Great news! I recently received an email from Pastor Simon, and he informed me that the young church "is going well, and the people have come and there are about thirty members who have already joined us." Praise God! Please continue to pray for the church, Pastor Simon and his family, and the hearts and souls of Maina's people.
God bless you all,
Mike
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Safari Time!
Three of us extended our stay for a two-night safari at the Maasai Mara. A couple highlights here. One was the obvious and spectacular wildlife... I was in awe during every drive, and it gave me an even deeper appreciation for God and his creation. Check out the photo album link from my PICTURES post.
The most amazing part of the safari was the presence of God there and fellow Christians we met. As soon as we got off the plane, Evans and Mary greeted us, and Evans asked what brought us to Kenya, and I told him that God moved us to come share the Gospel and play a role in planting small churches around Nyahururu... he turned and smiled, and invited us for worship and a message. We found that around 20 workers from our safari club regularly meet at the "Mara Safari Christians Club" at 1:30 daily. So after we settled in, we made our way behind a fence where the safari club employees live and relax when they're off duty and met Evans, who introduced us to everyone. We prayed and listened to some great Kenyan and English worship music. Evans spoke and welcomed the 3 of us to their church.
The next morning, I read a few chapters in the middle of John where Jesus washed his disciples' feet, spoke of servanthood, and encouraged them to follow his example. Here's the cool part... To my surprise, Evans asked me to give a sermon that day for their 1:30 meeting. Never did I expect to have an opportunity to do this, ever! Weird thing was that I was completely calm and comfortable about his request. I quickly thought about what I had just read in John, and knew that would be the message I was going to present. I answered, "Absolutely!"
I must say though, it was a nervous time leading up to the meeting... but God certainly intervened as I got up and began to speak. I had some notes prepared, but quickly veered off many times with words that just kept coming! Basically, the message reflected what was written in John about serving God. Jesus is our ultimate and perfect example of how we should live as servants. I encouraged everyone to be aware of every moment, situation, and opportunity that God has already planned for us (and that means 24/7!), and we need to pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to seize these moments and to love just as Jesus loves us. God is good, and good things happen when we're obedient. What a blessing it was to worship with the great people we met at the safari club... an AMAZING experience!
Praise the Lord (Bwana Asifiwe) and God bless you all (Mungu Awabariki)!
Mike
The most amazing part of the safari was the presence of God there and fellow Christians we met. As soon as we got off the plane, Evans and Mary greeted us, and Evans asked what brought us to Kenya, and I told him that God moved us to come share the Gospel and play a role in planting small churches around Nyahururu... he turned and smiled, and invited us for worship and a message. We found that around 20 workers from our safari club regularly meet at the "Mara Safari Christians Club" at 1:30 daily. So after we settled in, we made our way behind a fence where the safari club employees live and relax when they're off duty and met Evans, who introduced us to everyone. We prayed and listened to some great Kenyan and English worship music. Evans spoke and welcomed the 3 of us to their church.
The next morning, I read a few chapters in the middle of John where Jesus washed his disciples' feet, spoke of servanthood, and encouraged them to follow his example. Here's the cool part... To my surprise, Evans asked me to give a sermon that day for their 1:30 meeting. Never did I expect to have an opportunity to do this, ever! Weird thing was that I was completely calm and comfortable about his request. I quickly thought about what I had just read in John, and knew that would be the message I was going to present. I answered, "Absolutely!"
I must say though, it was a nervous time leading up to the meeting... but God certainly intervened as I got up and began to speak. I had some notes prepared, but quickly veered off many times with words that just kept coming! Basically, the message reflected what was written in John about serving God. Jesus is our ultimate and perfect example of how we should live as servants. I encouraged everyone to be aware of every moment, situation, and opportunity that God has already planned for us (and that means 24/7!), and we need to pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to seize these moments and to love just as Jesus loves us. God is good, and good things happen when we're obedient. What a blessing it was to worship with the great people we met at the safari club... an AMAZING experience!
Praise the Lord (Bwana Asifiwe) and God bless you all (Mungu Awabariki)!
Mike
Picture: Evans and I take a break from an afternoon drive.
Videos: Frustrated Lion and Big-time Elephant
PICTURES!
Mission pictures, safari/wildlife pictures, Maasai and Samburu village pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/michaeltraviscarney
http://picasaweb.google.com/michaeltraviscarney
Monday, July 27, 2009
Victory Service
Thursday @ 1:00pm began our Victory Celebration at the large Deliverance Church in Nyahururu where all three teams and believers from each village (Maina, Kasuku, Madaraka) met for church commissioning. Each of the three new churches were also given and are now equipped with over 25 evangecubes, several hope cubes (HIV/AIDS education), over 25 Bibles, discipleship lessons/materials, and children ministry materials.
Video: Unexpectedly, I had to go up front with our Maina team and improvise a bit before handing off all the informational tracts of people with whom we shared the gospel and discipled during the week.
Video: Unexpectedly, I had to go up front with our Maina team and improvise a bit before handing off all the informational tracts of people with whom we shared the gospel and discipled during the week.
Daily Schedule
The following schedule gives you an idea of our daily routine:
7:00am Breakfast
7:45am Team devotion time
8:30am-1:00pm Depart with individual teams to new church areas
Street/door-to-door evangelism using evangecube, record name/address info. for follow-up visits
1:00pm Lunch and fellowship at new church site
2:00pm-4:00pm Street/door-to-door evangelism and follow-up visits
4:00pm Discipleship meeting for adults and children ministry. Developing disciples and modeling church with the future church pastor/family
5:00pm Return to Thomson Falls hotel
6:30pm Team leader meeting
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Debrief/sharing of stories from the day/prayer
We followed this schedule from Monday to Thursday (~noon).
Picture: Lunch time and sharing stories with Mary, Pastor Simon, Pastor Peter, David, and Jessie
7:00am Breakfast
7:45am Team devotion time
8:30am-1:00pm Depart with individual teams to new church areas
Street/door-to-door evangelism using evangecube, record name/address info. for follow-up visits
1:00pm Lunch and fellowship at new church site
2:00pm-4:00pm Street/door-to-door evangelism and follow-up visits
4:00pm Discipleship meeting for adults and children ministry. Developing disciples and modeling church with the future church pastor/family
5:00pm Return to Thomson Falls hotel
6:30pm Team leader meeting
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Debrief/sharing of stories from the day/prayer
We followed this schedule from Monday to Thursday (~noon).
Picture: Lunch time and sharing stories with Mary, Pastor Simon, Pastor Peter, David, and Jessie
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Mission...
The organization and leadership of e3 Partners Ministries, namely Rev. Joe Michael Kamau, his wife Eunice, Brad and Cherie Catron lead this mission in scheduling, training, and encouraging me and the others (North Americans and Kenyans). Their commitment to the great commission and their compassion for those around them are attributes I really admire. I appreciate all they do and have done for me. A couple weeks before I left, Brad called and asked if I'd be a team leader... even though I had no idea what that entailed exactly, I said, "Absolutely, I'd love to!" This was my first mission trip, and I must admit, I had a couple moments of doubt. One happened before the trip as I questioned my impact on the mission and whether my brief stay there would have any lasting effect. God responded by working through my fellow "Insiders" (teachers with whom I meet every week before school), and all reminded me that it's not about me or my expectations. Results or "the harvest" is up to God, and all I need to do is be obedient and "plant the seeds."
Picture: Rev. Joe Michael Kamau and Brad Catron - they and their wives came to Life Community Church last year to invite anyone interested in this mission.
Picture: Rev. Joe Michael Kamau and Brad Catron - they and their wives came to Life Community Church last year to invite anyone interested in this mission.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mungu Awabariki
Throughout my recent journey to Kenya, God's presence was like no other I've experienced. Thank you all for your prayers and support, for God did amazing things as He kept us safe and blessed so many with new life and spiritual growth. God's vision and plan is so much greater than I can comprehend, and it was a thrill to play a role in a mission that glorifies Him and praises the one who loves us all. There is a joy that comes from Jesus Christ, and it filled me up when I shared the gospel with those I met.
Picture: My 7 yr. old brother helps me review the gospel with the evangecube at the beginning of our first discipleship meeting.
Picture: My 7 yr. old brother helps me review the gospel with the evangecube at the beginning of our first discipleship meeting.
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