After nearly four days of continuous travel, our team finally arrived in L’Moti, Northern Kenya, setting up what will be our base camp for the next five nights. Our routes of travel to assemble were varied, and it is with Gods blessing that we have been able to all regroup for three weeks of intensive ministry in the North. I departed the United States Tuesday afternoon, arriving in Nairobi late Wednesday evening, provisioned in Nairobi, and was on the road out of the city with Dan Maison early Friday morning, arriving in the evening in Nairibi. David Parmuat joined us in Nairibi that evening, after two weeks of grueling travel and end-of-term seminary exams. Together the three of departed Nairibi early Saturday morning to travel to L’Moti, arriving at our campsite late in the afternoon. All of the travel, the great push to get here was for the opening of the newly completed L’Moti AGC Church building on Sunday August 10.
I am often asked ‘Why Kenya?’, when in fact two thirds of ministry focus is now in this country, split between our work in Olderkesi in Southern Kenya, and the ministry work we are currently undertaking here in Marsabit County in the north. Kenya as a country is an uniquely interesting country here in East Africa. It is a country of vast extremes. Departing Nairobi, I saw billboard advertisements for ultra-luxury high end apartments now available in the city, while only a days journey from the capital, you can find entire village communities eking out an existence in the -sub-saharan desert, without plumbing, electricity or even basic access to clean water and medical treatment. The Spiritual extremes are as contrasting as the living conditions, as the Church has been established here for some time, and there are pockets of rich and vibrant evangelical faith, while other areas of the country are still held in the clutches of the enemy, and the darkness of animism and demon worship are still common.
For me, one of the most attractive parts of this country is the the pure joy that we encounter in almost every area where we are called to work. As God opens doors for us to push out the corners of the map even farther, we time and time again come into contact with individuals who, while facing incredible adversity, still exude a joyfulness that is uncommon in most parts of the world. I could recount story after story of individuals, who having less, seem far richer than many in the West, as every circumstance is met with joy. In fact, I would argue that it is exactly because they have less, that they are more rich in joy.
This Effusive Joy was on full display Sunday, as we gathered to open and commission the new church building here in L’Moti. While program plans had been carefully made in the days leading up to the event, many of these plans gave way to a display of unmitigated chaos, as joy erupted throughout the congregation. The event began with the ladies of the church gathering under the shade tree that once was the meeting place of the congregation, leading a procession singing praises all the way to the new building. Then we gathered for opening prayers, and the commissioning and opening of the building, before proceeding into the church for the message. As the service was concluding, and the women of the church led the procession out o the building, again spontaneous worship erupted, with singing and dancing and laughter before we all sat down to enjoy a community meal together. As a ministry function of the church, the entire community was fed, not just the who are a part of the growing congregation in L’Moti.
As I reflect on Sunday’s celebration and the days that have followed, I’m struck by a profound truth: the joy we witnessed at the L’Moti church opening wasn’t manufactured for the occasion—it was simply the overflow of hearts that have learned to find richness in relationship with God and community, rather than in material abundance.
This effusive joy isn’t unique to L’Moti. It’s woven into the very fabric of the communities we serve across Northern Kenya. Whether we’re sharing a simple meal under an acacia tree, watching children play with sticks and stones, or listening to testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the midst of drought and hardship, we encounter this same unshakeable joy again and again. It’s a joy that challenges Western assumptions about what it means to be blessed, what it means to be rich, and what it means to truly celebrate.
The completion of the L’Moti church building represents more than four walls and a roof—it’s a testimony to God’s faithfulness and a launching pad for even greater kingdom work. But what moves me most isn’t the building itself; it’s the realization that the church was already thriving under that shade tree. The structure simply provides a home for joy that was already burning brightly.
As our team continues this three-week intensive ministry season, we carry with us the echoes of Sunday’s celebration. The same joy that erupted in spontaneous worship will fuel our upcoming youth soccer tournament, strengthen our resolve as we prepare for the Lake Turkana expedition, and remind us why we’ve traveled so far to be here.
We invite you to partner with us in spreading this contagious joy to even more communities across Northern Kenya. Your prayers, encouragement, and support help us bring the Gospel to places where hope seems impossible, yet where joy somehow flourishes in ways that leave us humbled and inspired.
In a world often weighed down by worry and want, perhaps we all need to learn from our Kenyan brothers and sisters that true wealth isn’t found in what we possess, but in Whom we belong to—and that realization, more than anything else, is cause for effusive joy.
From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:26-27