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.

Believe it or not, we are halfway through our summer of ministering in Allendale County through Camp Impact—a six-week day camp for children ages 5-12. Hosted by Fairfax First Baptist Church, Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church, and Grace Church, Camp Impact aims to equip the next generation to make an impact for Christ in their schools and communities.

We have six college interns serving full-time as Camp Staff counselors at Camp Impact in Allendale this summer. They are working to make mature followers of Jesus and empower campers to become young leaders in their communities.

• Pray for campers to embrace the gospel and develop a personal relationship with Jesus.
• Pray for the Camp Staff's energy, joy, and peace as they serve the campers and facilitate our Students mission teams.
• Pray that this experience draws each staff member closer to the heart of God.
• Pray for the short-term mission trips going to Allendale this summer—that they may serve, love, and share the gospel with the campers.

We are thankful for all the ways God has worked in the first three weeks of camp, and we ask you to join us in praying for the remaining three weeks! To learn more about the history of our partnerships with local churches and organizations in Allendale, 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.