MARCH 2025 #2

We went to Oasis of Joy Church and Jaeley and Stella did an amazing job sharing their POWERFUL testimonies. God really spoke through Caleb and Zak as they both preached the sermon! These guys were really filled with the Spirit as they preached God’s love, grace, and mercy. This afternoon, we visited a 14 year old boy who got a nail in his eye last week and is in danger of losing his eye. We are praying to God for healing! Our doctor on the team was able to help him today. The boy lives with his mom and 2 siblings in a 5 x 8 space and they all sleep on the dirt floor, so we were able to buy the boy a bed, mattress, pillow, sheets and blanket. It is the first time in his life he has not slept on the dirt and was able to sleep in a bed. It was heartbreaking. Please continue to pray for this boy. In the evening, the Buffalo Covenant team shared a challenging devotional with the kids at Shangilia.

Tomorrow the medical clinic starts!

MARCH 2025 #1

We have a new team that is now in Kenya! A wonderful group of students from the University of Northwestern and members of partner church Buffalo Covenant. They had a great day of travel then began with ministry to the widows. They will be doing a medical clinic in the days to come so we look forward to more updates soon!

FEB 2025 #8

What a special day of minsitry in Kenya! We got to continue to build relationships with the widows through prayer, encouragement, singing, and dancing! At the end of our special time together, we were able to bless them with food to bring back to their families! Additionally, we continued to share Jesus’ love at the local public schools playing games, singing, and sharing the Gospel.

FEB 2025 #7

Another day of God showing up! We were able to show God’s love by having a house and a kitchen built for a widow desperate for a home for her family. Her son George was the one that had gotten a nail in his eye and he is stable right now, but praying for complete healing. We were able to mud the new house… a ton of fun, while changing a families life by meeting a real practical, desperate need.

Later in the day, we went to 2 public schools and shared the gospel with over 350+ students giving their lives to Jesus! Praise God! God opened the door for us to share the Gospel through the building projects of 16 outhouses at these schools. So much spiritual fruit!

-Randy Stensgard

FEB 2025 #6

Greetings from Shangilia! We had an eventful day of listening prayer and community engagement! God sent us to the neighbors where we blessed their newly dug well and then prayed for health and restoration for a lost Christian. We also prayed for healing to an addict and preached the Gospel to others. The second team prayed protection over the orphanage and blessing to the community and that Shangilia would remain a beacon of hope to all who seek sanctuary. The third team prayed over residents of the village in the valley below Shangilia. We met and continued encouraging our staff prayer partners before renewing our friendship with Vegetse School, establishing relationships with the students and sharing the Gospel. We blessed the girls of Shangilia with sweatshirt donations and beautiful handmade dresses. Another evening of prayer, worship and dancing completed our day! God has really used the team to continue His work in the community!

-Erika Morgan

FEB 2025 #5

Today was a special day of ministry! We began with concentrated time praying in our teams and praying with our Shangilia staff prayer partners. We were able to bless the 26 staff at Shangilia orphanage with clothes for themselves and their families by the donations we collected and brought to Kenya. The Shangilia staff felt so blessed, and experienced God’s love in a very real way! This afternoon we went to 2 different public schools to share the love of Jesus. At one of the schools we are having 16 outhouses built, they are 1/2 way done and should be ready by Thursday. And this evening, another night of worship, devotional and dancing with all the kids here. Praising God for a great day of us living on mission!

Prayer Requests:

1. One of the widows son’s was poked in the eye with a nail. Pray for full recovery.

2. One of our team members has had a severe migraine headache today and has been in need all day.

3. Pray that the public schools will be open to hearing the gospel and respond.

FEB 2025 #4

A day of listening prayer! As a team praying and asking Jesus to speak to us about who he wants us to minister to and where. God spoke to us in so many ways, one of the ways was that he led us to a widow by the name of Annette who has lost her husband and is raising 3 children. God called our team to her home to show her God’s love in a real way and to show her the hope in Jesus! 6 years ago God had led us to her house for the first time, God told her that we would be coming. Her daughter Sandra a very very sick, out team was able come and provide some help. Unfortunately, she died 5 years later in 2024, but God called us there again today to show her the she is not forgotten and Jesus deeply loves her. Jodi (on our team) was given the name “Mary” when she was doing listening prayer. And we met the neighbor of Annette who was her mother in-law and her name was Mary. We believe God led us to her to encourage and also show her the hope and love of Jesus. The day will filled with God guiding and leading us to who He wanted us to minister to. Our God is amazing! Every day we are trusting Jesus to lead us to who he wants us to minister too. Thank you for praying for our team!

FEB 2025 #3

Sunday was an amazing day at Oasis of Joy Church! Jamie preached on Hope, Carson and Ben both shared their powerful testimonies, and the sermon made a huge impact in many lives. Sunday afternoon we invited the widows in the community back to share gifts with them. During our annual Christmas Catalog fundraiser, Love For Kenya ministry raised money to provide school uniforms and new shoes for all the children and grandchildren of the widows. Over 230 children received new uniform uniforms and shoes giving them hope for the day and dreams for the future. In Kenya, children are not allowed to go to school unless they have a uniform, so this allowed many children to be able to go back to school or to continue at school. We love any opportunity we can to show God‘s love in a very real and practical way. Shangilia is truly a lighthouse to the community and the light of Jesus Christ is shining in this community from the orphanage. Tomorrow is a day of listening prayer and we are asking God to lead us to those He specifically wants us to minister to.

FEB 2025 #2

Today we had the opportunity to love on, encourage, sing, and dance with 150 amazing women. Abby, Keli and Tirzah shared their testimony to this group of widows in a powerful time of praise and worship. The widows are the outcasts of the society, so it was special to show God’s love in a tangible way!

FEB 2025 #1

The team safely arrived in Kenya late on Thursday night! It was an uneventful trip, which is always good news when traveling internationally. The team spent a wonderful day of ministry on Friday in Kibera Slums (one of the largest slums in the world) serving with Pastor Timothy. They played and prayed with the children, served meals, and connected with the community. It was a powerful day to begin the missions trip!

BCC NOV 2024 #8

Today was our last day before we head back to the US. It was such a special time with our friends in Kenya, so there were many tears shed and fond goodbyes. We enjoyed a time of fellowship and blessing before jumping onto the van. A fun adventure was visiting the equator at Gambogi on our way to the airport. Thank you for your prayer and support on our trip!

BCC NOV 2024 #7

Another amazing day with our friends in Kenya! We got to have a special Thanksgiving meal with the widows and their children. Additionally, we were able to do prayer walks through the community, which included blessing a new baby and visiting Reverend Patrick’s home. Bonus, somebody may have got a special haircut :)

BCC NOV 2024 #6

It was another special day in Kenya! A few of the highlights include: gifts for staff, praying with 18 AWANA kids going to camp, building projects, mudding, devotions, & home visits. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

BCC NOV 2024 #5

Today was a special Sunday filled with worship and a wonderful dedication ceremony for the new gate at the Oasis of Joy church. Afterwards we were able to play games with balloons and enjoy fun with the children. Tonight will be a time of devotion and sabbath.

BCC NOV 2024 #4

It was a wonderful day of gun and games at Shangilia Children’s Home with the AWANA program. We also had a powerful time of worship and devotions with the children. As a bonus, a few members of our team were able to help in the kitchen and you can see them making French fries below.

BCC NOV 2024 #3

We had a wonderful time of ministry today at Shangilia Children’s Home! We spent time with the Widows ministry (SEDA) in a special time of worship and devotions. Additionally, we began construction on a outhouse for a widow. Finally, we visited and prayed with a widow who's child recently died.

BCC Nov 2024 #2

The team had a wonderful time visiting Pastor Timothy and the ministry at Kibera Slums! The poverty was quite heart wrenching, but the joy and love was pervasive. The team had a chance to gift them with Bibles and pray for the work God is doing.

BCC Nov 2024 #1

** The team is off! The team arrived at the hotel at 1:00 am after successful flights. They had a chance to get blessed before they headed out at BCC. God was already moving as they met a new friend from Somalia, Abdi, at the airport and were able to pray for him.

We are very excited for our friends from Buffalo Covenant Church to go visit Kenya for their 2024 Missions Trip! We have a great team headed out and we can’t wait to see how God uses them.

BCC KENYA TRIP NOVEMBER 19-29, 2024

PROPOSED DAILY ITINERARY

Tuesday, Nov. 19

 

• 2:00 pm -- Meet at BCC for prayer and departure

• 3:00 pm -- Arrive at MSP for group check in

• 6:35 pm -- Depart for Nairobi on Delta 162

________________________________________

 

Wednesday, Nov. 20

 

• 10:00 am -- Arrive Amsterdam

• 11:35 am -- Depart Amsterdam on Delta 9585 / KLM

• 10:00 pm -- Arrive Nairobi, Kenya, Customs, etc.

• 11:00 pm -- Go to Hotel 67 Airport for the evening

________________________________________

Thursday, Nov. 21

 

• 8:00 am -- Buffet breakfast at the hotel

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting and prayer

• 9:00 am -- Depart for Kibera and Pastor Timothy (9AM-1PM)

• 1:00 pm -- Depart Kibera for lunch (Pizza and Chicken)

• 3:00 pm -- Arrive at airport Kenya Airways flight (5:25 pm KQ670R)

• 6:15 pm -- Arrive in Kisumu

• 6:20 pm -- Pick up at Airport: Alex, Rachel, Francis, and others

• 7:00 pm -- Arrive at Shangilia Family Impact- Settle in the Huts  

• 7:30 pm -- Dinner time.  No Devotion after dinner to allow visitors to rest.

________________________________________

 

Friday, Nov. 22 – Shangilia Family Impact – Orientation & Ministry to the Widows

 

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

•10:00 am -- Widows Ministry (10am-- 12pm)

•12:30 pm -- Lunch

• 2:00 pm -- Orientation & Tour of the Campus

• 3:30 pm -- Visit to Widows Projects

• 6:00 pm -- Dinner

• 7:00 pm -- Worship and Devotions—BCC Team Leads

________________________________________

 

Saturday, Nov. 23 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Family Impact and the Community

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

• 9:45 am -- Time with Shangilia Staff and Kids (9:45am- 11:45am)

•12:30 pm -- Lunch

• 2:30 pm -- Afternoon with the Children at Shangilia  – AWANA

• 6:00 pm -- Dinner

• 7:00 pm -- Worship and Devotions—BCC Team Leads

________________________________________

 

 

Sunday, Nov. 24 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Family Impact and the Community

 

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

• 9:45 am -- Leave for Oasis of Joy Church – BCC Team Sharing

•12:30 pm – Lunch

• 2:00 pm -- Free Time with Kids (Soccer games/Balloons)

• 6:00 pm -- Dinner

• 7:00 pm -- Worship and Devotions—BCC Team Leads

 

Monday, Nov. 25 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Family Impact and the Community

 

• 7:30 am -- Say goodbye and pray with the Awana group leaving for Honor Camp in Eldoret

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

• 9:00 am -- Meet with staff & building relationships

•12:30 pm -- Lunch

• 2:00 pm -- Mudding the Widows' House & Prayer Walk

• 6:00 pm -- Dinner

• 7:00 pm -- Worship and Devotions—BCC Team Leads

________________________________________

 

 

 

Tuesday, Nov. 26 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Family Impact and the Community

 

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

• 9:30 am -- Ministry in the Community/Widows or Where the Lord Directs (9:30am – 12pm)

•12:30 pm -- Lunch

• 2:00 pm -- THANKSGIVING DAY with all the Momas. Devotional by BCC Team

• 6:00 pm -- Dinner

• 7:00 pm -- Worship and Devotions—BCC Team Leads

________________________________________

 

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Family Impact and the Community

 

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief time

• 9:30 am -- Ministry at Shangilia and Community, Prayer walks, Home visits

•12:30 pm -- Lunch

• 2:00 pm -- Ministry to the Children at Shangilia

• 6:00 pm -- Thanksgiving Dinner & Celebration with the Children and Staff at Shangilia

• 7:00 pm -- Talent Show!

________________________________________

 

 

 

Thursday, Nov. 28 – Shangilia Departure Day

 

• 7:00 am -- Pack up all luggage

• 8:00 am -- Breakfast

• 8:30 am -- Team meeting, prayer and debrief

• 9:00 am -- Final moments with kids

•11:00 am -- BCC will have lunch early before departure

•12:00 pm -- Leave Shangilia for Kisumu Airport

• 1:00 pm -- Arrive at Kisumu Airport

• 3:05 pm -- Depart Kenya Airways flight (KQ657R)

• 4:00 pm -- Pickup by Obed, Dinner, and debrief

• 8:00 pm -- Return to Airport

•11:59 pm -- Departure for Amsterdam (Delta DL9389)

_______________________________________

 

 

Friday, Nov. 29 – Continue Home

 

• 7:10 am -- Arrive in Amsterdam

•10:35 am -- Depart for Minneapolis on Delta DL 161

•12:55 pm -- Arrive in Minneapolis

• 2:00 pm -- Pickup at airport for return to BCC

________________________________________

2024 Missions Trip #7

What a wonderful last day of ministry on our trip. Thank you for all your prayers and support for our team while they were in Kenya. Today was spent loving the widows through building strong relationships and meeting felt needs. We were able to give each of the 130 widows new mattresses, blankets, pillows, mosquito nets, and food to help bless them. Additionally, the projects on the homes and outhouses were completed. There are countless stories of interactions and ways that God showed up through each of these amazing mamas. There was a wonderful time of prayer, worship, singing, and dancing all together with Liz sharing her testimony! Emotions were high as the Spirit was moving and you could see the impact in all of these widow’s eyes.

2024 Missions Trip #6

Today we get a double update as the WiFi was struggling yesterday. Tuesday was an amazing day of ministry with visiting 2 schools. One of the schools, Vegetse Primary School, has the team building 16 outhouses and it has opened the opportunity to show Gods love is a practical way. We also went the the Ideleri Primary and high school to connect with students. Additionally, this evening Randall felt led to his friend Vincent’s home whom he led to Christ 4 years ago, and since he has shared the gospel with his wife Christine whom then gave her life to Christ, what an amazing bigger story! We’re also loving on the kids at Shangilia Orphanage each evening. The worship and sharing every night has been amazing!

Wednesday was spent visiting the medical clinic and the church Sunday school projects. Today we went back to the Ideleri High School and when we got there, the principal asked if we would share the gospel with all 672 students. Julie did an amazing testimony that captivated everyone’s attention. Pastor Randy also shared his testimony and shared the gospel and over 400+ students gave their lives to Christ! Praise God! God is moving! Thank you for praying for our team! Big day tomorrow as it’s our last full day here at the orphanage with the widows ministry and ministry in the community.