Kenya Missions Report

Nairobi, Kenya:
50th Anniversary Celebrations

50 is symbolized by gold and gold represents strength and resilience! That's a powerful characteristic of Africa which we noted once again! From August 30 - September 6, CITAM (Christ is the Answer Ministries) formerly Nairobi Pentecostal Church celebrated their heritage in a way that made all us Canadians stand in awe.

Everything was done with great dignity and pride. The Fathers of the Faith, who began the work in Kenya, were contacted, and those who were still alive and able to travel were invited to come and celebrate with them. Missionaries, friends and Kenyans celebrated with joy day after day as they stayed true to their theme, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12).

So what was I doing there? Well, by God's providential plans, I was invited to minister in a number of the services as the evening Revival Speaker. The celebrations began on Tuesday night, and I had the opportunity and or challenge of being the first speaker on deck. My message that night was "Time for a Futuristic Mindset." A hard but necessary start, yet it was well in line as each speaker following came with a clear and futuristic call. Wednesday night we saw an incredible miracle! My message, ‘A Futuristic Vision' was directed towards the young people, challenging them to remember that each generation, young or old, has a responsibility to the next. It was a strong message but no one (myself included) would have ever anticipated such a response as young people streamed down to the altar in earnestness before the invitation was fully given. They ran, pushed, and filled the aisles, doorways and balcony stairs -everywhere! The rest of us simply wept as we saw a young African generation spiritually poised to make every effort to see the next 50 years greater than the last!

Thursday night was yet another alarming night. This nation of Kenya which recently underwent a great brokenness because of election violence and strife which left many people dead, buildings burnt and emotions damaged was now openly declaring the spiritual ramifications of what just transpired. Thus my message became pointed and deliberate. Its essence was this ‘The spiritual atmosphere of a nation will affect the physical atmosphere of a nation.' Once again the response to the message surprised us all, as it was such a stringent call, which I anticipated that only a very few would respond to. Yet, God did His wonders! At the end of that service, over 200 names were recorded as people committed their lives to become missionaries to rural Kenya and other African nations.

The Saturday events were was split into two churches: a Women's Conference which both Pastor Esther White and myself ministered to over 5,000 women who were simply on fire for God; while at the men's session which featured Pastor Dennis White and Dr. John Senyonyi, a Ugandan speaker, were also overflowing as well. In the words of Sue Wolthuizen, former missionary who traveled with me - "this day was just powerful, incredible, and releasing!" So now this pretty much summarizes my part in the 50^th anniversary celebrations. But the Word of God says ‘be ready in and out of season.' On Sunday morning, we all arrived at the huge Nyayo Stadium for a full day crusade. CITAM's eight churches of over 23,000 were all in attendance, along with thousands of others from the city. Rev. Dennis White was the morning speaker and the presiding President of Kenya graced the crusade with his presence and well wishes. They did an incredible job of preparing the stadium, beautifying the place, preparing for the President, getting hundreds of workers in place; choirs, children's choirs, counsellors, workers, ushers, security etc. - the mood and anticipation was electric! At 10 am that morning, I was informed that the afternoon Crusade speaker had to return to his country, and I would now have to speak in his stead. My first response was ‘you are joking!" However, since it was not a joke, I thank God for your dutiful prayers for both me and my ministry because that morning I had to hear from God quickly and prepare to preach. YES - God's Word is true; He will never leave us nor forsake us. On Sunday afternoon, we had another great crusade service as many came forward and dedicated their lives to the Lord. Although I have done several outdoor crusades and evangelism in Africa, this was my very first ‘organized stadium' Billy Graham style crusade, it was phenomenal -

I pray it is not the last!

To all my supporters - thank you for the privilege you afforded me in being there. Seeing the results of any one of those nights would have been sufficient, but to be a part of seeing people so anxious for change and willing to commit themselves to Christ and the work of Evangelism was overwhelming.