When Lisa and I moved to Kenya and started working on a weekly basis with the church @ MBEWAU, we were immediately aware of a huge "void" of men involved in ministry. We started asking questions, visiting all the nearby villages and speaking to many men of all ages. It was not long before we realized that most of the men in the local area drank a local alcohol (coconut wine) and the majority of them were actually addicted. This addiction leads to abuse, divorce, rape, violence, unemployment, laziness and serious medical issues.
For months I preached against this lifestyle in the church and the women would say "AMEN" but there were no men to actually hear what I was saying. I met with the pastor and the men in leadership at MBEWAU and we began to brainstorm on creative ways we could reach these men. The next month we started MBEWAU Sports Ministry. The first week we had more than 40 people show up to play soccer and volleyball. Each week the men in the community come together to compete in sports activities. The games begin with a word of prayer and close with a fifteen minute devotion.
Over the past few months, God has blessed this ministry as several men have given their lives to Christ and are attending church on a weekly basis! MBEWAU Church developed a competitive Volleyball Team called the "MBEWAU Magic". They have been playing together for the last few months and have been undefeated in the past 5 tournaments!
Last month we handed all of them their new uniform shirts and you would have thought the shirts were lined with GOLD. They quickly put them on and played until the darkness came in these new T-shirts!
God is so good to allow us to work here and experience various types of ministry that glorify Him and reach those who are lost and without hope. Thanks so much for your faithful prayers, love and support. Keep the 15 players of the MBEWAU Magic in your prayers, that they would represent Christ in all they do. Pray that the MBEWAU Sports Ministry would be able to continue reaching the precious men and women of Kenya.
