| DIVINE
CONNECTIONS
This
is the mission report by Bishop Henry Mulandi on his mission
to North America and Canada. The mission lasted six weeks
and while in Canada he established new connections for ACMI.
He also got to preach in several churches and home churches
where he sold the vision of ACMI and got good feedback.
The connections with the Canadians were
tremendous. I was very apprehensive prior to taking the
trip that I almost cancelled the mission. I was hesitant
about taking it alone after the singing team was denied
visas. I thought I wouldn’t manage it all alone. But
thanks to your prayers and God’s sufficient grace
I made it and was so full of energy all through.
Provision of Water
Tanks
From Kenya I went through Washington DC and stopped in Hagerstown,
Maryland and we had a very good meeting. Ron Weaver was
in Kenya in the beginning of the year and had an interest
in helping us purchase a rig for water drilling. He briefed
me on some other people that God brought to his life when
he was in Kakuma who wanted to connect with other people
working in Kakuma. I felt that was a divine connection.
I also met Monty, one of the people involved
in the construction of the Agape Bridge in Ruiru, Kenya.
He had an interest in building water tanks and when he heard
about our drilling project he wanted to help. He said he
wanted to walk alongside ACMI and help us know how to make
this tanks and ship some of the metals and the machines
here for making those tanks.
Connection with
United Calvary Church
I had a week of fellowship with members the United Calvary
Presbyterian Church in Canada. Their pastor had requested
me to visit the believers in their homes before preaching
to them on Sunday. This church heard about us from Roseanne,
a girl who was in Kenya, who told them about the African
Christian Missions International.
In March, the men of this church took a
trip to pray. While they were retreating, they felt that
they needed to connect with an African ministry or church
and work with in two areas:
1. They would want to help them build a
training institute.
2. They want to send their missionaries and workers.
Selling ACMI
In every home I visited, I set up the ACMI picture board
and on the table I’d have our posters, newsletter,
and child sponsorship forms. This way, they asked questions
and I would explain to them about ACMI. Afterwards I would
show them the latest ACMI DVD. They appreciated that.
The United Calvary Church has already arranged
to send a couple to Africa for two weeks as an ambassador
to come and have a feel of where ACMI is and where they
can also come in so that we may work together.
HIV Orphans Sponsored
I had some child sponsorship forms from the Operation Hope
Program and someone in Pennsylvania took Twenty-five cases
and promised to find sponsors for those children. Going
through Indiana someone else took Twenty-five more. I took
the rest to Canada and didn’t come back with any.
Not all of them are sponsored, but the last church took
so many but left fourteen. One lady took up the fourteen
and dedicated herself to finding them sponsors.
Provision of a drilling
rig
I had the privilege of meeting a Christian businessman,
Stuart G. Rempel, who loves the Lord. He invited us for
a meeting and it was in this meeting that I met with the
ambassador of Peru and the Kenyan High Commissioner attached
to Canada and Cuba. I held a meeting with Stuart, Garry
Lemire and Dave McElhinney who said they would help buy
the Drilling Rig. They said Ron Weaver and ACMI should just
concentrate on buying the Lorries that we need.
Life Changers in
Canada
Brian, brother to Dale Bauman, my board chairman invited
me to go to Toronto. He said he wanted us to do a prayer
walk because he had a burden for Toronto. During that time,
Brian said they would like us to design a program for the
young people in Canada. He suggested that the young people
would come to Africa for training for three months. He suggested
that the young people could skip one university semester
or year and train and later return to Toronto and work at
planting churches. When I said we can do that, he went ahead
and contacted several pastors and they arranged for a meeting
on a Wednesday and I was supposed to address them about
how we are going to go about the program. And after that
they said that they needed to talk to more leaders. The
leaders decided that it was not just the Canadian, but other
Mennonite churches would start doing the same program.
This response was strengthened by a young
man called Brent and his brother Mike who had been in the
accounts department in the Thika office in Kenya. He took
the news back of what was happening. Brent is the one who
introduced me to his church and he did such a wonderful
introduction that after the service everyone was asking,
“What did you do to that young guy, because he’s
different. Ever since he came back he has been different.”
Every parent with a teenager was saying, “We want
our child to come to Kenya. We want them to be trained and
to come back here and impact the society.” Brian already
drew up a proposal and we hope to have the first class in
Kenya as early as April. Talk of Divine connections!
Canadian Board Re-established
Our
Canadian board is now registered as a charity in Canada.
That way we can get donations that are tax exempt. We have
Colleen Wagler as the secretary. Previously, we had five
board members and needed two more. Paul Wideman who runs
four feed mills took up my invitation to become a fulltime
ACMI board member. He said that he’s got plenty of
time and is available to go anywhere anytime. He will be
coming to Kenya in October with other board members and
businessmen.
There wouldn’t be a better timing.
God has done more than I would have imagined, more than
I had asked actually. He gave me strength but after the
last service, I felt I couldn’t do more. The mission
was a success and a blessing. The meals were well arranged
a whole month in advance. I also dedicated a church, a two
million Canadian dollars building, for Stein and Fran. I
was all by myself but I had great times with the Lord.
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