Pauline Baptist Church

Week of August 19-25 2009

            It was a good week this week with some good time to study and do some reading that I have wanted to do. Wednesday was a good office day with some time to  finish one book and continue my reading and studies on Islam. In the afternoon we built Samuel a "box" to play in during school. It is actually an oversized playpen to keep Samuel (the disrupter) contained while the other children are in class. It turned out good.

            Thursday Moses and I ran to Kilifi to pick up some more Bible studies for Bible distribution. We also were looking for some books for children's Sunday School in Swahili but they did not have any. There is material in English but in the interior villages they do not us English at all. We have to have Swahili. We will continue to look for material for children. We were also able to have a good talk about the church and how things were going. When we returned I went to the office to work on my lesson for Bible study in the evening. Ricklynn will be taking the Thursday night Bible study starting in two weeks. I know he will do a great job. After Bible study our friend Julius and his family arrived from Nairobi.

            Friday and Saturday we spent time with Julius and his family visiting and sharing about all that God has been doing here. We spent the day Friday in Mombassa visiting some sites and picking up a few things for Lydia's Birthday party Sunday. Saturday we went to the beach in the early morning and afternoon then Kenya had a ladies fellowship meeting in the evening. Julius and his family spent the evening with Moses and his family.

            Sunday we had a really good service! Moses taught SS school as usual and Kenya had a slew of kids. Julius preached the morning message and played the guitar during our worship time. Julius did a great job preaching. After services we all walked down to the beach for a baptism service. We baptized Julius’ oldest daughter Suzie. She was saved in Nairobi a few weeks ago and Julius asked if we would baptize her while they were with us.

            Sunday afternoon after lunch we had Lydia's birthday party. She is now the big 5. Kenya made a home made cake and home made icing that was all great! The kids all fun playing and making lots of noise.     

            In the evening we had our services.

            Monday Moses, Julius, his wife, and I went to Mangangani to see the church building there. While at the plot, we where able to visit with one of the members for a little while before going to brother Mbuvi's place. Daniel was not home but we did visit with his wife for a while. We returned to the house and did a little office work. In the evening we took Julius and his family to the Crock farm here in Malindi. They really liked it!

            On Tuesday Julius and his family left early to return to Nairobi. Moses and I went to Singuaya to visit with William and see what the Lord was doing there. We arrived to find that William really has been working. For one, he has done some additions to his own house and made a little progress which was good to see. Also we went to the place where he said they have been meeting on Sundays. He said they have about 15 adults and a bunch of kids meeting weekly for Bible study on Sundays. They are using the Christian Doctrine Bible studies that we are using here in Malindi and in Mazeras.

            Most of the group that is meeting was there to greet us when we arrived. Before we did any teaching Moses, William, and I went off to the side to talk a little. We had a long talk and made some plans for the future. We also told William we would start making trips out to do preaching along with the Bible studies. After Moses, William, and I were on the same page we went and had some teachings for about an hour.

            When we finished teaching we dismissed and we went trekking across the valley to another area in Singuaya. We found out the area where William lives is called Gandini and the other area is called Kwandezi. The two folks that we lead to the lord when we were out in Kwandezi before are attending the meetings in Gandini which is great! I stressed to William we are seeking those who have no church or who have never been saved. If God brings others we will not refuse them but our focus is leading folks to Christ discipling them and establishing churches. We went to Kwandezi for two reasons to visit the folks we lead to the Lord before and to meet with some folks who started meeting in the area few weeks ago who are calling themselves Baptist.

            We greeted Kenga who we lead to the Lord before but Neema the young mother we lead to the Lord was not around. We went to the home of one of the men that had started meeting with folks and were calling themselves Baptist. His name was James Mungi. When we arrived he introduced himself and we sat down to visit. He started by sharing what he and his brother had done in their area and why.

            He said that some Baptist folks had come to the school where their children attend and gave the school balls and the children tracts to show their love for the children. (those folks were us and the group from our church)He said after hearing of this group going to the school and telling them about God and receiving the tracts that we distributed he got with his friend and they agreed that they needed a church in the area. They said they wanted their kids to know about God and to have a place themselves to know about God, but where they were there is no church at all. God used the tracts and our visit to the school to prick the hearts of these men through their children.

            They sought out William to ask him about us. William told them we would be coming soon and he would bring us. William gave them one of our books for study. They started meeting together in Kwandezi three weeks ago with around 60 people. They have no preacher just the two men who are drawing them together. James Mungi is one of them and the other was not around he had gone to Marafa for a seminar on raising bees. We sat and listened to James explain why they started meeting, when they started, and what they needed. It was awesome to hear how God was working. When he finished I shared with him that we would love to help with teachings which is their greatest need since there is no preacher or anything. I also explained a little about us and what we believe. Then I said the most important thing we need to start with in this group that is meeting is to teach about salvation and I asked James if he was saved. He said that one time he went in front of a church to pray to know God more so he thought he was saved. I told him it sounded to me like he was a man seeking God and God was reaching out to him and if he would allow me I wanted to share with him what the Bible teaches about salvation. I opened the Bible and shared the plan of salvation letting him read the verses and the end result was that wonderful whisper in silence of James receiving Christ as his Savior! Wooo Hooo!

            After he was saved he called his wife over and said I know I am saved but she needs to decide for her spirit. So I asked Moses to continue and he lead James' wife Bendera to the Lord! It was awesome. I told James that everyone that is meeting needs to hear this message of salvation above all! He agreed and we left some materials with him to share with the group in Kwandezi this week. I told him we would return in a few weeks after I return from some traveling. He asked us to have some Madafu (coconut water and meat) before we left so we went and fellowshipped over some Madafu. It was a great time of talking and getting know one another. We left James and went back to Williams and ate a very late lunch before heading to Malindi.

            We also found out some new things about William and his family situation that was good and bad news. William only has one wife but the other girl (Lois)that was with him that he referred to as his second wife is not his wife at all. He has a baby with her but has not done what customs require to take her as his wife, there is no agreement, and the family has refused him to take her. She is back home in Witu.

            We were introduced to her in Malindi shortly after William started meeting with us. When she came to Malindi to be with William she was suppose to be going to her sisters but lied to her family and all of us. When they found out that she was with William they came and got her. Now she is in Witu with her family and William is in Singuaya with Mama Faith who "is" his wife before God and man. He has followed customs and has an agreement with her family.

            It is good news in that he has only one wife, bad in that he was living in sin under our noses. God has a way of working things out and bringing the hidden things to light. We have had lengthy discussions with William about multiple marriages and that it is not God's will nor has it ever been for a man to take more then one wife. Also we have spent much time counseling William and Mama Faith. I rebuked William and Moses and I gave him some council as to what to do now. Pray for William that all of this past sin will be put behind him and he will grow in the Lord and be able to repair his family and relationship with his wife. William has a lot of potential and Moses and I both left yesterday praising the Lord for the salvations, for the groups meeting, and to see that William is making some positive steps towards the Lord. Pray for the areas of Gandini and Kwandezi, for William and for James and all the others meeting in Singuaya. Also pray that God will grant leadership. What an exciting but scary thing to serve the Lord. Thankfully we lean on him and not our own understanding. I am sure he will give us wisdom.

James Taylor

East Kenya Missions