African Enterprise city wide missions for 2017 have begun!
The ‘Malindi for Jesus’ mission is reaching a predominantly Muslim region of coastal Kenya right now.
Eleven days of mission are running from 1st – 11th June.
After a preparation period of over a year, AE Kenya is ready. The church leaders and Christians in Malindi have begun the intense proclamation period that is the centerpiece of AE Stratified Evangelism. In preparation, church leaders and volunteers attended PTC (Preliminary Theological Certificate) courses, as well as church and committee meetings in order to be ready for the mission. Right now, around 800 local Christians and mission volunteers from Kenya and other African countries are proclaiming the message of Jesus to their communities.
Participants have to be particularly aware of cross cultural differences while on mission. They were trained on navigating the local culture before being sent out.
On Saturday, volunteers gathered to register and be commissioned for mission by a local Malindi pastor. He encouraged them to be diligent and humble in their ministry, sending out the mission volunteers with these words from 2 Corinthians 4:5:
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Sunday brought the real start to mission work, with the customary city cleaning project. AE city wide missions commence with street cleaning. It helps people in the city to understand that believing in Christ bringing restoration to the heart. Locals in past AE missions e.g. to Accra in Ghana are frequently shocked and then intrigued by AE’s city cleaning. Missioners then have the opportunity to explain the Gospel. One mission volunteer put it like this,
“Once our hearts were as dirty as the rubbish in the streets – but Christ still loves us, and came to cleanse our hearts”.
9 people accepted Christ during the Malindi streets clean up as a result!
Large markets often serve as a dumping ground for rubbish. In Malindi this is no different. People dispose of their rubbish anywhere without regard for the health and wellbeing of others. A local survey taken in early 2017 revealed that some parts of the city were lacking in basic hygiene facilities. AE sprang to action and constructed a toilet for a local community in need. This important gift will be followed up with community hygiene training and bedbug fumigation post mission.
On Monday, the mission volunteers will be sent out into the streets to minister in marketplaces, prisons, businesses and many more locations. There will also be evening rallies in various areas across the city. Please pray for the city of Malindi, that its people that will hear the Gospel this week and their hearts will be transformed by the power of the Gospel.
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