March - April 2023 Shelby Family In Kenya News and Furlough Announcement

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Hello from the Shelby Family.  We are writing to let you know that our furlough is coming up very soon and we will be leaving on the 17th of this month.  We will have time with our family, graduations, medical appointments, and set-up time for our presentation, prayer cards and display for the first month before we start having meetings on the road.  We will be in Arkansas during this time.  

We are excited about the way the Lord is using our children to serve the Lord.  During this year, we are eager to be able to see Abigail and her family as they leave for the field of Guyana when their deputation is complete; to see Breanne and her husband come back from Mongolia for their first furlough in October; as well as to see Caleb before he begins a couple of ministry internships in Israel and hopefully be able to start deputation soon afterwards.  

Our Schedule is filling up with those that we have not been with in a while, and so far we have almost 30 meetings scheduled.  There are several that I will be getting back with by phone to set up meetings, and there are others that we will be able to stop by as we travel through the area.  We plan to return to Kenya in February 2024. If you would like us to schedule a meeting while in your area, please send us a message by e-mail (mail@shelbysinkenya.org) as soon as possible, and we will work out the dates.

We will need to raise a little support this furlough, because about 10 churches were not able to continue supporting us due to the Coronavirus pandemic and other economic issues that followed.  We thank the Lord for the many years that some of them were able to support our ministry; there is much fruit that will be added to their account.

We will also need to raise project funds for different projects here in Kenya for buying land and helping with building projects for some of the churches that we have started in the last several years.  God has continued to bless these churches and the faithfulness of their pastors and many souls are being won to Christ.  We are so thankful for the things that He is doing in these cities and villages.

Recently, we were able to have a wedding at our church in Kisii between a young man, Ezekiel, and a young lady, Anne. Ezekiel was an orphan that we helped finish high school as he lived with us and we mentored him.  He went on to university and got an Engineering degree  while also completing our Bible College at the same time. Anne is the daughter of a very faithful family in our church in Kisii.  It was such a special day to see these two young people, that we have poured our lives into, commit themselves to each other and to God as clean vessels for His honor and glory.  

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our family and ministry.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby

October 2022 - February 2023 - Graduation, New Churches, New Bible Study, Furlough, & More...

Happy New Year from the Shelby Family! 

It has been a busy few months here, and there is a lot to write about.  I will not be able to go through too many details at this time, but we will in the next few months.

Hope Baptist Church

At the end of October, we helped a new missionary, David Smith, along with one of our Bible College graduates start their first church here in Kisumu.   Pray for Hope Baptist Church and the Smith Family, as we have now placed the weekly ministry responsibilities of this church completely in their hands.

South Nyanza Baptist College

God blessed, and we had 18 graduates to close out 2022.  Five of them graduated from our Pastoral degree program, and they are ministering in their local churches in different parts of our region of Kenya.  We also have several new students that have joined us for the new year of 2023.  Our current active student body is 72 enrolled students, who are studying in one of 9 local church branches of our Bible College in the Nyanza region of Kenya.

Youth Camp

We were able to have the first youth camp in 3 years, since everything closed down due to corona.  It was a very good attendance 50+ youth and counselors.  We even had youth from two new areas of Kisumu and Kericho, where new churches are getting started.  We had 13 saved and it was a great blessing to be able to make connections with many that we had not been able to see for the past few years.

Immanuel Independant Baptist Church

Another NEW church started in one of the villages around Kisii, Karogo, on January 8th, out of another church in Raganga, where we have a branch of our Bible College for surrounding churches.  

Also another NEW Bible Study recently started in the village of Sigoti, with one of our 2022 graduates. We are excited about what the Lord is doing in the opening new areas for the preaching of the Word of God through these men whom He  has allowed us to have had a part in training them for the ministry. God is so good!

Hip Surgery

Last summer while we were in Arkansas for a few weeks to meet our first grandson, I had some doctor appointments, and we were told that I needed a full hip replacement. We were told that I could possibly wait until our regularly scheduled furlough (see details below), but the pain has continued to get worse. So, we began seeking medical advice on this side, and the surgeons here agree that I need surgery soon, and they are sending me to South Africa for surgery. We will be flying to Cape Town on February 17th, my surgery will be February 21st, and if recovery goes as planned we will return to Kenya on March 6th. Once back in Kenya, I will be able to continue physiotherapy and finish any doctor’s appointments here. We are planning for 6-8 weeks for recovery time; and once I get a medical release, we will be ready for our furlough. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for all the extra travel and for a quick recovery.

Furlough

We want to let you know that we are planning to return to the USA in May 2023 for our regularly scheduled furlough. Our furlough will be approximately 9 months long, and we plan to return to Kenya in February 2024. Our schedule has already started filling up, so if your church would like to schedule a meeting, please send us an email as soon as possible to: mail@shelbysinkenya.org.  Please pray for our family during this time, as we will be getting our youngest daughter settled in Bible College and traveling thousands of miles while we are in the USA.

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby Family

New Church Starting Soon and Other News..

July - September 2022 

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Hello from Kisumu, Kenya.  We have had a very busy summer schedule, and we praise the Lord for all that He allowed us to do.  We were able to visit our daughter, Abigail, and her husband, Robert, as they welcomed our first grand baby to their family, Andrew Allen Cepec, on June 23rd. We were able to spend some good time with them as they were transitioning to being on the full-time deputation.  Tonya was able to be with Abigail in the hospital when the baby was born.  That was a real blessing for both of them.  Thank you for your continued prayers for all of our family.   Robert and Abigail are on their way to Guyana, and they have reached around 20% of their support.

Please remember Breanne and Jeremy in your prayers, as they are about to have their first winter out in the village of Hatgal, Mongolia in their new house.  

Also while in the States, I visited a Chiropractor and Orthopedic doctor concerning issues I have been dealing with around my hip over the last year.  After a few visits it was concluded that as a result of arthritis and other issues I was in need of a full hip replacement.  We were not able to stay in the USA for the 3 month recovery at this point, so we are scheduling the surgery for our furlough planned for next year.  Please pray that I can manage the discomfort and try to keep going with as much of the ministry schedule as I can over the next 6-8 months before we begin furlough.

Bible Study in Nyamasaria, Kisumu

The outreach for the Bible Study has been going very well in several areas.  We have a small rented building ready to start the new church, Hope Baptist Church, on October 30th.  Please pray for this date as well as the preparation time leading up to it.  The Smith’s have been a big blessing in helping in areas that I could not do because of my traveling, college schedule, and ministries in other cities.  Many have been saved and discipled in the past few months, and we are meeting with over 30 adults in 3 different locations on a weekly basis. 

Building project 
We have started helping Calvary Baptist Church in the village of Sidundo build their permanent
church building.  They are raising funds for the bricks and mortar, and we will come along beside them and match their offerings in building this building.  Please pray for them and the work to be able to be completed in God’s timing. 

Peaceful Elections
We thank the Lord that there was peace throughout the month of August and the election process, and there was not much disruption of ministry activities throughout the month.  Kisumu is usually a problem area during the time of elections; but other than just a few days, the roads were clear and there was not problem getting the things done that we needed to.  We did take precautions and helped the other new missionaries here know what to do if there was a serious problem, but we are thankful that there was not, and we know that this was because you were praying for us.  Thank you very much for your prayers for our family and ministries in Kenya!

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby Family

Kenya Update & our New Work in Kisumu update

Thank you so much for praying for peace in Kenya! We serve a mighty God & other than those 2 days, we have seen peace throughout Kenya.

Is it all over?? Well, no, the opposition says they don’t except the election results & are planning to take their petition to the Supreme Court tomorrow. Then the court will either choose to hear their petition, which means 14 days of waiting for another announcement. Or they can say the petition doesn’t provide proof enough to warrant a court case, in which case the the Presidential inauguration will take place on August 30th.

In either of these rulings, one side or the other will be upset. So, please continue praying for peace to be seen throughout the whole country. We know God is able.

Ministry update:

The Bible study in Kisumu, is really beginning to take off & we are seeing people saved each week! We have the main Bible study & children’s class under a mango tree every Sunday morning, a ladies Bible study on Sunday afternoons, & 3 in-home Bible studies throughout the week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Fridays, plus we are targeting different areas of the Nyamasaria region of Kisumu town for canvassing on Saturdays. Needless to say…but life is definitely busy!

Today we had 19-20 adults present, & a lady the was led to the Lord yesterday on visitation came & brought her husband with her! He was so attentive during the lesson & stayed afterwards with questions & he got saved as well. Then while the ladies were meeting this afternoon, the men went to make a few follow up visits & this brand new Christian asked to go with them. When he saw what they were telling people he asked if they could make another stop. So they did & it was at his work place & he went & gave his co-workers tracts & told them about the Bible study & that they needed to come learn more like he did! He said he would make sure that some of them come with him & his wife next week. It doesn’t get much better than that! God I’d so very good to us & it so awesome to see HIM working in the life of these new Christians.

Please keep the Nyamasaria area of Kisumu in your prayers.

Please pray for peace!

Please pray for peace!

It’s been a long week of waiting for presidential results & that was announced this evening. It was such a close race & the candidate that has tried for the 5th time lost again.

This time around we live & work in Kisumu, & our hearts were breaking for the people here as we saw the black smoke (from burning tires blocking the roads) of protests beginning to go up & could hear the cries (wails) of people who feel like they have lost so much. From our home up on the hill, we can see all of town & could see the smoke spreading from one roundabout to the next for as far as our eyes could see.

We have been in contact with the other missionaries on our team & the Kenyans that attend our Bible studies, & everyone is safe tonight. But we would greatly appreciate your prayers over the coming days.

By nightfall, the police were trying to disperse the crowds & we could hear them firing teargas canisters & are still hearing an occasional shot.

Pray for Kenya

Please Pray for Kenya!

We would like to ask everyone to please pray for Kenya. Elections will take place tomorrow & we would like you to pray that it will be a peaceful process.

It could be days, weeks, or months before we know who will be the next president, & that can cause even more frustration & unease for everyone living here.

There have already been some isolated cases of vehicles being torched in different parts of Kenya. We are safe, stocked up on supplies, & are ready to wait out the next few days & would greatly appreciate your prayers for peace & safety countrywide.

Bible Study in Nyamasaria, Kisumu and Summer Update

April - June 2022 

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Dear Prayer Partners, Supporters, and Family,

Hello from the Shelby Family. It seems like just yesterday that 2022 began, and now it is half way over.  Our class schedule has been extremely busy. Plus we have been helping the David Smith family as they first came into the country, did some language studies at a language school, and have now moved to Kisumu and are getting settled here.  I have continued to teach at 3 of the college branches every week and a fourth one at the end of each month.  I drive a minimum of 10 hours during normal weeks just for these classes.  It has been difficult to get everything done in the office that is needed when there are also extra needs that must be attended to with the churches here.  We thank the Lord for the many open doors for ministering, and thank the Lord for the much needed help as we now two other families and a single lady helping us in our ministries in our region of Kenya.

I want to apologize for the lateness of this letter, and to thank you for your understanding and patience in hearing from us.  We thank you so much for your prayers for our family, your interest in what we are doing, and your care of support for our family and ministry.

Our son, Caleb, and my Mom have been able to visit Kenya for 5 weeks, and it has been a blessing to have them with us.  Caleb has preached several times, and he has been mixing in the Swahili that he remembers and has been doing a very good job.  He will begin his 4th year of Bible college in the fall, and he has a desire to go to Israel as a missionary.  Please pray for God to open doors for him in the coming years.

Bible Study in Nyamasaria, Kisumu
We are encouraged by the work that is going on here in Kisumu in planting a new church.  The

Bible study was meeting in the home of one of our students, Edward Oloo, who is helping me learn the Luo language.  It started in May 2021, then moved to a small unfinished room, and now they have been meeting under the shade of a mango tree for almost two months.  There were 49 including the children under other trees in the back. Several have been saved this year already, and it was a blessing to visit with them for two weeks last month.  Bro. David Smith is helping with this work now, under our leadership, as he is getting settled into the culture and Swahili language.  Also please pray for Edward and his wife, Mary, as the Lord has blessed them with their first child, Jonathan.

A couple of projects, that we failed to mention in our last letter, were completed last year is an iron sheet building in Narok when Berea Baptist Church began in April 2021, and another building for the church in the Maasai Village of Oltepesi.  Both works are going well, and we are thankful to the Lord at how they are progressing. 

For Souls in Kenya,

Luke & Tonya Shelby Family