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Dear Supporters and Friends, January - February 2017
JAMBO!!! From the Shelby Family in Kisii, Kenya. 2017 has kicked off with lots of things happening; it’s been VERY busy. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him another year, and also thank you for helping to make that possible. Thank you for your prayers, offerings, support, and your letters and words of encouragement to our family. Thank you for your prayers and gifts to our two college girls, Abigail and Breanne. Abigail will be graduating in May with a bachelor from Providence Baptist College in Elgin, IL, and Breanne is on track to graduate in 2018. We will be heading to the USA during May for Abigail’s graduation and to take care of Tonya's medical appointments. Then both of our girls will be returning to Kenya to for about a month this summer to visit with friends and work in the ministries here.
Church planting:
We are excited to be a part of the great ministry of church planting here; as we train the Kenyans to spread the Gospel to the regions beyond them. The fellowship of pastors here is working on a way of visiting and evangelizing in all of these areas as a group to encourage these new pastors. We have started the New Year off with three new church plants already!
1. Kegogi village started January 22
2. Og'eng'a Village started February 5 (by 2016 graduate Tom Onguku)
3. Sibuoche village started February 19 (by 2016 graduate Nikolas Mwenyane)
We also have at least four more Bible Studies that will become churches this year!
1. Ondome village - Peter Ochieng
2. Isebania town - Paul Isedia
3. Nyangera village - Joshua Omondi
4. Nyamiobo village - Enoch Nyakundi
We were also able to help another missionary, Robert Mickey, for a couple of days; as he was getting a church planted in the town of Kiligoris. I was able to personally lead 14 people to the Lord on those two days.
South Nyanza Bible College has opened up more branches with local church pastors training their church members in our Bible College curriculum. We have three other branches of our college in addition to the ones coming to Kisii town from other churches. We have also begun a Pastoral Degree program this year for pastors and graduates. We have a total of 45 students to begin the year in classes, and we expect that number to grow.
Thank you again for your prayers and support for our family and ministry, for Tonya's health, and for our girls in the States. God bless you!
Serving Him in Kenya,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Your missionaries to Kenya
