FAREWELL UGANDA - & 1 VERY SPECIAL LADY !

We were determined OUR LAST DAY IN UGANDA to hold NOTHING back! 

We came early to the little bamboo framed church where we'd arrived our 1st day in Uganda, for Sunday a.m. worship service. The music was lively & sung in a native Ugandan tongue that none of us knew. 

I couldn't sing the words, but through the rhythm & chord progression of the songs, it occurred to me that these songs were basically structured the same as old delta blues tunes, reinforcing the idea that we were on the continent where blues (from which later rock & roll were birthed) & a lot of the music we now love originated. Anyway, sorry that was a very random occurrence, but on w/ the important stuff. 

The worship leader had an Usher t-shirt on, which made Susan & Larry feel right at home.

Ok seriously now, after a solid time of worship the team was invited to present their numbers.  It was an inspired presentation & everyone sort of knew that this might be the last time we minister in Africa & it was time to leave it all out on the floor.  The dances were heartfelt & graceful, and the drama definitely spoke to everyone present. Carla & Shirley both gave outstanding testimonies & Larry brought the message & invitation to accept the Lord.

The response was beautiful as several ladies received Jesus as their Lord & saviour that day. The church was at the end of a densely populated little community, & the strange looking, light-skinned folks had drawn a big crowd that day.

One lady who was walking by & had stayed to see the 'spectacle,' had listened attentively to the presentation & message, and was one of the ladies who received the Lord that morning. After the service, through a lot of insistence & speaking to us through an interperator - she made a straight line for Patty & I. She was adamant that we pray for her son. There were a lot of folks who'd asked us to pray for them, or their ailments, or their families throughout our time there, but this lady had an urgency & I remember just such a great hope in her eyes that God was going to use us to help her, & almost like she might not get another chance. It was humbling, but there were also a ton of other folks who wanted to shake hands, thank us, & wish us well. So together w/ Pastor Robert we told her to wait & we would pray for her before we left. She waited patiently & eventually the church began to clear out.

Come to find out, this lady wanted us to pray for her son who was born blind. His name was .... Mohamed. That's right she & her entire family was muslim... & this day she'd given her life to Christ! We certainly felt honored to pray for her, & Patty prayed for healing for her son & that her entire family would come to know the Lord through his healing. 

This was our final experience in UGANDA, & especially memorable & special for Patty & I as we both desire to work & help muslims in the future. What an amazing way to leave that beautiful place. 

God is good.

Please pray for this beloved, young sister (who's name we probably shoudn't mention for her own safety) & her walk with the Lord & that God would truly show His love for her, her husband & that family by supernaturally healing & restoring the sight of her son. Glory be to His name!  

UGANDA - Day 3 - Kids Games & Soul Winnin'

DAY 3 IN MBALE, UGANDA - KIDS GAMES & SOUL WINNIN' IN THE MARKET:

The team awoke to some pretty heavy news.  Many know that Karen Vaca, Patty's sister has had a heart condition since birth, has undergone 2 open-heart procedures, & was nearly prohibited from even coming on the trip. After a lot of prayer it was decided she would come. Karen has been the backbone of the missions group at our church, & had been on every short-term trip we'd taken, but her health condition was real - she had been ill as recent as 2 months before the trip. Anyway, that morning it was revealed that Karen had had a rough night, & was feeling very short of breath probably due to the altitude. Pastor Robert had actually planned to take us to another village in another part of the mountains, but we decided it'd be much wiser to head back down to Mbale. Bishop Alex & the entire team prayed & layed hands on Karen & off we went back down the mountain (Karen hasn't had any further problems or symptoms since).

We returned to the hotel where we'd been, had a shower & prepared to hold Kids' Games (the sports ministry we'd also done in Kenya) in a nearby neighborhood. 3 local community clubs would be participating & to our delight there were Christian & muslim kids competing.  It was a blast, God really spoke directly to the kids through the teaching, & as in Kenya, the trophies were highly coveted. The boys & girls played hard, greatly enjoying the day. We did run way over schedule though, & Pastor Robert had been awaiting us at the platform in the large open-air market, a stone's throw from the railroad tracks, to go ahead w/ the presentation of the gospel.

The Kenyan team we'd traveled w/ was leading worship & sharing with the crowd that had gathered in the market. The platform was very... um... 'rustic' shall we say, & this was the same place, where 2 days before we'd felt such a spiritual heaviness. We were exhausted, but could sense the importance of the moment. The team had to perform down below the platform, but gave a very inspired presentation of the drama & dances which told the gospel story in a way everyone watching could understand.  

Larry had the honor of giving the invitation to receive the Lord following the drama, & felt moved to give a short message of grace & restoration. God was a God of forgiveness & new beginnings. And Christ had come to cut through, bridge the gap to God & forgive our worst sin: murder, sexual abuse, witchcraft, marital unfaithfulness, even crimes committed in war. God also wanted to heal the victims of those sins: the abused, wives who'd been cheated on, & those who'd been locked into addiction for years. The Spirit was definitely present & stirring people's heart, & that very evening, while rushed to close before our permitted time elapsed, between 15-20 men, women, & youth gave their lives to the Lord! 

It was a marvelous ending to a whirlwind evangelistic campaign and we all felt in awe to have been a part of it.

Oh yeah, & Karen felt fine & had participated that evening in the presentation!

God is wonderful

UGANDA - Day 2 From the Mountaintop

DAY 2 UP IN THE UGANDAN MOUNTAINS

Our second day in Uganda was spent high in the mountains.  Pastor Robert had organized to take us to his native village which was about a 4 hour bus trip straight up into the mountains. The drive was beautiful (& a bit treacherous), but gave us a spectacular view of the city below. Uganda was beautiful, so incredibly green & we were definitely headed into almost jungle-type areas. We all joked that any minute now we'd be 'crossing into the Congo,' & to 'watch out for the Gorillaz'! 

The poverty in this part of the country was extreme: children in tattered clothes, no running water, no electricity & nothing motor-powered. People were walking w/ huge banana cluster(s) on their heads up & down the mountain, & bicycles, it seemed, were the luxury items here.

We arrived to the mountaintop & the village of Bugenyanya!  It was beautiful, & before long we were again swarmed by villagers, mostly children.  Bishop Alex later remarked that most of these people had never seen white people & no Western missionaries had ever set foot in Bugenyanya! The village was definitely agriculturally driven - with coffee & bananas being the staples.

We parked our vehicles at a little medical post which had very little medical equipment or medicine - but at the same time had every wal covered w/ literature on HIV/AIDS, a disease which had reached epidemic proportions in Uganda.

OUR 1st STOP in Bugenyanya was the little kindergarden which Pastor Robert not only supported, but started.  He donated his plot of land for the project, on which 3 small adobe structures had been built - as classrooms for the children. On our way 'down' to the sloped plot where the kindergarden was located, we passed a larger school & greeted the kids in school there from a far. Children from that school dropped everything to run across the field & greet us - & would follow us for the rest of our time there, in spite of Pastor Robert's attempts to get them to return to class. The children at the kindergarden stole our heart with a presentation they'd prepared for us. The sheer number of kids was astounding for such a small village. The teachers were Christian volunteers who received sporadic 'offerings' as their only compensation. They also provided the kids with porage daily as most kids showed up to school w/ empty stomachs. We gave our presentation, thanked the small staff of teachers for all that they were doing & were all moved by the whole experience - leaving w/ that 'is there nothing more we could do for these little ones?' feeling. 

The need was overwhelming.

From the kindergarden we headed back up to the adobe church which had been planted there. The church structure in Bugenyanya was actually in much better shape than the one that Pastor Robert was planting back in the city. We arrived to the church as WORSHIP ROARED from the congregation. As in Kenya everyone was so joyous, happy to see us, & expecting great things from our visit.  We gave a short presentation & Larry spoke a brief message.  

One cool thing we were able to do sort of symbolically was to unite Bolivia & Uganda, lining up Bolivians shoulder to shoulder in a line & then pairing them, face to face w/ a Ugandan brother or sister. These were 2 PEOPLE GROUPS that probably had NEVER COME INTO CONTACT before & how cool was it that we had the chance to do so in a time of worship of the one, true, living God! After the service they served us a very nice lunch & we were able to talk to some of the locals a bit more.

As soon as lunch finished we were rushed to set up both the medical/dental clinic, that would be held in the church; & the evangelistic presentation which would be held in the middle of the village & take place at the same time as the clinic. Sergio, Susan, & Silenny went with part of the Kenyan team back to the church to administer what few meds. they still had. I know they were frustrated at such insufficient resources in response to such tremendous need. They did the best they could, prayed with patients & nevertheless, were able to bless many folks.

Back in the middle of the village the team gave their presentation, wrapping up w/ the drama & an inspired message & invitation to receive the Lord given by Roberto. Literally right next to where we'd set up the presentation, was the equivalent to the 'local bar'. Several older patrons were drinking locally brewed, corn-based alcohol. It was strong and they drank it out of a kettle.  We made friends w/ a couple of the men & invited them to see the drama & hear the message. It was cool to witness to them although they were pretty hardened to the message. There's a pic above of 2 of the men. One of them turned out to be the village chief's brother.

After our presentation we were introduced to the village chief who spoke very good, proper, queen's English, & seemed rather young to be a chief. He had obviously been educated outside of the village & was ever so grateful for our visit. He seemed authentic & genuinely burdened for his village - we affirmed him & encouraged him to live out his dream of furthering his education which might inspire other young people in his village to do the same.  

From there we packed up and headed back half way down the mountain to the school where we'd be staying the night. It appeared to be a U.S.AID supported boarding school & was equipped w/ beds, kitchen etc. We were famished, by the time we reached the school & after a few hours, and a time of worship in Spanish amongst the team, we ate a lovely dinner prepared for us by the 2 caretakers there. There was no electricity & it was very dark in the bedrooms so everyone moved around by candlelight. We were all shattered and once again felt a much heavier spiritual atmosphere. Unbeknownst to us this night would bring us our 1st real test/trial/scare.

GOING INTO UGANDA - DAY 1

WE WERE GOING TO BE GOING INTO UGANDA & REALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT OR WHAT THE LORD MIGHT DO WITH US THERE

It was about a 2 hour trip by van from Webuye to the Ugandan border.  We were going with a team from the Kenyan Life Spring Church, our own team & carrying sound equipment and speakers for the open air crusade to be held in Uganda. Anybody who's traveled by land & had to cross borders into 3rd world countries know that borders can be pretty shady. The Kenyan-Ugandan border was actually not that bad. It did take almost 3 hours to cross the vehicles - b/c we were taking sound equipment a lot of paper work & suspect crossing agents were involved, but eventually we paid our $50 visa to get into Uganda & were across.

Uganda was visually beautiful & a lot greener than even Kenya.  We were amazed at the extensive groves  of banana trees, rice fields, yuca, corn, cattle just abundance of fruits & vegetables we saw. God had definitely blessed this land, & it was evident agriculture was very big here. 

The Ugandan people we were seeing were a lot darker than most Kenyans. Bishop Alex had told us that many in Webuye traced their roots back to Kenya & many had sought refuge in Kenya during the bloody civil wars of Uganda during the military regimes of the 80's. Uganda at 1st glance appeared to be economically poorer than Kenya.

The town where we'd be ministering was called Mbale. It was mabye a bit smaller than Webuye, but the main difference was that Mbale had a large Muslim population. The largest Islamic University in all of Uganda was located in Mbale & we saw at various points very conservative muslim dress around town.

Mbale was about 2 hours from the border. We arrived into town and went directly to the church we'd be ministering at. We had met Pastor Robert our 1st day in Webuye & his church in Uganda was under the covering of Bishop Alex's Life Spring ministries as well. 

I think we were all stunned by the 1st impression of the church. My 1st thought was, yeah let's forget our ministry and just try and build them something better in the short time we're here. God had other plans & as we got out of the vehicles we went into the church & immediately started to WORSHIP!  WHAT AN AWESOME BEGINNING TO MINISTRY HERE! I think a lot of us were fighting to hold back tears. The church, as you can see in the pics, has no roof, bamboo posts for walls, & the sun was for real in Uganda. 

We met the asst. pastor who helped Pastor Robert & again scores of curious little ones from the neighborhood.  They didn't quite know what to make of us at 1st (I don't think many of them had ever seen non-black faces before) but eventually they warmed up to us.

From the church we went to the little hotel we'd be staying at for the night, then had a meal at Pastor Robert's next door neighbor's house. Ugandan food was similar, but as Cinthia & I would say definitely 'Banana-based.' We had green bananas, almost like in a mashed potato form, with every meal in Uganda.  Food was good, but didn't touch Kenyan food.

After our 4 o'clock lunch we went down to see the 'crusade ground,' where again we were to be the special attraction. The 'platform' was set up in the middle of an open air market.  There were certainly lots of people around and many muslims which we were at the same time glad & anxious about. They turned out to be very receptive & we spoke to several of them. We didn't stay very long as they only had permission to hold the meeting until 6, but we certainly put the word out that we'd be around the next few days & interest was high - with a lot of 'what the heck are these people doin' here?' looks from many folks. It was fun. The team was visibly tired at this point though, & the atmosphere felt spiritually a lot heavier than in Kenya. We knew that probably meant God had great things in store for us in Uganda & well . . . he did!

Back at the hotel, everyone was ready for a good rest. We were all thrilled that there were showers, which none of us had in Webuye, & hot water!  The hotel itself almost felt dangerous. It was right smack in the middle of town & it definitely reminded you of one of those hotels you'd seen in modern African films. We knew God was with us & just tried to rest in Him. 

The next morning we were going to be going to a far more remote place in the mountains of East Uganda. More unknown . . .  more adventure. Pastor Robert, again had a pretty ambitious schedule for us. Tomorrow we were to make the 3 hour trek up the mountain, hold a crusade, hold a free medical & dental clinic, & do children's ministry all in 1 day! For now it was time to rest.

DAY 7 - FINAL DAY IN WEBUYE, KENYA

DAY 7 WAS TO BE OUR LAST FULL DAY IN WEBUYE

Our time in Webuye had been phenomenal. God had blessed us, been with us & used us for His glory.  We felt honored & sad at the same time to be leaving.

We began the morning by attending one final school in Webuye.  This was a school that had very much wanted us to come & had also wanted to participate in the Kids' & Teen Games event, but were unable to. So we paid them a visit - sharing our testimonies & presenting our dances & dramas for them.  It was a lovely morning. 

There was a stark difference in this school. Similar to the Kindergarden that we'd been to earlier, the children here were noticeably poorer. Many of the kids were in tattered clothes & few had shoes on their feet. 

Yovana gave her testimony about what God had done in her life. The kids again loved the drama, & many were able to relate personally to it. We were thrilled & praised God at how many responded by giving their lives to the Lord when Patty gave the invitation to those who wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Saviour. It was beautiful just to imagine what wonderful things God had in store for such young & hopeful lives. 

While the team got changed for the Bolivian dance number, Patty, Roberto & Susan organized a game of Musical chairs with the younger kids.

Roberto had suggested we go and talk to some of the older boys we saw sort of hanging around the back ... too cool for school types - so Larry & Roberto went over & got to know them a bit. They were sad we weren't going to be doing any sports competition but they wanted to compete against us.  We didn't have much time so we agreed to have a footrace with them.  What a mistake.  We knew we were going to get blown out of the water but it was fun.  Just to be able to say we ran against a Kenyan!

After school we went and had lunch, went into town to use the internet & then spent the entire afternoon & evening preparing Bolivian food for our host families who we'd invited to Bishop Alex's for supper. We made 'Pique Macho' & they loved it. We really had a wonderful last night, all the families came and ate well. We thanked each one and said our goodbyes. At the end we gave Bishop Alex a plaque in appreciation & thankfulness for all he'd done to make our trip a great success.  We had indeed made an impact Webuye. We now had Kenyan family & were so thankful to God for bringing us together to bond, worship, serve, play, work, eat, & dance with such a spectacular group of people. Early the next morning we would ready our things to go into UGANDA . . . 

WEBUYE - GRADS & KIDS GAMES FINALS!

THE FINALS WERE SET FOR THE KIDS & TEEN GAMES COMPETITIONS. WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT...

before the finals were to be played, there was to be a Kindergarden graduation . . . & we were to be the guests of honor! We felt very privileged & undeserving. They sat us in the very front of the proceedings (most thankfully in the shade), & Patty was asked to give a short message on how to better work with children. We were very glad for this opportunity, as there was much we'd had trouble with in how we saw children being treated & viewed in general.

Kenya was a very formal culture & at every school we attended, proper protocol & introductions were of paramount importance to follow.  At the graduation, following lengthy & formal introductions of the entire school staff, the PTA head got up & addressed the parents for at least an hour about Lord knows what. In general, the ceremony was very long & drawn out for us, but hey... when's the next time we're going to be named guests of honor at a Kindergarden graduation ceremony in Kenya?!

When the kids finally came marching out (literally), they were adorable and it had been worth the wait. They sang 2 short songs & presented a short theatre piece in Swahili that was a big hit. Keep in mind these are K-5 kids now. It was lovely. Afterwards Patty spoke very well about how Satan is always looking to destroy children or at the very least take away their dignity & hope. She alluded to biblical rulers Pharoah & Herod & how they'd been used to give orders to massacre an entire generation in an attempt to try & thwart God's redemptive plan. She emphasized our God-given role as protectors, mentors & parents to children; & also challenged the adults to think of God's plan for this generation of children. The message was spot on, & translated into English & Swahili so everyone could understand.

We were then asked to give out the diplomas to kids & certificates as well to the top students in each grade. After the ceremony, the finals competitions began. Everyone was stoked & 4 schools & 1 church had come bringing participants. In the end Matulo came out on top in teen girls' volleyball. Nambalaya triumphed in 12 & under girls' volleyball. Milo primary had won for 12 & under boys' football/soccer.  Milo Secondary won in teen boys' football.

All & all it was a spectacular & exhausting day! To be honest, the sports' ministry through Kids' & Teen Games, was the ministry that had the most impact in Webuye. Many schools found out after the fact, about the program  & were thoroughly disappointed. Bishop Alex himself, was regretful that he hadn't been successful in attracting more interest from local schools from the beginning. The town was literally a buzz after the event, & we were told the mayor was very interested in meeting us - so we sent 4 members of the team to greet & pray for him, and he was most grateful. Things worked out well competitively as well. Each of the major participants went home with a trophy, & we were all amazed that something as simple as a trophy brought so much joy to the kids & their respective schools.  Bishop Alex commented that they'd never seen such trophies in their lives & everyone was soooo appreciative & begging us to return to organize a bigger event next year!

One of our goals had been to train, encourage, & equip the church we were working with to continue carrying out sports ministry & we were blessed to have many young people & pastors from the church working & coordinating side by side with us throughout the event! We left the program curriculum & teaching material with Bishop Alex & his staff, & again hope they will accept the challenge to organize the next Kids&/or Teen Games event next year!

WEBUYE- SCHOOL DAZE & SERG HAS HIS DAY - DAY 5

DAY 5 WE WERE OFF TO A KINDERGARTEN THAT BISHOP ALEX'S CHURCH SPONSORS & THEN BACK TO MILO ACADEMY TO TEACH & HOLD SOME SERIOUS COMPETITIONS BETWEEN 4 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS THAT HAD COME TOGETHER TO COMPETE!

We began the morning visiting a small kindergarten that Life Spring Church supports.  We were all very touched by the humble conditions of the 2 tiny classrooms & the kids themselves: most of them did not have shoes, many had skin problems or fungal in their little scalps & the majority also had bloated bellies from parasites.  They showed us their classrooms & sang us a Christian song. We weren't there very long, but we were able to give out stickers & make figurines from balloons.  We also left a soccer ball for them to enjoy & some snacks. When we left they were smiling, but we were rather distraught at how poor the condition of the school was.

Next we went back to Milo Academy school.  Monday, there was a grand reception awaiting us. 3 schools had come that day to participate from nearby & we were able to address & evangelize over 500 kids that day. We began by presenting & then teaching one of the team's choreographies.  Then the team presented the 'Everything' drama that tells the story of salvation & the kids really ate it up & I think were really able to relate to it, as told through the young people on our team in a very non-religious way. 

Next it was time for teaching & Larry shared a bit about how God had used our team to do something no one thought possible (or wise for that matter : ) & also the need to encourage one another & work together effectively as a team to achieve more both on the field & off. Then Susan brought the main course on 'Significance.' She used the story of when Jesus, the disciples & one boy trusted God to feed over 5,000 & how God chose to use the faith of a child to perform one of Jesus' greatest miracles.  She affirmed the kids that God had created each one to play a significant part both in the competitions & in life - even now as children. The teaching was effective & many seeds were sown into their young lives.

Next we began the competition portion of the event. Their was great anticipation & excitement for the games to begin.  This sort of event had never been held or even heard of in Webuye & the teachers & principals could not thank us enough. The sun was REALLY STRONG that day, but the kids seemed unphased. We began with 100 m heats, boys & girls between the 3 schools.  The schools represented on Monday were, Milo Primary, Milo Academy Boarding, & Nambalaya. Roberto, Karen & Carla got to practice their English (sign language & grunt skills as well) in setting up the races. We were all blown away at the speed of the Kenyans, both guys & girls.  It was unbelievable.  We were sure some sort of world records were being brought down as we watched!

Both the boys football & girls volleyball were also hotly contested.  Edwin, Luis, & Juan Manuel officiated the matches. Several of the early round football/soccer matches were decided on extra-time, penalty shoot-outs.  The guys played extremely tough.  There was certainly no Argentina/Spanish-style flopping to get a foul called in Kenya.  Anyone who did get knocked got right back up & many of the boys played w/o shoes let alone cleats! 

The volleyball, only 2 schools presented teams, so a best of 3 match format was set up, Larry refereed & Yovana kept score.

Quarter & Semi-final matches were decided & would be played on Tuesday.  Everyone had a good time & there was very little bickering or bad sportsmanship. Good time had by all in general.  We were able to bring snacks for the kids & Patty, Karen, Shirley, Cinthia & Susan did face painting and had a good time with the boys & girls who weren't competing. We wrapped up in the afternoon & by that time were famished, so we went back to Bishop's & had a wonderful meal prepared by Chief Chef & Maggie 

(So yeah Kenyan food ... didn't really know what to expect & a bit concerned honestly...um Bishop Alex... he arranged for one of the brothers WHO'S A CHEF at a local hotel to come & help cook for the team several meals during the week.  The food was fantastic!  It was basically the same meal at lunch & dinner but no one had any complaints 'cause it was GOOD.  We ate well. Thank you LoRD!) (Another aside is that they referred to the brother who cooked, who must have been in his 60's and was about 6'4'' - CHIEF CHEF. We loved this man.)

The evening belonged to Sergio. Sergio was turning 32 on Monday & he had actually hung back to attend to some of the patients he hadn't gotten to see, in his make shift dental office at the church on Saturday.  The host families purposely didn't bring their families on Saturday & Sergio agreed to attend to them on Monday.  Anyway, while he was away, we decorated Bishop Alex's pad for a surprise b-day, Kenyan/Bolivian style.  It was grand. Balloons, a banner, a Kenyan cake, & a pinata with sweets &....... dental supplies thanks to someone's sick humor! Sergio arrived, and while I doubt he was very surprised, played his part very well.  He was asked to sit in the middle and Bishop Alex & his wife Pastor Florence, as his designated 'parents' for the night, placed a celebratory wreath around his neck. Then the Bolivian portion came next. As Sergio went to take the obligatory bite out of the cake, his face was buried into the entire cake! Maylay ensued & he immediately went for revenge, spreading the fun (& icing) onto Roberto, Edwin, & Juan Manuel.  It was a blast.  The Kenyan children were a bit shocked I think (but hey, who wasn't the 1st time they attended a Bolivian b-day party), but we all really had a good time.  Apparently, at least in rural Kenya, they rarely celebrate b-days - so mabye Sergio's 'fiesta' might encourage them to celebrate, at least for the kids, a bit more. We hope so at least.

 

WEBUYE - CHURCH - DAY 4

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DAY 4 WAS SPENT ALMOST ENTIRELY AT THE LOCAL CHURCH IN WEBUYE:

Webuye is a town of about 9,000 people.  The Life Spring church we were primarily ministering at is actually several miles outside of Webuye, in a rural 'suburb' called Nangili. Most of the members are farmers, although some of the leaders of the church are professionals at the local paper mill, Pan Paper, which is the largest paper mill in Kenya. 

The Life Spring church in Nangili is the mother church to several churches in the surrounding area.  Started under a tree, by faith, with no plot of land, & no other churches around the area, Life Spring has seen God's provision really bless them as they have been able to buy a nice plot of land & build a lovely & spacious sanctuary in which to worship.  When we arrived, there were pastors from at least 7 or 8 different churches from the Western Kenya area. Nearby pastors from other churches with no denominational covering began coming to Bishop Alex, our host & the leader of Life Spring ministries, seeking spiritual covering & guidance - encouraged  & challenged by what God had been doing with Life Spring. Bishop Alex is very much a visionary who also oversees churches in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, I believe he said they oversee close to 70 churches in East & Central Africa!

For more information on the Life Spring ministries, the churches we partnered with, check out their website at:

www.lifespringafrica.com

CHURCH ITSELF:

For the entire week following our arrival, there had been dozens of families camping out on the Life Spring grounds. They had come from other sister churches & nearby towns for the 'Billy Graham-Style crusade' put on by Life Spring, & being held at a nearby field, at which we were the guests of honor. Before coming we'd advised Bishop Alex that as far as we knew, there were no Billy Graham's on our team, but we knew God was going to use us for His glory in one way or another.

Sunday morning the church was packed.  Bishop Alex had explained to us that the service consists of a time of worship, followed by a half-hour teaching (during which time children went to Sunday school), and then a full on sermon with children back present. 

Sunday School was a blast, and as we arrived the children were already being taught a lesson. After worship, all of the team except for Larry, went to minister to the throngs of kids present. There must have been over 300 children and the team really had fun with them.  We began by teaching them the 'Stomp' dance, which is a percussive dance, w/ no music - the Kenyan children learned & improved it quickly! After that, Yovana shared a short message about Creation with the kids & then Susan taught the kids the salvation story through the 'little book with no words,' which is a little 5 page book w/ each page a different color representing a different aspect of salvation (black-our sin, red-blood of Christ & His resurrection, white-cleansing power of salvation if we invite Him to be Lord of our lives, gold-represents that Jesus is preparing a place with Him in eternity, green-our need for spiritual growth).

During Sunday school, Larry gave a teaching to the adults & older youth from a verse in Joshua 3:5. God had really impressed upon the team that Kenya was to be a sending nation - and that God has a key role for Kenya to play in reaching other African nations. God's favor is evident in Kenya & it is in large part a Christian nation.

We were, however, a bit drawn aback by how children, in such a developed & Christian context, could be so marginalized & really seen as a nuisance by most. God had called us in large part to minister to the children & youth of Africa, and it was sad to see how they were looked at & treated even in Christian contexts.  And they're just so adorable in the 1st place. 

So Joshua, as he's getting the people ready to go into the promised land, talks about the need to, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." We really felt this was God speaking to Webuye - that He really had great things ahead for the church, but that they had to be willing (unlike the generation of Moses, that died w/o going into the promised land) to (a) Trust God (b) do New Things in New Ways (c) "Consecrate themselves" that begins w/ a self-examination especially in the area of our closest relationships (spouses & children). I think God really spoke to us all & the Spirit really challenged us to reconcile our relationships to God's standards; as well as to learn from & not make the same mistakes as our parents' generation in how we treat our spouses & raise our children.

After the teaching, everyone came together & Roberto really gave an inspired message on the life of Elisha & how God had a unique & powerful calling on his life.

Following Roberto's sermon, the children presented a dance number they'd prepared called, "Marching in the Light of God," as well as the 'Stomp,' the team had taught them. After church many wanted to fellowship and we wound up leaving after 2 pm.  We took lunch at the beautiful home of one of the sister's from church. There we had a typical Kenyan meal, & for the 1st time tried 'Ugali,' which is corn based & similar to grits, w/o any butter or salt.

We returned to church after lunch in the evening and presented our entire presentation: choreographies to 'Stomp', 'Shackles,' the Swahili dance & the native Bolivian dance for the 1st time.  We also presented the drama 'Everything,' which tells the story of salvation and one lady who was visiting gave her life to the Lord.  Sergio & Ingrid both shared their testimonies & Edwin & Larry lead worship. It was a long but enjoyable evening, but we were all exhausted by the end.

WEBUYE - TOOTH & NAIL, MEDS & PEDS - DAY 3

SATURDAY WAS TO BE OUR HEALTH CLINIC DAY AT THE CHURCH:

Day 3 was intense. We were expecting a big turnout, as we'd been forewarned to be ready to attend to about 500 people. We had put the word out the night before, it as to be a free clinic, offering dental care and basic heathcare. Our 2 health pros R.N. Susan Stalnaker from the U.S. & Dentist Luis Enrique 'Sergio' Prieto from Tarija, Bolivia did a phenomenal job. They partnered together with 2 local nurses and 1 local doctor from the church. The rest of us assisted however we could. Karen, who's an assistance nurse, & Shirley, who's a pre-med student at university, took blood pressure and vital signs. Roberto, Silenny & Luis assisted Sergio with the dental duties, getting the proper instruments in his hand, disinfecting instruments & keeping the area as sterile as possible. Juan Manuel & Edwin were the 'drug runners,' after the Dr. or nurse prescribed something, they would have it in their hand within less than a minute. Carla, Yovana & Cinthia helped entertain and minister to the children as they waited. And as usual Patty was everywhere.

We handed out about 200 tickets for patients to be treated & each ticket usually came with 1 adult and 3 children. Many folks who came towards the end and were treated without, 'taking a number,' so in all we probably saw and treated around 700-800 men, women and children.

We gave out anti-parasite medicine to almost every person. There was an unbelievable amount of children with bloated bellies & stomach aches (practically every child). Malaria was another big illness that we'd been able to bring meds for. Otherwise we gave out pain & fever medicine for aches & pains, cold & cough medicine mainly for children, and a lot of anti-fungal pills, creams and ointments for the numerous & abundant skin problems that were basically a normal part of life for most of the families that came.

There were obviously illnesses we could not & did not treat, which was very frustrating to many on the team. Apart from Sergio, who's registered to do so, we did not administer antibiotics to patients. It was apparent basic meds either weren't available or unaccesible because of the cost, and many people just wanted 'something,' so we gave out thousands of vitamins as well. The more difficult cases such as STDs, pre-natal care, heart conditions, & pnemonia/tuberculosis type symptoms were advised to go to a proper clinic/specialist. It was sad as we knew that it was b/c of the high cost of healthcare that they were seeing us in the 1st place. With many patients, we wound up praying for & rendering ourselves totally dependant upon God's grace to provide a way & in some cases do the impossible, as only He can.

The end of the day brought on extreme exhaustion to the entire team. We had worked together beautifully & many families had been blessed b/c of the healthcare, hygienic advise, and prayers of our team working together with the Kenyan health professionals. We were excited & thankful about how God had used us and knew that we'd made an impact there b/c of His presence & to His glory on Saturday.

We finished the afternoon listening, ministering to & praying for a dear sister in the church who was HIV positive. She'd been on treatment for over 3 years now, was full of life & we were shocked when we found out indeed who it was that the pastor wanted us to pray for. It was very sad to hear her story, her husband had left her with 3 kids; but also uplifiting to hear how God was using her in a great way inspite of everything. She has recently began a new school near the church & has been a huge blessing to the community. Most do not know she is ill . Her children are now with her mother, basically since she found out she was ill, but she sees them and talks to them regularly. We'd ask you to help us pray for her, that she would continue to be strengthened & encouraged by God and the believers around her. That she would overcome feelings of loneliness & shame that often grip her & that God would heal her mind, body & spirit!

We returned to the church at night, and Edwin & Larry lead worship, the team presented the evangelistic drama, 'Everything,' & Pastora Silenny gave an encouraging message to the church about on our identity in Christ & His love & plans for us.

WEBUYE DAY 2

We were up early, after our 1st full night in Webuye & after the team was brought to Bishop Alex's home, we immediately left to begin our sports ministry program in 2 schools. The idea of the sports ministry was to be able to hold teaching, ministry & competitions on site at the different schools, then join all the different schools & winners of the competitions together for the finals & trophy/medal awards presentation. So we went 1st off to a private, primary (elementary) school that is called Milo Academy. The children were many and we were very well received. This experience and many others to follow were just like you imagine, with scores of kids running after our vehicles with so much hope, joy & expectation in their eyes. It was truly touching, genuine & flattering. None of us really felt like we deserved such a reception, but I think their energy & joy really inspired us to give the best we had and really dig down deep to bless them as much as we could in the short time we were there.

The school had relatively nice facilities, for Kenyan standards, and many of the children spoke English (along with their 'mother tongue' Swahili). We were only at Milo a short time & really only introduced ourselves and built up the Sports Ministry program for a later date as we were told we would be coming back on Monday. We were also expected at another private school in Webuye later that same morning, and at that school (Matula Secondary), we'd only get 1 chance, and 1 day to hold the program as they were finishing their term.

The kids at Milo were excited and very responsive. Patty taught them a quick song & choreography in Spanish, and the kids picked it up quickly. The instroductions were very formal & the school felt it necessary to introduce the entire staff & each one said something briefly. We eventually got away, and again the kids trailed the vehicle all the way to the main road.

We immediately then went to Matula Academy in Webuye proper. It seems like there are hundreds of schools (for the 1000s of kids you see here). Many of them are private, boarding schools. Matula was quite small and here we would be talking to the older teens. After another lengthy introduction session we took over the program and it was apparent right from the beginning God was with us. Larry shared a bit on the purpose of the sports ministry program and the concepts we'd hoped to transmit through the competitions. Some of the concepts "Kids Games" & "Teen Games," tries to impart to its participants are:

1) The idea of playing as a champion regardless of the final outcome of the competition.

2) The importance of playing as a team to achive more - that a team victory or solid potential is more important than standing out individually.

3) Significance - That each team member is a complement & important to the success to the overall team

4) Giving our best effort regardless of the odds against us - leaving everything on the field.

5) Carrying these same principles over to life.

etc.

While these concepts are almost redundant in most of Western culture, in Africa & other cultures to many they are new & challenging ideas.


Then Roberto shared a very challenging word about making good decisions, both on the field and in life. He emphasized how God sees each one with a tremendous potential to be realized. He really motivated the teens that all kinds of people will discourage them and tell them they can't possibly reach their goals & dreams, but that God wants to do new things in Kenya & wants to use them to transform Kenyan society and the rest of the world! He tied this into the importance of making correct decisions & that life isn't about luck or dependant upon what kind of circumstances I was born into, but that God wants to do new things through us if we are willing to trust him and make good decisions with our lives. Roberto also talked a lot about having a good attitude regardless and that our outlook & attitude will determine our success in many situations.

It was very good, just what the kdis needed and they really ate it up.

We gave one last example of Zinidane Zidane, the French footballer (soccer player), who was the French captain, a champion at all levels & probably the best French player even when he retired after the last World Cup. He had lead his team to the finals with a unprobable final match with Italy. It was to be his last match as a professional and his team had played hard for the entire match. Then in the 2nd half, after having been provoked, he lost control and blatantly head-butted an Italian defenseman in the chest. He was red carded and immediately sent off. As a result his team had to play the rest of the match a man down & they eventually lost. That was everyone's last memory of Zidane.

Your decisions & attitudes have consequences was the final message - on the field and in life.

After the teaching they had lunch and we began the 1 round competitions at Matulo:

- Girls volleyball
- Boys soccer (football)
- 100m girls & boys

The winners were decided & were told they would compete the following week against other schools in the area.

We wrapped up around 3 and from there went to have lunch at Bishop Alex's home.

If we're honest we were all really concerned about eating African food, but Kenyan food, at least the food we were served was spectacular. Staples in Western Kenya are sweet potatoes, corn & ugalis which is like grits with no seasoning. We were served for almost every meal thick tortillas (more similar to pancakes), with either well seasoned chicken or beef, fried cabbage salad (which is outta sight), rice & sweet potatoes or corn. High carb, but all fresh & really delicious.

I will miss Kenyan food.

We were supposed to go back to the platform they had erected at the local soccer field to hold the open air crusade, but since we'd finished late and had just eaten lunch at 4 - we were told to prepare instead to share in the evening at church. We were to present everything we had - so we lead worship - with acoutstic guitars - presented 2 or 3 dances the team had prepared & then shared a message with the congregation trying to get them fired up about missions! We really had felt that that was part of our pupose in coming - that God wanted to raise up Kenya to be a sending nation - both to Africa and beyond!!!

It was a wonderful night. The highlight was probably the Swahili dance the team had prepared. We got about 2 minutes into in then like 10 people from the church came up on stage with the team to dance it. It was a wonderful night of worship with the church & God was exalted!

WEBUYE \NIGHT 1 & HOST FAMILIES

SO THE REST OF DAY 1 IN WEBUYE, KENYA:

Was very exciting! After being introduced and worshipping at the 'crusade ground,' we went to eat at a chicken restaurant in town. The chicken was alright, but the owners were Christians and treated us very well. It was interesting to see Webuye in the evening - and being the only Latin/white faces in the entire place. People are generally very friendly & curious with us.

After dinner, we returned to Bishop Alex's home, where we were met by our families, all from the church. There was A LOT of apprehension about the whole host family experience. We had been in Bishop Alex's place which was nice, but he had told us the testimony about how God had really blessed him & that he was the only family in the area that had electricity etc. That naturally lead to loads of anxiety about what the other homes were going to be like...

but more on that later..,.

Patty & I were to stay at Bishop Alex's & Pastor Florence's home. They had prepared their own bedroom & bed for us to stay in, but Patty especially would not accept to sleep in their room. We both knew it was going to be atiring 2 weeks & that they needed to rest well at night, so we bedded down in the office. We were exhausted so we all slept fine, & contrary to what we'd been told & sternly warned about, there really were no mosquitoes - which meant no MALARIA! Yippee!

WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!

WE TOUCHED DOWN IN NAIROBI ON NOV. 11TH A AROUND 10 PM!

THE TRIP WAS LOOOONG, BUT NOT TOO REMARKABLE. IT WAS EXCITING TO HAVE THE TEAM, & CLOSE FRIENDS TOUCH DOWN IN MIAMI & BE IN THE U.S. EVEN JUST FOR A BIT. WE GOT THROUGH IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS SMOOTHLY, RECHECKED OUR BAGS TO NAIROBI, MET UP WITH PATTY'S UNCLE WHO LIVES IN MIAMI, HAD A MEAL AT CHILI'S IN THE AIRPORT, & NANO, ROBERTO, KAREN & CINTHIA HAD A STARBUCKS FOR THE 1ST TIME.

AFTER A 10 HOUR LAYOVER IN MIAMI, WE TRAVELED ON TO LONDON. THE PLANE WAS A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE, & EACH SEAT HAD A PERSONAL T.V., FROM WHICH YOU COULD CHOOSE THE PROGRAMING YOU WISHED. THE GUYS WERE VERY IMPRESSED & DIDN'T SLEEP MUCH WATCHING MOVIES MOST OF THE NIGHT. HEATHROW AIRPORT WAS VERY NICE - AT LEAST THE PART WHERE WE WERE - & WE ALL WERE IMPRESSED AT HOW INTERNATIONAL THE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE THERE. PEOPLE OF ALL SHAPES, COLOR, RACE & NATION IT SEEMED LIKE. MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES BEING SPOKEN. WE DIDN'T HAVE NEARLY THE LAYOVER THERE, AND EVENTUALLY BOARDED OUR BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT TO NAIROBI.

THE FLIGHT TO NAIROBI WAS MEMORABLE AS WE FLEW OVER THE SAHARA DESERT. IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER. IT WAS VAST, BEAUTIFUL & LOOKED READY TO SWALLOW YOU UP. OCCASSIONALLY YOU WOULD SEE SIGNS OF LIFE OR LITTLE HOUSES BELOW. THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE. THEN...

KENYA!

AFRICA!.... at last.

ARRIVING INTO NAIROBI WAS WONDERFUL. THE AIRPORT SEEMED REALLY OLD, BUT A GREAT DEAL LARGER THAN BOLIVIAN AIRPORTS. WE WERE VERY TIRED AT THIS POINT (WE'D SPENT OVER 24 HOURS IN THE AIR), BUT ECSTATIC TO HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED. AFTER TAKING SEVERAL PICS UPON ARRIVAL WE MADE IT DOWN TO IMMIGRATION TO GET OUR VISAS. THE VISA PROCESS TOOK ALMOST A FULL HOUR FOR THE TEAM. ALL OF OUR BAGS SAVE ONE ARRIVED SAFELY THANK God!

WE TRAVELED FROM NAIROBI TO WEBUYE BY BUS ON THE 13TH. IT WAS VERY COOL TO GET TO SEE THE KENYAN COUNTRYSIDE, AS WE GOT TO TRAVEL THROUGH MUCH OF THE COUNTRY. WE SAW GAZELLES, ANTELOPE, WARTHOGS & ZEBRAS ALONG THE WAY. MOST OF THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN ANIMALS ARE CLOSER TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE COUNTRY, CLOSER TO NAIROBI. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO WITNESS THE MAJESTIC GREAT VALLEY RIFT WHICH WAS VAST, GREEN & BEAUTIFUL. A MUCH SMALLER VERSION OF THE GRAND CANYON, ONLY GREEN.

WE ALSO CROSSED THE EQUATOR.

ANOTHER THING WE REALIZED THAT WAS PRETY EXTRAORDINARY, WAS THAT THE JOURNEY HAS ENABLED US TO TRAVEL THROUGH ALL 4 OF THE EARTH'S HEMISPHERES!

WEBUYE WAS UNBELIEVABLE. WEBUYE IS WHAT YOU IMAGINE SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN BEING LIKE. THERE'S PROBABLY 10,000 PEOPLE IN THE TOWN - MUD/ADOBE HOMES, MANY ADORABLE CHILDREN EVERYWHERE, BICYCLE TAXIS, ONE PAVED ROAD THAT RUNS THROUGH TOWN, WHAT WE'D CONSIDER UNDERDEVELOPED BUT BEAUTIFUL. IT'S ALSO HOME TO KENYA'S LARGEST PAPER MILL WHICH SWEETENS THE AIR QUITE A BIT : ) (actually the mill is on the outskirts of town, so you really aren't affected by it from where we are)

AS WE ARRIVED SOME OF BISHOP ALEX'S PEOPLE MET US ALONG THE MAIN ROAD. PASTOR BEATRICE, PASTOR FLORENCE & PASTOR ROBERT (FROM UGANDA WERE AMONG THE WELCOMING PARTY). THERE WERE SO WARM, SEEMED SO HAPPY TO SEE US, & FROM THE BEGINNING SEEMED ALMOST ANXIOUS TO BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO MAKE US FEEL AT HOME AND COMFORTABLE. THE SUN WAS VERY STRONG IN WEBUYE & SOME OF US WERE A BIT OVERWHELMED & ANXIOUS. RIGHT AWAY WE COULD TELL EXPECTATIONS OF THE TEAM WERE VERY HIGH, BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTOOD THAT WE WERE MAKING HISTORY, (& THEY'D NEVER SEEN SOUTH AMERICANS BEFORE) SO THEY HAD TO BE.

WE WENT DIRECTLY TO THE CHURCH (which was quite a ways off the main road, in a agricultural area called Nangili, that could be thought of as a 'rural suburb' of Webuye), GREETED THE CONGREGATION & WERE WHISKED AWAY BY PASTOR ALEX TO HIS HOME FOR LUNCH. AFTER A NICE LUNCH & MEETING MOST OF ALEX'S FAMILY, WE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE OPEN AIR MEETING THEY HAD ARRANGED ON AN ASSEMBLED PLATFORM AT AN OPEN FIELD NOT FAR FROM THE CHURCH.

THAT 1ST EXPERIENCE BLEW EVERYONE AWAY.

CHILDREN, GORGEOUS, FASCINATING CHILDREN MOBBED US AS WE GOT OUT OF THE VAN. IT WAS PRECIOUS & FLATTERING. SOME MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN A WHITE OR HISPANIC FACE BEFORE. AGAIN, JUST THE EXPECTANTCY IN THEIR EYES REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME. WE WERE INTRODUCED TO A FAIRLY SIZEABLE CROWD. THEY ASKED ME (LARRY), TO SAY A FEW WORDS & THEN THE TEAM CAME UP TO DO THIS 'STOMP' DANCE NUMBER. IT WAS WELL RECEIVED & THE KIDS WERE ALREADY MIMICKING THE STEPS. WE GOT DOWN FROM THE PLATFORM & THEN THE REAL WORSHIP BEGAN!

YOU SORT OF HAVE THIS VAGUE IDEA THAT AFRICAN CHURCH IS GOING TO BE A BIT MORE LIVELY, & THAT YEAH THERE MIGHT EVEN BE DANCING. . . NO ONE WAS PREPARED FOR THE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE THAT FOLLOWED. WITH JUST A KEYBOARD AND A MICROPHONE - AFRICAN RYTHMS STARTING PUMPING OUT OF THE SPEAKERS, AS WORSHIP WAS BEING SUNG IN SWAHILI. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, 3 YOUNG GIRLS, ABOUT 8-9 YEARS OF AGE TOOK THE STAGE & STARTED DANCING, BUT I MEAN REALLY GLORIFYING GOD WITH EVERY PART OF THEIR SMALL FRAME. IT WAS UN BELIEVABLE, THE TEAM WAS SO BLOWN AWAY THAT THE GUYS JUMPED IN AND STARTED TRYING TO LEARN THE DANCE STEPS - JUST TOTALLY CUTTING LOOSE. IT WASN'T JUST ON STAGE EVERYONE IN THE CROWD WAS BREAKING IT DOWN - I MEAN EVERYONE! CHILDREN, YOUTH, MEN, WOMEN - JUST PURE REJOICING & DANCING WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT! UTTER INHIBITION IN PRAISING THE ONE TRUE GOD!

WAS THIS WHAT IT WAS LIKE ALL THE TIME?

WHERE WERE WE?

WHAT ARE THE NEXT 2 WEEKS GOING TO BRING?

THRILLED, RUSHED, & READY

WELL WE ARE OFF!  WE ARE SO GRATEFUL 1ST OF ALL TO GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS IN ALL THE PREPARATIONS, PLANNING & PROVISION.  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN BEHIND US THE ENTIRE WAY - ENCOURAGING, PRAYING US UP & SUPPORTING THE TRIP FINANCIALLY.  

WE ARE OVERJOYED TO ANNOUNCE THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED NOW FOR ALL OF THE TEAMS' EXPENSES FOR THE TRIP!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH ALL OF YOU WHO'VE SOWN INTO THE TRIP.

ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT COME IN ARE GOING TO BLESS THE PEOPLE OF EAST AFRICA.  WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUY MEDICINE, SOCCER BALLS, SCHOOL MATERIALS, A GUITAR, TROPHIES, AND CLOTHES.

ANOTHER BIT OF NEWS IS THAT WE ARE ALSO GOING TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE & TEACH SOME OF CROWN FINANCIAL MINISTRIES' MATERIAL WITH PASTORS & BUSINESSMEN IN KENYA & PERHAPS UGANDA.

THIS WILL BE OUR LAST ENTRY BEFORE HEADING OFF.  WE'VE POSTED SEVERAL PICTURES OF EVENTS THAT'VE TRANSPIRED OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS - INCLUDING OUT AFRICA TEAM RETREAT HERE IN BOLIVIA, OUTSIDE OF SANTA CRUZ.

WILL HOPEFULLY BE UPDATING THE BLOG FROM AFRICA, ALTHOUGH DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW READILY AVAILABLE THE INTERNET IS GOING TO BE THERE.

PLEASE KEEP ALL OF US IN YOUR PRAYERS & AGAIN WE THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

KENYA BOUND!!!

Well, it's kind of hard not to believe now.  The above photos are a testament to God's provision, faithfulness & fulfilled promise. We have finalized the purchase of our round trip airline tickets to Kenya! We owe a mere $700 of a figure that was at one time close to $30,000. 

We are so grateful for so many of you that have supported this trip and encouraged us in so many ways.

Trip preparations continue to go well. The team continues to rehearse, learn English, fundraise, prepare teachings & other activities, and seek the Lord and His flawless purposes for this trip.

We definitely have the most difficult financial mountains to climb behind us now for the missions trip to East Africa.  We would continue to ask for your prayers though for the remaining funds left to be raised. We still have to raise money for:

• In-country Kenyan flight from Nairobi to Kisumu (closest airport to where we'll be ministering - $2,250 ($150 per person)
• Rental vehicle while in Uganda - $200
• Food - $800
• APPROXIMATE TOTAL LEFT TO RAISE: $3,250 US

If you would still like to donate a tax-deductible gift for the trip, please from now on send checks to our church in the U.S. (as we've now been able to calculate our mission, Youth With A Mission), takes almost a month to process & deposit our donations for the trip. You can give through our church in the U.S. by making out all checks to:

"Mount Paran Church" 

and sending them to the following address:

"Bolivia Missions - the Moreheads"

c/o Mount Paran Church

2055 Mt. Paran Rd.

Atlanta, GA 30327

Our church ensures that we'll receive 100% of your donation & will put it all towards the trip.  Please again let us know that you are sending a gift for the trip & we will make sure it gets put towards the Kenya trip & not any other of our ministry endeavors.

U.S. Visa Update

We've witnessed God's faithfulness like never before over the last 3 weeks! We'll give you the brief version here.  As previously reported, 12 of our team members (to be able to transit through the U.S. & save over $600 a person on airfare), needed to travel to the U.S. Embassy here in La Paz, & go through an extensive interview w/ an Embassy official here. The process is by no means an automatic thing as most Bolivians get turned down, deemed as flight risks to stay in the States. 

Deterrents

1. 5 weeks ago (3 weeks before our visa interview), there was great political unrest in Bolivia & the U.S. Ambassador was EXPELLED from Bolivia
2. 4 weeks ago (2 weeks before our visa interview) -  anti-U.S. protestors attempted to storm the Embassy, & Embassy officials were evacuated. Thankfully the embassy was untouched & protestors were driven away by Bolivian police 
3. 3 weeks ago (1 week before our visa interview), there were road blocks between Santa Cruz (our city) & La Paz. 
4. Upon arrival to the interview & while in line, several members of the group were told that their applications were invalid because the printout was not on a laser printer & the bar code could not be read - thankfully they were able to reprint them at a nearby internet cafe in time for their interview
5. Seemingly everyone who'd gone before the team was being turned down their visa requests

Despite all of that, God granted the team His favor & grace... and by noon on Monday September 29th, 2008 - ALL 12 members of our Bolivia to Kenya team WERE GRANTED U.S. VISAS TO TRANSIT THROUGH MIAMI ON OUR WAY TO EAST AFRICA! 

Thank you so very much for those of you who've been praying for us in this process & for the encouragement you have been to our team and this endeavor God has put before us!

Really want to help the cause?

                          

The above pics are of Africa T-shirts we've designed and are selling in the U.S.  There are several dozen already in Atlanta, GA right now that we are selling at $15  a shirt.  If you are interested, send us an e-mail or write us a note on the blog & we will coordinate how to get you one.

BIG NEWS

We just received word today from our church, that they are sending us a sizeable donation towards the Bolivia to East Africa missions trip! 

We now have $28,921 raised towards the trip which gives us enough to finalize the purchase of our airfare (provided we are granted US transit visas to be able to go through the States)! HOOORAY! We praise God for His continued faithfulness!

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Monday a.m., September 29th is the teams visa interview date w/ the U.S. Embassy in La Paz. Again, we are trying to get transit permission to go through the States and onto Kenya - in order to save $500 a ticket per person.  Please pray for the Lord's favor as the team requests permission to touch down on U.S. soil on our way to Kenya!

2 Months And Counting!

Hey all!  Hope you are all doing well.  Just wanted to give another quick update on preparations for the trip to East Africa. The team has been taking English classes from a Canadian couple here in Santa Cruz, & are getting a lot more comfortable w/ the language. We've been meeting at least once a week to pray & seek the Lord. These times have challenged us to experience God's faithfulness together; and have also really helped to grow our faith, our dependency on Him, and increase our sense of expectancy.

After much prayerful consideration, the team has decided we will try to get a U.S. visa to be able to transit through the States, although the visas cost $131 US, require a trip & personal interview at the U.S. embassy in La Paz (a 20 hour bus ride from Sta. Cruz), and are by no means guaranteed.  If we are granted visas it will save us $500 per person, even after having paid the $131. The whole team has their interviews on the 29th of September, so please pray for the Lord's favor for the team. 

Here the team has been putting in a lot of overtime in getting ready and raising funds for the trip:

• Every Sunday after church now we are preparing & selling food after service

• We have set up a Kiosk at the church to sell snacks & school supplies during the week to kids at the Compassion school

• We have printed up new T-shirts to sell, promoting Bolivian missions to bless Africa (if you're interested please let me know, there are some we sent back to the States). 

• We've also held held soccer tournaments, movie nights, sold holiday cards, sold keychains & organized a benefit concert to raise add'l funds.

The good news is we are almost half way there!  The challenging part, that's still a long way off. Please pray for our fundraising & for the interview later this month in La Paz, for the U.S. visa. If you'd like to donate to our trip, please see details below on how to do that or write to us:

larrywmorehead2@yahoo.com

Thanks for sharing this amazing experience with us, and, "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon you; & establish the work of your hands... (Psalm 90:17)"!

Are they serious?

"Go into all the world and make disciples..." the concept sounds pretty clear to us.  We have seen God's faithfulness with respect to the Africa trip for over one year now, & would like to let you know where we stand financially as of right now.

Financial Update:

Of the 15 team members slated to go, 14 of us live in Bolivia.  

• Each individual needs to raise $3,300 to go to Kenya

• That means, the Bolivian portion of the team needs to raise $46,200

• As of right now, as a team we have $28,921 in money raised towards the trip

• Also Patty & Larry have received a sizeable donation that will cover their travel expenses for the trip!

We need your prayers, encouragement & support. Sponsor someone you know on the team or give a gift to the team in general & help spread God's message of salvation & hope to the African continent, promoting aspiring Bolivian missionaries in the process.  For details see below.

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BE DOING IN KENYA & HOW CAN YOU HELP?

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO IN KENYA?

In Kenya we plan to serve the community and local church in 7 areas:

1. Children's programs - teaching biblical truths & God's unconditional love through songs, games and children's activities both in schools and in the local church. Similar to Bolivia, Kenya has a very young population and loads of CHILDREN!
   


2. Ministering to HIV/AIDS patients - praying for and loving on adults, young people, children & babies with the AIDS virus spreading rampantly across the African continent.
   


3. Art & Culture - using Bolivian music, dance, native dress to communicate the redemptive plan of Christ wherever we are welcomed
   


4. Basic Health Care - we will have a licensed nurse and a dentist; and plan to bring basic medical supplies to Kenya to attend to basic health needs of the people in the community
   


5. Youth Outreach - plan to organize events to inspire and challenge the youth of Kenya, emphasizing biblical truths in practical areas such as intimacy with God, HIV/AIDS prevention, servant-leadership, stewardship ...
   


6. Sports Ministry - will partner with the local church to put together a city-wide sports tournament (of mainly soccer, with possibly other disciplines) to encourage team building, encouragement, affirmation & strengthen relationships between young believers and non-believers
   


7. Community Service - plan to bless the community with our sweat and hard work. Cleaning up open areas & soccer areas, light maintenance at local schools ... whatever needs to be done

HOW ARE WE RAISING FUNDS?

The team has been hard at work, involved in a number of endeavors to raise funds for the Africa trip.

• We have been selling t-shirts for the trip to promote and raise funds
  
• Organized a soccer tournament with several different churches from around the city
  
• We have made and sold food on several occassions at church for Sunday lunch.
  
• Have also held movie nights once a month at the church selling tickets and popcorn
  
• Set up a store at the compassion center to sell snacks and school supplies to the compassion kids.
  
• Promoting the trip in other churches here in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
  
• If you have any ideas of how to raise additional funds in a Bolivian context we would love to hear them! Please send us an e-mail or post a message on this blog!
  

Also if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation for the Bolivia-Kenya trip, from the U.S. please make checks out to Larry & Patty Morehead's church:

'Mount Paran Church'

and send to the following address:

"Bolivia Missions - The Moreheads"
c/o Mount Paran Church
2055 Mt. Paran Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30327

Please note that the "Bolivia Missions- The Moreheads" designation, simply means that your gift will be processed & sent to us. With each donation, please send us an e-mail (at larrywmorehead2@yahoo.com) informing us of your gift, and your intent that it go towards the trip & we will make sure the all of the funds get put towards the Africa trip. 

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Please pray for all the detailed preparations and that God would continue preparing our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits for the exciting challenge that lies ahead!

Where are we going in Kenya?

WHERE ARE WE GOING IN KENYA?

We will be based out of the town of Webuye, Kenya in Western Kenya close to the Ugandan border. We may get a chance to go into Uganda & minister there as well.

Aposento Missions to Argentina

• 2007 was our last missions trip to Salta, Argentina. This trip was focused greatly on ministering to children through vacation bible school; and evangelization through the arts, mainly drama & choreography. We also lead a major overhaul, painting & clean-up effort in several different churches in and around the city of Salta.

Aposento Missions to Ecuador

• The following year, 2006, we were given the opportunity to travel to Ecuador for one week in the beautiful city of Milagro, outside of the coastal city of Guayaquil. It was a brutal trip, 4 days & 4 nights on a bus. Upon arrival to Ecuador, we were based out of a large church of over 1,500 members who were shocked that such a small church as ours was able to be actively involved in missions & send teams out to other countries. While in Ecuador we were given 16 opportunities, mostly in local schools and plazas, to present the gospel message through music, choreography & drama, followed by one on one sharing with those in attendance. We finished the trip at an all girls' school, which reportedly had a lot of problems with teen pregnancy and drug use. The girls gave us a very warm reception and we could all feel God's presence at work. After our presentation and a testimony given by Patty, over 60 of the young girls gave their lives to Christ!

Aposento Missions to Paraguay

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• In 2005, the church sent out its 1st international short-term missions team to San Lorenzo, Paraguay. San Lorenzo is a lower-middle class area of Paraguay located outside the capital of Asuncion. On our 1st trip abroad we served in the community & the church. We also lead several evangelization efforts with the local church in different parts of the city.

Beginnings to Present: Missions at Aposento Alto

HISTORY TO PRESENT

Over the last 4 years the church has developed a missions team that was made up of like-minded individuals from the Aposento family to take the love and hope of Christ to those in need, serving in churches and the community as a whole. Pictured on the above slideshow is the current team going to Kenya.  Please keep us in your prayers!

• BEGINNINGS: Our very 1st team was sent to the small town of Guanay in the department of La Paz, in 2004, here in Bolivia. Street evangelization was the focus of this trip.

APOSENTO ALTO TO KENYA 2008!!!

We're officially up & running!

Aposento Alto Church in Santa Cruz, Bolivia aims to make history this November by sending a team from its church to minister & witness on the continent of AFRICA! To the best of our knowledge, no Bolivian church has ever sent a missions team to Africa, and we feel honored & priviledged to be representing Bolivia and South America in reaching out and answering Christ's mandate to GO to the people of Africa.

WHO ARE WE?
Aposento Alto is a small church of around 70 members and over 100 children, located in the Barrio Oriental section of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The church facilities a Compassion International Center which feeds, educates, sponsors and ministers to over 400 children during the week. The team that will be going is compromised of the following folks who are pictured above: (from L to R standing) Patty, Karen, Ingrid, Shirley, Yovana, Cinthia, Carla, & Silenny, (& from L to R on 1 knee) Roberto (from Nicaragua), Luis, Juan Manuel (or 'Nano'), Edwin, & Larry.  Not pictured in the group picture, but also accompanying us are: from the U.S., Susan Stanaker, who's a nurse who has a huge heart for the nation of Kenya; and from Bolivia, Sergio Prieto, who's a licensed dentist currently working with the street kids ministry here in Santa Cruz.

WHY?
For several years now, God has placed a burden on Aposento Alto church to accept the challenge that few churches in Bolivia have agreed to accept - that is to, 'GO INTO THE NATIONS and make disciples...' Patty Morehead has spearheaded the missions effort at Aposento with a vision to see Bolivians fulfilling their part of the Great Commission to the Nations.

After several trips to different countries in South America, in 2006, we felt God leading to take a huge step of faith to begin preparing a team of Bolivians to go to Africa. Since then we have been praying, preparing and equipping a team of 12 people to undertake this challenge. The team has been working hard to raise funds for over a year now! Over this period we have seen the Lord's faithfulness and believe He has given us His confrimation to Go!