Mission Mombasa

Masai Corner Ground Breaking!

2012-01-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to donations from all over the world, we are able to strart building a new worship facility and clinic at our new project site called Masai Corner Ministries. In the past 2 years, many have come to know Christ in this primarily Muslim area on the south coast of Kenya. Stay tuned for more updates as we proceed with the building.....

Chris and Pastor Chondo breaking ground for the new worship center and clinic.

Praying for God's blessing on the project

The official blueprints!

Mbewau Academy's New Desk!

2012-01-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2011, Cliff Williamson came to Mbewau Academy with Hallmark Baptist Church. Cliff and Kathy had previously adopted five Mbewau students to sponsor monthly. As he toured the school he noticed that the standard 2 and 3 classes were empty. God pricked his heart and he inquired about how much it would cost to get 17 desk and a teachers desk for the students going up to standard 2 the next term. When Cliff got home he made it his mission to raise the money for the desk. The goal was to raise all of the money by October 31. He sat down and hand wrote letters to church members, family and friends asking them to sponsor a desk for $150.00. Before he knew all 17 desk had been bought. Cliff decided to try and get the standard 3 desk sponsored as well, 17 more and a teachers desk. By the end of August when Chris and Lisa returned to the states Cliff had raised enough money to pay for all 34 student desk and 2 teachers desk. After Chris preached the Sunday morning message at Hallmark Cliff mentioned to the crowd that Lisa could also use a microscope in her clinic. A man in the crowd rushed to Lisa as soon as the service was dismissed and said that he had a brand new microscope to donate because his daughter had just finished med school.

God truely had His hand on this endeavor. The little secret is, Cliff is a 75 year young gentleman that just followed the Lord's leadership and will have an eternal impact on all of the children that pass through Mbewau Academy for many years to come.

Cliff, we are looking forward to seeing you in Kenya this June.
Thank You and God Bless!

Water flows again at Masai Corner

2011-11-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

Talk about an incredible last 2 days. While I know I should not be, I nonetheless stand in utter amazement of the events of the past 48 hours for the families in and around R4C's newest church development project in South Coast, Kenya.

As many of you know the well pump has not functioned properly for the past seven months here, since it was last repaired and put back in the borehole. Well, I came back to this emerging church with the expressed intent to see if the well could be repaired or make plans to drill a new well. To accomplish this goal would take a decent-size air compressor, which I had been unable to find anywhere in the Mombasa coastal area. So yesterday was the day we had planned to pull out the hand pump. This process is actually made quite easy to accomplish if one has a large tripod, a good winch and plenty of wire rope. However, possessing none of these tools at our disposal, we resorted to the tried-an-true method of grunt labor – to yank the pipes out of the earth, one 10 ft. section at a time, actually with the aid of an India Mark II hand pump removal kit – which we did have – this was not all that hard. It's just a bit slow and tiring.

Once we got the pump out and took it apart, we could see that the seals were damaged beyond any known usefulness. So, before setting out to return to Mombasa I decided to first get a rope to determine the water depth. Since none was available that was long enough, Pastor Chondo told me to hop on the back of his motor bike and he would take me to the nearest “bush convenience store”. Well, as we are driving off of the R4C Church property we passed a large children's home and way in the back of the property I notice a very large truck-mounted drilling rig. After getting the necessary rope I asked Pastor to take me back to that children's home so we can talk to the driller. As we are driving onto the complex I spot a large semi-truck and trailer with a very large air compressor resting on it. It is not even being used, since they are mud drilling. So, I ask the drill foreman if we can hire them to develop our well with their air compressor. He calls his boss and hands me the phone. Right there we made a deal for him to come to Masai Corner, first thing the next morning and “blow out” our well casing. We would first have to put our discharge pipes back down the hole, so that he can just connect to the top with his air hose. So, while Pastor Eric and his team mobilized to place the pipes Justin and I set off for Mombasa to see if we could find replacement seals for the pump. Surely one can begin to see the hand of God in all of this!

As it turns out, none of the predictible places that sell hand pumps has any seals to fit our pump. In fact they don't even have any pumps at all in stock, as we even tried to just buy a new pump, regardless of make and model. Finally after being sent from one to another all over Mombasa, we are finally advised to go to a particular place, that the person directing us is not even sure of the actual name. Getting close to the prescribed location, and finding nothing resembling a pump sales store, we ask some gentlemen along the way for some assistance. As is typical, rather than try to direct us, he hops into our car and leads us along to the proposed location. By now it is getting on towards 5 pm, when many of the service stores will close. Finally a gentleman comes to the counter and we ask him (through the burgler bars) if he might sell replacement seals for this pump that Justin holds up for him to see. Yes, says he, we do have them. How many do you need? You gotta be kiddin' me? OK, I'll bite, we'll take four – so we can have two spares. He leaves and comes back in a few minutes with four rubber seals. We remove one of the broken seals and try one of the new ones, it is too small and not even the same shape. He says that he might have a seal that matches better in a kit that he sells. So again he leaves and soon returns with a box. In the box are a variety of rubber O-rings, gaskets and seals. Two of them look very similar to ours. We try one. It fits! Bwana asifiwe!

As we get to the car I ask Justin how far to Doshi Mechanical Equipment Sales, where we bought some pipe fittings on Monday and I expect they will present the best opportunity to stock the specific fitting to match our pump discharge pipe to the drillers air pipe. Justin tells me it is not too far, but it will depend on traffic, as we only have 5 minutes to 5 PM, by my watch. Amazingly we cross a major portion of downtown Mombasa and encounter very little traffic. We arrive at Doshi and hurry inside. As we step to the counter, the doorman closes the door behind us. It seems we will be the last customers of the day and of course they have our part.

Okay, back to reality. We still have another ferry crossing, but by this time we don't really care if we do have another long wait. We simply enjoyed a wonderful conversation about how God had put so many pieces together this day in this tapestry He calls life. It reminds us of how He so often simply takes care of some seemingly minute events, particularly when they add up to something as big as working to provide safe drinking water once again to a thirst community. But the real beauty is that He can surely accomplish ALL of this without our help.

After a good night's sleep for me, Justin put in an 8-hour shift at his regular job, maintaining a water treatment plant and boilers for a resort hotel on the Indian ocean, at Diane Beach, near Ukunda. I picked up Justin and we headed off to Masai Corner with intent of cleaning out the well with the air compressor and then placing the pump, with the new seals back in place. We arrive around 9:15 am and notice that the air compressor has not yet set up near the well. I call the drill boss man and he tells me they have once again encountered rock at the children's home and had to revert back to hammer drilling, using the air compressor. He tells me that he will call me in the evening to let me know when they might be able to develop our well. With my time in South Coast running short, I decide to visit the driller to see what things are looking like for his well drilling project. When I arrive I see that the compressor has been moved into place and connected to the drill rig, but they have not started any drilling. So I tell Samuel that I guess he will not be able to develop our well today. To my amazement he tells me that yes they can develop our well, and can come right away if we have the money and if we have the diesel that he needs to run the compressor. I tell him that if he will loan me 2 jerry cans that I will hop into town and get the diesel, while he sets up the compressor over by our well.

So, to finish this story – by now you have to know that it has a VERY HAPPY ENDING...I will cut to the chase. We procured the diesel fuel and returned, hooked his compressor hose to our discharge pipe. Samuel's men then proceeded to engage the compressor and dirty water shot high into the air. After about one hour of blowing and stopping for periods of time (to allow the well to recharge and the particles to settle, Samuel said the well was clean – including the screens. He said that this was a very good well with lots of water. While we knew that, it was good to get his expert confirmation. Actually this well is 155 ft. deep and the water level is only 75 ft, down. Thus, there is 80 ft. of water, including 70 ft. above the screens. What is amazing about this is that the well that Samuel is drilling at the children's home is already 105 meters deep (350 ft.) and they have yet to hit any water and are now into rock. True, they are about 15 - 20 meters higher in elevation, I would estimate. But even the hand-dug well at Corner Masai, which is much closer to the children's home property and maybe about 5 meters lower in elevation, encountered water at only 85 ft.

Within 1-1/2 hours Justin and his team replaced the hand pump and 140 ft. of pipe. After pumping for less than two minutes, water came gushing out as the team and small crowd that had gathered cheered and hooted. All the men enjoyed washing off the mud and sweat in the cool clean water. We all praised God for another glorious day, as water returned to Corner Maasai (as the locals call it).

Bwana asifiwe!

Blowing out the dirty water!

Prayer before trying the pump out for the first time.

Cleaning up in the fresh cool water that is flowing again at Masai Corner.

R4C Water Ministry Update

2011-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick update, so as not to take too much of your time”

Arrived Nairobi, Sat., Nov. 12 at 10 PM.

Stayed at Mayfield (Missionary) Guesthouse for 7 days.
Traveled by Matatu [“Alquida” (take-your-chance) kind-of mini-bus service].
Met with officials at Kenya NGO Board to begin process of registering R4C as a Kenyan non-profit.
Met with representative of federal Ministry of Water to begin process of registering R4C as a bonifide well driller (a.k.a. borehole driller).
Flew to Mombasa, Kenya on the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Nov 19.
Drove to south coast of Kenya, stopping multiple times in Mombasa to buy:

- other stuff needed (trust me)

Drove to the Masai Corner church/school (planned) property and unloaded the equipment, checked out the gas generator that we brought and then watched the ever talented Masai Corner Warrior youth soccer team practice (see photo), I am absolutely amazed, having refereeded youth soccer for 4 years, at the zeal that these boys play the game on a very rough field, complete with trees and shrubs – within the pitch - and two sticks and a rope for goals, and a single dilapidated ball (that simply seemed to defy all my engineering understanding for minimum requirements for the maintaining of pressurized air). And, oh yes, most of them were barefoot!
Tomorrow we will attempt to place the submersible pump into the 85 ft. deep (yes, 85 ft.) hand dug well, to remove the accumulating water (using the generator for power), so that they can muck out the mud and continue excavation for another 2 to 5 ft Check the pictures if you don't believe me (I wouldn't).
We will also pull the hand pump, in the drilled well that I helped install one year ago, but has now stopped pumping water.

Please pray for the safety of the men as they continue to risk their lives to bring water to this thirsty community. I also ask your prayers that we might be successful in repairing the faulty hand pump and in the successful operation of the submersible pump.

All for now. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bob Nicol

Moores Ministry Video

2011-11-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Chris and Lisa Video from Kim Hayes on Vimeo.

Kenya Connection

2011-09-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers and support of Real 4 Christ Ministries!

Please click on newsletter to make it larger.

Thank you from Pastor Eric Chondo

2011-09-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here at MCM (Maasai Corner Ministries) we are doing well,

The Road is finished except for the gravel and the Soccer field is in progress. The Girl who was attacked by the Cobra is ok along with her whole family. Alice (my daughter) is back from college and our Ministry is growing. We have three church services throughout the week:
Tuesday at Barcelona, Thursday at the Church and Saturday at Mwapala school.

Please tell Pastor Mike Haley that our house looks beautiful and we are so thankful for these wonderful gifts.

Greetings to everyone at your church.
Thank you,
Erick &Jane Chondo

BED AND CURTAINS FROM PASTOR MIKE

CHAIRS FROM PASTOR MIKE

THE WALL UNIT FROM PASTOR MIKE

JANE HELPING WORKING ON THE ROAD PROJECT

MEMBERS AT MCM

SUNDAY SERVICE 28TH AUGUST

THE FAMILY OF THE GIRL THAT WAS ATTACKED BY THE COBRA

THE GIRL ATTACKED BY SNAKE

THE NEW ROAD LEADING TO THE NEW GATE

THE WELL ON PROGRESS 50 FT

WELL

Sharing Kenya!

2011-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Lisa and I just wanted to let everyone know we are doing great! We have already been able to be in several churches, meet with lots of friends and of course, spend precious time with our family! We will be in College Station, TX for the next few days, speaking @ an IMANI event with Jenny Jenkins on Friday. We then travel up to Pampa, TX then Sunray, TX for Sunday morning and evening services. Then we spend 2 nights in Clarendon, TX before heading over to Borger, TX for a Wed night service. The next day we head back down to San Antonio for Labor Day week with family.

Yes, we are busy but we would have it no other way. We are trying to share our ministry with as many people as possible. We hope to raise a lot of funds for our newest project on the South Coast of Kenya, called "Maasai Corner Ministries". If you or anyone you know wants to get involved, let us know.

Thanks for all your love & support!

All our love,

Chris & Lisa

Mombasa, Kenya Summer Teams 2011

2011-07-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

This summer, Lisa and I were so blessed to have 3 teams come from America to minister alongside us. We were privileged to work with doctors, nurses, teachers, evangelists, preachers, athletes, children workers, construction teams, and lots of other amazing ”God-gifted” people. Each team brought much needed school supplies, medical supplies, Bibles, shoes, clothes, and other precious gifts to give to the people.

Every person came to be a blessing but left with more blessings than they could imagine. During the past three months we have seen many come to Christ, several thousand fed and hundreds given medical supplies. Our two churches were blessed to have all these visitors not only because of the gifts and love they brought but because many were added to their ministries as a result of their efforts.

Our prayer is that many more will come again next summer to experience all that Mombasa, Kenya has to offer! Please consider joining Real 4 Christ Ministries in 2012 as we endeavor to share our love with those who need it the most. Lisa and I thank each one of you for your prayers, love and financial support.

If you are interest in joining a team coming to Kenya next year please email us at real4christ@gmail.com

Glorious Day!

2011-07-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today, we are leaving on a plane back to the states and going back to our realities. We all woke up knowing that we would not sleep another night in Mombasa until 2012, but we woke up with smiles knowing that we all have been forever touched. As we got to Mbewau Academy we were welcomed by the beautiful children singing and dancing. Tears flowed on everyones face and our hearts were filled with complete joy. After they welcomed us, we did a wonderful performance for the kids. They laughed and imitated us and it was glorious!

I hope you all enjoy the video, just as much as we enjoyed performing it for the kids! The video will be uploaded on Facebook as soon as we get to the states!

We love everyone and will be leaving at 8pm tonight (12pm your time). Keep us in your prayers and we will see you all at home soon!

In Him,
Jenny

The End

2011-07-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

We have come to the end of this journey, but the dirt we kicked up won't settle any time soon. After an amazing two weeks, and a final few days of fellowship in the midst of Africa's wildest plains, we concluded our evening with a terrific family style meal. We have been on a grind for days, and even in those moments reserved for rest task orientation has kept us moving. Setting together tonight, at a long banquet style table, before a spread that could rival any family reunion, our team looked like a family. It has only been about two weeks, but we all feel as if it has been a month. Reflecting back on months of preparation, thousands of dollars raised, hours spent pouring ourselves into the Kenyans we were lucky enough to meet, I think everyone could agree that the twelve young Americans will leave this continent tomorrow altered the most. Our perspectives have been skewed out of the comfortable little American prescription we grew up on, and just when we've begun to embrace our new vision, we must return to the old blur. There is a surreal feeling creeping up on us, and leaving this place, and the love of our amazing hosts Chris and Lisa, doesn't seem possible. Yet tomorrow we will make one final stop at Mbewau to say goodbye to the students and faculty, and then we jet-set back to reality.

There will be many good things waiting for us back home, but hopefully when we unpack our suitcases, the nooks, and crannies, and the clothes, caked with this red dirt will remind us of what the Lord has done in our hearts.

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Austin Lewis

His Creation is Beautiful!

2011-07-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Gen 1:24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.

Today our team woke up at 6am. This morning it was hard to wake up so early after having a day yesterday to sleep in! But, the reason we were waking up so early was because....we were going on Safari!!!
The drive was about 2.5hrs, I slept most of the way, even though it was pretty bumpy (Kenyan's don't play when driving!! They are everywhere, and lines on the road are only a suggestion! lol!).
As we pulled into the park we were immediately approached to buy the safari hats, Elyse was already prepared with her AWESOME hat that even had a spot for her hair to come out:) It was legit!
I wasn't really wanting one so I declined but Jaylyn is now sporting a new safari hat and looks pretty awesome in it!
We had to wait about 20min for all of the paperwork to get done and then we were off. As we started to drive thru the park we didn't really see much at first. It took about 30-45min before we saw our first big find...zebras!!! After that we started seeing all kinds of God's amazing creatures!! Elephants, Giraffes, Gazelles, Pumba's (you know, like from Lion King!), and Hippos. Then the most amazing thing happened! We saw a Lion!! Not just any lion, a male Lion! He was resting under a tree, and even looked straight at us when we were taking pictures!! It is apparently really rare to see a Lion, so we were very blessed by the Lord today! After at least an hour maybe more it was finally time to go to the hotel, but as we were about to go, our driver got called by another telling him there were two lioness' nearby! So we headed that way and got to see two more of God's amazing creatures hanging out on a rock ledge! It was so incredible! Seeing one lion is really rare but 3! Wow!!
As we started to pull up to the lodge, I realized we were going on top of a hill, in a little Kenyan van, with a few sticks keeping us from falling off this mountain!! If you know me, then you know I have an incredible fear of heights, I was not very fond of the drive up!
However, as we pulled in and got out, we were offered a cool damp towel to clean up our faces (that had red African dirt all over them from sticking our heads out the roof of the vans), and then had a delicious lunch. The view from the dining room is breathtaking. Every where I turned I was reminded of the beauty of our Lord, and how He gives us wonderful things because He loves us. He created this view and blessed us with it, I am in awe of Him constantly.
When lunch was finished we headed to our rooms. Elyse and I are bunking together tonight. The rooms are beautiful. The best part is the french door going out onto the balcony, where you overlook the plains of Africa, with Elephants wandering in plain view, and a few baboons hanging out!
Once we got our things settled, we all met back at the dining room to hear Matt, Elyse, and Kaylene's testimonies. I love hearing about each other, not only the good but the bad. Every experience makes us who we are today and knowing these things helps us to understand what makes us tick. Each and every one of us on this team have a completely different story, but we all have one thing in common...Christ saved us. Saved us from whatever our pain was, took our burden and we accepted Him and haven't looked back. We have found friendship unexpectedly in each other, we have created a bond, and have become family. We now have more accountability partners than we probably know what to do with, but what a blessing. I love each and every one of my team members, and can honestly say I am having the time of my life!
We ended the day with one more safari tour, a 5 course dinner and a round of Mad Gab.
Today was wonderful:)

Rachel

Vision is Power

2011-07-19T05:06:00.000-07:00

I am in awe that we only have three more days here in beautiful Mombasa. I do not even know where to begin when describing this trip. Being that this is my third time to Kenya and being the leader of this trip, I have had a different experience than my team members. Most of the time I am behind the scenes figuring out plans for the days to come and organizing the next thing on our list of "to do's". I have been amazed at how much the Lord has grown me over the years, and how he keeps working in me not only through the experiences I get through mission work, but also through the members on my team.

Today was a lot of shopping, we took the team down to Fort Jesus and I got to see Victor and his wife (who I met in 2009 and got to spend time with them last year as well). They see me as their daughter, so it is always a pleasure to see another set of parents! I enjoyed watching the team "bargain" and basically shopped till they dropped, so just so everyone knows, you will be getting great gifts! Every member had their list out and were checking off family and friends names as they bought their gifts. Of course, Elyse found a new habit of loving African goods, so she kept coming back for more. Let's just say this morning was eventful.

After Fort Jesus, we went to the beach so everyone could soak up more of the sun! Some of us went shopping some more, while others played soccer with the Kenyans. Then for dinner, we enjoyed some hamburgers with the team, Chris, Lisa and the Windell Family. I am truly blessed to be around such amazing people and it has been a delight to learn more and more about one another each day. This is a family that will not be forgotten and we will all forever be connected.

Today, Allison gave her testimony to the team and she did a beautiful job. She is a wonderful young lady and the Lord is doing amazing things in her life. She has great faith and the Lord shines through her and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has planned for her future. Also, with everyone else on the team, I cannot wait to see our future's and be able to watch one another grow stronger in Christ.

As the leader of this team, I have gotten a different perspective. I have gotten all the questions and the late night Skype calls. I have seen the letters from family members discouraging my team members not to go on this mission trip, and then I have seen the anonymous donations come in that made individuals fall to their knees and cry to the Lord, "thank you". I have been a part of 11 individuals lives and have gotten to walk beside them the past 9 months training them and preparing their hearts for these two weeks. So now with three days left I am beginning to finally sit and reflect. The Lord is doing great things in all of our lives, but it is now time to go back home and share that with everyone we see.

I shared a devotion yesterday morning from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and it talks about "two are better than one" I shared how accountability is very important and when we leave here we need to realize that we need to help one another stay strong in Christ. That is my prayer for this team, that this is not a mission trip, but that this is a trip will forever change every individual's heart. I pray that when they go home, they will not fall back into old habits, but turn their eyes to the Lord and want to make a difference in this world. I pray that the Lord rocks their world and and that everyday they yearn for the Lord even more. And I pray that they do not make prayer a ritual of everyday, but they realize that prayer is a life of a christian.

I will leave you with one more thing. On saturday when we were walking through the dirt trails of south coast, I was with Elyse and Austin and we ran into a couple men and sat down to tell them about Christ. They were already Christians, so Elyse gave her testimony and then they shared theirs and one thing that the man said really hit home with me. He said, "remember vision is power, but power is not vision."

So, I pray that the 11 wonderful individuals on my team, Rachel, Cayla, Jaylyn, Stephanie, Austin, Matthew, Allison, Tyler, Whitney, Elyse, and Kaylene strive for the Lord's vision in their lives. I pray that they do not lose sight of what the Lord wants for them, but they stand strong in that vision because with vision, the Lord will provide a path to walk and with vision the Lord will do powerful and mighty things in each one of their lives.

I love every one of them dearly and have truly been touched by my team and the hospitality of Chris, Lisa and the Windells.

In Him,
Jenny ("kiongozi": leader)

Sunday Service under the Mango Tree

2011-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

The pastor speaks, "Praise God!" The conjuration answers, "Amen!"
   That is how we began church this morning. We started this beautiful Sunday morning with a church service underneath the mango tree. The people of Massai Church had built a shed type covering made out of wood and a tarp laid vertically across on top to provide more shade. Pastor Eric greeted the church and the visitors, allowing us to introduce ourselves. Then he moved on to allow the members of the church to introduce themselves. There was one lady in particular who stuck out to me. It was the same lady from yesterday that was on my team during some of the games we were playing with the kids. Picture this, "a lady shorter than me (For those of you that don't know me, I am 4'11''.) She was about 4'7'', a smile running from cheek to cheek, and more energy than any adult I have ever met." She introduced herself and told us how happy she was to have us there, continued on to tell us bout how good God was. She told of the story about how she at times has nothing, but still praises God or about the time when she was extremely sick, but still praised God. This woman was on fire. I thought her energy level was high; Her love for Christ was even higher. The coolest thing about her giving this testimony is that she was speaking it in Swahili. Even if we had not of had a translator, just watching her facial expressions and hand movements were enough for me to see how full of life she was.
   Part of the group took the children out to another tree for a Sunday school lesson, while Pastor Eric preached a sermon about taking off the old and putting on the new. Once church was over, the ladies of the church brought out food for everyone. It is called, "The hand to mouth ministry." We had rice with some flavor, meat, and potatoes (In my opinion the rice tasted like mexican rice, which was still yummy.) Next we moved on to the clinic and game time.
   Whitney, Matt, Rachel, Jaylyn, Kaylene, and I helped in the clinic. Matt and Whiteny played "doctor" diagnosing people while I assisted with temperature and other minor help outs. I got to practice my Swahili as I called out the number for people to stand in line. Jaylyn, Rachel, and Kaylene helped distribute medicine. Jenny, Elise, Allison, and Stephanie were playing all sorts of games with the kids, passing out hand made dresses, and "sweets." Austin and Tyler spent countless hours trying to keep up with the boys in soccer.
   We said our good-byes and head back to Mombasa to eat pizza, YES PIZZA, at one of our host homes, the Windells. On the bus back, Rachel bravely gave her testimony. It is never easy to tell people about your past, but it is truly a blessing to have her on the trip. I feel she held nothing back telling the team about her lowest of lows and giving God the glory for her highest of highs. After dinner we shared stories with Windells about our day and played catch phrase. Allison told her story about how her camera was stollen from the tree she left it in. However, a boy remembered a man taking it and ran down the road to find him. When the boy found the man, he asked the man to take his picture. As the man was taking the boy's picture, the boy grabbed the camera and ran back. YAY! Allison's camera was returned.
   It truly was a blessed day. There was a few bumps in the road and chaotic times, but it all ended nicely with a warm shower. I feel that I have only covered half of what really happened. The views here are jaw-dropping, our team is getting along, and this has been a life changing experience.
   We serve a God that will be praised; the language does not matter.
Psalm 100: 1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
   Cayla
P.S. Hi mom, dad, and Colton, I love you and miss you!

Inheriting the Kingdom

2011-07-17T20:44:00.001-07:00

Waking up in an unfamiliar place can be a disorienting experience. We awoke pretty early on Saturday morning, in a small room at the Grand motel on the South coast of Kenya. Having a busy day ahead of us, we ate a quick breakfast at a local restaurant about ten minutes away. I can already tell you that once we get back to the states, I will still be craving a good mandazi. After an African breakfast, complete with chai of course, we loaded on to the bus to head another thirty minutes south to Masai Corner. We were greeted with hand shakes and warm smiles by pastor Eric Chando and his companions, who were ready to get busy evangelizing the moment we arrived.

I was in the first group with Rachel and Stephanie, and we were led by Pastor Eric, and a married couple named James and Agnes, whose easy smiles made me feel all the more welcome. We drove about ten minutes into the hills, and were dropped off to begin our trek. At the very first house, we met a Muslim man that did not want to hear what we had to say. He was polite, but this was the moment I had feared; rejection. However, the group was not discouraged, and as the day progressed, we met many amazing people. At one house, we met an older man named James Kimoso, who spoke good english and had a disarming smile. Although he was having leg trouble, he still made it the two kilometers to Masai Corner this morning for church! After that, we met a young man named Alfred Mgobo. This is where is gets interesting.

Alfred was born in a Christian home, was raised in the church, and knew who Jesus was. however, like many Americans, he was met by temptation, and fell away. Luckily, Pastor Eric is a very articulate man, because Alfred needed some wisdom spoken into his life. But by far the best part was when Rachel shared her testimony with Alfred, who was surprised to hear that even in America, people struggle and meet temptation. But, our Savior is larger. It was incredible to see the boldness that the Lord had given Rachel, and all day I could just feel the Lord's presence; it was more tangible than ever. We finished our evangelism with a man named Wilson, who has a wife and four children. All six of them are believers, which surprised me since most of the people in this area are either muslim or non-believer. Wilson's three year old daughter, Esther, came out of the hut in tears when we arrived. When we asked what was wrong, he simply said that she had malaria, as if this was a part of every day life. I suppose that in this part of the world, it is. We got to pray for Esther's health and for the entire family, and then we were on our way back.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in fellowship, playing soccer and eating with all of the people from the area. It was an afternoon well spent, and I had overwhelming peace of mind for the entire afternoon. We were in the most beautiful land I had ever seen, playing with kids who were so grateful just to have your attention, even though they were lacking so many more things. Everyone was in high spirits, and I feel like the team recognized how lucky we really were. The team has really been bonding, especially with everyone giving their testimonies and spending so much time together.

In parting, I want you all to think about what you take for granted. These people have little, but live like they know they will inherit the Kingdom of their Father one day. Are you taking advantage of the things the Lord has blessed you with today?

P.S.... I spoke to our friend Wilson today when I ran into him at church. He said that he could not explain it, but Esther was feeling better, and seemed to have much more energy than just twenty four hours ago when we prayed for her. God is Good, All the time.

A day four ourselves.

2011-07-16T19:39:00.001-07:00

For Friday 7/15, our kind leaders gave us a surprise! We woke up at an early 5am to leave for South Coast Kenya for 3 days with all of our luggage. We then headed off toward an unknown destination after checking into our hotel. Praise and worship songs filled the bus as we traveled towards our surprise. Then we pulled up to our surprise: a snorkeling boat trip! Praise God! What a great idea! Many of our team hurried into the water by jumping off a 10ft ledge and swam to the boat. Sea sickness was not absent from our team, but thank God, no one hurled. The water was so beautiful as we sailed out. Crystal clear waters paired with fine grain white sand was only a small part of what we saw of God's canvas. Palm trees and rustic African boats were gazed upon as we drank our cold cokes from glass bottles and had chia tea and mandazies(an African-like doughnut). Once the anchor was down, snorkeling gear in hand, Matt was the first to jump into the cool water. Everyone quickly followed. Squid, sea urchins, sea stars, an array of colorful fish, giant clams, barracudas, eels and sting rays were just a few of God's wonderful creatures we were privileged to see. Although for some, it was the first time, everyone loved the adventure and got the act of snorkeling down to an art. We finally ended up on a small strip of beach in the middle of the Indian Ocean where our team enjoyed soaking up the sun, collecting sea shells, and had a fun sand fight! After everyone explored the small 100m strip, it was time for lunch!
Lunch was at a small off the coast eatery where everyone tried fresh boiled crab, a seaweed/coconut roll, and a whole fish(scales, eyes, fins and all) sauteed in coconut maranara sauce paired with coconut milk rice. The view from the table overlooked the ocean we had just came from and everyone enjoyed the abundant food. For dessert, a yellow passionfruit, mango, banana, and Kenya's delicious oranges was presented to us. After lunch we got to take a tour of a small tourist town and coral/rock garden. We took a stroll on an old bridge which weaved in and out of the rock garden. The coral statues stood around 8ft tall and we were told at high tide, they would be at least half covered in water. Just as we left the garden, we were amazed at how much the tide had come in already, covering much of the earlier barren earth. Traveling back to our bus was much shorter of a ride and in no time our venture was over. Time to head back to the hotel.
We are staying in a... quaint hotel; simple, but does the job well. Before testimonies and dinner, we showered our now burnt bodies and took a small rest. Tyler gave his heartfelt testimony before dinner and we traveled to a nearby place to enjoy chicken, beef, veggies, french fries, and ugali(an African thick cornmeal). Coming back, Stephanie's testimony was told and stayed on our hearts as we got ready for bed.
Although the day was over 16hours long, it was just the break and refuel our group needed. We are getting up early tomorrow for more missions! As I lay here in bed, the radio from the streets seep into the paper thin walls. Although harsh Kenyan preaching is far from a lullaby, it will have to do for tonight.

Goodnight Africa!

Whitney Cloud(team member awesome)

Consumed

2011-07-14T14:55:00.001-07:00

There is something completely overwhelming about waking up in Kenya while the sun is still rising, the birds are singing, and the air is cool. There is a consuming feeling of God's abounding love in this country. Our team has just come off of a 4 day stay at Mbewau Academy and although I was sad to leave, I was excited to see God move through us in a different location. We split into two groups today as half of us visited the children's cancer ward of a local hospital and the other half visited the local disability clinic for children. I was able to visit the children's disability clinic and was completely overwhelmed with emotion. This facility is used for rehabilitation for children with physical disabilities. They are also well known on the coast for their production of prosthetics. We saw children with club feet, bowed legs, no legs, cerebral palsy, bone diseases, and everything in between. They were completely positive, smiling, laughing, and just all around joyful. There is more joy in this country than anything I've ever seen before. Their use of pain medication is scarce, their mobility is limited, but the children at this clinic were joyful. After we spent time playing with puzzles, animal cards, and soccer balls, we said our goodbyes. The teams met back together and headed onto our next journey for the day. We then visited Shanzu, which is a handicapped women's ministry. These women have created a ministry where they sew purses, clothing, aprons, laptop cases, and many other products to sell, which enhances their independence and vocational skills. Once again, I felt pure joy talking to these women. They didn't complain about their disability, but instead used their skills to do good work. Our team was blessed to be able to shop in their store and support their ministry. After Shanzu, we visited some local stores and practiced our bargaining skills. We were definitely successful in that endeavor! We ended our afternoon with a devotion. I volunteered to lead the devotion today, because I had an overwhelming sense of urgency to do so from the Lord. I referenced Psalm 103 and discussed the concept of being consumed. I have truly been convicted by the Kenyan people and their consumption of God. They don't put him in a box and limit his amazing power. They submit themselves to Him and embrace His power to consume their lives, whether that life is messy, challenging, or filled with baggage. The team spent the remainder of the evening at Chris and Lisa Moore's home enjoying fellowship and a wonderful meal. We laughed at each other's secret talents and even shed a few tears. God was able to speak through Cayla and Austin tonight as they shared their testimony of God's great works in their lives. It never ceases to amaze me when people break down walls and become vulnerable enough to share their struggles and truth about their lives. God's glory really shined through Cayla and Austin, and our team parted ways feeling closer than ever. As the noise in the Moore home is silencing, I am reflecting on today and the overwhelming emotions of this trip. God has done a mighty work through Chris and Lisa Moore, He has done a mighty work through the Kenyan people, and He is doing a mighty work through the Mission Mombasa team. We are truly getting a glimpse of what our lives would be like if we allowed God to be our center, our ultimate focus, and consume every portion of who we are. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us this trip. The recap for the day is short, but there is one overall message that explains everyday of the trip thus far: I have been truly blessed to be chosen for such a life-changing experience, and I know that my heart will have a permanent scar for the people of Kenya.

For His Glory,
Kaylene Ullom
"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name." Psalm 103:1

Wednesday July 13th in Africa

2011-07-14T14:49:00.001-07:00

WOW! What a crazy day yesterday was! And for that matter, what a crazy week this has been. I am writing this post one day late so I am going to try to remember all the details. This whole trip has been such a whirlwind of emotions and each day has had some amazing teachings about who God is and how great he is! We woke up at 6am again in Mbewai and this morning the power was out. It was hard getting up in the dark and I was worn out from the past couple days of loving on these kids with endless energy. But starting the day with Morning Glory gave me so much strength. Like every day at Mbewai, we praised God and gave him all the glory for the day. After that, Allison did morning devotion. She talked about Romans 8:18-30, how creation groans and yearns for the coming of the Lord and how we have seen the beauty of God 's creation on the trails. But as beautiful this region is, the groaning and suffering is so much louder. Today was our last day of teaching at Mbewai. Cayla and I have been teaching in kindergarten3 class. When we got to class, the kids were just starting math. Cayla had prepared a ciriculum for the day so she took over and I helped out. We taught math by writing phrases and having the kids count the number of letters. Then for social science, we taught them the use of a ven diagram, comparing the similarities and differences between a motorcycle and bicycle. I left the classroom at 11am to prepare vitamins for the kids at lunch. We had been giving them vitamins each day at lunch. The baby class got liquid vitamins and everyone else got chewable. After lunch which each class, Jaylyn and I taught the kids how to brush their teeth. We had prepared bags for each kid with a toothbrush and toothpaste. It was really fun giving kids the lesson, as I would make funny noises while brushing and they would all laugh. Then, I joined our class again, and we finished the day with a craft. The kids decorated crosses and wrote "Let the children come to me" on them. They also made and decorated nametags. We passed out the toothbrushes and toothpaste to all the kids and re-emphasized the importance of brushing. Then it was off to go home with the kids. Before we left, we gave bags to all the staff with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloths and other hygeine items. My group went home with Brighton and Tumu. Our translator was Jackson. We walked about 15 minutes to get to the house. It was a mud house with a thatched roof. The greeting party at the house was 3 mommas, a grandma and a bunch of kids. Brighton's mom was deaf and was doing a another lady's hair in front of the house, which she did for a little money. The house was a two room house with noticeable holes in the roof. They were relatively well off for the area but that is definetly a relative term. We asked Jackson questions and he would directly answer since he knew the family well. One thing I noticed was that they kept toothbrushes on the outside of the house stuck in the mud wall. The whole trail experience has been truly amazing in getting to see how little these people have, yet they are truly content with only having God. Their reliance on God for everything is very refreshing. We got back to campus and left shorty after to head immediately to dinner at a nice restaraunt right on the beach. It was really good but such a different experience from what we had seen the past couple days. Going from the trails to the resort-style restaraunt on the beach had a lot of mixed emotions. We had a great dinner though. I had hawaiian pizza and italian icecream afterwards. We headed back to Chris and Lisa's and I got to go for a swim and play with Ilo (the awesome german shepherd that they have) before going to bed. I could go into so much more detail about today and everything that has happened this trip but I am short on time. God has truly been working on each and every one of us this week and I cannot wait for the everything he will teach me this next week. I want to send a shout-out to family and girlfriend back in the States. Love yall and miss yall!

El Doctore (Matthew)

I can feel the rhythm.

2011-07-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

This trip has been 1000% better than I've ever dreamed. God has a funny way of doing that. He has taken my expectations and completely thrown them away. His plans are so great and every day He proves it to me again and again. From the beginning God's hand has been in everything. Our group bonding, good travels, laughter, and overall experience in the village has been so positive and so amazing. My love for these people has grown so deep and I don't want to leave already!
There are so many things I have to skip over, and explaining can not express what it is actually like here. I think Tuesday has been my favorite day so far. It was a day of ups and downs for sure. Our team got to experience not only an extreme joy and happiness, but also heartbreak and pain of the level of the local people. Both of these experiences have shaped me and changed me for the rest of my life.
Fridays are usually chapel day. As a special treat for our team, however, they made chapel day Tuesday. What this means is that the "guitar man" comes in and plays the guitar, keyboard, and sings with the kids during music class and chapel at the end of the day. Music is a huge part of their culture and I was so excited to hear that we would get to be apart of that activity. We started out the day as usual with morning glory, chi, and mandazis. After that we went to our classrooms. Me and Stephanie are in the standard 1 class with Joseph. He is an incredible teacher, and has given us free reign over his classroom. The first day we taught every lesson which was crazy. Chapel day was a more laid back day though. It seemed like all we did was fun. We taught a couple interactive lessons, played games like Simeon Says and heads up seven up, but the part of the day that sticks out was music class. It seems like each child is brilliantly gifted when it comes to music and rhythm. Throughout everything they do in the day they incorporate singing. I find that so amazing. Between lessons the teachers will just initiate singing a praise song. They never forget that God is a part of their lives. Their passion is overwhelming. Anyway, in music class I got to hear the kids beautiful voices and witness the natural rhythm that they all have. Dancing comes so natural and to watch it brightens my day immensely. It was funny because in the middle of these 7 year olds I stand out like a sore thumb. I'm this white 19 year old with no rhythm dancing like a maniac! Even though I looked completely stupid it was the purest joy I have experienced. Just for a moment I felt like I had the child-like faith that they have, and that God desires. That was one of the high points of my day.
Another fun thing was recess and teaching the girls how to play Little Sally Walker. Their little accents are so cute and watching how shy they are is adorable. We also "balanced the ball" which is a song and is really only cool when you sing it with an accent. Everything we say over here we say in an accent too. Its hard for the kids to understand our American accent so we have all kind of figured out the African accent and how to talk slowly. Its actually pretty funny and now I find myself talking like that all the time. When I get back you will all get to see videos of these things! Our team has laughed over it a lot.
Chapel was the next part of the day. All the classes presented a Bible verse or a song which was really impressive. Even the three year olds had memorized scripture which is pretty special. It was so funny though because when my class presented I felt like the overly proud mom. I was cheering, taking pictures, and recording the whole thing. I haven't even known these kids a long time, but like I said earlier my love for them has grown deep.
Every day we split into groups and walk home with a child. The first day was a 45 minute walk which was a very long time. Tuesday, however, was only about 25 minutes. To get to the house I went to we had to walk through this overgrown cornfield and path. The trail was narrow and had a lot of hills. These kids walk this twice every day. It amazes me what they will do to get their education. Anyway, when we finally made it out of the corn forest the mother of the children we walked home with was waiting to greet us. She went in the house (mud hut) and brought us out stools to sit on. (We couldn't all fit in the house) The hospitality here is amazing. We sat there and just asked her personal questions. She was never upset or uncomfortable answering our questions even though in the US most people would be offended. Instead she answered with a smile of her face. The thing that struck me most with her was when I asked her if she had any hopes for her children. She said she had many hopes, but in reality didn't believe those hopes would come true because of their situation. Their mud hut was beginning to fall down, she was not married anymore, had 5 children, and was supporting them purely on the money she made selling fruits. They only had one pair of clothes which were tattered and the hut had only two rooms. Even with all of these issues she never complained. We asked what her prayer request was and it was just that her husband would come back to her. These stories are just so powerful to me. The people here seem so honored to have us visit them, but I don't think they realize how honored I am to visit them. I wish everyone could see the things I am witnessing. They have every right to be bitter about life and complain all the time, but I have not seen that once. I am astounded by that. As we left the woman asked us to visit again if we ever came back. I hope one day I get that opportunity. We left her house and found the other group who was visiting a different house. We got to see how they wrap the baby in the conga and also carry the buckets on our heads. We all tried, and for the most part epically failed. It was like a village block party. Everybody came out to watch the white people try to balance the bucket. Our teachers Mercylyn and Nixon then tried and showed us up. They were singing, dancing, and carrying the bucket. It was just a really awesome time.
The next part of the day was something I will probably never see again. A 7 month old baby that Chris and Lisa have been trying to help passed away that morning. It was very close to Lisa's heart because she not only loves these people, but also because she had been doing everything in her power to help this baby. There was nothing that could be done though. So at the end of the day the funeral was held. We got the opportunity to go and I am so glad we got to. Before we went Chris and Lisa filled us in on all the information about the family and what to expect. When we got there the women were all gathered around the casket dressed in their colorful clothes. We were told that the women wail at these funerals so I was expecting that. The outlook the family had on this child though was so eye opening. The mothers response to the death of her child was actually "Now that burden is gone." In the US we have no concept of this. Here, however, death is very real. Also, when one is sick it creates a ripple effect. It is not just the sick one who suffers. Those who labor over the sick one also suffer. Its hard for us to hear that response, but in the light of the culture it is easy to understand. At the funeral women did cry. The men don't show very much emotion at all. They had a service which I could not understand at all because it was in Swahili, and then they buried the baby in a shallow grave they had dug earlier in the day. Music was also a part of this. Music weaves the pieces of their lives together. They express happiness and sorrow both with song. This is what made this day so amazing to me. I actually felt like I knew these people. I hurt with them, but I was also so joyful with them. Even though we come from two completely foreign places we have to much in common. Love is universal, pain is universal, and the rhythm of the music is universal.

I love y'all very much! I will be sad to leave this place, but also very happy to show and tell everyone about the amazing things God had done for me here.
See you soon! ish.

In Him,

Allison Stroud

God is Moving Here!

2011-07-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

God is moving!
I think to start off this blog I just have to say wow! Kenya is beyond what I imagined and the most beautiful country I have ever seen. I am so in awe of God's power, and I truly feel His love for this place. I feel so honored that He would choose me to come here to do His work. It's so obvious that His hand is in this ministry. There is so much to say, yet no words to truly communicate what I have experienced here. Monday was our first day in school with the kids. When I saw each of those precious children walk into school, my heart just went out to each one of them. I just wanted to pour love on them. I was in awe of their morning routine. They were so well behaved, and they were just so joyful! They LOVE coming to school every day, even though some of them have quite a hike to even get there every morning. I started out in the baby class with the three and four year olds, but then Lisa asked me to help out in the medical clinic, so I switched to that. I learned how to treat the ringworms and other fungal rashes, so I would be able to do it the next couple of days. I loved being able to gain that experience while loving on the children that I treated. When we were finished in the medical clinic, I was switched into the KG3 class which is kindergarten. There I helped teach the kids English, and we also taught about the Ten Commandments and did a craft. The kids were so excited to have us there, and I couldn't have been more excited to be there with them. Their childlike passion is an amazing thing to be a part of. After school ended, we had the most incredible opportunity to split up into three groups and walk a child home. What an experience! This was the first time I was really able to get out and see the country. It is so beautiful that it's indescribable. Pictures and even videos can't capture it. God really revealed His awesome creation to me on the trails. My group walked home a child named Evans. The walk was 45 minutes long through very rough terrain, narrow paths, and steep hills. Many kids walk it barefoot and start walking it by themselves or with siblings at the age of three. It just blows my mind! When we got to the mud hut I was just in awe. It was so small that we couldn't even all five fit in it at the same time. We had to take turns going in. Chickens were roaming around in the house. The two kids that live there, including Evans, live with their grandmother. They all sleep in one room and the other room was for drying out corn. It was basically a huge fire pit. After viewing their home and asking them many questions, we had an opportunity to share the gospel with the grandmother! It had never been directly presented to her before. It was by far the best part of my day. I was blessed with the opportunity to share my testimony with her. So I shared my story, and then Cayla shared the gospel with her. She told us that she had things to take care of before she accepted Christ, but we planted a seed, and I know God will grow that seed. We have spent four days at Mbewau Academy and already I have been impacted. God is MOVING there, and it is so awesome to be there to see it and be a part of it! We are back at the host homes to stay the night here and have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. I can't wait to see what God has in store!
In Christ,
Jaylyn Gramer

Sunday, July 10: Church at Mbweau!

2011-07-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up at 7 am, I could have slept at least another hour! But I knew today would be busy and I wanted to be still for a bit.
Last night I shared my testimony with the girls on my team who were staying with me, and I had the priviledge of hearing Whitney's.
When sharing your life story, the good the bad & the ugly, you become aware of what makes each of us who we are. I feel much closer to Whitney now & I hope that relationship will continue to flourish.
After we woke up Whitney & I (the two coffee drinkers) made Kenyan coffee (so good!!) and we all had peanut butter toast. We then got dressed and ready for church.
At 9am, Johnson, our driver pulled up in the bus.
We gathered all of our belongings and prepared to rough it for a few days at the school. We then went to pick up the other half of our team from Chris and Lisa's. Once there, we stuffed all of their luggage onto the bus along with the mattresses we would be sleeping on, which btw are 4 in. thick foam!
We then headed to Mbewau church. Mbewau is absolutely beautiful! Driving up there are mud huts and cows and goats! But once thru the gates...wow! Chris & Lisa have done a fantastic job building this place. We immediately took our luggage off the bus, placed it in the empty classrooms we would be staying in, and headed to church. Church is held in an open room, kind of a pavillion, this pavillion doubles as a feeding center for the children and staff during the week. As church began the choir began to sing and you could see worship in their expressions. They began clapping and dancing and yelling AMEN!! I couldn't help but think, why don't we get this excited when singing praises to our Lord?! It is such a different culture, one where expression thru music and dancing is not only the norm but a way of life.
Once the choir was done they began a short message, we of course didn't understand as it was in Swahilli. I do know however we read from 1 Chronicles 22:11-13 "Now, my son, may the Lord be with you! May you succeed and build a temple for the Lord your God, just as he announced you would. Only may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he places you in charge of Israel, so you may obey the law of the Lord your God. Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the rules and regulations which the Lord ordered Moses to give to Israel. Be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic!"

To me these verses are so relevant to where we are at, at what Chris and Lisa have done with the ministry the Lord has given them.
Chris then came up on stage, he welcomed the "Mazoongos" (white people aka the team!)
He had them compete for who could clap the loudest for the team, it was great!
Then he asked each of us to stand and say who we were. But as our side began to go, Chris looked at me and whispered "come here". So I got up and went to him and then he said..."I want you to give a short testimony to the church....oh, and I want you to sing, you don't mind singing a praise song in front of 150 Africans right?"
WHAT!!!! I had a lump in my throat and started panicking!! My sister is the performer NOT ME!!
So back track to the night before a bit, when we were eating "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant came on the radio, if you knew me when I was younger, I loved her! So under my breath I was singing it, I know every word. He happened to hear me and said "you have a good voice!" I thanked him and thought that was the end of it...I THOUGHT WRONG!! LOL! So he didn't give me a song he just said sing, at this point my heart was pounding! I could feel my face turn red! And the only song I could think about was Amazing Grace. So, I got up in front of 150 Africans, our team and Chris & Lisa, and I told a short version (very short) of my testimony thru a translator. This part was such a blessing, just to be able to thank God for what He has done in my life and how far He has brought me in the past 5 years even!
Then, I started to turn to walk away thinking, he won't really make me do it.. wrong again! Chris looked at me and said "Oh no! You are gonna sing!! They will love it!"
So, I sang the only song I could think of, and it truly was appropriate. I feel I could have done 10X better, but I was super nervous! I did it though!
Chris then got up and said "I know most of you think Americans live a perfect life. That they don't have struggles. But that isn't true, we deal with heartbreaking situations every day, and the Lord is good to deliver us from this. The song she sang talks about the Grace God extends to us, about how we were sinners and now are saved."
It was beautiful. It began a journey that isn't over yet, but one that had scarred my heart forever. Africa is forever going to be a place I dream about, I hope for, and I pray for.
I will be working on pictures tonight and as soon as I have uploaded some we will add a link to think blog so you can check them out!

May God bless you! Amen!
Rachel Driskell

Off to the village!

2011-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I forgot to mention this, but the team will be at Mtepani village from Sunday until Wednesday night. We will not have any internet access, so updates will come as soon as we get back into Nyali.

Eveyone will be keeping journals and writing down their experiences, so we will post journal entries and different things on Wednesday along with pictures.

Keep us in your prayers!

In Him,

Jenny

Overcoming Obsticles

2011-07-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

God is good! We finally made it to Mombasa, Kenya!

As we left Thursday bright and early, everyone was really tired but super excited. We made it to the airport with no problems, but Satan was of course ready and waiting to slow us down. At check in, we had a slight issue with the airline promising us free baggage and then not getting it. However, God came through and we got past our first hurtle. First plane ride was short and sweet. We had some fun bonding time in the Miami airport doing handstands and playing catch phrase. Good times. Second plane was long but smooth. Then the fun began in London as we waited for our plane to Nairobi. First it was delayed as we waited in the airport, then we boarded and was in the plane for 2 hours before take off. I was lucky enough to sit next to a very nice Kenyan man named Ruben who works in Afghanistan as a humanitarian. He was so amazed at our purpose and journey to Africa. He had a ton of questions and was so supportive and excited for us. We finally arrived in Africa and was late for our connecting plane to Mombasa. We were directed to leave our luggage in the airport and run to our flight that had been waiting for 3 hours for us to arrive. Well, we finally made it to our host homes at 4 am Kenyan time. Our host family (Chris and Lisa Moore) are so warm and welcoming! Luckily our luggage came through today all safe and sound. I am so excited to be here in Mombasa and am ready and waiting to see what God does through our group and in my life!!

Quick shout out to my family and friends! I miss and love you guys! Keep praying for our safety and for God to really move through our time here!

I still can't believe I am in Africa!

In Him,

Elyse DeBuck

Landing in complete darkness and reluctantly leaving all of our bags in Nairobi, we finally made it to Mombasa. Although it was not the preferred arrival time, and the airport literally re-opened to receive us, getting our first glimpse of this new world in the early morning hours was an amazing experience. Cruising through half paved gravel roads only partially illuminated by street lamps and advertisements cast an eerie glow on the few citizens still out walking the streets. Motorcycles rambled past and the team was silent in awe of the utter strangeness of this new place. Arriving at the Moore residence exhausted we went to sleep to the sounds of Islamic prayers being pumped into the early morning air from the multiple Mosques surrounding the area.

That afternoon we woke to fresh fruit and the warmth and love of Chris and Lisa. They treated us as if we were their own family, beckoning us to stir through cabinets and kitchen to find anything we like to eat. Chris and a few of us then left for the airport to fetch our luggage that had hopefully all arrived at the Mombasa airport. After a few cliffhanger moments, when only a few of our bags were visible, we found the rest in the lost and found luggage closet. Seeing the city by daylight was a completely new and spectacular moment. Crowded streets, bustling markets, roads without any real laws to abide by, yet Chris confidently navigated through the mad traffic. Motorcycles weaving the opposite direction through traffic, while men, women, and children scrambled back and forth. Never have I seen a such place so confusing and wild, yet totally alive. There is a visible pulse here, but it is a pulse without God, and that is palpable.

For the remainder of the evening we relaxed and enjoyed a delicious homemade meal, along with great team fellowship. We are all getting closer every moment, and after dinner we met to organize our mission supplies to prepare for the rest of the mission. While separating the contents of our bags the power went out, without falter we all grabbed our flashlights and headlamps, then continued in the dark. We worked happily together through adversity. Once the power came on we circled up and prayed for Gods presence in the the rest of the week, and Chris debriefed us on what to expect tomorrow.

The journey has just begun and God is already working in our hearts in a big way. Confident in Him we will do everything we can to proclaim his glory to the Kenyan people. Of course regardless of what we do or do not accomplish, his Glory will be revealed.

Austin Lewis

We made it!

2011-07-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, after 38 hours of traveling we have finally made it! We are all safe and sound in Mombasa, so praise the Lord! It is 5:10 in the morning here, so we are going to get some sleep then get up and get some work done tomorrow!

Keep us in your prayers!

In Him,

Jenny

College Station Missions Team!

2011-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our second missions team of the summer will be leaving College Station today for Houston then on to Mombasa. Please keep the team in your prayers the next two weeks. They will post as often as inernet access is possible. Below are the names of each team member.

Mission Mombasa July 2011 Team:
Jenny Jenkins
Rachel Driskell
Jaylyn Gramer
Allison Stroud
Elyse DeBuck
Stephanie Box
Cayla Newkirk
Kaylene Ullom
Whitney Cloud
Austin Lewis
Tyler Hayes
Matthew Schilling

God Bless!

A Final Word from Pastor Haley

2011-06-28T11:42:00.001-07:00

Mission Mombasa 2011

The thoughts of our trip to Kenya are still running through my mind as I review the pictures and review the two videos that were made. We met so many wonderful people and we were able to share the love of the Lord Jesus to children and parents. Even during our travel to and from Kenya we met Christians and were able to share the good news with others who were only curious about what we were doing.

The testimonies at Hallmark last Sunday only re-enforced the belief that going on a short term missions trip forever changes us. We all feel challenged to share Christ with those that surround us every day. However, there is a special joy in sharing the love of Jesus in a distant land in a different culture and witness the joy they experience when they pray and receive God’s gift of forgiveness and everlasting life.

As I review this trip I know that God’s Hand was truly on us. Our team leaders, David and Kim Hayes prepared us well. They led us to prepare, to pray, to anticipate God working in us and through us. God bless you David and Kim. We set a goal to encourage and strengthen our missionaries, to minister to the children of our feeding centers, and to our Kenyan brothers and sisters in the churches, and to witness to the lost. I believe that Mission Mombasa 2011 accomplished all of these goals. To God be the glory! He brought us full circle. We are home safe and sound and we are praying and thinking about next year, God willing.

Thank you to all our team members. You are a very special group. I learned to appreciate each one of you. Thanks to all our prayer partners and financial partners we could not have gone without you. We must work together, for the harvest truly is great, and demands many laborers to bring it in. God Bless you all! Mission Accomplished!

Pastor Mike Haley

Mission Mombasa 2011

2011-06-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

It is 5:30PM in Texas right now. Here in Africa it is 1:30AM the next day. I am sitting in my room thinking about the trip and trying to process exactly what God has revealed to me this year. I have had the opportunity to come to Kenya three times. I am amazed every time I come. I have met some amazing missionaries and amazing national pastors. This year has been no different.

In March of 2009 I preached for Mbewau church in a small village outside of Mombasa. The small little building was packed, hot, and lively. The worship was amazing. The people were excited, genuine, and free in their worship of their Savior. The music stopped and it was time for me to preach. The kids all left to go to Kids Church and the once full church building was now empty. The crowd now consisted of about 25 adults, of who were mostly women. Chris Moore, after I preached, challenged the few men that were there to step up and lead.

My return trip to Kenya was in 2010. I arrived on the campus of Mbewau and was amazed at what God had done. The once meager campus was now a beautiful vibrant campus. The worship was again filled with passion for a loving Savior. However, this time there were over 50 adults in attendance. God had been moving in this ministry and the fruit was evident. I left that trip thanking God for allowing me to see what He was accomplishing through our missionaries and our brothers in Christ in Kenya.

This year I again arrived on Campus with the same amazement. The campus was even bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than the last time. The kids looked healthy, happy, and most importantly hopeful. They are not only receiving daily bread, but THE DAILY BREAD. I was blessed to be able to preach for the second time at this amazing Church. They currently meet in the feeding center, which is much bigger, and it was packed. The kids once again left after a very energetic worship service. 150 adults were filing the seats of this beautiful building. I once again got to preach with my good friend, Pastor Nzaro, interpreting for me. What an experience.

As I think about flying home tomorrow, I pray that God will give me an opportunity to come back next year to see what God has done with the great people of Mbewau.

-John Haley

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MBE - WOW!!! The Carnival day:)

2011-06-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for reading our blog... I enjoy being able to connect with you all the way from Kenya, Africa... from half way around the world we can feel your love and support through your comments and prayers.

We had a wonderful day! We knew that God was planning something BIG for our trip and today was The Day. We arrived at MBEWAU church and school at 10am and were greated with friendly smiles of our translators (mostly staff from the school).

Everyone divided into groups and went out to witness (hut to hut) and invite the people of the surrounding villages to the carnival that would be held at 3pm. Two hours later, we all came back to the school with excited stories of people accepting Christ into their hearts. 56 people were welcomed into the kingdom of God today and we rejoyced at being able to have a part in it, as I know the angels in heaven are!

I loved hearing the different stories... Pastor Haley said that it was just like "the old days" when the people were hungry for God. There's nothing better than knowing that you have had a postive impact in someone's eternity and you will see them again in heaven someday. Anyone that helped our team go to Kenya will one day see one of these that were saved. I know they will thank you for sending us. We all thank you for sending us.

The carnival started at 3pm. We had bounce houses (this is Africa and none of these kids had ever jumped on one before), camel rides, acrobats, face painters, balloon animals, a fishing booth, bucket toss, musical chairs, and several races. The kids came from everywhere and it was amazing. We also gave out over 100 pounds of candy, all donated from the generous people of our church!!!

I am about to go to bed, very happy with all that has happened today. Please be praying for the team and I as tomorrow will be our last day at MBEWAU. It's always hard to leave people that are so dear to my heart.

Thanks again for helping to give us the opportunity to be here right now.
Kim Hayes

If you would like to see photos go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1776129047318.2092573.1362103851&l=217b486737

Reflections and Safari!

2011-06-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

When I reflect on my time in Kenya thus far, after only a week, my heart breaks and rejoices for these people at the same time. I think about the precious kids at Injili and Mbewau that we have gotten to love on, and the twinkle in their eyes when they receive something as simple as a high five. The sheer sight of our bus on the dirt road prompts smiles, shouts, and waves. These children, living at a poverty level that no one in American can claim, are joyful. Many children do not have both parents, and know of many people that have died, yet they are joyful. They are joyful because they know that GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. Say the phrase as many times as you want, but until you have experienced trials and tribulations, you will not have to truly put that belief into practice.

Not only are the children precious here, but the adults have such open and hospitable hearts. Their souls are so earnest to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We have had the privilege thus far to be here when 26 people chose to become followers of Christ. Any and every sacrifice, small or large, that has gone into this trip has been more than worth it for those men, women, and children that we will be reunited with someday, if not here than in Heaven.

The harvest of souls here in Kenya is plentiful, but the workers are few. Although the number of Christ followers grows daily, more workers and resources are needed. God is doing great things here and I am glad to have an opportunity to be a part of it in a small way.
~Karen Sandifer

To See Safari pics go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1773875590983.2092447.1362103851&l=cabd5472a4

Safari!!!

2011-06-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

We will be on Safari Thursday and most of Friday. The time off will allow us to get some much needed rest. Thanks for all of your encouraging words over the last week!

Witnessing at Massai Corner

2011-06-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is my second time to come to Mombasa. The first time: witnessing to someone was a scary thought, but I committed to the Lord that I would evangelize to anyone he puts in my path, and he has certainly done that. On this trip, I managed to witness to 2 individuals before we reached London. Also, the Lord used me to lead 3 muslim high school boys to faith in Christ. But the one that has stuck in my head, was a muslim man that had 2 wives. He was an elderly man that had been a muslim his enire life. Earlier in the day, Pastor Haley and Cliff had talked to him at his home. When he came to the school for the carnival, I was the first one to see him and it was like the Lord set him up on a silver platter for me. He walked over to an area that only had three chairs...one for me, one for him and one for the translator. We talked for quite a while and he told the translator that he did not want to trust in Jesus, but for the first time, he questioned the accuracy of the Qur'an. While this wasn't a success, I do feel that the seed was planted. However, I told his grandaughter the gospel that morning and she chose to trust in the Lord. Since then, we have managed to evangelize to hundreds of people.. I look forward to seeing these people again next year.

Keith Matthews

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MBEWAU School Day!

2011-06-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

In March of 2009 I made my first stop at Mbewau. My life has not been the same since. I am honored to know the men and women who minister in the remote village of Mtpeni.

In June of 2010 I was able to take my second trip to see this amazing place. I was also able to bring my Father back to see what God is doing through Chris and Lisa Moore at Mbewau.

This year I was blessed to come with my Father and also my son. I was blown away to see what God has done. They now have 173 kids that they feed and educate.

I walked across the campus and couldn't believe how much the place had changed. They now have a feeding center, church, two story education wing, and medical center.

I am so glad that Hallmark has invested so much and is able to see what God is doing through their gifts. I am excited to introduce Northside to this amazing place.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1767953562936.2092182.1362103851&l=01eb1819bc

A great day at Injili!

2011-06-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

My name is Josh Hayes and this is my first mission trip. What an amazing place Kenya is! Today was a good day, but a hard day at the same time. We said goodbye to the children at Injili. We spent three days with them, so it was hard to say good bye. But praise be to God for the 8 souls that accepted Christ, 6 were Muslims. God is working wonders in this place!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1765859350582.2092084.1362103851&l=8d51646212

This is the day that the Lord has made!

2011-06-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24). When I reflect on what has transpired today, an old childhood church song comes to mind, “They will know that we are Christian by our Love.” That is actually what happened as we witnessed God’s love being expressed to a community of village people who many have never heard the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our day started with an exuberant, high-spirited worship service at the church in Injilli, where several choirs sung praises to the Lord and Pastor Haley brought forth a powerful sermon about the lame man being healed. Oh, how wonderful it was to be in a service where people were shouting sincere praises to God free from worrying about what their neighbors thought of them. Also, the pure devotion of the children choir brought tears to many of us who witness their true authentic worship. People of many nationalities stood shoulder to shoulder praising and worshipping together. I truly believed God was pleased with us today to see a glimpse on earth of what it shall be in Heaven.

The day continued with a processional from the primary school to the property of the new Valarye McMillan Hope Community High School. It seemed as though every villager in a 2 mile radius attended the ceremony, many of whom are Muslim. National and local government officials were also in attendance. They too have witnessed the significant impact the ministry at Injili is making in this community. As the ceremony went on, we witnessed how God used the growing Christian community to boldly and unapologetically proclaim the name of Jesus Christ before the masses. Again, I believe the Lord was pleased with this bold witness, as it reflects His desire for all to know Him.

Another highlight of the ceremony was when some shared the faith of Valarye McMillan, who had a deep desire for Kenyan people of this community. She prayed for many years that this community would be transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. Many who knew her spoke about her vision for the children to be educated and afforded opportunities that did not exist. The inaugural class of high school students was given the charge to not only to do well academically but also to embrace Valarye’s faith in Jesus Christ for their own lives. Valarye’s life is personal testament of a life lived well for the honor of God that is significantly changing the lives of others across the world.

-Stacy Burrell

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Carnival Day at Injili

2011-06-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! It is awesome to be here in Mombasa, Kenya! Today we met up with Bobby and Lisa Bechtel, missionaries serving here in Mombasa, and we headed to Injili Academy. When we first arrived there was a parent meeting being held by the government, so we were treated to some beautiful songs by some of the children in the Academy. I was overwhelmed with joy as the children sang "Ancient of Days". It amazes me that we are here, halfway across the world and we worship the same amazing God and can all praise Him in one universal language, singing!

After the singing we went into the villages and invited people to come to the carnival that we were having that afternoon and also shared the gospel with those who would listen! Two people gave their lives to Christ today!

Once back at the school we fed the children lunch then started the carnival activities. We had balloon animals, a ball toss, bounce houses, camel rides, a fishing game, and much more! We gave prizes and candy (or sweets as they call it here) to all of the children!
Then everyone gathered around for an acrobat/magic show and Brother Donald presented the gospel! It was a wonderful day and I am again overwhelmed at how welcoming and loving all of the Kenyan people are! God is already doing mighty things and I know He has much more in store for the days to come!! I can't wait!!

- Courtney Shwadlenak

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London and Nairobi Pics

2011-06-10T21:10:00.001-07:00

Blogger uploader is VERY SLOW here. Please check out pics from London and Nairobi at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1761061670643.2091764.1362103851&l=c6273ee455

We have made it!

2011-06-10T08:32:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,

We have made it to Mombasa!!! It has been a long journey and we are very tired! It is great to see old friends and make new ones. ALL of our bags made it. God has been with us and we have already had a couple of divine appointments. Pics and stories will be coming soon. Tonight its dinner and bed for all of us.

God Bless
David Hayes

Mission Mombasa 2011

2011-06-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we had our last Hallmark team gathering before leaving for Kenya on Wednesday evening. It was a wonderful time with our friends and family. We had plenty of wonderful food and great testimonies of how God has proven himself faithful to every team member. Ministry bags are packed, weighed and tagged. God has done some amazing things preparing this team and I know that this will be amazing trip!!!

Our team will be hosting two carnival days, have two very special Sunday Celebrations and visit the new property at Massai Corner. We hope to present the gospel to over 1,000 people. Please pray that all of our flights are on time and that all of our bags make it to Mombasa with us, good health, safety, divine appointments and that everything is well with those we leave behind.

Kenya Team Members and Family. Christy in green. Paula in khaki. Cliff in blue and Rachel in center.

David and Kim Hayes, Courtney Schwadelnak, Josh Hayes, Karen Sandifer and guest Missions Pastor Tomas from Connect Church.

9 bags and some other donations for the trip. We have 19 50lb bags full of donated items !

Christmas in June

2011-06-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

Dear MANNA Team,

Lisa and I are so grateful for the generous gift you sent us for Christmas. I realize it has been 6 months since Christmas but let me explain. We received the funds in January. We tried to order backpacks but after 6 weeks of trying, we realized that was an impossible task! :) We then decided that all our kids DESPERATELY needed new black uniform shoes. We found a guy who "hand made" 100% leather ones and contracted him to do them. Nearly 9 weeks later we got all them done.

Today, we loaded 172 beautiful black shoes into the back of my truck and hauled them out to the school. We snuck them into the conference room & clinic and then had a HUGE "Merry Christmas" surprise as the kids walked into the room! Every MBEWAU child believes there is a MANNA SANTA somewhere out there!! :) Christmas REALLY DOES come in June!! We then spent the next 5 hours fitting every child with their new shoes. We only have a few to return for bigger sizes as the kids feet have already outgrown what we originally ordered.

I know that you send out Christmas funds all around the world and I am sure that you get lots of thanks from those places. But, Lisa & I want you to know that your REALLY made 172 kids the happiest they have been in a long time with such a wonderful gift. Every month we give thanks to God for bringing the MANNA team into our lives as we minister together here in Mombasa, Kenya!!

Since you could not be here to personally put the shoes on, we thought we would send you "love" through pics of the awesome kids @ MBEWAU!!!

All our love,

Chris & Lisa Moore

MBEWAU Sports Ministry

2011-05-13T15:46:00.001-07:00

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.

Staff Fun Day @ MBEWAU

2011-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

We have some amazing staff @ MBEWAU Ministries, both at the school and the church. Lisa and I are nothing without these Godly men and women. They faithfully serve with huge hearts each and every day, with very little rewards for their labor. A few weeks ago we decided to take a few days to just relax and have some fun. On the first day, we took a field trip to a neighboring school to share best practices. we had lunch with their kids and then headed to a local park where they have several nature trails as well as some wildlife. This was the first time most of these folks had ever been to a place like this. They got to feed giraffe, sit on a large turtle, get face to face (with glass in between) with about 30 poisonous snakes, stand near buffalo and elk, feed monkeys and get REAL close to some very large crocodiles. They had a BLAST!!

The next day we stayed on campus playing games. We started the morning with chai & "mandazis" then went right into 2 hours of volleyball. Rama invited his men's competitive team to challenge us. We played our hearts out but alas, were defeated severely! :) We then played a few games like egg race, nerf gun shooting, bowling and others that Cathy Bean taught everyone. I have never seen such a competitive group, it was so funny to watch these guys interact outside of their "work" environment. We then sat down to some amazing chicken & "ugali".

All in all, it was special time with some very special people. We could not ask for better "partners" in ministry. Please keep all 20 of these great folks in your prayers as they serve Him faithfully here.

Chris & Lisa Moore

Praises and Prayer Request

2011-03-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

PRAISE: Lisa and I just returned from Central Kenya where we joined a Medical Team ministering to the people near Mt Kenya. Many thanks to Jerry & Sherry Daniels for the invite and to Andrew & Abby Lettsome for hosting us. The team was able to provide medicine to over 500 people. Many more were able to hear about the Great Physician and several made decisions to follow Him! It was our honor to hang out with the great team members from Mississippi, Ukraine and Kenya. Please be looking for our "Kenya Connection" newsletter in the next few weeks with more info and pics about this trip as well as news from our teams in the states.

PRAYER: On Thursday, while we were gone, a father to two of our school kids was killed when a bus struck him while standing on the side of the road. He leaves behind a 26 year old wife and 4 precious children (ages 10, 7, 5 & 1). Please pray for comfort, strength and understanding for his family. Like in most cases here in Kenya, this man was the only source of income for his family, so life will be very difficult for this young single mother. As I sat beside her yesterday evening, I reminded her that she has a Father in Heaven who will meet her every need.

Lisa and I sincerely appreciate each of you for your prayers, love and support! We could not be in a better place, at a better time!!

All our love!!!!

Chris & Lisa Moore

Two Articles about Real 4 Christ

2011-03-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

http://absoluteafrica.wordpress.com/

Please check out the link and read the two blog post about the Moores ministry in Kenya!!

Revival in Mtepeni

2011-02-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

Great Month of Revival @ MBEWAU"

During the month of February, we have focused on Revival here @ our church in Mtepeni, we call MBEWAU. I was able to preach all four Sundays on the subject of revival in our LIFE, in our HOME, in our WORLD and in our CHURCH. Today was the final message and a perfect ending to the series. Nearly 500 attended, with nearly 200 adults and of course many children!

For the past few weeks we have announced we would give a special gift (a nice Bible) to the person who brought he most visitors on the final Sunday. Rama, our Feeding Center Manager, who also runs our “Sports Ministry” invited his entire volleyball team. Most of the men who come in the evenings to play are not Christians and do not attend our church. In fact, a few of them are Muslim. That’s why we have this ministry, to “draw ALL men to HIM”! Well, on Sunday, 10 of his players came. Of course, he won the Bible but more importantly, 7 of them raised their hands for salvation!! Rama was so happy and I have a feeling that the Sports Ministry will take on a whole new “look” next week.

We started services at 7:30 and ended after 5, which is pretty normal. We even had "pilau" for lunch which is always a crowd pleaser! Lisa and I are so proud to be a part of this small community and this amazing group of believers. We are confident that this is going to be a great year for this church.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Nzaro as he leads these people in the Mtepeni community. Pray that many will come to know Christ as a result of the outreach ministry of MBEWAU. Thanks so much for your love and support.

Moore's Ministry Update!!!

2011-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting our blog! To recieve the latest updates, please click the follow button on the right. Also, to see this in a larger format, just click on the newsletter. Have a great day.

New Beginnings

2011-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

A wise man once said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. "

For the past 2 years we have been praying, buying land, searching for a pastor and evangelizing the area. Our ministry is located right in the middle of Digo country. Digo's are one of the 9 coastal tribes of Kenya which make up the group called "Mijikenda". The Digo's in this area believe they are the only true Muslim tribe of Kenya. They believe that when a Digo child is born, they are born a muslim. Therefore, most are not muslim by "faith" but rather by "birth". Many in the villages never go to the Mosque to pray nor read and understand the teaching of the Koran. This makes evangelism to them and the other tribes in the area extremely challenging. All we have to do is to share with them that they now need the "new" birth, they need to be born again!!

Last September, Pastor Erick Chondo joined us in ministry on the South Coast and we started having Thursday afternoon Bible Studies. In November, with the help of Crossway International, a borehole was placed on the property which brought fresh drinking water to the villages.

Today, under a mango tree, we took that "first step" at Maasai Corner Ministries as we held our first Sunday Worship Service with 36 in attendance (12 children and 24 adults). At the close of the service, Khamisi, a muslim, Digo man, walked forward to have his second birth, giving his life to Christ.

I am not sure which was louder, the sound of the angels rejoicing in Heaven or the shouting under that big mango tree at Masai Corner! What an exciting beginning to what I believe is going to be an amazing ministry in Muslim country, on the South Coast of Kenya. Thanks for all your prayers and support which allow us to be a part of HIS amazing plan here.

Chris & Lisa Moore

Building Benches for the service.

Benches ready for worship.

Preparing for the first Masai Corner service.

36 people in attendence. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Chondo.

Village children hearing about Christ Love for them.

Khamisi asking Christ into his heart.

Mbewau School Building Update

2011-01-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Phase 2 of the Mbewau school building is on hold for the next three months while school is in session. For the safety of the children we have decided to stop construction for now and finish everything up in April. From a falling done mud hut to a beautiful 3 room school building and now we are on our way to having a beautiful 6 room school that can educate almost 200 children. Thank you to each and everyone who has given to our ministry. May God richly bless you for all you have given to help the precious people of Kenya.

Thank You Medical Bridges

2011-01-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Special update from Kenya!!!

I want to thank you for the recent donation of medical equipment tools & supplies that we received. It was a blessing to get back to what God has called us to do here in Kenya, East Africa after having our home robbed and all my medical items taken.

Here are a couple of photos of our most recent Medical Clinic day with a brief article you can use as you wish.

On December 23, 2010 we packed our truck with the medical supplies and tools that were donated by Medical Bridges and drove a couple hours into the remote village of Masai Corner located on the coast of Kenya, East Africa. There is no medical clinic or hospital within a 3 hour walk for the people who live at Masai Corner so, as we began our clinic set up, I was so thankful to have the blood pressure monitor, stethoscopes, otoscopes & thermometers to make our clinic day a success. We saw over 70 people that day and many of them received treatments as a result of being able to properly access their conditions. REAL 4 Christ Ministries sincerely appreciates you partnering with us to experience making a difference in the lives of the Kenyan people.

God Bless You in the New Year,
--
Lisa Moore
Missionary Nurse to Kenya, East Africa

Christmas like no other...

2010-12-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

We had an amazing Christmas morning with our kids. We were able to get up early, drive out to the village of Mtepeni an surprise 13 families with special Christmas Care Packages. These are the poorest of the poor. They literally have nothing.

One quick story on one of the families:

She was born deaf, raped at 14, gave birth to a beautiful son. Now has several more kids (two of which attend our school) She has no husband and no family support whatsoever. We REALLY are her only hope!! I do believe it is on of the best Christmases ever when we can help people like her!! Each of the people who received the packages were so thankful and grateful. They all wanted us to stay for chai, chapati and mandazi!! :) :)

I hope you enjoy some of the pics we took of these amazing families. They send their thanks and gratitude back to you!

Thanks for your love, support and prayers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Construction Begins!

2010-12-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

Construction on the second floor of Mbewau Academy has begun!!! Our little school is growing rapidly and we are so excited that the Standard 1 children will have a brand new class room in just a few months. Over the next two years we will grow the school up to Standard 3 which is 4th grade here in the states.

God continues to AMAZE us as we trust Him to take care of our every need.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support....God Bless!

When all the tears are gone!

2010-12-06T11:20:00.001-08:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Today we buried one of our precious Sunday School kids! Sila was only 9 years old when God decided to call him home. Yesterday, after church, he chose to climb nearly 40 feet into a coconut tree next to his home and fell to his death. I sat by his body until late into the night listening to his mother and other women cry. Today we dug the hole, built a simple wooden box, put new clothes on his body and had a simple service. After the coffin was covered with dirt and the people began leaving back to their homes, I watched as the mother sat on the ground, staring where her son was just buried. I went and knelt next to her. I told her that I would be praying for her and that I would be by to visit every day for the next few weeks. She looked up at me and said the most unusual thing. She said that "her tears were gone". She went on to explain that she had cried all night and most of the day but that now the tears would flow no more.

I left her sitting there and started the journey back home with a heavy heart. Unfortunately, I know what happens when the tears are gone. She will still be a single mother but with one less child. She will still struggle to make ends meet every day for the rest of her life. However, she has her Savior who will carry her through this valley and who will replace her sorrow with joy. She has a church full of people who will love and support her through this time. She has Lisa and I who will do all we can to meet the needs. More importantly, she has all of you praying and supporting her from more than 9,000 miles away.

Lisa and I want to thank each of you for doing your part because without you, we could not be here. You may think it is a quick prayer or a small donation but God will take that "gift" and work miracles. We love each of you and appreciate your partnership with us.

May God bless each of you during this Christmas Season!

Letter from Bob Nichol

2010-11-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

Thank you Bob Nichol and Crossway International for all of your hard work. This H2O water will allow Real 4 Christ Ministries to share Living Water with many Kenyans.

God Bless!!!

Water for Maasai Corner

2010-11-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

On the ferry, heading to South Coast, Kenya

Chris maneauvers the drill rig into position, Masai Corner, Kenya

Justin - Geoffrey - Ken, l-r: On the hunt for water for mud drilling.

After a week of "prep" work, we finally began ACTUALLY drilling this afternoon. We stopped at 40' with the plan of going at least 150 feet or more. I am so excited that within a week or so, these amazing people will for the first time in their lives have clean/safe drinking water. This will be the first step of many that we will make in building a great ministry out here where 90% or more of the people are part of the Digo tribe and nearly all of them are muslim. Pray that that accept the truth and receive Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God...... More to come. Thanks for all your love and support!!!

Mbewau Clinic

2010-11-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Just a few days before we were robbed, we officially opened Lisa's new clinic and she was able to see over 100 people. We moved Nzaro into his new house and "gutted out" his old area next to the church and made it into a LITTLE HEAVEN for Lisa to be able to do her job. I am so proud of her and she is "tickled pink" to have her own, private place. Very nice hospital bed was donated from another ministry here in Kenya!

***Lisa's two medical bags were stolen when the house was robbed. If you or someone you know is in the medical field and would be able to help us replace some of these items please contact us at http://www.real4christ.com/ so that we can send you a list of things we need to replace.***

God is good....

Robbed in Kenya

2010-10-26T11:12:00.001-07:00

Please Pray!! Lisa and I were away from the house today when it was robbed by 5 armed men. They removed and took the safe with a LOT of money, jewelry, passports, bank cards/checks, work permits, etc. All our important docs. They also stole both of Lisa's medical bags with all her medical equipment she uses in the villages. They stole my backpack with all the COPIES of the important docs that we had in the safe! This is what we call a "double wammy"!!

The important thing is that we were not here and no one was hurt. We SERIOUSLY need your prayers as we go through the FUN of closing and reopening all 4 bank accounts, get new work permits and passports. Pray for Lisa as she is apprehensive about our safety. Pray for me as I am dealing with anger and mistrust

Then and Now!

2010-10-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

God has been so good to Real 4 Christ Ministries. Please take a few minutes to read this newsletter from Chris and the Ministry Update blog below.

Ministry Update

2010-10-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow Supporters,

Lisa and I wanted to drop you a quick line and update you on our little school in Kenya. We now have 130 students and we are making plans for 30 more precious 3 year olds coming in January. The kids and staff look great and are so happy! Lisa and I are also happy because each of you have given so much so that we can be a blessing to these amazing people.

Next month we plan to begin the next phase of our building project which is the 2nd floor of our school building and new toilet facilities. Both of these buildings can be built for only $30,000. We would like to have both of these complete by January 1st when we begin our brand new 1st grade class. We are so excited as we make all the plans for this growth.

Here's how you can help. Please pray for us and with us about this need. Pray that the funds will come in on time and the construction will run smoothly. Pray that we find a qualified teacher for this new class. Pray that people will come to know Christ through our ministry here. Please share this email and these pictures with as many people as you can think of and if God presents the opportunity, ask them to consider getting involved with this very important project.

By now, all of you should have received our quarterly Kenya Connection Letter (sent in the mail 3 weeks ago) and our Sept Prayer Letter via email. Each of you should also be receiving periodic updates in email and on Face Book as well (if your not on FB, consider joining our group called "moores2kenya"). Please let us know if you are not getting this regular communication from us and we will get it to you.

Finally, please know that Lisa and I love each of you so much. We do know the financial sacrifice you make every month and we do not take this for granted. We are so blessed to have so many friends across the world who "join hands" with us as we minister here in Mombasa, Kenya.

May God continue to bless each of you!!

Chris & Lisa Moore

Pastor Appreciation Day

2010-09-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today we had "Pastor Appreciation Sunday" for Pastor Nzaro. There were nearly 300 people in attendance and we had an amazing service. Many came with gifts such as corn, beans, chickens, pots, pans, material, and money to show their love for their pastor. Many of his pastor friends traveled from hours away to attend this important event. After the service we fed everyone "Pilau" (rice, beef & spices). Then we presented Nzaro with a motorcycle for him to use for his ministry. He was overwhelmed with tears of joy! He asked me to pass along his appreciation to all of you who give and pray for him and MBEWAU Church & Academy each and every week.

Thanks for supporting our ministry so that we can have great days like today!

Feeding Center Complete!!!

2010-09-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we just finished our Feeding Center and started the 3rd Semester of school. Here are a few pics of the kids and staff enjoying all the new "stuff". Just 2 months ago we were cooking in a mud hut and eating off the ground! We have come a long way, thanks to all of your prayers and support!!

First Day of School

2010-09-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

First day of School! :)

All the children were so excited to start their first day back to school. We have over 20 new students and one new teacher. The kids did not know how to act with their new cafeteria. Sitting on new benches, at new tables in a beautiful new building. Many of them used SPOONS for the very first time. We had more food on the floor than in their little bellies! :) Each of the children are so precious and they each come with their own story. Lisa and I are so proud of MBEWAU and we are honored to be here helping where HE points us. Thanks for your love and support!!

Alfred and the Thief

2010-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Our story will start with a word from Lisa...

This morning (last Sat) I was feeding my monkeys (Duke & Daisy) when I heard alot of screaming outside our gate! As I opened my gate, I saw a young african man being dragged through the street by several security officers. He was beaten and bleeding from his head! I was horrified as I witnessed a mob of Africans continue to punch & kick him then he was thrown into the back of a truck. I have heard people talk about mob justice over the past few months but never thought I would see anything like this happen so close to my home! Not knowing what this man had done to deserve such a beating, the nurse in me kicked in and I was moved with compassion for this stranger. I asked if anyone needed medical attention and a guard replied, "no madam, just stay there." With tears in my eyes, I closed our gate, locked it and went inside my house. An array of emotions went through me and I began to ask God how I can make a difference, inside the walls of my village, this place that I call my home.

Yesterday morning my phone rang @ 6:30. It was Alfred, our gardener, telling me that someone had fallen into the quarry next to our home and that he was presumed dead. I threw on my clothes and drove down there as quick as possible taking Alfred with me. We pushed through a crowd of over 100 people on the edge of the quarry and then descended down the trail leading to the bottom (about 70 feet down). After pushing through another 20 or more people we found the man, not dead but sitting up. He was in VERY bad shape after having fallen more than 70 feet. Blood was everywhere! The bone above his right hand was sticking out of the arm and the hand was at a 90 degree angle, his right leg was at a 90 degree angle obviously broken in more than one place, his right shoulder seemed separated, his head was flat and dented in about 2 inches. Blood all over his body, face and on the ground. The people that had arrived before me were not trying to help in fact they were yelling and had stones in their hands.

The story was that this guy was trying to steal metal off of the roof of someones house and they caught him. He was running away from them and had fallen into the quarry about an hour before I had arrived. The people thought he was dead and he had sat up just minutes before I arrived. Now the mob was insisting on finishing the task of stoning this man to death for his attempted crime of theft. I began yelling at everyone to put down their stones and to walk away, they refused. I then stood in front of the man and said that this man had already paid the price for this crime by falling and breaking his bones. They insisted that this man should die. I stood my ground and said they would have to throw their rocks at this "mzungu" (white dude) because I was not moving. (thinking back on this, probably not a good thing to say but....) Thankfully, they backed off and watched me. I then looked at my only friend in the crowd, Alfred, and said, "let's pick this guy up as best we can and get him to the top of the quarry and into my truck so that we can get him to a hospital".

Here is where the story really gets good!! Alfred said "NO". He then told me that this past Saturday, there were 4 thieves in our neighborhood and that he had joined in the beating of the one they had caught, the other three got away. He said, "this man is one of the guys who got away and he deserves to die." I told Alfred that no one deserved to die like this and that because we were Christians, we had no other choice than to help this man. I reminded him of the story of Jesus and the attempted stoning of the prostitute and the story about the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He then said, "okay, maybe he does not deserve to die but there is blood everywhere and I am afraid of the AIDS!" I then bent down and grabbed the guys bloody body and looked back at him and said, "okay, if this guy has the aids, then we will both be touching the same blood, will you please help me?" In the most amazing moment I have witnessed here in Kenya (and in my entire life), Alfred went against everything he knew in his culture and in his mind and he reached down and grabbed this man with me and we carried him up the long trail to the truck. The crowd did not assist, in fact many of them told us they would stone us with the thief but we kept climbing. Alfred, being a Kenyan, was the one that was taking all the risks, he was the true hero of the moment!!

By the time we arrived at the top of the quarry, Lisa was there to help us get him into the truck. People were pushing us and yelling that we could not take him but we kept pushing back, getting into the truck and drove down the trail to the road. 45 minutes later we arrived at the hospital and we turned him over to 3 doctors who began to care for him. They asked us for all the details, we gave them none, other than to say that he had fallen and that he desperately needed their help. All the way home, Alfred asked many questions and for the first time in his young Christian life, he realized the value of life in God's eyes and that God loves us all no matter what we have done. I love Alfred and his willingness to be a bigger man and to "swim against the current" no matter the consequences. I love this country that God has called me and Lisa to because there is an opportunity every minute of every day to share the love of Christ! There are so many who do not know Him both here and there in the USA, we all must do our part to share what we know to be true about Christ, to whoever we meet, whenever we can.

Thanks for all your prayers, love and support. Keep them coming!!

Feeding Center Update

2010-08-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

We serve a mighty GOD! Just over a year ago we started our new school building. In the next few weeks we will complete our new feeding center. The children of Mbewau Academy will be served 2 meals a day in this beautiful facility.

We are so very thankful to everyone who has given sacrificially to this project. You are making a huge difference in the lives of many Kenyans.

God Bless!!!

San Antonio Trip Update

2010-08-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our Team of 7 left San Antonio on July 10 and returned on July 23rd. While the men helped build the feeding center, the ladies taught the school children bible lessons, crafts, games & songs. Two days were spent working in the medical clinic w/ Lisa. While watching the construction workers, we realized the 11 men had no shoes on their feet! One worker had wrapped his feet in plastic trash bags! This broke our hearts and we raised enough money right there to purchase shoes for these men.

Learning there was an immediate need for a fence around the new property, our men started digging holes and placing fence posts while a group of local boys began clearing the land.

We had several opportunities to visit the villages throughout Mtpeni while blessing many kids with shoes. We prayed with dozens who received Christ and had many conversations with devout Muslims, planting the seed for future harvest.

It was very sobering to see the conditions under which the villagers lived…no electricity, no running water, just dirt floors, poor sanitation and disease. But their sweet, welcoming spirit and unique hospitality was such a blessing to experience.

On Sunday, Paul preached his first sermon. At the conclusion, 9 people prayed to receive Christ! As in years past, the rain was pelting down, but we still baptized 16 people who had accepted Christ as their Savior.

Our team was so blessed for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many in and around MBEWAU. We left Kenya honored to have served God and our hearts are forever changed in ways we had not anticipated. Praise God for all He has done and will continue to do!

Mtepeni Day 1

2010-07-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Jambo Jamboooo! Today was such a great day, it was just awesome to be reunited with everyone!

My baby Lauren remembered me and when she saw me she was the first to scream "Torrrri" with my r in the middle rolled.
The kids are all so precious. It's quite hard though when there is only 7 of us on the team and only 3 girls to play with 100 kids.
Where as the past trips there has been 20 of us to play with about 70 kids. So it gets crazy when kids are pushing each other to hold our hand. At one point I had the kids in a line and I would pick them up and throw them in the air and put them down and then they would run to the back of the line. This was a good method until my arms started dying after the like 25th kid. So after that I decided to sit down, and then I literally had at least 12 kids sitting on me starting at my feet all the way to my stomach and then 2 on each arm holding my arm and then kids behind me playing with my hair. It was stressful but I loved every minute of it! Hearing them say my name and remember me was just so awesome. I can't wait to start doing the medical clinics tomorrow!
Oh and my parents and my close friends know this but Gladys wasn't here today at school but I talked to the teacher and she said she should be here tomorrow, so YAY! okay well guys I am super tired and hopefully I will have more things to blog about tomorrow!

Lala Salama ( good night!)

Tori

Shoes have arrived!

2010-07-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

San Antonio Team

After an extended stay in London, the shoes have arrived. PTL!

Tonight we had an opportunity to enjoy dinner with the host missionaries Chris and Lisa Moore at the Milele Beach Hotel. At dinner, Chris told us that he had received a phone call from Kenyan Airlines saying the lost baggage had arrived.

So Chris, Lisa and Josh braved the roads of Kenya at night. Nearly dying twice in traffic (literally) we made it to Moi International Airport so I could be harassed and extorted by the local customs official. After his repeated requirement that I pay duty on the shoes brought over for the less fortunate, I informed him that he could either have me detained or tell me good evening; either way, he was not going to get any coin from me.

22 seconds later, I took my bag and walked out of the customs office (still with a full wallet) and met Chris to try the streets of Kenya for a second time.

Tomorrow, we will be leaving at 0745 for the village of Mtepeni so Kevin, Tim, Paul and Josh may begin construction of their new feeding center. Stay tuned for more details and to find out what Teasha, Brittany and Tori did with the kids.

Kenya Mission: day one - starts tomorrow.

We have Arrived

2010-07-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

San Antonio team has arrived!

Last night after about 24 hours of straight flying, we arrived in Mombasa and met Chris and Lisa Moore. Teasha will tell you about everything in between:

Teasha: Fine. OK, we flew from SA to Chicago. I didn't know there was a Garrett's in the O'Hare airport. Chicago to London, we all wanted to leave the London airport and sight see but we only had 3 hours and it wasn't worth going throught customs. Finally, we flew 10 hours and 20 minutes from London to Nairobi, Kenya. (hey you know those shoes, we stuffed into 2 large carry on's, well 1 was too large and was checked in Chicago and was left in London.) We then flew from Nairobi to Mombasa.

Today we are all recovering from our 2 day travels. So, today is now Monday, around noon and Tori, Brittany, Josh and I are all sitting in the outdoor reception area communicating with the world electronically. We are all waiting for the restaurant to open to eat...and we're off. Talk to everyone in a few.

J and T

The Holy Spirit is ALWAYS present (even at Wal Mart)

2010-07-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

San Antonio, Missions Team

So here we are, the night before we all leave. Teasha and I are doing some last minute shopping and gathering when my flip flops break and fall off my feet. Seeing this as a sign, we head to Wal-Mart (281@1604 for all the locals.)

As we are walking through the aisles, I comment to Teasha about a Facebook post that I read from Chris Moore (Pastor/Missionary - REAL 4 Christ Ministries) today about shoes. As we round the corner, we find an entire wall of shoes for $3.00 per pair - and they were all kids shoes. After just a look at each other, we begin emptying the shelves of 100 pairs.

But it gets better...

The managers had just closed all but three of the registers and there were about 40-50 people standing in line waiting to check out. Did I mention that all of the registers were right next to each other? Couples and shoppers started staring at this cart mounded with shoes. One woman finally garnered the courage to ask the question that everyone was wanting to ask: "What are the shoes for?"

We told her that we were heading to Africa in the morning and the shoes were for a large group of children. It was a brief overview of the mission trip ahead; she replied, "I just got the chills." She thanked us for what we were doing and went back to her husband in the checkout line.

As I went to hunt for a large box, the woman's husband came over and handed Teasha $40.00 without a word. The woman (Dina) said, "We want to help." After hugs were exchanged, with a large group of bystanders watching, another woman silently came forward and handed Teasha a twenty dollar bill saying, "I think this is great what you are doing."

That was when Teasha lost it and started crying in the middle of the store.

So, for all of the naysayers, for anyone who thinks that the Lord is not always watching, always guiding...this is a story for you. God is always present...even in Wal-Mart at 11:30 at night.

God is Awesome!

Josh Perkins

Special Prayer Request

2010-07-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

From Chris

Please pray for the team flying into Kenya tomorrow night. Pray for safety, rest, no lost luggage and excitement as they embark upon the greatest 2 weeks of their lives. Lisa and I are so happy to have this team come and be a blessing to the people of the village of Mtepeni and MBEWAU Academy & Church.

Continue to pray that the "$25 per child sponsorships" would come in for feeding the 107 children we now have at the school. Pray that the project funds would come in for us to be able to complete the Feeding Center and begin building the 2nd floor to the school which we will need next year. Pray that we can build Pastor Nzaro a nice home to live in and that we can get him some transportation to travel through the villages he ministers to each week.

God has answered so many prayers and we are excited about what the next weeks, months and years will bring here in Kenya. Lisa and I say it as often as we can, THANK YOU for everything. Please keep up the support each month, keep those prayers coming and let us hear from you from time to time.

All our love,
Chris & Lisa

San Antonio Team

2010-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

7 Days and counting...

The team has been assembled, we have packed the goods, Visas are squared away, passports are in hand. We leave in seven days for Mombasa, Kenya.

Since this is the first post, I will keep it short. We will be traveling to Mtepeni Village just outside of Mombasa to assist with the building of the village, help with feeding and cleaning, witness and evangelize and continue to practice being good Christians. Will keep everyone posted as we get closer to the airplanes and closer to Africa.

Blessings,

Josh Perkins

Outside These Walls

2010-07-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Outside the walls of every school and feeding center there are children that can not come in. The schools are full or lacking funds to bring more children in. The following poem was written by one of our team members that was really touched by seeing this.

Outside These Walls
By: Steve Kelley

There is hope within these walls, The children laugh and play.
From the heart, the Spirit calls, “Joy and Peace here today!”
All the smiles are very bright, The eyes are filled with trust.
Workers toil into the night, The lives are made robust.
Christians come from near and far, to minister and pray.
Once inside, God fills their jars, Such an ironic way!
Music fills the air inside, Praise and worship ring true.
God is worthy, let’s abide, together me and you.
Inside there is light- A life with Jesus brings peace.
We were blind, but now have sight. The joy of his grace won’t cease!

But outside these walls it’s dark. People must know our Lord.
The hope that faith brings to hearts, The strength that comes from His Word.
Ye soldiers you must press on- Christ’s high calling in you.
Till all God’s children are won, ‘Tis the least that we can do.
Don’t rest, don’t weary, don’t quit. The Lord is coming soon.
We must find lost souls to fit, With a crown that cannot be removed!

Home

2010-06-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

We have been home for a week now. My mind goes back to our debriefing time at Chris and Lisa Moore's house right before we headed to the air port. Bruce O'neal made this statement, "we will get on an air plane and go home but the missionaries will remain here." I am so very thankful for all of the missionaries that have answered God's call to go to a foreign field.

God had a divine appointment set for the Moores and Hayes' when we met 2 years ago. Our focus changed, our life was changed, now our friends and families lives are being changed through God's work that is going on 9,000 miles away in Kenya. We are really excited to see what God has for us in the future. Kim and I want to return to Kenya with another team or two next year.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in going on a short term missions trip to Kenya please contact us. God is really using these trips to reach the lost and touch the hearts of His people.

God Bless,

David Hayes

Coming Home Today!

2010-06-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

This has been such a wonderful trip!!! The thing that has stood out the most to me, has been what a difference that we can and have been making here in Kenya. Through the support of Hallmark, there is a new school with over a hundred smiling, happy children, and a new feeding center currently being built! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We are looking forward to seeing you soon:)

If you would like to see more pics from the trip go to:

http://www.facebook.com/kimhayes11?v=photos

See you soon!

Kim

Day 8 & 9 Mtepeni

2010-06-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! we are at the end. It is difficult to put into words the feelings in my heart. I am so thankful for the MANNA ministries, Real 4 Christ and the work they are doing here. The Lord touched my heart unbelievably on Tuesday when we saw Mercy and Paul who was the liaison between the states and Kenya during her surgery. My heart was filled when I saw her running, jumping and smiling. Another highlight was buying drums for past Allen's work. They were so excited to be able to enhance their music program. The clinic day was also a bonus when we gave all the children and workers tetanus shots. Even though we couldn't explain the process to the kids, they did fairly well. It is unthinkable that these kids have never had any inoculations. In the sates, we would be appalled. We are so blessed!!! Thank you church for your prayers and support while we have been here.

Kelly Wagner

It’s our last night in Africa. As I look back on the week, I am thankful for the many blessings we have received from our Kenyan brothers and sisters and grateful to our Mungu (God) for this opportunity. The gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading across this region and the Kenyan believers are very passionate and real in their worship. I love listening to the little children sing praises to God in English and Swahili. The greatness of God came to life this week. The same God we worship, serve, turn to in times of need, etc. in America is the same God that the Kenyans worship, serve, and turn to in their times of need. He is so big that he cares for each of us and hears us in our own language. Greg Wagner was leading a lady through the sinner’s prayer on Saturday and needed two interpreters due to the different tribal dialects. I could not get close to the door where they were gathered due to the amount of mud/puddles and small amount of dry area around the door so I stood back a little ways and prayed for Greg and the woman hearing the gospel. At one time God heard each of the English, two variations of Swahili, and knew the heart of each of us and cared deeply for each person there and we were just a small part of everything going on in the world. Our Mungu is truly a GREAT and MIGHTY GOD and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a small part of what He is doing here in Kenya. We love you all and we are looking forward to arriving back in Texas on Tuesday. Thank y’all for your prayers. God Bless.

Sean Willeford

Safari!!!

2010-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Day 5 & 6- Vipingo, Mtepeni and Parani

2010-06-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry for not blogging sooner. We have been so busy and are having a great time! First we visited Vipingo and got to see Mercy! She is doing well. For those of you who don't know Mercy, she had a health condition that caused her head to become enlarged. Because of her condition, she was having trouble with balance, seizures and migraines. When we came back from Kenya last year, we presented to the church the opportunity to help her by giving the funds to have surgery. In one morning, the people of Hallmark donated all the funds needed!

After going to Vipingo, we visted MBEWAU (the school that hallmark funded to be built last year). It was amazing to see the progress that has been made in just a year. We played with the kids and had a medical clinic where we gave all the kids and teachers tetnus shots. Hopefully the kids won't hate us too much.

Day 6 we visited Parani school and feeding center. It was about a 2 hour drive south of Mombasa, almost to the Tanzia border. The kids there especially loved the balloon animals that we made for them. After doing classroom activities, the school hosted a soccer and volleyball tournament for the community.

Day 3 and 4- Injili and Vipingo

2010-06-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin... God is doing amazing things here in Kenya. This has been one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. Monday, we went to the Gospel feeding center. After spending the whole day singing to the kids, I asked them to sing me a song. What they started singing was the most touching songs. "Thank you for the food you gave me. Thank you for clothing me. Thank you for sending someone to teach me." WOW!!!!

How can kids that have so little be so thankful? This trip has really opened my eyes to how "spoiled" I am. I can't wait to come home and share everything God has done on this trip... In the lives of Kenyan people and in my own life. God is awesome!

Justin Tomasi

Janelle Willeford

Thank you to everyone that is praying for all of us on this Africa trip. God is amazing and we are seeing HIM at work all of the time. The trip over was long and sometimes complicated with large number of people and all of our luggage. After a good night sleep I look back and think, it wasn’t so bad. I say that because of the amazing experiences we have had. I wish I could give all of you a chance to experience this trip through our eyes.

We have visited the 2nd largest slum in the world and you just can’t believe that people actually live like this. After walking through part of the slum we arrived at the Manna feeding center and school. The children were so excited to have all of us there. Watching them sing about Jesus and the smiles on their faces really humbled me. Our society takes so much for granted.

We have spent the last two days at the Gospel Center. We celebrated the building of a high school and were able to have church service there. Pastor Allen is doing great things for the people of the area. Spending time with the kids has been so much fun. I only wish Ashton and Aaron could have the opportunity. They would love it. Today we were able to play games, face paint, make bracelets, sing, and make balloon hats, swords, and animals. We served lunch and helped hand out shoes for all of the kids from the center. I believe, that groups visiting is one of the highlights of these kids life.

If I were to pick the coolest experience so far it would be singing songs, worshiping our Lord together.

Today was an amazing day. We went out to visit Vipingo MANNA Center and were able to see Mercy run around and play without pain. She has the most beautiful smile. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! God is doing so many great things through the MANNA ministry in Kenya.

Matt. 13:19-15

Greg Wagner

For more pics go to:

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=444061&id=536100130

Day 2- Injili

2010-06-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We had a great day at Injili Baptist Church and school. The church service was full of singing and joy. The choirs were amazing and we really felt God's presence there. After the service, the people of Injili hosted a dedication service for the new high school in memory of Valerie McMillan. We were the guest of honor. They made a beautiful cake and had a feast prepared for us:) We made many new friends and it was great to be able to connect with them because of the love that we all share through having a relationship with Christ!

Thank you for all your prayers!

Kim Hayes

For more pics visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=443388&id=536100130&ref=mf

Things are busy in Kenya

2010-06-14T05:24:00.001-07:00

Hotel Info

Severin Sea Lodge. Bamburi Beach

Emergency Number + 245 712293743....David

Today is Monday. Sorry that we haven't written.

Saturday, we arrived in Nairobi and visited the Kibera Slums. Afterwards we went to the Connerups school about an hour and a half outside of Niarobi.

Sunday we had a wonderful time at Injili Baptist Church. The service was very exciting. The African music was so inspiring to just let go and let God move. I have decided to get out of the way and just let God work. I will not stand in the way of His moving in my life.

The internet is very slow. We are working on loading pics.

God Bless,

David Hayes

For more photos go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=442859&id=536100130

Today we fly!!!

2010-06-10T05:13:00.001-07:00

Last night we had a wonderful time with family and friends at our send off service. Thank You to all who came.

Please pray that our flights are on time and no bags get lost. We have so much stuff for the kids in the feeding centers. God is so good!

Here is the hotels contact info. Once in Kenya I will have a Kenyan phone for emergencies and will post that number.

Severin Sea Lodge:

P.O. Box 82169 Mombasa 80100 - Kenya

Telephone +254 (0)41 5485001-5

God Bless,

David

5 days left

2010-06-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mission Mombasa 2010 will be taking flight in five days. Ministry bags are packed, fundraisers are complete, training sessions are over and now we are waiting to see what God has for us in Kenya. We have a large team from Hallmark and more people coming from Kentucky. Please keep us in your prayers as we take care of all the little things here at home as we prepare to take flight on Thursday. God has some wonderful things planned for us. We trust Him to take care of all of the flights, luggage and family back home. Thank you to those that have donated financially, school and medical supplies. You are truly laying up treasures in Heaven. Have a great worship service tomorrow and GOD BLESS!!!

Shipping Container

2010-05-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

We have 40 ft shipping container in San Antonio, Tx. If anyone would like to donate slightly used tools and construction equipment please email us at real4christ@gmail.com. We can accept childrens clothing, slightly used shoes, school supplies and Diet Dr Pepper for Mrs. Lisa.

1. Any power tools that can be used with the generator for woodworking or construction purposes.

2. Power Tools that run off battery like the RYOBI or sets like that.

3. Heavy Duty Wheel Barrows, the ones here break within a month or two.

4. Good Hand Tools (shovel, rake, hoe, stamper, sledge hammer, etc) that can be used on a construction worksite.

5. Ladders, heavy duty ones as the ones here break within a few months.

6. Chainsaws

7. Air Compressor with ANY Air Tools

8. Welding Set/Rig

9. Generator are weak here and tooooo expensive. I REALLY need a 10,000 BTU to be able to use for everything here including used as a back up generator for facilities should power go out as it does just about every day here.

Lets fill it UP!!!

Breaking Ground

2010-05-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Hallmark Baptist, we have been able to start work on the foundation of our newest building at our school, a feeding center that will be able to feed 300 kids twice a day year round! Please pray for some good weather so that the work on this building can go smoothly. It has rained almost every day for the last four weeks.

First Week of School

2010-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mbewau Academy started its second semester of school this week. The children are so excited to be in their new classrooms and using brand new desk! Thank you to the many people who have had a part in this project. In the last year and a half we have brought fresh drinking water, electricity, restroom facilities, and a new three room school building to Mbewau Church and Academy. Our next project is a cafeteria facility that will can feed over 300 children at one time.

Nehmah

2010-05-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

The happiest day of her life was the day she died! Nehmah has lived 22 yrs with severe cerebral palsy, confined to a wheel chair, unable to do anything for herself. For the past 3 yrs we have tried our best to minster to her medical needs but there was only so much we could do. This morning she woke up in Heaven, running on new legs, waving with new arms and hanging out with God. Pray for us as we speak to family and friends at her funeral tomorrow, that the lost will come to Christ.

The latest from Kenya!

2010-04-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not written in a few weeks! It is not because nothing has been happening here but rather we have been so busy in the ministry! The work at the school continues to move forward. The rainy season began about 3 weeks ago and it has rained nearly every day since. Because of this we are putting in sidewalks at our school so the kids are not in the mud all day. We are also planting grass and plants to cover some of the mud. While this is the season that everyone here in Kenya prays for, it also brings much sickness and disease.

Lisa is busy attending to the medical needs of the people but we know that in a month or so it will become overwhelming to handle all the malaria and respiratory cases that will come in. Please pray that we will always be able to provide medicine where there is a need. We provide it free for the people but when it runs out, we have to wait until more funds come in to buy additional meds.

Yesterday I spent the the entire day on the south coast trying to get our new property situated. We managed to get the surveyor out there and we marked out the borders of the nearly 5 acres. It is beautiful land with mango trees, cashew trees, coconut trees and other native plants! Two major prayer requests regarding this land: (1) pray that we can finalize all the government paperwork and get the title deed complete (2) pray that we raise about $3000 to fence the property and begin the process of building our next ministry site.

God is faithful and we are so excited each and every day that we have to serve Him here. Thanks to ALL of you who pray for us and give donations so that we can stay here and do this amazing work. Please keep them both coming....

Love,
Chris & Lisa

Kenya Training!

2010-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today we had our first training session for the Hallmark Team going to Kenya in June. It was a wonderful time of getting to know everyone on the team and having a very tasty Kenyan lunch cooked by a native Kenyan lady. The Ft Worth Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship was there to teach us some really fun songs and how to make balloon figures. The Kenyan children are going to love the balloon swords, hats, and dogs.

Chris and Lisa were able to Skype in to say hello and update everyone on how things are going on at our school in Mtepeni. God is doing some amazing things in Kenya and we are really excited to get there. We fly in 47 days!!!

Please pray that all of the travel details fall into place and that all of the teams funding will come in.

God Bless

David Hayes

Thank You!

2010-04-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Please click on the pic to enlarge...Thank You!

God is Working in Mtepeni!

2010-04-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

The new desk are built and in place. Mrs. Lisa is holding medical clinics and treating children. The new logo is on all the buildings. Soon the school will be full of children learning reading, math, english and most importantly hearing about our amazing LORD and SAVIOUR! Thank You to everyone who has given towards these projects!!! God Bless!

The Best Easter Ever

2010-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Easter was amazing! Bob Nichol "Babu" and Dean Chollar came down for a quick visit to see how the water well was doing and visit the folks at Mtepeni. Dean preached a great sermon and then baptized 7 precious people. I think we were the only church in Kenya with a blind preacher who preached AND baptizing. Heaven got real loud around 1pm our time today when the angels were cheering for all those decisions!! :)

We are so blessed to have so many people who love, pray for and support Real 4 Christ Ministries. Tomorrow we begin a two day Pastors Conference, we are expecting over 100 pastors to be present, some will travel several hours to hear encouraging teaching from Dean. The school and church are doing very well and we hope to have over 100 children ages 3-7 enrolled in the 2nd term starting the first week of May.

Thanks for everyone who takes the time to write, pray for us and for those who sacrificially give every month so that we can live here and provide medicine, education, and most of all the love of Christ. We are here because you are there.....

Love Ya,
Chris & Lisa

God answers Prayer!!!

2010-03-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

This week is the beginning of what seems to be one of the biggest answers to prayer for the past three years concerning the work we have begun in the village of Mtepeni. When I met Pastor Nzaro for the first time, nearly 3 years ago, we prayed over the land, his church and the mud school. I knew God was going to do something special there. After making plans for the extension of the existing building, refurbishing the church, tearing down the mud school building and preparing for the new school to be built, we discussed the future of the property and how we could expand if necessary. At that time, the owner of the land next to ours was not even willing to discuss the possibility of selling us a portion of his. But through lots of prayer, showing ourselves friendly & Christ like, and several discussions, his heart has been softened. Last week he called Pastor Nzaro and Jackson saying that he was now wanting to help the church/school with some land. He has 4 acres next to our one and he is willing to discuss the sale of the one acre that runs next to ours.

Anyway, to get to the point, the land owner next to us is willing to sale the acre we want for only 500,000KSH which is $6,666.00 (about $2,500 less than most of the land around us.) The negotiations are still underway but I feel that we will reach some sort of an agreement by the end of this week. On Saturday, Nzaro, Justin, Jackson, our lawyer and another pastor are meeting with the owner. If all goes well, the land surveyor will come out next week, mark the land and plot it. The lawyer will draw up the documents and the Title Deed process will begin. Missionary Jim Horne and Crossroads Fellowship have also agreed to put up 100,000KSH ($1,300 US) to help with the purchase of this land should it go through next week.

Here in Kenya, if you are running a Primary School, KG1 through Standard 8, you are required to have enough land to accommodate toilet facilities, play area (soccer fields) and ample room for the children. Our prayer is that MBEWAU ACADEMY (name of our school in Mtepeni) will grow to this level in the next 10 years. With 30 kids in 11 classes, this will mean 330+ kids, teachers and staff. With this additional acre, not only will we be able to have all of these things but we can hopefully build Pastor Nzaro a home one day and move him and his extended family of 9 out of the 12x12 area that have lived in for the past 10+ years. We could also build a clinic where many can come to be seen. The church at Mtepeni has already begun planning a Sports Ministry where they will open the compound 3 days per week in the evenings for the young people to come and play sports (currently volleyball and a SMALL soccer area). With this additional land, soccer will attract thousands that will come to play and then hear the word of God preached after each game.

We have several short term missions teams coming to visit this summer. Please pray that God will lead people to help us buy this piece of property and to sponsor the feeding of these children on a monthly basis.

Village Sunday...

2010-03-02T04:48:00.001-08:00

Team,

Sunday was amazing. After a 1 hour drive on roads I should not have been with a little "borrowed" car, I finally arrived to a little mud church of a handful of people. Pastor Nzaro is helping this sister church until they get a new pastor. So his entire church (50+ adults) walked nearly 4 miles to be in this service. They walked the entire way in the POURING RAIN!! All of them arrived about 30 minutes after we had started the singing, soaking wet, muddy but with a smile that only the love for Jesus could put on their face.

We worshiped through music for nearly 2 hours then I spoke about ways we could "give" back to God through SERVICE, SACRIFICE and by telling our STORY (John 12) The entire time I preached, with tears in my eyes, I realized while these people had nothing according to our standards, they SERVED & SACRIFICED everyday of their lives even to the point of them just being there that morning. Their smiles and sweet worship to God that morning ministered to me far greater than I to them. 3 young people gave their lives to Christ! :) My prayer is for that little church and those precious people. My prayer is for each of us to be so thankful for the many blessings we have. My prayer is that I will be a broken vessel for HIM each and every day. God Bless......
Chris & Lisa Moore

Funeral Saturday

2010-02-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hey team, just got back from a loooooong day! 6 hour funeral, over 3,000 people, I preached Jesus, Anna (7 year old who goes to our school, daughter of the man who died) never let go of my hand the entire time. Real 4 Christ will pay the school fees, food fees and uniform fees for Anna and Samson (her 4 year old brother who started in our "baby class" this year) as their widowed, unemployed, uneducated mother has no where else to turn. The majority of the time, when a father/husband dies here in Kenya, life comes to an abrupt halt for the wife/mother and her kids. Pray that we will be JESUS to these precious people of Mtepeni, Kenya. Pray that we will find sponsors for the nearly 70 children that now attend MBEWAU ACADEMY.

God Bless!

Death on the Kenyan Coast...

2010-02-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

The value of a human life in most third world countries is fragile at best. Here in Kenya, it is certainly no different. Yesterday, while staring at a pool of dried blood on the floor of a home, one of our pastors shared one of the saddest stories I have ever heard, one that will be etched in my mind for many years to come. One of the women in the church (names & places have been omitted for privacy) was murdered by several people during the middle of the night. From what witnesses and the police can tell, this was not a "theft gone bad", these people came to the house for one purpose, to kill. The reason, for this brutal act will shock you! This lady was making some "trinkets" to sell and her competitors thought she was taking away their business, so they eliminated her. The cost of the goods was about 10 cents!! This young mother & wife, was killed over pennies.

Minutes later, as I stood by the bed where her husband laid, through tears, he shared this story with me. He had cuts on his head, arms and legs. His head was swollen where they had beaten him with a club. He kept asking, "why would they want to kill my wife, she did nothing wrong?!" Unfortunately, I had very few words of encouragement to give as I was standing there in shock of what I had just heard. We prayed with him and did our best to comfort him.

The story does not get better...... This couple has more than a dozen children they care for, many are orphans. Several of them attend one of our Christian schools here and have more needs than we can begin to count. This week, each of those kids are struggling with the loss of their mom and with the near death of their dad. They will experience grief that I would not wish upon any child. They will be forever changed by these series of events! The funeral will take place on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend that funeral as I will be attending another funeral at the same time in Mtepeni. The father of two of our school kids was hit by a motorcycle and died Monday night. He leaves behind a wife in her 20's, 5 kids, 2 are twins that were born 10 weeks ago. I will share more about this story in our Quarterly Newsletter next month.

Please pray for Lisa and I as we try to comfort these families. There have been a total of 3 deaths this week (3 funerals this Saturday). Pray for the spouses and kids left behind as they have to try to pick up the pieces, pay the bills and go on living without a loved one. Pray that we can win the lost who will come to these funerals. Pray that God will be given all the glory and honor through these situations.

It's been a sad week in Kenya...Chris & Lisa

We found a house!

2010-02-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Hey Team,

We have had another great week in Mombasa. Most mornings Lisa and I get up, share FRESH fruits (mangos, bananas, melons, pineapple, etc) have our devotions, chat on SKYPE with whoever happens to still be awake in the USA and then we head off to Mtepeni. The class building will be complete this Monday. We made a few upgrades like running water to the small room on the end that Lisa will use for her clinic, adding security lights on the corners of the building and security bars on the office and storeroom. I will be sending a dozen or so pics next week on FB, look for them.

PRAISE: We have found a vehicle and a house. They were both WAY TOOOOO expensive but Mombasa (actually most of Kenya) seems to be getting that way. The vehicle is coming from Japan and should arrive in 6 weeks. 8 1/2 year old Prado (small SUV), 75,000 miles, good 4WD work truck for nearly $30,000!! :( The home is nice, tropical flower gardens, 4 bedrooms, compound yard inside of a compound community with security on all four corners, bars on all windows and doors, SAFE, SAFE, SAFE!! :)

UPCOMING PROJECTS: In April, we hope to break ground for the feeding center/cafeteria/kitchen/chapel building. This is GREATLY needed as we plan to have 5 classes going in January with 20-30 children in each. This building will cost just under $20,000. We need $8,000 next month to begin the foundation planning. Please pray about how you might be involved with this need.

MISSION TRIPS: There are THREE groups coming so far this year. (1) In April, Bob Nichol & Dean Chollar with CrossWay International will be coming for a short week to "dedicate" the water well they installed at Mtepeni. They will also preach a Pastors Conference and travel to the South Coast to see the 5 acres we are planning to develop in the future. (2) In June, Hallmark Baptist and MANNA Worldwide will be bringing a 50 person team to visit many of the MANNA sites, "dedicate" a new high school, spend some time at Mtepeni and OFFICIALLY open the new classrooms that Hallmark and others helped build. (3) In July, a group from SA, TX will travel to Mtepeni with a team to help finish building the new Feeding Center. They will also spend time with the children, evangelize, and do many other things. We still need about 6-8 more people to join this team. If you have any interest in HARD WORK and LOTS OF BLESSINGS, this is the team for you. We are trying to ship a container full of building supplies, tools, generator, playground equipment, etc. two months ahead of this team. If you or someone you know can help donate any of these items, that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!!! :)

Well, that's enough for now......

Love, Chris & Lisa Moore

Happy Saturday!

2010-02-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

Hey Team,

We are doing fine here in Mombasa. Found a vehicle but have to wait 6 weeks as it is coming from Japan! :) Still looking for a home, prices have nearly doubles in the past two years. A decent home goes for around $1,500! :) Had the funniest thing happen to me this morning. A man came to our door and said the following: "Migu ya gari amelala" which literally means "the foot of the car is sleeping" which was supposed to mean "you have a flat tire"!!! :) Swahili is AWESOME!!! :)

Love and miss you all. When we can, we will turn on SKYPE every morning from 7am-8:30am. (We are 8 hours ahead of EST, 9 hours ahead for you TEXANS) Please give us a shout sometime....

Big Blessing!!!

2010-02-02T13:04:00.001-08:00

Here is the BIGGEST miracle. We get off the plane in NAI and head down to Immigrations which can take an hour+ when they want to be rigid. We went to a new line that had just opened and within 5 minutes we were done. Then went down stairs and the first 20 bags that came off the belt, all 8 of ours were there. Again, we usually lose a peice or two each time we go and wait for Kenya Air to call a few days later, Then we left and got stopped to inspect each bag and tax us on what they found, well I "loved on this man" and within a few minutes he let us through with no bags checked or opened!!! AIN'T GOD GOOD!!!!!

-Chris Moore

The Journey Begins!!!

2010-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Jan 31...Our home church, Hallmark Baptist, hosted a going away service for Chris and Lisa. It was a really touching service. Chris sang "What Now?" and showed a slideshow with pictures from past missions trips. After that him and Lisa gave their personal testimonies and shared their hearts about Kenya, family and Real 4 Christ Ministries. The whole church gathered at the alter with Chris' parents and sister to pray and send them off with God's blessing.

Feb 1...Today they flew to Kenya. Please pray for safe travel, quick processing of their resident visas and id cards, housing and getting their shipping container. Sometimes things move really slow in Kenya and all of these things need to happen so that they can get ready for the first team to arrive in June.

We will update the blog on a regular basis.

God Bless!!!

2 more days!!!

2010-01-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

TEARS......I try to hold them back but God releases them, burning down my cheek. My heart hurts, my breath is short, sadness surrounds me and words escape me. I yearn to return to those who love me most and yet I must "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God". Our excitement to get to Kenya will be the same to return to each of you. Lisa and I love all of you more than you will ever know.

Chris Moore

Huge answer to prayer!!!

2010-01-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

Work Permit for Kenya.

Huge Answer to Prayer!!! Our Work Permit was approved this morning in Nairobi. This is one of the few steps we have to take in order to be able to live and work in Kenya.

Special thanks to Lance Patterson, missionary in Nairobi for handling this for us. Pray the Visa and Resident ID Process goes smoothly also.

1 week left!!!!

2010-01-25T17:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a FULL past week. We were able to visit our son in College Station and our daughter in San Antonio. On Friday night, we were able to say goodbye to all of our precious friends who have supported Real4Christ Ministries for the past two years in San Antonio. Wade & Cathy West hosted an incredible dinner for 82 people. 6 new people joined our team that night.

Last night after dinner in San Angelo, we almost hit a truck pulling out of the parking lot. A few minutes later, I received a phone call from the owner of the truck. It was Gerald & Gail Clark, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, San Angelo. I almost hit the pastor of a church I have been to twice and have been trying to get them to support us for the past year!!! The pastor said, "Well, this must be a sign from God, we will start supporting you next month if you promise not to run me over next time we meet!!" :) Yet ANOTHER "Divine Appointment" and blessing from God and another precious contributor to our ministry in Kenya.

This morning we were able to be with Pastor Phil Webber and the wonderful people of Lifepoint Church. We had a wonderful time with them in all three morning services. They have also decided to support us on a monthly basis. After church, a visiting couple blessed Lisa and I with a special love offering as well. What a GREAT week!!!

We now have ONE WEEK left here in the USA. It will be a very busy last week as we pack, preach, and say goodbye to many close friends and family members. Please keep us in your prayers specifically that the churches and people who have promised support will follow through and we will leave FULLY FUNDED.

We love you guys. Please STAY IN TOUCH.....

Chris & Lisa