A FULL SUNDAY…

On Sunday morning, June 24^th, I taught the ladies Bible study on Psalm 1 at the Kawaida church. This was a stretch for me, but God was faithful and the ladies were encouraged. Pastor Vincent was the only man allowed only because I had to have an interpreter!  I’ve promised to return in July to teach on the role of women according to the Bible.

Don brought the sermon in the very full building! There are new people coming each week. People are inviting their friends, neighbors and co-workers. This is such a good sign that the church is taking root in the community. Praise God!

After lunch Don taught on water baptism to a packed house. There was good discussion on the Biblical references of baptism. Next Sunday (July 1st) Pastor Vincent is offering water baptism in a nearby river. Seven candidates have signed up. Sunday will be a great day of rejoicing in Kawaida!

Burning Plow is providing Bibles for those who are baptized. We thank LakeShore Church in Rockwall (our home church) for providing the funds for the Bibles! It is so encouraging to have our home church partner with us! A Bible is a prized possession here in Kenya, not all believers have one. Please pray those who receive Bibles will use it to grow closer to God and reach out to others!

Also please continue to pray for us as we seek God’s direction in all we do here in Kenya. We are blessed that He is allowing us to see Him at work!

Blessings,

Don and Becky Cameron

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING????

It occurred to me this morning that I have not been keeping everyone up to date on what we have been doing since we returned to Kenya in April.  To relate just the highlights is daunting because God has given us so many opportunities to serve Him!

Kawaida Church –We provide a meal of beans and maize (corn) and Don teaches Bible class each Sunday afternoon.  I’ll be teaching the ladies on Sunday mornings starting on June 24^th.

ABC Children’s Aid – We teach Bible to the children in the ABC orphanage here in Nairobi each Saturday.   

ABC School in Namelok – Burning Plow provides school lunches for the 120+ students and staff for the new ABC school in this remote Maasai village near the Tanzanian border.  Each month we travel to the area, purchase the maize (corn), beans and porridge for the school children and teach an adult Bible study.

Now that I’ve given you an overview of our new work I’ll be posting details about these and other outreaches.  How God has led us into these outreaches is an amazing story of His direction.

Along the way, God has also given us many opportunities to bless the poor, provide medical care and give Bibles to believers. 

Thank you to those who pray for us and give to help make the outreaches possible.  We have launched Burning Plow Ministries’ website this month.  Check it out at www.burningplow.org.  We added a link on the website for those who had requested a way to donate on line. 

We so appreciate your love and prayers.  We know that it is not who we are, or what we do; it is the One who sent us that deserves the praise.  Thank you Lord!

In HIS service,

Becky & Don Cameron

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