Kenya orphanage

The JUST LOVE Conversations

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The glory of the Gospel is not just God’s love in us, as miraculous as that is, but God’s love and life through us, transforming our lives and flowing into the world.

The content of Wayne and Tobie’s new book, Just Love, invites us to rethink how the Gospel is often portrayed.

  • What if we had been focused on his love writing justice on our hearts, rather than a preoccupation with our sin and personal piety?
  • What would the church of Jesus look like if his love had always been at its center?
  • What would it change about our understanding of salvation, justification, transformation, and the nature of his kingdom taking expression in the world?
  • And, most of all, how can you experience more of his love and life in our own God Journey?

No wonder the Gospel seems so weak in our day; it has been emptied of its power. We jump through some religious hoops, claiming our salvation, without ever having touched the rich treasure of God’s love for us.

My coauthor, Tobie, and his wife are coming to Kansas City to visit family in July. We are planning a meet-up in Overland Park, July 9-12, this summer.  I would like to introduce them to you, and we want to unpack the themes of this book that will help you discover the richness of his love, as well as have a whole new way to understand the story of Scripture.

We concluded the book by saying that these realities are better explored than explained, and that’s exactly what we want to do in three transforming days in Kansas City. Tobie and I will facilitate a series of conversations to explore how God’s love and life flow into us, and then out from us to fill the earth with his glory.

You’re invited to join us for the Just Love Conversations

July 9-12 
We will gather at the Westbrooke Church
9777 Antioch Rd, Overland Park, KS 66212

Our Schedule:

      • Thursday, July 9:  7 pm – 9 am
      • Friday & Saturday, July 10-11:  9:30 am – 4:00 pm
      • Sunday, July 12:   9 am – 12 noon

Evenings will be free to explore Kansas City, rest, or connect with others for meals and fellowship.

Though we have plenty of room now, space is limited. We will register people on a first-come, first-served basis. When it fills up, we’ll start a waiting list in case of cancellations. If you’d like to register or need further information, email wa****@********am.org, listing the names of each person you are registering. There is no cost for the JUST LOVE Conversations, though people can donate to Lifestream Ministries to help defray the costs if they would like to help us. We will let you know when the need is covered, and send any overage to our Kenya Fund.

People from out of the area are welcome to fly or drive in to be with us. We’re trying to make arrangements for a special group rate with a hotel in Overland Park, near our meeting place. I can send you that information if you’re interested.  Unfortunately, we are competing with a FIFA World Cup game in KC that weekend. The more we have, the better rate we can get. I can send you details when we have them, so you can book there if you wish or at any of the other hotels in the area.

So to sign up, all you need to do is email me, listing the names of the people you’re registering, and if you want more information on our host hotel.  That’s it!  

Give it some thought and come join us if God lays it on your heart. I’d be excited to see you there.

____________________

And one more thing:

We are hoping to raise $18,000 to help an orphanage in Kenya purchase a tractor. They host 380 children in an orphanage and school, and we discovered that they ran out of food last week. We immediately sent them $1700.00 to bridge the immediate need. They told me their real need is a tractor. They used to have one to help farm the land and hire it out to raise money for the children, but they had to sell it during COVID to meet new government regulations in their facility. They hope to restart the farming enterprise as a means to care for these children. We’re going to try to pool some money to help them do it.

If you want to help, please visit our Donation Page at Lifestream. Check the box for “Kenya Relief”. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries  • 107 N. Reino Rd, PMB# 411 • Newbury Park, CA 91320-3710. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 990-8780.

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

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We Are About Half Way There

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Last week, I asked if you could help my friends in Kenya once again. They are about to lose the petrol station we built for them at a government auction due to nonpayment of fees they were unaware they owed. The profits from this station support an orphanage and education center, as well as help their graduating students find their way in life. It has been in operation for over fifteen years.

Thanks to your generosity, we’ve received almost $9900.00 of the $22,328 in a few days. I’m so grateful to those of you who felt inspired to help us here. We have to send the money at the end of this week to prevent the auction and restore the petrol station to our brothers and sisters in Kenya.

So, in case there are others still considering this, I thought I’d ask one last time. If you can help us raise the remaining funds, 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 administrative overhead.

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

We Are About Half Way There Read More »

Once Again, Help for Kenya

Kenya / / ,

Sara and I are back from our anniversary celebration in Alaska. We saw such immense beauty and thoroughly enjoyed our ten days together exploring this rich land. We saw some fantastic scenery and had some rich conversations reflecting on our journey together. We arrived home Sunday and are getting back at it around here. For those near Boise, ID, or anyone who would like to join me there, I’ll be gathering with some people there the weekend of June 27-29.  You can get details here.

Also, I need to ask for your help again. Seventeen years ago, we built an orphanage to help children whose parents were killed in the tribal violence that swept that part of Kenya after a disputed election. I had traveled there to help a group of people explore what it means to live in the Father’s affection.  We met with these children, who were living in a slum, and helped them procure land and build a better place for them to grow up.  To help fund the ongoing needs of those children, we also built a petrol station nearby, whose profits would support the combination orphanage and school. It has worked well all these years, and now the profits from the petrol station are helping them begin their adult lives.  Here’s what Michael wrote me about it:

The project has been a great blessing to hundreds of families, especially through food contributions and house rent for some families, and many are still landless. Their future is in the hands of God, and through a monthly distribution from the station. Many families are living under oppression. We provide food, medication, and even buy their burial place when needed.  We believe that in the future, we will ask our well-wishers and friends to help purchase the land and build houses and toilets, so that they can stay permanently. This will help them move out of homelessness and get a place.

We are discovering that crisis is a way of life in Kenya. Last week, they discovered that they had not been paying a required tax on the petrol station. They were unaware of the tax, and the county had not been enforcing it. Due to the country’s economic needs, the government decided to crack down on numerous businesses, requiring them to pay taxes or risk losing their licenses.  Many were fined $50,000 to $100,000, so they are blessed to only owe $22,000. The station has been closed by the government and will be auctioned off in two weeks if the debt is not settled. They need $22,328 to rescue the business and keep the orphanage and school functioning.

Would you please help us help them?  We are trying to raise those funds by early next week to get it transferred in time. If you can help us raise this $22,328 to restore the petrol station, please see 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 administrative overhead.

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

Once Again, Help for Kenya Read More »

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