Celebrate Recovery Africa Connection

2011-03-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been filled with meetings with churches and prison officials to help them take CR to the next level. On Sunday attended a great church that is preparing to hold the 40 Days of Purpose campaign then launch CR church wide. It was great to meet with their CR team and discuss strategies for the launch. It has been a great time of reunion and fellowship with many that have attended previous CR seminars here in Nairobi.

We’ve set plans (God willing) for coming back in late August to hold additional trainings in Nairobi - for senior pastors, follow-up for those that have started CR and for new churches that have yet to be trained. We will also meet with prison chaplains to help them take CR to the next level.

I am packed and almost ready to go to the airport. Thanks so much for your prayers, this could not have happened without you. Please pray for travel mercies and good rest on the planes, smooth connection in Amsterdam and safe arrival at LAX.

2011-02-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm, how do I summarize the last few days? I think time sped up while I was in Kitale because it went by so fast.

I visited prisons and churches and heard so many testimonies of men and women whose lives are changing through CR. I heard from men who found freedom in prison, a women who is HIV+ that now has hope, a man who realized the impact his anger was having on his family, an alcohol and drug addict turned marathon runner who is now one of the fastest in the nation, I could go on and on. God is good.

I had a great time with my 4 God children. I took them to visit their mother in prison and had an awesome reunion. She is the CR leader in the Eldoret Women’s prison and the ministry continues to grow. She is scheduled to be released in 2016.

I attended a small group meeting where we shared a good meal and had a nice time of fellowship. I visited the family of a young woman that passed away of breast cancer leaving 3 small children. I got to experience life with my Kenyan friends and their family that I stayed with. It was a very special time.

I am back in Nairobi now and looking forward to what God has in store these last 3 days in Kenya before I return home.

Please pray that I am open to what God wants me to do and experience during these last days. That I am His “Muppet” as I meet with various churches and prison leaders. That I have His words as I speak at church tomorrow. For His wisdom as I begin thinking about and tentatively plan for the next trip.

Day 2 in Kitale

2011-02-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

On the 1 hour flight from Nairobi to Kitale I could see how bad the drought is here. There was very little green anywhere.

It has been a time of renewing friendships. I had lunch in Kitale town with Margaret and Moses at Twigs (some of you know the place). We visited the new campus of Purpose Driven Academy where they are building a high school. It is a very nice location just outside of town surrounded by corn fields. It’s very peaceful and a great environment for learning. The construction is coming along nicely and will be opening in a couple of months.

I had a wonderful reunion with my 4 God children. They are very healthy and getting so big. It’s hard to find the words to describe the joy of spending time together. I spent time with their new “house parents” that will be raising them along with their own 4 children. They are all settling in their new home very well.

I had great meetings with the prison chaplains from Kitale and Kakamega and heard about how CR is changing lives in prisons around Kenya and people that are doing so well after being released from prison. I have yet to hear of someone that has gone through CR in prison, go back to prison. That is so amazing because up to 90% of people released from prison normally go back in a short period of time.

Had a nice visit at Oasis of Hope, an awesome center that helps street kids transition back to schools. I spent some time with a group of college students from Saddleback that are staying here for 7 months doing various ministries. I’m staying in the home of my friends Margaret and Moses and enjoying the time with their family.

Please pray for the next couple of days when I will be visiting churches and prisons that have CR or are in the process of starting it. Pray that I will be able to hear where they are and guide them as they progress with their CR ministries.

2011-02-20T04:53:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I met with a pastor friend that is the Senior Chaplain at Malindi Prison on the Kenya Coast. He is attending seminary in Nairobi until the end of the year. The CR ministry at his prison continues going strong with men from different denominations and religious backgrounds. Many of the men that were in CR last year when we visited have been released and none of them have gone back to prison! That's unheard of here in Kenya. One man has been accepted into a Bible College to become a pastor. It is wonderful to hear of so many success stories.

In the afternoon my friend Shawna, who was in Nairobi on business earlier in the week, went with me to an orphanage for street boys in Kibera Slums. She is a gymnast and taught them a few tricks and then we played games. These 8-16 year old boys are doing Life Hurts God Heals, led by a pastor who attended a CR seminar 3 years ago. It was a pretty tough visit. The boys were forced into this orphanage and their level of care is what shall I say.... sub standard. We brought them a snack of milk and bread and they were so appreciative. We hope we demonstrated God's love to them in some small way.

Today I attended all 3 services at International Christian Centre (ICC) church with Morris and Pet. Pastors and leaders from their church attended our CR seminar in September and their senior pastor visited Saddleback Church in October and met with Pastor John Baker. They are very excited about CR and have been preparing to begin it next month. I spoke briefly at each service then a man from the US that works for an NGO shared his story of coming to Christ at Saddleback. It is indeed a very small world.

Please pray for ICC as they prepare to begin CR. Pray for safe travels for me tomorrow as I fly to Kitale. Pray for a wonderful reunion with my 4 kids there and lots of friends. Pray for the churches and prisons I will visit, that my time there will be an encouragement for them and that God be glorified.

2011-02-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm having a good time in Nairobi visiting churches and pastor friends, building relationships and making new ones. It's great to see the thorough planning in work and support of the senior pastors to launch CR by churches that attended the CR seminar in September of last year.

A friend of the family is in Nairobi on business for a couple of days so I'm showing her around a bit too which is fun.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers. This has been a very good time in Nairobi and I will be here until I fly to Kitale on Monday morning. I come back to Nairobi on Saturday and visit more churches and encoaurging them before traveling home next Tuesday.

Pray for the churches in Nairobi as they move forward in launching CR. Pray for the meetings I have on Saturday and Sunday with various pastor friends and make more church visits.

2011-02-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days in Rwanda was very nice and gave me a chance to begin reflecting on the mission and processing the experiences there. The beginning of the trip was very exciting (not in a good way) with John getting sick less than 24 hours after arriving in Rwanda then he and Dave going home without ever leaving the capital. I’m sad that they didn’t get to see the beautiful countryside and meet the amazing people that attended both CR seminars. I know God has a better plan and had a really good reason for that. That’s another one for my list for when I get to heaven :-).

Besides that, the seminars went so well. The people are excited to move forward with CR and start this ministry. The newly translated materials will not be ready soon enough (another 3 weeks) for them. It was great to see their excitement. I truly believe that God has great things in store for the people of Rwanda through this life changing ministry of Celebrate Recovery. What a blessing to get a front row seat to watch it unfold.

Being without a team in Rwanda was a new experience for me although I had 2 Rwandan brothers with me so I was not alone. It was a time of learning more and more about the culture and the people, things I might have missed otherwise. It was a very blessed time. I journaled so much to capture as much as I could, if I keep up at this rate I’m going to have to buy another journal for the rest of the trip!

I flew back to Nairobi this afternoon. The short 1 hour 10 minute flight over Lake Victoria was nice. It was great to see my Kenyan brother, David, meet me at the airport. I’m settled in at my home away from home at Methodist Guest House.

Please pray for me as I make the mental transition from Rwanda to Kenya. Pray for time of connection with others, encouraging their CR ministries and enjoying a slower pace for a few days. Pray that I am open to those unplanned God appointments along the way.

2011-02-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday we drove to Musanze in Northern Rwanda. The drive was beautiful. The trees are taller and it’s a bit cooler. On the way we passed a wedding party walking down the middle of the road. The bride and groom were surrounded by about 50 people who were singing and dancing as they went. It was quite the sight to see.

Yesterday I attended service with standing room only at Anglican Church of Rwanda Kajigeja with Pastor Jean Baptiste Ndayambaje. He preached a sermon on the Beattitudes (8 principles) focusing on denial. I gave my testimony that supported his sermon. It was all so well received. The people are so warm and friendly. The music was awesome!

Afterward we had a wonderful time of fellowship in the pastor’s home with leaders of the church and his family. It was great to see Ester (his wife) and Hope and Abraham who are growing so much.

The church is located in a rural area at the base of a volcano and only 3k from the borders of both Uganda and Congo. It is surrounded by maize fields and potatoes.

Today we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation and had some down time as I wind down from my time in Rwanda and prepare to go to Kenya for 2 weeks on Wednesday. Tomorrow afternoon we drive back to Kigali.

Please pray for another day of enjoying the beauty of Musanze then safe travels back to Kigali in the afternoon. Pray for all of the people that attended both seminars last week, that God shows them the way forward with starting and continuing CR. Pray for me as I begin to make the shift mentally from Rwanda to Kenya, but not before I leave Rwanda!

2011-02-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

We completed the CR seminar today for pastors and church leaders from 64 churches across Karongi District in Western Rwanda. The seminar went really well. They are very excited to be getting the first copies of the newly translated materials in their local language of Kinyarwanda in a couple of weeks so they can launch CR. God is so good. Afterward we drove through the winding roads over many hills back to Kigali, the capital, where we will stay overnight. I am listening to a thunderstorm as I type this.

Tomorrow we make the 4-5 hour drive to Musanze District in Northern Rwanda near the Uganda and Congo borders where we will attend Pastor Jean Baptiste’s church. (He has been my translator this week) He was transferred there last year and has been preparing the church to begin CR. Late last year he took his church through the 40 Days of Purpose and baptized 829 people!! God is doing something amazing in that church and I’m looking forward to visiting it and spending time with Jean Baptiste’s family again.

Please pray for the pastors and church leaders that attended both CR seminars this week. That God will show them the way forward and lead their steps as they start this ministry. Pray for safe travels as Claude navigates the roads through the beautiful landscapes of Rwanda.

PS I tried for about an hour to upload 1 photo and it wouldn't go through so the pics will have to wait.

2011-02-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

We completed Day 2 of our 3-day Celebrate Recovery seminar and it is going very well. About 70 people from across Western Rwanda are attending. Today they learned about Large Group meetings and Open Share groups, and then they had the opportunity to experience them for themselves. They are very excited about how this ministry can help the people of Rwanda. Several people told me they believe this can be a process that can help them deal with the pain of the genocide.

Tomorrow we finish the training and teach them how to start Celebrate Recovery in their churches. They are excited to learn and they have so many questions. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen here in Rwanda through this ministry.

I have read several books about the genocide and survivor’s stories. It is very different to sit across from someone and here their story of survival. Wow! It is not my story to tell but I will just say that God must have a special place for them in heaven for the sacrifices they made.

John Brennan and Dave Lopez arrived home yesterday afternoon safely. I can only imagine the disappointment they must be experiencing from not being able to complete “our planned” mission. Please pray for them. We know God had other plans and will use this for good.

I am doing well, am very healthy and enjoying the company of my Rwandan companions, although I do miss John and Dave. It is very peaceful here at Lake Kivu and I am enjoying the beauty of Rwanda.

Please pray for our seminar tomorrow, that the pastors can see a way forward with starting Celebrate Recovery. Pray for the teaching, that it be clear and just what they need to hear. Pray for safe travels for Jean Baptiste, Claude and I as we drive back to Kigali tomorrow after the seminar. Pray for John and Dave as they transition back to being in the US and processing the early departure.

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Today we completed the follow up CR seminar in Gitarama. It went really well. They had many questions as they learned how to make this minsitry a safe place for people to come and deal with issues in their lives that separate them from God and others. We focused on the Large Group meeting and Open Share time and the group guidelines. They were very excited to go back to their churches and implemment the things they learned. We also developed a plan for the next time we come on how we can help them continue to grow their minitstries.

After the seminar, Jean Baptiste, Claude and I drove to Kibuye in Karongi District in Western Rwanda. We are staying at Bethany Hotel on Lake Kivu- a very peaceful setting. Tomorrow morning we begin a 3-day seminar for churches in the area to learn how to start CR for the first time. I am excited to see how this goes. We learned so much in the last 2 days that I threw out all the scripts that we had prepared to teach and instead will use what we learned in Gitarama and teach in a way they need to hear it.

Of all of the trips I have been on this by far has required more flexibility and adapting to changes. John's stomach issues are cleared up and no problem now but his blood pressure is a bit low so we decided that it was best if he went back home. He is feeling fine but we thought it best that he not be out trekking around remote parts of Rwanda right now. That will have to wait for next time. Dave, being the servant that he is, is traveling back to the US with him. Their flight leaves in just a few minutes from Kigali and arrives at LAX in the early afternoon tomorrow. I am continuing on with teaching the CR seminars and have 2 Rwandan friends traveling with me and helping out.

Not much of what has happened on this trip has been "our plans" but we all know that God has a better plan and that He will use this somehow for His glory. I have to admit I am a bit curious what He's going to do with this.

Pray for the seminar tomorrow and for the people that will be attending. Pray for open hearts and for me to be the "Muppet" and speak God's words. Pray for safe travels for John and Dave. Pray for the three of us as we adjust to the "new plan".

Day 1 of CR seminar - seeing God at work, again

2011-02-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

It is Monday night in Gitarama Rwanda. Today was the first day of a 2 day follow up seminar for people that have previously attended Celebrate Recovery trainings. There was a good turnout with over 70 people attending. We had no agenda for the seminar and just came to help them, wherever they are in starting the ministry.

They spent the morning telling us what they have done with CR so far, what is working well and the challenges they face. I was blown away by the reports from twelve churches that are in various stages of starting CR. Some started and had so many questions that they were waiting for us to help them move forward, others have continued along and have a few simple questions. Three groups are at the 4th step and that we are here to help them through that process. I think some people were getting discouraged but most are pretty much on track and just need some minor adjustments. It was encouraging for them to know they didn’t have far to go to have a healthy CR ministry.

There were many questions from senior pastors so after hearing their reports, I focused the training on the senior pastor’s role. They had lots of really great questions. The Holy Spirit did the teaching today, He just happened to use my mouth. Praise God, it was just what they needed to hear in a way they could hear it. Thank you Lord.

They asked if we would demonstrate a Large Group meeting and Open Share groups for them so after lunch Pastor Jean Baptiste taught the first lesson on Denial and then broke into Open Share groups.

A lot of good questions and issues came up from that experience so tomorrow we will focus on the Small Group Guidelines and other questions that will arise. Overall I am very encouraged and excited to see how CR is progressing here in Rwanda.

Please pray for open hearts and minds tomorrow of the people attending and for me to be the “Muppet” for God and let Him continue to speak through me. Pray for safe travels as we drive about 3 hours to Western Rwanda tomorrow after the seminar. Pray for John and Dave as they are in Kigali until John gets back fully on his feet.

Adjusting to God's Plans

2011-02-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Friday "we planned” a low key day and a nice lunch and fellowship with a pastor friend. Reality was a bit different. We had a good morning of processing our visit to the Genocide Museum and reflecting on the people of Rwanda and what they must have experienced.

We went to lunch with Pastor Hesby and John wasn’t feeling very well. He felt a bit dizzy so we took him to the King Faisal Hospital to get checked out. It turns out he has a stomach bug and they wanted him to be admitted so they could give him some IV antibiotics and get his blood pressure better, it was a little low. He is getting excellent care by one of the best doctor’s of internal medicine in Rwanda. God is good. And thanks to Eric at the PEACE office who arranged for his care and knows everyone at the hospital. Moses, Eric and Jean Pierre from the PEACE office have been amazingly helpful and everyone here is so supportive.

John is feeling much better and as the doctor put it this morning, “on the road to recovery”. Funny, I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.

We have gotten quite the education on the Rwanda health care system. For example, we had to pay a deposit of about $10 for them to treat John in the emergency room. Interesting when you consider that much of the population of Rwanda lives on less than $1 a day.

Our trip plans have changed somewhat (ha ha). We stayed in Kigali (the capital) instead of going to Gitarama yesterday (Saturday) as planned. We were scheduled to attend church there but instead we read scripture in John’s hospital room this morning. The “new plan” is for Dave to stay in Kigali with John and Jean Baptiste and I will travel to Gitarama (1 ½ hour drive) early tomorrow morning to hold a 2 day follow up seminar for churches that have been through previous CR trainings. When John is strong enough, he and Dave will join us for the other planned seminar to teach new churches in Kibuye how to start CR.

We are all learning a new definition of being flexible. We know God is in control and will use this for His glory, but we don’t have to like it. :-)

Please pray for complete healing for John and for Dave and I as we continue to adjust to God’s plans. Pray for John's family to have peace to know that he is in God's hands. Pray for safe travels for Jean Baptiste and I as we go to Gitarama and teach the follow up seminar Monday and Tuesday.

In Kigali

2011-02-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

We had a chance to sleep in a bit this morning, but the guys were up early ready to start the day. After breakfast, we sat outside and had a nice devotion entitled "Declare Great Things" from Luke 24:33-35, Isaiah 26 and 1 John 4. It was a great reminder to speak boldly about Jesus.

Nairobi traffic was pretty light and we made good time going to the airport for our flight to Kigali. We had a great prayer time on the ride, reminding us that this trip is about doing God's will, not ours.

The flight went well and we were met by Claude from the PEACE office. A short thunderstorm poured on us on the way to our guest house. We spent time with Moses, and settled into the house. It has a nice view overlooking a valley with many green, rolling hills in the distance.

We had a very sobering visit to the Genocide museum. This is John's first time to Rwanda and the reality of what the people here experienced in 1994 really made an impact. Reading books is one thing but visiting the memorial and hearing first hand accounts makes it real, the best history lesson he has ever had. Even as my 4th visit to the museum, it is still difficult.

We went into town and took care of some logistics - got Rwanda Francs, air time for phone and modems and lots of water. We had a great meeting at the PEACE office about "our plans" here and worked out a few details. Praise God, the translation of the CR materials is complete and God willing we will see printed copies before we leave.

We had a nice dinner at Chez Rogers and now are back at the house blogging then will hit the hay pretty soon as the jet lag is kicking in. Tomorrow is election day for local elections and has been declared a holiday so we have a light day to rest up and get ready for our 2 seminars next week.

Please pray for good rest, health and connection with friends.

We are In Nairobi!

2011-02-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

3 planes, 2 trains and 2 automobiles later and we are safe and sound at Methodist Guest House in Nairiobi. Our connections went smoothly and we arrived with all of our luggage to be met by our dear friend David at the Nairobi airport. We stay here tonight then have a 12:30 flight to Kigali, Rwanda.

Thank you so much for your prayers, everything has gone very smoothly. Please pray for good rest tonight (we are 11 hours ahead of CA time here in Nairobi) as we begin adjusting to Africa time and culture.

Team travels to Rwanda to teach CR

2011-01-27T06:39:00.000-08:00

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8

Even before we set foot on a plane the three of us (L-R) Dave Lopez, Jana O’Guin and John Brennan have had to deal with many challenges. This, of course, means that our trip to Rwanda will have lasting and ground breaking fruit!

Below is a brief itinerary of this journey. You can follow along day by day and pray for specific things. We will be posting on this blog periodically (depending on internet connections!) to let you know how teh trip is going and specifically how you can pray for us during our trip. We love to read your comments back to us too!

February 1 – 2 Our Team will Depart LAX to Seattle in the AM - The Next flight segment is Seattle to Amsterdam - The next flight segment is from Amsterdam to Nairobi with an overnight stay in Nairobi.

February 3 Travel from Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali, Rwanda - Meet with staff at the P.E.A.C.E. office. They advise and guide us throughout our stays in Rwanda.

February 4 Visit the Genocide Museum. In 1994 over 1,000,000 men, women and children were killed during the unrest that occurred there.

February 5 Travel to Muhanga District

February 6 Attend Church

February 7-8 We hold a 2-day Celebrate Recovery follow-up session for churhces who have previously attended CR trainings.

February 9-11 We will travel to Kibuye in Karongi District to conduct Celebrate Recovery Phase 1 Training for Pastors and Lay Leaders of churches in the area.

February 12 Travel to Musanze District in Northern Rwanda. This will be an all-day excursion.

February 13 Attend Anglican Church of Rwanda Kajigeja with Pastor Jean Baptiste Ndayambaje who has been our translator.

February 14-15 R&R – As required by the Saddleback PEACE Trip organizers, we will be spending time processing the experiences of this journey and the people we have met along with the way and to prepare for our return home.

February 15 Travel back to Kigali

February 16-17 Depart Kigali, Rwanda to Nairobi, Kenya – Then to Amsterdam – Then to Detroit and on to Los Angeles.

February 16-March 2 Jana will be will remain in Kenya continuing to build relationships in Nairobi and Kitale for 2 additional weeks after sending Dave & John back home. She will visit and encourage churches and prisons in Kenya that have CR programs while holding follow up seminars to help guide those in the process of starting. She will get to spend time with wonderful friends and her 4 beautiful God-children.

Kenyan Pastor Holds CR Seminar

2010-10-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

The following is a trip report from a Kenyan Prison Chaplain who went on a mission trip to the Coast Provence of Kenya to train another prison to start Celebrate Recovery. It is amazing to see how CR continues to grow and is changing lives across the country of Kenya.

Praise be to God for His protection during my travel to Wundanyi prison. The seminar was scheduled on 25-26 September 2010. Indeed I must cherish the organization by the Chaplains of Wundanyi prison for the wonderful work. The people who attended the seminar were from prison, police, Administration police, High school teachers Departmental Heads,and local church leaders. I am delighted to inform you that people who were in the meeting wished that their people were there too to be healed and experienced the healing they have got. The total number of people who attended the meeting were 40, in fact I have been impressed by the gender balance in the meeting. Thanks for the donation of the CR materials. I gave those to Wundanyi prison and people were blessed to have such great materials. Before I close my report allow me then to share a quote from one of the participants immediate message as I left Wundanyi prison "Am Refreshed, Restored, Recovered and cannot stop thanking you."God bless you.from Shalleth Wawuda.

Pastor Abraham Domongole
Senior Chaplain
Kitale Main Prison

End of Day 3 of CR Seminar

2010-09-01T10:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much for you prayers. I can feel them. Morris is feeling much better and the seminar is going so well.

Wow! What an amazing seminar this has been. To co-teach with Kenyans, to have them lead the small groups, has been wonderful to see how this ministry is becoming Kenyan! The people attending are so open to learning about CR and experiencing their own growth. Today we taught how to do the 4th step inventory and they were so eager to begin writing their own personal inventory. One man was so excited about it that he shared his with his new sponsor shortly after writing it. It was powerful to see how open they are. It has been intense and so obvious that God is at work here. I personally have so much peace about this seminar and it has gone so smoothly. God is good, all the time!

Michael finished his project for ICM and will be meeting with them to discuss his findings and recommendations tomorow afternoon. In the morning he will join us at the seminar so he can meet the people attending.

Tomorrow is our last day of the CR seminar. We will teach amends and forgiveness then the practicle ways of starting this ministry - the 90 day (or so :-))kick-off. In the afternoon we will have the cross and communion. Please pray for them to be open to ways to start this ministry and the feel confident that they are equipped to begin.

Day 1 of CR Seminar

2010-08-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

The seminar went really well today. There are senior pastors and key leaders from 10-12 churches in attendance and are really enjoying learning about CR. I can definitely feel God's presence through the people. This morning I began with my testimony and introduced the program. In the afternoon we had a Large Group meeting followed by Open Share Groups. The Swahili praise music was magical. Two Pastors read the 8 principles. Pastor Morris taught the lesson of Denial. It was great to hear the "Kenyanized" version of the teaching. He did an awesome job! I wish I had my video camera there to capture it. It really made an impact on those attending. This is a wonderful Kenyan CR meeting.

Before I came I was a bit concerned about doing the seminar without a team from the US like in the past. I miss my mzungu friends being here to share the experience, but there is a great team here that is helping do everything - the teaching, organizing, leading amazing worship, leading small groups, anything and everything.

Michael spent the day continuing to work on his project with ICM and is coming along nicely and enjoying his time here. It's been pretty cool but afterall it is winter here :-).

Please pray for those attending the CR seminar. Pray for Morris, he has a bad cold and is helping teach and lead groups. Pray that we continue to be the Muppets and be used by God.

Back in Nairobi - Again

2010-08-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

So much to catch up on so here goes. Friday, in spite of it being declared a national holiday for the signing of the new constitution and the pouring rain, pastors and prison chaplains came to the CR follow up meeting. Senior pastors came from Eldoret and another brought 2 associate pastors and they all rode their bicycles 20k to be there. Did I mention it was raining?

After presenting an overview of CR we had a lot of great discussion about how to get CR started. They were very excited about how it can bring healing to their congregations but a little overwhelmed with how to get it going. We brainstormed different ways of starting poly, poly (slowly). They had lots of great, thoughtful questions about how to make it work culturally. Many shared how CR has impacted their own lives. Overall it was a very encouraging meeting, both for us and for them.

We were fortunate that during our morning chai break, we were able to witness (on TV)the historic signing of the new constitution. It was great to see so many friends and share their excitement for this ministry.

After the seminar we spent some time with our kids at Purpose Driven Academy (PDA). Brian was feeling much better, recovering well from malaria.

Saturday was an interesting day. We started off back at PDA to see the kids one last time before we leave. It was a tearful goodbye with promises to be back soon. I miss them so much already. That's really all I can say about that now.

We had a request from Kitale Prison for more exercise books (blank notebooks for step study groups) and pens. So went went into town and bought more and took to the prison. We learned that there are about 250 men in CR now at the prison! Wow, the number keeps growing. There are 22 wards at the prison of 1149 men and they all have CR groups. We only met with part of them on Wednesday. I also forgot to mention that Wednesday we heard a testimony form a man who accept Christ when we were there in March and how CR and Jesus has changed his life. There are so many stories.

We visited with Sister Freda and her husband Richard at their home in town. They had been holding medical clinics in other parts of Kenya so it was the only time we could see them. Of course she is the greatest hostess and served us a wonderful meal. We had a great time of fellowship.

We arrived at Kitale Airstrip (yes airstrip, not airport) to catch our 3:20 flight to Nairobi only to learn that it just departed. It was rescheduled to 1:50 and no one told us. There were no more flights until Sunday. I just prayed a quick prayer and said "Ok God, this is Your problem, what are you going to do about it?" I was scheduled to speak at a church just outside Nairobi Sunday morning. As only God could arrange, there was a flight from Eldoret at 7 pm that had 2 seats on it. The airline manager drove us to Eldoret. He will likely be running the airline someday, he was so gracious, very smart and ambitious. He shared his story of not being able to afford to go to high school to now being in college because someone supported him. It doesn't take much to change someones life. The trip would normally take about 1 1/2 hours but it was pouring rain and hailing like crazy. At first it was raining cats and dogs, then it rained elephants and rhinoceroses. The road were flooded and we couldn't even see where the many potholes were. By God's hand we made it and was able to catch that flight and get back to Nairobi.

Today, Sunday we drove about 2 hours East of Nairobi to the small village of Kangari to Bible Fellowship Church, arriving 1 1/2 hours late for service but they were still singing and dancing to praise the Lord when we arrived. We heard an inspirational message from Pastor Peter about how CR changed his life. I spoke about CR, encouraging others to open up with one another. We had a good time of fellowship over lunch prepared by the church members.

On the way back to Nairobi we stopped at CCI in Thika and had a nice visit with the CR ministry leader. The leaders are almost through with their step study groups and we discussed how to launch the ministry church wide. Our visit was very timely.

Please pray for the CR seminar that begins tomorrow morning. Pray that the right people come and God prepare their hearts to learn about this life changing ministry. Pray for me that when I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will speak fearlessly as I should. Pray for Morris who will be co-teaching with me for the first time.

Thursday Evening

2010-08-26T11:25:00.001-07:00

We have a bit of catching up to do so this is a long post. I was too tired last night to post so we have two full days to catch up on.

Wednesday morning Michael continued his work with ICM while I went into town and bought a few things to take to the prison - exercise books, pens and some toiletries for the women. I attended morning chapel with friends at ICM before Michael and I headed to prison.

We went into the men's prison, the first place in Kenya where Celebrate Recovery started over 5 years ago. It was Michael's first time in prison and he was a bit anxious going in. It made him grateful for what we have in the US when he recognized what little these men have. They have no beds and sleep on the ground or cement floor, some have blankets, they have rags for clothes, many are without shoes. He was surprised to see so many smiling faces singing with joy for the Lord.

They planned a very special program in honor of Michael being there. We heard awesome worship and many testimonies of lives changed through CR. A couple of inmates shared poems that they had written about how CR has changed their lives. One was entitled "Celebrate Recovery, my best friend." The chaplains were so appreciative toward Michael for him sending his wife to Kenya to minister to the prisoners and what a wonderful job I had been doing here. It was almost embarrassing for me. Michael encouraged them to continue CR and how proud he was of them for being the pioneers of CR in Kenya that has now spread to many prisons across the country. They presented Michael with a beautiful beaded belt with the Kenyan flag emblem and colors and me matching earrings, a bracelet and necklace. I think this visit helped Michael to understand what an impact our visits have made here. It was an awesome experience for Michael and very moving. Pretty cool for me too.

Michael had to return to work with ICM and I went into the women's prison. There are many new women there now and the original CR group has all left. It was so encouraging to meet Lydia, the new CR leader, and to learn the program is continuing and changing lives. The women were filled with so much joy. They sang and performed a drama for me about the prodigal son. It was really powerful. One woman shared that when she heard I was coming that she told all of the new women that they were getting toiletries because when I come I bring things that the prison does not provide. I shared my testimony and encouraged them to continue CR. I heard how CR was bringing them peace and freedom, even behind bars. We passed out the few toiletries and then they got me to dance with them for a while. It was a lot of fun for all of us.

After the time in prison I spent quite a while visiting with the chaplains and the officer in charge (warden). I brought a few photos from our visit earlier this year and they were so excited to have them. I got to meet Pastor Edward's wife Jennifer who is a prison officer now. They all pass their greetings to those that have been there before. It was a great time of deepening friendships.

Late in the afternoon Michael and I spent some time with our kids. It was a wonderful. Even though we speak different languages it was so nice just being together and connecting.

Ok now to today - Michael went back to ICM to continue his work there. I spoke for about an hour at the Women of Purpose and Destiny conference at Deliverance Church Kitale, the first place I ever gave my testimony. I talked about CR (of course) and shared my story of how I came to know God's purpose for my life. God was definitely at work at that conference, the energy was amazing.

I visited Kitale Pentecostal Church, who attended the CR seminar in March. I have known the senior pastor and some of the associates for about 5 years and they were so excited to be fully trained in CR. I met with the senior pastor and 3 associate pastors and answered many of their questions about challenges they have faced in starting CR. Their program is coming along very well and they are on track to establish a solid model for CR for this region of the country.

I spent much of the rest of the day hanging out with my kids. Brian (the oldest at 9) was not feeling well and was diagnosed with Malaria while I was there today. Fortunately he got treatment so he will be fine in a couple of days. So many people across Africa die from malaria because they cannot afford the $3 for medication.

It's been a wonderful few days here in Kitale. Tomorrow we have the follow up meeting for those that attended the CR seminar in March. Pray that people will come and not be distracted because the day has been recently declared a national holiday. Pray that it will be an encouraging time for those already starting CR or planning to start it. Pray for Brian as he recovers from malaria.

Tuesday Evening in Kitale

2010-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had another great day here in Kitale. We spent the morning at Oasis of Hope, a center for street kids. It has grown to about 190 children who drop in Monday - Friday for morning devotion, breakfast, school lessons, Bible study and lunch. Then these 4 - 18 year old children go back to the street and sleep. There are an additional 80+ children that are now attending public or private schools and live in small group homes. It is an amazing transition program to get kids off the street. THe kids are getting an eductioan that would not otheriwse be possible becuae of their desparte circumstances. It was awesome to see how much joy they have when they are there. They have now begun a tailoring training for the older girls so they can learn a trade. I have had the opportunity it watch it grow from a very small center into an amazing program that continues to grow. We had a nice visit with Geoffrey, the director of the center. We got to play all kinds of games with the kids, some I still don't really understand what we were doing but it was a lot of fun.

After lunch I spent some precious, quality time with my friend Margaret. I hung out with my kids for a while then took them into town and bought them some new school shoes and toiletries and such. It is such a blessing to spend time with these beautiful children. But by the grace of God arranging for us to meet, they would become street children themselves.

In the afternoon Michael went to ICM and began working with them on a business project that he will be working on while he is here.

Tonight we had dinner with Pastor Abraham, the senior chaplain of Kitale Main Prison and my friend. He is the one responsible for getting my permit which grants me access to all 93 prisons in Kenya. It was nice that he and Michael got to meet finally. We had a great time of fellowship. They are planning a special program at the prison for us tomorrow in honor of Michael coming here, the strong man behind sending me here to minister to them. They are very excited to meet him tomorrow.

Pray for our day tomorrow at prison and for Michael as he continues his work with ICM.

Tuesday morning in Kitale

2010-08-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

Our flight went smoothly from Nairobi to Kitale yesterday morning. We sat on the patio looking toward Mt. Elgon and the Uganda border while I enjoyed a chilled black currant Fanta, a favorite experience in Kenya, while they prepared our room for check in.

After a quick lunch we went to Purpose Driven Academy to see our kids. The head master, Peter, walked us through the local neighborhood to their house to meet them. Word spread that we were on our way and a whole herd of kids came running to meet us with Augustine leading the pack, running as fast as his little legs would carry him with a huge smile on his face. I'm not sure whose was bigger, his or mine. What a great reunion!! We spent most of the afternoon loving on them. They had been asking for days when their mzungu was coming. God is good.

We attended the opening of a women's conference at Deliverance Church Kitale called "Women of Purpose and Destiny". The worship was awesome. The message was inspiring.

In the evening we joined several friends that come here for missions, some of which live nearby us in OC but I only see in Kenya - too funny. It was great to reunite with kindred spirits that have a heart for Africa and got to make some new friends too. It was a very international group with people from Kenya, US, Rwanda, Ukraine and India. God brought us all here to serve Him. What an awesome God we serve.

Please pray for our time here in Kitale, that it glorify God in all we do. We have several things planned but will spare you the details because they will likely change :-). One thing in particular to pray for is our CR Follow Up seminar to be held on Friday. The president has declared Friday a holiday to celebrate the new constitution and I am not sure what impact that will have on our seminar. I know God will work out the details, he always does.

Back in Nairobi

2010-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we have been gone a week already. Saturday we visited a group of ex-prisoners that have an amazing program to help the "mighty men of God" (a new name they call themselves instead of prisoners) transition to life on the outside. A former inmate started the program and it has been very successful. They help men and women learn skills and become responsible citizens. They have a plant project where they grow plants from seeds and plant them around the city, at schools and other public places. They have a Celebrate Recovery program and we heard some testimonies of lives that are changing and relationships being restored!

Stanley and Gladys took us around Mombasa town and coast for some sight seeing. It was great to spend time with them. We enjoyed coconut milk from it's source - yum!

In the afternoon we visited a church that has a CR group for women. It is very difficult for people to open up and talk about their lives with others so they have been using an "Open Share" format for a few weeks and will be starting a Step Study group soon. I was vulnerable and shared some things with them and it really encouraged them to open up and at the end of our time together one woman shared a big secret for the first time. It really broke the ice and bonded the group at a whole new level.

Today we visited Jesus Mission Center Church in Likoni. It was the second time I was there and we were warmly welcomed by their senior pastor, Rev. Bigvae Mzae. The worship was awesome with lots of singing and dancing. I couldn't quite talk Michael into joining them in their dancing but it was a wonderful experience. I "preached" for about an hour, giving my testimony and talking about CR. So many people came forward for prayer. God is preparing their hearts to begin CR next year. God is good.

The weather was very nice in Mombasa, not too hot for a change. We flew back to Nairobi this afternoon and tomorrow morning we fly to Kitale to begin our ministry there. I can't wait to see my kids and many friends there. Michael will begin his work with ICM tomoorw.

Pray for travel mercies as we fly to Kitale and wonderful reunions. Michael will get to meet our 4 God children tomorrow and I am very excited about that.

Friday night in Mombasa

2010-08-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our flight to Mombasa went smoothly, we had a good view of snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro on the way. We just relaxed in the afternoon and enjoyed a nice long walk on the beach of the Indian Ocean.

Today we met with a group of pastors that have attended previous CR trainings here in the Coast Provence. They believe in CR. It was a very informal all day meeting of discussing various challenges that they face in starting CR. We brainstormed different ways of addressing those challenges and the pastors decided to begin monthly meetings to help encourage one another go forward. They are discussing ways of having 1 CR ministry for several small churches. It was great to see so many familiar faces. Michael is relieved that I didn't make him walk back to our hotel due to social blunders. :-) He enjoyed meeting the pastors and learning more about the Kenyan culture.

Tomorrow we are meeting with 2 CR groups. Stanley and Gladys Wainaina will take us to both meetings, it will be nice to spend the day with them. Pray that we continue to be the Muppets and speak God's words in both of these meetings.

We made it to Nairobi!

2010-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Paul and Teri picked us up at 2:45 AM on Monday and took us to LAX for our flight. Wow, now that's real friendship! Thanks guys! A TSA agent/CR friend met us at the gate and prayed for us before we took off. Our plane was delayed out of Detroit by 2 hours but we still had plenty of time to make our connection in Amsterdam. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. Everything has gone smoothly, all our luggage arrived with us and we are feeling healthy and were warmly welcomed by the staff at Methodist Guest House where we will stay for the next 2 nights.

Pray for good rest and ab easy transition as we adjust to being 10 hours ahead of time at home. Pray for connections and meetings over the next couple of days here in Nairobi.

CR Missions Trip Leaving for Kenya

2010-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said,‘Here I am. Send me!’”

Michael and Jana O’Guin will depart August 16th for Kenya and will return September 6th. Jana will lead a Celebrate Recovery Seminar for Pastors in Nairobi so that they will be equipped to implement Celebrate Recovery in their churches. For the first time, Kenyans will help teach this CR seminar and lead small groups during the training. She will also conduct follow up trainings in Mombasa and Kitale for church leaders and prison officials that have attended previous CR trainings. Michael will be conducting a business assessment for International Christian Ministries (ICM) to help them improve their ministry.

There will be updates and specific prayer requests during the trip on this blog so check back often.

Monday, August 16th – We depart LAX in the morning, our first stop is Detroit. After a 1-1/2 hr layover we leave for Amsterdam, arriving the morning of the 17th. After a 4-hour layover we have an 8-hour flight to Nairobi, arriving the evening of the 17th. Kenya is 10 hours ahead of PDT.

Wednesday, August 18th - We meet with ICM and others to finalize plans for our time in country. Michael will be meeting and interviewing the leaders of ICM Kenya and Jana will confirm the plans for the CR seminars.

Thursday, August 19th - We will fly from Nairobi to Mombasa and prepare for the CR seminar scheduled for Friday. We celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary!

Friday, August 20th - Jana will lead a Follow-Up Seminar for churches and prisons in the Coast Region that have attended previous CR trainings in 2008 and 2009 to encourage and support them. Michael will work on plans for ICM.

Saturday, August 21st - We will visit a CR program for former inmates transitioning out of prison and spend time with local pastor friends.

Sunday, August 22nd - Spend the morning attending church that has a CR program. In the afternoon fly back to Nairobi.

Monday – Friday August 23rd – 27th - We have a Monday morning flight to Kitale. We will spend time with our 4 God children and many local friends, attend CR programs at churches and prisons, visit Purpose Driven Academy, Oasis of Hope, and Sister Freda’s Hospital. Michael will spend 2-3 days helping ICM understanding and assessing their current operations and analyzing the costs of their ministry. On Friday Jana will lead a Follow-Up Seminar for churches and prisons in the Rift Valley Region that attended the CR training in March.

Saturday, August 28th - We will fly back to Nairobi, spend time with friends and prepare for the CR seminar next week.

Sunday, August 29th - We will attend a local church that has an active CR program to encourage them as they continue their ministry.

Monday, August 30th – Thursday, September 2nd - Jana will lead a Celebrate Recovery seminar for pastors and church leaders to equip them to start CR in their respective churches and prisons. For the first time Kenyans will co-teach the CR seminar. We will be teaching the Celebrate Recovery curriculum, facilitating small groups, giving our testimonies, and equipping them to begin CR programs. Michael will be interviewing and assessing the ICM Kenya’s Nairobi operations and providing his final report to their leaders.

Friday, September 3rd - We have a morning flight to Masai Mara. In the Mara we will visit the animal park and have some time to relax and decompress before returning home.

Sunday September 5th - We depart Masai Mara for Nairobi and have a 10 hour layover before leaving on a late evening flight to Amsterdam, Detroit and then onto LAX International. We will arrive in LAX in the afternoon of September 6th.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

Winding Down

2010-05-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

After a warm send off by our Kibuyi pastors we headed out early Saturday morning to begin our R & R time in Ngungwe Rainforest. Saddleback recommends that PEACE trips have a couple of days of R & R to rest and to begin processing all that we have learned. Also, it's a time to begin transitioning back into American culture. Believe it or not there is culture shock that happens when we come home.

We spent most of Saturday traveling the winding hilly roadways of Rwanda. We drove through the rain forest and had breathtaking panoramic views for the almost 2 hour drive just through the forest to reach our accommodations.

Sunday morning we hiked through tea plantations where we learned how to pick tea (in case we need to find work here :-)) Our guide showed us several medicinal plants, many of the local bird species, and guided us into the dense forest to where we could see rare Angora Colobus monkeys. We followed a swinging, chattering colony of about 60 black & white individuals as they made they're way through the tree tops eating as they went. It was a wonderful, magical experience.

The afternoon was spent reflecting on our trip, debriefing the lessons learned and planning a return trip. It was a very fruitful time as we shared with each other. We are grateful to have each other on this trip.

We arrived back in Kigali last night. This morning we have a meeting at the PEACE office to debrief with them, finalizing plans to complete the translation of CR materials and begin preparations for our next trip.

Please pray for travel mercies as later today we begin our journey home, arriving in Los Angeles mid day on Wednesday. Pray for good health as we journey home.

Friday Night in Kibuye, the best place to be on a Friday Night!

2010-05-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

We finished our CR Sr Pastor Introduction meeting today. They are eagerly waiting for the publication of the materials in Kinyarwanda (their local language) so that we can have an extensive training to equip them to start CR in their churches, hopefully early next year. This area of Rwanda was the hardest hit during the 1994 genocide and they desperately want a program that can help them find forgiveness. They really seemed to understand how CR can help them by the questions they asked and the hope we could see in their faces. They were so thankful that we came to bring this healing ministry. I think CR is going to make a huge difference to the people of this country.

We've all had some minor health issues but are on the mend. Please continue to pray for our health, just minor colds and stomach stuff.

Tomorrow we travel to Nyungwe Forest, a huge rain forest, for our debriefing and R&R time and maybe a little hiking. Pray for our time of reflection and taking what we've learned here and seeing how to apply it to future trips.

Thursday's Pastor Training in Kibuyi

2010-05-27T09:14:00.005-07:00

Today we trained over 70 pastors from all around the Karongi District in Western Rwanda. They came from miles away. If we did not pay the $2 round trip costs they would have had to walk for up to 3 hours each way.

We gave them an overview of the CR program. Dave and I gave our testimonies which were received with great interest. We also challenged them to pray and decide if this is a ministry they are willing to commit to. It's a hard one for Rwandan pastors because of the confidentiality required and also turning over the ministry to a ministry leader which is not the norm here. They asked lots of good questions which indicates they are very interested and trying to understand.

We are grateful to find that Maurice got his car repaired and it is running strong so we don't have worries about transportation for the rest of the trip.

We are staying at a house in town that serves as the PEACE office for Western Rwanda. It has 3 bedrooms that accommodates our team. We are halfway up the hill and can here a mixture of sounds made by the children, goats, birds and roosters. A happy evening sound.

Jeanne, who is taking care of the house, has made us African Tea, which we really enjoy, and is preparing our dinner with her sleeping infant wrapped in a cloth tied around her back.

Tomorrow we will finish our Senior Pastor Introduction Meeting and get to know these pastors and their culture a little more.

Our prayer requests tonight are for Dave who's stomach is giving him problems. I am feeling better but still under the weather a bit. Pastor Jean Baptiste (our translator) is fighting a long string of headaches and sore knees. Your prayers are working, as always. Please also pray for these 70+ pastors as they consider attending the next CR training in order to be equipped to start CR.

Wednesday Night in Kibuye (Karongi)

2010-05-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the Catholic church that was next to our guest house. We learned that 64,000 men, women and children were killed on this compound (including our guest house) during the 1994 genocide. It is impossible to comprehend that so many people were killed, some in the dining room where we had our meals, maybe even in our rooms. It is not a large compound so they must have been everywhere there. That was pretty sobering. The church was beautiful as it has been remodeled with moziacs but it somber inside.

The 2 hour drive to Karongi was gorgeous with the green rolling hills. I certainly understand why they call Rwanda the land of a 1,000 hills. I think they underestimated, there must be closer to 1,000,000 hills.

We stopped along the road and met with some members of the Justice Task Force who were driving back to the capital of Kigali. They have been training across the country and had very successful results. We stopped at a beautiful waterfall surrounded by banana trees and small farms laced over the hills. We enjoyed the changing light as the clouds moved across the valley.

The views of Lake Kivu as we approached Kibuye were awe inspiring. We checked into the PEACE House then went into town for lunch overlooking the lake. We visited the Kibuye Hospital and had a great tour by the head doctor. Much progress has been made since I was there 2 years ago. They are looking forward to building a new hospital on the nearby compound.

This evening we are having a relaxing time so we can be refreshed to begin our 2 day senior pastor CR introduction meeting tomorrow. Dave is teaching our translator, Jean Baptiste, how to play pinball on his PDA. We are having a great time of fellowship with Jean Baptiste and Maurice.

Please pray for the pastors that will be attending the meeting. Pray for us that we are the Muppets that when we open our mouth we speak God's words. Pray for my health as I have a cold. My throat is better but my sinuses are not so good.

Tuesday Evening in Gitarama

2010-05-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we drove through the lush green rolling hills of Rwanda from Kigali (the capital) to Gitarama. It was great to see so many familiar faces who attended the previous CR training. It was very interesting to have a baby goat roam in and out of the church while we held the training.

Today we completed a 2 day follow up training for those that attended a 5 day CR conference last year. We spent a wonderful 2 days without an agenda and letting God lead the way and of course it was just what they needed to hear. We talked about CR and learned about their culture and how to help them adapt the program to work for them. One church has started training their leadership team and was eager to learn more about how to launch it church wide. Another church had started it and had 58 (yes 58!) small groups and it was going very well. The senior pastor, Jean Baptiste, was transferred to another parish and their new pastor is not familiar with CR so the future of that CR program is uncertain. Pastor Jean Baptiste plans to start it at his new parish with over 3000 members.

Many churches want to have the ministry and were struggling with some of the very foreign concepts and were very much appreciative for our visit to help clarify some things. As a culture, they have a high need to understand things thoroughly. Our timing was very good. Today we helped them develop action plans to start CR in their churches to guide them forward.

One goal that we had when we came to Rwanda this time was to learn more about their culture so we could be more effective when we train CR here. God has put so many people in our paths that were willing to share that with us. It has been a real blessing. One thing that we learned that helps them is the use of visual aids. Another is the need for accountability for starting the program.

Gitarama is the second largest town in Rwanda. We were going to dinner last night and realized that the electricity was out for the whole town. We were able to find a resturant that had a generator so we could have dinner. They had a single light bulb to light up the whole dining room. We take so much for granted.

Please pray for safe travels to Karongi tomorrow morning. Pray for the pastors that will be attending the CR Introduction Meeting on Thursday and Friday, that their hearts will be open to CR. Pray for me as I have a sore throat now. Pray for all 3 of us to have good energy and health for the remainder of the trip. Pray that we continue to be unified as a team as we serve God and His will.

Sunday in Kigali

2010-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Saturday) we spent time with our friend Maurice. He came to drive us into town to take care of a few things and he had his son with him who was sick. We offered to go to the doctor with them first then tend to our business. It was a wonderful time of deepening friendships, meeting his 4 children and learning about the Rwandan healthcare system.

Later Jana and I met with Eugenia who runs a deaf ministry. They sew various things and we got measured for some clothing. We went into town and selected the fabric for our dresses. It was quite the experience to design dresses without a pattern and select the fabric. It will be quite interesting to see the final outcome.

We went to dinner at New Cactus restaurant and had pizza with bananas and bacon (yum!) and Maurice offered to share his story of surviving the genocide of 1994. It is his story to tell so I won’t go into here. It gave us a lot of insight into the Rwandan people who lived through the 100 day massacre of over 1,000,000 people. It was a real honor to hear his story, even though it was hard to hear.

Today (Sunday) we attended Louange (Worship) Church in Kigali with Pastor Samuel Rushombo. We met at Saddleback Church last August when he came to attend the Celebrate Recovery conference. It was good to see him again. He preached a great sermon on the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. After the service we spent time talking about CR and how it applies to Rwandans and learned a lot of helpful things that will make us to be more effective trainers of this ministry here. He is planning to attend the next 5 day conference that we hold here in Rwanda next year.

We met at the PEACE office with Pastor Straton and Jean Pierre to review our “plans” for our remaining time here. We also discussed the completion and publishing of the Kinyarwanda translation of CR materials and the next training conference to be held here.

Please pray for the people that will be attending our 2 day conference in Gitarama who attended the 5 day training last year. Pray that we will be the Muppets and God will give us wisdom and insight as we encourage them and answer their questions as they start this ministry. Pray for safe travels tomorrow (Monday) morning as we drive there. Thanks for your prayers, Jana L is felling great and is fully recovered from her sore throat.

In Kigali

2010-05-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

We arrived last night in Kigali safely with our luggage. It was great to be met at the airport by Jean Pierre and Maurice. We got to practice being flexible from the start. The hotel we were booked at didn't have rooms so we checked in to the Diplomat Hotel. It has a nice view overlooking downtown Kigali. We are enjoying a relaxing breakfast in the outdoor dining room. Oh yeah, and our "plans" for the next couple of days are a bit different than we expected. "I will cheerfully adjust, change or drop my planned program to meet the local needs and fit into the local context." We know God's plans are so much better than ours and look forward to seeing what He has in store.

We made it to Nairobi

2010-05-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for your prayers. Our flights and connections have gone smoothly so far. We have just one short flight from Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda remaining. We are looking forward to being back in Rwanda and seeing friends and what God has in store for us.

Please pray for our last flight to Rwanda, good health (Jana Lopez is getting a sore throat), for a good night's rest tonight, for our meetings tomorrow with the PEACE office, translators and pastors. Pray that we be the muppets for what God wants us to do and say.

CR Mission Trip to Rwanda

2010-05-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

A team of CR leaders from Saddleback Church, Dave Lopez, his wife Jana Lopez and Jana O'Guin are preparing to go to Rwanda on Thursday, May 20th for a Celebrate Recovery mission trip.

What follows is a brief itinerary of the trip. You can follow along day by day and pray for specific things. We will be posting updates and prayer requests periodically from Rwanda (depending on internet connections!) so we can stay connected with you and let you know how to specifically pray for us during our trip.

May 20-21 10:30am LAX to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Nairobi to Kigali,Rwanda
Lord take us safely and smoothly into Africa.

May 22 Meet with Jean Pierre and Pastor Stratton at the P.E.A.C.E. office. They advise and guide us throughout our stays in Rwanda. It’ll be good to see their familiar faces again.
Bless those who You put in our path to encourage us.

May 23 Travel to visit Anglican Church of Rwanda. Senior Pastor Jean Baptiste attended our CR training in January 2009 and has started the very first Celebrate Recovery in Rwanda! We are anxious to visit and encourage them.
Praise God for Jean Baptiste and his church! Lord take us safely there and protect us all with Your hope and perseverance.

May 24-25 Meeting with our original trainees to determine how best to serve them, answer questions, determine the challenges unique to Rwanda in implementing Celebrate Recovery and encourage them.
Lord, give us ears to listen and the ability to discern what is needed for this special group of men and women. Help us to understand their needs to be more effective in future trainings.

May 26 Travel to Karongi
Help us be Your ambassadors in everything we say and do. These bumpy roads are where our work is today. Help us be accepting and loving everywhere we go.

May 27-28 Senior Pastor Introduction. In Karongi we are meeting about 80 Senior Pastor’s to cast the vision of CR and explain some of the basic concepts. Your donations are helping get them to the training as transportation cost is beyond their means.
Thank God for these men and bless their efforts to help and love their church families even if it means a radical change! Help us communicate clearly with them.

May 29-30 We head south to Nyungwe National Park for down time to process what we have learned and experienced and begin thinking about returning for the next training.
Lord, be with us as we digest all that You have shown us. Help us rest for the way home. Show us Your next steps.

May 31 Travel to Kigali/visit with Pastor Hesbey our friend and head of the Inkuru Nizeza Church Group.
Thank you, Lord, for friends in far places. We are blessed to be Your blessing. Keep them healthy and protected as they work in Your purposes. Protect and prosper our time with them.

June 1 Debrief at the P.E.A.C.E. office in the morning and depart in the afternoon
Lord protect our hearts, Give us insight, Show us how to love others as You do. Make our meeting productive and full of hope.

June 2 Arrive LAX 12:40 pm.
Keep our flights on time, Lord. Give us peace instead of sadness at leaving. Help us understand Your next steps.

Thank you for being a part of our prayer team.
The Rwanda CR Team
Muraho (Hello,Good-bye,Thank you)

Back at Home

2010-03-16T13:16:00.001-07:00

We made it home safe and sound yesterday after an incredible trip. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust both physically and emotionally to being back in the US. Pray for good rest and quick adjustment of our days and nights reversing back to CA time. Pray for us as we continue to process the experiences we had and are able to share them with others.

Headed Home

2010-03-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

We are back in Nairobi waiting for our flight this evening. Our debrief went well and processing continues. We are looking forward to being back home and then coming back!

Please pray for travel mercies, on time flights and connections and that our luggage makes it home with us too.

It is finished, at the cross

2010-03-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

And let the spiritual warfare begin... Fortunately we put on our full armour at breakfast so we were ready for it. First the power strip went out, then power went out, then we realized that we had the wrong certificates for the class and little time to correct it. Interruption after interruption all day long. God prevailed.

We taught about amends and forgiveness and WOW, what a new way at looking at things. It touched so many and gave hope. Then we put it all together and talked about the practical steps of starting the program in their churches and prisons. They had break out times to plan how they would start. Many presented their plans with some start days soon.

We had a great time of worship and reflection before nailing our hurts to the cross. It was powerful. We went outside and stood in a circle and burned the papers from the cross. The class broke out in a Swahili song saying "It is finished at the cross" WOW!

We went to Purpose Driven Academy so I could see Margaret for a few minutes and spend some time with my 4 kids. It was a hard goodbye but had some consolation since I am coming back in August. It's hard to believe that our trip is coming to an end, it has really flown by.

Praise report - we can feel your prayers every day and feel God's presence and leading. We have had surprisingly good energy, great team dynamics, good health and a lot of fun. There have been so many really obvious answered prayers, the type of people at the seminar, open hearts, technical challenges and even a misplaced cell phone. The answers were almost immediate for so many prayers. Keep them coming!

Prayer requests - we have one more stop in Kitale tomorrow morning before leaving for our R&R in Nakuru. We are visiting the Kitale Women's Prison to drop off a few things then the Provincial Chaplain from Nakuru who attended the seminar is riding with us. Pray for our time together. Pray for our 2 days of R&R in Nakuru, that we are able to put this trip in perspective and find words to express it when we get home.

Day 3 - Wooowwweeee Wednesday

2010-03-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Where to start.... Today was all about us stepping out of the way and letting God take over. They led the step study groups and did an awesome job. Joann shared her testimony which was right on and perfect timing. I spoke during chapel about CR for the ICM students and staff. John taught about the 4th step. We gave them some free time to start doing their inventories and WOW! So much writing, so many tears, so many break throughs, so much healing.

Please pray for our final day together at the seminar. Pray that we are able to effectively teach and motivate them to start CR in their church or prison. Pray that they are open to starting this ministry to bring the healing to others. Pray that we don't leave before the seminar is over. Pray for two teams from the US that are traveling to Africa to introduce CR, one to Uganda and another to Nigeria.

Day 2 - Woooooowwww

2010-03-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday is normally a pretty reserved day and people are still unsure of this program called Celebrate Recovery. This is not a "normal" Tuesday. Wooooowwww. They get it. They are very open to what CR has to offer. Close to 100 people are here and we expected about 80. God brought just the right people.

They loved watching the new video of Kenyans talking about their healing through CR. They were blown away by Richard's testimony, especially considering the way they view ex-prisoners. It really opened their eyes and challenged their thinking. John's testimony was a real wake up call for them too. Both testimonies demonstrated that strong men have big tears.

The worship and prayer walking demonstrates the sweetness of God's presence. He is obviously here. Before we came we prayed that we would bring the the spark of a wildfire that will spread across this country. Today a pastor told us that we were the tip of the flame and that CR would be a fire across the country. God is good.

The prayers are working, keep them coming. Pray for the people as they continue digging deep in their step studies and begin their inventories tomorrow. Please pray for the fire to build and build until it seems out of control as it sweeps across Kenya, East Africa and the continent. Asante sana Bwana!!

Day 1 of CR Seminar

2010-03-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for your prayers. People traveled from as far away as Nairobi (an overnight bus ride) and arrived safely. We had a good turn out. As we waited for the seminar to begin (Kenya time) we prayer walked the campus watching our steps for the cow patties.

One of the great gifts we receive is listening to Kenyan worship. People were open and receptive to CR. They loved hearing our testimonies and realized that we were not so different and saw the possibilities of how this could help people here. The microphone went out and it reminded us to keep our armour on. It was a great opportunity to talk about spiritual warfare. It was a great first day and very encouraging, for us and them :-). We can't wait to see what God is going to do this week. Noah sends his greetings.

Please continue to pray for those attending, that they are open to CR and their personal healing so they make take this to others in their churches and prisons. Pray for us to have continued good health and energy.

PS - thanks for the new comments!

The Road to Eldoret

2010-03-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

The stagecoach ride to Eldoret was dusty, bumpy, long and did I mention bumpy? But the rewards were waiting at the end of the road. We were met at IVC (International Vision Center) church with awesome worship music overflowing from their huge tent. They were kicking off a worship conference. The music and dancing was a great precursor to an inspiring message on worship. We had a chance to talk about CR and the senior pastor is very exciting to get it started in his church after some key leaders attend the training which starts tomorrow. It filled us and rejuvenated our souls.

We visited Eldoret women's prison to bring them some Swahili Bibles bought by funds from the Saddleback recycling ministry. The Officer in Charge met us there on her day off. We were blessed with the unexpected opportunity to go inside and speak to the inmates. Not only did we distribute Bibles to the inmates, the officers were very excited to get some too. They related to Richard and his story. We were able to meet with some of the women in CR to answer a few questions as they begin doing their inventory. God is good.

The stagecoach ride back to Kitale was dusty, bumpy, long and did I mention bumpy?

Thanks so much for your encouraging comments and yes Valerie we were able to read your too. Maybe that could encourage some of you other faithful readers to leave an encouraging comment or prayer for us. We look forward to reading them.

Please pray for tomorrow (Sunday night in CA) as we begin our CR seminar. Only God knows what's in store. Pray without ceasing for the seminar, those traveling to be here, those attending and of course us. Pray for good rest tonight and energy tomorrow. Pray that we continue to be the Muppets.

Prayer Walking Through the Slums

2010-03-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Friday, we began the day at Purpose Driven Academy with the the 400+ students having an assembly with prayer, singing and memory verses. Out of all the children, only 2 were being a bit disruptive. They were both my kids. I was so proud!

Joann "preached" on Ephesians 4:23, their scripture for the school year. She gave a great message, what they needed to hear.

We walked over to the group home where my 4 kids plus 16 other young children live with Pastor Joel and his wife Margaret. They have such a heart for the orphan children that they care for. I can't imagine the amount of laundry that they do each week! After spending time with them, headmaster Peter, took us for a walk around the slums. It was pretty sobering to see the obvious poverty in the neighboring communities. There are so many children that do not attend school because they cannot afford to buy a school uniform. The crumbling mud homes were a stark reality of life in the slums. We went into a home without any place for us to sit. We met a couple of single fathers struggling to feed their kids. So many stories...

We had lunch and got to play with the children at PDA. We brought a football and Frisbee and had so much fun teaching them how to play with them. It was a great way to lighten up after the reality of the slums.

Margaret took us to Endebess to visit Shalom Academy. It's a school that she started last year and has over 100 students now. It is in an area where thousands of people were displaced, living in tents, after the post-election violence 2 years ago. These children were lacking the self confidence in contrast to the children at PDA and very reserved with us. They obviously have been through a lot in their short lives.

We went for a walk in the community and saw the river where they fetch their water and another level of poverty, something that no amount of training could have prepared us for.

On the way back to Kitale we stopped at Captain Davis's which is a small animal park and took my 4 kids (and Richard) to see their first animals in the wild (including rhinos). It was great to spend some more time with my kids, even thought it seems to short.

Today we joined the Saddleback teams that are here with Pastor Steve and we experienced an even starker reality and deeper level of poverty in Kipsungu slums. We took a walk in the slums and it made the ones yesterday look pretty nice. The igloo shaped homes were made of sticks and plastic shopping bags, clothes, spare materials and things we would discard. There were a few mud huts and they looked so nice relatively speaking. There was a small market selling food that had been discarded in town, knowing that they would likely get sick from eating it but hungry enough to take the chance. The open ditch running through the community made the cement latrine at Kamiti Prison look very extravagant. What a harsh reality. The pastor that serves that community lives in the middle in a small mud hut said that we needed to have a small mind and a huge heart to be there. It's not to analyze, but to feel. We helped Sister Freda hold a medical clinic plus a vision and dental clinic. There were more people than we could possibly treat in the time we had. I think if we had stayed there for 3 days we still could not have been able to treat everyone.

In the afternoon we went to Kitale Prison with the Saddleback teams for a celebration of running water in the prison. They had a program of native singing and dancing, it was a lot of fun. It was great to see so many of the men again who are involved in CR that we saw on Thursday. Many men came to accept the Lord. The men from our teams prayed with them. It was a wonderful experience.

Water from an Artesian well is being pumped into the prison providing water for the 1300 men. They can bath for the first time in prison. They have drinking water. Before they carried water from the creek to the prison for cooking. That was the only use for the water they had. They were very happy to have running water. Now they need soap. It was a wonderful celebration and privilidge to see the fruits of the 3 year water project.

Please pray for travel mercies as we drive to Eldoret to attend IVC church tomorrow. The senoir pastor is a great supporter of CR and will send key leaders to our seminar that begins on Monday. Please continue to pray for those coming to the semianr next week and travel mercies for those coming from as far as Nairobi to attend. Pray for the many people that are less fortunate and living in the slums so close by. Pray for a time of rest and recharging for us as we prepare for teaching the CR semianr next week.

Another day in prison

2010-03-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

After a rain delay, we were warmly welcomed at Kitale Main prison by several hundred inmates, many who had gone through CR plus many others. A few hundred men were gathered around us, others listening from across the yard and even a few sitting in the tops of trees reminding us of Zacchaeus.

They had prepared a program for us with songs, poems and one inmate who is being released next week even sang a song for us about how Celebrate Recovery changed his life. What a blessing!

We shared our stories of hope. They loved hearing Richard's testimony, of his 22 years of in and out of prison until he accepted Christ in his heart. They refer to him as a "jailbird", going in and out of prison. Both the inmates and officers were really impacted. I think they will always remember this day when an ex-prisoner from the US came all the way to Kenya to encourage them. Richard got to experience for the first time what it was like to see what he looked like when he was in prison - hard hearted and full of anger. It was like looking in an old mirror.

The chaplain did an alter call and so many men (too many to count) came forward and accepted Christ. It was amazing to see some of those hard hearts soften. Richard prayed for them.

We visited the women's prison and shared our stories and encouraged them. There are fewer women now, only 47, and only 6 children staying in prison with their mothers - being raised by the village of women. My friend Carolyne is still there leading the CR group. It was great to reconnect with her. We were honored with Swahili songs and welcomed back.

We left CR materials, Swahili Bibles and a few Purpose Driven Life books for both prisons.

It was a very good day.

Please pray for us as we visit Purpose Driven Academy tomorrow and Joann "preaches" at chapel for the students. Pray as we finalize arrangements for our seminar next week and reconnect with friends.

Wednesday Night in Kitale

2010-03-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

We made it to Kitale this morning on a 19 passenger plane with no problems. However we have had some technical challenges with my computer so here are 2 days of catch up.

Tuesday
We went to 2 prisons, and got to leave also - thank you Jesus. We arrived at Kamiti, a men's maximun security prison with about 4000 inmates, a little before our appointed time. We waited. And we waited. We waited some more. Then we were allowed access to visit the 130 men on death row. What a humbling expereince. We sat in chairs overlooking the open latrene running through the yard, with the execution chamber in clear view. The men sat on the ground or 5 gallon plastic buckets.

Their choir sang beautiful worship songs for us. The team was introduced and I gave my short testimony and then Richard spoke - wow! John & Joann gave their short testimonies too. Everyone (including the guards) was completely focused on every word. And it was right what they needed to hear. One man, James, accepted Christ while we were there and John and Richard got to hug him and pray with him as he did. Thank You God for allowing us to be the Muppets. Powerful!

We had a nice visit with the Officer In Charger (warden) and believe we will be welcomed back there any time. They were pretty impressed that a former prisoner from the US would come all the way to Kenya to share hope with the hopeless. We brought some CR materials, Bibles and Purpose Driven Life books.

We went to Langata Women's Prison and got to meet the new Senior Chaplain (the former Sr Chaplain was promoted to Provencial Chaplain) and we began building new relationships. We spoke to a large group of women, both remands and convicted. It was very encouraging to Chirstine (the CR leader) and others that we came back. It was pretty powerful. They seemed to really appreciate our visit and the CR materials and Bibles that we brought.

Today (Wednesday)
We got up very early and caught a fligt to Kitale. We went straight to Oasis of Hope, a drop in center for street kids. The children live on the street and come to Oasis for 2 meals each day, classes and Bible studies. It was a real eye opener, heart jerker, fun and emotional time. Geoffrey gave us a tour of the great facility then we got to play games with the kids. Red rover, red rover, let John come over..... What a gift to be there. The reality of their lives really hit home to us when we saw those same kids in town later, on the street where they will sleep tonight.

After lunch in town we went to Purpose Driven Academy and the rest of the team got to meet my kids. Sorry, no words to describe this.... Ok, they will help me find some. It was wonderful to share my experiencs with the team and to see how quickly they bonded with "my" kids and many others. At first the children were a bit overwhelmed by 4 mzungus but warmed up pretty fast. It was a great time of reconnection and getting acquainted.

Today was all about being "in the present". The verse for the day is "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

Please pray for our visit to Kitale Prisons tomorrow morning. Pray for our meeting at ICM as we finalize arrangements for the seminar next week. Pray for those coming to the seminar, for safe travels as they come to Kitale from around Kenya. Pray for open hearts to learn about CR. Pray for the churches and prisons across Kenay that are in various stages of starting CR.

Monday Night

2010-03-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

God's plan for us today was to hold a meeting for people that have attended previous CR trainings plus an introduction meeting for new pastors, church leaders and prison chaplains that wanted to learn about CR. We showed up, God spoke, we left - with a few other minor details in between. The CR Africa materials were a huge hit and look great! They loved the new CR Kenya video with their testimonies. CR programs are progressing well, pole pole (slowly). It was wonderful to reconnect with so many people, and it reinforced the importance of following up. Richard shared his testimony for the first time here and it touch many people.

Richard had a new identity, it was decided that he had to have a "J" name too with John, Joann and Jana so now he is "Joe Richard".

Please pray for our meetings tomorrow as we go to Kamiti Prison, a maximum security facility here in Nairobi. Pray for David as he drives to Kitale tomorrow to meet us there when we arrive on Wednesday morning.

How do we put into words the expereinces of today?

2010-02-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

The team got a good night's rest, got to sleep in (ha ha) til 6. It has been raining some and that is considered a blessing. We drove to CCI Thika and met with the CR leadership. They have 14 people going through step study groups to prepare leaders, they are in book 3. They are discussing how to add the Large Group meeting and Open Share groups and see the need for them. They are becoming the Kenyan model for CR. Our visit was very encouraging to them, and us.

We had a meeting in the afternoon with Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC) Woodley. which has about 5000 members. Last week we accidentally went to this church for a meeting which was actually scheduled elsewhere. While we were waiting we met a key pastor and showed him a video of CR in Kenya and he invited us to come today and speak to some church leaders. The best way to describe it was there was a Holy Spirit transformation of the hearts of those attending. Then we met the Bishop over all 8 NPC churches. He has been to Saddleback and knows about CR. He was very excited that we were here and bringing CR to his churhces. They are planning to attend our next CR training. Did I mention that God was there?

Please pray for our families at home, our meeting tomorrow with churches in Nairobi that have been trained in CR or want to attend our next training that will be here in Nairobi in August (oh yeah, our plans for August have changed :-)).

The team arrived safely!

2010-02-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for your prayers. John, Richard and Joann made it to Nairobi with all their luggage after a couple of minor travel stresses but nothing serious. They are so excited to be here. We are all checked in at Methodist Guest House and hopefully will get a good night's rest.

Back in Nairobi waiting on the team to arrive

2010-02-27T06:16:00.000-08:00

I flew back to Nairobi today so I can meet the team coming in tonight. They had a flight delay in Minneapolis but should of had plenty of time for their connection in Amsterdam. I haven't heard from them so I assume that means they are on the plane arriving in a couple of hours. David (our trusted driver and friend) and I are headed to the airport in a few minutes to meet them. I'll post something after we get back to the hotel tonight to let you know they made it.

While I am waiting to go to the airport to meet them I'll give you an update on my remaining time in Kitale.

Yesterday morning we went by Kitale Prison to finalize arrangements for the team's visit next week. To my surprise they had prepared a program for me. The testimonies they shared were so amazing, lives are changing through Celebrate Recovery. People have peace in their lives, families are being restored, God is so good. They gave me several hand written testimonies, I can't wait to read through all of them. After visiting both the men's and women's prisons in Kitale we drove 1 1/2 hours south over very rough roads to Eldoret. We brought my 4 Kenyan children to visit their mother in prison. There weren't many dry eyes around for that! They got to spend a few minutes alone and then I spent some time with her too. She is now the pastor for all the women of that prison and has started CR since our visit last August! Did I mention that God is good. The kids enjoyed the visit so much, they sang most of the way back to Kitale.

This morning my flight was delayed from Kitale. During that time there were so many God connections. First of all there was a team from Seacoast Church in South Carolina waiting for the flight. They are a Purpose Driven Church and have CR. We had great conversations about CR and Kenya. They were with a Kenyan Bishop, John Lodinyo, who was featured in the book "White Man Walking", what an honor to meet this humble man. As we talked we realized that we have some common friends, it's a small world. Well Bishop John was talking to someone he knew, the retired Commissioner of Prisons. I talked to him for a few minutes about what CR is doing in the prisons, he was very happy. He was the one who opened up prisons to allow religious organizations in to minister to the inmates. He seemed pleased to see my permit, granting me access to visit the prisons. The time passed quickly and I didn't mind the flight delay at all.

Please pray for the team as they arrive this evening, that their luggage comes too and they get good rest tonight as they begin adjusting to the 11 hour time difference. Pray for our day tomorrow. We will attend church at CCI Thika and meet with their CR group to encourage them and see how we can best serve them. In the afternoon we have a meeting with a key church in Nairobi that is interested in starting CR. Pray for us to be the Muppets and that God will lead us and guide us every step of the way.

Also pray for a church in Kiev, Ukraine that has started CR with a few people and they are presenting it to their church tomorrow (Sunday.

Meeting the Grandmother

2010-02-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

I took my four God children to see their grandmother. My friend Margaret who is the principle of the boarding school they live and Pastor Abraham of Kitale Prison came with us. I have been sponsoring them for about a year at Purpose Driven Academy in Kitale. I met Augustine (now 5 years old) in prison where he was born. His mother remains in prison today adn God willing will be released in about 10 years. Elizabeth, age 6, is his sister and Brian, age 8, and Calvin, age 5, are cousins.

We drove 1 1/2 hours from Kitale over pothole filled roads through the sugar cane fields through Webuye and on to Matisi in Western Kenya. The towns grew smaller to tiny villages with open air markets every few kilometers. We turned off the main road to a dirt footpath that had likely never seen car. We slowly made our way down the path. The children's excitement was building. After 2-3 kilometers we came to the end of the path to 3 mud huts on a small plot of land. The grandmother was waiting to greet us. She could not contain her excitement to see the children and meet the first mzungu (white person) to ever visit the area. Apparently it was a real honor for her to host me in her home.

She offered us cokes as that was the only soda available in the village. We sat in her mud hut with a few pieces of stick furniture and got to know one another and talked about the children. It's too much to write about in the blog so for the details you will just have to wait for the book that I have been thinking about writing one of these days. I'll just say that Brain (the oldest at 8 years old) was born to her daughter when she was in the 5th grade and prostituted herself for food. There is no way to know who the father is. The grandmother raised him as her son but could not afford to send him to school. Last year when he came to Purpse Driven Academy he started in kindergarten and is now in the first grade. All four of the children have their unique stories.

All the neighbors came to great me and wanted me to take their pictures. Even the adults liked to have their pictures taken and look at them, maybe for the first time. I was a good time of fellowship and a very positive experience for everyone involved.

Please pray for the team that will be leaving LAX at 8 am on Friday morning. Pray for travel mercies and their families as they see them off. Pray for my meetings today at Kitale Prison and then I am taking the children to Eldoret for Augustine and Elizabeth to see their mother for the first time in a year.

A day with my kids

2010-02-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

This morning Margaret and I took my four kids to town and bought them new shoes and a few basic necessities. They needed black shoes to go with their school uniforms and casual shoes to wear when not in school along with some school supplies and toiletries. They are all doing well in school and enjoying it very much.

They live in a home with 16 other orphan children and house parents Joel and Margaret. We took their new mattresses and other things tehre and I got to see their beds and lockers and spend soem time with their house mom. After lunch we drove to outside of Kitale town to Endebes and visited a school. We had a great time on the drive, they rode in the back of the pickup and laughted and sang the whole way. It was a very good day!

In Kitale

2010-02-23T07:14:00.001-08:00

Early this morning I flew to Kitale in a 12 passenger airplane. We landed on a small asphalt airstrip in the middle of a cornfield. At elast the corn was short this time. My friend Margaret was there to pick me up. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Sister Freda and Richard, they were there to meet their daughter who was on the same plane.

We went to Purpose Driven Academy and got to spend some wonderful time with my four God children. It is hard to find the words to describe it, amazing is an understatement They were so happy to see me and of I course I was so excited to see them again. They are doing well - healthy, getting stronger, doing well in school and seem very happy to be there.

I met with Abraham, the senior chaplain at Kitale Prison. We finalized a few things about the team visiting next week and spent some time of fellowship. I saw Lydia and Geoffrey from Oasis of Hope too. Lydia is so much enjoying her time here with the street kids and former street kids that are now in homes and going to schools.

I visited ICM where we will hold our CR seminar week after next. We finalized the arrangements and had a chance to reconnect with many friends there.

I am settling down for the evening at Margaret's home where I will be staying for the next few days. She is preparing a nice Kenyan meal for me. God is good!

Please pray for reconnecting with friends, more wonderful time with my kids and a good time of fellowship for me and Margaret. She is a wonderful friend and it doesn't matter that we live on opposite sides of the world, God has brought us together. Also pray for the people that will be coming to the CR seminar March 8-11 that they will be open to what CR can do in their own lives and the lives of the people they serve.

2010-02-22T09:41:00.001-08:00

God's presence is evident everywhere I turn. Before I went to church yesterday I read all of your encouraging comments on this blog. It was all things I needed to hear. Thank you!

Yesterday at DC Saika the church service was amazing. I loved the worship, they really know how to praise the Lord through song. I "spoke" for over an hour and it was very well received. Many in the congregation afterward said they want to be a part of CR. I think it was encouraging for the pastor to get such feedback.

After church I had the privilege of going to the senior pastors home for a wonderfully prepared meal that his wife made. We had a great time of fellowship and I got to meet his 4 children. It was such a blessing.

Later I met a young woman (Pet) that I know through Ebenezer, a youth ministry that we have become very close with. We had great conversations and really connected so much. An anticipated short chat lasted about 3 hours!

Today (Monday) I met with the chaplain at Kamiti Prison, one of the largest maximum security prisons in Kenya. We had a good visit and finalized the arrangements for our team's visit there next week. I did a bit of shopping for ministry supplies so we don't have to do it when the team arrives.

I met a chaplain from Malindi Prison who recently moved to Nairobi to attend a Bible college. His prison has a really strong CR program and it is continuing in his absence. Stanley and I had a good visit and he send his greetings to all of you that have been here before. All of the students where he is attending is going through the Purpose Driven Life book together, they are on day 26. He wants to start a CR group there so I brought him some materials.

In the afternoon we made a last minute decision to visit Athi River Prison just outside of Nairobi. It was my first visit there and my driver told me this morning that he was close friends with the deputy warden so we decided to go see him. We were very well received and he introduced me to several of the officers there. To my surprise there were 2 men there that I know, who attended a training that we did in August 2007. We talked for quite a while. I was surprised to know that they had actually started CR. (I wonder how many other places here in Kenya have started it that I don't know about.) They were very encouraged by our visit today and very glad that we have materials available here now so they can continue to expand the program.

As I said at the beginning, God's presence is evident wherever I look.

Please pray for safe travels tomorrow as I fly to Kitale in the morning. Pray for great reunions with friends and of course my beautiful kids.

Saturday Night

2010-02-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

I had a nice, relaxing day today. I even got in a nap which will really shock those of you that have traveled with me :-). I got to call a lot of people that have attended CR trainings around the country and heard some great stories of how CR is changing lives in Kenya. One small church in Mombasa has CR and is working with the prisons to help 58 former inmates transition to civilian lives using CR. Churches are starting it and people are opening up and finding healing in their lives. Praise God!

Please pray for me tomorrow morning (Saturday evening in CA) as I have been asked to "preach" tomorrow at Deliverance Church Saika, about 45 minutes East of Nairobi. I told then I am not a preacher but I would love to talk about CR so I have the whole sermon time to "talk". Pray that I will be the Muppet and say whatever God wants and someone needs to hear and He is glorified through it. The church is preparing to launch CR later this year.

Building Relationships

2010-02-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

The last 2 days have been all about building relationships. Yesterday I met with the new administration of the chaplains office at prison headquarters. It was a time of getting to know one another and learning how to work together to further CR in the Kenyan prisons.

Today I visited 4 churches that needed a bit of encouragement to start CR. They or someone at their church has been through the training already. It was very helpful to spend time getting to know them and learning some of the challenges they face in starting CR and sharing how others have gone forward. It was a long day very well spent. I believe positive things will come of the visits. Two of the churches are very large, Nairobi Pentecostal Church Woodley has about 5,000 adult weekend attenders and Nairobi Pentecostal Church Valley Road has close to 20,000. So many lives could be impacted through CR at their churches and I beleive they will both be starting CR, all in God's timing (not mine). I also visited a center for street kids that are using CR. It was great to see boys 8-10 year old participating in the CR lesson TURN. God is good.

Please pray for these churches and others in Nairobi and Mombasa that are in various stages of starting CR ministries. Pray for the team (John, Richard adn Joann) who will be leaving LAX a week from today to join me in Kenya for CR trainings. Pray for me to have a good day of rest tomorrow.

In Nairobi

2010-02-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

My flights were smoothly, connections on time and the luggage made it! And I'm settled in at Methodist Guest House. Praise God. Thanks for all the prayers. I feel surprisingly rested (not in a total fog).

Please pray for a good night's rest tonight. We are 11 hours ahead of California here in Kenya so my nights and days are reversed. Pray also for the meeting with prison headquarters tomorrow morning with new leadership since I was here last. Thank God that my permit was renewed so I don't anticipate any problems with us visiting prisons. Pray that relationships will be built that will glorify God and further Celebrate Recovery in the prisons across Kenya.

Celebrate Recovery Mission Trip to Kenya, Feb 2010

2010-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our team (left to right) is Joann Willems, Richard Bojorquez, John Brennan, Jana and Michael O’Guin. Our team leader, Jana, will depart on February 16. The rest of the team departs February 26 and the entire team will return home on March 15.

Our team of Celebrate Recovery leaders from Saddleback Church & Emmanuel Church will train and equip leaders from across the Rift Valley in Kenya to start CR programs in their respective churches and prisons while we visit and encourage those that have existing programs.

There will be updates and specific prayer requests posted here during our trip so be sure to check back often.

We would like to thank you for joining us on this amazing journey. Your prayer support is greatly appreciated while in preparation for the trip and during our trip and upon our return. Below is our "planned" itnerary so you know how to pray for us.

Tuesday, February 16 ~ Jana departs for Kenya for meetings with prison officials and church leaders regarding CR in Nairobi. She will then fly to Kitale to visit with friends before returning to meet the team arriving on February 27th.

Friday, February 26th–27th ~ The team departs from LAX in the morning, changing planes in Minneapolis then on to Amsterdam for a 3 hour layover before heading out on an 8 hour flight to Nairobi, arriving in Nairobi the evening of February 27th.

Sunday, February 28th –Tuesday, March 2nd ~ On the 28th we will be attending a church that has CR, to encourage and support them. March 1st we will hold a seminar in Nairobi for churches and prisons that are in the process of starting CR. March 2nd we plan to visit Kamiti men’s maximum security prison and Langata women’s prison to minister to the inmates and encourage their CR programs.

Wednesday, March 3rd – Sunday, March 7th ~ Wednesday morning we will fly from Nairobi to the town of Kitale in the Rift Valley. We will visit the local prisons, Purpose Driven Academy, Sister Freda's Hospital, Oasis of Hope and attend a church that is starting CR.

Monday, March 8th – Thursday, March 11th ~ We will be facilitating a 4 day seminar to train and equip churches and prisons from across the Rift Valley to begin a CR program.

Friday, March 12th – Saturday, March 13th ~ Off to Nakuru for debriefing from our trip along with some rest and relaxation before heading back home.

Sunday, March 14th – Monday, March 15th ~ We will all travel to Nairobi for an evening flight home. We will arrive at LAX on the afternoon of the 15th.

2009-09-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the day off so we went to the Genocide Memorial. I would like to say that it was a relaxing day but not so much. I keep thinking that it will get easier, as this was my third visit to the museum, and it's still tough. It helps put things in perspective but hard to comprehend. Practically every person in Rwanda today has been affected by it one way or another.

In the afternoon we met with two men from an organization called ADAP that creates awareness for youth on drugs. They are very dedicated to creating awareness to a little recognized sleeping giant. According to government records, 69% of the youth of Rwanda are drug users. We got some good insights to some of the problems the Rwandese face.

Last night we had a great thunderstorm before dinner. It poured....hard. Lightening struck very close to us and knocked the power out for a while.

Today we went to Gakenke, 1 1/2 hour drive uphill, to attend a church that has started CR. Pastor Jean Baptiste hosted us at Anglican Church of Rwanda Gakenke. They were having a youth crusade with close to a thousand people attending. The 5 1/2 hour service was awesome with lots of great music and dancing. I gave my testimony and talked about CR which fit right in with their theme of the crusade. The diocese pastor preached the sermon and shared very openly about his own struggles past and present. They have a great vision for the church and they believe that CR will be a big part of it.

We had lunch at Jean Baptiste's home with pastors, denomination leaders, and head of the church's primary school with 600+ children. We got to meet his family too which was a special treat.

We are winding down and preparing to start our long journey home tomorrow. Pray for safe travels, smooth connections and good rest on the plane. Pray for the team that returned to teh US last week as I am sure they are still adjsuting.

Friday Night in Kigali

2009-09-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

This morning we met with Arthur who is writing a dissertation on addictions in Rwanda and had heard that we were in town and wanted to meet with us. He shared his story of abandonment and struggle with addiction. It helped us have a better understanding of some lives in Rwanda. He is a very passionate young man with a desire to help the addicted.

In the afternoon we had a meeting at the PEACE office where we debriefed about the meeting yesterday and began making plans for next steps including a CR seminar next year. We agreed on a format for future trainings and have tentative plans of when and where the next training will take place. We will be working out the details over the coming weeks.

It was so encouraging to hear from Jean Baptiste about how he has started CR, the impact it's already making at his church and his great vision for it's growth. God is good.

Tonight we had Italian food at a restaurant called Cactus overlooking the lights of downtown while listening to Christmas carols in some unknown language surrounded by the fragrance of jasmine and the tropics. By the way, it is September and we are in Rwanda. The pizza with bananas was great .... really :-).

Successful Meeting

2009-09-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Messners and Skons made it to LAX exactly on time yesterday. Everything in Amsterdam went smoothly and even CJ stayed with the group and did not wander :-). Joe picked them up from the airport and they made it home in an hour....God was very nice and made the traffic very light. Pizza with Heather, Chris and Kelly's mom was yummy and they were very excited to see each other.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our Rwanda meeting today, they worked. We met with 10 key pastors that were all in the CR seminar in January. We spent the day reviewing the CR components and answering questions. They were so thankful of our visit as it helped clarify some things for them. They sent their greetings to the January CR team that was in Gitarama.

One church (Pastor John Baptiste's) has started CR with the Large Group meetings and is preparing to add the Open Share and Step Study groups so our visit was very timely. He completed the 8 week Road to Recovery sermon series before starting the Large Group meetings. Another church has started small group meetings in preparation to launching CR.

The meeting went very well and several of the pastors seemed eager to start CR in their churches. We learned some valuable lessons that will help us in future trainings like using flip charts with diagrams to explain the 3 components of CR and a timeline of the 8 principles showing from "Realize I'm not God" to "Giving back", from hurts to health.

Please pray for the team that returned to the US, that they adjust to the new time zone and get good rest. Pray for the emotional adjustment and reverse culture stress as they experience life in Orange County after 3 weeks in Kenya. Pray for our debrief meeting tomorrow at the PEACE office as we plan next steps to go forward with CR in Rwanda.

In Rwanda

2009-09-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

Paul, Teri and I arrived in Rwanda last night as the rest of the team began their journey back to the US. We ran into a few friends from Saddleback at the Iris Guest House where we are staying. This afternoon we had a very good meeting with Pastor Straton and others at the PEACE office in preparation for tomorrow's meeting with key pastors from the Southern Provence where we did our CR training in January. We had good discussions about CR in Rwanda. It is good to be back in Rwanda.

Please pray for our meeting tomorrow, that we are able to clarify some things as we encourage them to continue moving forward and that we are the "Muppets". Pray for Teri and Paul as Teri's Dad fell and is in a skilled nursing center awaiting their return so he can go home. Pray for peace of mind for all concerned. Pray for the team flying home.

Back in Nairobi ..... for a few hours

2009-09-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

After an adventurous departure from Malindi we had a great time in Masai Mara. Our ticketed flight from Malindi to the Mara didn't actually exist. After several hours of sitting around a very tiny airport, they decided to charter a private 11 passenger plane for us since we had paid tickets and their next flight was not until the following day. What an expereince.

We had 2 days of R&R to help process our experiences plus we got some really up close time with some amazing animals. We flew back to Nairobi and had lunch. Now we are relaxing for a few hours before going to the airport. The Messners and Skons begin thier journey home, departing Nairobi at 10 pm then a few hour layover in Amsterdam then non-stop to LAX, getting home tomorrow evening. The Mootes and I depart at 10:15 for Kigali, Rwanda where we will be met by friends in the PEACE office and begin our meetings there tomorrow afternoon.

Malindi

2009-09-05T11:13:00.002-07:00

Yesterday (Friday) before we left Mombasa we took a tour of Fort Jesus built in 1593 by the Portuguese to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, we also visited Old Town in Mombasa. It was nice to get to see some of the city. We drove North along the coast for 3 hours to Malindi. We had a chance to walk on the beach and relax. We have been going non-stop since landing here over 2 weeks ago.

Today we went to Malindi prison and got to meet with some of the 67 men in CR. We heard testimonies of several men of how CR is changing their lives. They have a group for drug addicts, which is a huge issue in Malindi and long the coast of Kenya. About 80% of those attending the drug group are Muslim! They heard about the healing that was happening and they wanted to attend. I am looking forward to hearing about when one of them steps across the line to accept Christ.

The senior chaplain and our friend, Pastor Stanley, is well and is doing a great job with CR inside. We had the opportunity to visit his home and see his family again. He had a baby boy since we were here in February, they named him Blessington and his 3 sisters love their baby brother.

This afternoon we explored Malindi and saw the sights then I think we all took long naps. Tomorrow we fly to Masai Mara for a couple of days of R&R and hopefully will see a few animals.

Please pray for safe travels as we go to the Mara. For good rest. For processing the experiences as we begin the transition of leaving Kenya. The Messners & Skons fly home on Tuesday. The Mootes and I fly to Rwanda where we have CR meetings there so we are winding down but also gearing up for the next leg of our trip.

2009-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

We completed the seminar today and God's presence was evident. When thinking about where we started on Monday and how today unfolded, it is pretty amazing to see how God is at work here. Bishops talked about how they would start CR in their churches. Small neighboring churches are planning to start joint CR programs. People are taking off their masks and stepping out of denial and looking ahead to establishing their leadership teams as they start this ministry.

We ended the day with nailing our hurts to the cross and taking communion. They were obviously moved by the experience. The singing was lighter, there was more joy and burdens were lifted. It was so moving to hold hands in a circle and burn the papers taken from the cross and watch the relief on peoples faces as their burdens turned to ashes. The wind picked up as they were burning and it was like God was taking them away as the ashes scattered.

The translator from Tanzania was here and we met today to discuss the translation to Kiswahili. They are eager to get the translation complete so we can train people in Tanzania how to start CR.

We are winding now and some people - "CJ", "Mike" and "Paul" - not to mention names, are highly vulnerable to giggles and are a bit out of hand. We may have to leave them in prison in Malindi if they can't get their act together. :-) At least we know people there and CR is going strong.

Please pray for safe travels as we drive to Malindi tomorrow. For the participants as they go forward and start this ministry. That we are able to process the experiences of our trip so far. To not let our guards down and be available to every divine appointment God has for us along the way. For grace as we deal with these goofy guys on our team.

CR Seminar Update

2009-09-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

There are about 70 people attending the CR seminar here in Mombasa (actually Likoni) near the Mombasa port. We were expecting 50 participants and have over 70 and they are so excited to be here that some even have to stay off site and pay extra for accommodations. Bishops, senior pastors, pastors and church leaders are here from Nairobi, Lamu and even Tanzania.

The seminar started on Monday and they were skeptical but open and now are catching the vision of how CR can help and work in their churches. Today was the day that they "got it". It is exciting to watch it unfold. At times we lost focus of what God is doing and had doubts, He just needed to remind us who's in charge. We are just the Muppets, He is the Muppeteer. We just have to show up.

They are enjoying the teachings about CR and how to run the meetings and really liking participating in Step Study groups. They love hearing our testimonies. They have a whole new level of respect for the "youth couple" of Mike and Kelly.

We found out that the CR Africa materials are in the nearby port but have not been released yet. It's hard knowing that we can practically see where they are but can't get our hands on them yet. All in God's timing.

We are all continuing to do well and are healthy. Please pray for our last day of training tomorrow (Thursday) as they learn how to take this ministry back to their churches and train their leaders. Pray for the pastors as they plan to work together to help each other as they start CR in thier respective churches.

In Mombasa

2009-08-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

We left Edoret Saturday morning (so we couldn't train the host church). As we drove through Eldoret town to the airport there were gentle reminders of the post-election violence last year. Fresh paint and shiny corrugated iron sheets on buildings replacing those turn down or burned because of tribal fighting when 100s of people were killed. Eldoret was one of the hardest hit areas. Much healing is needed here.

We flew on a "big" plane (40-50 pax) to Nairobi then boarded the next plane to Mombasa, arriving around noon. We had lunch with Rev. Stanley Wainana, senior pastor of Christian Truth International Center in Likoni, and enjoyed a time of fellowship and renewing of relationships. His church has CR.

We got to walk on the beach and dip our toes in the Indian Ocean and enjoy the fresh ocean breeze and relax for the afternoon and evening.

Sunday morning we crossed the ferry with little wait - praise God. We attended CTIC with Rev. Stanley. The open air and corrugated tin church is located in a 90% Muslim community. It has been torn down twice in the last 4 years to encourage them to move elsewhere but they are commited to standing firm. During the service we shared our testimonies and Mike "preached". We now call him Pastor Mike. This afternoon we are just hanging out and relaxing at our guest house. We have been blessed with good weather, it's not too hot.

Please pray for good rest and good health for us as we prepare for the 4-day seminar that starts tomorrow. I'm sure it will start on Kenya time, not ours. Pray for the people that will attend, that their hearts are open.

Thanks for the prayers and encouraging comments, it's comforting to us and helps us feel connected. Tomorrow (Monday) we get to celebrate Mike's birthday, one that I suspect he will not forget. How often do you get to celebrate your birthday in Kenya?

Senior Pastor Introduction Meeting

2009-08-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

God set the tone for the day starting with our morning devotional about putting on the armor of God. Even though we started on Kenyan time (10:30 instead of scheduled 8:30) and at a different location, God multiplied the time and the shield of faith gave us serenity when we could have gotten distracted by the late start and change of venue.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.Romans 8:28

The 130+ pastors and prison chaplains are very eager to get training so they can start this life changing program. They LOVED the video of Kenyan testimonies from our February training and can see even more how it will work in their culture.

Bishops, pastors, prison chaplains and Provence directors traveled from all over the Rift Valley and even 200k away to hear about this ministry. It was very well received and they are anxiously waiting for in-depth training scheduled for March. Our host pastor wanted us to stay tomorrow so we could train his church to start right away. God is good.

Catching Up

2009-08-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

We will back up to Monday and try to catch you up on what we've been doing. Kelly is helping me catch you up.

Monday morning we went to Kamiti Men's maximum security prison in Nairobi. Although we were not granted access to visit the prisoners, we had a successful meeting with the officer in charge and senior chaplain laying the foundation for the future of CR.

In the afternoon we visited Langata Women's Prison. We thought we were there to share our stories with them, God had other plans. After hearing some of our testimonies, some of the women prisoners in CR share gave their testimonies, taking CR to a whole new level as it was the first time any of the inmates had shared that openly. Even the chaplain was blown away by their sharing.

We ended Monday worshipping with a youth group called Ebenezer that we have a very strong relationship with. Mike and Kelly shared their testimony, touching many people. It was great to hear their testimonies of how CR has given them permission to talk openly. We had fun singing and dancing too :-).

Wednesday
Now we skip ahead to Wednesday because we have already posted for Tuesday. We visited Oasis of Hope, a drop in center for street kids. To read more about Oasis go to their blog linked to this page. It was great to see their new building and how much room there is for future growth. Kelly really enjoyed seeing Mike hanging out with the kids. The kids absolutely loved him. We joined them during recess then attended their Wednesday church service. Everyone had multiple hanging on them, it was awesome loving on these kids.

Later we went to Kitale Main Prison and met with the men in CR, about 60 inmates and 7 mzungus packed in a small room. We were granted access to videotape the meeting record some amazing testimonies. One inmate even shared a poem that he wrote about CR which I will post later. God blessed our time there with a rainstorm which was much needed because of the drought. They sang for us because the rain was so loud we couldn't continue talking.

Next we visited the Women's prison and were met with a warm welcome and great singing. We taped more testimonies from women that had gone through CR. God is so good and lives are changing. I can't wait to see how these videos are going to help other Africans see how CR can help them.

Thursday (Today)
At 5 am this morning, Noah walked to the local bicycle taxi stand to get a ride to the commuter van, then took a taxi to the Kitale Club (a 3 hour journey) to spend time with us. Noah was in prison for 7 years and started the first CR in Kenya almost 5 years ago in prison. He was falsely accused of murder and when he finally went to trial late last year he was found innocent and released. I think of Paul and how the time he spent in prison God used for good. To me Noah is a modern day Paul. Now he is looking at starting CR outside. He was so excited to receive a CR Bible and meet 4 of the people with testimonies in it.

A visit to Kitale would not be complete without a visit to Sister Freda's Hospital. CJ & her husband, Richard enjoyed a reunion and walk around the farm to compare farming stories. Sister Freda gave a gracious tour of the compound to see the growth of her ministry. The nursing school is progressing well and will give so many people an opportunity for education and equip them to care for so many.

We drove to Eldoret (1 1/2 hours) and went straight to the Eldoret women's prison for the first. We spent time getting acquainted then were granted access to visit the inmates. We introduced them to CR and shared our testimonies. They were obviously moved by our stories. I had a great reunion with Nolega, who is the mother of my God children in Kitale. She is doing well and her sentence has been commuted from the death penalty to 10 more years in prison. Praise God! The officer in charge wants to start CR and since Nolega has been through it she will be the leader. We left a few materials for them to get started. Asante sana Bwana (Thank you Lord).

Please pray for our seminar tomorrow(Friday) when we will introduce CR to senior pastors and prison chaplains in the North Rift Valley. Our team is doing well, everyone is healthy and having a wonderful time here serving God. The only challenge is keeping CJ and Mike separated as they tend to create mischief where ever they go :-). Now we are caught up to date. Thanks for your prayers, we could not do this without them. God's presence is evident everywhere we turn.

Tuesday in Kitale

2009-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

This morning we had an early morning flight from Nairobi to Kitale on a 20 passenger prop plane and landed on a small strip in the middle of a corn field. We were met by my dear friend Margaret and our driver David who arrived safely yesterday. We got settled in at the Kitale Club and went to Purpose Driven Academy (PDA), a Christian boarding school that Margaret started. We had a tour of the school and it was great to see how it continues to grow and do well. Kelly, on our team, is an elementary school teacher and had a great time talking to the students.

The next experience is one that I find difficult to put into words but I will try. I met my 4 God children today, 3 for the first time. The first one is Augustine, I met him on my very first trip to Kenya in January 2005. He was in prison with his mother. It is a long story maybe I will tell another time but for now let's just say that we had a very unique connection. On a later trip his mother tried to give him to me to raise as my son. She was later sentenced the death penalty. Thank God they do not enforce it but still Augustine could only stay with her in prison until he was 4 and her family would not take him. It took about 1 1/2 years to work it out but I was able to arrange to send him to PDA. It was then that we discovered that he had a 6 year old sister Elizabeth. He also has an orphaned cousin Caleb (5) and another cousin Brian (8)that his father has died of AIDS and his mother is dying of it now. So that led to 4 children that my husband and I sponsor. So today was a very emotional day for me and one I have been looking forward to for months.

After our tour I saw Augo outside and asked someone who it was because I thought I recognized him. It was all I could do to not just grab him up and squeeze him to pieces. I had not seen him since he was 2 years old so I had to respect that he did not remember me and go very slowly. Margaret arranged for us to meet in the office and all 4 children came in togehter. At first they were very shy and overwhelmed by 7 mzungus (white people) staring at them. They had not seen white people before coming to PDA a few months ago. We spent some time with the group then I got to spend some time alone with them getting to know each other. I told them that I new their mother and had met Augo in prison. I brought them some school supplies, toiletries, new clothes, shoes and a soccer ball which was probably the first time they had new clothes. I had to show them how to brush their teeth as that was new to them. I showed them some pictures of my family so they could get to know me. They do not speak English so Margaret translated for us. Pole pole (slowly) they warmed up to me and after a little while we were hugging and holding hands everywhere we went. The rest of the team joined us for lunch then we went into town and got them locker boxes to keep their new things in. The rest of the team was hanging out with the other students making some cool connections.

Today was a very special day for me that I don't think I will ever forget. I get very emotional just thinking about it. It was all I could do to not cry while I was with them because they are not used to people showing emotions and I did not want to scare them. I can't imagine what Thursday morning will be like when we leave Kitale and these beautiful children that are embedded in my heart.

I'll post more later about our awesome day yesterday of divine appointments all day long.

Sunday

2009-08-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

We attended church at CCI Thika and it was great to attend their services. They are located about an hour outside of Nairobi in a town (called Thika) of 300,000 people with 1,000 people attending their church. They were heavily promoting CR as they have been for months. The drama team did a skit during the service about joining CR. It was great. The senior pastor talked about how important CR is and really, really encouraged people to attend next week when they launch it. I was asked to speak for a few minutes and shared my mini testimony and encouraged people to attend next week. It is exciting to see it unfold. We had a great time of fellowship with the senior pastor and other church leaders, including the founding bishop. It was a great time.

Afterward (almost 6 hours later) we had lunch of black currant sodas and California cheeseburgers and did a bit of shopping. Tonight we get to turn in early as we rest up for another exciting day tomorrow. We plan to visit a men's maximum security prison and a women's prison, then we will meet with a youth group called Ebenezer that we have become quite close to. They are putting on a special program for us tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to see what it is but am sure it will include lots of singing and dancing. I think they plan to attempt to teach us to dance - that should be really funny to see.

Please pray for good rest tonight. For our meetings tomorrow at both prisons and of course for our time with Ebenezer. Hopefully we won't hurt ourselves trying to dance :-). Pray for our driver, David, as he drives to Kitale (8-10 hours) so he can meet us when we fly there Tuesday early morning.

Saturday Evening

2009-08-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

We all got a good night's rest last night and today we had a great meeting with the people that attended the CR training in February. It was so good to see everyone and hear how CR is changing lives. Several churches are in the process of starting or have plans to start CR in the near future. Mike and Kelly gave their testimony and it really made an impact on those attending. It is exciting to see God at work. Tomorrow we attend a church that has been working with it's leadership team since February and is launching it church wide this next week. Hopefully our visit will encourage people to get involved.

Kenya is having a severe drought causing all kinds of problems. Cattle (many people's livelihoods) are dying, crops are failing and there are rolling blackouts across the country because they cannot generate enough electricity to keep up with the need. That is why we did not have hot water, the hotel had to use generators and they could not make enough electricity to heat the water. Praise God that we all had hot showers today. I'n sitting in my room and typing this by flashlight as the electricity just went out for the night. That is why we bring flashlights :-).

Please pray for another good night's rest tonight. That we are God's vessels (Muppets) tomorrow as we attend church at CCI Thika and speak at both of their church services and meet with their senior pastor. Pray for the church as they launch CR to the congregation. That we represent God in all of our interactions throughout the day.

Yeah!! We arrived in Kenya

2009-08-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Our layover in London went well, a bit long but we had a very pleasant surprise awaiting us when we boarded the flight to Nairobi. That nice gate agent booked us all in business class so we were able to stretch out and be more comfortable. Thanks so much for your prayers.

We arrived early this morning (10 hours ahead of PDT) then had a great meeting today with prison headquarters about our visit. My permit will be renewed for another year, granting access to all 93 of the prisons in Kenya. Go figure. It is interesting to see what God is doing here and such a blessing to get a front row seat.

Tomorrow we have a seminar with the people that attended our training in February. We will spend the day encouraging them and helping them get their CRs going strong.

Please pray for a good rest tonight; to be God's vessels tomorrow; awesome reunions with great friends; warm showers would be nice too :-).

Connecting Flights

2009-08-19T17:29:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Minneapolis almost 2 hours late and missed our connecting flight to Amsterdam. The next flight to Amsterdam would miss our connection to Nairobi so we were told that we could not get flights until tomorrow. We would have to miss an important meeting with the prison headquarters on Friday. So many faithful prayer warriors sent up prayers and then we were rerouted through London, scheduled to arrive Friday morning at 6am. Maybe a bit tired from the long flights but able to attend this really important meeting. Thank you prayer warriors and thank you Jesus. It's been pretty interesting to see how God is using this expereince to witness to others observing Him at work. I give away all my rights, they belong to the Lord anyway.

CR Mission Team Going to Kenya & Rwanda

2009-08-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said,‘Here I am. Send me!’”

A team of CR leaders from Saddleback Church including Teri and Paul Moote, Mike and Kelly Skon, Linda Messner, Jana O’Guin & CJ Messner will leave the morning of August 19th for Nairobi, Kenya. Mike and Kelly & CJ and Linda will return home on September 9th while Jana, Teri & Paul will return September 15th. We are asking for prayer support before we leave and during our trips.

Thank you so very much for joining us on this journey and supplying our prayer support. You are appreciated!
Please pray:
· That we will be humble and keep a servant’s heart.
· That we will be flexible and that our faith would grow.
· That we will rely on the Lord to lead and guide us.
· That we will be sensitive to, and learn about, the cultures of Kenya & Rwanda.
· That we will effectively share the power of healing through Celebrate Recovery.
· That the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of all who attend the CR trainings.
· That the newly published Celebrate Recovery Africa editions of the CR materials (in English) arrive in country in time to support the CR trainings.

Psalm 96:3 “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Wednesday, August 19th & Thursday, August 20th – We depart LAX in the morning; our first stop is Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. We go on to Amsterdam arriving the morning of the 20th then an 8-hour flight to Nairobi, arriving the evening of the 20th. Kenya is 10 hours ahead of PDT.

Friday, August 21st: We plan to visit Langata Women’s prison and Kamiti Men’s Maximum Security prisons in the Nairobi area. We have been to these two prisons before and look forward to reconnecting with our friends and seeing how their CR programs are progressing. We also have meetings with officials at Prison Headquarters to discuss the future of CR in the 93 prisons across Kenya.

Saturday, August 22nd: We will be meeting to reconnect with those who attended the February Celebrate Recovery training in Nairobi. We will encourage them to continue with their Celebrate Recovery program or encourage them to get Celebrate Recovery started in their church or prison.

Sunday, August 23rd: Spend the morning attending a church that has started CR.

Monday – August 24th: We will spend the day visiting local prisons and churches that have started CR.

Tuesday – August 25th & Wednesday – August 26th: We will fly from Nairobi to Kitale on Tuesday morning. We will visit friends at local prisons, Purpose Driven Academy, Sister Freda and Oasis of Hope.

Thursday – August 27th: In the morning we continue local ministries, in the afternoon we drive from Kitale to Eldoret and will prepare to introduce Celebrate Recovery to a new region in Kenya. We will visit the Eldoret prison where Augustine and Elizabeth’s mother is serving a life sentence.

Friday – August 28th: We will host an Introduction to Celebrate Recovery seminar for senior pastors.

Saturday – August 29th: We will fly from Eldoret to Mombasa and will prepare to train those attending our Celebrate Recovery seminar starting Monday. We will visit a Church and a Prison during the day.

Sunday – August 30th: We will attend a Church that has started CR and visit a Prison in the afternoon.

Monday, August 31st – Thursday, September 3rd: We will teach Celebrate Recovery to pastors, prison officials and other representatives from 8:30 am – 5 pm daily. We will be teaching the Celebrate Recovery curriculum, facilitating small groups, giving our testimonies, and answering questions.

Friday – September 4th: We will host a follow-up meeting with the Pastors and Prisons Officials who attended our Celebrate Recovery training in Mombasa last year.

Saturday – September 5th: We drive from Mombasa to Malindi (approximately 3 hours) to meet with Rev. Stanley Chea Msanzu at Malindi Prison. Along the way (time permitting) we may stop at Kilifi Prisons.

Sunday – September 6th & Monday – September 7th: We will fly from Malindi to Masai Mara. We have a morning flight on the 6th to Masai Mara. In Masai Mara hope to visit the animal park, go on a safari and have some time to relax, process our experiences and decompress.

Tuesday – September 8th and Wednesday September 9th: Our team will fly from Masai Mara to Nairobi and we will all have a 6 – 8 hour layover in Nairobi before CJ, Linda, Mike and Kelly leave on a late evening flight to Amsterdam, then nonstop to LAX International. They will be landing in LAX in the afternoon of September 9th. Jana, Teri & Paul depart for a late night flight from Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda.

Wednesday September 9th – September 13th: Jana, Teri and Paul meet at the P.E.A.C.E office with the Purpose Driven staff, trainers and some that have attended previous training and have started CR. The focus will be to brainstorm ideas of how to implement CR across the country of Rwanda. We will also visit a church that has started CR.

Monday, September 14th – Tuesday, September 15th: Jana, Teri and Paul will fly from to Kigali, Rwanda to Nairobi, on to Amsterdam, then Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and finally back to LAX International. We will be landing in LAX in the afternoon of September 15th.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Celebrate Recovery Kenya PEACE Trip Report

2009-06-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Pioneer PEACE trip team members of Celebrate Recovery (CR) leaders from Saddleback Church were Paul and Teri Moote, John Brennan (CA State Rep), Bryan Fenstermaker, Joann Willems, Virginia Payne and led by Jana O’Guin. Trip was January 28 – February 13, 2009. This was the eighth mission trip to Kenya focusing on Celebrate Recovery.

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered 12-step recovery program based on the Beatitudes that helps people work through hurts, hang ups and habits in their lives. It is in over 10,000 churches across the United States and approximately 30 countries around the world.

Purpose
The team traveled to Kenya to teach the CR program to a small group of key church leaders and prison officials in Nairobi that would serve as models for others in the area. Also the team held a follow up training in Mombasa for church leaders and prisons officials that attended previous trainings to encourage them and help them as they start their programs.

History
On previous trips, teams have conducted seminars in Kitale, Nairobi and near Mombasa and trained pastors, church leaders and prison officials from across Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Rwanda. CR started in many churches but not continued, mostly due to lack of senior pastor support. Based on that, we reevaluated the training process and how better to approach the churches to gain senior pastor support.

In April 2008 Pastor Rick Warren held a luncheon meeting in Nairobi with approximately 30 denomination leaders from across Kenya. At that meeting he talked about Celebrate Recovery and many expressed interest in the program.

In September 2008, a team of CR leaders from Saddleback held an informational meeting at ICM offices in Nairobi with about 75 people present, including some of those leaders from the luncheon as well as many other senior pastors from the Nairobi area. Those attending were presented an overview of the program, how it can impact their church, challenges they may face and how they can best demonstrate their support. They were invited to attend a future seminar on how to start the program.

CR Seminars
The first week of February 2009, the team conducted a 4-day residential seminar held at AIC Diguna in Nairobi with pastors, church leaders and prison officials in attendance. The seminar was limited to 75 people from 10-12 churches with men and women from each church. The course included both lecture and group meetings so the participants were able to experience the benefits of the program for themselves and can better understand how the program works.

The training partly consists of an accelerated CR step study, so the participants experienced the benefits of CR in their own lives during the intensive training and saw how it can help the people of their churches and prisons deal with their hurts, hang-ups and habits. It is a tool to help them work through their past and find forgiveness, and can help them with many struggles in their lives such as abuse, anger, unforgiveness, alcoholism, and sexual addiction.

By the conclusion of the seminar, many churches had created detailed schedules of how they would train leaders and start CR over the next few months.

The team traveled to Mombasa and held what began as a follow up meeting for those attending a 5 day CR seminar in September 2008. Word got out that we were there to talk about CR and many others came to learn about the program, turning the seminar into more of an introductory meeting. We were invited to come back and hold a training seminar.

Prisons
CR has been very successful in the Kenyan prisons and continues to grow. It began in 2005 in Kitale Men’s Prison and is now in all 4 prisons in Kitale as well as many prisons across the country. Jana O’Guin was blessed with a government issued permit allowing full access to visit any of the 93 prisons in Kenya.

On this trip, the team visited 8 prisons in Nairobi, Mombasa, Malindi and Kilifi, including 2 youth prisons and death row in men’s and women’s prisons. Officials from each of these prisons had attended previous CR seminars. Three of these prisons have active CR programs. The others are in the process of starting. We brought CR materials, pens, notebooks and encouragement for the inmates and officers. We attended a weekly CR meeting at Langata Women’s Prison in Nairobi to encourage them and share our own stories of healing through CR. We visited the 43 women on death row at the same prison who are starting CR. We went to Kamiti Men’s Maximum Security Prison in Nairobi and met with 150-200 men who are on death row or serving life sentences. We introduced CR to the inmates and the chaplains have since begun the program. We were invited to attend a men’s step study group with 15 men at Malindi prison and since being there it has grown to 44 men.

Relationships
We have found that it is important to establish relationships with the churches and prisons before they are willing to begin CR. We attended churches in Nairobi and Mombasa, both of which are now in the process of starting CR. We visited with friends made during previous trips, developing long term relationships. Many of the previous CR trips to Kenya have been to Kitale but we were unable to go there on this trip. Two friends came to Nairobi just to meet the team and spend a short amount of time in fellowship.

Materials
Up to this point, distribution of CR materials has been limited to the amount the teams could carry over in tubs. Zondervan has recently granted rights for an African Edition of the CR Leader’s Guide and Participant Guide in English at a very low cost. The first printing will be delivered in 2009 making CR materials much more accessible.

Many Kenyans outside of the Nairobi area have difficulty with English. The senior chaplain of Kitale Main Prison has translated the Participant Guides into Kiswahili by hand. Per our request, ICM is in the process of turning that into an official translation which will be published and made available within the next year or so.

Next Steps
A follow up trip by a Saddleback CR team to support the churches that participated in the Nairobi seminar is scheduled for August 2009. During this trip, the team will be holding an introductory meeting for senior pastors and prison chaplains in Rift Valley to lay the foundation for a future seminar in that region. They will also be conducting a 4 or 5 day training seminar in Mombasa with those that attended the introductory meeting on this trip.

Celebrate Recovery Rwanda Trip Report

2009-06-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

A team of Celebrate Recovery (CR) leaders from Saddleback Church traveled to Rwanda to teach the CR program to a group of church leaders in Gitarama in Muhanga District. The Pioneer PEACE trip team members were Dave and Jana Lopez, Joe and Deanna Bommarito and led by Jana O’Guin. Trip was January 14 – 28, 2009.

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered recovery program based on the Beatitudes that helps people work through hurts, hang ups and habits in their lives. It is in over 10,000 churches across the United States and approximately 30 countries around the world.

CR supports the PEACE Plan by Promoting Reconciliation. It is a permanent ministry within the church that helps people resolve painful problems in their lives. By working through the 8 principles of this program, the participants can find freedom by truly forgiving old hurts and releasing bitterness, resentments, guilt and shame from past sins. The PEACE Steering Committee in Rwanda recommended that the first CR training be held in Muhanga District, supporting the PEACE Plan's focus of Promote Reconciliation in that district.

Purpose
The purpose of the trip was to work with a small group of churches to equip them to start CR that would serve as models for other churches in the region and eventually the country.

CR Seminar
Prior to the training, the team met with the ICC (Inter Church Counsel) for Muhanga District and presented an overview of Celebrate Recovery and laid out the long term plan of conducting future trainings. A meeting was also held with the senior pastors of the churches attending the seminar to better help them understand the program, how it impacts their church and how they can best demonstrate their support.

The team conducted a 5-day seminar held at Restoration Church Gitarama with approximately 70 pastors and church leaders from Muhanga District in attendance. The participants were from 10-12 churches within the region with men and women from each church. The course included both lecture and group meetings so the participants were able to experience the benefits of the program for themselves so they could better understand how the program works.

The participants saw the benefits of CR and how it can help the people of Rwanda deal with their hurts, hang-ups and habits. Not only is it is a tool to help them work through the pain of the genocide and find forgiveness, it also can help them with many other struggles in their lives such as abuse, anger, alcoholism, and sexual addiction.

Materials
The CR materials (including the Leader’s Guide, Participant Guide, the Road to Recovery sermon series and the missions training manual) were recently translated into Kinyarwanda and field test copies were used in the training. Final publication of materials will follow after edits are incorporated. Each participant received a copy of the materials.

Next Steps
The translation will be completed and the materials published. The Steering Committee with meet with those that attended the seminar to get feedback on the training. The evaluations that were completed at the end of the seminar will be translated and reviewed. The churches will need time to review the materials and begin training leadership teams within their churches prior to beginning the CR program.

A follow up trip by a Saddleback Celebrate Recovery team to support the churches that participated in the seminar and answer questions about this ministry will be scheduled based on the feedback received.

Conclusion
The people of Rwanda will benefit greatly from CR and they appear to be ready for it. They have an extraordinary drive to heal their emotional and spiritual scars. The material translation is almost complete making it possible to go forward.