A Visit to Kenya
By Africa/Europe Area Director Bryce Whiting
Pastor Travis Hutcheson (Shiloh AC Church, Monroe, N.C.) and I arrived in Kenya on February 22 with a mission that was at least two-fold. Primarily, we went to encourage our pastors there. We worshiped with them, brought them teaching, provided lunch and handed them a little financial blessing to assist with their travel expenses back home. We managed to visit some of their churches with a great hope of seeing the rest of them on a successive trip. For me, it was a glad reunion, having enjoyed a joint conference with the Kenyan pastors two years ago as they traveled to Tanzania to meet with our Advent Christian brethren there. This conference of 15 churches has grown to 19 in two years. We enjoyed every minute we were with them.
Besides meeting with the pastors, we also went to see the Mercy Home Orphanage. This secondary purpose was given primary attention as Pastor Samuel Ondieki took us directly from the airport to this ministry. Seventy children came rushing out of the church down the hill to embrace him when they saw him coming. He quickly introduced us and they welcomed us with a song, “Jesus Is My Friend,” restoring big smiles to our travel-weary faces.
Samuel was instrumental in starting the Mercy Home Orphanage 11 years ago, but last year the entire conference joined with him in making it a new conference ministry. In a matter of weeks, the occupancy nearly doubled as churches sent their needy children there. They are now registered with the government as a non-profit ministry and as a result are given almost $20 per month of governmental assistance to operate.
We blessed the children with gifts of pencils, pens, balloons, three new soccer balls, three new smaller playground balls for the little ones, balloons for everyone and (Oh, how they loved this!) candy. There was no small amount of rejoicing when they received these gifts.
Pastor Samuel has dedicated his life to this work. A tea factory is operating in the hill country of the Kisii region, so Samuel has planted tea to help sustain the orphanage. Conference President Peter Motende uses his training as a carpenter to make beds for the children when wood is available. There are presently as many as five children sleeping on a single twin bed. Not everyone finds space there and must be content with sleeping on the floor. Among the goals are an extension to the sleeping quarters, more beds and mosquito nets.
On Sunday, the three-hour service (no one else was looking at the time) allowed all of the children to participate in energetic dances and songs. Pastor Travis brought a children’s story to them and I followed with the main message.
God was blessed that day. Pray for these young ones to grow up to be warriors for him. Amen.
