The most common request I get in Kenya is for a Bible. KJV Bibles have been challenging to get there. Not many Bibles are available, and they cost more than the Kenyans can afford. When we go, we take as many as we can in our luggage to give to our young church plants. I would like to give a note of thanks and appreciation to Bible Baptist Church and Pastor Don Good for donating several boxes of Bibles to distribute to those churches. A long-term goal is to be able to print the Word of God on the field, as transporting them as we do now is just a token of what is truly needed. People can get saved by way of our preaching, but genuine growth requires them to be able to read and study their own Bibles.
Connie and I had the privilege of being invited recently to an awesome missions revival with Pastor Kelly and the great people of Victory Baptist Church. We went door knocking with them for several days and had the joy of going with some of their adult men and teens, and we gave the Gospel to many. On one of the days, Connie went out with a lovely young lady named Bettina. God gave them a divine appointment, as they approached a house when a father and daughter came out to meet them in the driveway. Connie shared the Gospel with Tom and Samantha, and they gladly called on Christ as their Saviour! It was an exciting week seeing God work in hearts and seeing several baptized in the Gulf of Mexico that Sunday. Thank you for allowing us to be a small part of this exciting time, Pastor Kelly!
Please pray for Kenya’s upcoming national election in early August. Their elections have come with violence in the past. Here is a link to a recent news story about the election: https://www.yahoo.com/news/kenya-election-season-kicks-off-164003111.html. A number of our Kenyan friends have told us it would be wise to wait until after the election to arrive in Kenya. So after receiving pastoral counsel, we will wait to make a permanent move until afterward. We will use this time to raise more support to offset the rapidly rising cost of living in Kenya.
Here is an exciting note from the field about one of our young church plants. Pastor Eric, who was meeting in a cornstalk shack, has grown the church, and they have moved into a rented building. The church is running 30-40 adults and 35 children in attendance. It’s great to see the fruits of our labors not just go on but grow and multiply! What a privilege to partner with you, making such eternal investments possible.
Your missionaries to East Africa,
Andy & Connie Richey