Off to Kenya in a few days!

I returned July 27 from the Philippine Islands where I lead a team of Christian apologists (those who give reasons why Christianity is true), conducting a conference in Manila followed by an academy for those interested in learning more.

Now that I have re-adjusted to the 13-time zone difference between the Philippines and Iowa, I am preparing for a trip next week to Kenya.

This trip to Kenya, my seventh, will be my first without Laurie, who is still getting her new office set up now that she has established her own law and mediation practice here in Iowa.

I will be a keynote speaker at a pastors’ conference at Lake Nakuru, four hours north and west of Nairobi. I am told they expect up to 1,200 pastors and wives at the conference, where I will be speaking about the certainty of Christianity in an uncertain age.

I’ve been invited to preach at a church in South B, a community that has middle class (for Kenya) homes on one side and a slum on the other. The last time I spoke at this church, there were about 700 people in a building that accommodates 600. It is a blessing to see such a desire for believers to come together for worship, even when there is standing room only for late arrivers. I do recall vividly my last time preaching at South B, because at the very moment I was speaking, about two miles away a church was bombed by terrorists, resulting in one death and many injuries.

With terrorism rampant in Kenya, and with bad water, bad roads, malaria and the threat of the Ebola virus, why go to Africa? The simple answer is “because I was invited, and because training Christian leaders to understand, proclaim and defend their faith is my calling.”

I don’t look forward to the 24 hours it takes to get to Kenya, nor would it be my first choice to spend another 10 days away from Laurie. But when given the opportunity to change lives and help change a country, I don’t see it as a daunting task, but rather a humbling privilege. Please pray for effectiveness as I challenge hundreds of Christian leaders to be ready to give reasons for their hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15) and open the door for the ministry of Ratio Christi (“the reason of Christ”) that places trained Christian apologists on university campuses throughout the world.

Thanks for your interest in and support of Rolling Stone Ministries.

Bwana asifiwe (“praise the Lord” in Swahili).