Two Year
Ministry Plan

This summer, a team of parents and students had the unique opportunity to work together on a mission team in Kenya. It was a special discipleship experience for these teens and their parents to serve together in an international context. They were able to serve and connect with children and teens who are part of OVC—a program that provides physical, academic, and relational support to children in need within the community of local churches.

Many of our families have been supporting children through the OVC program for years, and some had the opportunity to meet the child they have been sponsoring from afar. Joe Maurer and his daughter Lilly, members of the Taylors campus, got to meet the two boys they have been supporting. They shared this with us:

Our family has been so privileged to sponsor and get to know two Kenyan boys for almost ten years. Our oldest, Francis, is currently a teenager, and we’ve been able to watch him transition from primary school to his second year of university. Our second, Samuel, is younger and is now transitioning to become a young man at his primary school. It’s been a joy to communicate with them several times a year as they’ve been able to learn about our family, and us about theirs. I have met Francis several times on my trips to Kenya, and it’s been rewarding for me to develop an actual friendship with him.

This summer, though, was even more exciting, since Lilly (our teenager) was also able to meet both of our boys with their families. The joy witnessed by the Kenyan grandparents that care for both boys was so palpable, it brought me to tears. We are, as a church and individuals, not just sending money, we’re forming relationships and seeing lives change. It is through those relationships that God is working. Certainly our support as a church has changed the trajectory of both these boys’ lives, but more important is the reality that they both see and know the Lord loves them in such a tangible way.

What a blessing to see how life change is happening across countries and cultures! If you would like to learn more about the OVC program, click below.

Last month, a medical mission team traveled to Kenya to host a medical clinic, partner with local churches, and support local pastors and their families. The team was able to see over 700 people while they were there, offering dental, vision, and medical care. Each person who came through the clinic not only received physical care, they also talked to a local pastor who engaged them around the gospel and in prayer.

Although we are providing medical care, we are also building partnerships with Aberdare Baptist Convention pastors and with the local church in the communities we serve. Many pastors travel from across central Kenya to the medical camps. We provide medical care for those pastors every six months, but we also partner with them in serving the local community. It has been encouraging to get to know those pastors and to pray for them and with them.

Team member Amanda O’Kelly had this to say about her experience:

One thing I have experienced in Kenya that has really built my faith is how God tangibly answers specific prayers. So often in the US, I can get on “auto-pilot” and subconsciously think I can operate independently of God. But in Kenya, it truly is a daily dependence on the Lord as we are so clearly not in control. He also provides for us in ways that we aren’t even asking for, and that we don’t know we need until after the fact.

We praise God for this opportunity to be a small part of making disciples around the world. If you would like to learn more about our international mission partners and upcoming opportunities for short-term mission trips, click below.

As an extension of the last decade of ministry in Kenya, we have been working with our partner, Bernard Karubu, to expand our ministry into nearby Rwanda to help train and equip other pastors there. We are excited about ministries in three African countries (including our members, the Nelsons, living in Cape Verde) meeting together and the ways God is using our service and relationships in Kenya to meet needs and provide similar training in Rwanda. Watch the video below for more details.

Bernard also runs our OVC Kenya program as we continue to make efforts to care for orphans and vulnerable children. If you are interested in helping with this program, here's how you can help: We need 8-10 more advocates for our OVC high school and college-aged children. High school support is $50/month and college support is $100/month, and we ask advocates to commit for the duration of the student's schooling. You can apply to be an advocate below.