GVCF Kenya Blog

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

Monday: Glenys and I got picked up at 6 am. We had a great day on our safari and saw lots of animals.

Now resting before we catch the plane at midnight See you at home.

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

Our last Sunday! Jeff and Annette went to Afulos church, Deenie to Franklin, and Glenys and I to Gabriels.

Deenie, Glenys and I were picked up after church to go to Afulo’s church to have lunch. When we arrived, Afulo asked Deenie to speak to the youth, who were all sitting under a tree in the shade.

They spoilt us again. After lunch we picked up our stuff and headed off to the airport, stopping on the way at the equator.

Our hotel room had hot running water! The shower was wonderful.

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

Saturday: Today was our day off, except for Deenie, she went to Busia to meet up with Rael, Nelson and Rael’s brother Daniel for lunch and a meeting.

Austin, our driver, and Nelson having a cappuccino and mandazi.

This is the Sio Port women’s prayer group who meet monthly, rotating venues and helping needy people in their respective villages.

While Deenie was away, Annette, Glenys and I went for a walk around the market, which was around the corner from our accommodation. There were a lot of things to see.

But we did attract a strange man who followed us all around the market. It was a bit uncomfortable, but we kept an eye on him. We stopped at a fruit stall and the stall holder started talking to us. He told us he was a pastor. He sounded genuine, so Glenys got his contact details, as she had befriended a woman at our accommodation who had just moved to the area and was looking for a church. Glenys took her to meet him, but he wasn’t there, he was filling in while the stall holder had a break. Is that a coincidence or God’s timing?

There are a lot of buses and trucks with signs like this, and storefronts also with biblical words, showing a very strong Christian influence.

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

Our last day at Sioport. We started with worship, and then Jeff spoke. While Jeff was speaking, I went with Hezekiah, Paul and Silas to visit their homes and see the goats our Church sponsored. It was a long drive to Paul’s place, the road turned into a track, and then even to a motorbike track! But we turned into a nice little property. Paul has two goats, a billy and a nanny

From there we continued, but because I had spotted Lake Victoria in the distance, they very kindly took me to have a closer look.

We continued through Sioport to Fanyula to Hezekiah’s place, he has one nanny goat.

Then we hurried back to the church, as they were thanking all the people who made the conference work.

After lunch, Deenie, Annette, Glenys and I were invited to meet Pastor’s wives as they had a surprise for us

After everything was finished, Austin, our driver took us to Lake Victoria for a look, as the others hadn’t seen it yet. We also met Rose and Gift, Ann’s mother and brother.

Wednesday: Jeff and Annette continued their teachings. Deenie, Glenys and I spoke to the widows. They enjoyed our chat with them, and the present of fragrant tea and a message from our Church members from Shepparton.

After lunch, we had another lesson with the song we are teaching them.

Here we are with some of the Pastor’s wives.

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Thursday: We started our morning with worship and used the song we had taught them. It was lovely. Then Annette took the first session, and Jeff the 2nd. Deenie, Glenys and I had a get-together with the orphans, 14 of them. They have been taken in by some members of the different churches.

We taught them the song ‘God is so good’

The orphans having lunch.

While Annette took the afternoon session, Deenie, Glenys and I had a chat with the ladies. We finished off with another practice of the song

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

On Tuesday Our first day in Sioport, Jeff took the first session. This time he didn’t have technical issues like in the last place. It has been challenging to be able to use the PowerPoint slide show to help illustrate his message. Annette took the next session, and had a slight hiccup with the technology, but was soon sorted. The messages from both were well received, and when they had a question session it showed how much they had learnt, and how eager they wanted to learn. Deenie talked to the students during lunchtime, and Jeff took another session in the afternoon.

The worship services are wonderful, their singing is beautiful.

Our team has just finished a very full week of ministry. After a brief rest, they are set to begin their second conference and time of ministry. Please see their itinerary below.

Week Three

Tuesday, June 25th: Sioport Conference Day One

Hammonds are taking five sessions.

Women’s session in the afternoon and property visits

Personal ministry

Wednesday, June 26th : Sioport Conference Day Two, as above

Thursday, June 27th: Sioport Conference Day Three, as above

Friday, June 28th:  Sioport Conference Day Four As above

Saturday, June 29th: Day of Rest, Yay

Sunday, June 30th: Team ministering in various churches

Late evening Hammonds return to Malaysia

Monday, July 1st: Cheryl and Glenys on Safari

Cheryl, Glenys, and Deenie fly home at 11:30 pm

Wednesday, July 3rd: Arrive home in the morning.

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

On Monday Deenie and I met up with the pastors in this area. It was very interesting to hear how God is helping them with their enterprises. Some are farming to supplement their income as their churches are not big enough to wholly support them yet. A couple of the farmers were having trouble with their crops and asked me for ideas, so Deenie suggested we sit together over lunch to chat. Our driver Austin came to join us because he is trained in agriculture! God is good! Austin was very happy to talk with them and has arranged to meet them to teach them what they need to do. When lunch was finished we went back home. Jeff, Annette and Glenys had a rest day, they did a little bit of shopping.

Our accommodation

Sunday: It was our last day in the Mundika area. Jeff and Annette went to one church, Glenys another, and Deenie and I to a third. Deenie and I got to speak to totos- children first.

Then Deenie spoke to the church and afterwards prayed for a few people, and then they prayed for us. It was lovely to celebrate the Lord together.

After our church visits, we visited Nelson and Rael’s for lunch with some of their family. In Nelson’s church today, he told us that there were 6 Muslims who gave their heart to the Lord. Praise the Lord

Now it is time to say goodbye to Mundika, and hello to Sioport.

By Cheryl O’Shannessy

Saturday Today was the graduation ceremony for the Bible students. There was quite a crowd when we arrived, the families had come to join in the celebration.

First a procession. The procession went down outside to the back of the church and in the back door, up to the front

Then the prayers and introductions of the new students and past students. Next came singing and a performance by some of the children.

Our Church received a certificate of recognition.

And then the certificates were handed out.

It was fun to see how the families celebrated together. They put tinsel around the necks of the graduates.

We felt like celebrities, they all wanted pictures with us.