SERVE Kenya TEAM

Dear friends,

It has been long since the last time we sent you an update from Kenya and we sincerely apologize that we let the busyness of ministry take its toll on our regular communication with you. I wanted to use this first email correspondence of  this year to reintroduce our team and ask you to pray for us here in Ukunda, Kenya. 

This is our whole team together taken at our annual SERVE Kenya retreat in Tiwi

When you hear of SERVE Kenya and when you pray and give to our ministry, these are the people that you give to and pray for. This is the team that the Lord has put together to SERVE and accomplish his purpose here in Kenya and the surrounding countries. Thank you for your regular prayers and generous giving as we SERVE our Lord Jesus here in Kenya. 

The Omondis: Allison, Anjela, BJ and Dennis

Allison and I are blessed and so privileged  to lead such an amazing team to work with here in Kenya!

Our family is doing well we praise God. Last year we began the adoption of our son B.J and I am sure most of you have heard of his miraculous story. (to read it visit our blog at www.theomondisinafrica.blogspot.com) We are still persevering, praying and waiting for a court date so we can complete his adoption and he can legally be declared our son - we know God's timing is best so please keep praying with us. Anjela on the other hand is growing so big so fast and is enjoying and learning a lot from her first year home schooling with Allison. Allison continues to disciple Betty, lead Bible Study and work with the women at Word of Life Fellowship Church. I am busy with Church  and teaching at night in our Ukunda BTCP/L classes. Also we have been kept busy with a lot of marital-conflict counseling in our church - there are many marriages going wrong in our community and if our church is anything to go by, may the Lord have mercy on Ukunda!! 

Ben Warren

Ben is doing well and is really growing in many areas of adjusting to Ukunda and Kenya at large. He has been an awesome blessing to our team in preaching in Church when I am not there or when I am completely swamped with a lot ministry engagements. I praise God for him. Specifically, Ben together with James, are in charge of BTCP affairs of our ministry here and they take care of scheduling, teaching and following up both the current and former students. 

The Muthees: James, Daniel and Jacinta and baby Esther

James and his family were recently blessed with a new baby girl, Esther Wairimu Muthee. James is a huge and wonderful blessing not only for Serve Kenya Ministries but also for Word of Life Fellowship Church. James teaches BTCP in Ujamaa with Ben every week and also does most of the administration work for both the church and ministry. 

Betty Anyango (with B.J)

Betty Anyango has been interning with SERVE Kenya since April 2011and learning a lot about being a woman of God. I must admit that we are very impressed and pleased with what the Lord has done and is doing in her life! On the side, she has been particularly helpful to our family in the area of baby-sitting and spending time with our kids when we have meetings. She is a wonderful servant anytime we need her:)

The Pytleskis: Mia, Christina, Joe and Noah 

Joe Pytleski is graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary in May and will begin raising support full time in preparation to move his family to Kenya to serve alongside us. We are blessed, honored and humbled that the Lord would give us such a godly and wonderful family as part of our team. We praise God for the Pytleskis and we pray that time flies so that they can be here soonest! The estimated time for them to come here is summer 2013. 

Abbie Mitchell and Christina Trimble

Abbie and Christina are support raising and planning to come to Kenya for a six month stint beginning in June this year. Christina was here last year on one of the short term trips for a week and showed interest in coming for a longer time. Now it seems like the Lord is opening doors for her to bring her roommate and friend, Abbie along for six months - What a blessing for our team and we pray that their support comes in quick so they can join us this summer.

Please pray for our team to be one! Please let your prayers for us in the coming months for our team be informed by John 13:34 - 35 and John 17:20 - 21!!

Again we apologize for the long silence and we pray you are doing well and blessed of the Lord! 

Let us know how we can pray for you and your family!!

Thanks for your faithful prayers and continual giving. We couldn't be here serving without you!

God Bless,

Dennis, Allison,Anjela and B.J. Omondi

These two love each other!!

Nothing But Grace- Benjamin's Life Story

And for those of you who would like to read the entire story down to the fine details of how the Lord saved Benjamin's life and brought him into our family I have written it all out here on this link:

Benjamin's Life Story of Grace

There is Life...and then there is New Life

For those of you who would like to see the more detailed version of Benjamin's story as well as the story of New Life Home Trust where Benjamin spent the first 6 months of his life, check out this video...To God be the glory for ALL He is doing through New Life Homes to save the lives of abandoned babies like our miracle son and great gift from God, Benjamin Joseph Omondi.

A Miracle Called Benjamin

Recently we had the opportunity to share Benjamin's story with Jane Wells, at CNBC, who so graciously gave of her time and resources to come to Kenya to help New Life Home Trust in their efforts to see many children like our son be given a chance at life....to God be the Glory for all he has done!! We couldn't thank HIM enough!!  Benjamin is indeed a miracle and a blessing to us. We pray that his life will be a testimony of God's love and grace to all! This is just a short clip that aired on msnbc about New Life Home but there is a longer version to come....so stay tuned...

The Miracle called Benjamin Omondi - A MUST SEE FOR ALL - GLORY TO JESUS our SAVIOR http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-live-with-bashir/45779541#45779541

‘Tis the season to be thankful

video.msnbc.msn.com

Video on msnbc.com: NBC’s Jane Wells reports why some children are lucky just to receive the gift of life.

Christmas Update

Here is our Christmas Update
We pray you and your family have a very Merry and Christ filled Christmas!!

Happy Thanksgiving

God has been gracious to send us 16 wonderful people from Denton Bible Church to do a Kids camp at Word of Life in Ukunda. There are a little over 70 kids and camp started tonight. Please pray for the team:

1. They will have strength and that Jet lag will not be an issue. It is very hot in Ukunda at the moment and it tends to make people tired!
2. Pray that the power of the Gospel will be very evident as the team teaches about Jesus and that even at this very tender age the kids hearts will be quickened to love and live for Jesus!
3. Please pray for the SERVE team also for strength as we host the Denton group in the midst of all our other classes and ministries going on at the moment. 

Enjoy the pictures and pray in anticipation of for what the Lord the will do this week - thank you so much for your continual prayer and support for our ministry and support.

The team at our home this afternoon listening to our testimony and story of God's faithfulness in our life and ministy 

Camp Counselors introducing themselves

Excited kids singing and praising God in songs and praises to King Jesus!

front View of tonight's praise and worship at Word of Life Camp 

The family at KFC - First American fast-food restaurant in Kenya! It was more of Kenyan Fried Chicken than Kentucky Fried Chicken:) 

Benjamin a few hours after he turned one year old - what a wonderful blessing from our Lord Jesus this Kid is!!

Mama and her little kids - they loved the night out with family!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all - We thank God for you, your love and prayers for us as we SERVE our King Jesus here in Ukunda, Kenya.

Dennis, Allison, Anjela and Benjamin Omondi

Word of Life Fellowship Church

Many of you know that I am a Pastor at the Word of Life Fellowship Church but don't really know the story of how I became one and how this is related to what we do here. 

One of the Meetings outside of classroom setting - talking and discussing life in Ministry with the pastors and Church leaders.

SERVE is known in Kenya as a Leadership Training and Church Development ministry. Most people are familiar with the Leadership Training aspect of SERVE through BTCP/L (Bible Training Center for Pastors and Church Leaders). We have been training pastors in Kenya since 2005. 

Over and above training these men and women of God we have desired to and have gotten involved in their lives beyond the classroom. We don't do it at as often as we would love to because of lack of human resource but we do it as the Lord enables us. (PLEASE PRAY that the Lord will send workers to this harvest field) This is the arm of SERVE Kenya that deals with Church development. We have an active BTCP/L Alumni that meets every month for the purpose of mutual edification and continued learning from us their teachers, albeit informally. 

The Question that kept recurring in our dealings with the pastors and local church leaders here in Kenya was you are teaching pastors but where is your church, are you a pastor?! At first I did not have a clue why they would ask such question but later I came to realize that what they were asking was, "How are you qualified to teach pastors if you yourself are not a pastor?"

Another one of those out of Class reunions

In 2008 God provided an opportunity for me (Dennis Omondi) to become a pastor in Ukunda at the Word of Life Fellowship Church. It was a humble and hard beginning not only because I had never done this before but because I was inheriting a church that had been split and without a pastor for several years because of the former pastor's infidelity. But we have seen evidence of God's Grace and Power in the way the church has increased not only numerically (from 50 people then to almost 200 people now) but also in forgiveness, discipleship, love, giving, mutual edification just to mention but a few. 

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Dennis Omondi, Allison Omondi, Esther Karanja, Ben Warren, Martin Murigi, Godfrey Ikanda and James Muthee.

Today I look back and I realize how God used me for 4 year in training pastor with a lot of knowledge but with great naivety and ignorance as well. It is always a good thing when God reminds us that we are not all that we think we are...it keeps us humble and keeps us fully dependent on Him all the time! God has used our Church and the brothers and sisters above (that help in leading the church) to teach me very valuable lessons in life in Ministry of which I have no time or space to tell you about here - may be at another time! 

Until then, PLEASE PRAY: 

1. That Lord will keep us humble and dependent on Him all the time - everyday!
2. Pray that the Lord will expand His kingdom and the FAME of His Son Jesus through SERVE in Ukunda and beyond
3. Pray for our Church to be a clear example of God Honoring, Christ Centered and Spirit led Church in our community locally and Kenya at large! 
4. Pray for Ben, James and I as we will be teaching in 2 separate conference this coming Thursday (October 20th) in the churches of our former BTCP students. 

Thank you for keeping us in Prayer and Keeping us here through your consistent and generous financial support. 

Dennis, Allison, Anjela and Benjamin Joseph Omondi

New Classes

Dear Friends,

In the last several weeks we have been busy on our knees and on the phone working hard to recruit new student for our next BTCP/L classes. By God's grace yesterday we started two classes in both Ujamaa and Ukunda. The Ujamaa morning BTCP/L class has 8 students and the Ukunda night BTCL class has 12 students. 

Tonight another class will start in Ukunda. This is is a special Church History class for both the current and former BTCP/L students. This class will go on for the next 8 weeks!

Please pray for James (Ujamaa), Ben and I (Ukunda) as we teach these students that they will:

1. Grow in the Knowledge and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
2. Love Jesus more when they graduate than they Love Him now
3. Look for opportunities to teach others what they are from the Lord through the classes

This the new class yesterday after the orientation - The man on the far right (Oscar) is  Sergent  in the Kenya Police 

James introducing the class in Ujamaa 

Ben introducing the class in Ujamaa

Thank you for your continued support and prayer as we SERVE our Lord Jesus here in Mombasa. 

Quick Update

Thank you for your continual prayers, encouragement and support that you give us as we SERVE the Lord here in Kenya. 

Yesterday the DIMA pastors came over to the SERVE Campus for their monthly Shepherding Shepherds classes. We invited Child Evangelism Fellowship to come and talk to them about the importance of Childrens Ministries in the Local church and they did a superb Job! The 12 students present we so blessed and convicted on how they had unconsciously reduced the childrens ministries in their churches to "baby sitting classes" while the adults were listening to the Word of God!

Please pray that these pastors will not be the Rocky Ground that hear the Word of God and immediately receive it but then when persecution comes they immediately abandon the Word; but they will be doers of the things they are learning from the Lord during these weekends. 

Ben Warren continues today and tomorrow to teach the Overview of the Bible and we pray that the Lord will strengthen brother Ben and make it clear to the pastors that the Bible is one Book with one Author - the Holy Spirit!

On the family front - Benjamin has not been well the last 2 days, he has had high fevers, diarrhea and refuses to eat. Allison is taking good care of Him and keeping a close watch on Him. We suspect he is teething again! Today is Anjela Grace Omondi's 4th Birthday! Can you believe that!?  What a wonderful blessing from God she has been to us and as we see her grow - it is the evidence of God's mercies and Grace not only in her life but ours as well! We are BLESSED to have our daughter Anjela and Praise God the way He is growing her! She is also in her third week of homeschooling and she is loving it. Pray for Allison as she starting on this fun adventure! 

Sorry there is no pictures this time around but we will be sure to send/post some VERY VERY soon!

Baraka [blessings]

THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE...

Once every so often God shows up in a MIGHTY way to reassure us of His presence in our midst and that our labor in Him is not in vain. Ministry in Ukunda is not a walk in the park, humanly speaking - there are many attacks from the devil that is manifested in various key relationships, repeated sickness in our family, loneliness to mention but a few. BUT God is faithful, He shows up just in time to encourage and to uplift - yesterday was one of those days when we forget about everything and concentrate on Him to worship Him! 

We had our FOURTH BTCP/L (Bible Training Center for Pastors and Church Leaders) at the SERVE compound in Ukunda. This is the second time we have it here but it was very special in two ways:

1. Jerry Clark broke the ground and prayed for the construction of our future Training Center known as the TOMMY NELSON Center (You will here more about it in future updates).
2. We graduated the first lot of students to ever be trained at the SERVE compound since buying it 3 years ago - God is good ALL the time! 

The first Class of the SERVE Compound!

Getting ready to march in

Standing after marching in 

Listening keenly to Jerry Clark's Graduation Message

When the students appeared during their Graduation to sit in front of the gathered crowd, it was like God telling us SERVE team this is why I have you here. All of you who have continually prayed and gave to this work that we do here - THANK YOU - God has used you too to reach the lives of the men and women that you will be seeing in the pictures below. Thank you!

Please pray Ephesians 3 for them - the verse are below:

 ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

Benjamin Mukabana

Florence Omwenga

Karen Nyoike

Esther Gitahi Karanja 

John Ogot 

Alfred Munyoki

Mercy Onsinyo

Cecelia Nzusu

Margaret Wambua

Maliki Garashi

Charles Kamau 

Tabitha Munyithia 

Peter Kigori

Jacinta Muthee

Judy Mgangai Situma 

Nahashon Wessa

Elijah Maluti 

The American team here:

Left to Right: The Clarks, The Reeds, The Walkers, The Verrets 

Thank you again for your continual support and God bless you! Please click HERE and HERE to see more pictures of the graduation

Thursday Update

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the very many emails that we have received from y'all that you are praying for us. Yesterday was good and we truly sensed the presence of God in everything. The day ended on a really high note! Today we will spend the day debriefing and getting ready for BTCP/L graduation on Saturday at the SERVE Compound. Preparations include painting, wrapping gifts and praying etc.

Tomorrow August 13th 2011 we will have our FOURTH BTCP/L graduation where 18 students will be graduating after spending one and half years in Training. Pray that their joy and delight will not be in the certificates they receive but in the knowledge of their Savior Jesus Christ. We will update you more with pictures after the Graduation tomorrow. 

Thank you. Please enjoy the pictures as you pray for the ministry here in Ukunda!

Misty Verret Teaching 

Misty Verret during the women's time

Robert Walker and Dennis

Linda Clark Teaching 

Ben and Pastor Richard (Our Interpreters)

Final Fellowship with both the Men and Women 

Dennis Giving the Final Charge 

The whole group that we have been meeting with from Tuesday

The Ladies group 

The Men's group

Japheth Musyoki and James Muthee

Tea time before Jerry's Teaching

Jerry's Last session last night