Missions to the World, Kenya, Africa - August September 2001 Newsletter

August 5th Gary taught at Pastor Opicho’s church (All Nations) while Pastor was visiting the U.S. We had one young lady that got saved.

On the 13th we had a luncheon at our house for a former missionary to Kenya, that we knew back in 1995, who felt his work was finished in order to accomplish what God wanted to do there. This meeting helped to get us ready for our trip back to the States. We learned how things were changing and different laws that were being enforced since we left in January 2000. It was a real eye opener to help us for our return trip since we have been gone for a little over 20 months.

The 15th through 17th we had a 3 day convention for the Apostolic Faith Church where we taught and had an Ordination service the last day. Gary gave the four Pastors that were ordained a charge of responsibility for what they were about to do and told them of the pitfalls to watch out for in ministry.

On the 19th Gary continued his teaching on the Covenant at Pastor Assuma’s church, Testimony Church. The people said that they had never heard that kind of teaching before and were looking forward to the last teaching in September that he would do before we returned to the U.S.

On the 27th we invited Pastor Assuma and his family to dinner and had a good night of fellowship and games with their children. Ministry is not just preaching and teaching, but interacting with the people and learning about their culture.

On the 29th we went to pick Pastor Opicho up from the airport, which is about 2 ½ hours from Nakuru, and our car overheated. We were able to get some water from a family and get back on the road. We made it back home, but our car needed some engine work and we were without a car for the next month.

Our last trip out into the bush area before we returned to the U.S. was called Litein. The first night Gary taught on the Covenant and we prayed for several people for healing and jobs. We didn’t find out until the day we were leaving that one of the men we had prayed for had been shot in the stomach back in 1982 when the air force was trying to take over the government. He had not been able to eat anything except soft food once a day at his evening meal. He told us on that Sunday that God healed him and he had been eating since that night. PRAISE GOD!!!!! There was also an elderly woman who came down for healing after the morning service on Sunday who had been paralyzed on one side. Two men brought her down to the altar and sat her on a chair. After we all prayed for her we saw her outside walking by herself with a cane. There are times when Gary feels that the congregation should pray with us so they don’t get their eyes on us, but keep their eyes on God as their healer. After this trip out of Nakuru we were trying to get ourselves prepared for leaving Kenya on the 22nd of Sept.

On the 4th of September we had a new missionary family, the Fentor’s from South Africa, who arrived to help teach at the Bible College. We invited them, a family of five, and the principal and his wife over for dinner to welcome them to Kenya. We know that there is a special grace for missionaries that have children on the field. The children seemed to like Kenya and are doing fine adjusting.

On the 7th we had an international dinner at our house (American food) with a couple from Ethiopia and a couple from India. This was the start of some wonderful fellowship with these folks. The following night we had another international dinner and ate Indian food and on the 15th we all enjoyed Ethiopian food together. Kenya is like America in the sense that they have all kinds of people living there. There are people from Japan, South Africa, Denmark, Germany, Britain and many more places.

On the 9th Gary ministered at Pastor Mwangi’s church, Holy Spirit Revival Centre, for both first and second services. We had several people who came down for healing, jobs and one lady got saved.

The 16th was our last Sunday in Kenya and Gary finished his last service teaching on God’s Covenant. He used an illustration of a person walking on a fence, half in the world and half in the Kingdom of God. At the end of it all he fell off of the bench just like people do trying to remain doing things of the world.

We arrived safely in the U.S. on Sept. 23rd and we have enjoyed fellowship with family, good friends and supporters.

PRAISE REPORTS:

---GOD SUPPLIES NEEDS---

As we arrived in the U.S. we found that our 1988 Oldsmobile needed serious engine work instead of a few minor adjustments. The Lord has met this financial need through your prayers and the support of several families and a Pastor. We are praising God for those of you who God enabled to help meet this need. The Lord also provided an interim vehicle for the first 2 weeks while ours was being worked on.

Also family and friends have opened their homes and their hearts to assist us while we travel in the U.S.

We are thanking you all and praising God for His provision.

In His service,

Gary and Janet