OUT OF NOTHING TO SOMETHING

Surely God is faithful!! These were narrated by Anna as she recall how God helped her to educate her three children who were in High School. She is a widow with three children and a member of our Friends of Jesus Church "You can`t trust a person but God" said Anna . Anna live in Kibera one of the heavily populated slums in Kenya and the largest in Africa. Most people who live in this slum are poor and unemployed. Those working earn a salary less than a dollar a day, just as what Anna earn as a housemaid, this has made their lives to be hard and only looking up as they recall how God rescued the Israelites by sending Moses to deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh. "I know one day God will hear our cry'' this is what you can hear from this slum people murmuring . The live in the slum will only depend on one forgetting his or her needs and only focusing his eyes on things above the sky like manna that I sraelites ate . Sometimes there is no food, education, medical, clothes, shelter and hope. What do you do? As a church in the slum what we could do was to pray, pray and pray. God to do something to help these children to be in school. Some one had promised to help these children to get back to school, but it was invain. He never showed up but disappeared. Knowing that it was not his budden to help. How many times have we seen such kind of people? But can God forget us or run a way from us? We were so happy because people gave whatever small they had to educate these children. Two of them have finished their High school and performed so well. We are trusting God to provide fees for their colleges. One is still in school and we trust God to continue touching people to help. I know it is hard just someone to give but through the grace of our Lord God we trust God will help. What man can not do God do!! God bless you. Anna

BAPTISM IN A RURAL RIVER

RURAL MISSIONS

RURAL MISSIONS

RURAL MISSIONS ACTS 1:8 " But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witness to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth." As we stood along the bank of the river of which had gone to baptise the the new convert, I kept asking the direction of the flow of the river. Some said it is from this side while others argued the other direction. We had just travel to the remote areas of the village for our missions. The land was flat for it was near to the shore of Lake Victoria which is the largest Lake in Africa. There are no roads to the village, no clean water, no electricity, It sometimes forced us to walk long distance. The climate was hot and the sun shining direct on us, the soil was clay and some area muddy and bushy. The people in the village were so welcoming and ready to listen to the gospel, no matter how poor they looked like.Some children had no clothes and bear footed which was also noticed to some of the women who were around listening the word of God. I saw some going to fetch water in the river carrying the bucket on their heads, other girls fetching firewood from the bush, and some boys taking their cattle to drink water on the same river. We were to wait for the cattle to finish drinking the water so that we could also use for the baptism for the new converts. Before, I feared the snakes in that area for the place were to use for baptism was bushy. We were to exchange our clothes and use the proper one for baptising. The right place was to go to the bush as a private place for putting the other clothes. I was to take a step of faith, hoping for good but not for worse, as I remembered in Mark 16: 15 - 18. " Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned . ' And these signs will follow those who believe: I my name they will cast out demons, they speak with the new tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, they lay hands on the sick and they will recover" I got encourage from these verses. We had a good number of the new convert who accepted Jesus Christ in their lives. WE never feared baptising the new converts in the river for we remembered what happened to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8: 35 - 38 " Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road they came to some water. And the eunuch said, " See here is water, what hinders me from being baptised. Then Philip said, " If you believe with all your heart you may. And he answered and said. " I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God . We had to baptise the new converts no matter how the place looked like, what was important was to receive Jesus and be baptised. This was a great joy to us as we saw brothers and sisters giving their lives to Jesus. It was a remarkable moment in my life and ministry for the people were hungry of the word of God and the all heartedly received it. AMEN. There many challenges in rural missions but I like them for I remember in Philippians 2: 6 - 8 Jesus humbled Himself no matter of His position as being equal to God and died a shameful death Jesus because of us. Think about that!! AS we went for our missions, we had to walk long distance without water and food. But we thank God for the positive result we achieved. My fellow Christians, pray for our missions here in Africa for reaching unreached. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6: 19 - 21. " Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths nor rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal. - But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. " For where your treasure is there your heart will be also. As a matter of fact, where have you invested your treasurer? Have you ever thought of investing in the kingdom f God where your heart will be? Think about your life! Pastor Mike

LIFE IN THE VILLAGE

FRIENDS OF JESUS MINISTRIES Friends of of Jesus Ministries was started in the year 2005 by Pastor Mike here in Kenya. I got save in the year 1990 from the crusade as I heard the message from the preacher Roman 3:23. The lord God called me in the ministry I was still a teacher. I am married to a wife by the name Matroba and we have four children. Two boys and two girls who are all in school. I thank God for that. LIVE IN THE VILLAGE Mukuyu village is one of the villages found in Migori District, Nyanza province Kenya where we have the Shiners Children`s Center for education. The center was started in the year 2008 by Pastor Mike. Most people living in this region are poor and live below a dollar a day. It is a region without industries where people can be employed and earn a living. The people depend on small scale farming using traditional way of farming. They can not afford to buy fertilize for their crops. The most crop grown here is maize, cassava and beans for food. The cash crop grown here is sugar and Tobacco which is not enough to to support a family because of poor market and a lot of frustration farmers get from the factories which far a way from the farmers. Some areas has no proper roads where farmers can transport their crops. The area has no medical services near to them, it takes one to walk 10KM to reach to a hospital. Many women have lost their lives when delivering or giving birth because they can not afford to go to a hospital and also it is very far from them. Last year we rescued a women who had a growth in her womb by taking her to a hospital in one of the cities in the Country. We thank God as we see her playing very joyful with her baby. This women was in this state for more than seven years, and according to the Doctor it indicated that she could not servive in giving birth. We have taken two of her children in our school and their getting their education there plus food. One of another problem in the village is because of the malaria, which has killed many children below the age of 5 years and also adult. This is caused by a lot of the mosquitoes in the region and also there is no clean water for the people to drink, cholera out break is another disease which has killed many people. Mukuyu village has not been lacy from this dreaded disease the HIV / Aids which has killed many families living behind orphans and vulnerable children. One of the major cause of this disease is wife inheritance and poverty. Wife inheritance is caused by a belief which says that, ''the person who died, his sickness might have been caused by witchcrafts'' And for that reason many children don`t go school simply because there is no one to care for them. No one to buy uniform for them, books, shoes, and to provide food. Shiners Children Center is a center which cater for this orphans and vulnerable children in the area. Activities we do. - Give education, Nursery school - Provide feeding - Spiritual nurturing - Give medical - Provide shelter for the orphans - do HIV/ Aids awareness and hygiene to the community. VILLAGE PHOTOS Photo I. Photo number one indicate the life in the village where Shiners Children are situated about four of the these children are orphans. THe above house I have given to the children to sleep there as a home for them. Photo 2. In photo 2. there you can see our school with the children in photo 'A' taking porridge during the break and the below one children learning how to read and write. Photo 3 In photo three you can see the live in the village . Most people can not afford to educate their children and even give them a good shelter. They have lost their hope in live. They need our help even from well wishers and live a happy life. The women carry a baby is the one whom we rescued her from death as she wanted to deliver. She has a handsome girl by the name Jenae as she recalls what God did to her by saving her life from death. Photo 4 Photo 4 shows Felisters and her family of seven. Her husband is jobless, they live just by the grace of of God. Our center has taken two of her children for education. It has been a problem especially when raining which affect the young one from the down pour. Who knows, about what might in future? God have mercy! I think that is enough for to day. May God bless you. Pastor Mike