillfully applying Pathways training principles through workshop 7 (Romans). This was his first time overseas, and I believe it was a great experience that the Lord will use in his life in many ways. We didn’t have time to do a safari, so I was praying we’d see some animals on the trip between Matiliku and Nairobi for Aaron’s sake. Fortunately, we did see several giraffes, gazelles and zebras!
Our time was packed full in Kenya between two trainings (one in Nairobi and one in rural Matiliku to the south). In Nairobi, one of our coordinators who I’ve mentioned in the past is Pastor Harun. By God’s grace and the generous giving of many, we collected all the money necessary to pay for Harun’s significant hospital bill following a near fatal case of Meningitis. He and his wife Zipporah were so encouraged, and it was beautiful seeing the body of Christ working together and bearing one another’s burdens.
I’ve spent much time with the group in Matiliku, and have grown very close to many of the pastors. The primary coordinator, Pastor Shadrack, shared this with me in the back seat of the van as we bounced along back to Nairobi:
“Pathways Bible Training has changed our worldview of how we study and understand Scriptures and preach them to our people. Personally, I have been changed and understand Scripture much better. We are learning to take our responsibility (to preach the Word well) seriously. Many pastors have spoken to me: rather than just looking for a topic out of context, now we use God’s Word and allow that message to speak to the congregation. Pathways offers us and many others so much help through the process of learning how to handle God’s Word well. Also, we have done little with application in the past, but now we see the need to give strong application rightly from the text. Thinking of how original readers would have understood the message is so important rather than our normal way of rushing from text to us today. We must work slowly through the passage and follow the Pathways process. I thank you so much for involving all of us in the discussion and application of the material. Our times together are not just teaching but interaction also. We are spreading Pathways throughout our region of five districts, but also to other regions as we train other pastors with these tools.”
Shadrack is a star! I wish I had more coordinators like him throughout Africa who grasp Pathways principles well, have a passion to pour them into other pastors, and are so faithful in executing their leadership responsibilities.
It was a long trip away from the family, so I’ll stay put for the next several weeks and catch up on dissertation work, make plans for the fall, and pour into my family. Thank you for your faithful prayers!
Pressing on, Eric
