God Goes Ahead of Us: Open Doors in East Africa

The Lord answered prayer in some very specific ways on our recent trip north. He provided a team, protected us on the road (almost!), opened doors for the gospel, and even provided tires when we had no way to get them locally.

Thank you to everyone who prayed. We wanted to share a few stories with you.

Joey with two of the close brothers that went along for this trip.

The Lord filled the van

Before the trip, Joey wondered if he might have to make the 11-hour drive alone. Instead, the Lord filled the van with trainees and trainers. One trainer Joey had been trying to travel with for over five years finally joined us!

We were welcomed by local workers from Kenya and Ethiopia, and spent three days training 24 local missionaries in the Four Fields. These men and women are reaching least-reached people groups, many among Muslim communities. Our goal was to encourage them and strengthen their hands for the work God has already given them.

We also went into the community to share the gospel. In one home, three Muslims committed their lives to Jesus! Please pray for these new believers as they grow in their faith and are discipled by local brothers and sisters.

Almost a free pass from the police!

Joey has experienced so many police stops over the years where local officers have tried to extort money from him. It has become genuinely traumatic. Before we left, June prayed specifically against police harassment on the journey.

And we got off scot-free—or almost!

We were stopped only once, on the way home. Unfortunately, the policeman who approached our van was staggering around drunk, with an automatic machine gun strapped to his back. He took Joey's licence and began looking for a way to extort him.

There was no way forward because of the barricade in front of us, and the way back was blocked by a drunk policeman carrying a machine gun. Everyone in the van began praying and asking God for help.

At that very moment, two more police officers arrived on a motorcycle. They wrestled the first officer to the ground, took his gun and Joey's licence, opened the barricade, and told us to get moving—quickly!

We drove away thanking God. His answer to prayer was certainly not what we expected, but we were grateful to get home safely!

This was not our van, but one we saw along the way on one of our trips up north.

God provided tires—and an unexpected open door

On the way north, three of our van tires began wobbling badly. By the time we arrived, they were completely spent. We were 11 hours from the nearest tire shop carrying the correct tires, with no safe way to drive home.

So we prayed. The Lord provided through an Indian-background tire salesman in Nairobi who was willing to send the tires on the night bus. They arrived the very morning we needed to leave, and we made the long journey home safely.

There is another unexpected provision we want to share. Our dentist in Winston is hoping to bring a team to Kenya in early January. We have never done a dental trip before, but we were willing to explore it if it could support the local strategy for entering communities that have otherwise been closed to the gospel.

Joey asked our friend working in the north if he would be interested in receiving a team of dentists. His response amazed us. There were several villages they had been unable to enter with the gospel, and that very week they had been asking the Lord to show them how to get in.

He told Joey that this must be God's answer to their prayers for access to those villages!

We would never have thought of dentistry as the answer to that prayer, but the Lord clearly has more ways of opening doors than we can imagine. Please pray as we explore what this trip might look like and how it can genuinely serve the local workers and communities.

Please keep praying

The area where our local partners are serving is currently experiencing violent tribal conflict. Please pray for peace, protection for families, and wisdom for the local missionaries as they continue serving their communities.

We plan to return in early December to encourage these workers and provide further training. Please pray that the Lord prepares the way, provides the right team, and continues to open doors for the gospel.

Please also pray for the three new believers, the 24 missionaries who were trained, and the villages where a dental team may provide an unexpected opportunity to build relationships.

We are grateful for the ways the Lord has answered prayer on this trip. He brought the right people together, opened doors for gospel conversations, provided what we needed on the road, and brought us home safely.

Thank you for standing with us through your prayers. We are grateful to be part of what God is doing in East Africa.