February 3, 2008
Glorious Greetings from Kenya,
Thank you for praying for the services of this day. We had two great services at Ridgeway Baptist Church and a unbelievable outpouring of God’s Spirit in the afternoon service at the refugee camp in Tigoni.
The worship at Ridgeway is in English so we could understand and share with the people. Several shared in the two youth services and Monique did the Bible study in the Children’s Worship. When Pastor Daniel asked if any of the children wanted to accept Jesus, 21 boys and girls raised their hands! He took them to the side and shared with them and led them in the sinner’s prayer. Glory, Hallelujh!
The adult services were a blessing as the worship team led us in a great time of praise to God. The young lady leading the team was very spirit-filled in her singing. During the service Pastor Wanje introduced their ministry leaders and had them line up across the front. It was exciting to see all those serving the Lord in various ways. One ministry that was a great new idea for me was having District Ministry Fellowships among the members. They are a part of the Fellowship in their area of town and once a month they gather for fellowship and Bible Study. These Fellowships are also responsible for the ministry to their members and outreach to their areas. It has been a blessing to serve alongside Ridgeway and gain insights they have in ministry and missions.
Thank you for praying especially for me as I preached. I woke up this morning very sick and concerned what that would mean. However, after much prayer and several doses of medicine I was able to preach with no distractions. For those wondering what I would preach in Africa, here is a brief outline:
You Are the Light of the World, Let It Shine
Matthew 5:14-16
As believers in Jesus we are to shine our light to the whole world. What does it mean that we shine our LIGHT?
Lift The light lifts and encourages those in despair.
Illuminate The light illuminates the truth of Christ & dispels darkness.
Glorify God As we shine our light it brings glory to God.
Hope Light brings hope here and in the hereafter.
True Light We reflect the True Light of Jesus to a lost and dying world.
After the services we had a brief break for lunch and then went to Tigoni refugee camp for a service sponsored by Ridgeway Baptist Church. They had many members to go to the camp and join in the service. The Praise Team, Keyboard, and Drums led in worship. It was exciting to see several thousand Kenyans praising God together. Little children lined the front and their smiles and singing made me feel happy in the Lord. William and Elizabeth shared from Ridgeway and Theresa Walls shared her testimony. Pastor Wanje preached a powerful message in Swahili and as he gave the invitation more than a hundred people knelt in the dust and prayed the sinner’s prayer asking Jesus to be their Savior and Lord! They were born again and Heaven is rejoicing.
It has been a long day but our prayers have been answered. We prayed for a great harvest of souls and the Lord has drawn hundreds to Himself. We have been able to shine the light of Jesus into a dark world. Glory be to God for His perfect timing. This has been a week of blessing that has changed many lives, ours included.
As I close I ask you to pray for Pastor Robert, one of the displaced pastors and my new friend. He has left the camp to go back to his home in Western Kenya. I may never see him again this side of Heaven but he was a great encouragement to me and a great partner in the work at Tigoni camp. Several buses have come and taken many back to their homeland and prayerfully by this next week the Tigoni refugee camp will be a page in the history books for this great nation. Thank You, Lord, for the priviledge to serve this people “for such a time as this.”
Keep Praying,
Tim Frank
Romans 1:16
