Friday, January 21, 2011

JAN-FEB 2011 PRAYER LETTER


Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                           
 
GRACE TO THE REGIONS BEYOND
The last couple of years God has allowed the ministry to expand in ways that we never imagined.  Our desire has always been to see God raise up a people that not only would receive the gospel but also would send the gospel.  In our mind that meant taking the gospel to Kenya, but in God’s mind that meant taking the gospel to Kenya and much farther.  Little did we realize that God was preparing a people that would be willing and capable to step out by faith and take the gospel to some of the most difficult places in the world.  Eastern Congo and Burundi are not places for the faint hearted, but even in the midst of great difficulty God has used the Grace Bible Baptist Church to see scores saved in both countries and churches started.   Because of the direction that God has chosen for us and as we partner with the Grace Bible Baptist Church,  we have renamed our missions endeavor to GRACE TO THE REGIONS BEYOND.

RIFT VALLEY BAPTIST COLLEGE
The college ministry continues to go well bearing an incredible amount of fruit.  We have nearly 40 churches in Kenya whose pastors were trained in the college.  One missionary remarked to me the other day that there is no doubt that those who have gone to the Rift Valley Baptist College know their doctrine.  I was happy to hear him say that as we saw the lack of truly knowing doctrine as one of the problems amongst  national pastors when we arrived in Kenya, and that problem was one of the deciding factors in us starting the college.  Just this month we have opened up branches of the college both in the Congo and Burundi.  The Congo branch has thirteen students and the Burundi branch as eighteen students.  We are excited to be able to expand to these countries and know that only good can come from people learning the Bible.  This expansion has brought an incredible amount of work, but it is work that will bear an incredible amount of fruit.

BLOG
I finally did it.  After much procrastination I started a blog.  I was encouraged by some to go this direction and was told it was part of the new way of communication.  I have found that it does have its advantages and allows us to keep people who desire to know what is happening with the Mickey family better informed in a less intrusive way.  We are able to communicate things in a way that we could not do so in an ordinary prayer letter.  We can post up to date information and prayer requests and keep people informed in a much more timely way.  The one disadvantage that I have found is that I must develop the character to update it regularly!  Please check out our blog and recommend it to the people of the church.  Our blog address is mickeystokenya.blogspot.com


                His for Kenya
                And the Regions Beyond,


 

                Robert Mickey Jr. and family





























PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF LORD IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS

Part of the funeral crowd- See you in heaven Mbatia
A week ago as I was about to get in the car after our Wednesday evening prayer service we received word that one of our men had died.  Brother Peter Mbatia had been a member of the church since 1998, called to preach, and a student in our Bible College.  He served as a deacon in the Grace Bible Baptist Church for five years and pastored a church for two years.  His wife and children are faithful members and his daughter attends our Christian school.

It was with human sadness that I met with the family that night but in the midst of the sadness there was the understanding that he was in heaven.  When brother Mbatia received Christ he changed and it was evident to all who knew him.  Dozens of times through the year's people would comment about how he was a different man from the one they had known.

Shortly after our last session of the Bible College in December Peter received a temporary job offer on the coast of Kenya, south of Mombasa. He was helping renovate a tourist lodge that was about to reopen their doors.  On Wednesday afternoon the 12th of January his body was found floating in the swimming pool.  It was said that he drowned but the reports we were receiving sounded a little suspicious.  An autopsy was performed and it was determined that he was murdered by poisoning. I doubt those responsible will ever be found.

Bro. Peter was well known to all of our church and his death has served as a wake up call for many to the shortness of life and the need to get busy for the Lord while there is time.  The funeral was attended by hundreds and his testimony will continue in this world for a long time. 

Please keep his wife and family in prayer.

Mrs. Peter Mbatia standing beside her husband's casket