We’re continuing to keep in close contact with our friends in Kenya through all the violence and turmoil they’re facing. Sometimes we find it very hard to make these phone calls. It absolutely breaks our hearts to see those we love hurting so much! We don’t know when this all will end or what tomorrow will look like. But we continue to lean into the Father and stand with our brothers and sisters in Kenya.
I called Monica Friday to see how she and her family were getting along in Kenya. She updated me with the latest, continued stories of hardship and political conflict, but in the past few days peace talks between the opposing parties have brought some hope. I asked about the boys, Oscar, Oliver, and Albert and she said they were doing really well. She said they were already asleep for the night and would be disappointed to find out that they missed talking to me. Her exact words were, “in the morning when they find out you called, they will cry. They will cry because they missed talking to you. Oscar has been asking when you will call again, he insists he needs to talk to you.” Hearing this, I promised Monica that I would call the following day (Saturday) and we set up a time for that conversation. I never knew that I’d be so encouraged by this Saturday afternoon phone call.
I couldn’t get through the first 3 times, but knowing that Oscar was waiting by the phone, I persisted and finally got through to them. He answered the phone on the first ring as if he was staring at it waiting for me to call. Let me tell you about our conversation. It started off with small talk about how everyone was doing. He said one sentence about the political violence they’ve experienced then his tone shifted drastically and with great excitement in his voice, Oscar said, “but let me tell you what the Lord has been doing here!” He proceeds to tell me that the little group of evangelists (Oscar, Oliver, and Albert) have expanded and now there is a whole team. He referred to this “team of brothers” several times 
throughout our conversation. I asked who all was in the group now and he went down the roll. Oscar, Oliver, Albert, Lawrence, Jefferson, Zandross, Isaac, Stephen, Luis, and Lucas…there are now 10 boys ages 10-15. “We even have an official name for ourselves and a mission statement,” Oscar said. “We are called the ‘New Kibera Mission of God.’ Our main purpose is evangelism, loving the Lord and loving His children by sharing the Gospel with them.” Incredible, I thought. I listened in awe of what the Lord is doing in and through these young boys. This conversation truly was a blessing to me and I feel led to share it with you. You’ll find Oscar’s words in italics…
Friday afternoons we help Mum run her feeding program for around 200 kids. Many of them are orphans. We like to encourage them with the Word and teach them about Jesus. After the feeding program is finished, we go to sports ministry and play football with the neighborhood boys. We love football very much and sometimes we get to tell them about Jesus.
Each Saturday morning, the 10 of us meet to study the Bible. What is he teaching you? He’s teaching us how to love. How to truly love, even how to love those that hate us because of our tribe. Our group is from all different tribes and our people are killing each other because of the differences in tribes. But the Lord is teaching us how to love even those people. It is sad to see people who have always been peaceful overcome by hate and violence towards their neighbors. I’m blown away by the perspective Oscar brings on this tribalism tragedy and the powerful lessons they are learning, even at such a young age.
We also meet every Sunday afternoon to discuss and plan the following week’s events and to pray for one another. Earlier today we were praying and asking the Lord what we should do today. After listening to the Lord, we decided to go serve at a primary school nearby. We spent all afternoon cleaning up the school so they could be in order to open class again on Monday. There were looters and the school got destroyed in the violence. We were also able to encourage and pray for the head master who was there.
We love to do door-to-door evangelism on Saturdays. We are seeing the Lord do big things and heal people. We share the gospel and people are getting saved. Sometimes they don’t get saved but we still encourage them with the Word.
We have also started visiting the street boys at Kenyatta Market. (Kenyatta Market is a very rough part of Nairobi, known for many street boys). We go there to teach Bible lessons and encourage the boys. We are focusing on evangelism and discipleship there. Pray for us because we feel the Lord leading us to choose 1 boy to take in and disciple and help him grow up in the Lord. We will chose one soon and take him home with us, find him a place to live, and disciple him to be a follower of Jesus. Then maybe the Lord will lead us to do that again.
I could listen to Oscar share these stories all day long. I am so thankful for the Lord crossing our paths. Before we hung up the phone, I prayed for him and shared an encouraging verse from 2 Corinthians. I found myself so humbled by this conversation, feeling like he ministered to my heart much more than I could ever to his. I thanked him for the encouragement he is to me and all those here. I told him of people here who were praying for them and he was very thankful. He said “I will share this encouraging report in our next meeting, that people in America love us, are praying for us, and encouraging us through intercession.”
Here I was thinking that I was calling Oscar to check on them, encourage them, & pray for them, and instead my heart was filled to overflowing from a broken-English conversation with a 15 year old boy. I cannot put into words how thrilled I was, my heart beamed with joy! I’ve never had the experience of being a proud parent, per say, but this is what I imagine that would feel like. I just wanted to jump through the phone and give all of these young boys a big hug and tell them how proud I am of them.
I am undone and overwhelmed at the thought of what the Lord is doing in and through this team of boys in Kibera. Their faith challenges me greatly. My heart is full and radiant as I thank the Lord for these precious boys!
