God’s Work in Kenya: Tumaini Baptist Church Opening, Outreach Success, and Family Blessings

Printable (PDF) Version

Dear Prayer Partners and Friends,               May-July 2025

Greetings from Kenya! We hope this letter finds you well. We would like to begin by offering our sincere apologies for the delay in sending out this update. Many of you were expecting our letter in May, and we deeply regret the oversight. During this time, Tonya traveled to the U.S. to be with Abigail for the birth of our second grandchild, while I spent time in the Maasai area with limited internet access, which caused some delay in sending this out. We appreciate your patience and are excited to finally share what God has been doing in our lives and ministry!

Family Update – A New Blessing
We are overjoyed to announce the birth of our second grandbaby, Nathan Cepec, born on May 25th, just a few days after Tonya was able to travel to the U.S. to be with Abigail and her family. Nathan was born four weeks early and required oxygen for the first 12 hours. But we are thrilled to report that he is doing wonderfully now! Abigail is recovering well, and they are just waiting on Nathan’s passport before returning to Guyana. We are thankful for the Lord’s timing and guidance during this special time for our family.

Church Updates:
We are Excited  to report that a NEW CHURCH, Tumaini (Hope) Independent Baptist Church in Kipkirui, officially opened on May 4th, with over 80 in attendance. This event was made possible through the combined efforts of 6 local churches in the area. In the weeks leading up to the opening, we were able to finalize the land and property details with the local community and the government. We built the church building, and on the opening day, we dedicated both the land and the building. It has been such a blessing to see the men and church members we have trained step up to take ownership of this new work. We are excited about the future of Tumaini Baptist Church, and as we continue to work together as a team, we trust God to enable us to accomplish great things for His glory.

In Siaya, we are making progress on the building project. The county government approved our request to move the remaining structures from the previous site, and we have transported some of the materials to the new location. Our next step is to complete the church building. Once finished, we will set up rooms in the existing structure to house children in the orphanage. We also had a successful Youth Rally at the end of June with 40 in attendance!

In Ilkerin, we have completed the church building for Nkirukoto (Faith) Baptist Church. The process took longer than expected as we waited for the land to be officially processed, but the paperwork is now in place. The church members have been working hard to clear the land and get things ready for future projects. We have built a 20 x 40 ft. church and will begin the fencing soon. We are also excited to announce that we plan to open a branch of our Bible college in Ilkerin in January, with a focus on addressing literacy needs and using a simpler approach to teach the Word of God. There are so many open doors in this area, and we are eager to reach the Maasai people and beyond. We are planning a  Thanksgiving Service on August 24th to honor the community and its leaders for donating the land to Nkirukoto (Faith) Baptist Church. This will be an opportunity for us to thank God for His provision and for the local leaders who have partnered with us in the ministry. Please pray that this event will lead to greater community engagement and a deeper impact in the Maasai region.

In Narok, we have the opportunity to purchase the land where Berea Independent Baptist Church is located. The land has been leased for the past few years, but the owner has now offered to sell it to us for just $3,800. The church has already built on this land, so no further construction is needed, but we must cover the process fees with the government. We need to raise $4,500 to complete this purchase, which will secure the land for the church's future.

In Raganga, at Raganga Independent Baptist Church, we held a powerful crusade that included showing the Jesus Film and a week of door-to-door visitation. Five local churches came together to support the event, and 14 of our Bible college students participated in a full week of soul-winning. By God’s grace, 55 people made decisions to trust in Christ for their salvation throughout the week. Additionally, we hosted a Youth Rally, further encouraging the next generation in their walk with the Lord.

Thank You for Your Continued Support!
We are incredibly grateful for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Your partnership with us in spreading the Gospel is what makes all of this possible. We could not be here or accomplish all that God is doing without your faithful prayers and support. As we continue with the work here, we ask for your continued prayers, especially for the new churches and ministries we are starting, as well as for Tonya’s health and continued recovery. Thank you for being such an important part of God’s work in Kenya!

May God richly bless you as you continue to serve Him.

In Christ’s Service,

Luke & Tonya Shelby
Your Missionaries in Kenya

Prayer Requests:

• Tonya’s health
• Bible College
• Laborers for the harvest
• Leadership transition at Calvary Baptist Church in Uwasi
• Purchasing the land for Berea Independent Baptist Church ($4,500)
• Fencing at Nkirukoto (Faith) Baptist Church in Ilkerin and Tumaini (Hope) Baptist Church in Kipkirui ($1,000)

Please use the KENYA LEGACY FUND 

account #501 for these projects. 

Thank you!

Ministry Updates: New Church Projects, Feeding Program, and Prayer Requests

 March 2025

PDF (Printable) Version

Greetings from the hot shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya!

We are thankful for your continued prayers and support as we navigate some challenges and experience God’s direction. Recently, Tonya underwent some blood tests here, and the doctor says that she has "long Covid." The symptoms resemble her COPD but are causing more fatigue than usual and has weakened her heart. We are thankful that God has given us some clarity in her health, and we’re in the process of moving to a more suitable single-level house to help with her recovery and daily needs. Please continue to keep her in your prayers as we seek God's guidance and strength during this time.

---

Calvary Baptist - Uwasi

We are pleased to report that electricity has now been installed at the church, thanks to the generous offerings we’ve received. We’ve also received additional funds for the orphanage, and the supplies will be arriving this week to help the children start living on the compound. It’s a great blessing to see this progress.

The church building project continues to move forward as well. The church members are actively making bricks to finish the building. Despite facing many challenges in the community, this faithful group of believers has remained committed to seeing the work of the Lord continue. They are also making important decisions regarding the organization of the church, one of which is choosing one of their own to lead the congregation. I will be working closely with him, mentoring him to become the future pastor of the church. Please pray for James Nyandimo as he steps into this important role.

---

Building Program

We are thrilled to share that we have received $5,700 toward the construction of two new church buildings in Ilikerin and Kipkirui. In Ilikerin, we are still waiting for the rains to stop and for access to the plot to be cleared before we can begin building. We are moving forward with Kipkirui and are collaborating with other pastors and churches in the area to start the construction.

Last week, I visited a neighboring village where we witnessed two souls saved, including Dorca, a blind woman who prayed with her face lifted to Heaven, asking Jesus to save her. It was a powerful moment, and I could only imagine her joy and the clarity she must have felt, envisioning the face of Jesus as she received Him into her heart. What a glorious day it will be when we see His face!

---

Feeding Program

Thanks to a church in North Carolina, we were able to start a feeding program in Kisii through Calvary
Baptist Church in January. This program is serving needy church members, as well as their families and neighbors. We have been able to provide food packets to 9 families, with each packet costing about $40.

Please pray for this ministry as it continues to impact the community and reach souls for Christ. Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii is currently the pilot church for this program, and we hope to expand it to other churches once we have a routine and guidelines in place.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers, encouragement, and financial support. God is using you to accomplish amazing things here in Kenya, and we are so blessed to serve alongside you in this ministry. Please continue to pray for our health, the building projects, the ministries, and the many souls being reached through these efforts.

May God richly bless you,
Luke & Tonya Shelby
Your Missionaries in Kenya

Safely Back in Kenya & Urgent Prayer Requests

PDF Version (Printable)

Dear Prayer Supporters and Friends, January-March 2020

We arrived back in Kenya in January, and everything is going well here. We have been able to visit 5 of our churches so far, and it is a blessing to see that God is blessing each of them. One of them, Agape Baptist Church in the Jogoo area of Kisii, celebrated its 1st Anniversary. There were a few visitors, and 2 got saved! Pastor Andrew Maiko is doing a good job. Continue to pray for him and his family.

One of the first things that we needed to accomplish upon returning to the field was to find the best solution to Tonya’s coping with COPD here in Kenya. We have been able to determine the main things that affect her ability to breathe in enough oxygen and to regulate her heart rate when trying to compensate for the oxygen levels are the following: high elevation, dust, smoke, and dead air at the heat of the day. We have been living in Kisii for almost 20 years at the elevation of 6,500+ ft. The pressure at that level has shown to be a problem for her. So we have been researching towns with the lowest elevation in our region of Kenya; and Kisumu, a town on Lake Victoria, is located at 3,700 ft. above sea level and is also half way between our 2 main centers of ministry. The humidity is higher here, but that doesn’t seem to bother her. We have decided to get an apartment there which is in easy driving distance to any of our works. All of our ministries with churches, Bible College, and orphans will continue normally, because we start each process with national leadership in place to make sure that each church is indigenous in nature. This small move will also assist us in helping other missionaries, who are coming to Kenya in the near future, who will be working with us with the goal of starting works in towns around us. We are still researching the best way to get air conditioning in our apartment.

Other issues that need urgent prayer in the light of the recent coronavirus that has recently taken center stage in the media:

• Tonya’s COPD places her in the high risk group.

• Our travel to the States for Abigail and Robert’s Wedding on June 6.

• Our travel here in the country while we finish moving into the apartment.

• My Dad is still in the Hospital in Little Rock, now in CCU, and has been moved in and out of ICU to get those rooms ready for coronavirus patients.

• Matthew Rose Family’s arrival has been delayed.

• Kenya shutting down non-essential business in the midst of renewing our work permit.

• $1,000 Still needed for Air Conditioning.

• $5,000+ Still needed for Shipping

We are praying for you during this time of uncertainty, and we covet your prayers as well. May God bless you.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

Missionaries in Kenya

December 2018-January 2019 Prayer Letter

PDF (Printable) Version - HERE

Dear Supporters and Prayer Partners, December 2018 - January 2019

We pray that your New Year is off to a great start! We want to let you know that will be going on furlough from April 2019 to January 2020. We will only be scheduling meetings with those that have requested a meeting along with a few churches nearby them, which we have not had an opportunity to visit during our past furloughs. If you still have not contacted us, please do (mail@shelbysinkenya.org). We will be traveling west with the whole family for the month of June visiting churches along the way. Caleb will attend Camp BIMI this summer, and he and Kay-Leigh plan to go on a missions trip to Costa Rica in July. Then they will settle into school in August for the fall semester.

The main purpose of this furlough is for our son Caleb to graduate from high school and to get settled in Bible College. We will also have more testing for Tonya concerning the difficulties associated with her COPD diagnosis and the irregular heartbeat that have developed into serious conditions this term. We have already ordered an oxygen machine for her, and we are still waiting for it to arrive in Kenya. We thank you very much to those who have prayed for her and for those who have helped us raise the $3,000 needed by word of mouth to buy the portable oxygen concentrator. Over $5,000 has come in for this need, and the excess will pay off her medical bills which have accumulated over the past few months. Thank you so much, and God bless you.

South Nyanza Baptist College has begun for the new year with five new students. Four Students graduated from our 3 year Diploma course, and seven pastors graduated from our 5 year Degree Program course. We are continually blessed with the men that God has given us in the ministry here, and they are doing a great job in each of their churches.

One of these men, Andrew, my assistant pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Kisii Town, will be starting a New church on the opposite side of Kisii Town. We have had several saved there over the last 6-9 months of soul-winning and Bible Studies in homes of those who have gotten saved. We just had an evangelistic meeting for three days at this location, and 48 souls came to know Christ as their personal Savior. We will be having a sending service for him and his family on February 10th, and Agape Baptist Church will have its first service on February 17th. Our church is excited about this step of sending one of our own out to plant a church. Please pray for him and his family.

Please continue to be in prayer for Miss Erica Bohman who praying about coming to work with us next year, and the Rose family who will be coming to work with us for a short time before starting a ministry a couple hours away. We are excited about the laborers that the Lord is sending our direction to help reach Kenya for Christ. If your church is looking to take on new missionaries for support this year, we highly recommend this young lady and family. Feel free to contact us if you would like to get in contact with them.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

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.)

April 2016 Prayer Letter

Printable Version (PDF)

April 2016

Prayer Supporters and Friends,

We thank you for praying for our ministries while we are here in the States on furlough. On Easter Sunday Five Adults walked the aisle and invited the Lord Jesus to LIVE in their hearts. Those are souls that are added to your account. AMEN!!

We covet your prayers for all of the changes that Abigail and Breanne will be facing in less than two months. They are doing well as they are almost finished with their first year in college. The Lord is teaching them so many things in the local ministries of our home church like bus routes, nursery, choir, and junior churches as well as some American figures of speech that are still a mystery to them most of the time.

Please continue to pray for Tonya and her health. There are a few areas that have been understood since January, since she started seeing a natural doctor and getting chiropractic care along with her blood doctor. They are coming up with the same informal conclusion that she has Lupus, and they are working together and helping in several areas. Most of her levels have started improving since the change in her treatments, but there is still a ways to go.

Furlough is winding down, and we have purchased our tickets and will be leaving on May 31. I will be traveling in North Carolina and Virginia for the next three weeks. We will be in Arkansas through the month of May, as we get everything arranged for our girls before we return to the field. We will also be packing a crate and sending it before we go.

We have been able to raise $11,700 for building projects, and $2,500 for the vehicle that we had mentioned our last letter, but we are still needing to raise additional support. We are currently at 80% of our needed personal and ministry support. We have had several churches drop our support over our last term on the field due to finances and other things, and others have decreased the support they are sending. We must have additional support in order to continue to reach more people with the Gospel of salvation. These are the reasons why we need additional support.

1. Abigail (19) and Breanne (18) in Bible college
2. 5 churches that will start in the next year.
3. Opening 2 more Orphanages.
4. The need to add 10+ children every year in our Orphanages.
5. Starting 2 more branches of our Bible College over the next few years.

Please pray for these ministries to not be hindered, and that God will show Himself mighty through you and these opportunities that are wide open to reach souls for Christ.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke and Tonya Shelby

April-May 2014 Prayer Letter

Printable Version (PDF)

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you for your prayers for our family over the past two months, while Tonya and Abigail have been in the USA for their medical furlough.  They have finished everything, and they will be traveling home to Kenya May 24th-25th.

Abigail also graduated from Jacksonville Christian Academy (our home church's school), got her driving permit, did a lot of practicing, and was able to get some needed medical testing done.  In 2007, Abigail was diagnosed with a juvenile form of osteoporosis, and she had a bone density test done while in the USA. Her doctor was amazed at her results! She tested just into the normal range, which technically means that she no longer shows signs of osteoporosis!  She will return to Kenya for a year, work on some Bible College course work through external studies, and then go on to Bible College when we return for our regularly scheduled furlough in 2015. Possibly she and our second daughter, Breanne, will both be staying in the USA at that time for college.

Tonya has had some good results along with also finally finding out the cause of some of her health issues. She has been diagnosed with Negative Intrinsic Factor (a protein that is completely missing in her intestines, and which is responsible for attaching to “B” vitamins so that the body can use them) and also with Pernicious Anemia (an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system mistakenly damages its own tissues, and this anemia depletes iron, B-12, and Folate serum/B-9). Her iron levels were all good; her B-12 level was fairly stable since her last labs; but her folate was critically low. Both the B-12 and folate affect the health of the brain and affect how the brain relays messages to either the glands or nerves throughout the entire body. Because of her diagnosis and the severity of her anemia, her doctors have told us to be prepared for her to continue to return to the USA (or another medically capable country) every six months for life. Although this is not the answer we were hoping for, we are thankful that the Lord has allowed us to finally know what we are dealing with. But we would like to ask each of you to join with us in making this a serious matter of prayer; both for the physical needs that Tonya will continue deal with, and for the extra finances that these kinds of trips and testing are going to require indefinitely. The Lord already knows everything that lies ahead of us; we just ask that you pray with us concerning these things, as we already know that Kenya is where God wants our family to continue to serve Him.

We have begun the work on the church building at Calvary Baptist in Kisii. Things are going well, but since we are on the side of a hill, we decided to put a couple of rooms on the lower side of the building. In doing this, it has added about $7,000 to the original plans, so it will increase the total cost of the building to nearly $20,000. We have already erected the steel frame and roof, built a retaining wall, built the walls for the downstairs rooms, and laid the foundation for the entire building. It will continue to be done in stages since the church itself is raising money for their building throughout the year. In the beginning, we promised the church that we would help them with half of the total amount, so $3,500 has been added to our part to fulfill our half of the total amount. We have never seen a church in Kenya do what this small group of people has done. If God lays it on your heart to help them, even with their remaining part (total of $7000); it would be a great blessing to their faith, and it will go a long way in helping us reach the town of Kisii for Christ which is home for about 183,000 people and is the central market town for more than 3.5 million people in the South Nyanza region of Kenya. Thank you for your prayers and sacrifice for Kenya!

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

Abigail Graduates from High School

Building progress at Calvary Baptist Church - Kisii Town

August - November 2013 Prayer Letter

Printable Version (PDF)

Dear Prayer Partners and Supporters,

We thank you for your prayers for Tonya as she was in the USA getting more treatments and B-12 shots, in October, to use here.  She should have enough to get her through until May of next year, when she is scheduled for another round of tests.

We are finishing the year for the our Bible College, and on November 30th we will have a graduation for two students.  First, is George; he is not married, and he is 22 years old. Second, is Christopher; he is a grandfather getting close to 65 years old.  He only knows the year he was born, because it was before they started keeping track of birthdays.  George is helping me with visitation at our church in Rongo, since the previous assistant Pastor of the church passed away in August.

The Lord is continuing to bless in Kisii, and we are getting ready to start the work on the new church building.  The church has nearly raised the equivalent of $3,000, which is half of their commitment to this project.  We are getting the blueprints drawn up, and all the legal paperwork finished; so that we can start building in January. We have planned the last fund raising for the year on December 1st, along with a ground breaking service. We have invited our other pastors to take part in this, so that they can see the importance of this special day. We currently have $900 that has come in, and an additional $2,000 has already been promised. So we need to raise $3,100 by January, so that we will be able to begin the work.  We have chosen January to start the work, because it is the longest dry season with no rain. The dry time will only last for about 4-6 weeks, so we have to get as much done in that time as possible.  Please help us to raise the remaining amount.

In October, we held our first Mission's Conference for our church in Kisii.  It went very well, and they committed over $100 each month to be sent to missionaries that are Kenyan nationals who are working in the Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, and one that is going to Sudan. We also do a simple commitment card to write down what they expect to give as a tithe, and the total commitments that they gave were tripled from last year to almost $500 a month promised.  This has been really amazing to see, we have never seen this kind of giving by any church in Kenya (even in Nairobi) for the size membership that we have.  We have about 15 families in this church.  They have given lots of testimonies of how the Lord has blessed them through their giving through this past year, and these testimonies have been an encouragement to others.

We received an offering of $3,100 from Sackville Independent Baptist Church in Canada. This offering is for some of the finishing work for the Orphanage in Sidundo.  We have purchased beds, we are finishing the toilet block, and we are getting electricity onto the property.  Please pray that we can get as much work done as possible through the month of December, so that we can move around 20 girls into their dorm room by January!

Thank you for your prayers and support for our family and ministries.

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya

April-June 2013 Prayer Letter

Printable Version (PDF)

Dear Supporters, Praying Friends and Family,

Greetings from Kisii, Kenya. It has been a very busy few months, with a lot of traveling and tight scheduling. Thank you for your prayers! I have had a few bouts with Malaria since the beginning of the year, but we have been able to catch it early enough so it only lasts about a day or two. It has been nothing like it was last year. Tonya has been doing better as well, and she just finished her follow-up trip to the States this month. She was able to get her blood work done and pick up the supplies she needs for her B-12 shots and other supplements. Her tests came back with good results. Her B-12 levels were 4 points into the normal range for the first time in several years! Her doctor is still concerned with her ferritin level (stored iron in the body); it is still within the normal range, but has dropped to 1/2 of what it was six months ago. Her doctor wants her to definitely return to the States again in six months, and he says we should be prepared for her to have either an iron infusion or blood transfusion at that time if her ferritin level continues to drop at this rate. We are, of course, trying to add iron with diet as much as possible; and we are praying that the Lord will continue to strengthen her and her blood in the coming months.

Men's Conference:
We held our first Men's Conference in March, where we taught on fatherhood, leadership, relationships, and serving The Lord as laymen. This is the first time that we have done this without the emphasis being towards pastors only. We had over 30 men from 8 different churches present for the sessions for the three day conference. Many of these men accepted the challenge that was presented to them, and they chose to sign a resolution along with their wives before the church; they decided before their church family to take up the responsibility that God has given them to be godly leaders in their homes. We praise the Lord for the changes He is bringing about in each of these families!

South Nyanza Baptist College:
Both of our Bible College branches are doing well, and we opened this year with 16 new students and some new pastors that have joined with us for fellowship and training. Our four teachers, who are national pastors, are assisting me and taking on more leadership roles in the college; and it is a blessing to see these men continue to mature in the Lord. This will open more opportunities to add an additional Pastoral class that we have not been able to finalize because of past schedule conflicts. Please pray for: classes, new students, and the challenges of opening new branches.

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

Men's Conference 2013


South Nyanza Baptist College - Kisii Branch 2013