We're back in Machakos!!!
Other than a short visit in February, we haven't spent any time in this beautiful (yet very dusty) county since September. We've only been here for two days, but I think I have seen more evidence of God's faithfulness and goodness in the past two days than I have in the past two weeks. Oh, I'm so thankful.
When we first arrived in Kenya in September, we were working with a short term team from Bay Leaf, my home church. We held two conferences where a few pastors from Bay Leaf trained Kenyan pastors and some Bay Leaf church members taught church members from all around the Machakos region. Em and I had the absolute privelege of teaching a lot of the youth and children from the local churches during those conferences. You can read more about that time here!
Every day, we would sit down to lunch with a group of about five Kenyan pastors who were hosting the conferences. They would tell us about their families and lives, would crack jokes, give us Kamba (the tribe that primarily lives in Machakos) names, and try to teach us a little Kiswahili. They were the first Kenyans that really made Emily and I feel welcomed and loved.
After the conferences, we transitioned into working more primarily in schools, but the pastors still kept up with us. I remember one day in September very clearly. The pastors had asked us to have lunch with them (which ended up almost being dinner, because Kenyan time). As we sat around a little table in the Tea Tot Hotel, they shared their dreams for their children's and youth ministries.
Often times the children were just sent outside to play while their parents attended the church service.
If there was a Sunday School program, 5 year olds were in the same "class" as 14 year olds.
Very few children were being taught at a level they could comprehend every Sunday.
Very few children enjoyed going to church every week.
We talked with the pastors about the importance of splitting the children up into different classes by age, which meant that several of their church members would have to step up to teach. The pastors explained their lack of teachers, especially those with training on teaching children, and their lack of curriculum for the teachers to teach. We left that September lunch promising to pray that God would provide teachers in each of their churches.
In December, the pastors contacted us to let us know that God had been answering prayers right and left. When they shared their ideas for a different kind of children's and youth ministry with their churches, adults were more than willing to teach! While we were in the States over Christmas and New Years, we headed over to our favorite Raleigh ministry, New Life Camp, and stocked ourselves up on training materials and lots of Bible lessons.
Shortly after we came back to Kenya in January, we organized a few dates to have "teacher trainings." We held two trainings in February: one in the mountains of Machakos and another in an area of Machakos county called Matuu. We held our third training on Friday in Machakos Town. During the trainings, we remind the teachers of what an important role they play in the lives of the children in their churches. We also talk about how to gear their lessons and games for the specific age group they are teaching. And one of the best parts is that we're able to provide them with about six months worth of curriculum to get them started!
During our last training, I was sitting with one of the pastors, Pastor Paul, during our lunch break. He was asking about our ministry in Narok and I was asking about his church. He told me that they now have five different Sunday School classes divided up by age as opposed to one big class. Since February, their children's ministry has grown from 50 kids to 70 kids. That is 20 more children that are hearing the gospel every Sunday and 70 children that are now being taught how to effectively apply the Bible to their lives. Children and youth enjoy going to church each week and they're inviting their friends. Please just take a moment to praise Jesus. Great is His faithfulness.
One of my favorite parts of the trainings is when Emily and I pray a commissioning prayer over the teachers - to commission them to take the gospel to the children in their churches all over Machakos. We don't always get to see so clearly what God is doing in Kenya, especially while He is doing it, but when we catch a glimpse, we are so filled with joy and thankfulness. We pray that as God looks down from heaven, He sees the gospel spreading like a blanket over this land.
Other than a short visit in February, we haven't spent any time in this beautiful (yet very dusty) county since September. We've only been here for two days, but I think I have seen more evidence of God's faithfulness and goodness in the past two days than I have in the past two weeks. Oh, I'm so thankful.
When we first arrived in Kenya in September, we were working with a short term team from Bay Leaf, my home church. We held two conferences where a few pastors from Bay Leaf trained Kenyan pastors and some Bay Leaf church members taught church members from all around the Machakos region. Em and I had the absolute privelege of teaching a lot of the youth and children from the local churches during those conferences. You can read more about that time here!
Every day, we would sit down to lunch with a group of about five Kenyan pastors who were hosting the conferences. They would tell us about their families and lives, would crack jokes, give us Kamba (the tribe that primarily lives in Machakos) names, and try to teach us a little Kiswahili. They were the first Kenyans that really made Emily and I feel welcomed and loved.
After the conferences, we transitioned into working more primarily in schools, but the pastors still kept up with us. I remember one day in September very clearly. The pastors had asked us to have lunch with them (which ended up almost being dinner, because Kenyan time). As we sat around a little table in the Tea Tot Hotel, they shared their dreams for their children's and youth ministries.
Often times the children were just sent outside to play while their parents attended the church service.
If there was a Sunday School program, 5 year olds were in the same "class" as 14 year olds.
Very few children were being taught at a level they could comprehend every Sunday.
Very few children enjoyed going to church every week.
We talked with the pastors about the importance of splitting the children up into different classes by age, which meant that several of their church members would have to step up to teach. The pastors explained their lack of teachers, especially those with training on teaching children, and their lack of curriculum for the teachers to teach. We left that September lunch promising to pray that God would provide teachers in each of their churches.
In December, the pastors contacted us to let us know that God had been answering prayers right and left. When they shared their ideas for a different kind of children's and youth ministry with their churches, adults were more than willing to teach! While we were in the States over Christmas and New Years, we headed over to our favorite Raleigh ministry, New Life Camp, and stocked ourselves up on training materials and lots of Bible lessons.
Shortly after we came back to Kenya in January, we organized a few dates to have "teacher trainings." We held two trainings in February: one in the mountains of Machakos and another in an area of Machakos county called Matuu. We held our third training on Friday in Machakos Town. During the trainings, we remind the teachers of what an important role they play in the lives of the children in their churches. We also talk about how to gear their lessons and games for the specific age group they are teaching. And one of the best parts is that we're able to provide them with about six months worth of curriculum to get them started!
During our last training, I was sitting with one of the pastors, Pastor Paul, during our lunch break. He was asking about our ministry in Narok and I was asking about his church. He told me that they now have five different Sunday School classes divided up by age as opposed to one big class. Since February, their children's ministry has grown from 50 kids to 70 kids. That is 20 more children that are hearing the gospel every Sunday and 70 children that are now being taught how to effectively apply the Bible to their lives. Children and youth enjoy going to church each week and they're inviting their friends. Please just take a moment to praise Jesus. Great is His faithfulness.
One of my favorite parts of the trainings is when Emily and I pray a commissioning prayer over the teachers - to commission them to take the gospel to the children in their churches all over Machakos. We don't always get to see so clearly what God is doing in Kenya, especially while He is doing it, but when we catch a glimpse, we are so filled with joy and thankfulness. We pray that as God looks down from heaven, He sees the gospel spreading like a blanket over this land.