Kenya

We got word today that the mother of one of our key people in Kenya passed away after a long battle with cancer. As these things work in Kenya, the hospital is holding the body until after the medical bill is cleared. The cost for medical and funeral expenses is almost $16,000.00. They have been able to raise $6,300.00 from friends and family, and have asked if we could help with the remaining balance.  So, here I am again seeking your help.

If you have anything extra this month, please visit our Donation Page at Lifestream. Please designate “Kenya” in the Note section of your donation, or email us to let us know that your gift is intended for Kenya. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries  • 1560 Newbury Rd Ste 1  •  Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.

As always, every dime you send will end up in Kenya. We do not take out any money for our administrative costs.

I got this the other day from our friends in Kenya:

On behalf of International Gospel Equipping Ministries (IGEM), we would like to express our deepest gratitude and heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering partnership and support, which has spanned over fifteen years. Your love, sacrifices, and faithfulness in the mission of Christ have brought transformation to countless lives and communities across Kenya and East Africa.

Through your generous support, we have witnessed God’s hand move powerfully through numerous projects and outreaches, including:

• Installation of irrigation systems in Pokot, ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture, through planting of maize plantation, cassava and arrow roots.
• Medical dispensary in Pokot, offering access to essential healthcare.
• School in Pokot, bringing education to children in remote areas. Now many children are in school and they help their parents to know how to read the Bible, which is a big transformation.
• Grains Enterprise has helped support the school feeding program in North Pokot and continues to bless the community. Likewise, the bottled water company continues to benefit the Forkland community and school in numerous ways.
• Petrol station in Bungoma to generate income that sustains living Loved children Care center and the needy families in mount Elgon.
• The Forkland Community water project, giving hundreds access to clean and safe water.
• Installation of a solar system to boost the water project’s efficiency and sustainability, resulting in electricity savings. 

In addition, we are especially grateful for your continued support of children pursuing higher education at the university and college level. Many, such as Nelly, Faith, Ochieng, Brian, and Edu, have graduated and are now working, with some already supporting others in their home villages. This ripple effect of kindness and opportunity is a testimony of God’s grace working through you.

May the Lord bless all brothers and sisters who have sacrificially stood with Kenyan families—even while facing needs of your own. Your example of love is inspiring. We thank God for using you to stand with communities here, and we are humbled by your quick responses and spiritual encouragement.

“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10

Brother Wayne, we are grateful for your inspiring books—“So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore”, “He Loves Me”, “Authentic Relationships”, and many others. These writings have touched lives and transformed hearts across the African continent.

With love and sincere appreciation,

Brother Michael and Thomas

I got a disturbing email today. After just completing a rescue at the petrol station near Kitale, we received word that the water enterprise in Forkland was closed by the government today. The picture above is of the inspectors carrying out the old bottling machine. Here’s the email I received:

Dear brother Wayne,

The government team arrived to inspect the water operation. After three hours of inspection, the machine, licenses, labels, storage tanks, and laboratory all passed inspection.  However, they found that the bottling machine is old and needs to be replaced. They removed the machine, placed it in storage, and marked it with an X. So, everything has stopped, and the company has been closed down until we replace the machine.  The children and staff at Forkland Community are full of grief over what has happened.

We have $450 in cash at hand, but the total cost of the installation and the machine is $37,500. Once we pay within 10 days, we can open the enterprise again.

We really apologize for this issue, since you just helped us solve the problem at the petrol station. It is really discouraging, and thank you so much for always standing with us.

We are praying that God may open a way. I think this is the last problem.

Yours,

Brother Michael and Thomas

For those unfamiliar with the entire story, in 2019, the well at Forkland School was polluted, and the school had to close. We helped them drill a well there, and it struck a deep aquifer with clear, pure water. Not only would the school have water, but it also provided additional water free of charge to the impoverished community surrounding the school. Others suggested that they could bottle and sell the water throughout Kenya as an enterprise that would cover the school’s expenses. All was going well until this inspection, which also coincided with the government’s requirement for machines that tabulate taxes more automatically. This is because many bottling companies have been underreporting taxes. This has affected all water bottling in Kenya, even the honest ones. They all have to replace machines with those that track the amount of water being bottled for the government.

So, here I am again, wondering if God wants us to provide this $37,000 for our friends there. Yes, it feels yuckky. The government in Kenya is sucking every dollar it can from its citizens, but without this extra money, the enterprise will be shut down, and with it the free education being offered to this needy community. Over the last 18 years, individuals connected to Lifestream and The God Journey have invested over $3.5 million to support this region of Kenya. We’ve always tried to leave enterprises to put them in a position to meet their ongoing expenses, so they wouldn’t become dependent on us and have a means to trust God for their future needs. They were not, however, prepared for the new, heavy-handed requirements of the Kenyan government. So, they have come looking for our help.

It seems that God has assigned us to this corner of the world to help with the life-and-death needs of those who have so little. We rescued nearly 200,000 nomadic tribal people in Pokot, provided for orphans and widows in Kitale, and helped rescue and educate children in neglected areas of Kenya. In all these places, multitudes of people have come to face-to-face with God’s love and come to faith in him. Sara and I’ve always been impressed by the generosity of so many of you helping people you’ve never met. I’ve been there, blessed by the integrity of the people we are serving and how the money they ask for does not directly benefit them, but serves the people around them. You’ve been amazing in your generosity, and our friends have been equally impressive in theirs.

Once more, we need to help them here, or this enterprise and school will cease to exist. And we need to do it quickly.  Hopefully, this is the last of these needs. In our previous appeal, people continued to give after the need had been met. So, we already have a few thousand in our Kenya Fund; we just need substantially more.

Would you please help us help again? We need the funds immediately since the enterprise is now closed. If you can help us raise $37,000 to restore their business, please visit our Donation Page at Lifestream. Please designate “Kenya” in the Note section of your donation, or email us to let us know that your gift is intended for Kenya. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries  • 1560 Newbury Rd Ste 1  •  Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.

As always, every dime you send will end up in Kenya. We do not take out any money for our administrative costs.

Thank you for your concern and prayers for these people in Kenya.

I don’t have time for long explanations with our current travel schedule, but our friends in Kenya once again find themselves in dire straits. For those who don’t know, a few years back we helped rescue over 200,000 people in Pokot who were dying from a drought and had no fresh water. We not only sent them relief but also dug wells and started agricultural projects to feed them and they responded to the Gospel of God’s love that was shared with them.

Now, they are dying. This last month, devastating floods have crushed Kenya, leading to over 230 deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced families. The people we have served in North Pokot have lost so much in this flooding and there is no government aid or U.N. assistance in that area. They are truly a forgotten people, and they are dying because they are drinking the flood waters to try and stay alive, which contains typhoid and cholera.  I have received a desperate  request for $79,000 for immediate relief of food, water and bedding supplies, as well as to repair the damage to their solar pumps and wells.  (You can read the details in the letter from Michael I am posting below or from his video from one of the agricultural projects.)

This is a grave need that merits an immediate response. Would you please consider helping them? While climate extremes are mostly an inconvenience for us, this is a life and death for their part of the world. Please pray for them and if you can help us reach this amount of money, I will be incredibly grateful. As always, every dime you give goes directly to them. We take nothing out for financial transfer fees or administration.

If you can help us raise this $79,000 to rescue these tribes in North Pokot, please see our Donation Page at Lifestream. Just designate “Kenya” in the “Note” of your donation, or email us and let us know your gift is for Kenya. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries • 1560 Newbury Rd Ste 1  •  Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.

Thank you for considering this urgent request.

Letter from Michael: 

Dear brother Wayne greetings once more , last week we had a trip to Northern parts of Kenya , where we accompany with my wife , Thomas and solar installer experts.

Our journey was very sad and difficult, to reach the brothers and sisters whom we have worked with them for long time, this journey also gives us an opportunity to meet face to face with some people whom we have missed them so much in this three villages .

In North Pokot area the people in this village has become really part of our families, yes Kenya we have many tribes and communities who have been passing through challenges like this, e .g Baringo, Turkana and others. But this tribe God has put strongly in our life.

When we consider our first trip and how it has brought the great change, from nomadic life, which they could not be able to stay in one place together. But because of the compassionate heart for the people whom we were connected through Lifestream Ministries, we could not manage to make this great impact.

We started in small scale but now it has affected the entire region, not only physically but also spiritually transformation . This people they love God , through this empowerment they can now understand who is really GOD, because the time you invited me to join the team in Israel, you can remember we sat in king David hotel down and you allowed me to share the needs which is affecting us whether in the ministry or in the community, I shared from the depth of my heart about North Pokot people and there greatest challenge and prayer—it was water, school, hospital, sanitation/hygiene, and food,

So we have done our part, also you have done your part and this is the true gospel, since when Jesus was in this planet, he preached the gospel, feed the hungry, he healed the sick and had a compassion to the people. So he handed over this mandate to the church, this is why when the drought was in Jerusalem Paul and other disciples were to take the donation of relief to the elders to help the need over there, here in North Pokot, we have done the same the time of need you not ceased hold your hands but always you have poured love towards our brothers and sisters here in Kenya.

We don’t take it for granted and manipulate the generousity of our brothers and sisters and create a room for dependancy, this is what we taught people to work and leave under there means in sustainable.

We thank God for your wisdom, how you supported us for training under GHIN , accompanied by the three coached from the community, what we learned over there it is self-sustainability, through soft loans and to extend to one another as a group, and also protection of any project through the community itself.

In the training we learned also how the coaches we work together and help the community to choose the committee in every four groups in food, education, wellness and micro- soft loans and water , this is the knowledge which we imparted to the people and since we install the community projects , things were moving very well and for us we have easier work , instead of going and visit every village to know the challenges, but the coaches and the committee they have been doing this work , and it has become part of there work in the villages but not us , it is not our project it is there project, they work tirelessly to grow there food, harvest and distribute to every household. This reduced food relief and dependancy, through your advice and knowledge they are no longer need us more because they are able to do agricultural for themselves.

But in our side we just give them advice and take the great challenge as climate change and natural calamity just to share with you on there behave, this is why since we install irrigation project it has taken some years back without coming to you for arising urgent need in those places, but what happened this year starting from Ngetut where the team help to restore irrigation and also what has happened recently to other three places, it is disheartening after the destrustruction of irrigation system , sorry for long information, but it good for you to understand and the team over there, that the seed they planted, they didn’t plant in the rock but in good soil.

Last week, we thanked the coaches and the committee, for the great work which they have done in the farm. They have expanded the farm—they started with 5 acres, but after realizing the important of enough food supplies , some areas like Karameri, they have expanded up to 20 acres. We were amazed to to see this expansion work of agriculture. My wife and Thomas were so encouraged to see for the history from nomadic life to relief, then agriculture and self-sustainable, this is why in the budget the coaches and committee request if the team over there can have the compassion to stand with them for a while and help them with the relief for two months and to restore irrigation system into functioning, this will be great help at this time of flood which doesn’t happened often in this region, it comes and hit strongly goes for another many years.

And remember those strong rain can not produce anything but just destruction, but we were advised by the expert how we are going to make a permanent solution and protection forever.

The phone we have received today from the coaches, that many people has camped in raised place with the challenge of food and beddings , in the farm and irrigation the community may have great challenge and the lost the crops because of lack of irrigation, so the coaches and the committee are requesting that if support for food can not be available, and if they can get water restored they can drink and eat bush fruit. So the greatest need here is water restoration to help with drinking and irrigation to help with the crop growing.

Brother Wayne, we request you again the team to help in this hard time, so that we may save agriculture plantation and lives.

Coaches has told us that we have some people who are drinking water from the flood which is very risky, they can be caught up from cholera and typhoid, Thomas has been receiving many calls asking when will we go to visit them .

We have ask the experts how long will it take to restore the all systems and said it will take one week. We will stay with them until they complete the work, since it is urgent.

Pray for us for these needs:

1. Food relief, blanket, mattress and utensils $45,100
2. Restoration irrigation system $34,230

The new bedding has arrived.

For those not keeping up with our friendships in Kenya over the last 14 years, the people who listen to The God Journey or read my blogs here at Lifestream have given over three million dollars to rescue an impoverished region of Kenya. We started by supporting a new orphanage that took in children after the post-election violence of 2008. Then, we helped save 120,000 people who were part of nomadic tribes in Pokot, ravaged by drought and disease. Through a five-year project, we were able to drill wells, teach them hygiene, and teach them how to develop sustainable community. Now, those villages are able to clothe, feed, and care for themselves, and all of them were touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lately, we’ve been helping a small school in Forkland, a drug-riddled and poverty-stricken community. Originally, flooding had destroyed their water source with sewage, and we helped them drill a well. That well hit a huge aquifer with water whose purity is off the charts. Now, it not only provides water for the school but also for the community around it. They bottle the overflow and sell it as an enterprise to pay for the school expenses. Tragically, in a few days, five months ago, three hundred children were abandoned at the school. Our friends responded with love and were able to procure land next to the school, build dormitories on it, and continue to educate all the children. Recently, bedbugs infested their old mattresses and tormented the children. They needed new metal bed frames and new mattresses to end the plague and to keep the children there. As you can see, the bedding has just arrived.

This morning, I received this message of thanks and delight from them:

The children are so glad to receive new bedding and they are now having a good sleep during the night. We are also celebrating good performances in the recently announced National Exam. We thank God for giving them good health and for the provision of their daily needs.

We also thank you and the people there for opening your heart and standing with the kids. We could have lost these wonderful and potential leaders of tomorrow, who will now be able to change this nation and the Forkland community. They were living in such a horrible environment but now they have a great future for this generation. We send our gratitude and thanksgiving to the Almighty God, for using you the people there to transform the entire nation and the communities here in Kenya, You have poured out your love towards our people here.

I believe God may be preparing this young team to change the whole community, and the people will learn what it means to live loved. We are hoping that our work of helping these children is not in vain.

Through our additional grain enterprise profit, we have managed to enroll and take our children to different primary and secondary schools. We thank God for the provisions, and we thank the people there for their support. Despite of many challenges, these children faced before they were rescued, six of them have performed very well, four of them are supposed to join university, and two are supposed to go to college. This is so amazing. 

Yours,

Brother Michael and Thomas