A Different Perspective

Matthew 1:18:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

I can only imagine how Joseph felt when he discovered that his fiancée was pregnant; betrayed, confused, angry, heartbroken. I can even understand why he would want to call off the marriage. Then an angel comes to tell him that the child is not conceived out of sin but through the Holy Spirit. Mary has been faithful, not only to Joseph, but also to God. This news completely changed the way Joseph viewed the situation.

There would still be challenges. People would still talk and question. But Joseph has the word of the Lord. He was determined to do the will of God regardless of how it was perceived in his community. He also decided to care for his wife despite these challenges because what was conceived within her was from God.

Joseph has been called a model husband. Though the Bible does not give us a great deal of information, from this one story we can draw volumes concerning the character of Joseph and his faithfulness to God and his wife.

I believe that Joseph has a perspective towards his wife that all of us should have towards our spouse. After an encounter with the word of God, Joseph saw his wife in a completely different way. He knew that deep inside of her was something holy and good. He knew that it was his responsibility to nourish that which was in her and help her fulfill God’s plan for her life.

The same should be true for us. What do we see when we look at our spouse. Do we see a vision of what God intends to do within them or do we see something skewed by the enemy’s attempt to distort our vision? Let us look at our spouse in the same way Joseph looked at Mary. Let us see that there is something holy and special inside our spouse and nurture that which God put in them.

There is something special in our spouses. God has a plan for their life and if they are a Christian His Spirit is within them. Never forget this and let this influence your perspective. What are you doing to nurture the holy thing that God has put in them?

East Africa Bible College Scholarship Funds

At EABC, we have a vision to offer the following scholarships every term. Please pray about your participation and allow God to direct you to one of these funds. You may notice that the amount for scholarships outside of Kenya has increased. This is to cover extra travel costs. However, if you can only give a portion of the amount needed, it will all be used to help our students.

Burundi
$345.00

Rwanda
$345.00

Ethiopia
$345.00

Uganda
$345.00

DR Congo
$345.00

Tanzania
$345.00

Kenya Highlands Conference
$245.00

Kenya Central Conference
$245.00

Kenya Coast Conference
$245.00

Kenya Southwest Conference
$245.00

Please send donations to IPHC World Missions Ministries

PO Box 270420

Oklahoma City, OK 73137

Account number – 11565P

May 2011 Ministry Report

EABC Term Begins

A new term began at East Africa Bible College on May 2. We had 17 students to enroll from six countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo. For ten of these students this is their last term and they will graduate on July 29. They are completing a two year process and we thank God for his faithfulness to them and their faithfulness at EABC.

This term Summer is teaching the class called “Teaching Principles and Practices” where students will learn the foundation for teaching and classroom management. Many times our graduates become teachers in public schools to subsidize their ministry and we want them to be prepared for teaching whether it is in a primary school classroom or in the church. Kevin is teaching Christology.

Please continue to pray for the faculty, staff, and students of EABC. New students will be applying in August. If you are interested in contributing towards a scholarship we have listed scholarship opportunities in the sidebar of this newsletter.

EABC Student Revival

We held a student revival for returning students to EABC from Wednesday, May 11 to Friday, May 13. We offer this time of spiritual refreshment to our students at the start of each new term. The guest speakers challenged our students in their spirituality and many came forward for special prayer during the revival. Our new IPHC missionaries to Kenya, Michael and Leslie Tignor, joined us and gave some powerful messages. Leslie spoke about having a transformed mind through Christ and listening to God even in tough times. Michael spoke about making Jesus and time with Him a priority in our life. David Juma, a Kenyan missionary to Sudan, challenged the students to be concerned about the people that need to meet Christ. Rev. Forb Carelson encouraged the student to have hearts that continuously hunger after God. Our Director, Douglas Barton, concluded with week by leading us in a time of Communion.

Wedding

On Saturday, May 14, we attended the wedding for an IPHC couple in Kenya. David and Florence are workers at Victorious IPHC Children’s Home in Eldoret. David is also a senior at the Bible school. Many Christian couples in Kenya invite a preacher to give a sermon during their wedding. Kevin delivered the wedding message for David and Florence and you can read part of that message in this month’s devotional message. It was a real honor to participate in this event. We have included a description of a Kenyan wedding in our blog. Click here to read it.

May the Lord bless David and Florence Wamyomyi as they serve in the Kingdom as husband and wife.

Machine IPHC Baby Dedication

On Sunday, May 15, we traveled to a town called Machine in Western Kenya. Michael and Leslie Tignor joined us. The town is surrounded by small farms and is literally named after a piece of agricultural machinery. There is a small IPHC church plant there that is meeting in a rented storefront. We worshipped with about 20 adults and many more children in the church. The pastor and his wife are local farmers who felt a burden to start the church in their small community. Their only instrument is a drum and they lack Bibles, but the church is thriving. In Sunday school we taught about the characteristics of a true church. Then Kevin preached about the nature of faith in the life of the believer.

Near the end of the service, the pastor presented three families that had newborn children. Kevin was asked to dedicate them to the Lord. It was a very special event for us as this was our first time to dedicate children in Kenya. Their names were ___. ___, and ___. Jesus loves children and it was our honor to dedicate these three to Him. Kenya is a country full of children and many go without proper care and love. Thankfully, the church is changing the attitude of the culture towards children. Please pray for these little ones and their families as they grow in the Lord.

Eldoret Worship Centre

We ended the month of May by preaching at our local IPH church, Eldoret Worship Centre. This church is around 300 people strong and is our home church in Kenya. Kevin preached on the power of Christ to change us both inside and out. This church is still supporting the rebuilding of Victorious Children’s Home after a devastating fire last year. If you would like to join them in finishing the boy’s dorm, please contact us today.

June 2011 Note from Summer

After a wonderful trip to the States visiting family and friends, I was happy to get back to my home and daily routine here in Eldoret. It is hard to believe that we have already been back in Kenya for nearly three months. Since we landed our schedule has taken off and filled up rapidly with teaching and travelling. I am thoroughly enjoying my Teaching Principles and Practices class this trimester. I want to give a special thank you to my former education professor Dr. Vicki Hollinshead, Dean of the School of Education at Emmanuel College, for donating a wonderful education textbook that I have used as my primary resource for this class and also to Rev. Rose Boyd, director of Operation Teaching Tools, for providing a wonderful teaching about Bible lesson planning. These materials have proven to be invaluable resources for me!

As graduation approaches, I find myself feeling excitement mixed with a bit of sadness. I feel so much anticipation for the 10 graduates who arrived at EABC not too long after we did. In the past two years, I have seen so much growth within the students, and Kevin and I have developed strong connections to them. As they prepare to leave EABC to begin or continue their ministries, I feel confident that they have the potential to do great things for the Lord and the IPHC in East Africa. I feel so honored to have played a very small role in their preparation. Most were strangers to us when they first arrived two years ago, but on graduation day, we will part ways as friends. Keep them (and us!) in your prayers in the next few weeks as they prepare for final exams and graduation day!

Thank you again for all you do to help us here in Kenya and East Africa. I am especially grateful for all the encouraging and uplifting words you send us. May God bless you abundantly!

A Kenyan Wedding

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, we were guests at a Kenyan wedding. We wanted to share some of our experiences so you can know a little more about Kenyan culture.

The wedding was to start at 10 am but Kenyan events are notorious for starting late. So we arrived at 10:30 am just to make sure the event that we didn’t have to wait too long at the chapel before we began. The service was held in the chapel of our Bible school because the groom is one of our students. At 10:30 the preparations were still being made and the wedding party was far away. We do not know if a dowry was paid but this is still a common occurrence in Kenya. We took time to walk around and see what was in store. Outside the chapel two giant white tents has been erected. The wedding banquet was to be served under the tents. One was for the wedding party and one for the guests. In the chapel colorful streamers were affixed to the walls and benches. A large banner which read “David weds Florence” was hanging from the wall. The worship team from the local church was setting up. It was only 10:45.

Thankfully we had books to read because the wedding party didn’t arrive until nearly 12:30. They had rented one van and borrowed three other cars from people in the community. The cars were elaborately decorated and horns were blowing. The wedding part stepped out with the women wearing brown dresses and the men black suits. The procession began with eight flower girls. Then there were twice as many women as men (8 to 4) so each man escorted one women to the front then went back to get another. Instead of walking down the aisle slowly as we do they danced all the way to the front.

When the bride came in the congregation stood. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. She met her groom at the front and the service began. The actual ceremony was very much like ours in the US except there is no kissing. The groom and bride simply shake hands. After the ceremony the worship team led in some congregation songs and then Kevin was invited to preach. After the sermon and some final comments from the service leader the wedding party danced out of the chapel and into the yard outside followed by the ministers (we just walked).

After being seated a few people stood to make speeches as pictures were being taken. Then everyone was served a traditional appetizer of grass seed and peanuts. Both were roasted and salted and very tasty. The grass seed was to represent longevity in marriage because once grass takes root it is hard to remove it. The peanuts represent productivity in marriage because once two peanuts are planted, they produce many more peanuts.

The meal was chicken, beef, rice, and vegetables all cooked together and served with a warm bottle of coke. It was very tasty. While we were eating the call for gifts was made and those with gifts brought them directly to the couple who opened every item in front of the congregation. Gifts included mainly household items and money. However, animals are also acceptable wedding gifts. We attended a wedding last year where the bride was presented with a cow.

A cake was cut but unlike American weddings, we were only served a tiny piece as cake is a rare and somewhat expensive treat. Each person got about one spoonful of cake. Finally at 4:30 we were released to go home.

Although some of our western wedding traditions are creeping into African culture, they have managed to retain some of their own traditions. Unfortunately, many young Kenyans are feeling pressure to have weddings that match ours in America in every way. They are spending huge sums of money and bringing about financial distress to meet these expectations. Others, even within the church, feel that weddings have become too expensive and are opting to a just live together without ever having a Christian or legal ceremony. We want to combat both of these attitudes and promote legally and church recognized weddings that are relevant to the culture and to their financial standing.
As the pressure to have large, expensive weddings grows in Kenya, we are praying that those seeking to get married spend more time planning and developing their marriage and relationship than their wedding.

Happy Father’s Day

I wish to send out a Father’s Day greeting to my dad, Stan Sneed. He is a great father and friend.

5×7 Folded Card

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