Kisumu, Kenya: I’m getting use to Kisumu and its weather. Hot and humid as most of the places I go to these days. I’ve heard that our 20 pastors in training will be waiting for us at 06:00 am! I woke before any chicken could announce the new day. After a quick breakfast Herbie and I arrived at the training site. As is the Africa tradition we were not on time at all. But TIA (this is Africa after-all)! At our arrival the pastors already had a prayer meeting and was motivated for the day.
Getting ready for the day! Our training starts right in the middle of the slums on the Rift Valley in Kisumu, Kenya!
I feel honoured to have met such awesome humble servants of God. Getting ready to start the day.
A typical Harvesters training day would start with a powerful devotion. One of the local Kisumu pastors shared on servant leadership and made minced meat out of any ego. After re-capping the previous day meticulously and looking carefully at the leaders’ laid out maps of their areas where they will be planting their churches training got underway. The Harvesters program is a very practical program that if followed carefully and led by the Lord in prayer it would certainly be possible to plant a church in 20 minutes. I mention this to the leaders in-front of me with a lot of ‘oooooh’ and ‘aaaaaah’s’ and shaking of heads.
Evangelism training – what everybody was waiting for!
It was the highlight of the session – practical evangelism. Many pastors has forgotten what it means to meet the people on the street. Not these 20 brave men who evangelised on the dusty roads of the slums.
Even children walked closer as pastors are trained how to use the Heart of Man evangelism method on each other.
Today would be the most practical day as we were getting ready to teach practical ways of evangelism. After the training leaders would get the opportunity to go into the slums and test their evangelism skills. A sense of anticipation hung in the air as I send them out for 90 minutes. I watch as some run to get out of the door first.
New converts being trained how to become a true desciple of Jesus Christ. Pastor John explaining what has just happened to their hearts.
As I follow the teams going out 2-2. Soon I see people kneeling in the dirt. Some crying ….. pastors hugging the lonely, the forgotten. And I realise …. it is all worth it. Many of the lonely reached do not have a church or spiritual home. Everyone is registered. As we go down an alley my eye catches a bunch of young men hands in the air. As inquisitive as I am …. I respect the moment and walk away. An hour later these 14 young men enters our training venue with big smiles. The leader of the pack look me straight in the eye and say: “We found Jesus, we found Jesus.” Alexander was in the group leading them to Christ. In fact 28 people received Christ in just over an hour. 58 People heard the Gospel. Everyone was placed in a church.
What church is all about ….. engaging with the community!
A last photo as our training comes to an end. We re-visit every 6 months for the next 3 years to make sure that churches that are planted are sustained and looked after.
I believe the church is the hope of the world. Hell will not stand against it …… The church will prevail. God’s plan A is to use the church to comfort, heal and be a home for the lost. There is no plan B!
