NOT SO USUAL...

Since forming Burning Plow Ministries earlier this year we have been seeking God to show us areas to assist here in Kenya.  We feel God’s leading to help feed and clothe the poor, teach Bible and evangelize.  Here is Don’s account of a project that presented itself to us recently.

Just outside of Nairobi, on the northwest side, there is a small village called “Kawaida”. Kawaida in the Swahili language means “usual”. The village is surrounded by coffee and tea farms and is in a central location and convenient for the farm workers. In fact, this village is where many of them shop.

Vincent Mokaya and I became acquainted in 2010 and since then we have visited together many times. Becky and I have eaten in his home with he and his wife, Peris and I have taught twice in the church that he serves that has been meeting in homes on one of the farms. 

With the relocation of many workers from one farm to another and also because of the limited meeting times due to farm regulations, it became apparent that a more permanent location outside of the farm was needed. After searching and praying for many months, it seemed that it was now God’s timing to plant the new church in the village of Kawaida.

On Monday, April 30 we met at the chosen location, signed the rental agreement, and paid a building deposit and the first month’s rent. Burning Plow Ministries has committed to pay the building deposit and the rent for 6 months after which time the rent become the responsibility of the church.

The church has met for the last 2 Sundays. Those attending come from the home church, the un-churched, and the unsaved in the community. We are encouraged by the welcome from the community and the desire for some serious Bible teaching. Becky, Silas, and I will begin on Sunday, May 27^th to teach introductory Christian doctrines on Sunday afternoons and to serve a lunch meal to the attendees. I introduced the teaching to them as I preached at the church service on May 6^th.

We are excited about what God is doing in Kawaida. The community should no longer be known as “usual” but instead for the believers there to be known for their new life in Christ with a “glorious hope and a future in Christ”. In your prayers, please remember our ministry there and the new and excited believers eager to learn more about their new life with Jesus!

Blessings,

Don & Becky 

I WANT TO GIVE...

This is Don's great niece, Liberty. Her Mom and Dad share with her what we are doing here in Kenya. Last year Don posted a photo of himself with a little boy we met in a remote village whose clothes were literally rags. Liberty decided she wanted to do something to help Uncle Don clothe the children. On Thanksgiving day she presented Don with a Zip-lock bag of coins! We were so touched by her desire to help other children. 

When we returned to Kenya at the first of this year, we purchased 100 pieces of clothing in different children's sizes with the $28 US Liberty gave us. Here is what we purchased:

We took the clothes, food and Bibles in March to two rural villages near Kibweizi south of Nairobi. We did not have enough clothes for everyone, so the villagers decided who needed them the most.

  

These children were thrilled to get new clothes! We were thrilled to see what a difference one photo, seen by one little girl in the US could do. Liberty's willingness to share what she had to bless those who will never be able to repay her showed us how God works. We were honored to be able to see Him in action!

I'll be posting soon about the work we did with ABC Kids in a Maasai village on the border of Tanzania at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.  It was a week of hard work but wonderful opportunities.

Blessings,

Becky & Don

Blankets

(Hi everyone! Melissa Gross here to share a story about blankets!)

Yes, blankets. It all started last fall as the Ladies' Leadership Team at Faith Fellowship Church in Lucas, Texas, was planning for our fall retreat. We were using the Wonder Full World curriculum where each session focused on a different continent. It just so happened that the theme for the session on Africa included a service project to create (and then donate) blankets. I knew it would be perfect if those blankets could actually end up in Africa, so I emailed Becky to see if there was a need and her quick reply was "YES!"

Before the retreat, several volunteers cut and basted the material. Then during the retreat our ladies worked in pairs to tie them together.

We took time to pray over the blankets, asking that the Lord would bless the recipients and that His light would shine into their lives through our labor of love.

Earlier this year, Don & Becky delivered those blankets to expectant moms, mothers with new babies, and pastor's wives in two rural villages in Kenya. Becky says, "They were 'warmly' received. Kenyans are very cold natured and these blankets were a welcomed blessing. I know they are appreciating them even more now that the rainy season is here."

It's so exciting to be a part of helping to meet the physical needs of the people so that the Gospel can be spread around the world!

YOU DID IT FOR ME!

The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

 Matthew 25:40

Last November we were confronted with the needs of the hungry in Kenya. Many advised us not to worry; there are always going to be hungry people in Africa. It is true there will always be people hungry around the world. The difference is that when God tells you personally to feed the hungry, his Word says it is the same as feeding The King himself!

While in the US last November - January, we shared about the needs we had seen and our desire to feed people in remote areas that normally do not get assistance. God touched hearts and we were given over $1,000 to help feed people. We contacted trusted pastors and worked with them to find those who needed our help. On March 16-17 we took food, Bibles, blankets and clothes where they were needed most.

The Rented Truck

This is the truck we rented for 2 days loaded with maize (corn), beans, salt and oil. (There was no way we could carry such a heavy load in our car!) When we gave away all of this the first day, we had to order more to meet the needs of 2 other churches as well as a school.

Bags of food

By the time we left the Kibweize area on March 19th, we had distributed 2.5 tons of food - over 300 families had received much needed food.  We also provided for orphans and school children to help supplement their diet.

Before distributing the food we met with the pastors and the church members and encouraged them to use this additional food to share with their unsaved neighbors. We urged them to give others a blessing and let them know that God had provided it for them.  The great news is that the next week we received word that the day we were there in one of the churches 3 people were saved!  

Also, for the first time ever, the members of the church were giving to others and to the church! 

We had brought the Word of God, fed the people, and even clothed some of them.  Next time I'll share that story.

We thank all of you who read our blog and follow what God is doing!  It amazes us what He is doing in Kenya!

Blessings,

Don & Becky

NEW MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY

On March 15th Don, Silas Odinga and I left for Kibwezi, Kenya, for four days of ministry. We carried with us Bibles, clothing, and blankets. We had sent money ahead to purchase maize (corn), beans, cooking oil and salt. Our destination was remote villages far from the main roads. We had contacts with pastors faced with the needs of their community daily. These remote villages do not normally receive assistance.

When we shared in the US about our work in Kenya, many people responded to the fact that the poor Christians in Kenya often times don't have a Bible of their own. We have had many people beg us for a Bible. This touched the hearts of many people and they were very generous. Therefore, we were able to take 106 Bibles on this trip and give them all away. We came back with requests for more.

As we teach and speak in churches here in Kenya, we emphasise that everyone must search the Scripture for themselves to prevent the spread of false teaching that is so prevalent throughout Africa. The best prevention against false teaching is the truth found only in the Word of God.

God's Word is for everyone and we want to say "THANK YOU" from the believers in Kenya for giving them His Word!

These are just a few of the people who now have their own copy of the Word of God!  As you can see on their faces, they are blessed.

We brought food for their souls - next time I'll share about the food for their bellies.

In His service,

Don & Becky Cameron

WHY BURNING PLOW?

The story of Burning Plow Ministries (BPM) begins with the call of Elisha as told in the Bible in 1 Kings 19:19-20.

In 2009, Don and Becky Cameron of Rockwall, Texas, felt a strong calling from God to get more involved with mission work. They made plans to travel to Kenya for a period of 3 months to further explore this call on their lives.

In March of 2010, Don was finishing teaching a series about the lives and ministries of Elijah and Elisha. He had just completed the lesson on the call of Elisha when a missionary friend from Romania, who was attending a mission conference at the Cameron’s home church, told Don that he had been praying for him the day before and God had given him a message that he did not understand. The message was . . . “Just like Elisha you are to kill the cow and burn the plow.” Don knew immediately that this was a message from God confirming what he and Becky were already feeling about leaving home and family to go to a foreign mission field. This message, however, took them a step further. Elisha did not just follow Elijah when he was called: he severed his work ties; he sacrificed the oxen; he burned the plowing equipment. All these actions were a way of saying, “I am making a life changing commitment and there is no turning back.”  Now, it seemed as if God was telling the Camerons  to sever ties in Rockwall sufficiently as to make plans to become missionaries for much more than 3 months.

In May of that same year, the young man from India whom the Camerons had been supporting during his studies at Dallas Baptist University was graduating. His brother and father came from India to attend the ceremony. They brought Don a gift which shocked everyone as it was taken out of the bag. It was a figure of a man plowing behind two oxen. They told Don that the Holy Spirit had urged them to deliver the message that the man represented Elisha and Don and that the oxen represented Kenya and India. The father and brother knew nothing about what had happened with the man from Romania.

Biblical Life Ministries gave the Camerons their start in Kenya.  After a time, it became clear that God was moving them into a ministry that did not entirely fit into the vision of BLM and plans were made to expand the work into a new ministry. Thus in March of 2012, the Camerons appropriately named their new organization Burning Plow Ministries.  God has called. They have responded.

Borrowing from Isaiah, Don and Becky each said “Here am I, send me.”  Then, like Elisha, they disposed of their cattle, left their family and home and moved to Africa.

NEW MINISTRY...NEW NAME...SAME CALLING

Sometimes you set out to change your direction and other times God changes your direction for you! That is what has happened with our ministry work here in Kenya.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
   but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

As you may have noticed from our blogs over the last 18 months, we have been led by the Lord to move beyond the focus and scope of Biblical Life Ministries.  So, as of March 31, we will officially launch BURNING PLOW MINISTRIES, INC.!!!

Before coming to Kenya we were asked many, many times if we were starting our own ministry. We always answered, “No!!!”. However, God had other plans that we never anticipated. He showed us areas where He wanted us to help, and He gave us the funds and the abilities to make a difference.

We are excited and thrilled with God’s expanded vision for our work here in Kenya. We covet your prayers as we add humanitarian aid to our work in evangelism, Bible teaching and Bible distribution. 

We have drafted my sister, Joyce Cocanower, as our US office manager. She has kindly agreed to serve as a volunteer. She will handle all US correspondence and banking. This is a huge blessing!

Our new contact information is:

Don & Becky Cameron

BURNING PLOW MINISTRIESS

PO Box 642

Lancaster, Texas 75146-0642

Phone: 972-352-8932
Email: burningplow@gmail.com

I’ll explain the reason we named our new ministry Burning Plow in an upcoming blog post. 

We have so much to share about our ministry outreach held March 15-18! This outreach included distributing food, clothing, Bibles, and blankets along with teaching in the interior of Kenya. It was wonderful to see God’s hand in helping the poor.

Again, thank you for your prayers!!  We couldn’t do nearly as much work here without the prayer and financial support of our friends and family!

In His Service,

Becky & Don Cameron