Dear Supporters and Friends, September 2007
Hello from Kisii. I apologize for the lateness of our ministry update. On the next page, I have given some brief updates on our ministry as well as some prayer requests for the ministries that God has given us. As I am writing this letter here in Kenya, Tonya, Abigail and Kay-Leigh are in the states getting treatment on Abigail’s broken arm.
Abigail broke her arm on July 4th, when she fell off the trampoline. It was a compound break but it did not come through the skin, so they could not get it set right without surgery and 2 wires to hold it in place. During the three weeks that she had to wear the cast she developed infection in her arm and had to take four round of antibiotics before her next appointment, the first week of September. The had been doing physiotherapy because the break was just above the elbow. At her next appointment, the surgeon was not please with the progress of her usage of the arm and said that it was locked. He wanted to put her asleep and try a procedure that would force the elbow to bend. If it did not work then he wanted to redo the surgery to try to fix the problem.
We felt that there were to many things that he was going to try, so after prayer and consultation with our pediatrician, pastor, and parents in the states, we decided that we should seek treatment in the states. Tonya and the girls left for the states on September 10th. They are staying with Tonya’s parents near Chattanooga, BIMI and doctors approved by the insurance. They have all been a great assistance during this time.
They have put Abigail on stronger antibiotics for three weeks and as she has continued the physiotherapy she is getting a little more use of the arm. There was a large amount of infection in the bone, that showed up on the x-rays but by the time it was recognized, the later x-ray showed that it was healed with no medical explanation. Praise the Lord. Our Heavenly Doctor was looking out for her. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Abigail also had tests run on her bone mass. All the results showed her levels were low so she will continue with calcium supplements to build up the bone mass that was lost. She will have to be tested every six months until she stops growing. Please pray for the arrangements and the details that we will be able to get the supplements and testing here in Kenya. Tonya and the girls will be returning the first week of November. It will be a great blessing for them to be back.
Please pray for the expenses during this time. We were able to be helped with some emergency money from our church to fly them to the states. The cost was $5,000, as well as other medical expenses that will incur. Please send any funds to my home church for this need. You can contact Tonya through her telephone number is 423-310-1761 or by e-mail at
robroa@juno.com for more recent updates.
Thank you again for your prayers.
Ministry Update
We are excited about what God is doing in the ministries that God has enabled us to revive since returning from our furlough in October 2006. It is so exciting to be in the middle of God’s will and have so many opportunities open. There is truly not a better time to be alive. God has enabled us preach his word, evangelize, disciple, train men and women. Here are some brief updates:
1. Church Planting in Rongo. God has enabled us to finally get the Title Deed for the property that the national pastor and a couple members were trying to steal for their own ambitions. Pray for the steps in transitioning the church in voting the pastor and those he put in positions out of those positions. October 7th is when the business meeting will take place.
2. Other Church Planting. Ibanchore, Makairo, Opoya, and Kanyalganda are the next villages where we have Bible Studies that are growing. We hope to open these churches by the end of the year.
3. Prison Ministries. Pray that our permit can be renewed soon to continue this fruitful and needy ministry in the four prisons in our area.
4. Church Planting in Kisii. Calvary Baptist Church is continuing to grow and since there are many mature Christians who have come from other churches we have begun teaching on the need and use of a constitution to plan for organization.
5. Youth Ministries. We held two weeks of youth camp during the month of August in the villages of Makairo and Ibanchore. We ministered to 70-75 youth the first week and over 200 the second. Thirty-Seven youth were saved in total during the invitations. It was the first time this was ever done in the villages for the youth. Also we have a VBS for the children here in Kisii. We held it for 2 days because we only have 4 workers that are familiar with this ministry. We had attendances of 205, and 225 respectively. In America this would not be possible with only a few workers.
6. South Nyanza Baptist College. The College has been able to open up for Swahili classes. The Lord has also given me 3 national pastors who are helping in teaching some of the classes. We are gearing up for graduation with 6 students, who are on course to finish. We are hoping to be able to expand to the Pastor’s wives and also open a satellite school. Thank you again for your prayers and support
For Souls in Kisii,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
June 2007 Prayer Letter
Dear Supporters and Friends, June 2007
Greetings from Kisii, where the rains have returned; and we now have plenty of water in our storage tanks. Thank you for praying for us and for the offerings from several churches to help with the rebuilding of the engine of our van.
Calvary Baptist Church
God has blessed in the services of Calvary Baptist Church, and souls have been saved every week either on visitation or in the services. We were able to see 13 saved here in town, and we baptized 4 last month. We have a good base of 35 adults who are attending every week, with about 50-60 children also attending each week.
South Nyanza Baptist College - 1st Graduation
Our Bible College had its first graduation on April 21st for five of our students who finished their studies while we were on furlough. It was a great blessing to them and for our ministry to cross this very important milestone. During the first quarter of 2007, the students gave reports of leading 86 people to Christ in their churches and villages. AMEN!!
“…Send forth Labourers…”
A few weeks ago, Bro. Kenneth Ralph came to visit us on his survey trip. He wants to come and work with us here in Kisii. I was able to show him a lot of the works that God has allowed us to start. He is very excited to come and work, and he has a burden for our Kenyan people to get saved. He has just started deputation, and he wants to be here on the field by January 2009. Please pray for him; and his wife, Kristy; and their baby girl, Hanna, as they travel to raise their needed support to come to the field. I was very impressed by this young couple, and I believe they will be a blessing and a tremendous asset to the work of the Lord here in Kenya.
“Brethren pray for us…” II Thess. 3:1
Please pray with us concerning the Kenyan Presidential elections that will be held in December of this year, because it has already become extremely violent in many parts of the country. The news has been filled with beheadings, robberies, and ritual killings by gangs. So we covet your prayers for safety, both for our family and also for our Kenyan people during these turbulent times. Thank you for your prayers and sacrificial giving. May the Lord continue to richly bless each of you.
For Souls in Kisii,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Greetings from Kisii, where the rains have returned; and we now have plenty of water in our storage tanks. Thank you for praying for us and for the offerings from several churches to help with the rebuilding of the engine of our van.
Calvary Baptist Church
God has blessed in the services of Calvary Baptist Church, and souls have been saved every week either on visitation or in the services. We were able to see 13 saved here in town, and we baptized 4 last month. We have a good base of 35 adults who are attending every week, with about 50-60 children also attending each week.
South Nyanza Baptist College - 1st Graduation
Our Bible College had its first graduation on April 21st for five of our students who finished their studies while we were on furlough. It was a great blessing to them and for our ministry to cross this very important milestone. During the first quarter of 2007, the students gave reports of leading 86 people to Christ in their churches and villages. AMEN!!
“…Send forth Labourers…”
A few weeks ago, Bro. Kenneth Ralph came to visit us on his survey trip. He wants to come and work with us here in Kisii. I was able to show him a lot of the works that God has allowed us to start. He is very excited to come and work, and he has a burden for our Kenyan people to get saved. He has just started deputation, and he wants to be here on the field by January 2009. Please pray for him; and his wife, Kristy; and their baby girl, Hanna, as they travel to raise their needed support to come to the field. I was very impressed by this young couple, and I believe they will be a blessing and a tremendous asset to the work of the Lord here in Kenya.
“Brethren pray for us…” II Thess. 3:1
Please pray with us concerning the Kenyan Presidential elections that will be held in December of this year, because it has already become extremely violent in many parts of the country. The news has been filled with beheadings, robberies, and ritual killings by gangs. So we covet your prayers for safety, both for our family and also for our Kenyan people during these turbulent times. Thank you for your prayers and sacrificial giving. May the Lord continue to richly bless each of you.
For Souls in Kisii,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
April 2007 Prayer Letter
Dear Supporters and Friends, April 2007
Happy Easter from the Shelby Family. It is a great time of the year, and as we remember the Resurrection of our Saviour, it is comforting that no matter how difficult life seems, He is living in us and He will help us face tomorrow.
Since coming back to Kenya from furlough, I have wanted to start a church in our town of Kisii. There are over 85,000 people here, and they need a good church. I had been looking for a place to meet and started doing some general visitation to people that I already had contact with. Recently, another church closed down in the area because of problems that they could not solve between themselves, and the property was given to us to use by their missionary, who lives in another part of the country. The Lord enabled us to do some painting and general clean up and we had our first service as CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH on Easter Sunday with 100 in attendance with 6 adults getting saved. God has blessed during the last month with 24 other adults being saved during soul-winning and market preaching. Praise the Lord!! He is good!!
This property will be our base for this area; and we are already using it for South Nyanza Baptist College, because of the problems that I mentioned in our last letter with other pastors in Rongo. The Lord is blessing and opening so many doors to preach the Gospel in markets, schools, colleges, prisons, supermarkets, and others. We have a big chain of supermarkets here in Kenya known as “Nakumatt.” Our store has devotions every morning for their employees, and they have invited me to come and lead it for them. It is amazing. Please pray that we can get this church on its feet so we can reach this city for Christ.
The property that we have been handed has cost the other missionary $18,000 in buying the land and the buildings. He has given us a year to pay it off. Please consider this as a special offering and put the memo as “Kisii Property.” For the time being we are using this for the college also but we are looking at a Town Youth Hall that just came available and we can do some partitioning of dorms and classrooms, to serve the purpose for the college.
Please continue to pray about our support level. Over the last two months the rate of the dollar has fallen and from our support level we have lost about $500-$600 when we convert it to Kenya Shillings. Please pray about these needs. We love you, and God bless you.
For Souls in Kisii,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Happy Easter from the Shelby Family. It is a great time of the year, and as we remember the Resurrection of our Saviour, it is comforting that no matter how difficult life seems, He is living in us and He will help us face tomorrow.
Since coming back to Kenya from furlough, I have wanted to start a church in our town of Kisii. There are over 85,000 people here, and they need a good church. I had been looking for a place to meet and started doing some general visitation to people that I already had contact with. Recently, another church closed down in the area because of problems that they could not solve between themselves, and the property was given to us to use by their missionary, who lives in another part of the country. The Lord enabled us to do some painting and general clean up and we had our first service as CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH on Easter Sunday with 100 in attendance with 6 adults getting saved. God has blessed during the last month with 24 other adults being saved during soul-winning and market preaching. Praise the Lord!! He is good!!
This property will be our base for this area; and we are already using it for South Nyanza Baptist College, because of the problems that I mentioned in our last letter with other pastors in Rongo. The Lord is blessing and opening so many doors to preach the Gospel in markets, schools, colleges, prisons, supermarkets, and others. We have a big chain of supermarkets here in Kenya known as “Nakumatt.” Our store has devotions every morning for their employees, and they have invited me to come and lead it for them. It is amazing. Please pray that we can get this church on its feet so we can reach this city for Christ.
The property that we have been handed has cost the other missionary $18,000 in buying the land and the buildings. He has given us a year to pay it off. Please consider this as a special offering and put the memo as “Kisii Property.” For the time being we are using this for the college also but we are looking at a Town Youth Hall that just came available and we can do some partitioning of dorms and classrooms, to serve the purpose for the college.
Please continue to pray about our support level. Over the last two months the rate of the dollar has fallen and from our support level we have lost about $500-$600 when we convert it to Kenya Shillings. Please pray about these needs. We love you, and God bless you.
For Souls in Kisii,
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Sunday, 8 April 2007
The Beginning
We started this new church on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, with 101 in attendance. We began the church on the property of a previous Baptist Church that had closed down a month before that was started by another missionary. The church agreed to close down and to allow me to use the property to start a new church with the remaining willing members. All members were not willing; but God has enabled us to go through the transition stages of how people see the church publicly, and He has helped us to have many join the church from many other areas of the town.
I am currently the pastor of this church I am currently the pastor of this church, because it is in the biggest city in our region, and we have hopes of starting many ministries out of this church. We are already involved in the Kisii prisons, schools, and other local church ministries. We pray that God will enable this church to send out its own people to the many different villages around Kisii town and start local independent Baptist Churches that will preach that many will be saved and taught the Word of God. We are also planning for this church to be the base for the Bible College and other ministries that we have already started in other villages.
I am currently the pastor of this church I am currently the pastor of this church, because it is in the biggest city in our region, and we have hopes of starting many ministries out of this church. We are already involved in the Kisii prisons, schools, and other local church ministries. We pray that God will enable this church to send out its own people to the many different villages around Kisii town and start local independent Baptist Churches that will preach that many will be saved and taught the Word of God. We are also planning for this church to be the base for the Bible College and other ministries that we have already started in other villages.
Saturday, 17 March 2007
March 2007 Prayer Letter
Hello, March 2007
First of all we want to thank each of you for praying for our safety and for the guidance of the Lord.
The work has been very busy getting it back started up with some of our men that we left with responsibilities while we were gone on furlough, caused some problems of which most we have been able to settle and others will take a long time for it to pass through.We were able to get the Bible College up and running in January by moving it to Kisii town where we live.Next month we are having our first graduation for the ones that finished last term and of six that finished classes only three of them may graduate because of problems and grades.We are hoping to reconcile these men back in a good way to continue working for the Lord together.
God impressed on our hearts while we were on furlough to start a church in Kisii town when we came back to Kenya.We did some searching around and have a Kisii Municipal Youth hall that became available and we are able to enter into that building in April.We will pay less than $100 per month for the building that is about 40’ by 100’ and we were looking forward to starting a church there and using that facility that is in the middle of our town of 75,000 people.But God has shown us different plans for starting the church.
Another church that was started here over 20 years ago by a fundamental Baptist Missionary, started having troubles between themselves a little while back.They called the founding missionary, who is still in the country, to help them.Through some discussions they came to the conclusion of closing down the church if I could start a new church right away in its place.So the property and buildings were handed over to me to start the new church.I will need to raise the $18,000 to reimburse the missionary for his money into this property and help him as he starts a new church where he is living now.
So God’s ways are not our ways, but if we do not try to find His ways, he will not show us his ways.
I started meeting with some of the old church members in their homes and started some Home Bible Studies to spread the news of the starting of the new church on Easter Sunday, April 8th.This Sunday I met with 27 adults and 11 children, with two men being saved on Sunday in two Home Bible studies.There is yet another Home Bible Study on Saturday afternoon in a new neighborhood.
God is opening so many doors.
The next blessing that is really great is that we are still being considered for the Kisii Municipal Youth Hall and we can renovate it any way that we want at our expense.That means that it can be partitioned with dorms, and classrooms to meet the needs of our College while not having to break it down for church on Sundays.We opened classes with 21 students and the classes are going well.
A few more things to pray for this week are the funerals of two will buried next week-end.One is an older daughter of a church member who died of TB.The other is the owner of our house, where we have lived since 2001. Please pray that there is no problem with his children and that we will continue to stay here.
Also for the last two weeks we have been helping a member from Rongo.She has TB of the spine and she has not been able to walk for three weeks.She needs surgery to relieve the pressure and put in a disc that has deteriorated.There are no doctors (orthopedic) here and we are trying to get a referral to a hospital two hours away.Her name is Lilian Odak.Please pray for her.I am not sure about this kind of surgery here.Her and her husband have four children and one of them is only two months old.
Thank you again for your prayers
May God bless you.
Luke, Tonya, Abigail, Breanne, Caleb and Kay-Leigh
First of all we want to thank each of you for praying for our safety and for the guidance of the Lord.
The work has been very busy getting it back started up with some of our men that we left with responsibilities while we were gone on furlough, caused some problems of which most we have been able to settle and others will take a long time for it to pass through.We were able to get the Bible College up and running in January by moving it to Kisii town where we live.Next month we are having our first graduation for the ones that finished last term and of six that finished classes only three of them may graduate because of problems and grades.We are hoping to reconcile these men back in a good way to continue working for the Lord together.
God impressed on our hearts while we were on furlough to start a church in Kisii town when we came back to Kenya.We did some searching around and have a Kisii Municipal Youth hall that became available and we are able to enter into that building in April.We will pay less than $100 per month for the building that is about 40’ by 100’ and we were looking forward to starting a church there and using that facility that is in the middle of our town of 75,000 people.But God has shown us different plans for starting the church.
Another church that was started here over 20 years ago by a fundamental Baptist Missionary, started having troubles between themselves a little while back.They called the founding missionary, who is still in the country, to help them.Through some discussions they came to the conclusion of closing down the church if I could start a new church right away in its place.So the property and buildings were handed over to me to start the new church.I will need to raise the $18,000 to reimburse the missionary for his money into this property and help him as he starts a new church where he is living now.
So God’s ways are not our ways, but if we do not try to find His ways, he will not show us his ways.
I started meeting with some of the old church members in their homes and started some Home Bible Studies to spread the news of the starting of the new church on Easter Sunday, April 8th.This Sunday I met with 27 adults and 11 children, with two men being saved on Sunday in two Home Bible studies.There is yet another Home Bible Study on Saturday afternoon in a new neighborhood.
God is opening so many doors.
The next blessing that is really great is that we are still being considered for the Kisii Municipal Youth Hall and we can renovate it any way that we want at our expense.That means that it can be partitioned with dorms, and classrooms to meet the needs of our College while not having to break it down for church on Sundays.We opened classes with 21 students and the classes are going well.
A few more things to pray for this week are the funerals of two will buried next week-end.One is an older daughter of a church member who died of TB.The other is the owner of our house, where we have lived since 2001. Please pray that there is no problem with his children and that we will continue to stay here.
Also for the last two weeks we have been helping a member from Rongo.She has TB of the spine and she has not been able to walk for three weeks.She needs surgery to relieve the pressure and put in a disc that has deteriorated.There are no doctors (orthopedic) here and we are trying to get a referral to a hospital two hours away.Her name is Lilian Odak.Please pray for her.I am not sure about this kind of surgery here.Her and her husband have four children and one of them is only two months old.
Thank you again for your prayers
May God bless you.
Luke, Tonya, Abigail, Breanne, Caleb and Kay-Leigh
Saturday, 17 February 2007
February 2007 Prayer Letter
Dear Supporters and Friends, February 2007
Greetings from Kenya, We apologize for the lateness of this letter from the bottom of our hearts. It has been very busy getting everything settled here after arriving in Kenya. We were able to receive our shipment in our container by the first of January. Most things are in their rightful places but there is still more work to do to finish getting settled in. We were able to do enough to get by for now so that I could address some of the situations here.
Missionary work has a lot of excitement, there is a lot of work and fun working in a different culture, learning and ministering in a different language. Seeing people get saved who have never heard the message before. But there are also problems and some things that take place, it is almost impossible for a foreigner to understand how it could happen, much less solve it. But with God’s help and his wisdom, “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.”
While we were on furlough two pastors, two brothers decided to try what they could to get people to follow after their own ideas and have dismissed anything that I or any other missionary had ever taught them. One of them is the pastor of a church that we started and they have already have been constituted or organized. He has run off all of the church members that did not want to go along with all of his ideas. They have remained loyal to us and our family. He put people in places of authority to defend him and the church is literally dying on the vine. There may be as many as six members, and a high attendance including children is fifteen. It is a sad situation. We are trying to encourage the members that have left that they stand up to him, but many are scared. It has been mentioned to me that he visits with a witch doctor often. We are sincerely asking God for direction and wisdom, and we are pleading that you pray for us in this area.
One thing that has taken me by surprise though is this. I was invited to a new village in 2005 to a Baptist church that had opened and they asked me to teach them. I went and taught and answered some questions for them. More to them got saved and we baptized them. I left and had not heard from them since. In January they contacted me and let me know that now there are 5 churches in the surrounding areas. The pastors have started Bible College this year and their churches are growing. AMEN!! Please pray for three other Bible studies that have been started recently that they will grow quickly and soundly to begin churches in their villages.
I will never trade this work as a missionary for anything else in the world, unless, of course, it is a trade with HEAVEN.
Thank you for your prayers.
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
Greetings from Kenya, We apologize for the lateness of this letter from the bottom of our hearts. It has been very busy getting everything settled here after arriving in Kenya. We were able to receive our shipment in our container by the first of January. Most things are in their rightful places but there is still more work to do to finish getting settled in. We were able to do enough to get by for now so that I could address some of the situations here.
Missionary work has a lot of excitement, there is a lot of work and fun working in a different culture, learning and ministering in a different language. Seeing people get saved who have never heard the message before. But there are also problems and some things that take place, it is almost impossible for a foreigner to understand how it could happen, much less solve it. But with God’s help and his wisdom, “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.”
While we were on furlough two pastors, two brothers decided to try what they could to get people to follow after their own ideas and have dismissed anything that I or any other missionary had ever taught them. One of them is the pastor of a church that we started and they have already have been constituted or organized. He has run off all of the church members that did not want to go along with all of his ideas. They have remained loyal to us and our family. He put people in places of authority to defend him and the church is literally dying on the vine. There may be as many as six members, and a high attendance including children is fifteen. It is a sad situation. We are trying to encourage the members that have left that they stand up to him, but many are scared. It has been mentioned to me that he visits with a witch doctor often. We are sincerely asking God for direction and wisdom, and we are pleading that you pray for us in this area.
One thing that has taken me by surprise though is this. I was invited to a new village in 2005 to a Baptist church that had opened and they asked me to teach them. I went and taught and answered some questions for them. More to them got saved and we baptized them. I left and had not heard from them since. In January they contacted me and let me know that now there are 5 churches in the surrounding areas. The pastors have started Bible College this year and their churches are growing. AMEN!! Please pray for three other Bible studies that have been started recently that they will grow quickly and soundly to begin churches in their villages.
I will never trade this work as a missionary for anything else in the world, unless, of course, it is a trade with HEAVEN.
Thank you for your prayers.
Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya
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