I have been ministering with the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa for twelve years. On average, I have connected with them once or twice a year to minister at a conference. All this has been at the invitation of my close friend Bishop Andrew Kimaro, who went home to be with the Lord this last year. He truly was one of my closest friends in the ministry. I am astounded by all that he did for the Lord and I am very humbled and honored that I was able to have such a close friendship with him.
I was with him and his precious wife Margaret the day before he went to heaven. Remarkably, we had planned this trip to Kenya the year before, so I was able to be there for his funeral. People came from all over Kenya, as well as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and the States. I cannot even describe to you what it was like: all around his house the fields were filled with about four thousand people sitting and standing, crying and praising God for a man who lived and gave his life for the Kingdom of God. I was asked to share at the funeral, which was an incredible honor and very humbling.>
Since our trip had been planned around the same dates as the funeral, much prayer and consideration went into whether or not we should continue with our plans. In the end, we felt, along with Mama Margaret, the pastors and elders of the region, that Bishop Kimaro would have wanted us to preach and minister. It ended up being a powerful and fitting transition into glory. It truly was one of the most fruitful and meaningful ministry trips we have ever had.
With me on this trip was a team from Freedom International Church – Larry & Kay Peebles and Paul & Loring Hammond. They did a tremendous job with evangelism, sharing testimonies, preaching, praying for people, and ministering through worship.
Healing for Karatina… Bishop Kimaro’s hometown…
Working with a team of people from churches in the region, we rented a tent and put it up by the regional market place in the town center. Mornings were filled with door-to-door and marketplace evangelism. The afternoons and evenings consisted of meetings in the tent. In the end, there were forty-one commitments to Christ – each person contacted to pursue further discipleship. There were numerous healings, but one in particular stands out in my mind. I had a word of knowledge that someone had injured their arm in an accident. This was confirmed by a man who had been in a motor cycle accident. He had lost upward mobility in his arm. He was totally healed and the next day testified that he was free from pain and able to use his arm at full strength.
On the last day of the tent meeting, people gathered from all over the area. The tent was packed out and people were standing and sitting outside. As I preached, I shared on a very personal level about my relationship with Bishop Kimaro. We prayed for empowerment and the baton of ministry to be passed. I can only tell you that the outpouring of God’s Spirit was nothing short of astounding! I don’t want to exaggerate, but the glory fell in that tent. The presence of the Lord was like a thick cloud and the electricity of supernatural power was explosive!
So I am deeply humbled and thankful for the honor of having dipped my life into the East African Revival that has taken place in Mt. Kenya. I am thankful for the opportunities of serving the Lord alongside my dear friend Andrew, as well as all my brothers and sisters in Kenya.
As always, I am very thankful for the prayers of our partners. God gave us health and protected our team from a near fatal vehicle accident. Please pray for Margaret Kimaro and her family, as well as the ministry in Kenya.