Visiting a Friend and Ministering the Gospel

Our days have been extremely busy! The weeks prior to a major seminar are filled with nights lacking in sleep and days packed with preparation. Our next major seminar will, God willing, be December 4th through the 6th held in Kaithe. Each of us (Godfrey, Leah, and Phil) have atleast 3 lessons to prepare - each lesson filling a two hour session. We rejoice at the opportunity to proclaim the truth and train the leaders! PLEASE PRAY FOR US! In our own strength, we will fail - we need God to enable us for this mission and ministry!

In the midst of preparing for this seminar, we were invited to visit a friend who lives near Nairobi and ministers a church in Thika. James Mwirigi is a dear friend to both Leah and Phil. He attended Ozark Christian College during the same time that they did, and they had many times of sweet fellowship together as they worked in God's Kingdom. James returned to his church, his wife and three children in the fall of 2011. When we moved to Kenya in September of 2012, we knew that we would have to pay James a visit.

Or opportunity came over this past weekend. We went to visit James and his family on friday, the 16th. We stayed there saturday and sunday then returned to Kijabe on monday. Our stay was a great blessing, as we had the chance to meet with James, his two sons (both attending university), his daughter (currently in high school), and his wife. Truly, a tangible peace resides in their house - and this is because they are a family who prays! Every night, the entire family comes together to hear a reading from the Bible, to encourage one another, and to pray together.

During our stay with James, Phil was asked to preach Sunday morning, and to teach the leaders in the afternoon. Sunday morning, Phil preached about having eyes for eternity. The message's main point was: "the strength to live and overcome is in fixing our eyes on eternity." He went through three main parts, each one focusing on the glory of Jesus Christ. First, we see a glimpse of His glory in Matthew 17:2. Second, we see Jesus' current state of glory as reigning at the right hand of the Father. And Third, we see the glory of Jesus Christ, in heaven, is focused an centered on the Gospel - that He was slain and ransomed men from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Sunday afternoon, he taught the leaders about the need for integrity in our lives and in the church.





Our lives must always point to Gospel of Jesus Christ! Proclaiming the Gospel is not merely an important part of this life, but also it will be the focus of the one to come! Eternal life is now, and will forever be, a song of Thanksgiving to the LAMB who slain to purchase men for God! Are you singing?

A Short Seminar pt. 3

One possitive aspect of holding a conference in the middle of the market is that you get extra people listening to the proclaiming of the Gospel! While 150 people were expected to attend, there were probably about 200 or more people crowding around the tents!



We taught all day for the two days. On Saturday, we covered the topics: (1) What is the Gospel? (2) Prayer (3) How to Study the Bible (4) The Christian Life / Home and (5) Evangelism. On Sunday, we covered the topics: (1) Be Useful, Not Useless - a message from Philemon (2) The Church (3) Quiet time and (4) Know the Word.

Many of the People were feeling very encouraged and touched by the messages. Before we could finish the first lesson, people were asking for copies of our notes. So, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednessday Phil has been compiling the notes and preparing one document with all the lessons. (If you are interested in having a copy, email Phil, and he can send you a PDF copy.)







Probably the most interesting experience of our entire time in Chwele was while we were teaching. There is a Muslim Mosque near the market place, and as usual, five times a day there would be a call to prayer. There is nothing quite as unique as proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Lord, the name above every name, the only name under heaven whereby men might be saved, the Lamb which was slain to save all mankind - all while you hear the call to prayer in the background.

This was such a clear picture to us! There are such strongholds throughout all the world! There are so many who have not come to the Lord, Jesus Christ, so many who are lost and read to fall into the pit where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! Who will go to them? Who will share the ONE TRUE LIGHT, Jesus, in the places of darkness? This is why we are here! This is why we must go!

Dear believers, will you go?

A Short Seminar pt. 2

First and foremost, let me apologize once again for not writing as soon as I would have liked - but these past few days have been extremely taxing and our time packed with either teaching or traveling.

We taught all day Saturday and all day Sunday. We have too many pictures to post on the blog, but we will include a "sample" of pictures from our time in Chwele.

On Saturday, we began our time with handing out some Bibles. One thing we certainly learned about doing ministry in Kenya is to NEVER announce that you are handing out Bibles to people. After about 10 min, people from all over Chwele were there to receive a Bible - more people than we had Bibles. So, after handing out a few Bibles, we started to only hand Bibles to the pastors. This way, they could give the Bibles to people who truly did not have one, to those who could read, and those who would not sell it in the market to make a profit.

For those who were there to receive the Word of God - they were truly blessed... here are a few pictures of people receiving Bibles.







(Here is a team who came from Uganda)





Our phone has difficulties posting anything with more than four pictures. So that you might get the whole story, please read the next post.

A Short Seminar

Greetings the name of Jesus Christ!

We apologize for the long silence. We have been extremely busy in the past week. For those of you who get our newsletter, we informed you of a short seminar that we would be doing in a place called Chwele. If you are looking at a map of Kenya, we are on the West boarder about 15 kilometers from Uganda. The closest big now is called Bungoma.

These past few days have been filled with preparing lessons and getting everything ready for the very full two day weekend. We have spent many hours sitting at a little desk preparing the lessons.


The place where we are is very hungry for the Word of God! These people (coming from a variety of tribes) have no Bibles and therefore, no sound teaching from the Word of God. In a brief meeting preparing for the seminar, Phil was asked to teach a brief lesson. The audience of about 20 took down every word like it were water in a dry place! Even from that 30 min, unplanned lesson people were saying that a small revival in their people has begun.

We are right now in Chwele, staying in a convent. God is the great provider! We were not sure exactly where we would stay, but our contact here knew that these nuns were very hospitable. So, we find ourselves in this very wonderful place having free lodging and warm meals everyday.

Concerning our contact here, we are working with Pastor Duncan Khisha - a church planter with New Christ Life Mission (an independent denomination in Kenya and East Uganda). He is a very humble man who works hard for the Lord in every way that he can. One challenge that Pr. Duncan faces is that he is deaf... as you can imagine, we sometimes have some challenges in preparing a seminar. But God's power is revealed in the midst of our weakness!

These people are excited for the next two days, and for good reason! For many of them, they will receive a Bible for the very first time. (By God's grace, He has provided 147 Bibles for the people attending the seminar! Praise His Worthy Name!) Also, for many of them, they will be hearing Biblically rich and doctrinally sound teaching for the first time!

We will be in Chwele for two full days of teaching! We hope to do a blog post tomorrow night giving pictures of the seminar and the distribution of Bibles! Then, God willing, either Sunday or Monday night we will do a blog post giving an update on the seminar.

Please be praying for us. We know that the devil does not want this seminar to succeed. We will be holding it in the town market. 150 people have registered, but there will be hundreds more crowding around the tents. God willing there will be a great revival in this place! Please be praying to that end!

MAY THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN RECEIVE THE FULL REWARD OF HIS SUFFERINGS!


(This sign greets everyone who drives through Chwele... Oh God be glorified!)

My Sinful Soul Has He Set Free!

Here is another poem by Phil Nelson... it is a reflection upon the work of Christ...

In darkness, utter darkness, my soul did He find
     In the midst of sin and shame His glory brightly shined.
Clear conviction, I am guilty!  No one else to blame,
     In hopeless abandon, then I called upon His name!
"Repent, repent, for the Kingdom of God is near!"
     My dead heart begins to beat, His voice I do hear!
Yet His radience reveals all my decadence
     And I begin to lose all hope and confidence.
The weight of the curse, who can begin to bare?
     In greif I fall, But then a cross do I see there!
As I stare, I see the Man, and my face is covered with tears
     Oh His groaning, His sorrowful cry begins to fill my ears.
From God's holiness flows His burning wrath as a mighty river,
     Darkness covered the land, and the whole earth began to quiver.
And there, upon the Crucified Christ do I begin to see
     The wrath of God which was appointed for not only me,
But the sins of all the world; which upon His head were laid.
     In the cross was the legal punishment fulfilled, and debt fully paid!
"Now believe on Him who can save your soul!
     And from His alter, He shall take a burning coal,
With it He shall touch you, and make you clean
     But only if on Jesus Christ you fully lean!"
I believe, O Lord!  Your cross I am here beneath,
     Let your holy fire cleanse me, free me from all unbelief.
Then what a wonder did I truly witness,
     For it was not by my personal, spiritual fitness
That my sins were covered by His grace.
     For by works, none may look upon His face.
No, but by His mercy and loving-kindness,
     He removed my soul's damning blindness.
And now how clearly can I see
     My sinful soul has He set free!
Now from the darkness and the lies
     Christ awakens my heart to rise!
A new creature have I become
     the old is gone, the new is come.
Yes, a new song to Him I sing,
     and all my praises freely bring!
For once in darkness did I roam
     But He has made Heaven my new home.
Once a captive to the Fall,
     Now Christ is my All-in-All.
Though still my flesh may be weak,
     Every day, His glory I shall seek.
In building my own empire,
     I would only build the fire
That shall come on that Great Day
     When we see stubble, wood, and hay.
For in eternity these will not matter,
     Not the glory of man and how they flatter!
Rather; Him, I live to please,
     And so I move now to my knees.
"Oh may I be a part of that mighty throng
     who bow low and worship all day long.
For they shall sing: "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lamb
     Who bled and died and ransomed men from every land."'
And what surpassing joy it shall be
     to finally see the face of Him who saved even me.