Update February 24, 2010

Visit the February 2010 Update Newsletter

Update January 20, 2010

Visit the January 2010 Update Newsletter

Update November 21, 2009

Visit the November 2009 Update Newsletter

Update October 20, 2009

Visit the October 2009 Update Newsletter

Update September 30, 2009

Visit the September 2009 Update Newsletter

Update August 7, 2009

Our latest news now available in newsletter format. Click here.

To sign up for the electronic newsletter, please click on "home" and sign up!

Update June 11, 2009

Our apologies for not keeping this page up to date!

Much has happened in the recent months.

First, the book "Benard's Vision" has been published (see http://benardsvision.com, or see our homepage for more information). This book chronicles the life and ministry of Pastor Benard. Everyone we've talked to who has read the book has been amazed at what God has done. For a donation of $15 or more, we would be happy to send you a copy.

Second, Pastor Benard and his wife came to the U.S. in the Spring for a book tour, and exhausted themselves speaking in churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and California. We made many new friends along the way.

Third, we are planning a medical mission trip to Kenya in 2010. We'll post more information as it becomes available.

Fourth, we have our first H4H missionary coming on board: Justin Bothwell. Justin will be focusing on developing partnerships to advance the ministry forward.

Fifth, Benard and Pamela's adopted daughter Ruth has become very ill, requiring surgery. News of this meant that we had to send Pamela back to Kenya during the middle of the book tour. Ruth is recovering, but is still struggling.

Sixth, despite some earlier reports, the rain has NOT been falling in Kenya. Please continue to pray.

Update Sep 4, 2008 (and prior)

Ben Byxbe, and Justin and Sarah Bothwell went to Kenya over the
summer for a couple of weeks for ministry and administration. The
Lord has does amazing things in the last year, despite the horrible
violence earlier in the year, a severe drought, and inflation that has
quadrupled prices in some cases. Some quick updates:

* Friends of Christ has started a second orphanage in Wachara, with just a handful of orphans to begin with.
* The new tractor is a fantastic edition. However, the drought caused all the crops this year to fail.
* The orphanage in Ahero now has 167 orphans (many of whom still need to be sponsored).
* Construction on the buildings in Ahero continues and the Lord provides the funds. They have started the last two classrooms.
* An anonymous donor has made it possible to bring running water to the orphanage. Now the children have a way to wash before meals, for example.
* A couple of students from the seminary (AEST) have started a church in Wachara. The church is growing, and now has a
temporary building to meet in (they had been meeting under a tree).
* Many of the AEST students are struggling to finance their education, and so some will not be able to return to school this quarter.
* The violence from earlier in the year has left the land scarred, cities burned, and very dangerous.
* A book about Pastor B's life and ministry will soon be published. We'll give you more details when it's available, and instructions on how to order. (Now that the worst of the violence has passed, we no longer feel the need to hide "Pastor's B's" name - he is Pastor Benard, and the name of the book will be "Benard's Vision".)

Colby Kinser will be in Kenya Sept 14-26 to teach at AEST.
Please remember to pray for this trip.

From Mar 26, 2008

We are so grateful that there's so little to resport about the election
crisis! The Parliament has been making slow but steady progress
toward structuring the power-sharing arrangement, there is relative
calm in the streets, and the focus is on repairing the damage that has
been done.

We received an email from Pastor B recently, with some great news!
They now have running water at the orphanage! He is also calling for
some of the seminary teachers who have come in the past to consider
coming again. They also have money to start the next three classrooms,
however the prices have gone way up because of the conflict, so the
task is more difficult.

On a sad note, the beloved headmaster of the seminary, Pastor T, has
had to leave the school. He has an intertribal marriage, and his family
is not safe in the region. With the blessing of the school's advisor counsel,
he has moved on to another position at another seminary in a more neutral
location. We will miss Pastor T terribly, and the school is now struggling
understaffing even more than before.

From Mar 6, 2008

We received a phone call from Pastor B. Here's a quick summary of
what he was able to report:
* The situation continues to stabilize.
* Healthwise, they are all doing well: Pastor B, his wife, the pastor
of the orphanage, the pastor of the seminary.
* They have a new headmaster and 8 teachers at the orphanage, now.
* He has internet access from home using the calling cards, rather
than going to Kisumu. So, if we can put credits on his phone card,
then he'll be able to do more email.
* He's going to try to send us some at least one photo of the
new construction.
* He's been teaching a lot at the seminary while Pastor T is away.
* He has everything finalized for the water system except for the money.
He says about $2K is needed initially, and then $20-30 monthly after that.

From Mar 4, 2008

We have received a few emails from Pastor B this week reporting that
things are in fact returning to normal. Just the fact that he is able to
send email is a sign of improvement! He believes that the coalition
government is in fact the best solution for Kenya. He also
acknowledges that there is a long road ahead for Kenyans. He also
expresses their love and gratitude for those in the States who have
been praying for them and helping them.

The news reports are in accord with Pastor B's sentiments. The
agreement is promising and has a real chance for success, but
the leadership needs to carry forward with their stated intentions.
The road to recovery will be arduous, but at least there is a road, now.

From Feb 28, 2008

Both sides of the negotian have agreed to a power-sharing
scheme, the agreement that Kofi Annan has been working to
broker for weeks. If the agreement plays out, then we should see
stability continue to increase for Kenya. Economically, this means
investors will be much less nervous about investing in Kenya.
This, in turn, should help the economy rebound.

This is really the beginning of recovery, not the end. There is much
work to be done, and there will likely be scrapes along the way,
but the monumental achievement is historic.

This agreement should result in continued improvements in security
and safety for all Kenyans, including the orphans in the village we serve.

We ask that you fervently pray for this agreement to have significant
and lasting effects for the good of Kenya.

From Feb 26, 2008

Negotiations are at a very difficult and crucial juncture. Kofi Annan's
patience appears to be almost completely exhausted, trying to
convince the parties to cooperate. He is escalating the negotiation
procedures in an effort to get past hurdles by insisting on talking
directly with the leaders, rather than through their spokesmen.

From Feb 22, 2008

Negotiations hit a snag recently when the opposition leader, Raila
Odinga, unexpectedly left the country. However, it does not appear
to be major setback. His return and the continuation of negotiations
are expected.

From Feb 21, 2008

The latest news reports indicate that an agreement may be close
at hand. The ruling party has agreed to the idea of creating a new
Prime Minister position in order to share power. However, we
remain cautious, knowing that widespread rioting can be triggered
by a single word by a single person.

From Feb 20, 2008

We spoke with Pastor B on the phone today, and there are
lots of updates:

* They have relative calm lately, but are expecting more violence
next week (see below).
* They are up to 167 orphans and 8 teachers, now.
* The orphans and seminary students are back in class for now.
* They are putting the final touches (windows and roof) on one
more classroom (the third) and an office.
* They are planning on two more classrooms next.
* They have made progress toward getting water - this will be a
one-time expense plus $20-30 per month.
* Pastor B's wife had a very serious bout with asthma last week.
* The church plant in the south of the district is still going strong.

The news services report that the opposition party leadership is
growing impatient with the negotiation process, and threaten more
"demonstrations" next week if there is no new progress. This could
mark a return of the strong violence we've seen in weeks past. Also,
it appears that Kofi Annan may have changed his statements,
from staying with the negotiations until they are complete to staying
until they are complete or they deteriorate beyond repair. (It is
difficult to be very certain about whether or not this marks a change.)

From Feb 19, 2008

Negotiations have continued to the point where they are considering
a constitutional amendment in order to help broker peace. The
parliament will also likely need to get involved at some point in order
to finalize any agreement. One option includes adding a Prime Minister
in addition to the President and Vice President. There are many
voices opposed to any change to the constitution. The positive note
would be that fidelity to the constitution (changed or unchanged)
seems to be a high priority. If the process loses regard for the
constitution, then even more chaos would ensue.

Conoleeza Rice has been meeting with the parties involved.
Kofi Annan continues to lead the negotiations.

We have had no new news from the village. We will attempt
contact tomorrow to see how they are doing.

From Feb 16, 2008

The good news is that very little has been happening. The negotiations
are continuing, and the prospect of power sharing is becoming a viable
option. There has even been positive movement toward re-examining
the Dec 27 vote. Kofi Annan has recently pledged his commitment to
stick with the negotiations until a solution is found. U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice will be dispatched to Kenya on Monday (she is
traveling with the President as he visits various African nations).

However, there are still reports of violence, tension, and rape.

From Feb 11, 2008

We received a phone call from Pastor B on Sunday. He reported some
very good news. First, the rioting and violence have eased up enough
for them to go to church without any problems. They have received all
the money that we've sent, and they have purchased as many supplies
as they can. Furthermore, progress on the building is progressing -
they are now putting the roof on new classrooms and office space for
the orphanage! However, the turmoil and damage to the city of
Kisumu means that there is no internet service for the time being.

Negotiations under Kofi Annan's leadership are continuing, and there
are signs of progress. However, there are times where the leaders of
the opposing parties will speak in ways that undermine the spirit of
negotiation. Many experts agree that widespread, uncontrolled violence
could erupt without much more provocation. The economy, which
normally has signs of health, is suffering because of the crisis.

Some reports estimate that over 600,000 have been displaced from
their homes. This reminds us of what the vast number of orphans have
been experiencing in Kenya for years, scores of people without a
home and with means - now the problem has extended to a large
population of adults.

From Feb 8, 2008

Pastor B sent another email, in which he expresses his love and
thanksgiving for all those who are supporting him with prayers and
finances. He also affirms his strong faith in Jesus, despite the havoc
that his country has experienced.

On a surprising note, construction on the orphanage has continued!
He also also decided to add 30 more orphans to the roster (we will
get information on the new orphans soon). Therefore, we need
more sponsors for orphans, which is a great problem to have!

Negotiations under Kofi Annan continue, although there have been
threats of more violence if the talks do not progress. Annan claims
to see progress in the negotiations, and remains optimistic.

The U.S. has pledged continued support to help the Kenyans work
through this crisis.

From Feb 2, 2008

Pastor B has emailed a couple of us with the same basic news: Another member of
parliament has been killed, leading to more reactions. He says that thousands
of houses have been burned, and a few hundred people who were evicted have
ended up in the village. Pastor B and his family are trying to find blankets
for these refugees. Some of the parents in this group have no idea where their
children are.

Other reports we receive from other mission agencies tell similar stories:
shootings, evictions, burnings, and short supplies of the essentials.

The BBC reports the encouraging news that the two sides have agreed in
principle to begin implementing a peace plan, which they hope to enact over
the next two weeks. Note, however, that these tribal conflicts run deep, and
handshakes in Nairobi may or may not translate into peace in the towns and
villages.

From Jan 29, 2008

Mugabe Were, a member of parliament and a member of the opposition party was
assassinated at his home. Mr. Were was seen as a bridge builder, so his loss is
particularly bad for finding a peaceful resolution. In an apparent retaliation,
a doctor was beheaded by a gang wielding machetes.

Also, many sources are reporting on military helicopters opening fire on rioters.
The officials claim that only rubber bullets were used.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan shilling has reached a three-year low against the dollar.

Kofi Annan will resume negotiations with the opposing party leaders today.

From Jan 28, 2008

First, the news from Pastor B. The very fact that Pastor B was able to send
email is in itself encouraging! He expressed gratitude for the praying that has
been offered on their behalf. "Prayer is what you carry all the time with you."
He says that this is not the Kenya they have known over the last 40 years. The
ethnic violence is still high, including brutal acts of murder, even by the hands
of young people. He is thanksful for the food and water, but those supplies will
not last much longer.

One of the biggest concerns was that they have told the children to stay home
because of threats of burning down the school if they continue teaching.

Second, from the press. Areas near where the orphanage is located are particularly
volatile, especially over this past weekend. Kofi Annan visited some of these
areas in the last few days. Many villages in the Rift Valley are burning.
Rioting and looting in Kisumu is apparently out of control. When one tribe
offends the other, it is usually followed by some act of revenge, only
escalating the problems. In one well-reported case, 19 people were chased into
a house and then the house was burned.

Swissinfo.ch reports that the violence now is becoming more organized in the
form of militias.*

*(http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Kenya_s_Rift_Valley_bu
rns.html?siteSect=143&sid=8643744&cKey=1201539190000&ty=ti)

From Jan 24, 2008

President Kibaki and Raila Odinga met with Kofi Annan today, and after they
emerged from the meeting, they both gave speeches suggesting they were willing
to negotiate in order to find a peaceful resolution. Time will tell how well
they are able to carry out these plans.

The U.S. has decided to continue their significant foreign aid to Kenya, but
certainly if matters degenerate, pulling aid could happen. The current thinking
is that pulling aid will not help the problem and will only worsen conditions
for the citizens.

Along with shootings, machete attacks, and rapings, there have been reports
recently of people being killed by poison arrows.

There is no new news from Pastor B or the orphans.

From Jan 23, 2008

The violence has continued through the week, with reports of continue violence,
protests, killings, and gang rapes. Kofi Annan is now in Kenya with a delegation
to negotiate some form of peaceful settlement. The Kenya stock exchange has been
fairly resilient to the turmoil, but there are market fears that if the latest
round of negotiations fail, the market will not be able to remain stable for much
longer.

The orphans were gathered a second time to the orphanage in the last two weeks
to check on them and to distribute more food. So far, there are no reports of
any deaths among the orphans, although we do have one report of a guardian
passing away, and we are still trying to locate the orphan who stayed there.

The pastors and teachers are still taking measures to remain safe. There have
been no classes since the end of November. Supplies remain scarce and inflated.
Transportation is difficult and dangerous.

We are still able to communicate with Pastor B through mobile phone and text
messaging. We are looking for a way to be able to purchase mobile phone minutes
for him from here. However, the skirmishes have made this task more difficult.

We have funds available for the orphanage to use, but the difficulty has been
getting to the bank where the funds are, finding adequate supplies, and getting
them back to the village.

Please pray the following for our brothers and sisters in Kenya: Hebrews 10:23
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful."

(New American Standard Bible . electronic edition. La Habra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation, 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996.)

Update Jan 20, 2008

Recent news reports describe people being hacked to death by gangs wielding
machetes with dozens more dead. The violence continues.

From Jan 19, 2008

We received two text messages from Pastor B this morning:

"Thanks for your prayer. My country Kenya is still burning. Many people are
hopeless. But I trust in the Lord."

"Six people shot in Kisumu including [an] 8 year old boy."

From Jan 17, 2008

The protests have continued. Reuters reports clashes with police, especially in
Nairobi and Kisumu. At least 7 more have been killed. Kofi Annan is recovering
from the flu before returning to Kenya to help mediate a resolution. Not
surprisingly, accusations of misconduct among the two tribes primarily involved
are leveled in both directions.

According to one of our sources in country, Reuters is doing some of the best
reporting on the issues.

From Jan 16, 2008

Nationwide protests have begun, and the fear is that they will turn violent and
bring the country into chaos. So far, the protests appear to be non-violent.

We got more money to Pastor B for more food, but it had not been cleared by the
bank as of Tuesday afternoon before the virtual "lock down." Until we know how
the protests will go, we have no idea when Pastor B will be able to travel to
pick up the food for the orphans.

From Jan 13, 2008

After a phone conversation with Pastor B, we have confirmation that the
orphanage now has food! It will be distributed starting Monday, but it will only
last about one and a half weeks, so we're trying to get more non-perishable
goods to the orphanage in the next 48 hours. Apparently, after Tuesday, they are
expecting goods and transportation to be much more difficult to arrange.

There continues to be a need for prayer and extra financial support. The price
of goods is inflated, and will likely be worse in the near future.

From Jan 11, 2008

We have confirmed that the large store nearby has about 80% of the goods we
need. We are sending money today to enable Pastor B to get food to the orphans
by Saturday or Sunday. There are still transportation and safety concerns, so we
will not breathe easily until we hear for sure that the children have the food
in their hands.

Classes will resume on Monday, "if there are no guns."
Construction on the orphanage is continuing.

From Jan 10, 2008

We are working diligently with missionaries in Africa (and with the Red Cross)
to get food to the orphans. God has raised up sources of money and a quickly
arranged network of people to get supplies into the village in a safe manner.
We need many things to come together: communication, transportation, and safety.
But the wheels are turning, and right now it looks possible for us to succeed.

We have heard from Pastor B by email and by telephone in the last 24 hours.
Movement and safety have improved, apparently, but there is still a lot of
tension and bitterness. As far as he knows, all of the orphans are still alive,
but they are suffering. The teachers and pastors are trying to contact each
orphan and guardian to check on them.

We need prayer support in order to see this food go all the way from money here
to food in the hands of orphans and our workers there.

Some sources outside of Kenya place the number of the dead at about twice what
the official figures have been coming from Kenyan sources.

BREAKING NEWS AS OF 4:23 EST:

A recent announcement by the current president about whether or not a recount or
revote is possible is leading to a rapid increase of tensions. The current
outlook is that violence is likely to return and endure.

However, progress continues on getting food to the orphans within the next
48 hours.

From Jan 7, 2008

We heard from Pastor B by email late Sunday night. He saw at the mortuary
a more than 100 bodies of those shot by the police. The large market
where many of the US short-term missionaries have shopped was burned to
the ground. People are afraid to go to their churches - even just from
fear of the unknown. Inflation has approached 400% in some places, making
goods, services, and gas unaffordable. The good news is that
apparently Pastor B's daughters have made it home after being stranded. We
are also encouraged that he was able to communicate by email. The
orphans are suffering terribly through this, and the pastors and teachers are
helpless to prevent it. Apparently, there has been an increase
in the reports of the raping of women in several areas.

News sources report almost 500 dead and over a quarter million people
displaced from their homes.

From Jan 5, 2008

The latest reports are that security is starting to return back to normal, but
unless services and transportation are restored soon, Kenya is
facing a possible large-scale health crisis. The opposition party is calling
for new elections, and the ruling party is beginning to make
overtures that they are willing to negotiate a peaceful resolution. There is
a marked increase in crime, including gang rapes.

From Jan 4, 2008:

Pastor B called on Jan 2 to update us briefly on the situation in Ahero. He
described the situation as "hell." There are dozens of people
seeking refuge at his house, and they have run out of food and water. Some
staying there have not eaten in over a week. Furthermore, the
police apparently have been directed to shoot on sight anyone violating the
imposed curfew. Two of Pastor B's children are stuck in Kisumu,
and he's trying to find a way to retrieve them. Kisumu has been specifically
mentioned in the international news as a hot spot - much of the
city has been burned, and many have been left homeless. We have no
specific word about the orphans, although we know that Pastor B typically
has better access to goods and services than they do, and he is in distress.
Therefore, we assume that the orphans are having a difficult
time of it - very likely having little access to food and water.

Missionary S has emailed frequently from Nairobi to keep us informed on the
situation there. A large planned protest by the challenger's
party has been postponed. Likely, such a large protest, declared to be illegal
by the ruling party, would have ended up in widespread
violence. The African church, the international community, and leaders from
other religions are united in condemning the violence and
calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

join our mailing list

* indicates required field

Email Address:*