Just wanted to say: Asante Sana! Hebu enda followers! Our Kenyan adventure has come to a close and we are off to Naknek Alaska once again, where it all began. We leave for Naknek on Monday and would appriciate your prayers for this new adventure. We are excited about what God is doing in our lives and are seeking him for the next step. Neither of us have any idea of what that is right now, but we can't wait to find out! 

"In case you don’t hear from me in person, I want to tell you a little about my trip! I went to Kenya with an interdenominational missions organization called Youth with A Mission, or YWAM. YWAM’s mission statement is: To know God and to make him known.

The school I attended was called Discipleship Training School, or DTS. DTS starts with three months of lecture phase, followed by two months of outreach. My DTS class was made up of twenty-six students from around the world. During our lecture phase, we lived and went to class on the YWAM Athi River Base in Machakos, Kenya. The base hosts short-term teams, has a pre-school and a child sponsorship program. The base is extremely remote, with no running water and occasional electricity.

 

During lecture phase we focused on Knowing God. Speakers came and taught us different subjects every week; some of the subjects were: Hearing God’s Voice, the Father heart of God and The Kingdom of God. Lecture phase was a time of personal growth for me and my entire class. We got to know each other, Kenya and we all grew closer to God.

During outreach phase we focused on making him known. We were able to go to eight different locations, from the Mombasa Coast to West Pokot. At each location, we would partner with the local church in the area and do whatever was needed. Most often we would do door-to-door evangelism during the day and hold a revival meeting at night for the community.  We also worked with orphanages, led church services, preached, held a Vacation Bible School, visited schools, performed skits and did beach ministry. We all had the chance to preach and teach in situations that were new and challenging. Throughout our outreach God’s faithfulness was so apparent. There were times when we didn’t have water or a place to stay, but God was faithful to provide our every need so that we could serve him. 

Throughout my DTS your prayers were evident. In October, Kenya went to war with Somalia and despite being in very dangerous situations; God protected our entire team in miraculous ways.

Thank you so much for supporting my trip!"

Couchsurfing!

Couchsurfing rocks! Here we are with our first host, Toru, at Japanese/Korean party where we had super good Korean food! Toru is a Japanese JIKA volunteer here in Kigali for two years, we had tons of fun with him and his friends!

Rwanda!

After a 22 hour bus ride through Kenya, Uganda and half of Rwanda, we arrived in Kigali City on the 15th and have been staying here in Kigali visiting Fils's family and friends and making plenty of new friends along the way! Rwanda is beautiful and very green! It reminds us of Oregon because of the rain, although its around 80 degrees. We were able to visit the genocide memorial and some other famous places in Kigali. We are headed to Gisenyi next week, then to Uganda and back to Kenya again. Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures while we're here, but most likely not until we are back in Kenya! 

The good, the bad and the ugali

Here's some more about food! Here's what we eat on the typical day:

Bread and margarine for breakfast every single morning. Kenyans literally eat an entire loaf of bread for breakfast and when your staying at someone's house you're expected to do the same!

On very special occasions (like twice so far) chapati and chai for breakfast!

Beef pilau (fried rice) for lunch or...

Githeri (beans and maize) for lunch or...

Fried rice for lunch, which is the go to dish

Sukuma wiki (fried kale with tomatoes), ugali (maize flour) and chai for dinner or...

Sukuma wiki, ugal, "meat" and chai for dinner or...

Chapati, green gram stew and chai! Our personal favorite! 

Coastal Foods

Food here at the coast is really different from other parts of Kenya, here are some things we've been eating from street vendors here at the coast:

Plenty of coconuts!

Potatoes deep fried with flour and spice

"bhajias" deep fried curry potatoes with onions

"Mandazis" deep fried flour, sugar and water

Another great day on the coast!

Today was another beautiful, hot and humid day in Mombasa! We went to Mombasa Pentecostal Church, it wasn't the greatest service but we met up with Racheal there and went into town to try and find some lunch, which was a lot more complicated than it sounds. We first were looking for a place to get indian food because Mombasa is known for it's cheap indian food street vendors. After asking around we got directions to a restaurant that looks like it's in full swing but really they don't have any food, just decorations, waiters and nice looking signs. Then we wandered down Jomo Kenyetta Road until we found a small hotel (cafe), only to find that they don't have the ingredients to anything we ordered (we forgot momentarily that here in Kenya you  ask if they have the ingredients to make the food before you order), so after a lunch of bananas and pilau (which was delicious) we got Ice Cream and caught up about life after DTS. God's perfect timing is amazing, we were able to really encourage and pray for one another because God brought us back together again in Mombasa. Then we went to the local second hand clothes market where you can expect to spend no more than a total of $ 0.50 USD on multiple clothing items! We were going to meet up with Henry at Nyali beach but, T.I.A, two hours later we met up and had a blast swimming and talking and running up and down the beach. Tomorrow we have plans to get together with Henry, Racheal and Kevo and spend the day at Henry's house and go back to the beach in the evening! Can't wait for what God has in store for us tomorrow, thank you for all your prayers. Even during these few days that we have to relax after ministry God has been so present in all of our plans. He has brought the right tuk tuk drivers, friends of Hebron and Henry and complete strangers at the perfect time in order that we don't get lost or even charged too much for a fare! God is so good!

Our backpacking adventure begins!

After graduating and saying goodbye to our classmates, our backpacking adventure across East Africa has officially begun! We left on friday from the base and took a bus all day to the coastal town of Nyali outside of Mombasa. We are staying with Hebron's family here to just relax for a few days after a very busy 5 months! It's beautiful, HOT and EXTREMELY HUMID!!! Today we were able to meet up with our classmate Rachael from Germany and catch up, have some arrow root chips and ride the ferry.

 

Roommates on our graduation day!

Andrew Mapi and me

Our entire class of graduates!

Together again with Rachael in Mombasa!

Random camel on Nyali beach

Nyali beach

Tuk tuk ride!

Crowded ferry!

Some pictures of our outreach

Here are some pictures taken in Nyangaita, West Pokot. There are about 20,000 Pokot people who call Nyangaita home. There is one small school of about 50 students, one small borehole and one church with only four members in the entire area. Drinking and alcoholism, water shortages, lack of education, tribal warfare, cattle wrestling and food shortages are among the many challenges this area faces. They live along the bank of what used to be a small river that is now only a dried up riverbed. Some people live in small huts like in the picture, but that is only for the wealthiest people, most just sleep in the sand of the riverbed. We camped under the stars, squatted in the bush and showered in the bush with the other women. Since there is so little water, people drink camel milk in their tea! In their culture men and women don't associate with the opposite sex until married, so their is a women's side of the river, a women's shade and a women's bush for showering and washing. We got used to the cultural differences and were able to minister and make friendships. Our ministry was mostly doing "door to door evangelism" in the riverbed and talking with people about God. We came across lots of people who had no concept of God at all, who had never even heard the word. We were able to encourage the local pastor, pray with people, lead people to christ, work in the school, pump water, participate in a coming of age ceremony and hold a complete church service. The local pastor is excited about what is to come, next year another YWAM team from the october DTS is coming to work with the church again.

The mamas whose son's have already gone through the coming of age ceremony bless the ceremony with a traditional dance

The single men dance to impress a future wife at the coming of age ceremony. The ostrich feathers on their hats indicate they are looking for a wife. 

The single girls who have been circumcised and therefore in Pokot culture are now ready to be married dance to impress a future husband. Polygamy is widely practiced and most men have at least 5 wives, we met one man who had 9 wives and 30 children. 

One of the older village elders

A YWAMer from the Romanian base baths the children at the well. 

This well donated by missionaries in 2005 is the only water source for 20,000 Pokot people

Sunday is market day, each of these manyattas are turned into hotels that sell chapatis, mandazis and gideri.  

The village elders discuss a young girls dowry over a cooked goat.

Here we are starting to load our lorry!

Part of the 8 hour bumpy ride on top of the lorry through the bush bush!

A traditional Pokot Manyatta 

Joram's Monthly Newsletter

Dear praying friends,

I am pleased to say that the October DTS ended victoriously, as they praised God through all times, challenges included. As we say in YWAM we wish “to know God and make Him known,” and we believe that we fulfilled that call, taking the gospel all over Kenya, from the east to the west.

The DTS began their outreach in an extremely remote area of Western Kenya called West Pokot. We joined with a DTS team from Romania and were blessed by having such a large team. It was an eye opening experience for students and staff alike as our team was met with many surprises. We returned to the area of West Pokot to find that the church we had left the year before, was gone completely. We were told that the congregation had fallen apart and there was only 4 members. But we know that God doesn’t look at numbers, He looks at the heart. So, we held a small service consisting of the few members and our team, but by the end of the service we had a congregation of about 40 people. We thank God for the faithfulness of few and the blessing that came from it. While there we did lots of door-to-door evangelism and speaking to people in the riverbed, the local meeting place. We came face to face with the stronghold of drunkenness in the area, and were able to tell many people of God’s greater intention for them: a life of relationship with Him, and a life free of sin. We also worked in the only school in the area and served community members by bringing them food and bathing children down by the well. We left West Pokot encouraged by the realization that God is indeed working greatly in their community.

After a week of ministry in that one area of West Pokot we split into three teams: the Romanian team, and divided our DTS group in half. All three teams went to nearby villages and towns and did various ministries including working in schools, going door-to-door, participating in house fellowships and performing and preaching on busy market days. One team, who worked in a town called “Chesta,” was faced with a challenge of finding a place to stay, as their contact in the area was unable to be found. But God provided for them greatly, as local family invited them into their home with open arms, almost immediately upon their arrival. This being one of the few challenges of the week for the teams, students were stretched and learned the importance of calling upon God in times of trouble.

In the next week one team went to a city called “Kitale” where they worked at an orphanage and participated in local house fellowships. The other team went to Mount Elgon, and area of western Kenya, which is greatly affected by rebel violence. Students, determined to minister to people on the mountain, made the climb up Mount Elgon. Students saw the people’s great need for God, as many have so little hope and believe that they have been forgotten. Many of them escaped rebel violence, or have family that were taken or killed by the rebels. We were so happy to be able to tell them of the hope, comfort, and love that is in Christ Jesus and were overjoyed to be able hear some of their stories.

In our final week of full time ministry, one team worked in the city of Kakamega and the other worked in a “bush-bush” town called “Khaunga.”  Both teams worked alongside pastors, participating in various church functions, doing door-to-door, and ministering in schools in their perspective areas. Students were challenged as their final week was packed full of scheduled ministry, causing many to have to rely completely on God for strength to finish out the week.

As the end of outreach was nearing the two teams met up and made the 30-hour long journey to the east Mombasa coast for a time of team debrief and relaxed Mombasa styled ministry. For many students it was a good time of reflection on the outreach and time of fellowship with one another as the outreach was coming to a close. Students went out in the mornings doing door-to-door with community members. It was a good and new experience for many, as some students had never witnessed to the Muslim community. Students’ eye’s were opened to the oppressiveness of Islam and were also challenged to handle their argumentative and defensive response to the Gospel. On the last day students also did ministry on the beach, singing, performing skits, and preaching the Good News to locals and tourists alike.

We thank God for all the mountains and valleys physically and spiritually that God has brought us through in these past weeks. We thank Him not only for what He did in the places we worked, but also for the transformation he did in our hearts.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand: and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also result in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

(Romans 5:1-5)

This time of year is always bittersweet. As the October DTS has officially come to a close, and the February DTS now in full swing. While we were so sad to see the students from the October DTS go back home we are full of hope for the current DTS. We are looking forward to another heart-transforming experience with the new group of students and are excited to see what God does in them and through them. We appreciate all your prayers that made this last DTS successful, and we ask that you to keep lifting up our staff and the new DTS in prayer.

Thank you again,

Joram Kingori

Back at Base and Graduated!!

We arrived back at the base from outreach on Monday and officially graduated from DTS this afternoon. Five months went by so fast and have been the single most life-changing months of my life thus far. After living in close quarters for the past five months it will be hard to say goodbye, but we are all excited about the future. It's hard to sum up 6 weeks of outreach right here but we will do our best.

Our first stop was Kitale where we did "outreach prep" where we practiced skits and planned our ministries. Then we all piled into a lorey and drove seven hours to a village in West Pokot where we spent one week together with a YWAM DTS team from Romania.

In Pokot we slept under the stars "showered" and squatted in the bush bush with the pokot people starring at our whiteness. Most of the people we met had never seen a white person before. Some people we met had never even heard the word "God" and had no concept of him. We were fortunate to meet a man who spoke limited swahili, we ministered to him and so the rest of the week he translated for our team. When we were talking with people there were times when one of the Romanians were sharing, so the message was translated from Romanian to English, English to Swahili and finally Swahili to Pokot. There is a bore hole that was donated by missionaries years ago that now provides water for about 20,000 Pokot people. Their tribe has been at war with the Turcanas for years and years and so the people basically have nothing. Most people literally have no belongings besides one or two congas (wrap skirts) that they are wearing. Some people simply don't have a single belonging, including clothes. Our ministry was sometimes just helping people carry water or pump the bore hole for them. It is extremely hot and dry throughout the region, and we had very limited water because we had to purify it before drinking but we had just enough. While we were there we were able to see and participate in a traditional coming of age ceremony, it was incredible! Besides the challenges, God enabled us to encourage the people and lots of them got saved throughout the week.

After that week, we broke into two separate teams and sue's team went to Chesta (another village in West Pokot) and stayed there for one week doing school ministry and door to door outreach. When we arrived in Chesta we had nowhere to stay and no one was there to meet us. So we went to the market because we didn't know where else to go, at the market we met a christian from the local church who offered us to stay at his house with his family! We stayed with them the entire week and we were so blessed by there hospitality. We had electricity and water all week and it was such a blessing! Door to door ministry was awesome and so many people got saved.

From Chesta we drove to Kitale where we stayed at an orphanage that is home to 23 kids rescues off of the streets. We did more hands on ministry this week than preaching and teaching. We helped water the garden, washed the children's bedding and rooms. We spent one day with the kids playing games and sharing with them about Jesus. We were blessed with a room in the orphanage and our team leader, mama zippy is an awesome cook! Franchesca was sick with Malaria but she quickly recovered. We also went to a few house fellowships and were able to encourage the local church.

Then we went to a town called Kakamega where we stayed at a Bishop's house. We were extremely busy with door to door ministry from eight in the morning until six or seven at night. This week I wasn't able to participate in ministry for a few days because I was sick with Typhoid but was able to get antibiotics and now I am completely fine :) Door to door was effective, we were able to encourage the local church and lead others to Christ for the first time.

From kakamega we traveled thirty hours on a bus to Watamu on the coast. Our two teams came together for one last week of ministry there. We rented a home from a muslim family and all stayed there together for the week. It was HOT and HUMID all week long! But we were able to swim in the ocean and cool off! This week was interesting because all of the Mombasa area is predominately muslim. We did lots of door to door and believe that we planted a seed there. It was a huge learning expierence for all of us to minister to muslims. We also held revival meeting every night which were very powerful. Overall the week was great, aside from a few people getting sick. We were again able to encourage the local church and people got saved.  

From Mombasa we returned back to the base and have had one last week of classes with a pastor named Bob from England and his son who did his DTS here at Athi River too. We had our graduation ceremony this afternoon and DTS is over.

Corinne and I are starting a whole new adventure on the 28th we leave for Mombasa town!