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
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