Kenya Prayer Update #9

Good afternoon to you all.

Happy February. Some good praise reports for you all today, and some prayers as well.

The team from Calvary Chapel Bangor arrived around midnight last Thursday, and then left this past Monday. The KOAN Cup was a great time of football, fellowship, and sharing the Word of God. CC USA FC (Bangor's team) got whooped and lost both their games, unfortunately not progressing at all in the tournament. Their first match against Calvary FC (our home team here at CC El Doret) was a great one. Bangor's elimination on the first day of the tournament did not make their journey out here vain, however. Throughout the tournament, in between matches, we would gather all the teams to the bleachers and someone from the Bangor team would give a brief Bible teaching. Multiple folks on the teams were saved this last weekend as a result of the tournament, it was a very fruitful and exciting time for the church family here. Calvary FC made it to the semifinals but lost that game in a penalty shootout after two halves of no scoring; a very tense game. The championship match was hosted at the Great Commission Ministries Land, and we took the two teams and a bunch of people from church over there to the event.

Speaking of the GCM land, the first four Hope Homes are nearing completion over there! The Hope Homes will be homes for many of the children that have been orphaned or abused and now live on the streets. The first house is the closest to completion, and we're looking at maybe less than two months until the first family can move in. The way the homes are set up is there are the house parents (a married couple from the church who will live there full time) and then the kids. So far, we are blessed to have one set of house parents and are praying for three more to fill the other houses once they are finished.

Work at the church land is progressing well. We are still digging the footing for the foundation. It's truly massive, and quite deep, in some places as profound as 7 feet. I've put a photo I took today as we were working. That is just a small portion of the footing, the full thing is much more expansive. I took some videos too, but they don't send over email. The previous owners of the land were beginning to build a nightclub and a restaurant (God has allowed us to redeem the land). These previous owners had already poured a lot of money into the land, however, and poured several concrete slabs, and then buried them under four feet of dirt (very courteously for us now digging up to seven...) so we are currently engaged in using a jackhammer and some handheld jackhammers to break up these slabs that are in the way of our own footing. We also have to follow behind the backhoe and level out all the trenches and column footings. Lots of digging! It is going to be so awesome when we at last begin to pour the footings.

I don't know how many of you are tuned in to African news, but one thing that has been developing recently in the Congo I think has made world news. There are Congolese rebels right now storming the capital city of Goma. The city is a full on warzone with gunshots in the streets and civilian casualties left and right. People are fleeing to neighboring Rwanda, but Rwanda, though they deny their involvement before the UN, is supporting the uprising. It's a huge mess of death and destruction out there right now and it would be very good if you all could be in prayer for Goma, Congo. Our church here has a church plant out there headed by one Pastor Daniel. He and his family have not evacuated and are instead in service to the injured and bereaved, taking people from the streets and assisting them in the church. Pray for him and his family too, for safety and wisdom, as they exercise incredible faith made abundantly evident by their works unto the Lord.

That's all for tonight, thank you so much for your prayers; I am going to hit the hay.

- Zion