"I NEED JESUS IN MY LIFE"

-by Vincent Mokaya

It was about 6:30 pm in Mobamba shopping center in Kebirigo Village of Nyamira County. The equipment that helps us to show the Jesus film was ready and awaiting sunset. In the background, Swahili gospel music was playing. Many people moved closer and some closed down their businesses to join us in the open air worship time. One young man, staggering, joined the crowd and began to dance to the music.

I knew it was time to speak to the people. My message was “Salvation by God’s Grace”. While I preached, with the help of our host pastor, Henry Kirwa, as my translator, the Holy Spirit of God moved among the people. This time I did not end the message as usual by offering an alter call since it was already dark enough to begin showing the Jesus’ film. I then handed over the ‘relay stick’ to James Oduor to begin the cinema.

From Left: Rev Mokaya, Geoffrey and Nyamoko

Amazingly, that young man who was so drunk came up and grabbed my hand, with tears dripping down his cheeks, and said to me,

“I know I am drunk. But I need Jesus in my life. I have been struggling for a long time.  Because of my habit of drinking, my wife deserted me with my two children. I have been kicked out of my father’s home and my body has bruises all over due to the beatings I receive from people while I am drunk. I need a new life. This is my day of salvation. What can I do to get saved? ”

This reminded me of a question that Don asked while we were discussing about salvation a couple weeks ago in his home. He asked, “What would you do if a person who is very drunk approached you and said ‘I want to be saved?’” The answer was: “I lead the person to confession and salvation prayer”. And so it was. He got saved! Amen. I introduced him Mr. Nyamoko, an elder from the host church, and he made a commitment to begin attending fellowship at the church.

The next day was Sunday. Geoffrey not only came to church but brought a friend who had also accepted Christ at the crusade the night before. Boldly before a congregation of more than 200 people, Geoffrey testified about his new beginning. Then as he requested prayer for his family to be restored, the entire church gathered around him to pray and offer their support for his new life in Christ.

BPM minister Rev Silas Odinga presenting a Swahili Bible to Goeffrey on Sunday morning after church.

 

BPM minister Rev Shadrack Maunda (center) with Geoffrey and his friend who also received Christ the night before.

 {FOLLOW UP NOTE: Geoffrey has been talking with Silas by phone many times since we left Kebirigo and is doing well.  His wife and children returned home to him and they were all in church last Sunday!]

Rev. Vincent Mokaya is a graduate of Wayland Baptist University, ordained by Kingsway Fellowship International and is pastor of First Baptist Church of Kawaida, Kenya. He is also a member of the Burning Plow Ministry Kenya Board of Directors and travels with BPM throughout southern Kenya as a Bible teacher and evangelist.

Thanks for reading the blog.  The Burning Plow Team leaves on April 3rd for our next outreach.  We ask for your prayers.  We will be gone 8 days and hold 2 seminars and show the JESUS film   Also continue to pray for Geoffrey and his family!

In His service,

Don and Becky Cameron

A HACK SAW AND TREE LOPPERS

 

I had never thought of us as bush whacking missionaries but we can now claim that title!  Thursday, January 23^rd we loaded the first bike onto the roof of our car and headed out into the interior.  As we traveled the paved road, it became a sandy dirt road, it narrowed to a trail, then narrowed even more to a path.  Then we encountered a huge obstacle - low hanging trees!







Thoughts of “How are we going to get the bike through?” went through our heads!  We said a prayer, then pulled out the hack saw and tree loppers and set to trimming the trees!  “Be prepared” is the motto of the Boy Scouts and because Don had loaded the saw and pruners into our travel box we were able to get through.  We had to stop and trim back the trees six more times before reaching our destination.

 

As you can see, Mutua Muinde was happy we got through!

 

 



He lives a long distance from his church and village.  He had been making the trip on crutches.  We are so glad he now has wheels! 

 

Here he is with his pastor, his brother, mother and a neighbor!

We drove 26 miles back to Kibwezi to pick up the two remaining bikes and headed to the village of Masongalini where Matola Mbithi and Kenedy Muli were waiting on their bikes.  This route wasn’t nearly as challenging!

We were so pleased that Kenedy and Matolo were pleased with their new transport!  We were honored to be able to bless these men with their new bikes.  We also gave them a bag of rice, corn, beans, salt, tea and sugar.



 

 

Here are Kenedy and Matolo taking their first test drive down the main street of their village.  They are really rolling now!

 

A special thank you to all our partners for providing these three bikes and the food!  We love how God works though the people who pray and give to BPM.  It blesses us to be part of God’s plan to bless others!

 

Please continue to pray for us as we hold our first Foundations of Our Faith seminar for 2014 this week.  It will be our first time to hold a class in this rural area which is about 2 1/2 hours from Nairobi.

 

In His Service, because He said go!

 

Don and Becky Cameron  



MOSES HAS WHEELS!!!

Monday was a life changing day for Moses Zadock Okumu Ombura. 

Moses is 36 and lives in a small apartment with 9 other family members in the Umoja area of Nairobi.  Due to a birth defect Moses must depend on his younger brother Garrison to carry him wherever he goes.  Garrison serves his brother selflessly.

Monday we took Moses and Garrison to The Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya to pick out a wheelchair for him.  On Wednesday we will deliver it to his home.  We were able to borrow the chair in the photo for our time at the center. 

We were so touched when we realized this family has waited so many years for a wheelchair.  God chose to use Burning Plow Ministries (and our partners) to answer this family’s prayers.  It is humbling to be the conduit between God and his children who need His provision. 

A special thanks to those who give to Burning Plow Ministries.  Without their support we could not do what we do to bless the people of Kenya.  It is only one man, one family, but they are thanking God for His blessings.  We appreciate those who give to bless those who will never be able to repay.

After we deliver Moses’ chair on Wednesday we are heading to the village of Kibwezi where we will deliver three hand cranked bikes for three disabled men in that area.  I’ll be posting details of that trip next week.   

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

In His service.

Don and Becky

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT

There are days when I pat myself on the back and feel a little pride that Becky and I are spending our retirement years and retirement money to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the poorest of the poor in East Africa helping to provide for BOTH spiritual AND physical needs. I see people in America that give to help those in need and, like me, rightly feel good about their giving.

As for my possessions, my western way of thinking dominates. I worked for it. It’s mine. God has blessed me and so I willingly share a portion. But when is giving enough? Many of us wrestle with this question.

Jesus said “Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment.” (Matthew 25:45-46 NASB)

Now I know that we are saved by the grace of God through our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross and not by works. But this scripture tells us something about the heart of God and how He wants us to live our lives. Didn’t Jesus tell us that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is like it which is to love our neighbor?

 

The people of the early church had no lack because those who had shared with those who did not (Acts 4:34). As Christians in America today, we really don’t live like that. But elsewhere in the world, they still do. 

 

This is a message that I received on December 19, 2013 from a Kenyan man that I work with.  Check out our previous blog “Someone We Won’t Forget” dated December 22, 2013 for more information about 13 year old Musembe (in photo) who has AIDS. Burning Plow Ministries and a Kenyan church work together to periodically supplement the family’s meager food supply.

 

 

[Please excuse the spelling and grammar. English is this man’s third language.]

 

“Hi Dad praise the lord? We are fine and doing good, Dad i had a need and when i was planing how to tolk to you Carol called me and told me Musembi is unwell, we had some money for Xmass and we have used the money to bring him to the hospital now is here.”

 

“we had some money for Xmass and we have used the money to bring him to the hospital”

 

This man spent his family’s Christmas money to help someone else who was in need.  He has very little himself. He has no car, no motorcycle, no bicycle and walks or takes public transportation wherever he goes.  His Christian beliefs are part of his very fiber in everything he does.

 

This makes me feel a little ashamed and inadequate.

 

“Lord, I know that I have not done enough.  Let me see your people through your eyes.  Help me learn to be quick to help those in need.“

 

And don’t forget to continue to pray for Musembe.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

 

Don and Becky Cameron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone We Won't Forget

In June, 2013 Don wrote the following about a very special young man.  I want to share it with you today and then post an update.

Musembe Massai is 13 years old.  He has AIDS as does his father,  Massai Kyusya.  His mother died of AIDS six years ago.  He lives out in the country many kilometers from the nearest village.  He is in 5th grade and walks to school each day. In this photo he is with my good friend and co-worker, Pastor Shadrack Maunda.

 

 

His family has no regular income and finding food is difficult. At times, Pastor Shadrack's church in Kibwezi is able to buy food for them.  Getting the food the 10 or so kilometers out to the family is usually an obstacle because the church also has to raise the funds for public transportation to get to the boy’s home.  Burning Plow Ministries is at times able to help with the food and transportation.  In fact when we are in that part of Kenya we have been able to buy food and take it to them in our car.

 

The father’s bicycle is their only transportation other than walking.  The bike was well worn and needed tires, brakes, pedals, a new seat and a new carrier on the back.  In other words, he needed a new bike.  When we were back in the area in August we bought a new bike and took it out to the family.

 

This is some of the opportunities God gives us to help those who can not help themselves.

 

Thank you for helping us help people like Musembi and his family.

 

In HIS service.

 

Don & Becky Cameron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHANGING LIVES ONE BIKE AT A TIME!

BEFORE

 

While we were in a very small, very remote village called Kikumini, we came across a man they called “Matata”.  Matata means “trouble” in Swahili. His mother gave him this name because his legs were crippled from birth.  He had a very heavy and slow bike that limited his mobility.  We shared Matata’s story on Facebook and a friend in the US gave the funds to purchase a new lighter weight hand cranked tricycle.

 

AFTER

 

When we presented the bike to Mata I remembered a man in a wheelchair we had met in March 2012 while distributing food and clothing in a drought stricken region.  We didn’t get the man’s name. 

 

 BEFORE

 

When I mentioned this man in a class I was teaching one of the pastors there said “I know that man.”   Wow! I love the way God puts things together.  The pastor took us to Munyao Mweu and we got re-acquainted.  I was very flattered that Munyao remembered me.  He got very excited when I asked him if he would like to have a tricycle that would significantly increase his mobility from the homemade contraption that he had been using.

 

Two months later, thanks to the help of a donor in America, we were able to deliver the new bike.  I can still remember Munyao’s words that even now bring tears to my eyes: “This gift will change my life!”

 

AFTER

 

Thank you Jesus that He puts things together for us to be able to deliver the Matthew, Chapter 25 gospel (verses 31-46) to this remote region in Africa that is almost always overlooked.

 

We would love to do the same for Matolo Mbithi, Mutua Muine, and Kenedy Muli shown below.  Your gift of $300 will change the live of one of these men.



 



MATOLO MBITHI

MUTUA MUINE

KENEDY MULI 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for helping us minister to the needs we see in Kenya.

 

In His service,

 

Don and Becky