Day 3: Launch of Rift Valley Fellowship!

Today was a big day! We had a morning devotion led by James where we were able to just meditate on being the bride of Christ. It was so good to just spend some time in worship and prayer to prepare for the day.  Then we headed down to Isaac and Esther’s for breakfast. It is about a 5 minute walk from where we are staying.  For breakfast we had toasted homemade English muffins with butter and jam, sausage and papaya. Needless to say it was delicious! Esther has been so gracious to us preparing our meals and we all have raved about the food! After breakfast we spent some time in prayer with Isaac and Esther for the launch of their new church plant Rift Valley Fellowship (RVF) in Maai Mahiu. We prayed that the Lord would just fill the building with people from Maai Mahiu. We prayed that God would speak through Isaac and that His Holy Spirit would just pierce hearts with His truth and love. We specifically prayed Numbers 6:24-26 which reads, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Since church does not start until 2pm, we first went to the town of Naivasha to meet some orphans that Esther and Isaac mentor. The ministry is called Jamii, which means family in Swahili. There were about 10 kids ranging from ages 9-20. All of the kids have lost their parents and our now living with relatives, but they get together regularly with Isaac and Esther and the other children for bible study and fellowship. Another couple, Agnes and Peter are also very involved in this ministry and visit all of the kids at least once a week. They are all in school and study very hard. They told us that Agnes and Peter have felt led to take in 6 more baby girl orphans to live with them and their 3 sons. To do this they would need a bigger home than the one that they have. There is a property nearby that is for sale that would be perfect. We prayed that the Lord would provide for them and we also shot a video to show others how we can help this incredible ministry. We then spent time just hanging out with the kids and getting to know them. Jessica and I spent some time with a 13-year-old girl named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was so sweet and soft spoken! She is in grade 7 and likes football (soccer) and loves reading. Her dream is to one day become a doctor! Esther later told us that they have been praying hard for the older girls because it is common for girls to have genital mutilation when they reach a certain age in Kenya. It is a horrific practice that signifies womanhood and supposedly keeps women from cheating on their husbands. Esther and Isaac do everything in their power to keep this from happening. They even keep some of the girls that are at boarding school in their home during vacations so they don’t have to go home. After praying with the kids, we got back in the vans to head to Maai Mahiu for church.

Elizabeth, Peter, Margaret, Esther, Isaac & their daughter, Rachel

We ate lunch in the car, some samosas made by Esther. They were delicious! When we arrived at the church it was already filled with people! There were children from Naomi’s Village and Valley Light, which are two local children’s homes. All of the Kenyans that we had been working with for the past few days were there as well as Bob and Julie Mendonsa, the founders of Naomi’s Village. We got started a little late because we were on “Kenyan time,” haha.  As we were worshipping, people just kept coming! It was so sweet to see the Lord answer our prayer so specifically. The place was packed out the door! There were even pastors from other churches in the area, it was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ! You could see the excitement on people’s faces that this day had finally arrived.  It had been labored over in prayer for so long and the Lord’s presence was palpable. The children from Naomi’s Village sang a sweet song to start off the service. We are excited to visit them later this week! Bob and Julie spoke about their dream of having a gospel-centered church in Maai Mahiu and how wonderful it was to see it come to fruition. 

Bob & Julie Mendonsa

Matt & Isaac

Isaac then gave a message from John 8 about how the Pharisee’s brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They wanted to know what Jesus would say, and He responded, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone.” Isaac spoke about how we all fall short of the glory of God and are all in desperate need of God’s forgiveness.  There is no sin too great that it cannot be forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice. This was especially powerful because there were 4 people there that were HIV positive and taking anti-retroviral medication (ARV’s). The ARV’s cause them to look different from everyone else, so it is evident to everyone that they are HIV positive.  They have not been able to attend a church because they are outcasts in their community and have been shunned. They spoke to Isaac after the service and they said how grateful to God they are to have a place to go where they do not feel condemnation, but acceptance. Praise the Lord! This church is so needed!  There were also 4 women in attendance that Esther has been pouring into for many months. She was so encouraged to see them there! Esther later told us that she estimated about 6-7 Kenyan tribes were represented. This is a huge deal because most churches in Kenya are segregated by tribe. The following is another testimony of God moving through RVF written by Brent!

During the worship service a boy named John (age 13) walked in the gate and sat under the outside tent. John had attended both the first and second “open air” preaching events and made a special bond with me and I prayed for and over him at both events. John’s original goal was to have me buy him a ball or a bike or anything to “quench” his immediate desires. Prayers were specifically for John to realize that the Lord would provide for his needs and that RVF would be a place he could be provided the love and grace for him to be emboldened to make much of His name. After the service, John fellowshipped with many other children in attendance and had a great meal. John is looking forward to coming and worshipping God next week at RVF.

After the service there was a traditional Kenyan meal served for everyone. We helped pass out plates of food and just spent time talking with people and playing with the kids. This meal meant a lot to people because often times they won’t know when their next meal will be. At the very end of our time a man named Eliud approached Matt and told him how moved he was by the testimony that Matt gave two days before. He confessed that he has been an alcoholic for the last 20 years and has been cheating on his wife. He thought that his sins were too great for God to forgive, but after hearing Matt share his story and present the gospel, he now knew that even his sins could be made clean with the blood of Christ.  Matt brought him to Isaac to share his story and they led him to Christ right there. It truly was a beautiful day! Praise the Lord!

Lunch!

Love to all,

Catherine

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