Mbewau Youth Camp

This month I was invited to speak at a youth camp, hosted by Mbewau Ministries and Pastor Rasto. Four different Churches were represented and over 40 attended from the villages of the surrounding areas. We were excited to have so many young men and women present and seeking to grow closer to God. Pastor Gladson from Dzombo Fellowship, one of the Church Plants God has allowed us to be a part of, attended and was also one of the speakers. He brought several youth from his church. They come from a very remote area (2-3 hrs away), so having them with us was awesome!

I had a great time connecting with the youth and the Pastors and hearing how God is working in each of their lives. Pregnancy and addiction is so prevalent here and so the youth (defined here in Kenya as ages 18 to around 30 year old unmarried) often leave school to find a job or work around their family’s village to simply survive. Unfortunately “idleness” sets in and these kids find their identity in whatever or whoever will accept them. Pray for us as we’re exploring new ways to reach those youth God has put in our path. 

God Bless
Brandon Adams

Love has no limits...Betty Coleman

Thomas followed the evangelism team hut to hut until he got the answers he needed about God.

The passion of the people of Masaai Corners and Mbewau is absolutely amazing. The passion in their worship the passion in their work and the passion of the children in their singing and love they show to others. And the one passion that touched my heart was the passion of a young man, Thomas, to know the Lord. This young man followed us from one of the homes to another, while we were doing hut to hut evangelism, to get his questions about God answered. And once his questions were answered, he gave his life to the Lord!

Maasai Corner Academy Student

As I return to the states, I pray that I would have that same passion in sharing my testimony with the people around me.

Love truly has No Limits!

I wish that everyone could come here at least once...Hayley Schraeder

Today is our last day in Kenya. This is a bittersweet realization not just for me, but for our whole team. There are so many stories to share, so many vivid memories to remember. I wish that everyone could come here at least once during their lifetime because God is so very real here. He is real at home too of course, but His presence is just so easy to feel here. Our theme for this trip is "Love Has No Limits", but I think that the Kenyan people showed us what that truly means more than we did. The people here genuinely care about each other and show that every day. They welcomed us into their homes, the churches, the schools, and their lives and never once did I feel like an outsider. We just became part of the family. I have a lot of things to process and understand still, but I want you all to know that my experience here in Kenya really has changed my life and I am so very grateful that God has allowed Nathan and I to be part of what He is doing here!

The love I have for the Kenyan people is beyond what I could have imagined....Mickey Dunigan

There is something about seeing a mission field that you have read about for years in person. We have read about R4C ministries for several years and have now gotten a small taste of what they do here in Kenya. Every trip that I take changes my life in significant ways and this one is no different. God tells us all through scripture to love one another, as He has loved us, it is the second greatest commandment. The love I have for my fellow team mates and now the love I have for the Kenyan people is beyond what I could have imagined. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of what you are doing in Kenya.

Joy by Amanda Rule

Sorry Amanda for missing your blog...This one is a few days late.

This morning arriving at the school with the kids lining the entrance of the gate was an amazing experience. There Was so much excitement and such an adrenaline rush to be caught up in! We got off the bus and went straight to the children's worship center where the kids and teachers were all signing and dancing joyfully, thanking God and us for being there. They were all dressed in similar will outfits but they were each decorated in glitter, face paint, beads and even some feathers. The environment of joy was, once again, extremely contagious. At the end of the welcoming ceremony there was one last song and dance that we all participated. In the middle of the circle danced 4 boys and 4 girls facing each other going through a series of motions. One by one staying with the couples we joined in beside them and followed their movements. It was awesome being bright together to sing and dance with no shame or embarrassment- only joy. I guess that is the theme I'm experiencing everyday here. Joy... real, unabashed joy. In every thing we do and they do - from worship to giving to playing to working- it's all done out of love and joy for our creator.

After that we broke into groups to play different games with each class. The kids were just do happy to spend this time being kids, enjoying us and playing the simple games we brought. After the games we walked the kids back to their classrooms and I had at least four kids come and grab into my hands. One little girl, Sheila, asked for my water. I gave it to her exciting she was thirsty but when we got to the classroom and i was about to head back she gave me a hug and my water back. It was so simple, yet so sweet. This little girl took my bottle to carry for me so she could hold onto my hand! Lunch was great, all the same food eaten together but still smiles and no complaining. Each class said a prayers once they were seated and that was cuteness overload. Later we had a skit, a waste balloon fight and closing songs.

To end our day with the kids we were able to "walk" home a few children that people from our team sponsor. The families were so happy and inviting to show us their home. To just an everyday American it would look like a home made from nothing but to me it was a home made from the love and joy, not conformed by our unrealistic expectations of a clean, presentable house full of the latest things we want. With each day, each experience, each memory being made I continue to grow and become more open. God's love and joy surrounds everything here. Our boundaries are being stretched and we are learning to be more flexible. God's love has no limits and I am reminded daily.

Making THE mission real:

If you have been on a mission team or the family or friend of a team member you know the planning begins months in advance. As the time draws closer to actually leave the anticipation grows and grows. When you get to the airport on departure day, when the international flight takes off, and when you land at your destination, the phrase "this just got real" gets thrown around.

This is my 3rd mission or discipleship trip and so the nerves of taking off from home and landing somewhere I've never been before weren't there this time for me. However, something else became very real for me today. Many in our church sponsor the children we've come to Africa share God's love with through Real4Christ and have been doing so for almost 2 years. I walk by the picture of my little girl Caroline everyday several times a day in my home in America and today I stood in HER home on the coast of Africa, and prayed for her and her family! In that moment the mission got real!

God has richly blessed me by allowing me and the rest of the team to join HIM in His mission.

Child Sponsorship...Krista Dawson

I have always wanted to sponsor a child from overseas somewhere. I just hadnt found the right origization I felt led to help support. We were in church one Sunday and they were talking about Real 4 Christ Child Sponsorship program in Kenya. I immediately felt something in my heart for these boys and girls there.  So we went to the website Real4christ.com and started reading about the school and looked thru all the pictures. We found the girl that melted our hearts Swabrina. When the church announced they were planning a mission trip to Kenya we both wanted to go. We prayed about going and sharing the gospel to the Kenyan people and also a chance to meet Swabrina.  

Well today we got to meet that precious little girl. The minute I saw her crooked smile I knew it was her. We were able to walk her home and meet her mom and sisters.  Actually being able to put hands on her today made it so real for me.

So if you would also like to sponsor a child go to their website and read bout the schools and their ministries.

It's time to start being the church...Nathan Schraeder

Today was the best day so far at Maassai corner and unfortunately our last. The kids here will leave you speechless. They are so well behaved! They are so polite and the expressions on their faces throughout the day are hilarious. They just looked so genuinely happy.

 One thing that God has showed me on this trip is how few possessions we need to actually be happy. Which is kind of a "duh" thing until you really see it from people who have what we consider nothing. Even though they literally build their homes using sticks, mud, and leaves, they hold more value in family, friendship, and, especially in our case, taking care of complete strangers. While the rest of the world thinks of them as weak, underprivileged and in need of our help they in reality could teach us than we could ever imagine.

The main thing that God has shown me, though, is how "big" his gospel really is. What I mean is that this is most definitely NOT a small world after all. The planet we live on is so vast in size. And with all the people crowding the planet it makes me feel much smaller and, for the big picture, fairly insignificant. Yet God sent His son for each of us as individuals. And Jesus willingly went to the cross not just for a bunch of sinners but for each specific person that He designed and created so perfectly and intricately. God is such a big deal and we have such a limited time to tell everyone about Him but we waste that time worrying about working and saving for retirement so that we can either impress the neighbors or live "comfortably."

It's time to start being the church.

One of the best welcomes ever...Jack Watts

We got to spend the day with over 100 kids at the school connected with the church we attended yesterday. The kids are 3 to 7 years old and are as cute and well behaved as can be.

They greeted us with song and dance. It was one of the best welcomes I've ever had! The whole team got to join them in a dance and it was fun.

We then played with them for a couple of hours, had a giant water balloon fight, and heard more of their singing. I was with them playing soccer, but spent most of my time tying shoe laces, chasing balls and tickling them.

I then got to ride on a bus home with a boy, Iddi Rasheed, that I sponsor. He is about 6 and didn't speak english, but we made a connection through playing a drawing game on a friend's cell phone. I walked with him to his home with an interpreter, photographer, and some friends. When we got to his home, the interpreter introduced us to his mother who welcomed us to their home. I gave him a couple of toys and several photos of me, and had the interpreter tell them that Jesus loves them and so do I.

After reflecting on the whole day, I feel a serene satisfaction about finally asmeeting Iddi and his family. I know that God was already at work in his family, and I was getting to be a part of that work.

Sunday in Kenya...Matti Rule

America, home of the free. We have everything we could ever want or need, or so I thought. Today as I sat in a worship service at Maasai Corner, I realized that I had never felt so free as I did then. There is such a freedom to worship here, and I don't mean freedom like we Americans like to throw it around. I mean a true, no holds barred, zero embarrassment, anxiety free type of freedom. It's the kind of freedom that we as American simply lack. While we look free on the outside, on the inside of church services everything has to he neat, tidy, and in its place or we freak out. But today, I experienced a group of people, with far less than I've ever had, praise the Lord in ways that I'd never seen. The freedom was intoxicating as well as contagious, and without any urging from anyone, I joined in their dance and song. The choir, which was on the stage, literally left the stage and started jogging around the inside of the sanctuary, while singing and dancing. It was just.....beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that I was moved to the point of tears.

 I had said something to my brother in Christ, Jack Watts, today about my feelings toward this amazing church service. I said, "Ya know Jack, I know that God is everywhere all the time, but I think that is his home address."  That truly is how feels here, and I know it's hard to take in or even to explain. But the truth is, I feel God's presence everywhere there. I see him in the eyes of a beautiful child, I hear him in the breeze swaying the palms, and I see his power in the mighty waves of the ocean as they crash upon the rocks. I have never felt closer to God than I do now, and I'm afraid that when we return home that I'll slowly lose it, but I want so desperately to hold on to it. I told Pastor Shawn today, semi-seriously, that when we have our first service after returning that we have to dance and jog around the sanctuary while singing, and without missing a beat he said," Okay, do it. I hope you do!"  So if any of you read this, don't be caught off guard if I come back ready to dance!   I truly felt the Spirit today while dancing and singing in Swahili, and while we may be singing in English at home, I still desperately want you to throw off the shackles of shame and embarrassment, and let yourselves truly be free to worship God! 

Following service today everybody went up to the front to shake the pastor's hands and then would stand next to the pastor and shake the next person's hands. This repeated until everyone was standing next to one another in a line going all around the circumference of the sanctuary. It was such a beautiful symbol of unity and love, and to make it even better they have this neat handshake, which I also intend to bring back with us. It was truly amazing that even though that was my first time to attend, I felt like I family and like I was home.  Love truly abound in that church, and in the academy, and in this land. My Kenyan brothers and sister are proof that, "Love has no limits."

Comfortable shell of life!

Today God took us as far from our "comfortable shell of life" as I HAVE even been OR allowed myself to go.  God gave us a great example of this with a hermit crab by the pool as we were leaving the team meeting after supper. David tried to pull it out of the shell and it would not come out. It was stretched as far out of its shell and still be attached.

How we allow things to separate us from God on a daily basis.  How even food and water can separate us from Him. The distance some have to go to get water is unfathomable unless you experience it first hand.  These wonderful people accept the mzungu  (white people) unjudgingly in their homes and families without question or any feelings of uncomfortableness or fear. We were given their chairs and sitting areas and they either brought out more stools or just sat on the ground  to listen to the gospel.  There were several who had already accepted Christ and some that accepted Him today.  

There are truly NO words to describe this unless you have already experienced it, like the peace that passes all understanding.  

Thank you for helping me to come out of my comfortable little shell and experience what I have heard other people talk about as a life changing experience. Until today, those were just really words and hard to relate or understand their magnitude.

And this was just the FIRST day!!!!

The single greatest goal of our lives...

As a pastor, the only thing that blesses my heart more than seeing people surrender their lives to God is to see God's people engage His mission in a real and personal way. Many Christians sit in their stained glass temples and "talk" about following God, but few truly forsake themselves and become faithful to follow Him to the "ends of the earth."

Our team of 13 consists of 6 people who have never traveled outside of the U.S. and one other who has never been outside the U.S. on mission. These people have fully seen why God has called us to GO! They have answered His call and as a result they now are experiencing their Lord in ways they never could otherwise. Isaiah experienced this same thing as he surrendered his live for his God and stepped out "on mission." Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

The truth of the matter is the single greatest goal of our lives is bringing glory to our King. We accomplish that as we leave our agendas behind and embrace His. What is His agenda? Calling people to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior and for His followers to truly follow Him.

The most important thing...

I hear it all the time in the states that family is the most important thing in someone's life, but sadly, most can't even treat their relatives with any respect at all. Here in Kenya we have been meeting families that are truly, all about family, not just saying their all about family but actually being all about family. Here in Kenya you have generations of family living together, working together, and just being together. You'll rarely see that back home, you may see some families hang out here and there, but not living together, or working together, sadly most don't even hang out together. Back home we are so wrapped up in our daily lives and ourselves, we don't have time for family, and we certainly don't worry about their needs more then our own. Jesus tells us to, love others as we would love ourselves, there's a lot of meaning to that but it applies to everyone including family. My prayer for everyone tonight as I got to bed, is to become more of a giver then a taker, for myself, my family, and everyone else I know.

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31 ESV

With much love from Africa, Rusty and Krista Dawson

This man was a blessing to the evangelism team.  They went to pray for him but he encouraged and blessed them.

Thoughts from my heart..Bob Robinson

Thoughts from my heart this morning as I sat on the beach:

My heart is full of joy when I am with the people in Kenya.  They are friendly and happy people, even though they don't have a lot, and often are living day to day.

I enjoyed teaching a couple of lessons to the 3rd grade class at Maasai Corner Academy.  We used a butterfly to talk about the transforming power of Jesus.  A frame with their picture in it was used to talk about them being God's masterpiece.

We are grateful to the ideas and materials that Allan and Donna Carroll gave to make these lessons and crafts possible.

It was kind of cool that God had it rain real hard as I began to share in chapel with the children.  I started out with Proverbs 18:10:  

The name of the Lord is a strong tower.  The righteous run into it and are safe.

I'm looking forward to going out to the villages this morning to tell people about Jesus!

Bob Robinson

San Antonio

R4C Board Member

We are called to bear fruit.

As I reflect on my trips to Kenya, some of my fondest memories involve Sunday morning worship with the locals. They sing with abandon and dance from the joy in their hearts without restraint. This year, we spent Sunday morning at Maasai Corner. We had the privilege to hear from Pastor Daniel, a guest speaker who had traveled from western Kenya to be at Maasai Corner for a pastors conference weekend. He shared from John 15 where Jesus is speaking to His followers and says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

As Pastor Daniel shared about his extensive time serving as a pastor, he told of the prioritization of his time being focused on ministry activities. During this time, his daughter suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down and began developing swelling on her brain. After multiple hospital visits, several tests and selling most of their possessions to raise funds, they were able to afford surgery to remove a tumor that had grown on her spinal cord. Although the surgery was considered successful, his daughter remained paralyzed. What followed was continuous care for eight years until she died at the age of 20. As you can imagine, Pastor Daniel's priorities changed when his daughter became ill. He learned that he had been neglecting his family in favor of ministry, and missing out on God's calling to be a husband and a father first and then a pastor. In effect, he was limiting his ability to bear fruit by focusing all his time and energy on his role as a pastor. He shared from his heart he had learned that although priorities can be focused on good things, such as ministry, those priorities will not yield as much fruit if they are out of order.

We are called to bear fruit as followers of Christ - not asked - called. And part of that process will involve uncomfortable pruning so we can produce more fruit. So what is this fruit we are called to bear? Galatians 5:22-23 spells it out for us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there s no law." Maybe there are multiple callings on your life. Maybe one is foreign missions, or maybe it is partnering with a local organization to be a mentor to a child in need. Perhaps you are still searching for your calling. One thing is for sure, if you are a Christ-follower, you are called to bear fruit laid out in Galatians 5. For myself, each time I visit Kenya and get a firsthand look at the impact Maasai Corner and Mbewau Academy are having to transform lives and set them up with a better future and an eternal hope only Christ can give, I am spurred and convicted to bear more fruit - to be more loving, more joyful, more faithful, etc. It changes not only our own lives, but impacts the lives of those around us as well.

Karen Sandifer
Arlington, TX.

Building Bridges in Kenya

Chris,

Just thought I would share this blog…. I can not tell you how full I am of all that happened in my heart while I was with you…  It has been difficult falling back in to the urgency of ministry here in light of all the contemplative heart lessons God is still working in me… thanks so much for your patience with us in getting this bridge building begun…..  as I prepare to take a team from ARBC to Cleveland Friday, to help with Church planting there.. that too will be somehow so different….

We are in the middle of Music Camp this week… the song Mungu Anakupenda is the song that resonates in this musical the kids are doing…

More later my friend…

Think of you often.

Kent

On June 21, 2015 I was in Kenya speaking to the church at Masai Corner.  My message that Sunday was, "Building bridges of love that connect people to Jesus Christ and each other."  I shared how my home town (Charleston, SC) and my home church (Ashley River Baptist Church) were similar in many ways to Mombasa, Kenya. Our towns were both Coastal port cities, both separated by a river on both sides.  One difference however, Mombasa has a bridge on the north side and a ferry to the south.  Thus, the illustration of a relationship based on a bridge versus a ferry resonated with them.... 

Rewind... a little background.  Over four years ago, our ARBC missions team began to pray about developing missionary partnerships.  Chris & Lisa Moore (www.real4christ.org) were presented to us by church members who had recently visited there (2011) on a homecoming trip for her, having been raised there by missionary parents, and wanted to show her husband and daughter where she grew up....  After Chris & Lisa then visited ARBC three years ago (2012), we began to plan a mission trip there.  Two years ago (2013) that trip dwindled down for various reasons and was canceled.  My two daughters, Sierra and Sky, were still led of the Lord to go, and they did.  They became messengers of hope and possibility to ARBC, Chris & Lisa visited ARBC again last year (2014) and another trip was forged, this time 12 team members were sent out by ARBC to begin to build this bridge of relationship with the churches and ministries of Real 4 Christ... our first personal, supportive relationship with a cross-cultural missionary has begun.

The hope of the ARBC missions team, and a growing number of ARBC members, is that this relationship will be a bridge of constant hope, love, prayer, support and partnership.  Not a "ferry relationship" with barriers of complication, differences and distance that remain, but a bridge that will connect us personally with each other, on a spirit-led moments notice.

The culminating similarity of our two eastern coastal towns that resonated with the 100's of Kenyans in attendance that Sunday, was the similarity of pain felt...., caused by those who were led by Satan with the intent to "steal, kill and destroy" relationships. Still fresh on the minds of the Masai Corner church was the horrible massacre of over 180 college students (4/2/2015), many Christians, in the town of Garissa, Kenya who were killed for their faith by those with a devious hope to drive fear and division among the Kenyan people. A relationship bridge was developing before us... as I shared about the horrible tragedy and amazing forgiveness of the disastrous killing of godly people in Charleston, SC (6/17/2015).... that too, an effort by Satan to "steal, kill and destroy."  As we wept and prayed together for our Charleston home community, God was still at work building bridges in Kenya AND in Charleston!  After that Worship service (6/21/15), Masai Corner Church, Kenya, held hands, together.. along with those in Charleston who would be holding hands across Charleston when the sun rose there.... building bridges of love to connect people to Jesus Christ and each other.... we connected... a relationship is forged in so much we have in common...

With each person that I met they deposited a seed of love in my heart.

Sowing Good Seeds!

Some of you know my story of how GOD planted a seed of love for Kenya in my heart in 2013 and although I knew after a family trip to Capetown in 2011 that I would go back to Africa to do mission work, I often asked GOD why Kenya and what am I suppose to do there.  In September 2013 GOD connected me to Real4Christ Ministries and gave me the vision to provide clean drinking water to the villages in Kenya by designing a HISBlessedOne Supports Africa Tshirt and selling it on my Christian Apparel website. GOD instructed me to donate all the proceeds I made off the Tshirt and to personally match all the sales dollar for dollar.   

After helping with the well I was even more eager to do a mission trip in Kenya with Real4Christ but GOD didn't open up the door for me go until this year. In March after searching Mission Trips on the Real4Christ website I saw that Ashley River Baptist Church out of Charleston, SC (about 2hrs from me) was traveling to Kenya in June and they had one slot available on their team and I knew instantly that GOD was in the midst! I reached out to the Youth Pastor (and leader for the trip) Kent Williams and he agreed to allow me to become part of the team.....I love how GOD works! Once I joined the team the 11 members of Ashley River Baptist Church became my family as I traveled to Charleston most Sundays to attend meetings with them. 

When the door opened up for me to go on this mission trip I was so excited but nervous because I didn't know how I would raise the finances to go but my mom kept reminding me that GOD wouldn't open the door and not provide. I was also reminded that I had sown seeds on good ground and that a harvest was going to come. When I made the decision to trust GOD and not to worry I looked up and my trip was paid for. I mean, I started getting donations from people that I didn't even know, but I am so thankful that they were obedient to the Holy Spirit and I made sure I prayed blessings over every seed.  

 

As the days got closer and closer for the team and I to depart the more nervous I became. I wasn't nervous about traveling or anything like that I just wanted to help make a difference in the lives of people of Kenya and I want to make sure I was spirit led!  The first day we arrived at MBEWAU Academy we were welcomed by some of the most beautiful kids in the world singing a welcome song for the 12 of us and I knew that my life would forever be changed.  I was no longer nervous about making a difference in the lives of these kids I just wanted to fellowship with them, play with them, pick up their infectious smiles and share CHRIST with them. During the two week mission trip the team and I had the chance to build relationships by evangelizing in the villages, walking kids home to meet their families, spending time with students in their classrooms, visiting 5 church plants and having a carnival at each school and with each person that I met they deposited a seed of love in my heart. With every reason that I could think of for the people I met not to smile I am sure they could tell me two or more reasons why they did smile. 

 

I love that Real4Christ is planting so many Godly seeds and building relationships not only for the children that attend MBEAWAU or Maasai Corner but for the people that visit the clinics, pump water at the different wells Real4Christ has provided, or attends the church services.  Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" so I am rejoicing because I know the harvest season is coming! 

Please lift Chris and Lisa Moore (founders of Real4Christ) up in prayer as they continue to grow the mission GOD has given them. When I asked Chris how does he handle everything he looked at me and he said it is ALL GOD....and I couldn't agree with him more. Take a few minutes to visit the Real4Christ website (www.real4christ.com) to see how you can sow a seed into this great ministry.

Asanta Sana (Thank you very much)

A'Keta Vasser

The Best Decision I Could Have Made

The ARBC team just recently got back from Kenya last week, and I was blessed enough to be a part of it. My sister and I had ventured to Kenya in the summer of 2013 and were able to meet all of the amazing kids at both Maasai Corner and Mbewau. Returning to Kenya a few weeks ago was the best decision I could have made! With a team this time, my sister and I arrive at Mbewau--completely overwhelmed. Without realizing what would happen beforehand, we began to recognize face after face of the smiling students. They had grown so much and all we expected was that they would vaguely remember us, but we were well beyond surprised… Later in the day, I saw a few kids I remembered by name and yelled, “Hey, do you remember me?” In unison, they replied, “Yes!--Sky!” Right then and there I could have broken down crying- overwhelmed with emotions of joy and heartache. These kids love us and value us so much more than we could imagine. I felt so much joy because I then realized I had officially built a relationship with them. I was able to build that relationship even more through the week that followed, which put a priceless value on this trip. Each child has a story and getting to know just one of them changed my life. Chris and Lisa have allowed many people to meet the children they sponsor, face to face, and even find the child they want to sponsor by going to the school and seeing these kids in their school atmosphere.

-Sky Williams-
Charleston, SC