And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

Back in November, my team and I, consisting of Pastor Bryan Hudson and Dr. Kenneth Sullivan both from Indianapolis, Indiana and Ismael Ba from my congregation in Raleigh, North Carolina, went to Kenya to conduct pastor conferences and to preach a Gospel crusade in Eldoret and Busia, Kenya. After receiving an email from one of my dearest friends of over 30 years, he encouraged me to write this blog about the good success that God gave us and the mighty blessings that He poured out on the Kenyan people.

After a long flight to Eldoret, upon our arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our host pastor and school children neatly dressed in new school uniforms that were purchased from the proceeds that were raised for them via a crowd funding website. The children presented us with flowers, recited scriptures, and sang songs that they personalized with my name and the names of the rest of the team in succession—how refreshing after a long weary journey!

After a good night’s rest, we began our pastor conferences the next morning, facilitated by Pastor Bryan Hudson, and I preached the evening Gospel crusades. Pastor Bryan and I switched assignments once to give a break to one another, and Dr. Sullivan was dispatched to different local church venue to minister for a Bishop that he had corresponded with for many years but had never met in person until this mission trip. What a wonderful reunion to see the two of them love on one another. Of course, Ismael Ba, my son-in-law, ministered special music and provided support and security. According to the Kenyan people, this guy can sing!

I was very pleased to see how God moved by His Spirit in the pastor conferences and in the crusades. A number of pastors from all over Kenya were in attendance at the conferences to hear the Word and to be touched through the laying on of hands (Mark 16:18) and I was especially humbled to see the very large crowds and scores of souls accepting Jesus Christ after I ministered the Word by the Spirit, and to see Mark 16:20 confirmations of the Word through healing, deliverances, and other manifestations of the Gifts of the Spirit. We witnessed the power of God and faith in action both in Eldoret and Busia. Victory reports and testimonies are still being sent about what God did for His people.

Notwithstanding some ground transportation and logistical challenges, two of the team members who traveled with me to Kenya back in 2013 and I, we all concurred that this second mission trip to Kenya was far more fruitful and successful than the first, although the first trip went very well under the circumstances at that time. Leaving Eldoret and traveling to Busia (located on the Uganda border), we didn’t know what to expect since we had never gone there. Wow! We got a real good taste of what it means to go to the mission field. On our way to a village in Busia, riding in a van down a dirt and dusty road, we came upon portions of the road that had been washed out. At a couple of junctures on this dirt road surrounded by thick vegetation—going and returning to hotel—we all had to exit the van and walk–briefcases and camera/video equipment in tow—twenty to thirty yards along the road back in the bush in order to give the van and its driver the best chance of navigating around the washed out portions of the roads, to avoid us all sinking on the road in the van and getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere. But it was worth it. Just to see the hunger of the people for God’s Word, the loud unabashed dancing and praises unto God, and more demonstrations of His power. “[H]ow God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things . . .” Act 10:38-39.  To God be the glory, Mission accomplished!