Pastor Benard and Pamela

Pastor Benard and Pamela Ondiek will be with us in Dublin for almost a week, starting Friday. We have quite a few engagements for them, and we still have a few slots where you can help. Here's the rundown on what we have so far.

Thursday (3/19):

• The Ondieks arrive late at night.

Friday:

• Speaking at Trinity Christian School all morning (lunch at school).
  
• Dinner with the Elders at the Kinsers.

Saturday:

• Perhaps the Arts and Crafts Festival (volunteer opportunity)
  
• Wedding shower in the afternoon for Ben Byxbe and Allison Conley.
  
• Main Street Munchies for dinner with Byxbes.

Sunday:

• Sunday morning worship service. (remember, starts at 10:30)
  
• Covered dish at the church. (bring a few dishes to share)
• Dinner? (volunteer opportunity)
• Open (volunteer opportunity)

Monday:

• Eye exams during the day
• Private meeting in the afternoon
  
• Private dinner at the Joneses

Tuesday:

• Lunch with McDuffies
• Afternoon open
• Dinner with Sanders
• Speaking at Sanders' small group (all are invited)
  

Wednesday:

• Dental exams during the day
• Lunch with Colby (at Smokin' Lobos!!!)
• Dinner open
• Speaking at House of Refuge in East Dublin (all are invited)
  

Thursday:

• Leave for Columbus, GA (meeting their team halfway, west of Macon)
  

Volunteer opportunities:

• Transportation to or from any of the events.
• A few meals are still open.
• Unscheduled times would be great to meet with the Ondieks personally, ask about the orphans (perhaps even the orphan you sponsor), taking them to see the sites
  
• Transportation to the far side of Macon on Thursday, 3/26.

Please see Colby if you'd like to help out in some way.

We give a great big thanks to the Joneses for providing the Ondieks a place to stay and breakfast every morning.

Kenya Prayers

From September 14 though 26, I will be traveling to and from Ahero, Kenya, in order to teach at the Ahero Evangelical School of Theology (AEST). As we learned from Justin and Sarah Bothwell, the atmosphere has changed in Kenya, which means there are very specific prayer requests that I have for you to lift up to the Lord on behalf of the ministry there and me.

• The safety of the workers there. The pastors and school teachers live with the constant tension and possibility of a flare up of the ethnic strife. With the growing inflation, crime has been on the rise and people become more desperate.
• My safety. There are many legs to this trip, some of which are not the safest. Furthermore, as a white Westerner, some will assume that I'm carrying some amount of cash on me.
• Effective ministry. I'll be teaching in a few different venues, so pray that the Word will go out. It's difficult to keep the point clear through cultural and linguistic differences, so we need the Holy Spirit to convey the Truth despite the hurdles.
• Ministry to the workers. Pray that the Lord will use me to encourage and comfort the pastors, teachers, and students, which is more important than the topics I will teach.
• Lynne's peace. Pray that the Lord will comfort her so that she will not be anxious.
• As the Lord leads. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you in prayer, and then pray for the things that He brings to mind. If He is bringing something to your mind, then it's more important to pray for than anything on this list.

I look forward to returning and sharing with you what the Lord has done. Paul tells the believers at Corinth that He believes that God is the one who brings victory in ministry, but that the prayers of the saints are also clearly a part of that success. Paul believed that having people pray for him and his ministry would change things - and I believe the same thing. I truly believe that your prayers will make a difference in Kenya.

I'm also anxious to share with you after I return about a "matching funds" program for the seminary. For a twelve month period, we have a donor who is willing to match dollar-for-dollar donations to AEST, up to $400 per month. When I get back, I'll tell you more about it.

Latest from Kenya

Justin and Sarah Bothwell gave us a great report of their recent trip to Kenya this past Sunday in church. It was fantastic to see pictures of the orphans (now 167 strong!), the progress on the buildings that we've been praying for and contributing to, the tractor, the running water - we're thankful for what the Lord is doing! Despite the ethnic violence and severe inflation, we are still seeing amazing things.

Some quick notes of what else is going on in Kenya:

• Friends of Christ has opened a second orphanage in Wachara. Right now, it's just in the beginning stages - not even quite to the level that Sarah experienced in Ahero during her trip in 2004. There are now just a handful of children.
  
• Inflation in Kenya has been devastating because of the conflicts. The costs for the daily operations of the orphanage and the construction have risen dramatically - some prices have doubled, others have even quadrupled!
  
• A couple of students from AEST (the seminary Ben Byxbe and I have taught at) planted a church in Wachara, and after meeting under a tree for months, they are now meeting in a temporary building.
• Pastor Benard reports that many of the students will not be able to return to AEST because of the costs. Please consider contributing to AEST to help them return (make a check out to DBC, and put "AEST" on the memo line).
  
• We have learned that our visits to Ahero not only do a lot of good for the children, students, and teachers, but can also unexpectedly bring some dangers to our hosts. These dangers are new since the ethic violence that erupted earlier this year. Therefore, we need to adjust our strategies for any future trips.
• Hungry 4 Him, the organization that oversees our ministry in Kenya, has been operating under Dublin Bible Church sinced its inception. However, we are coming closer to establishing H4H as a separate, not-for-profit organization. We will, of course, continue to work closely with DBC.
• I will be in Kenya Sept 14-26. I will primarily be teaching at the seminary, but I'm sure I'll be asked to conduct a conference and preach a couple of times. I will be teaching the students the Gospel of John and the doctrine of angels.
• After I return, we will begin to explore the possibility of putting together another team to go to Kenya within the next couple of years. Because of the dangers, the size of the Ahero orphanage, and the new oppportunities in the South Nyanza region, if we take another team, they will have a different assignment than the 9-person team we took in 2006. Details will be forthcoming.
• A book about Pastor Benard and his ministry is very close to publication. H4H will be helping to distribute the books. When the books are available, we will let you know so you can buy some. We will also be looking for volunteers to give us a couple of hours per month to help get ordered books sent through the post office.
  

Please remember to be praying for the ministries in Kenya (Friends of Christ orphanage in Ahero, Friends of Christ orphanage in Wachara, AEST, and the churches). And please pray for me starting now, continuing through my return on the 26th.