Category Archives: National missionary stories

A light on top of the hill

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, National missionary stories, Partnership with national missionaries, Stories and reports

Rev. George Odaa is the Director of Grace Evangelical Mission in Kisumu, Kenya. George and his wife Lightness have led the GEM Home and served as “parents” for about 20 orphans for several years. George has a passion for teaching the Word of God and has faithfully taught these children the glorious truths of God revealed in Scripture.

Rev. George and Lightness Odaa

Below is a passage from the recent quarterly report from Rev. George Odaa:

In the book of Hebrews we have this verse:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have.  God has said; ‘I will never leave you; I will never forget you’ (Hebrews 13:5).

Again, quoting from David, the word of God tells us that, “I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).

These and many other verses in the Scriptures give children of God comfort and courage to endure affliction and difficult times. We the family of Grace have seen the Lord fulfill these words in [our] life time however short. The family of Grace started with much assurance that it is God who wanted me to take a step of faith to plant this new ministry of caring for orphaned and destitute children. Just at the age of 34, God called me to take this challenge to do His work amidst lots of opposition from friends and some good Christian brothers. I took the challenges head on and started the GEM (Grace Evangelical Mission).

The GEM Home now is a light on top of a Hill bringing new life to orphans and needy children in our society. … God has used the ministry to bring honor and glory to His name.

GEM children having fun playing games at home

Praise God for all that He has done in GEM Kenya. What he has done to his people. Thank you Lord for using dear brethren all over the world, to bring a rich fulfillment to our deep soul longings, to your own glory. Amen.

2,004 children come to Christ in Kenya

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, National missionary stories, Partnership with national missionaries, Stories and reports

Children in Kenya

Below is an excerpt from a recent quarterly report from Pastor Wilfred Githongo Kabiru serving with AIC Kenya:

Having noticed for years how brutal and irresponsible our young people are, two years ago we offered to launch the above program to make sure that we will reach children to Christ as early as five years if possible. Church elders did not believe that Mission ONE team would be able to carry on this work, but now we have proved to them that it is possible and that this age is the best and easiest to bring people to Jesus.

We meet them in schools, preach to them and conduct fun activities for them. We also make teachers responsible to follow up born again ones. This is for Christian teachers whom we have brought to the Lord.

Secondly, we gather them, and more seriously we invite them together with their parents so that they can continue with them from where we have left. During this second quarter, Jeff Kabero Gathu was responsible. He met with them at schools, villages and lastly jointly with their parents.

So far we have 2,004 born again children in our outreach program.

For more information about the ministry of AIC Kenya, contact Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

God is at work in Nepal

Cross-cultural partnership, Indigenous ministries, National missionary stories, Partnership with national missionaries, Stories and reports

Local church pastors and believers in Nepal

Below is an excerpt from a recent quarterly report from Bishwa Karmacharya, serving with Transformation Nepal.

The presence of God was felt so much in this quarter. We were able to see that the seeds that had been planted in people’s heart started to grow. The follow up visits to churches helped us realize that God is at work, He has worked through us. The people whom we had shared gospel with had been a growing Christian. The number of believers in churches was also increasing where we did a follow up visit. Ed and team came to Nepal this quarter; we had a very good time of ministering to people. We thank Ed and Mission One for bringing this team.

Bishwa sharing the gospel in Ranitar

We were able to make a 2010 plan for Transformation Nepal in this quarter. With much prayer, we have identified what activities we want to do in 2010. So, this quarter has been a very fruitful quarter for us.

The Transformation Nepal Team labors among many unreached communities of Nepal and focuses on church planting, discipleship and leadership training.

For more information about the ministry of Transformation Nepal, contact Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

“And the rain came”

Cross-cultural partnership, Indigenous ministries, National missionary stories, Partnership with national missionaries, Stories and reports
Mission ONE partners Severino & Rose Janus are key leaders serving with Evangelical Free Church of Sudan. They live in Torit, Southern Sudan, and oversee the work of the EFCS Sudan Team.

Below is an excerpt from a recent quarterly report from Pastor Severino Maira Janus, serving with Evangelical Free Church of Sudan.

Around July when the drought hit the entire Southern Sudan, Chukudum County was much affected. William and some missionaries were serving in Nakishot, but during the absence of rain in the area the crops were failing. The local population who were mostly traditional Africans blamed the missionaries in that they have stolen their rain and they asked them to leave the area. That was an opportunity for Rev. William to share Christ with those people who are ignorant about God. He told them that man couldn’t possess rain, only God who owns everything including rain. If we need rain, let us pray God will open the windows of heaven and let the rain come to us. After listening to him, God answered their prayers and the rain came. Many people from that area accepted the Lord and the church was planted among these primitive people.

Pastor Severino and Evangelical Free Church of Sudan have been ministry partners with Mission ONE since the early 1990s. Under Severino’s leadership, dozens of churches have been planted. Severino is currently developing a bi-vocational training center in Torit called Bright Hope School of Theology. Their vision is to develop Christian leaders in theological training while also equipping them with vocational skills to aid in the long term sustainability of the local church—along with development of the economy of Southern Sudan.

For more information about the ministry of Evangelical Free Church of Sudan, contact Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

“Jumping 4 feet high in their praise”

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, National missionary stories, Partnership with national missionaries, Stories and reports

Kenya’s Pokot tribe is turning from darkness to light
through the life-transforming gospel of Christ

Part of the AIC Kenya Team supported by Mission ONE, Pastor Job Kisang ministers among the Pokot tribe in northwest Kenya, where two new churches have recently been planted
Part of the AIC Kenya Team supported in part by Mission ONE, Pastor Job Kisang ministers among the Pokot tribe in northwest Kenya, where two new churches have recently been planted

The story below is from a recent quarterly report from Mission ONE’s partner, Africa Inland Church, concerning Rev. Job Kitum Kisang, a pastor and church planter who is part of the AIC Kenya Team …

In the northwest of Kenya, where Kenya borders with the country of Uganda, lives a primitive tribe known as the Pokot. This tribe is pastoralist who has a rich cultural diversity which includes cattle rustling, dancing and they live in huts, they are half naked, and above all they are war-like tribe. Rev. Job Kitum Kisang is one of AIC pastors stationed there, with the help of Mission ONE support.

For years now he has provided these hostile tribes the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as for today many, many families have joined the new churches opened in the area—they have started schools, they have adopted the culture of wearing clothes. Those who have  been converted to Christianity are praising Christ in their cultural dancing style and jumping 4 feet high in their praise and worship times. In the first quarter pastor Kisang started a church and in this second quarter he has also planted another. In this story we focus him posing a picture with his new church members and the baptism candidates.

Very quickly the Holy Spirit of God through His people is changing darkness to light to the Pokot community. Warring other tribes and cattle rustling has changed to praises for God in the churches.

We at Mission ONE praise the Lord for our partnership with the AIC Kenya Team, and for the ministry of Job Kitum Kisang and his co-laborers among the Pokot people in Kenya.