Covenant Community Church has given word that the Urban and Rural Hope Book has arrived!  Located in the sunny Scottsdale, Arizona - Covenant Community Church is the first stop on the west coast leg of our book tour.

The book was welcomed by the youth of this church and served as a great piece to visually express the great need yet the undeniable amount of hope resonating within these LIA partnered communities. In 2008, this youth group raised over $10,000 to support LIA’s famine relief efforts in Ethiopia. We are truly grateful for their support.

This Urban and Rural Hope book has been packed, sealed, and sent continuing on its journey this time to Bayside Church in Roseville, California.

Purchase your very own copy of Urban and Rural Hope book today to play a part in supporting the developing communities throughout Africa.

The fourth and final church visit was that of Living Water Church with pastor Peter Mwandu.  The improvements to the church building since my previous trip were apparent upon first glance.  This church had also increased the number of children in their Orphans and Vulnerable Children program; now hosting 24 children. They too have begun a poultry project as a source of income and food for the community.  God has been blessing this church and making it a blessing in the community!

The opportunity to revisit these churches and witness firsthand the transformation that has and is still taking place is astounding!  As we gathered with all of these church leaders and volunteers later for a time of sharing and praying, we were humbled and blessed by the dedication of these four churches in rural Kenya!

Thanks to the training and partnership with LIA programs have been enacted to protect and teach children, micro-businesses are starting up, and real construction has been underway.  These churches have accessed the needs of their community and have also created new programs addressing the specific needs of their local community.

So the journey continues.  My third stop was End Time Restoration Church.  This church is unique in which a pastor Ngumbiu and his wife have dedicated all of their efforts to raise this church together.  

Upon meeting this couple initially I was immediately inspired by their work.  However after hearing all that God had done in this church throughout the past several months I have become even more moved and encouraged!

Utilizing the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s program there is now 76 children in their care.  The pastor and his wife of this church have also started a couples program for their community seeking to teach the importance of marriage and the family.

The church has also learned new methods of irrigation and fishing that they will teach to their community.  The concept of wholistic development is so prevalent and alive in these churches!  God’s hand in these churches journey towards community transformation is so great and powerful; it is simply amazing!

Check back tomorrow for our last church update; Living Water Church!

Second Church: Redeemed Gospel Church, Fourteen Falls

Continuing on my journey back to the previously visited churches in Thika, Kenya I arrived at the second church; Redeemed Gospel Church of Fourteen Falls.

Less than a year has gone by, yet this church has put together a new OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) program in which 25 children are now involved.  This program seeks to protect young children that could be at risk of living on the streets.  LIA helps the churches in the search for family members of the child if the parents have passed away, while also providing basic necessities to families such as food, medical care, school fees, etc. to further assure the childs care. When we looked in on a typical school day here at the Redeemed Gospel Church, we were greeted with great big smiles from the children.

As we walked to the back of the church there was a new garden that had been planted along with their big poultry project.  Even with the persecution this church and Pastor Mulinge has faced, they have still managed to make great strides in less than a year, serving the kids of the community while also providing jobs!

If this much transformation has taken place in such a short amount of time, imagine what God can do for this community in the coming months!

Check back with the blog tommorrow to learn about the work at End Time Restoration Church.

Last September, I had the privilege of visiting several of LIA’s partner churches in Thika, Kenya.  About an hour from Nairobi, this area is rural and extremely poor.  Most of the church leaders I met with at this time were just beginning their partnership with LIA and were starting to learn how to reach out to their communities wholistically.

Last week, I traveled with our Vision Team back to these same churches and was absolutely blown away by the evidence of transformation that is taking place.  Follow me these next few days as I describe the transformation that I have witnessed throughout four LIA partnered churches and their communities.

Church One: Rubiru Christian Church International

Upon my initial trip to Rubiru Christian Church International the sight was that of a “building” constructed of mud.  Now however,  2/3rds of the building is assembled, replacing the mud walls with tin; a much more stable material to host the church members.

Another exciting addition to the community was the start up of two new micro-businesses; one has begun making lotion and the other is making banana and lemon jam.

Pastor John Kanyolu of Rubiru Christian Church International spoke passionately describing how God was using his church in the local community.  Being able to provide jobs through these local businesses is a key aspect in the transformation that is occurring for the people of this community.  He was truly excited and thankful for all that God is doing!

Check back tomorrow to read about the transformation that is taking place at the Redeemed Gospel Church, Fourteen Falls!

5 different states, and 6 different churches represented by a passionate and committed team of 11 people.

This uniquely constructed group embarked on a 10–day journey to Africa with LIA seeking to understand the vision of LIA’s work, while also being inspired and encouraged through the big dreams that have become reality in the LIA communities.

From Merkato Street Children in Addis Ababa to rural initiatives in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia the team traveled many miles and experienced great extremes.

In Kenya, the team walked right through the Mathare and Kabera slums experiencing first hand the extreme poverty in this community.  The sights and smells that were encountered here demanded reflection and can truly never be forgotten.  Through the images of great scarcity, however, there was still an element of hope to be recognized.  Partner churches and pastors of these communities spoke about the great things God is doing to serve the needy in their communities and how the message of the Gospel has been shared and has served as an inspirational force to many.

God is doing big things through these local churches!

Having left from Nairobi last Thursday night the team and myself sat and reflected in silence.  Each trying to wrap our mind around all that was  seen, all that was heard and trying to understand why God brought this team together and what part we are to play in His vision now.

Thank you to:  Kyle, Rachel, Pat, Cheryl, Debbi, Connie, Bruce, Darcey and Brenda for living bigger then yourselves and catching a glimpse of the vision God has for redeeming His world played out through the hope of Jesus and the empowerment of local churches and communities!  We’re excited for this team and others who will partner in God’s plan!

As I prepare to leave Africa I am flooded with memories and lessons lived and learned over the past month. It has been an amazing experience filled with more emotion than I care to relive.

This trip has been different than any other before it. For one, this is the longest I have been out of the country since I lived in Kenya as a child. Almost every day of this trip was spent with the poor, seeing the work of LIA in rural and urban areas. I was also leading multiple groups, responsible for stranger’s safety and making sure they had a “good” experience. Each of these brought about unique challenges, growth, and also brought a lot of fun.

After hearing the countless stories of people I will never forget and traveling hundreds of dusty miles, one of the things I will take away is the reminder of the unique awareness of the spiritual realm in Africa in a way that is not felt or understood in America. I leave here, once again, more aware of need for prayer and the power of the spiritual realm.

We sat down with a group of pastors to hear of their work in rural Kenya. After sharing stories of successes we asked them what were some of their greatest struggles.

The first pastor to speak up told of recently having to go to court. Many people in his community were converting to Christianity and as a result, they were no longer buying medicine from the local witch doctor. So, she cast a spell and sent a 15 foot python to kill his chickens that he was using to start micro-businesses for local widows. The evidence was so overwhelming that she had actually sent the snake that he won the court case. Not something we deal with too often in ministry in the States.

When I took a group of high school students from Oklahoma to rural Ethiopia, the pastors began explaining that because there had been so many healings and casting out of demons in their church they had been able to plant 107 churches that boasted over 40,000 members.

When we were told that the next day we would be attending a service where there might be casting out of demons, the eyes of the high school students grew pretty wide. I went over and explained to some of our staff that this might be a new experience for these kids because many people in America have never seen healing or casting out of demons, in fact, there are people that don’t believe that those things still happen. Their eyes then grew even wider than the high schoolers.
“You are saying that people in America have never seen a demon possessed person and don’t believe in healings?” They asked. I stopped for a moment and thought about it and responded, “I would say that is true for most American’s.” They couldn’t believe it. “Do they even read the Bible?”

We talked to people who, because they had prayed over the land and broken spiritual strongholds, were able to grow crops on their land while their neighbor’s land was left barren. We spoke with people who experienced healings. We spoke with people who had been freed from demon possession. Every person we spoke with had some story of how the Spirit of God was alive and well, moving, active, and their only hope for freedom and life in abundance in a world often ruled by dark powers. I typically don’t see that type of intensity in America and in my own life. I hope that changes after this trip.

One of our fearless travelers has made it safely to its first destination!  Southeast Christian Church, located in the beautiful Louisville, Kentucky has given word that our “Urban and Rural Hope” book has arrived!

So what was the reaction to our book and its first sighting?

Ben Thornley, a member of Southeast responded; “I love the theme of “HOPE” throughout this beautiful and impacting book.  It’s often overwhelming seeing these pictures or visiting these areas, but it is a good reminder that in the midst of such pain and struggle we truly can be a part of bringing HOPE to these communities.  A lasting HOPE for sustainable community transformation, but also a HOPE of eternal spiritual transformation through Jesus Christ.  Love the book.  Love the tour.  Love LIA.  Great work!”

After receiving the Southeast sticker this book is ready for its next stop; Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky.  Keep checking back with us to hear more of the book tour adventures, and the reactions of our recipients.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out the “Urban and Rural Hope” book flip through some of its impacting pages here.

To purchase your very own copy of this empowering book check out our online store!

I know, I know, this doesn’t sound exciting, but it is! Every 10 years, First Fruit, Inc., a private foundation located in Newport Beach, CA, assembles their Global Trends Analysis report. This report provides an overview of the trends that they see happening throughout the world, largely propelled by undercurrents, also identified. The foundation uses this information to influence and shape their grant making framework in the years ahead.

I’m my opinion; the most interesting component of this research is not so much the trends and the undercurrents, though these are interesting. The most interesting piece is the Implications for the Global Church commentary. These insights are profound and prophetic.

For example, an identified Global Trends is an Increase in Women and Children At-Risk, which is right on, but read the Implications for the Global Church: “This is an issue of social justice and mercy –  legitimate expressions of the Church’s mission. The Church should be a strong advocate for the vulnerable and the powerless, as it has so often in history. Educational disparities between girls and boys lead to women becoming trapped in dependency and therefore more vulnerable and should be rectified. Poor theologies regarding the role of women have left them susceptible to cultural or systemic expressions of power and control. Churches, which are frequently comprised mostly of women, should consider whether they are doing enough to prepare, equip, and provide opportunities for women and treat them as having equal biblical value to men. Economic empowerment of women through tools such as microfinance can be furthered. Sharing best practices on how best to engage children at-risk can increase the effectiveness of programs and lead to better child-oriented discipleship materials. The consequences of 20 years of AIDS orphans will need to be carefully considered, requiring funders to aggressively look for creative, positive models for caring for orphans.”

Think of the complexity of assembling such a concise statement that pertains to the entire world! I highly recommend that you take an hour and read through this thoughtful and carefully crafted analysis of what is to come.After you do, comment on this post about the trend you found most interesting, surprising or challenging (mine is a tie between: Renewed Vision for Societal Relevance by Evangelicals and Pentecostals and Increase in Women and Children At-Risk).

My prayer is that Global Church responds to these trends with sharp intellect, in a posture of Christ-like compassion.

The stickers are printed, the mailers are packed, and 5 of our “Urban and Rural Hope” books are about to become world travelers!  Their journey will begin throughout the United States venturing to 50 Mega-Churches nationwide with the final destination being one of the LIA partnered churches in Africa.

Urban and Rural Hope Book.

David and Sam PR created the concept for the Life in Abundance “Urban and Rural Hope Book Tour“ to be a creative and inventive way to spread the word about the work that LIA is doing in the most marginalized and impoverished communities in Africa.  Upon the books arrival to these stateside mega-churches specific instructions will be given to keep the book on the move.

We believe that this will not only encourage and uplift our brothers and sister in Africa, but also empower churchgoers across the US to get involved with the ministry of LIA.

Keep checking back with us to see how this project is transforming lives across the US and overseas in Africa!

Learn more about our “Urban and Rural Hope” book and purchase your very own copy today!  All proceeds go directly back to our partner communities in Africa.

And remember to stay on the lookout for one the “Urban and Rural Hope” books.  You never know when it will show up at your own home church!