HOPE NAIROBI, KENYA MISSIONS REPORT

On the 12 – 22 March 2010, Michael, CN, Lean Choo and I went to Nairobi, Kenya. Apart from me, the rest have been to Nairobi before. Lisa and Li Chuang are our 2 pioneering sisters in Hope Nairobi since 2005.

Intentional Discipleship in Nairobi

In the last few trips, God has blessed the church by bringing Kenyan brothers into the Nairobi caregroups in the last quarter of 2008. Our objectives of this mission are to intentionally disciple and equip the Kenyan brothers through a retreat as they are rising up to be leaders in Hope Nairobi. There are 5 brothers in the core team: Ernest, Maxwell, James, Steve and Gibson.




God has been faithful in Hope Nairobi. We have seen the spiritual growth in the core team. All of them are baptized with the Holy Spirit and we have seen that they are stepping into another level of faith and intimacy with God.

When we reached Nairobi in the evening, Lisa and Li Chuang welcomed us warmly.
On the next day, we met up with the core team. We did praise and worship and spent some time getting to know one another. We also asked them what their struggles in ministry are. Following that, we continued to fellowship with the core team through a typical Kenyan lunch and a visit to the ministry house at Baba Dogo. We watched the movie, “Facing the Giants”, with the core team and some pre-believing friends. It was a good time bonding through the movie. While CN and Michael stayed overnight in the ministry house, Lean Choo and I went back to stay with the Lisa and Li Chuang.




Sport Day Event at Nairobi Arboretum Park

On Sunday, we headed to the Nairobi Arboretum Park for a Sports day event. About 26 people came for the event! We played an ice-breaker and Michael shared about ‘How to be a Star?’

We had a great fellowship with the Kenyans. They played soccer. It was very encouraging to see that the core team was confident in running the event. After that, we proceeded to spend more time with the Nairobi team through a meal.



A Leadership Retreat with Kenyan Core Team

From Monday to Wednesday, we headed to Masai Mara National Reserve. The journey was long and tiring but we had a fantastic time at the safari. We witnessed God’s beautiful creations in the animals and the nature. The stars were stunning and reminded us once again about God’s promises to Abraham. Once we were back to Nairobi, Lisa and Li Chuang prepared a very delicious dinner for us. Again, we had a good fellowship time.

From Thursday to Sunday, we had a retreat with the Kenyan core team members.

On Thursday, we went to Kenyatta University for an outreach and talk with Ernest’s friends. When we shared about God’s love and goodness that are so real in our lives, the visitors started to open their hearts, one by one, to share their life struggles and their trust in God’s love. Some of them were touched to tears. We were thankful for the God-moment as Kenyans do not open up easily, especially not on the first meeting.



University Student Ministry

On Friday, we went to JKUAT University where we also shared about God’s goodness in our lives with Maxwell’s friends. There were many undergraduates who joined us for the sharing.

Throughout the retreat, we had several worship and teaching sessions. Michael and CN taught 3 lessons on: “Leadership Pitfalls”, “The Prayer Life of a Leader” and “How to be a Great Shepherd”. We also did some sharing on how to improve their worship in the care group. Through the conversations and fellowship, we were amazed with what God has done in the past year in Hope Nairobi. God has blessed the church with 1 guitarist, 5 core team members that are Holy Spirit filled and hungry for God to transform Nairobi. They carried the Hope vision wherever they went. They were encouraged by what we taught them and were ready to apply it in their own care groups.

Sunday Service in Hope Nairobi

Finally, on Sunday, it was our 2nd Sunday service and our last day in Nairobi. CN and Lean Choo taught a workshop on financial management. Biblical principles and practical applications were shared. Many were inspired to manage their finances the biblical way. After the service, we had a farewell with the core team. It was hard to say goodbye, as we have grown closer in the past 10 days.



In conclusion, our short term mission trip to Nairobi was a fruitful one. The Kenyans were encouraged and ministered by God’s Word and His presence. They have learnt a lot from this pastoral visit. Each of us experienced God in a new and different way too. We are keeping them in our prayers even when we are back in Singapore. We know that God is doing His mighty and wonderful work in Hope Nairobi and they will grow from strength to strength each day.

Written by Christine Hartono

• For more information about Hope Nairobi, Kenya contact Michael Raditya (Email: bsraditya@hopesingapore.org.sg)