Greetings from Kenya!

We have just finished a very full week and we are set to begin another week of training.  Last week we held our 4th annual Pastors Conference in the Mabanga Conference center near Bungoma and  we had over 50 pastors and their wives attend.  Pastor Rich Hamlin and I were teaching on 'Being a Pastor' and the response from the pastors was overwhelming and gracious.  I had opportunity to speak personally with all of them and they were all extremely thankful and blessed by the opportunity to gather with other pastors and enjoy fellowship in the Lord together. 

The church that Rich pastors, Evangelical Reformed in Tacoma, purchased 180 Bibles in Swahili and English that were given to the pastors of these churches at the conference.  Their smiles could have lit up a small city as they carried them away to give to their church members, most of whom do not own a Bible.  We also were able, because of your generous donations, to give them a great deal of study material and books and bible programs that will greatly help them in their ministry. All the pastors wanted me to convey their grateful thanks for all that you who support API have done to make this conference available to them, and to tell you all that they are praying for you.  I was blessed by the arrival of my son-in-law, Ben Sansburn, from Chengdu, on Wednesday this past week.  He flew in to help teach this next week of intensive Bible training in Bible doctrine, theology and how to read and interpret the Bible.  We will have 20 or so pastors in these sessions which are designed to give pastors some good Bible training that they are not able to afford through Bible School. Please continue to pray for us as we teach and preach.

One final note on this blog - Rob Hostager, Rich Hamlin, Ben Sansburn, Claire Hamlin and myself took a tour through the Lake Nakuru Game Park on Saturday before Rich and Claire had to return. We saw the famous pink flamingos in their hundreds of thousands on the lake, as well as gazelles, zebras, baboons, monkeys, giraffes, rhinos, and yes, lions. Rob, who is the photographer and videographer on the team got some great pictures that we will share with you.  As we drove through the park, it became obvious that our driver was fairly new at this and we held our breath at times as we drove through some very wet and muddy spots in the park. Apparently holding your breath as you drive through difficult spots doesn't really work as we finally hit a spot that breath-holding didn't seem to help.  It was really muddy, there were lions loose in the park, and other dangerous animals, and I didn't really want to get out and push, but eventually we had to.  Now I really have a clear understanding of just what a miry pit is all about.

Continue to pray for strength and joy and protection for us as we continue to minister here.

love ya,
Michael