CRUSADE IN KAMUKUNJI

On May 4th we helped Calvary Chapel Eldoret with an evangelistic crusade in one of the poor communities outside the city.  It was a challenging time of sharing Jesus with a wide range of people.  God was ever faithful to provide all we needed.  Even the rains held off until we shared with hundreds of people, knowing for sure that we left Kamukunji with 27 brand new Christians!

We will be doing crusades every two weeks for the next three months in similar types of communities.  Pray for Calvary Chapel Eldoret and Eagles nest Ministry as we reach out to those in need of Jesus.

Here are a few pictures........  We will be placing more on our website soon.  We hope that you will pray with us as God appears to be opening a floodgate of opportunities for Eagles Nest Ministry.

excited to have visitors

Stephanie was never alone!

Looking down the hill into the village (Josh on left w/guitar)

Fred with ICM inviting in Kiswahili all to come

Tent used for prayer and counseling...many came

Hundreds of kids!

Dancing to the music

Hillside view of the village

Steve and Nate (right edge of pix) sharing Jesus

Explaining salvation (our Subaru in background)

Lena, from Germany sharing Christ

Steve, Faith, Gary

The Power of God's Word

This will be one of those experiences that defy a worthy explanation!  Since arriving in Kenya in 2011 we have seen God work in amazing ways, and we have seen how powerful His Word can be.  We also have experienced first hand spiritual warfare and demonic battles.  But what we are going to share is beyond complete understanding (humanly speaking).

A good friend, and fellow Kenyan missionary (Fred) is part of an organization (ICM) that teaches Inductive Bible Study to pastors and church leadership throughout Kenya.  At the invitation of this particular church; Fred went to meet with the leadership of this village church.

What he discovered caused him to evaluate just how beneficial (or not) Inductive Bible Study might be for this group.  You see, he had been invited to a Kenyan church organization that believes very strongly in dreams and visions. In fact, when they meet weekly on Saturday from 6am to 9am (more on that later),  they sing, dance, pray, and ask people to share their dreams and/or visions.  In the last 5 minutes someone is picked to read a Scripture and then say whatever they want about anyone......in less than 5 minutes they are finished!

This particular "denomination" has been in existence since 1927 and this is the way they have always done "church."  The leadership is made up of uneducated men & women who feel strongly about their church and what they do.  The Arch Bishop is the head of the churches (not sure how many churches but they said there are about 4,000 people throughout Kenya), Secretary General is second in command, Bishops come next, and the various levels of pastors, elders and church leadership.  All recognized by their appearance; hats, crosses, gowns, etc.

The question that our missionary friend had was "What do they want me to do?"  They have had no interest in Scripture, and they definitely do not teach from the Bible...... They don't even know how to teach God's Word!  Lord, how can I use this situation to bring You the glory?

Long story short.... Fred was asked to teach them how to study the Bible.  They set a date for him to return and teach level one of IBS.  When he had finished those 3 days of solid teaching he was approached by the Arch Bishop who said, "We have heard many things from the Bible that we did not know.  We want you to come back and teach the next level to us."

That is exactly what he did!  In fact, on the last day of level two training Eagles Nest Ministry attends and teaches part of the day.  ENM comes in behind IBS to take the church on the next phase of their Spiritual journey of understanding the Bible.  Gary attended with the missionary and had an amazing finish to the training.  ENM will now return several times to help them build a Biblically based Christian church.

It's exciting to see how God draws people who want to know Him but stumble not knowing how that is done.  So here we have a number of people wanting to know God and are asking for help in understanding who He is.  So solely through the Word they are discovering who He is.  Seems the Lord is placing us in the birthing of a church.  How awesome is that!

Gary spent 4 hours teaching the last day on "The whole counsel of God, Stewardship, and a Q & A time.  It was obvious to see that they are hungry for the Word and want to change!  This is the most powerful example of the Holy Spirit working that we have seen yet!  Gary made a point bringing them all to a point of understanding salvation through Romans and extended an invitation to receive Christ if they had not.  No one came forward but we will let God work on those hearts not reached yet.

Just one of the guys!

We told you words would not properly explain what God is doing, and what He is asking us to be part of.  They know change is needed..... after 86 years of the same wrong direction.  All of the Bishops throughout Kenya will be coming together on May 12th to discuss what God is doing amongst them as the Holy Spirit convicts them of the wrong teachings and understanding of the Christian church.  It is going to be a very difficult road, but there is no turning back now!

Let us stop there and ask you to pray.   Pray for this church organization as they are being directed by the Holy Spirit to become a Church that teaches the Word of God.  Please pray for ENM as we enter into uncharted spiritual waters and walk fully against the enemy.  We know there will be warfare like never before.  But it is so very exciting to see the Holy Spirit touching hearts and drawing this church to Himself.  Gary had his first "incident" driving home that night.  He was passing another vehicle who decided to move towards him while traveling about 70.....their side mirrors  collided!

Pray also for our missionary friend, Fred,  as he already has several more churches wanting training.  We are committed to coming alongside to lead them into deeper spiritual learning and practical application of Scripture in their ministries.  Fred needs support!  You can find him at Intensive Care ministries under staff.  Something to pray about!

Here a few pictures of their "graduation" from IBS training.........

Two Bishops with their crosses

Three women leaders in their robes

Graduates from level two IBS

Two leaders, Arch Bishop, Bishop

Gary brought Ben (from US) to experience the day!
Albert on Left, is leading the change.  Pray for him.

All attendee and graduates

That's the road?
We actually did drive down that path with five in our little Subaru!
Did we hear someone say "Land Cruiser?"

WE ARE OFFICIAL...LET'S CELEBRATE

God has parted the waters of Kenyan paperwork, and we have crossed over onto legal ground!

One of the great things about celebrating is FOOD.  We decided the best way to begin Eagles Nest Ministry was to have an open house.  You see, our home also doubles as our ministry location, so it was only right to invite those in Eldoret who we minister with as well as those we intend to minister to.

This is Chef Ben!  Ben is here with Calvary Chapel Eldoret until August.  Be in prayer for him as he returns to the US with hopes of returning to Kenya soon.  Since he is a chef by trade we commandeered him to cook a gourmet dinner for 40+ guests.

 Now, understand that most things do not go according to plan in Kenya.  That's just life here.  Well, Chef Ben is preparing Tamarind glazed stuffed chicken breasts for everyone, plus chicken strips for the children (there will be 14).  Our little oven will only hold one pan at a time, which makes it a real challenge.

This is how we cooked the seasoned rice for 40 people!  Outside on a propane cooker.  Don't try this at home kids....

Ben also prepared a black bean salad which ended up being Kidney bean salad because we could not find black beans...oh well!  It was great anyway.




If you are considering the mission field let us warn you of something......many of the wives are terrific cooks!  We wanted everyone to bring their best gourmet dessert (so we would have something sweet after the chicken) to be judged by Chef Ben.  It was absolutely amazing to see and taste what was brought to the open house.

Can you smell the sweetness!

Chef Ben sizing up the entries and preparing to "taste"

Some of the anxious cooks awaiting Chef Ben's final choice.

We have a winner!  It was an amazing many layered chocolate cake brought by one of the pilots!



It was a great time of fellowship with a great group of people that we trust our lives with
as we minister together in Kenya.  We have several crusades planned over the next few months with
Calvary Chapel Eldoret.  Gary will be teaching at a church in Western Kenya on Thursday, Chris is teaching
the ladies and Gary is preparing to begin a Monday night men's study.

Our new web site is up and "crawling" as we develop it little by little.  You can see what we are doing at http://enmkenya.org

Continue to pray for all aspects of ministry as we trust God to continue to provide.
Gary & Chris Bailey
Eagles Nest Ministry

A LABOR OF LOVE

We recently had a group of 14 men and women visit from a church in Ohio!  We were excited to have them come, especially since this was our very first group to interact with Eagles Nest Ministry!!

"Do you have any ministry opportunities for them?"  "What can they do for one day before leaving Kenya?"

God provided two ministry needs that meant hands-on let's get dirty.  Have you ever noticed that when the Lord prompts you to minister to someone else in a tangible way that you end up being as, or more, blessed than the person you set out to help?

This group had never been to Eldoret, Kenya before.  Some of them have been coming to Nairobi for several years helping with an orphanage, but this was the first time they looked for another outreach ministry.

One of the projects we chose was New Life Mission Church in a community east of town about 5 kilometers.  Pastor Dave Maili has been here 5 years and is doing a wonderful job of teaching and caring for his flock.  

His congregation is about 150 adults and another 150 kids every week.  The church feeds the children porridge every Sunday morning as part of their ministry.

When we approached Pastor David about the group coming to work he was quite taken back and very excited that we would come to his community to work on the church.  We let him choose the project and he decided that a fresh coat of paint would be very nice (which is a challenge in rainy season).

Once we arrived and began painting it drew attention throughout the community, not only was the church being painted (which was an expense) but it was being painted by wazungu's (white people)!

This ladder was really being tested!  We even had a three-legged ladder.

Two of the church members who came to watch...but ended up painting

These two kids were very much in awe of "Wazungu's"

The ladies in the church graciously brought Chai (tea with milk and sugar) for everyone.  We painted, laughed, shares Jesus with many of the spectators, and developed a special bond with the church.

When we were finished we cleaned up and went inside to thank God for what He had enabled us to accomplish that day.  We look forward to many more opportunities to share these kind of stories with you all.  Once our web site is completed we will be posting opportunities to come and serve.  Maybe when you come New Life Mission Church will be ready for another coat of paint.....or maybe a floor in the church!

"MISSION" ACCOMPLISHED!

"If the shoe fits......"

Today we visited Children of Hope in Eldoret Kenya.  This is a Christian Home which currently has 18 children plus several workers.  We hope you enjoy the pictures.

Washing of the shoes never ends

Handprints of working visitors to the home.

Sophia and you know who....

Sho Sho Chris with Sophia

Some of the children with workers at hand

Christy, son on your right, Sophia on left
She and her husband Gideon manage the home

Great play yard.

Laundry, laundry, laundry

This little guy is awaiting hernia surgery!
He had a tight grip on Gary's finger.

Please pray for this home and the missionaries involved.  We at Eagles Nest Ministry desire for each of you to seek out what God would have you do in serving Him.  This is just one of many ministry opportunities in Kenya.  In the near future we will be mentioning open positions within ENM.  Please  pray as we begin to ask the Lord to send workers into Kenya.

Well, we decided it was time for another adventure in Kenya so we ventured into the wild to explore Sawia (saw-e-wa) Swamp National Park.  We were invited to go with another missionary couple with whom we have had previous "adventures."

Now, those of you in the U.S. who have a mental picture of what a "National Park" is like need to think outside the box.....way outside the box!  This is a dense, vibrant green, very wet, swamp.  It is also Kenya's smallest National Park (2.9 sq. km).  The park has no roads, only walking trails that amount to about 18 km throughout the swamp.

It was created as a refuge for the protection of endangered Sitanunga Antelope, the De Brazza's Monkey, and other wildlife.  Frogs and toads abound!  Safari ants swarm the swamp floor as well as the walking trails....careful where you step!

What about snakes you ask???  There is the forest cobra, African rock python, black mamba, puff adder, green tree snake, brown house snake, green vine snake, and the rufour egg-eater.

Monkeys, Monkeys, Monkeys.....We have the De Brazza's Monkey, Black & White Colombus Monkey, Sykes or Blue Monkey, white tailed mongoose, Cane rats, badgers, porcupine, and the Vervet Monkey.  Other animals include the Spotted-neck Otter, the Aardvark(Chris had one run across the path in front of her), Swamp Cats, and bush babies, plus whatever else your mind might imagine as you walk open paths to the swamp.

As for the enormous number of different birds there are way too many to list.  The sights, sounds and smells were amazing.  Chris still asks herself, "What is a girl with all the animal phobia's you could imagine doing in Africa?"  God the Creator has painted the most beautiful picture here it's hard not to explore especially since He goes with us everywhere He leads.  Although she does remember blurting out, "I want written on my tombstone, 'She was faithful to the end.'"

The brochures mention "boardwalks."  Just camp out on the phrase for a moment....because it brought to mind the oldie, "Under the Boardwalk" with a whole different meaning.

You might be wondering what this very large hole is??  Well, it is the home of the Aardvark.  At this particular hole (there were many on the trails) no one was home.  It took some coaxing to get Chris this close!  We were told that certain large snakes like to "move-in" when it is no longer being occupied.

Monkeys would jump from tree to tree.  We had no idea what was hidden from view.  Although we did always have the feeling that we were always being watched.

At times it felt you were plopped in the middle of an old Tarzan movie minus the props.  Some vines looked strong enough to hold the weight of a full-sized man.  Chris insisted she would not play the role of Jane.





Hopefully you aren't under the false impressions that we are all about fun and exploration here.  Actually, we are still waiting for Chris' work permit to come through.  Gary's is signed and ready but we need to go to Nairobi to complete the process.  In the meantime this was a good opportunity to take a breather after the tense time of pre & post elections.  Thank you for your prayers as the days passed without any incident here in Eldoret.  There has been a filing from the opposing party in the courts protesting the outcome the in reality things are still tentative here.  So please keep praying that the Prince of Peace would rule in hearts and of course our work permits would be completed before April 7 when our temporary visas expire.

Love to all,
Bailey's

EXCITING TIMES.....DANGEROUS TIMES

Well, here we are agin!  Since our trip to the Doro Refugee camp in S. Sudan we have made two road trips to Eldoret, Kenya.  Eldoret is located about 200 miles north of Nairobi at about 7,000' elevation.  The town has about 500,000 people and is very spread out with a lot of agriculture.  It is located on the main highway to Uganda, so every truck goes right down main street.

On one of our trips we took pictures of the incredible "ruts" in the road from the overweight trucks.  This is one of them:

The ruts are literally 12-18" deep.  Our Subaru just clears without riding on top of the ruts.  It is actually very hard to pass because of having to exit and re-enter the ruts at a high speed.





The roads are very narrow and Kenyans drive like they have to pass anyone in front of them at any cost.   Cars will pass on a curve, up a hill, complete blind spots at 80-100 km!  We have had more than one very close call so far.  The pot holes and road work make it almost impossible to navigate safely.  On these roads we always are faced with broken down trucks and vehicles that are just left where they stop.  That's when the fun begins....how to get around them while being passed and cut off!

It literally becomes an off-road survival race to the end.  Our Subaru is really great for these roads (especially with the Turbocharger) but it is taking a real beating.  The front grill has broken loose from all the pounding and we had to use tie straps to keep it in place.  We have also had to replace the rear wheel bearings becsause of the abuse the roads hand out. Still praying for God to provide a Land Cruiser.  The dust is indescribable....did someone say "nose rinse."




In Eldoret, everyone rides a bicycle, and we mean most of the population.  They are everywhere and carrying everything from live chickens, huge stacks of firewood, and large milk cans strapped to the sides of the bike.  We have seen 100 kilo sacks of potatoes and recently took this pix:

Local man taking firewood to sell.  We have seen stacks several feet higher than this one!






The Lord is leading us to relocate our ministry to Eldoret.  We will be moving next week with one of the local movers...it should prove to be quite interesting.  God has provided a nice home for us to base our Kenya ministry in, and He has enables us to be very close to the Samaritan's Purse group.  We believe God is building additional ministry opportunities with them.  We should be going back to S. Sudan soon.

We would ask that you pray for Kenya as they move towards a March 4th Presidential Election.  Most indications as of this writing are that there is a good chance of violence throughout Kenya.  We would encourage you to search on line for information about the 2007-08 election in Kenya.  It will help you understand why we want you to pray.

You will quickly realize that God is moving us into the exact city where so many were killed after the last election.  We are obviously very aware of what could happen, but at the same time we are excited to be used of the Lord in this way.  Ministry opportunities and continuing to develop, and we are hopeful that after the election we can venture out and see what God will do.

Gary & Chris
Eagles Nest Ministry
enmkenya@gmail.com