Welcome to Kibera

KIBERA SLUM Kenya is a country in the Eastern part of Africa with 42 tribes in total. It also has other tribes and races from all over the world. Kibera is the largest slum in Kenya in Nairobi province and is a home to an estimated 1.2 million people. It is an illegal settlement with no government services such as electricity, water, or sewage. Most people who live here are poor and unemployed, but those working earn below a dollar a day. Pamela is a member of our church. She works as a house maid, her earning per month is 1,500/= ($20.82). She pays house rent of 800/= ($11.10) per month; the remaining amount cannot feed the family, buy water, or provide clothes for the children. It only takes a hand of God for survival. Children get out of school to the street in search of food from the garbage. Even though we have some toilets built by the N.G.O.s, they charge so high for slum dwellers to use them for they end up using the flying toilets. Most people are hopeless. When people look out on Kibera all they see is garbage, rusted shacks and hopelessness. When we look at Kibera through the eyes of Jesus we see people in need of Him, a saviour in their lives. These people are very welcoming and eager to hear about Jesus.

Safely off the Street

Though small, you can see in this picture some of the street children in our home. We got these children from the streets of Nairobi and the Kibera slums. Some of these children left their homes while following their friends to town. It has been so hard to reach their parents, for some can not explain their home area. They have been on the street now for more than four years. FRIENDS OF JESUS STREET KIDS HOME This program was started in the year 2007 after seeing the problems children encountered. Pastor Mike Igunza and Anna Jones were moved in their heart and started this program. The program has four kids who are boys 12 years to 14 years. We have offered them shelter and enrolled them in school. We have tried to unite these boys with their parents and guardians. One boy has been reconciled and united with his family. We intend to have more boys in the program. One of the boys in our home, James Torot, will always give a testimony in the church what God has done to him by saving his life. He recalls where he was spending nights in the cold especially during rainy seasons. Sleeping on the street and covering himself with nylon papers. He always thanks the program for the help. The boys also recall sleeping in Joseph Kang’ethe, a Rescue Centre in cold, dirty beds with bed bugs and stinking smell. Sometimes beaten by the soldiers, they now cannot hide the scars on their bodies. You may partner with this program by prayers and donations in any kind to make the program continue serving the hopeless children. Yours in His Service, Pastor Mike

Felister's Story - A Miracle in Migori

Friends of Jesus Ministries has organized an urban - rural mission which takes place in the Migori District every year. Last June, we went to Migori for a youth seminar. God was preparing a certain lady for a miracle. She had no idea that her time for the miracle had arrived and God had heard her prayer. Her name was called Felister, a young lady of 25 years old. She came to our seminar and started helping with cooking and fetching water. The poor lady had a growth in her uterus which weighted 10 kgs. She has been in this situation for more than six years. She was hopeless and desperate. Doctors said that she only had few days to survive or live. There were many stories said about Felister's sickness; some said it was a curse, while others said that she was bewitched. People never bothered taking her to the hospital. When we interviewed her about her sickness, she never said anything, but we could only see tears. Oh God, have mercy upon this lady. I thank God for touching the hearts of my team from U.S.A who tirelessly wrote e-mail to their churches and friends to raise contributions towards Felister's treatment. We brought her to Karen hospital, Nairobi where the surgery was done. Thank God for she is healed and can smile. Felister tells her story of how God healed her. She is not well educated for she comes from a poor background in the Western province of Kenya. She got married at the early age of fifteen years old working as house girl in one of the villages in Nyanza province. Her husband also comes from a poor background and never went beyond standard eight. They narrated their stories as they sat outside their 10 by 10 feet thatched hut. It is the only thatched house in the village. Felister always complains of their house leaking during the rainy season. They have six children who have an interval of one year in between their ages. They are expecting the seventh child by the month of November. “I thank God so much for taking my distress and saving my life" said Felister. "I was humiliated, helpless and desperate. For me to live it was only God" she added. She thanks Friends of Jesus Ministries for their missions in rural for taking her to the hospital with the team. "Pastor Mike, God bless you! May you continue with what you are doing by reaching to the hopeless people like us. It is our prayers for you to build a hospital for us in the village with your team." said Felister. My brethren, God has called us to minister his Good News to the lost, to help the poor. Remember Jesus preaching to a multitude of 5000 people and feeding them. Let's open our hearts and reach to the helpless with the word and whatever God may give us to give. God bless you. Pastor Mike

Meet Pastor Mike

Rev. Michael Igunza Ovotegah was born in a Christian family. His father was a pastor in "A Friend Quaker Church". Rev. Mike is the seventh child in the family of 12 children and gave his life to the Lord in 1990. His mother died at an early age when he was one and a half years old and Rev. Mike was mistreated by his step mother until when his father divorced her. Rev. Mike is now married to Matroba and they have four beautiful children: Brian, Victor, Faith and Mercy. Before joining the pastoral ministry, Rev. Mike served as a primary school teacher and worked as a head teacher and manager of the school for eighteen years. He heard a call from God to serve Him, so in 2004 he left teaching and became a full time minister. Though life was not so easy without a job, what he learned was to depend on God in everything for His provision, and he had full trust and faith in God. Nahum 1:7. Rev. Mike went to a bible training in Theology in 2001 and qualified with a diploma in pastoral ministry. He has also gone back to advance in theology. He has joined PAN AFRICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. He needs your prayers in his ministry of serving God. God bless you. Pastor Mike leading worship as his son Victor plays keyboard

Welcome!

This is the first post to the new website for "Friends of Jesus Ministries". "Friends of Jesus" is an organization headed by Pastor Michael Igunza Ovotegah, devoted to spreading the gospel and caring for God's children across the beautiful country of Kenya. Check back in to get regular updates about what God is doing through this ministry! If you'd like to contact Pastor Mike by e-mail, you may reach him at: friendsofjesusministries@yahoo.com Thanks for visiting!