Vumilia Church Plant, June 27-July 8, 2026
God Answers Prayer, He is so worthy of our praise!
This year we were truly covered by prayer and the Lord answered our prayers. Over 60 people signed up for three hour slots from Calvary Chapel Newberg and Chehalem Christian Fellowship, in addition to all the prayer warriors recruited by the team. He was so faithful in forming the team, answering prayers for a larger team, 17, with many men, 10, to allow us to visit eight schools and six prisons, while still effectively evangelizing the village of Vumilia. The team was able to share the simple Gospel with over 4,000 people during the week and over 1,350 trusted Christ as their Savior, with more than 900 in the village. The church, on dedication day, was overflowing with villagers and about 50 children had to sit outside under tents. Pastor Phillip Wafula and his wife Julia were commissioned by Pastor Morris to serve the new congregation.
The following are some of the testimonies which team members journaled to report back what the Lord did:
Personal Evangelism
What God does in the field is all around miraculous. One goes in how they were and comes out transformed, as long as you let God do the work within. I went in not really knowing what to expect; leaving everything for almost two weeks can be intimidating, but if you ask Him to guide and comfort you, everything else disappears, and He is your main focus.
Going in, I had a lot of fear about sharing my testimony, the gospel, and even sharing my faith with others. Each day, He showed me that my ability depends solely on Him, not on myself; you must rely on His strength. As I opened up about my own history, I started sharing the gospel, and people put their trust in Christ. He really prepares all these people for harvest, and we just have the honor of being used to bring them to Him.
Day by day, your perspective about our problems, needs, and desires completely falls away. It is truly eye-opening to see how hungry they are for the Gospel.
On my last day, I was praying for an opportunity for God to use me to bring more people to Christ than any day on the field thus far. While we were heading back toward the vans, we decided to check one more pathway, and it led us to a big group of people who were all drinking. As I started sharing, more people walking on the side of the road stopped to listen to me as well.
Through me, God was able to use my testimony of what He had done for me in my life. I have no doubt that He was preparing me for that moment throughout the whole trip, being able to share the gospel and also share my testimony to really show them what He is capable of.
Coming home was the hardest part for me, but God’s peace surpasses all understanding. It is easy to forget that the people we shared the gospel with in Kenya are the same ones as here. Took me a couple of weeks, a lot of reflection, and time with God until I shared my first track, but slowly He is showing me how easy it is, and as I continue to drop my fear, the comfort He brings is far superior. Besides, we really have nothing to be ashamed of when we are in Christ; continue the mission even at home. Even if it takes time, it is worth sharing Christ and glorifying Him. Lord willing, I will be able to go again!
On Thursday God did something amazing. My translator, Molly, and I had already shared the Gospel a handful of times to people on the road. We went to a house, but it was empty, so we went back to the road. Slowly, almost hesitatingly, my translator motioned to a house on our left, and said, “I feel compelled to go to this house.” Of course I agreed; that’s what we were there for, right? So we headed to the house. Many of the houses in Vumilia are small, mud huts, but this one was a fairly large house, made of cement, and it was protected by a tall metal fence. Outside the gate, a large man was on a motorcycle. Molly talked to him for a second, and he followed us into the yard. Two scrawny old men, were sitting on the house’s foundation; a thin, un-kept girl came out of the house, followed by a large woman. The large woman said that she was in a hurry; it appeared that she was with the large man with the motorcycle.
So there I am. We’re at the house that God had called us to be, but I had no idea why. I didn’t see anything special – in fact, it felt just the opposite. The yard was muddy, animals squalled in cages behind us, the air stank, and the whole place was just depressing. Of all places, why had He called us here? It was actually the last place I wanted to be. But I gathered my courage, tried desperately not to gag, and shared the Gospel, clearly, but quickly, because the big woman was in a hurry. When I was done, I asked them if there was anything keeping them from putting their trust in Christ, and surprisingly, each and every one said, “Hakuna.” (Which is Kiswahili for ‘there is nothing.’) So, I asked if they would pray with me, and then they all began talking. They talked to my translator for at least five minutes. Finally, Molly turned to me, and said, “They will pray with you.” I led the five in a prayer, shared John 5:24 with them, and gave them all tracts. The big man and woman left, and we followed them out. Once we were back on the road, Molly said, “I know now why God compelled us to go there. The house is a brewery, making illegal alcohol. The big man and woman were police, and they were collecting a bribe from the brewery, to not turn them in.” Stunned, I could only say a few words in reply. God had sent us to a brewery, at the same time the police were collecting a bribe! I was amazed that God had actually used me to lead two police to saving faith in Jesus! God’s timing was perfect; had we been there only thirty seconds later, the police would have already left. God was working in these people’s hearts long before we stepped foot in Vumilia; He had every detail in His hands. And over the course of fifteen minutes, God used me to do the impossible: lead the owners of a brewery and two police to Jesus! God is so good.
On my first day in the village of Vumilia, I set out with two translators: Pastor Jotham and Beatrice. There was a young woman named Lucy who I shared the Gospel with. When I asked her if there was anything keeping her from trusting Christ, she told me that she wasn’t sure if she could trust Him because of the problem of suffering in the world. I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that in that moment, but decided to start by sharing Romans 8:28 with her, which says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Pastor Jotham also gave her some words of encouragement. We reminded her that even though we go through trials and suffering in this temporary world, we will be eternally free from that in heaven. Afterwards, she made the decision to trust Christ. It was amazing to see how God can change people’s hearts and give us the right words to say to encourage someone.
On our trip to Kenya we went house to house in the village of Vumilia bringing a clear message of the Gospel to the people. The Bible talks of times appointed by God. I believe l witnessed an appointed time in the life of a new believer. My interpreter and l were invited to talk with an elderly lady in her home. We shared the Gospel with her and she openly prayed a sinner’s prayer and trusted in Jesus as her Savior. This in itself was a move of God’s Holy Spirit, that she accepted Christ’s gift of salvation. However, the “appointed time” became more obvious when my interpreter shared that, this particular women, only spoke a unique tribal dialect. Under normal circumstances we would not have been able to share with her because of this language barrier. Then God stepped in. This tribal dialect just happened to be the very same dialect of my interpreter’s mother, which he could also speak. God brought us all together for this important conversation, and she came to faith in Jesus. This was God’s appointed time for this woman, and He demonstrated His divine orchestration of this moment. Praise God for the great things He has done.
On the first day in the field God orchestrated a divine appointment. As we were trying to determine where to go prior to running out of time and returning to the church, a Boda-Boda driver (motorcycle taxi) pulled up right in front of us. He was carrying one passenger and he had a piece of metal sheet about ten feet long. My translator Judith immediately asked the driver if he would like to hear the Gospel, his response was he was too busy but the passenger Alfred, a man in his 60’s said he would if we could follow him to his home. When we arrived at his home, his granddaughter Sarah was home with her small baby. As we shared the Gospel with them both, Alfred began to smile and said he realized the importance of God’s timing in his and our arrival, it is always perfect. Both Alfred and Sarah gladly trusted in Christ alone.
Answered Prayers
The Lord opened up so many opportunities for the team this year as answered prayers. The last two years, due to unrest in Kenya, our opportunities at schools and prisons were significantly curtailed. Our prayer was for opportunities to open up for multiple schools and prisons. On the first day in the field, we were able to send two teams to visit two schools and one prison. The first school, Vumilia Primary and Junior Secondary was only about 250 yards from the new Bible Community Church, and it was also the site of where our afternoon crusades (evangelistic outreaches) were being held. The school has 650 students and about 450 were there to hear the Gospel. While we were there, we were made aware of a need to replace the electric water pump, as the school was without running water, a prayer from the school and community. God was glorified as over 175 students trusted Christ as their Savior, bringing living water, and we were also able to meet there physical needs due to God providing the funds for this work, as cash was donated after we had already transferred our funds for in-country expenses.
We always pray for the Lord to lead us to divine appointments He had planned for us. Esther and her grandchildren were one of those answered prayers for me. As my interpreter Judith and I were trying to find a home that hadn’t been reached by our team, Esther, a women in her late 50’s, was walking away (more than 50’) when she shouted back to her friend Lydia and saw us for the first time. She made a beeline to us and wanted us to go to her home. As it turned out, it was the home of her recently deceased daughter and her two teenage children, Dazwel (boy about 15) and Seline (girl about 17). All three were fluent in English so translation wasn’t required. Esther asked if we could pray for the home and children and we shared the Gospel. Esther was already born again but she also prayed with her grandchildren as they trusted in Christ. We then found out that Esther wasn’t from Vumilia but came from Bondeni, an hour and a half away and where we planted a church in 2025. At this point the Lord encouraged me to pray specifically for the two teenagers. As I asked them for prayer requests, Dazwel asked for wisdom as he was returning to school and needed guidance going forward. The Lord led me to pray for his education, his future job and wife, as his mother had died and wasn’t there for him. I then asked Seline what her prayer requests were and she responded that she had hoped to serve God but was an epileptic and she didn’t believe she could be used. I assured her that God still has a perfect plan for her life in service to Him whether she has epilepsy or not. That God would give her opportunities if she prayed for them and asked others to pray. We prayed for healing, and if that was not His will, that God would be glorified through her in spite of her disorder. It seemed as if a weight had been lifted off the home.
With the war ongoing in the Middle East, concerns about travel and gas shortage became a focus of prayer. He answered the prayers and no issues occurred on the trip.
The Lord tested our faith this year as we were confronted again with possible widespread demonstrations on the day we were to travel to the airport in Nairobi to return home. He answered our prayers as only minor demonstrations occurred in Nairobi and no resistance was encountered along our drive from Nakuru to the airport.