Pauline Baptist Church

Sunday 6/28/09

            Sunday we had great services! Moses did a good job teaching Sunday School. I helped Kenya with the kids class by taking the two babies outside and playing with them while she taught the older kids. Moses opened the services and Ricklynn lead us in worship. During our testimony time one of our visitors stood up and said that he had come to our church as a result of getting a tract and wanted to find out how to be saved. The rest of the service I was itching to tell the man how to be saved.  Silas preached the morning message and did a great job. He preached on running the race together and closed with an invitation to join the race by being saved. I stood up and gave a detailed plan of salvation and we had one saved during our services and another immediately following the service. John was saved at the end of service and Joseph told Moses that he wanted to be saved after the services so they went back into the church and he asked the Lord to save him. What a great service!

            Kenya had gone in the morning to pick up Mama Naomi so we took her home on our way to Mombasa. We decided to take the kids to Mombasa so they could watch a movie. We had a great time in Mombasa and had some good pizza. It was a great day!

Monday 6/29/09

            On Monday Silas, Josiah, and I went to Mombasa to do some running. We went by to see if my alien registration was in but it has not been sent from Nairobi yet. Kenya got hers a few weeks ago but mine got sent to Nairobi so I have been checking in each time we go to Mombasa to see if my new one is in or not. The Alien registration is like a Kenyan ID card and can be used many times instead of my passport so it is really  a good thing to have. The one I am currently using is expired but eventually I will get the new one. We also went by and bought 50 Bibles from the Bible Society. The price is a little more but they are nice Bibles. I also found out that we can get New Testaments in some of the local languages so I ordered a couple to see what they are like.

            We went to a few shops while we were down town. One shop we went to was to specifically find a sound system that we can use to show the Jesus film but what we found was really expensive and not really that nice. I told Silas that I would look at ordering one online and have our group from the church bring it over. There are some really nice portable systems in the states.

            Then we went by the Land Rover dealership and looked into having a roof rack ordered or made. To order one was outrageous. I asked about having one fabricated and it is pretty reasonable so I plan to go next week to pay and have some measurements done. Putting a rack on the vehicle will help a lot. Before we left Mombasa we ate at a new Chinese restaurant. The food was great.

            While we were in Mombasa Kenya went with Moses to get the supplies we needed to go to Mangangani to help put on the missing half of their roof. We got home and finished loading up things to go on Tuesday to build.

Tuesday 6/30/09

            Class was good with Moses and Juma. Alfonse showed up but he was nearly thirty minutes late. At the end of class I told the men that they needed to be on time and that they needed to study. If they wanted to be serious about taking classes then they needed to get to class on time and spend the time needed to be ready for tests. It was taken well.

            Godfry, Moses, William, Juma, John (who was saved on Sunday), Silas, Josiah, and I loaded up and headed to Mangangani to work on the roof. It was awesome that all the  men showed up. We arrived with all the tools and supplies and went to work immediately. It was so great to see all the guys working together and to see the roof going up so quickly. Once the guys got on the roof four of us went to work clearing some brush.

            One side of where the folks in Mangangani are meeting was all over grown and really looked like a jungle so we started hacking it with pangas (machetes). I knew at any moment we were going to find a snake in all the brush. We were romping around in the bush in Africa! Anyhow while we were blazing a trail in the bush I got bit by something or a thorn in my hand but did not think much of it.  It stung and I saw the dot it made but I just kept on working. Thirty minutes later I noticed my hand was swelling up and that I was getting some hives so I stepped off to the side and called Kenya to bring me some Benadryl because I was having an allergic reaction. I did not want to make a big fuss so I called Moses over and told him what had happened and that Kenya was coming so at least someone would know what was going on if I passed out or something. By that time my hand was quite large and I was getting more hives and my ears and eyes were starting to swell. When Kenya arrived I took the medicine and just took it easy while the guys finished up the work.

            The medicine seemed to stop all the other swelling and itching I was having except my hand remained swollen. Once the job was all finished we took some pictures and all jumped in the cars and headed for Malindi. We went to a small hoteli in town and ate lunch together then everyone headed home. I decided that I would lay down and put some ice on my hand see if my hand would get better. The swelling continued and started up my arm and was turning red so I decided to run to the hospital to be sure everything was ok. The doctor gave me a shot and some more medicine and said that it would be better in the next few days. So I returned home with one fat hand.

Wednesday 7/1/09

            When I got up on Wednesday I still had a fat hand and now a fat arm that itched terribly. Moses’ family, Juma, Silas, and our family loaded up and headed to Mazeras to do some planning. We arrived and greeted those that were at the Boma. We sat down and visited with Salim and his uncle about coming and showing the Jesus film and doing teachings with the group from our church. They said it would be great. I also spoke to Salim about starting to meet together on Sundays and reading through a Bible study. I told him we would like to continue teaching and preparing to start a church in the future if the Lord was in it and if they wanted. He said that they would love to start meeting. We discussed what they could do and how we would continue.

            I told him when they met to open in prayer and sing a song or two then read the lessons and look up all the verses then close in prayer. If they would just keep it simple and stick to the lessons, then every other week Moses or I would come to continue the lessons and preach when we came. This would get them prepared to start a church. They still do not know what a church, according to the Bible, is and what it is suppose to do. We will be spending our time teaching on this next and if this goes well we will, Lord willing, start a church in the near future. Please pray for the folks at Mazeras that the Lord will help them and especially pray for Salim. He was telling Moses and I about some encounters he has had with some Pentecostal folks in the area. He asked them about some of their teachings and to show him in the Bible why it was true but they could not. They said he was just causing trouble. He sincerely wanted to understand what they were talking about but he wanted them to show him in the Bible. My heart leaped when he said he asked for what the Bible taught. The foundation so far is solid in Mazeras and who knows Salim may be the leader God is raising up to lead this group?

            It was a great visit we also passed by and talked with the head master at the school about passing by and donating some Soccer balls when our guests come. He said we could address the entire school if we wanted during their opening assembly. So we told him the date and will pass by on our way into Mazeras when we come to show the Jesus film. We can also announce the Jesus film at the school which will get the news into a lot of homes.

            We ate in Mombasa before heading home. When I got home I ordered the sound system that I was hoping to get and had it sent to our church.

Thursday 7/2/09

            We had class on Thursday morning. As I headed into the office at about 4:10am I saw someone outside the gate and realized it was Alfonse I asked him what he was doing here so early. He said that he did not have a clock and he did not want to be late so when he thought it might be close he got up and left. I just laughed and told him to come on in and study his verses until 5:00am when we started. They guys did pretty good on their memory verses.

            After class I spent the day answering emails and doing office work. I also prepared my lessons for Thursday evening and for Friday's teaching in Mangangani that we planned.

            Bible study went well. After Bible study Ajabu, Juma's brother, asked me if he could start coming to classes with Juma in the morning. I told him he was welcome and he could get this weeks memory verses from Juma and be ready next week for class. He said he would be there so we will see.

Friday 7/3/09

            Moses, Silas, and I went to Mangangani at about 8:30am to do teachings on our doctrinal statement for the group that brother Mbuvi is meeting with. We are trying to get this group ready to start a church and want to go through the doctrinal statement with them first. Brother Mbuvi has been teaching them our doctrine for a while now but asked if we could come and teach it so they can hear it directly from us. The day was great we taught for about five hours. They had some good questions and really were soaking it all in. Moses and I switched back and forth he taught a few points then I taught. The day went so smooth. They also fed us Mchicha(a type of greens) and Ugali for lunch. This group is really doing well. While our guests are here from our church we plan to show the Jesus film and do visitation in the area to help them. Brother Mbuvi is doing good and his family was all present for the teachings. It was just a great day of ministry. Lord willing we will start this church in August. 

Saturday 7/4/09

We took the day off and just had a cookout at our house. It was a nice relaxing day. Lydia did have a slight incident with the gate.  She and Abigail were playing ball and the ball knocked Lydia into the gate.  We thought she was fine, but after about 5 minutes she came with blood all over her hand.  She wasn’t crying, just realized she was bleeding.  Kenya was just going to try to put a butterfly Band-Aid on it but we decided to take her just to make sure.  At the hospital they wanted to put a staple in her head, but (typical Kenya) they were out of them, so they just put butterfly tape on her cut.  It was just a small cut but a little deep.  She is fine now though.  So it still was a good day.  We even set off about 15 firecrackers along with two confetti cannons. The kids loved it. We also watched a video we made last year of a fireworks show from back home. It was a good day just to be together. My hand was better by Saturday evening by the way. I squeezed on the wound Friday and I think got out any remaining poison or what ever and by Saturday it was great.

Sunday 7/5/09

            We had a great day of Fellowship on Sunday. Everyone brought in different foods and things to provide for a meal that we planned to cook after the services. We had regular Sunday School then we had a special worship service. I preached on Unity from Psalm 133. We had some first time visitors with us also. After services ended we went to fixing food. We did not bring covered dishes and have a pitch in we cooked dinner on the grounds. It was awesome! The kids and the adults played some games. Some of us cooked and played it was a great time of fellowship. I cannot put in words how well it went. The spirit of unity and love was so evident I praise God for the folks at First Landmark Baptist Church Malindi. After we ate our Ugali, Sukuma, Kuku (chicken), and had our soda we cleaned up and went back into the church for a devotion from Moses. He talked about walking in agreement. It was an excellent message and close to a sweet day.

            Silas, Kenya, and I listened to brother Chad's message from last week before calling it a night. The message was so good. What a way to start the week!

 James Taylor

East Kenya Missions