Kenya Updates 2017

Chase Oaks Church is working to bring hope and a bright future among the very poor near Nairobi, Kenya. Please continue reading and find out more about what we are doing in Kenya and consider donating to the Chase Oaks Global Fund, which supports this important work.

If you would like to talk to someone or find out even more about Chase Oaks’ work in Africa, contact John Stanley at [email protected].

The Moriah Discipleship Program

The Moriah Discipleship Program in Maseno, Kenya, has graduated four classes from their program. The discipleship program takes the students away from the Mathare Slum in Nairobi after their senior year of high school. While in the program, the students learn how to farm and raise animals, and they spend much of their days reading God’s Word, praying, and fasting, followed by outreach into neighboring villages. Due to this discipleship program, many young lives have been transformed.

After witnessing 16 of the 22 students become Christians during the 2016 program, there were high hopes that an increased number of students would bring more new followers and mature disciples. The number of students in the discipleship school in Maseno was raised to 35 because of Chase Oaks’ funding, and while the final outcomes are not known, we do know we are making a difference in the students’ lives.

Continued Support

We invested $54,000 in all Kenya partnerships last year. This year we increased our funding to $67,000 to additionally provide a camp for younger students, upgrades to the grounds in Maseno, along with the increase of the number of students at Moriah.

Help support this Kenya mission, visit the Global Outreach Fund.

Graduating Students

We interviewed about 25 of the 50-60 students who have gone through the program recently to hear their stories of their experiences in Maseno where the school operates. Winnie, one of the graduating students whose story you can read here, wanted to thank everyone involved in the program and to encourage continued funding. She continues to spend time in the Word daily.

“Moriah is the best place to be after graduating Mathare school.” She said, “God is in Moriah, and there is a distant light in Kenya.”

Interviews

Please click below to learn more on a couple of interviews:

We introduced Winnie in our last update. She was born and raised in the Mathare slum. When we met her, she wasn’t working or in school. She had just been awarded an 85% scholarship to study nutrition and diet at a medical college, but corruption delayed her admission. She was getting very discouraged and asked us to pray she would be accepted quickly.

The rest of the story…

Soon after our visit, Winnie Omondi joined a medical school at Nyandarua and was elected as the chairlady of the Christian Union. Currently, she is training to be a teacher!

Bill and his two siblings live in a compound in Huruma with his uncle and family. Huruma is a slum area near to Mathare. His parents lived in Mathare and died a few years ago.

Before attending the discipleship program at Moriah, Bill went to church, learned verses, and sang songs, but there was no life in him. After becoming a Christian at Camp Moriah, his life has been transformed.

At Moriah, he received career guidance that helped him discover his real passion: languages and literature. He speaks three languages, and currently, he is learning Italian. After finishing at Moriah, he did computer studies for two months, and recently, he attended a one-week course back at Moriah. He is very passionate and has leadership potential. Stay tuned!

This is a life-transforming program for those who attend. The students see the benefits, and they are staying connected to the church and to Mathare Community Outreach after leaving for study. The program activates their faith, engages them in mission, and transforms their worldview. It is very encouraging to hear story after story of change from the young people who will be leading soon.

If you have any questions or simply want to hear more of these stories contact John Stanley, External Ministries Pastor at [email protected]