Donna Lewis, Gloria and I left from Toronto, Canada, on Tuesday evening, August 16. Donna is from Springfield, Ontario.
Donna Lewis was met by Joseph Mugo who took her to Meru where she ministered for a week and a half in his church and an orphanage.
On Monday, August 29, Gloria and I took Donna to Matumaini Children's Centre where she ministered in the church and helped to care for the children in the hostel for another week and a half. Donna brought a large suitcase of clothes for the children.
Gloria and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary by spending Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, at the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The first night we stayed in a tent hotel nestled in a clump of trees, and saw hundreds of animals. The second night we rested in a hotel on a ridge overlooking an expanse of wild animals. This was courtesy of Kensington Tours, the travel business operated by my son, Jeffrey, and son-in-law, Andrew. Gloria and I arrived at Matumaini Children's Centre in Molo on Saturday evening, August 20, where we ministered until the 24th.
I joined Bryan Jones and David Lee, who come from England three times a year to hold the Bible school. Thirty five pastors and church leaders attended. I taught on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Gloria spoke to the church women and the handicapped children. She also spoke at a women's seminar in Nakuru. I brought a large box of medicines, and Gloria brought one of used clothes, mostly for toddlers. We enjoyed good fellowship with Ruth Scott Kellie.
As Gloria and I talked about speaking to the youth, the Lord led me to speak on, Making Wise Choices. Almost fifty youth at Matumaini stood for a vow of celibacy until marriage. In almost every meeting, at least half of the audience knew of someone who has died from A.I.D.S. This message of celibacy until marriage became a theme of ministry to the youth in almost every place I went this year.
Two hundred people gathered for the annual convention of the Omega Pentecostal Churches from Friday, August 26 through Sunday, the 28th, in Meru town. We had wonderful services with several youth choirs. Many of the Christians ate and slept in the church. Donna, Gloria, and I had wonderful fellowship with Joseph and Josephine Mugo and their family.
There were good meetings at Pastor Kamau's Omega Pentecostal Church in Kasarani suburb of Nairobi from Tuesday through Thursday, August 30 to September 1.
The church was full at the Pentecostal Free Church convention led by Pastor Samwel Ratanga, from Friday, September 2 through the 4th. People made themselves tents in the church yard. Gloria and I stayed with Pastor Ratanga's family.
Gloria and Donna left for home on Monday, September 5. I flew on to Kigali, Cyangugu, and Bukavu on Tuesday, the 6th.
At Sayoni Pentecostal Church on Thursday, and Friday, September 8 and 9, there was a good anointing as about 300 church leaders came for the seminar on, The Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
On Thursday evening, September 8th, I ministered in the Agape Bible Institute church, pastured by Malanda Ubonga.
In Friday evening, September 9th, I preached at Pastor Muhasanya's Assemblies of God church in the Panzi suburb of Bukavu.
On Saturday afternoon, Pastor Abwe invited me for fellowship and to minister at his Shekinah Church, where I ministered for the first time.
Sunday morning, September 11, I ministered in the first service at 8:00 am at Sayoni Pentecostal Church. Taking about fifteen minutes longer, I spoke to the youth about, Making Wise Choices. About one hundred youth of the five hundred people in that service came forward to consecrate their lives to Christ to remain pure until marriage. This prompted the senior pastor, Samwel Kabanga to call for a youth rally of all of their churches in Bukavu on Sunday afternoon, October 2.
Then, Ghamma, my business man friend took me 50 kms/30 mi out into the country to Kamisimbi where several brethren from Sayoni are starting a new church and primary school.
Once again, the Lord provided for me to fly from Bukavu to Kalemie and back on United Nations flights, arriving on Friday, September 16, and returning on Friday, September 23. This meant the schedule that I had made had to be rearranged.
Sunday morning, October 18, two hundred attended the Assemblies of God in Kituku, Kalemie. I preached, and then spoke to the youth and thirty dedicated themselves to purity.
Sunday afternoon, I preached at a specially called service for me at the International Bible College church led by Ralph and Shirley Hagemeier.
Monday morning, I went to see the improvements made to the Cranford Memorial Clinic. The former mission house has been converted into a clinic, with registration, consultation, laboratory, dispensary, maternity, and two sick ward rooms. Many thanks to Geri Cranford who continues to support this dispensary she helped to build twenty five years ago.
Monday and Tuesday mornings, October 19 and 20, I taught at the chapel of the Bible college. I taught on How the Holy Spirit Is Involved with Our Salvation. In Kiswahili, the word adoption is correctly translated, the Spirit that makes us to become his sons. There were many questions and good discussion.
Monday evening, I preached at the charismatic Grace of God Church where one of my former students has been chosen as the head of their church fellowship. Forty young people came forward to promise they would keep their lives pure until marriage.
Tuesday morning, I went over to the primary and secondary schools supervised by Stephanie Hagemeier. Altogether, there are 1,000 students! I was very impressed by the lively engaged discussion that the teachers carried on with their students. The students have to write everything from the board, including their homework. Stephenie also has a clinic where she treats children for free. She also helps the orphans of war in the African way, by placing them with their relatives and helping to support them.
Tuesday afternoon, October 20, I drove to the Four Points suburb, where the Salem church was full. They remembered the message I preached there two years ago! Out of 200 present, almost fifty youth came forward to dedicate their lives to the Lord in purity until marriage. The pastor was so amazed because he had just been asking the elders what they could do to help their youth fight A.I.D.S.! He went on to encourage the married couples to be faithful to each other.
Wednesday afternoon, October 21, I preached at the Garanganze Brethren In Christ church on Konkomba where we used to live. Although they are not Pentecostal, I still taught on the Holy Spirit. Fifteen youth made a declaration of celibacy, about all of the youth present.
Thursday afternoon, October 22, I preached at the Good Shepherd Church pastured by Masangu Lwenyeke. The church was full to welcome home their pastor after being gone for three months. Once again many youth came forward to dedicate their lives to moral purity.
During the week of October 26 through November 2, Ghamma Mulindwa and I went to Kigali, Rwanda, where he applied for and received a visa to visit the U.S.A. After checking in Bukavu and then in Kigali, I found that I could not change the funds from travelers's cheques to cash, that I had brought to rebuild the Fizi Bible school. So I called my daughter, Ruth. She managed to find $5,000 in U.S. cash and bring it to the airport half of an hour before Tom and Joanne Lanes left for Kigali! They arrived on Sunday, October 2. We flew on to Cyangugu and crossed into Bukavu, Congo.
We arrived at Sayoni Pentecostal Church just as the third service was finishing. I participated in administering the communion service. Then the church filled with 1,264 counted youth from all of the Pentecostal Churches in Central Africa in Bukavu. After preaching, nine hundred your people stood up to take the vow of celibacy until marriage! Weeks later, as I left for home, Pastor Kabanga said that more youth were continuing to dedicate their lives to purity until marriage.
I ministered several times in a home fellowship led by Ghamma Mulindwa and several other business men in Bukavu, Congo. The next week was spent showing Tom and Joanne Lanes around Bukavu. We visited the Christian university, and the Christian teaching hospital built by the Swedish government, a meeting of the Special Mothers, mothers who have been raped during the war, and the elementary and secondary schools at Sayoni Pentecostal church. The Lanes also testified at a couple of churches where I ministered.
