God has once again given us an amazing year in His service, and it is a wonderful privilege to partner with you and be your voice to preach the Gospel here in Kenya as we have closed out 2019 and charge into 2020! We trust you had a wonderful holiday season, and our prayer is for God to bless you greatly in the new year. Much has been happening, and it is only possible because of your faithful support in both prayers and finances. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
The Acts 6:7 Project is continuing well, working with Pastor Jeremiah and seeking God’s guidance with others who we might also work with in this project. Pastor Jeremiah and I have worked to teach foundational doctrines at nine rural churches in recent months. During these meetings, our first lesson is always on understanding salvation, and the second lesson is on Bible truth about eternal security. Our field here is saturated with false teachings: baptismal regeneration, obeying the Sabbath, receiving the “gift” of speaking in tongues, etc, as a path to salvation. We spend much time teaching to bring a full understanding of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and His substitutional death as full payment for our sins and this alone. We typically have an invitation to accept Christ at the end of our teaching and have seen over 100 souls call upon Him to be their Saviour. Praise the Lord!
God has brought us into contact with many groups of people (“churches”) who are not grounded properly. As we go to remote locations, it is a continuing trend that as we preach the One True Gospel, Christ Jesus, word spreads, and we are constantly being requested to come preach at more and more locations. Honestly, this is not what I came to Kenya to do, but when people who have been deceived by Satan want to know the truth of God’s Word, I do all that is possible to reach them for my Saviour. Please pray for this project. After I am comfortable that Jeremiah can continue on without my direct involvement, it is my desire to have him teach other nationals to do the same. There are thousands of groups of people meeting as a church, meaning thousands upon thousands of lost souls who are waiting for Romans 10:15 to come to them: “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
I have heard Pastor John Wilkerson say, ”Without a successor, there can be no success,” and I work hard here to implement that statement. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2) While God has allowed me to be a witness to many and to teach many men, God has given me two, hardworking, and sincere disciples, and together we have spent more time soul winning than I could keep track of. While we have traveled, as described above, to many churches, in every case, these two soul-winning men work with me to “teach others also” on how to be effective witnesses for Christ. I am very proud of Pastor Jeremiah and Pastor Fred, as they have not only followed me as I follow Christ in soul winning, but they are teaching the same to others! Please pray with us that souls coming to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus would not only be added but would also be multiplied in this manner.
We have been working on translating (English to Kiswahili) the Foundations of Our Faith lessons that we use, and it is going very well. We recently held a workshop for several days and have completed the first level of foundational doctrines for new believers and young churches. With God’s help, we hope to get them printed and begin teaching with them in coming weeks.
Thank you for partnering with us as we strive together to see souls saved, converts discipled, and men of God raised up to be pastors and leaders as we head into the new year.
Your servants for lost souls across East Africa,
Andy & Connie Richey
