I am excited to be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya later this month with a small team from Bridgeway. We will be going to participate in an international conference for youth leaders. Bridgeway Community Church has begun a partnership with Nairobi Chapel who has invited us to bring some of the expertise of Bridgeway’s Bridge Building trainings to help equip leaders of young people for the coming Kenyan elections in 2017.
During the election cycle of 2007, Kenya experienced a political, economic and humanitarian crisis due to electoral manipulation, which eventually led to targeted ethnic violence. Although no one narrative can tell the whole story, property damage, violent deaths, internally displaced peoples were all outcomes of this 4-month nightmare. Just as recent US events have uncovered deep racial issues, Kenya has been facing their own much more directly since 2007.
The Christian Church in Kenya has taken the lead to bring reconciliation and hope to these deep seeded tensions. Many churches have come together to bridge gaps between tribes among a nation formed by colonial lines. Nairobi Chapel mobilized its congregation 5 years ago to pray for and serve peoples in each of their 47 counties in preparation for the elections of 2012 when elections were largely peaceful. But the peace doesn’t automatically mean the tensions are gone.
So this year, at this widely attended conference, the goal is to challenge leaders of young people to get back to the basics of God’s Word and prayer. It will be an exciting time to interact with those in the midst of ministry to the largest population in all of Africa - the youth! Frank Eastham, Nikki Lerner, and myself will be teaching workshops as a part of the conference.
In addition to being a part of the conference we are hoping to explore how we might be able to expand our partnership with the Nairobi Chapel. We also plan to visit some Bridgeway missionaries that minister in Kenya to encourage them and learn more about their ministry.
For precious mission trips I have participated in many of you have be incredibly supportive by giving toward the cost of the trip. THANK YOU! For this trip GOD HAS PROVIDED 100% of the money we need before we could even ask. Praise God! While God has provided financially I am still very much in need of your prayer support. I am hoping to gather a team of people to pray for me and our team as we carry out this mission. If you would like to commit to praying for us please let me know by commenting below, responding via social media, or in person. Thank You!
Since we have been provided for we would like to provide for others. We would love to see as many youth leaders participate in this conference as possible. In order to make that happen our team is raising funds that will go directly to sponsoring leaders to attend. $100 covers one youth worker for the 3 day conference.
If you would like to give in support of that cause please do so to Bridgeway in one of the following ways...
- Give online at bridgeway.cc/give and click on the second section to "support a specific ministry” -choose “missions donations” under select a fund and type "BMW Kenya" in the memo line
- Send a check to Bridgeway Community Church 9189 Red Branch Road Columbia, MD 21045 - make sure to write "BMW Kenya" in the memo line of your check.
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