Dear friends in Christ,

We wish you a belated Happy New Year! It is surprising how fast time passes. We give thanks to our Lord for His mercies that are new every morning; great is His faithfulness which has led us this far.

We cannot recount all His mercies upon us throughout last year; they are manifold. We can only but thank Him and rededicate ourselves for His use this year. We want to share with you a few matters for praise and prayer since our last Prayer Letter of late 2009.

The A.'s went back to UK for their most needed holiday. They deserved some rest after much work through harrowing experience of their house being burgled in August last year. We have missed them but are thankful that they are due back to us this week.

During the A.'s time away, Les & Ann B. have been among us for one month. They had earlier been missionaries in Kenya and have now returned to encourage us in the work. Their ministry has been of immense value to all in the church. To crown it all, Les spoke at the Reformed Fraternal of Western Kenya Ministers, which gathered in Kisumu on 12th January. They have since returned to UK. We are grateful to God for them.

Manor Park Evangelical Church UK where the B.'s are members had arranged for four volunteers to come and help Grace Baptist Church Eldoret in December. The young ladies fit in among us very well. They were involved in the ministry among our children and young people. They were able to run a Holiday Bible Club for five days and visited a number of homes where the children come from. They were also able to visit some homes of church members. Though it was a very busy time, they were able to visit one of our National Game Parks and a children's Orphanage. Their two weeks among us were not only an eye opener to what God is doing here but welded their hearts to Kenya and so they left saying they would like to come back again! Praise the Lord with us for keeping them safe.

Volunteers: Fiona, Naomi, Megan & Rachel

During the December holidays, the Lord visited us in a most surprising way. Five young girls between the ages of nine and seventeen professed faith. Some of them testified to the fact that they had been under extreme conviction of sins. Fear of an offended God consumed them and they called for help that they may find forgiveness of their sins. We counted it our solemn yet wonderful privilege to direct them to look to the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work alone as the way to find peace with God. They are expressing joy in their new found faith! One of them is our daughter Liz for whom we have been praying. What amazing grace and how good the sound! Please pray for them to press on with the Lord, especially in the context of the school life.


Holiday Bible Club

Health is constantly a humbling experience for us. We press on with this work in a context of frailty of life. We each here have our 'thorns in the flesh' and periodic visits to the Doctors provide some relief. The words of David in Psalm one hundred and nineteen verses sixty-seven and seventy-one reveal to us that we must not look at our infirmities negatively:

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.” “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.” Precious words indeed.

After a long spell of dry weather, we were blessed with a lot of rain during December. In some areas of Kenya it even turned disastrous with deaths and destruction of properties. It has quickly died off leaving the concern that famine is inevitable. Because there was not a good harvest last year, the price of maize set to go up even sooner.

Kenya is still going through a painful time of reviewing and redrafting its entire Constitution. As you would expect, so many interested parties want their hand on it. It is an illusive process that has taken us over fifteen years. Recently, the experts presented a 'Revised Draft'. This was then handed over to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) who should be finishing its work in a few days time. They are not necessarily agreed on all issues. One of the most explosive issues is Land Policy. But the PSC seems to have removed it from the process thus not having it entrenched within the Constitution. As would be expected, a storm of protest is quickly gathering. Constitution making is a very crucial national exercise, and meant not to serve a particular regime or period but for posterity. Political interest runs through it like blood through the vein! Kenya can not afford to get it wrong this time.

We are thankful for your regular prayers and do ask that you continue to PRAY FOR US.

Yours in Christ,
Naphtally & Helida with Liz O.