“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.'” — Genesis 28:20–21 (ESV)
Grace and peace to you from southern Kenya! I want to apologize for the delay in updates — we’ve been experiencing communication challenges that have made it difficult to stay connected. The irony isn’t lost on me: I’m here to bridge the gospel across cultures and communities, yet I’ve struggled to bridge the digital gap back home. But I’m grateful to finally share what God has been doing here, and I’m reminded that His work doesn’t depend on reliable Wi-Fi.
This trip marks the end of the 2025 travel season and brings me back to Olderkesi Development Project — my home in southern Kenya. I arrived on Friday, November 1st, with a full slate of activities planned from Sunday, November 2nd through our return to Nairobi on November 9th. But as is often the case in ministry here, the immediate and the urgent demanded attention before the important could begin.
The 110V inverter for the solar system in my house wasn’t functioning properly. Saturday was spent troubleshooting and finding a workaround to get power restored. It’s a small thing in the grand scheme — food, shelter, basic utilities — but it consumed the day. And as I worked through that frustration, I was reminded of the sermon I would preach the next morning.
Sunday, November 2nd was a full ministry day, and we have much to thank God for. The day centered on the fundraising event for Rev. David’s ministry vehicle, and I had the privilege of preaching from Genesis 28 — Jacob’s vow at Bethel.
Jacob had just received an extraordinary vision from God. The LORD appeared to him, reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant, and promised, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15). God’s very presence. An eternal promise. The divine guarantee of companionship and protection.
And how did Jacob respond? “If God will be with me and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear… then the LORD shall be my God” (Genesis 28:20–21).
Jacob set his gaze too low. God offered His presence, and Jacob negotiated for bread and clothes. God spoke of nations and blessing, and Jacob focused on the near and the material. He missed the magnitude of what was being offered because he was fixated on survival.
We do the same thing. We set our gaze too low. We pray for parking spaces and forget to pray for the nations. We ask God to fix our inverters and miss the vision He’s casting for His kingdom. We focus on the little things — the near, the material, the manageable — and we lose sight of the divine and eternal work God is doing in the world around us.
This isn’t to say that God doesn’t care about our daily needs. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). But that petition comes after “Your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). The order matters. When we reverse it — when we lead with our comfort and close with God’s kingdom — we set our sights too low.
Jacob eventually learned. By Genesis 32, he’s wrestling with God and crying out, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26). He’s no longer bargaining for bread. He’s clinging to the presence of God Himself. That’s the journey of discipleship: learning to lift our gaze from what we can manage to what only God can accomplish.
This week’s teaching at OMTI will wrap up on Friday, and we’ll return to Nairobi on Sunday, November 9th before heading home. But the work here doesn’t stop when I leave. The pastors being trained this week will go out and plant churches. The vehicle we’re raising funds for will carry the gospel to places I’ll never visit. The seeds planted in discipleship conversations will bear fruit long after I’m gone.
That’s the beauty of setting our gaze higher. We get to participate in something far bigger than our own comfort or convenience. We get to invest in the eternal.
Our Kenyan brothers and sisters have responded with extraordinary generosity. In cash and livestock pledges, they raised 1.6 million shillings in cash, 38 sheep, and 2 cows — bringing the total to nearly 2 million shillings ($15,326 USD).
Now we have an opportunity to double that impact. A generous donor has pledged a $10,000 matching gift. As of November 4, 2025, the online campaign has raised $1,800 toward that goal — meaning $8,200 remains to unlock the full match. If we can meet this goal together, we’ll add $20,000 to what has already been raised — enough to secure a desert-ready 4×4 vehicle capable of many years of church planting across the rough terrain of Northern Kenya.
This isn’t just about a vehicle. It’s about access. It’s about reaching communities that are hours away from the nearest paved road. It’s about pastors like Rev. David being able to answer the call to go, teach, baptize, and disciple in places where the gospel has never been heard.
Will you join us? Every dollar given will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. Your gift goes twice as far.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Your partnership makes this ministry possible. Despite the communication challenges and the minor crises, we are seeing God’s faithfulness every day, and I’m grateful to serve alongside such a committed community of believers — both here in Kenya and back home.
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