Update from Harvest Partnership March 2017

Recent Events

Bob Abdullah, Kenya

During this month I was able to visit and encourage the following places;

Mariakani, Coastal Kenya:  I spent 7 days with Shaban and the youth involved with Kensha Street Youth Football Outreach. There has been great progress amongst the footballers and their coaches, the farm plot which has suffered from drought conditions, Bible Reading groups, and helping everyone to be better organised. I was greatly encouraged by the progress. Pray that the Lord will continue to bless and give them all wisdom.

Yala: During my visit I followed up the leaders I had trained. They continue to grow. Their daily Bible reading groups have grown and increased to 24. I repeated training them in Step 2 and in prayer walking for the areas they have in mind to evangelize next. This church has grown. Every leader together with their members are active in sharing the good news with other people. Many families have returned back to God through the DBR fellowships.

I shared the gospel in their revival meetings and five people received Christ in their hearts. We were excited at the Lord's doing, everyone joined in praising God with songs. One man later stood up to give a testimony of how the Lord brought him out of desperation to victory after he joined the daily Bible reading fellowship and received Christ in his heart.

Busia, Nambale, Uganda: I followed up the nine leaders I had trained in Step 1 and 2. They established 11 Bible reading fellowships last year and this year they have increased to 20. I trained them in Step 2 again and reminded them about the end vision for them to reach out to their whole village and beyond. They have to involve every member of the church sharing with others. I shared Bible story telling to use as they reach the neighbouring Muslims. Some of the Christians are from a Muslim background. I shared my testimony among them and one family came forward for prayers but was not ready to receive Christ. We offered prayer for them. I came to know that they were Muslim and we need some more prayer for them to get the Lord upon their hearts. We identified some of the evil spirits which hinder people from receiving Christ and we prayed against them on the fourth day. Six people were born again and joined the DBR fellowship. The church was excited with every one ready to share the good news.

Kakamega: During my four day visit I encouraged the five leaders and the other four new leaders I developed contact with on my last visit. I trained them in Step 1 and taught them prayer walking. They established six daily Bible reading fellowships. I encouraged them to keep seeking God through prayers and the daily reading of His word.

I had another training at Peace Covenant Church with six leaders in Step 2. Since completing the Step 1 training they had established six daily Bible reading groups. Through this they have won 17 people to God. Every member is learning to be active being a disciple and making disciples.

Prayer Requests:
1)  Keep praying for peace during our election period
2) Pray for the growth of the new converts
3) Pray for our youth in Mariakani to grow strong for Christ
4) Pray that we receive rainfall - many are dying of the drought
5) Pray for us as we share the Gospel in our community

We love you all and pray for you. Thank you for being involved in ministry with us in so many ways. We are so grateful for your love and prayers.

Kensha Street Youth Football and Outreach

Football Report: We are training very hard to put up a better performance despite the harsh climatic conditions of prolonged drought experienced in the whole region, declared a national disaster. We have even switched training to late in the evening due to this effect and the impact has gone inside most of the players' households. The price of various food items and commodities in the supermarkets have soared, in some cases tripled, leaving many families unable to sustain themselves or buy food since they come from very poor backgrounds. We would love to establish a feeding program to counter this.

So far we have played seven friendly games, winning four, drawing one and loosing two. We are improving and rectifying some game mistakes, hoping our Lord Jesus Christ will keep us safe, united and visionary. The National Super League will start soon, in three weeks time to be precise. Sports shoes remain another big challenge for us and a ten pair boost could really be helpful. We keep on praying for the best.

Farm Report: After carrying out a thorough investigation as to why we had a bumpy harvest, we have come to the conclusion that there is need for a manure boost in the form of cow dung, which is locally available, plus sawdust. So we are about to apply this right now. The manure will have to be mixed by Agricultural Chemicals to kill termites and other bad crop invaders.

Special Needs and Prayers:
1) The biting drought killing people, animals and vegetation in Kenya in general has made me seek divine intervention, and from you and the rest of Harvest's members. Please, do pray for Kenya.
2) The KENSHA project itself and its members ask for prayer too
3) Brother Jacob is embarking on a three day fast for his job hunting mission to open up so please pray for him.
4) Complete finishing of the house project on the plot.
5) Brother Alfan has already collected the results from school and is looking forward to joining college. Prayer for him too.
6) Rula and Selle, our reserve goal keeper, wish to re-join school so pray for them. 

Abel Rachete, Burundi

In Bujumbura: 
This month I have visited to encourage leaders in the following suburbs: Kamenge, Cibitoki, Mutakura, Kinama, Jabe, Bwiza and Carama. Both leaders and members are active as they are involved in Bible Readings and there is much fruit. Churches are growing because members have understood that they have the responsibility of praying, witnessing to the lost and inviting them into the house churches. We encouraged the young people to reach out and win souls in their schools and with their families.

Living Word Church: Pastor Frank and his leaders have been able to establish four new BRF groups and 13 new converts joined the house churches. Many families are now reading the Bible together in their homes. Young people are keen and have a passion to reach their friends as they are sharing the love of God.

I trained 18 leaders this month about developing and multiplying the leadership by training others for the work of the ministry. They were happy to realise how they can disciple and mentor others in the house church by learning from our diagram. I gave them the assignment to train new leaders before my next visit.

Rhema for Living Church: In this church I have taught Step 1 to 12 people. They said that before they open the house churches they will send the members in street witness, sharing the Word. From that one time outreach they were able to win 34 people to the Lord. Among them there is one Moslem lady. I have encouraged the members to continue to meet in houses so that those they win can be discipled and grow in the Lord. 

Out of Bujumbura:
Gihanga: It was good to encourage pastors and leaders. I followed up those I trained during my last visit at the Assemblies of God. Initially they were 31 people who established seven active BRFs. During my last visit I found that they were not doing well and not growing. I asked Pastor Donatien and the leaders to start again and invite friends and family members into the BRF's during the week. This month he chose 15 other people from the congregation who said that they feel God is calling them to open their homes. I trained them the Step 1 and shared how to reach their communities. I appreciated how Pastor Donatien and these people have already established 15 active BRF groups that meet every week. Two weeks after the training they reported that things have changed in a positive way as members are now enjoying the Bible using the BRC. This helped them so much. Many lives became transformed as they are applying the Word. On the telephone Donatien told me that this month they were able to bring 17 people to the Lord and now the church is mobilised to read the Bible.

Cibitoki Province: I trained 13 leaders at the Pentecostal church of Pastor Nestor. As it was the first time to meet them I taught them Step 1 so that they can enjoy reading their Bible daily, pray for the lost and meet once a week to share what the Lord has been teaching them. I encouraged and challenged them to be reading the Bible daily, to pray for them to continue to develop their members and to plan BRF groups. They said as many are famers they will begin to meet every Sunday after the church service to share the Bible and see what members to encourage members during the week in their homes.

Prayer Requests:
1) Pray for these leaders for God's blessing to be upon them and the growing churches in Gihanga
2) Pray for the churches that accepted to be trained, that they continue to turn their members into disciples who will make disciples and plant multiplying house churches in their communities.
3) Pray for my family (provision, protection and children schooling). Things have become expensive.
4) Pray a resident visa as I have a Congolese passport. This is my last month as they gave me two months.
5) Pray for a clear opportunity for the micro project as this has been discussed for many years

Personal Stories

Thanks for the gift of the Bible and for house church training which helped me so much. As I am reading the Bible daily I have discovered so many things that helped me to changed my life and to live for the Lord. May God bless you as you continue to give the Word of God to those who cannot afford one for themselves.
Leonard

Thank you dear Abel for the teachings and the simplest way you taught us to share the Bible using the Bible Reading Card, especially how to discover the truth by answering the three key questions. I can only say that our members are very excited when it comes to reading the Bible using this powerful tool of the BRC.
Bruce

I have been in a Bible Reading Fellowship since last year. I'm excited that my worries of death and how I will be in the future is gone. I lost my job before and my life was in a state of confusion. My two children dropped out of school because of school fees. My wife and I were deep in debt and struggling with personal conflicts. The Bible reading and prayers was the lifeline I clung to. As I learned to pray, I noticed a difference in our life and finances. Through attending the fellowship I also learned to hear God. He made a way for me and I got a new job with good salary. I took my children back to school and got a new Bible for us. The Lord has prospered in every area of my life. Our marriage is wonderfully harmonious. Praise God! 
Brother Odoje