Be Doers - His Way

 "Be doers of the Word..."
Jesus says a lot about doing. To come and hear (or read) may take some time. But to set ourselves to put the words of life into action takes more. More than just diligence or desire, though both those are needed. But without love and humility we will get off track and lose out on the relationship. After all, we are called to be "workers together with Him." There are plenty out doing things in Jesus' name. How many of them does Jesus acknowledge as His workers? (Matthew 7:21-23)

I'm musing on God's way of getting things done. The establishing of the Bible Center in Makindu, for example, has had many stops and starts in the past two years. A lot of time and money... and time and money... and to our way of thinking, it just isn't very efficient and inspiring. But that's not the whole picture. 

The building project is just the tip of the iceberg of what God is doing, because He is investing in the unseen things, which are eternal. Patience. Faith. Love. Can we measure all that's been accomplished through these many months? Can we count the souls and the spiritual riches invested in?


Here is the second drainage pit, lined with stones just in time so that the spring rains didn't erode the walls. Praise the Lord for the grace to plod and get one more necessity taken care of! The outhouses will be built above them as soon as metal concrete-reinforcing bars become available, so more waiting is needed here...

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Meanwhile, there is plenty to keep busy with. The dirt taken from the pits is being hauled in these wagons to neutralize soil in the garden, so tomatoes can be grown. 

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There is no waste in God's time schedule. When we are willing to do His bidding, that is. This week brother Lawrence has been called back to the coast to be a support to those in Malindi. To encourage and pray and "be about the Father's business."


There are a lot of hidden aspects in serving the Lord. Little places to fill. Little jobs that need doing. Am I available and ready to do what God wants done, right now?

He That Waters

The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. - Proverbs 11:25

It is a blessed thing to stand on the Word of God and see His promises prove out. In the midst of the recent needs and pressures, the Lord has enabled brother Lawrence to make a trip out to the coast for a gospel meeting at Malindi. It is wonderful to hear the joyous report of God's work there:
This young man, Kazungu, son of Naphtali (the pastor of the Malindi congregation), was enslaved by the devil all through his years. We have been praying for him since 2006. The Lord answered prayers this time and he gave his heart to the Lord. Glory to God. Please, pray for him.

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We met Naphtali in 2006 at Mombasa, where he was a preacher in a denomination. The Lord showed him His will and he decided to obey the Lord. The Lord told us to move to Malindi, and both our families relocated. Since then, the Lord has been progressively adding to His church. Naphtali has made some good progress and has been used of the Lord to reach others. Through him, the Lord has delivered some from the bondage of evil spirits, disease and sin. Please, pray for him and the work at Malindi.

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This is sister Peris Wanje (Naphtali's wife). Miraculously healed several times, her testimony has touched several hearts around Malindi.

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Daudi and his wife are helpers to Naphtali and Peris. Their work is blessed. Please, pray for them.

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The Lord sent Bro. Edward (from Mount Kenya area) to help us on this trip. He was very helpful and blessed. We thank the Lord for his humility and love for souls. Glory to God.

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Sister Joyce, instructing a newly saved soul.

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Some of the young people.

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Shadrack is leading a new congregation far inland along the valley of the Galana (Athi) River. He traveled many miles to attend this meeting. Please, pray for him and his congregation.

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Back in Makindu, the much-needed April rains have arrived. Praise the Lord! As these dear laborers return to their fields of duty, they are looking to the Lord to supply seeds for the spring crops. In freely giving of the spiritual riches entrusted to them, they are surely promised to be "watered also themselves" in their temporary needs. Let us be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

Under His Wings

"The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." (Ruth 2:12)

The implication of this blessing is all the more meaningful when we consider to whom it was spoken. Ruth was a foreigner in the land of Israel. As a young widow, she had forsaken the pleasures and comforts of her homeland to know the living God. Sorrow and poverty had stalked her, but Ruth was undaunted. To support her mother-in-law she was now out in the barley fields, gleaning. These words of hope from Boaz, the kind owner of the field, were a welcome comfort. But they simply reflected the answer to her consecration: "thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." And that living God was worthy to trust.

Today I am blessed to share the story of another "Ruth" who has found hope and security in God.

Monica wasn't widowed. Her husband left her for another woman - with nine children to raise and care for. The future certainly didn't look hopeful. But, like Ruth, this woman turned to God in her desperate need. Not only turned, but clung.

After witnessing her salvation a year ago, brother Lawrence states: [Monica] went all the way and consecrated. I thought it would take her years to get to the place where she would "have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come" (Heb.6:4-5). But I was wrong. Four times the Lord has wrought wonderful miracles of healing on her. In one of these miracles, we thought she was gone to eternity, but in a moment, the Lord moved on her, bringing her back to us.

She now lives in a grass hut, with the boys (pictured above), who are younger than the girls. Her eldest child is a girl, who has become a prostitute. When this girl offered her support from the money of her trade, the mother refused totally and said she would rather die than be supported from such ungodly earnings. We thought she would give up and accept her daughter's support, but when she and her children went for two days without food, having refused her daughter's supplies, we were amazed and took her seriously from then on. Excepting the unsaved daughter, these dear ones have been such a blessing and an encouragement to us.

Shall not a full reward be given her? Yes, the living God is worthy to trust. Praise Him! He has now provided means for this dear sister to buy some land and build a house. Her oldest son (not pictured) had run away, but recently returned home in answer to fasting and prayer. Does not the Lord desire to redeem her oldest daughter as well? Unto the uttermost, He is able. Let us put our trust under His wings!

Windows and Doors

Today's update on the Bible Center:
Glory to God. The windows and doors are at last being fixed. Great gracious deeds of the Lord.
Below are the window frames. The glass has not yet been added:

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Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9

Our Weakness - His Strength

Praise the Lord for human limitations! We don't like to be weak and overwhelmed with the needs around us. But the great loving heart of God uses these things to increase our faith. Are we standing on the reality that "our extremity is God's opportunity" today? Let us pray that we turn from our weakness to His strength, and lift up our hearts in faith. Jesus said that we will not be disappointed. "Have faith in God."

The report from brother Lawrence gives us more reasons to pray in confidence:

Praise the Dear Lord who gives us victory. It has been a time of severe warfare on my side, but the Dear Lord, who promises never to forsake us, has been so faithful that I am rejoicing in His love. For awhile now, there has been some kind of disease keeping me down and feeling very weak. I do not know what it is... but the dear Lord has given me great relief and I feel great now as I write this. The Dear Lord never allowed me to get bedridden. I was still able to do some things, though I was kept back from some intellectual activity. Praise the dear Lord.

He is also thankful for the spiritual "husbandry" that the Lord is doing among them:

The Lord has been inspecting the congregation and pointing out where each needs more fruit. John 15:4-6: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." We praise God for His faithfulness.

Several prayer requests to remember:

A single mother of 9 children has been fellowshipping with us for a while and is doing quite well. However, she and her children are homeless. Though all her children are not saved, we feel burdened for the family. Please, pray for this.

We have not yet been able to finish the inside of the building and are still at it. There was more to it than was figured at the beginning. It will be finished this week, the Lord willing, and then we can be able get to the latrines. There has been a great shortage of water and we have had to hire means to carry it to the site, a strenuous and expensive thing. But the Dear Lord helps as we faithfully press on.

Homeless... spiritually needy... slow progress... water shortage... added expenses...
vs.
The Living God, Creator, Almighty, Father

Let us come boldly in our time of need.

Better than the hospital

Praise report from Makindu:

God is good and always faithful. A baby was dumped on an old widow here and her mother ran away. This happened very recently. The mother happened to be a granddaughter of the widow and so the widow naturally took charge of the child. But this great grandchild was sick and malnourished. The widow brought her to the service and asked for prayers and anointing on behalf of the child. But the faith of the widow did not take over and she took the child to the hospital, for the wounds to be attended. But at the hospital, the doctors refused to treat the child and expelled the old widow from the hospital. She came back to prayer meeting and requested prayer for the child again. She had nowhere else to turn but to God this time. Praise the Dear Lord. Within a few days the child was healed of her wounds (it looked like boils, combined with worms and malnutrition, to us). The next Sunday service was a day of joy in the congregation for such a wonderful deed from the Lord.

Then soon after that, another lady was ill. She had been healed directly by the Lord on another occasion before. But this time she chose to go to the hospital. At the hospital, they charged her so much that she was unable to pay. So she came to our house and asked for prayer. At first, we did not feel like the Lord would heal her since she had chosen the doctors initially,* but after her persistence and weeping, we knew she had repented and the Lord would have mercy on her. So we prayed and anointed her. She left and later testified that she was healed instantly (she had been bleeding profusely). It is really wonderful to see how the Lord blesses and encourages.

"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8

*It is the desire of the Lord to heal all of those that come to Him in faith, but He also sees the motives of our hearts and may withhold mercy if we are asking selfishly, and not humbling our hearts before Him. Consider James 4:3. Other Scriptures on healing from God: Malachi 4:2, Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 6:12-13 & James 5:14

Interior Work

Brother Lawrence has sent a few more pictures of the interior work this past weekend:

Glory to God for another moment to praise and thank Him. We had a blessed service with several visitors today, despite the wet floor and the wet cement on the walls.

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The plastering of some parts of the walls is going on while we await prayerfully to be able to fix the pipes that house the electric wiring. The doors are being welded and should be ready by the middle of the week.

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God has been so good to us. We praise and glorify His name. Without His favor, we can do nothing. We are praying the Lord for funds for electric wiring and the completion of the latrines, etc. But with grateful hearts, we are going on.

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