Author: Tameeka McIntosh

Last Sunday, June 14th, we took time during our service to pray for and commission our Missions Team as they prepare to depart for Kenya this week.

Over the coming days, Jeremy, Eli, and Samuel will make their way to Kenya. We invite you to continue praying for safe travels, smooth connections, good health, and God’s leading throughout their journey.

This year’s mission trip will focus on the rural communities of Busia and Sioport. During their time there, the team will serve, support, and encourage local communities through conferences, teaching, preaching, and prayer. They will spend time with widows, young people, children, and families caring for orphans, as well as alongside farmers, small business owners, pastors, and Bible college students.

As always, our team members personally cover the cost of their travel, accommodation, meals, and personal expenses. Every mission offering and donation received goes directly towards ministry on the ground. This year, that includes purchasing and distributing Bibles, reading glasses, and sporting equipment to support and bless local communities.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and generosity as we continue to support the work God is doing in Kenya.

To donate, please select the MISSIONS account as you enter details. Giving can also be done in person in the Worship Centre at GVCF.

This year’s team consists of Jeremy Rensford, Eli Rensford, and Samuel Taylor.

Prayer Support

Prayer remains the primary way we ask our GVCF community to support our Kenya Missions trip.

An updated itinerary and key dates will be available in posts below.

This year, we encourage our community to regularly check the blog and follow the team’s itinerary for daily points of prayer throughout the trip. For occasional urgent or specific prayer needs, we invite you to join our prayer list using the button below.

Missions Giving Account

Financial support is also greatly appreciated. You can give directly to missions via our giving page using the button below.

This year, our team is seeking financial donations to go towards the purchase of Bibles and reading glasses while in Kenya.

Our Kenya Mission trip is fast approaching – please see below for some key prayer points as the team spends their final weeks preparing.

• Travel safety, especially in Qatar, with no delays
• Reliability of the vehicle
• Health and strength for both the Australian and Kenyan team members
• Strength and rest for delegates, especially those daily travelling by foot
• Unity
• Anointed preaching/teaching
• Signs and wonders
• Powerful worship times with moving of the Spirit
• Wisdom and Holy Spirit inspired business meetings
• Salvations
• Encouragement for women’s prayer groups, widows and orphan host homes
• Inspiration ministry to youth

Our Missions Team has been busy preparing behind the scenes, and once again, we are excited and expectant as we prepare to send a small team from GVCF on an international mission trip to Kenya.

This year’s team consists of Jeremy Rensford, Eli Rensford, and Samuel Taylor.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more updates and information — but for now, please find some key information below.

Kenya Blog

Each year, we maintain this blog that our team will once again be updating throughout the trip. This will be a key point of connection for our GVCF community over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we invite you to browse through posts from previous years’ Kenya mission trips. They provide a wonderful snapshot of the ministry taking place, the people and communities we partner with, and the many meaningful — and often joyful — moments shared by the team along the way.

Prayer Support

Prayer remains the primary way we ask our GVCF community to support our Kenya Missions trip.

An updated itinerary and key dates will be available on the blog in the very near future. In the meantime, please be praying for the team members as they make their final preparations, and for the many logistics involved in coordinating a trip of this scale.

Please also pray for the relationships, ministry opportunities, and conversations that will take place both leading up to and during the trip.

This year, we encourage our community to regularly check the blog and follow the team’s itinerary for daily points of prayer throughout the trip. For occasional urgent or specific prayer needs, we invite you to join our prayer list using the button below.

Missions Giving Account

Financial support is also greatly appreciated. You can give directly to missions via our giving page or in person at GVCF via our giving station located at the north end of our worship centre.

This year, our team is seeking financial donations to go towards the purchase of Bibles and reading glasses whilst in Kenya. You can use the link above to give to these causes.

Please note that all financial contributions go directly towards on-the-ground ministry in Kenya and not towards the team’s travel, accommodation, or personal expenses.

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