Spring Mission 2026

Tuesday, April 5, 2026

It is Tuesday night and we are back in Nairobi from Malindi after three days and over 1,000 km traveled. John, Frank and I left Sunday with Pastor Fred Maina of Karura Community Chapel and Bible Life Fellowship Kenya (BLFK) to visit the pastors in Malindi. Fred has been asking us to bring our training to the pastors there for a couple of years so we finally made it happen. Karura Community Chapel and BLFK have planted several churches in Malindi and they have wanted to have API help with training and resources. I've never been to the coast of Kenya so this trip was a first for me and although it was long, I got to see some new country.

As we traveled, I noticed that there was a road through the Tsavo East game park that would save us over an hour of travel time so we took it, and Fred seized the opportunity to take a selfie with me.

One unique feature of this area are the Baobab trees. With thick trunks and numerous branches they reminded me of the Ents in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

There were also palm trees with what appeared to be long grey beards.

We saw some wildlife as we traveled through the park, but as it was the middle of the day, and very hot, most of the animals I suspect were sleeping in the shade.

Although motorcycles, called boda bodas, are ubiquitous in nearly every part of Kenya, in Malindi they were more like buses, or even trucks.

I think this guy must be paid by the pound to carry all this stuff!

Our hotel was one street off the beach and so I had a great view of the Indian Ocean from my little balcony.

The next morning, we went to the beach for a walk and some pictures.

We met Pastor Tony of one of the church plants at his place of employment as a teacher at a local school. (He is 5th from the left)

Tony took us to a church that he planted recently in a place called the Fisherman's Village.

They recently built a structure in which to worship in the middle of the village.

We visited and had chai with them and heard the story of how this church came to be and the remarkable story of one of the pastors who helps lead the church with Pastor Brian Bahati Wawira, (on the left) Pastor Katama Katama. Several years prior to coming to Christ, Katama had been a notorious and violent drunkard in the village. But after hearing the gospel, he gave that life up and began to follow Christ. Now he serves the church as one of the pastors.
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On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to see a couple historic sites. The first was the small chapel built in 1502 by the Portuguese led by Vasco da Gama and said to be the oldest church in East Africa.

We then went to see the pillar erected by Vasco da Gama on his second voyage to this African coast. It served as a mark to guide future seafarers.

That evening we hosted the executive of the Malindi Pastors Fellowship at dinner to share the mission and vision of API School of Ministry and to hear their stories. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and set a tentative date for a conference in partnership with BLFK in Malindi. We also handed out bibles and some book resources.

This morning, we headed back to Nairobi at 8 am and arrived at 7 pm. It was a long round trip, but a satisfyingly successful one! Wednesday is a rest day, with meetings on Thursday and Friday, and a late flight out Friday evening. Thank you all for your prayers and support!