News from the Shelby's in Kenya! June-September 2018

Dear Friends and Prayer Supporters,                                                                                                             June - September 2018

We thank you for your prayers and support for our family.  Abigail and Breanne are now teaching full time at Jacksonville Christian Academy and attending our home church in Arkansas, after finishing Bible College.  Pray for them and the next steps in their lives to be clear as both of them want to serve the Lord on the mission field.

Tonya’s Health

We have found out that Tonya’s lupus diagnosis a year ago was possibly a false positive.  She has continued with pain and has struggled with respiratory issues for the past year, and while she saw her US doctors in May they recommended that she be seen by a lung specialist as soon as possible.  We were able to get her to a doctor in Nairobi in June; then a follow-up visit in July, where they admitted her into the hospital for extensive testing for 5 days.  They have determined that she has stage 2 COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and severe tachycardia.  With medication and monthly check ups, she has improved a lot.  But it has been recommended that she fly to the USA for her regular medical treatment at the end of October; where she will also be seen by a lung specialist there for further testing that is not available here in Kenya at this time.  Thank you for your continued prayers.

Furlough

We are planning a short furlough for Spring 2019, since Caleb will be graduating from high school in Arkansas at Jacksonville Christian Academy in May and then starting Bible college in August.  We will only be in the USA for about six months.  Please contact us by email (mail@shelbysinkenya.org) to let us know if YES you do request a meeting, or NO you do not require a meeting.  If NO, then we will be sure to send you and your church a Ministry DVD Presentation (to show at your convenience) and Prayer Cards (to pass out as you desire) as soon as we have them ready once we return to the USA.

New Church in “God Jaoko"

Pastor Paul Omino, over 70 years old,  has pastored a couple of churches over the last 30 years, after being saved out of one of the worst African traditional religions in East Africa, “LEGIO MARIA.”  He was a priest in that religion where their leader was known as the “Christ” of Africa.  In August, he started a new Independant Baptist church on the top of a hill called “God Jaoko.”  As I preached to over 60 people from the community on the opening day, I was amazed that Pastor Paul was willing to be used of God at his age, to continue to reach the people from these traditional religions, and to turn them to the TRUTH of the GOSPEL.  There were 25 saved that week in services and during soulwinning!

Pastors Fellowship

Several churches in our region have begun a fellowship in order to assist each other, plan for the opening of new churches, and have evangelistic meetings and revivals in the different towns and villages.  The Pastors raise the money that they would use for food and transport to go to these meetings, and it has helped in seeing TWO churches start this year already!  In Masimba, we held evangelistic meetings at the market with Neema (Grace) Bible Baptist Church and had over 60 saved during soulwinning and in the services!

BIMI CLAIM TEAM

We have a group of 7 coming this month to help in a couple building projects in Kisii and Rongo.  Rongo was the first church that we started, in 2001, and it has seen a lot of ups and downs.  Pastor George Okoth moved there in 2013 and has done a good job with the church and it is growing.  We had planned on building this church last year, but the election violence in that area was very bad.  We are glad that things have calmed down, and it has allowed us to continue on with the project.  The group will be here for two weeks, and we will try to get as much done as we can.  Please pray for their trip and these projects.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

We are looking for volunteers! Are YOU interested?

We are excited about having a group coming to work with us in building a church building for Bible Baptist Church in Rongo, and we were looking for volunteers to help!  Are YOU interested in using your skills or tools to serve the Lord?

This trip is being organized by a BIMI CLAIM Team headed up by Bro. Philip Smith, who has also helped us with other projects in the past.  The dates for their next trip to Kenya are October 10-24. 

The frame for the building and the roof is already in place, and we will be building the walls, pouring the floor, building the baptistry, and other things to get it ready to have the first service in the building while the Team is still here.

Other opportunities will be soul-winning, preaching, teaching in schools, visiting in homes, and other ministries.

Depending on the number of volunteers, we may also be able to build an extension onto the back of Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii town, and we will also attend there for one of the Sunday services.

Please let us know this week if you would be interested, and please contact Bro. Philip Smith (email: claim4god@gmail.com / phone 289-928-9327) BEFORE September 18th.  The cost for the trip will be approximately $1,900, but it could be cheaper based on ticket prices.

The deadline for September 18th to purchase the tickets for the trip, so that everyone can get connected to arrive at the same time.  We live 6 hours drive from Nairobi airport, and there is a need to know a number of people coming for us to book rooms and organize transportation also.

If you are not able to come, please pray for safety on the trip and that God will bless all of the arrangements and accomplishments for His honor and glory.

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

We are looking for volunteers! Are YOU interested?

We are excited about having a group coming to work with us in building a church building for Bible Baptist Church in Rongo, and we were looking for volunteers to help!  Are YOU interested in using your skills or tools to serve the Lord? This trip is being organized by a BIMI CLAIM Team headed up by Bro. Philip Smith, who has also helped us with other projects in the past.  The dates for their next trip to Kenya are October 10-24.    The frame for the building and the roof is already in place, and we will be building the walls, pouring the floor, building the baptistry, and other things to get it ready to have the first service in the building while the Team is still here. Other opportunities will be soul-winning, preaching, teaching in schools, visiting in homes, and other ministries.   Depending on the number of volunteers, we may also be able to build an extension onto the back of Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii town, and we will also attend there for one of the Sunday services. Please let us know this week if you would be interested, and please contact Bro. Philip Smith (email: claim4god@gmail.com / phone 289-928-9327) BEFORE September 18th.  The cost for the trip will be approximately $1,900, but it could be cheaper based on ticket prices.   The deadline for September 18th to purchase the tickets for the trip, so that everyone can get connected to arrive at the same time.  We live 6 hours drive from Nairobi airport, and there is a need to know a number of people coming for us to book rooms and organize transportation also. If you are not able to come, please pray for safety on the trip and that God will bless all of the arrangements and accomplishments for His honor and glory.
Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

April - May 2018 Prayer Letter from the Shelby Family in Kenya

Printable (PDF) Version

Dear Friends and Prayer Supporters, April / May 2018

God is Amazing!! We are standing in awe at the mighty things that He has done recently. There is so much to write about how He has been good to us. Thank you for your prayers and support for our family and ministry, because it is through you and all of God’s blessings that we can share His goodness with others.

1. Abigail and Breanne are now in the Amazon Basin with the SMART TRIP with BIMI for several weeks. They needed to raise $3,900 each (base support only) to go on the trip, and God blessed them with $5,500 and $6,000 (which took care of ALL the other added expenses above what the base support covered)! God provided for ALL of their expenses to get ready for their trip and so much more. It was an awesome experience for us as parents to see our daughters praying and depending on God to meet their every need. Thank you so much for being a blessing to them. God bless you!

2. On April 15th, we started our newest church in the town of Isebania with a week of soulwinning, street preaching, and passing out tracts and flyers. There were 114 people that got saved, and there were 24 in attendance for the first service. They were given a place to meet free of charge, and we are able to put up our own structure. Right now we are using a tent until a structure can be built. Pastor Paul Isedia was over 70 years old when he finished Bible College. A few years earlier he had been very sick and knew that he was going to die. He bought the wooden planks to build his coffin and had everything arranged with his family on how the funeral would be handled. He had done everything except dig the grave outside his home, as is the custom here. Then he started getting well. A preacher came to his home and led him to the Lord! Since then, he has been on fire for the Lord. God will use him to do a great work there and reminds us that it is never to late for God to use us in His service!

3. During the month of April, we have been doing a soulwinning class in our church in Kisii. To several who have been in Bible College, it has been a good refresher course; but to others it has really helped them to get a burden for their friends and family. At the same time, we started home Bible Fellowships at a few of the members homes. And it has been a great tool to evangelize their neighborhoods. During the month of April alone, 35 people came to know Christ as their Saviour on soulwinning and at these home Bible Fellowships. God is so very good!

4. The funds have also come in the for the building projects that were delayed because of the political turmoil last year, and we are ready to build! The skeleton frames and the roofing will be finished this week. We are building a church building for the church in Rongo, which is the first church that we started back in 2001. It has gone through a lot of difficulties; but over the last 3-4 years it has been doing very well under the leadership of Pastor George Okoth. We will also be adding on to the church building at Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii Town.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers for our ministry and family.

For Souls in Kenya,


Luke & Tonya Shelby

Abigail and Breanne's Summer Mission's Trip

Our 2 oldest daughters, Abigail and Breanne, plan to go on a mission trip to the Amazon Basin this summer with BIMI's SMART Team.

1. We would appreciate your prayers for them as they prepare for their SMART trip, on-field training in the Amazon (Brazil, Colombia and Peru) and Medellin Colombia in the Andes Mountains, from May 13th – June 8th.

2. The Lord has provided almost 40% of the $3990 base support that will be needed for each of our girls, but this only covers their expenses once they leave the Atlanta airport. They need to raise additional support to cover their connecting flights from Little Rock to Atlanta, immunizations, plus supplies being taken to the missionaries and the ministries that our girls will be working in during this trip.

3. Please continue to pray that that the Lord will provide the remaining support needed by their deadline on April 25th.

4. Please pray for the entire SMART team, for their missionary hosts, and for their leaders as they prepare for this trip, that they may a blessing & that many lives will be changed.

5. If you feel led to assist our girls financially, we would count it a blessing.

6. If you live in the Little Rock/Jacksonville area and would like to help with their supply list or extra suitcases that will be needed, this would also be a tremendous blessing to our girls.

Please contact us via email (info@shelbysinkenya.org) to help.... and we will contact you with the details about where and how to send your love gift. Have a blessed day!

February-March 2018 Prayer Letter

February-March 2018 Prayer Letter

Printable Version (PDF)

Dear Prayer Supporters and Friends,

Happy New Year 2018 from the Shelby Family. This year has started off very busy, and there has been a lot that we have wanted to share with you. But we have been waiting for the development of these things to be fully understood before writing about them. We sent out an e-Prayer Letter in January; if you did not get it, please use this link to download it: http://bit.ly/November-January2018.

Politics: This year has started much like 2017 ended, with the Opposition party still not recognizing the results of the elections that were re-done in October. They have caused more protesting on the roads in areas where we have churches, but not in the Kisii region. At the end of January the Opposition party leader inaugurated himself as the “People’s President,” and has now called for fresh elections to take place in August this year. Please pray that the two parties can work through their disagreements peaceably and soon; so that peace would reign in the country, and also so that the work of the Lord can continue in all areas of the country.

Bible College: We have 15 new students this year, giving us a total of 47 students! God has given us 8 Pastors who are helping teach in the Bible College this year, and this is a blessing to see.

Funerals: Just since the beginning of the year we have had several funerals in some of our churches. James Ochieng was a deacon in our church in Kisii, and he passed away after being sick with tuberculosis for just a few weeks. There were nearly 1,000 people at his funeral and several hundred prayed during the invitation for God to save them. The mother of Pastor George Okoth (pastor of Bible Baptist Church of Rongo) passed away after a tragic car accident. Another lady in Rongo, that was in bad health for several months, also passed away. Just one week before she died, I was able to visit her with Pastor Okoth, and she gave her heart to the Lord. There is so little time to reach people, and we thank you for your prayers as we try to reach as many as possible before it is too late.

Orphans: We were able to purchase all of the children new uniforms to start the year, but we have not received pictures yet from all of the pastors. We will include those in the orphan letter that we send out to those that are supporting this ministry.

SMART Trip: Thank you to those of you who have sent money in order to help Abigail and Breanne prepare for their mission trip through BIMI this summer. Each of them have raised around 25% of the amount that is needed (total needed is $3,900) so far.

Building Projects: We have finished the fencing at our church and orphanage in Sidundo, and we have started the foundation work on our church in Rongo. We need to raise approximately $5,000 for building projects. The projects include the church building in Rongo, plus an extension to our church building in Kisii. The Kisii building extension will include baptistry rooms and a prophet’s chamber for visiting Kenyan Pastors and missionaries that this church supports in East Africa. We have a team scheduled to come at the end of the summer to finish these projects.

We are very thankful for your prayers for our family and ministries in Kenya!

For Souls in Kenya,



Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya

Luke is home!

Luke is home!

He said the situation on the roads was bad, much worse than in October. It took him over 13 hours to get home today, but he’s home and safe.

Thank you for praying 🙏!

Praise the Lord & keep praying!

PTL! He made it through & is almost home! Thank you for all your prayers! The next few days may be pretty rough around the country, so continued prayers are appreciated!

Please pray!

Luke said a large convoy of police & military just went past them on their way to Ahero. He is less than 2 km from the fighting.

Please pray!

Prayer Warriors we need you now!

Prayer Warriors we need you now!

Luke (and many other motorists) is stopped along the route between Kisumu & Kisii. The roads are now blocked in both directions by protestors wielding stones & machetes.

He has either been traveling or waiting ALL day due to the protests that broke out today.

Please pray!

Shelby family & Kenya 🇰🇪 Update:

The kids & I attended church here in Kisii, & We had a really good service. Pastor Andrew preached on bearing one another’s burdens. The alter was full.
2018 seemed to get off to rough start for our church here, but the trials are drawing all of closer together in a spirit of unity that we have not experienced here before. When the leaders were discussing the theme for our new year & chose “Striving Together,” we had no idea that what was ahead for our church family. They have wonderfully shown brotherly love & have come together to bear a heavy burden. Their spiritual growth has been awesome to see & this is just the 1st week of February! Not sure what God has in store next for Calvary BC of Kisii, but God has brought us through this trying time together & HE will bring us through each step from here as well.
Luke preached at our church in the village of Sidundo (5 1/2 hours away) today, & they also had good services today.

Not even sure what to write concerning Kenya at this point...opposition held a demonstration today & they plan to cause major disruptions in the capital tomorrow. We will be safe here. As the political situation intensifies & TV broadcasting remains turned off, we have been told that social media will be the next to be switched off (as the opposition is using these means to incite people to mass action). Not trying to scare anyone or anything, we are just use to having a plan B, C, & D in place after living in Kenya this long (lol). So...if social media gets cut off, we will communicate via email. If you are not on our mailing list, please visit our website & subscribe to our Letters & Updates in order to receive our emails when we can get things out. If for any reason that fails, we will hopefully be able to use our phones for calls & texts, & we will stay in contact with our families & home church, & they will be able to post updates on their FB accounts.

Love ❤️ you all! Thank you for your faithful prayers.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Luke made & our Pastors made it safely to Siaya. He said all the roads were clear & there were no problems.

Luke will return home sometime this next week; depending on how the protests (planned to begin on Monday) go.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Political situation (2/2/18)

As far as the political situation...things are beginning to escalate in areas of Nairobi. But most was not too bad today. The opposition is threatening to increase protests & have ordered their soldiers (not sure exactly who those are?? Maybe the youths they have been using to destroy property, loot businesses, & stone cars??) to go from to every house & place of Business & remove the current President’s pictures & burn them. Then they will replace them with the opposition leader’s picture instead.

In statements today at the funeral (held in the opposition’s area) we were told that they plan to make every Kenyan choose which country they will be a part of the Republic of Kenya or the Central Republic of Kenya by June.

So this is not going to be a short process or something that can just be swept under the rug & forgotten. Things will most likely get worse each week at least for a while.
Please pray for Luke & a couple of our Pastors who will be traveling into the opposition’s stronghold area to check on one of our churches & our orphanage. Due to the safety concerns, our children & I will remain in Kisii this time.

Thank you for your prayers!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us today. There were nearly 1,000 people at the funeral today & they were very receptive to the message. We cannot give you a number of precious souls saved, because there were too many to count! Praise the Lord!

And after a month long wait for the funeral, this young family now has some closer. Your prayers are always appreciated!

Please pray for the funeral of Bro. James...

If you are awake now, we ask that you pray as the Word of God will be preached in just a few minutes. We are at the funeral of one of our deacons, & a majority of his family is unsaved. We ask that you pray that many will listen to a clear presentation of the Gospel & be saved today.

Please pray for his wife & children & our church family during this time.

Thanks in advance!

LONG post ahead! TV stations are still under a blackout!

LONG post ahead! TV stations are still under a blackout, but we have been able to get news via the local stations social media sites. Everything appears to be calm countrywide tonight. The way the government reacts in the coming days (as the article below explains that today's actions could be viewed as high treason) will be very important when it comes to the safety of all the people in Kenya. Your continued prayers are much appreciated.

News Article below:

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who boycotted the country's disputed election last year, swore himself in as the "people's president" at a mock inauguration ceremony Tuesday in protest against President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered at Uhuru Park in central Nairobi, chanting slogans and waving tree branches at the symbolic "swearing-in" event, which was organized by Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA).

Odinga supporters gathered for his mock "swearing-in" ceremony in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Kenyatta won a second presidential term with 98% of the vote following a controversial election rerun in November. The country's Supreme Court nullified the previous ballot, also won by Kenyatta, due to "illegalities and irregularities."

Odinga and his opposition party dropped out of the second vote, claiming the election commission had failed to implement any reforms.
NASA says it wants to create an alternative government to protest Kenyatta's rule. Some are hoping Tuesday's event will push Kenyatta, who promised to work toward national unity during his second term, to include opposition leaders in dialogue and in his ministerial appointments.

But the government has warned that Tuesday's events amount to treason -- an offense punishable by death, according to Kenyan law.

Ahead of the event, three of the country's largest television stations were pulled off air by the government -- a move not seen in the country for years.

"President Kenyatta expressly threatened to shut down and revoke the licenses of any media that would broadcast the planned purported swearing in of NASA leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday," Kenya Editors Guild Chairman Linus Kaikai said in a statement on Monday night.

Local channels KTN, NTV and Citizen television's free-to-air channels were turned off beginning around 10:00 a.m. (2:00 a.m. ET) Tuesday morning.

CNN has reached out to the government and is awaiting comment.

*Judge: Ceremony is treason

The election-related drama in east Africa's economic hub has been stuttering along for months, and on Tuesday a state of apprehension hung in the air.

National newspapers captured the sense of uncertainty: One headline read "Moment of truth," while another read "What to expect on this day of conflict."

While not specifically naming Odinga, Attorney General Githu Muigai warned last month that any attempt to hold an alternative swearing-in event amounted to treason.

"The swearing in of any person not lawfully declared to have won an election by the independent election and boundaries commission, and the swearing in that is not conducted by the chief justice of the Republic of Kenya is a process wholly unanticipated by the constitution and is null and void and illegal," Muigai said.

"The criminal law of the Republic of Kenya stipulates that sort of process is high treason ... It is high treason of the persons involved, and any other person facilitating that process," he added.

*Uncertainty ahead

Observers had feared that Tuesday's protest could lead to more public unrest. But in opposition strongholds -- where much of the post-election violence has erupted -- it appeared to be business as usual. In Nairobi's Kibera slum, vendors set up their shops and residents went about their day as normal. Jubilant supporters emerged in celebration after Odinga took the symbolic oath.

At least 92 people have been killed during the protracted election period, according to a report from Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights.

Odinga has been somewhat ambiguous about his future plans. Speaking recently on KTN, he told Kenyans "to hold their horses."

"Let them hold their horses they will be told outside the swearing in. We will make an announcement as far as what will happen going forward," Odinga said.

"We can actually make use of this opportunity in order to bring the people together. That is what we intend to do as the people's government," he said. "We are going to take actions and bring reforms where we will bring the country together."

Quick update!

Forgot to mention that this is our Pastors’ Classes week at our Bible College! Arrival day was Monday, so everyone made it in safely before today’s turmoil & insecurity on our he roads. The Pastors will head back to their churches on Saturday, so be in prayer with them for traveling safety.

We also have a funeral on Thursday & Friday this week for one of the deacons in our church here in Kisii. So please pray for his wife & son & our entire church family during this time.

We are so thankful for each & every one of you who pray for us & our ministries here in Kenya. We couldn’t be here without you!

November 2017 - January 2018 Update

Printable Version (PDF)

Thank you for your prayers for the country of Kenya and our family during these past few months.  We are writing to you today with a quick update since we have been delayed in getting a regular Prayer Letter sent out to everyone. We do apologize for being late on our normal communication with you, your family, and your church.  This is not a regular Prayer Letter, but more of a personal update until we can get our Prayer Letter completed and ready for both regular mail service and email.

For those of you who follow our family and ministry closely on social media, then you know that there have been some unstable conditions within Kenya (especially in the region where a majority of our churches are located).  Even though the political situation has been unstable, the work of the Lord has continued.  Of course when politics are unstable, then the basic services of electricity, internet, water, and food supplies are also affected; making each daily task either more difficult to accomplish or sometimes even impossible to get accomplish.  Since August (when the original elections took place), we have only had electricity for about 2 weeks per month, water 1-2 days per month, and internet only part of the 2 weeks that we have had electricity!  As far as food...sugar, maize meal (corn meal), dairy products, and many other items have either been rationed or non-exisistent in our area up until this month.  But we thank the Lord for His protection and for His provision for our family!

Since October, we have had a re-run of the Kenyan Presidential elections; with the opposition once again losing and continuing to demand to be put into positions of power.  They have boycotted various services across the country (one being the major cellular network in our area, of which they destroyed many cell towers causing communication issues), continued to hold public demonstrations whenever they feel like it (causing road closures in many areas).  Thankfully, these things are getting better now!  But it seems that they are better just in time for the opposition to cause more trouble.  The opposition party plans to swear in their own leader as President of the People's Republic of Kenya on Tuesday, the 30th of this month.  This ceremony is supposed to take place about 1 1/2 hours from us, and we are already seeing an influx of military and extra police officers in our area.  Prior to this ceremony, the opposition party plans to hold a major rally right here in Kisii Town on Sunday!  We are praying that things stay safe for us and all of our church family here.  We would appreciate your prayers as well.

During the months of October and November, our regular weeks of Bible College classes and Pastoral Classes had to continually be shifted around in order to allow all of our students traveling safety.  All of this shifting around of schedules can cause things to pile up rather quickly!

In November, Tonya was in the USA for her regular medical tests.  During this visit, she was officially diagnosed with Lupus.  Her doctors are working with her and allowing us to try natural options first.  They are giving her six months to try diet, supplementation with as many natural options as we can find for her.  If her blood work is not better at the six month mark (April), then they will insist on traditional medication and treatment plans.  Rest is very important, but the past few months have not been very conductive for the rest needed.  So, we ask for your prayers for her health.

December started off with College Days at our Calvary Baptist Church branch of our Bible College.  We had over 50 students and prospective students in attendance for a week of preaching, fellowship, and fun!  The second week of December is always a fun week here; as we had an amazing week of Youth Camp at Calvary BC in Kisii Town. Our theme was Fear Factor...Fear not, Only BELIEVE!  We had 92 teens in attendance, and 9 were saved!  We also had 10 young people commit to joining our Bible College for 2018!  Exciting things are happening among our youth, and we praise the Lord for the work He is doing here.  Then finishing up our first semester of homeschool for Caleb and Kay-Leigh right before Christmas.  We enjoyed a couple of days of rest, time with family, and church family over the holidays.  We were able to close the year with a Western Kenya Pastors' Fellowship at our church in Rongo (Bible Baptist Church of Rongo) on December 28-31st.  And a wonderful in the Lord's house at Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii Town on Sunday the 31st.  We had a wonderful day with our church family with dinner on the grounds, fellowship, games, preaching, singing, testimonies and more as we stayed all night to usher in the New Year together as a church family.  We had 75 in attendance at midnight!  And started our New Year off right with one baptized at our sunrise service on the 1st!  God is so good!

And in January...is January really almost over already?!?  My, oh, my!  How fast the time is going by.  The first week of January we were out in the village of Sidundo with our church and orphan home there.  We enjoyed our fellowship with this church family, and are excited about the goals of this ministry for 2018.   January has also been a time of sorrow for our ministry, as we have seen 3 precious people go on to be with the Lord in Heaven.  Three people from 3 different churches; but even in this, we are thankful that we will see them again one day when we meet in heaven.  One funeral is taking place today; please pray for souls to be saved.  We ask that you pray specifically for a young lady in our church in Kisii Town, who lost her husband suddenly, and now has 2 boys to raise on her own.  Please keep these three families in your prayers.  

Our Bible College got off to a wonderful start this month with almost 50 enrolled for this year!  This week Luke, Caleb, and several men from a few of our churches worked on the building site at Bible Baptist Church in Rongo.  This project has taken a long time to get off the ground, but it is exciting to see this church growing and working together!  Monday (29th) begins Pastoral Classes for the new year, and we have 16 enrolled in these classes!

We appreciate your love, prayers, encouragement, and support; we could not be here without YOU!  Thank you! 

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke and Tonya Shelby
(Written from the perspective of a missionary wife.)