FASTEST GROWING IN ALL AFRICA

There are 54 countries on the continent of Africa consisting of thousands of towns.  Africa has the highest birth/growth rate in the entire world and has the second highest population of any continent with over 1 billion people.  Anybody who has visited an African town or city will attest to the fact that there are people everywhere.  Recently the U.N. released a report naming Nakuru as the fasting growing town/city in all of Africa. The growth rate is an astounding 13 percent per year. 

See   News article  and youtube video .   

A few months after arriving in Kenya in January 1998 God began to direct us to the town of Nakuru.  We knew that there were a lot of people in Nakuru and that there was a great need but little did we realize that in just a short time God would begin sending people to Nakuru from all over country.   The growth has been steady but in the last few years it has rapidly increased.

What does this growth rate mean for us?  One of the most noticeable changes is the increased COST of LIVING.  Rents have increased dramatically and the price of land has quadrupled in the last couple of years.  Whereas before many things were cheap compared to the capital city of Nairobi, now things are comparably as expensive. 

However the biggest change is a greater OPPORTUNITY.  Literally there are people, people everywhere.  Although the number of Baptist churches have increased in Nakuru since 1998 from one to seven the burden and workload to reach all the people is greater than ever.  The amount of lost souls in line walking towards an eternity in hell is increasing greatly by the day, literally increasing faster than anywhere in all of Africa.

In the thirteen years we have lived in Nakuru we have seen for various reasons seven missionary families come and go. Certainly some of them God moved on to other ministries but one thing is sure - the opportunity to minister in this place has grown greater than ever.  I have lain awake at night thinking about all the opportunity we have in this city to reach those around us and what could be done with more labourers.    

Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

I am praying - could the Lord possibly be sending you?

Nakuru from the air

Nakuru fastest growing in Africa

NEW CHURCH OFF TO A GREAT START

30 members of the Grace Bible Baptist Church traveled over five hours to the town of  Masimba to spread the gospel seed in preparation for the beginnings of a new church. Over a period of three days thousands of people living in this region had the gospel seed planted in their hearts.  Masimba is a staunch Seventh Day Adventist stronghold but we know that the light of the gospel will penetrate even the darkest of hearts.  We praise the Lord for the 43 precious souls who made a profession of salvation during our soulwinning time in the Masimba region.

The weather was not favorable to us but in spite of the rain hundreds of people showed up for our open air preaching time including many of those who had trusted Christ during our soul winning.  It was a blessing to see many stand out in the rain to hear the Word of God preached.  Christians often times allow the smallest things to hinder their faithfulness to church and yet here were scores of people standing/sitting in the rain, listening intently to the Word of God!

On Sunday morning 87 people showed up for the first service.  The small building that was rented for the church could not hold the crowd so we had to shift the service outside.  Again, many of those who had trusted Christ were in the service, with a smile on their face and ready to be taught.

Pastor Matthew Mogire has a lot of work ahead of him as he follows up on all the visitors and those who trusted Christ.  He told me in a phone conversation today that they are ready to hold a baptism service for those who have been saved.  Please continue to pray for these dear people.  This is one of the more difficult places in Kenya to minister and Satan will not give up any ground without a fight.

Church signboard

Getting ready to plant some seed

The first service

Zipporah leading a lady to the Saviour

NEEMA BAPTIST CHURCH- MASIMBA

We are about to embark on a 5 hour trip with 30 members of the Grace Bible Baptist Church to the town of Masimba.  Over the next couple of days we will be saturating the community with the gospel in preparation for the beginning of a new church that will hold its first service on Sunday.  Along with witnessing door to door we will also be doing some outdoor preaching and showing an evangelistic film.

As has always been our practice, we endeavor to follow the biblical example of churches starting churches.  This new church will be pastored by one of our Bible College graduates and members of our church, brother Matthew Mogire.  Brother Matthew is from this area and has a great burden to see this region reached with the gospel.

The predominate church in this area is the Seventh Day Adventist Cult. We know that there will be much opposition to the gospel and to this new church but we are assured from the Bible that we are going with Jesus authority.

It is exciting and a privilege to be serving here in Kenya with a group of people who desire to see churches start and the gospel go forward both here in Kenya and in the Regions Beyond. 

Brother Matthew (right) standing in front of the building we have rented for the church.

Sunday School Child Passes On

It does not matter where you are in the world, children are children.  It is always a joy to work with children and see them come to the Lord at an early age.  Watching children grow up without the scars of sin brings a pleasure like no other.

We have always made children a large part of our ministry efforts.  We have a christian school with nearly 300 children.  We have seven bible clubs that meet on Saturdays with a combined attendance of over 1000.  Every Sunday we have over 200 children who attend our church service.  We truly endeavor to reach the children.

Today it was with sadness that today we had the funeral service of one of our Sunday School children.  Joy Wangui was barely four years old when God took her home.  Joy's mother received Christ in our church a couple years ago and it was with great happiness that I was able to assure her that she would see her lovely daughter again.

Joy's mother is the brother of one of our most faithful men, brother Peterson Kimani.  When Peterson got saved God truly changed him.  A drunkard who was living for himself was changed to a man who now lives for God and his family.  Many of Peterson's family have come to the Lord and his children are some of the best in the church  Peterson's wife is saved but has been holding out on joining the church.  Please pray for her.

Peterson owns a public transportation business and has completely dedicated his business to the Lord. He is not ashamed of his beliefs and willingly shows it. (see picture)  It is not often we see people as dedicated in their business practices as brother Peterson has shown.  Through his testimony his sister has been reached and she has the knowledge that heaven will bring a reunion with her daughter!

Joy's grave

Peterson's Vehicle- Known around town as the "King James"!

MARCH - APRIL PRAYER LETTER

TWO BIBLE STUDIES STARTED

Very recently two new bible study/preaching points have been started with the goal to soon see them begin meeting as churches.  One of these preaching points is in the town of Masimba and is led by Matthew Mogire, a graduate of our Bible College and a member of the Grace Bible Baptist Church. The other is in the city of Bukavu in the country of DR Congo. The Bukavu region has a population of over 500,000 and is the capital of the South Kivu province where we have been working.  This preaching point is being led by January, a Congolese national who has moved back to Congo from Rwanda where he had been living.  He was a member of an Independent Baptist Church for eight years and already had a good foundation.  God allowed our paths to cross and after building a relationship with him for nearly two years, he has partnered with us to see the work of God go forward in Congo. Please pray for these two new bible study/preaching points as we endeavor to soon to see them become churches.

HAVE WE BEEN FORGOTTEN?

Recently while surveying some new areas in DR Congo I was asked some troubling questions by a few national believers.  I had never been asked these type of questions in such a pointed way before. As troubling as they were when I heard them, they have continued to ring in my ears since that time.  Why have your churches stopped sending us missionaries?  Have we been forgotten?  Do churches not care about us anymore?  We REMEMBER people used to come, why don’t they come anymore?  When asked these questions, I was quick to respond to assure them of the love and sacrifice of many. I gave what I believed at the time were good excuses that would surely help them understand.  When I finished, their response in essence was, your words sound good but we still have no missionaries.  My excuses I gave to them were:

·   There is still a war going on in this place, and it is to dangerous to live here.

·   It is a difficult place for someone to bring their family.

·   People do not understand that it is possible to come here as a missionary.

·   People here need to pray more so the Lord will send missionaries.

·   Some in America are just not answering the call of God anymore.

I have realized that my words were indeed just excuses, and they ring hollow to the ears of those who need the love of Christ brought to them. My heart is moved at the spiritual need in Eastern Congo and the surrounding areas.  They have not known peace in a generation.  Satan has used the lack of stability to sow the seeds of false and weak doctrine throughout the land.  There is a great need for the Word of God to go forth to both bring salvation to the lost and strength and stability to the saved.   I am thankful that God is allowing us to do just a little bit in meeting this need.

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