This Is Really Happening
At least a couple times every week we’ll look at each other and think, if not say, “Is this really happening?” We are constantly amazed at what God is doing among the body of this brand new church plant, and the fact that we get to be a part of it! Here’s a small glimpse into what’s been happening at SGC Nairobi over the last seven weeks.
Winnie was with us on that first Sunday, and now lives in a room attached to our house. She has quite a story of growing up in Nairobi without parents that we hope she will share with you someday. What we can say is what an encouragement and example she has been to us, and to the entire church. We see her growing in her relationship with Jesus, studying her Bible, devouring books like they were candy, learning guitar, serving the church and others in practical ways, and going out into our nearby community to share the gospel and to show love to the people she meets. Plus, she’s just a delight to be around!
One of the people that Winnie talked to on one of her walks was a young man just a few houses away named Washington. He is a 23 year old university student who grew up in a Christian home but had become disillusioned by the church. It had been some time since he went to a service, but he accepted Winnie’s invitation to visit ours a few Sundays ago. He’s been coming ever since, hanging out after the service for lunch, fellowship, and soccer. One thing we appreciate about Washington is that he’s really engaged in the sermon or teaching or conversation and always asks really good questions.
Timothy is another young man to join our community. When Jonathan was teaching at Moffat Bible College in Kijabe, he developed a strong relationship with two students, one whose name was Mark. A few weeks ago Mark was on school break and visited SGC Nairobi, bringing his brother, Moses, and his friend, Timothy.
Two Mondays ago Jonathan received a text from Mark that Timothy had been in a terrible car accident. We weren’t able to get details about his condition until Jonathan & Brian visited him in the hospital on Tuesday. We discovered that Timothy and two other friends had driven to the Tanzanian border after church and Timothy fell asleep at the wheel and the car went off the road and rolled many times. Pictures of the car show that no one should have survived, and yet by God’s grace, all of them did! Timothy’s air bag didn’t work so he ended up with a vertebral fracture in his neck, bruised ribs, and an injury to his arm.
We are beginning to see how God is using this scary event to build Timothy’s faith and the faith of those around him. Timothy’s family was so encouraged and amazed that his pastors would come to the hospital for a visit that instead of beginning the several hour trip back home on Sunday, they came to our church bringing a few others with them.
These are just a few of the many examples of the people that God is bringing to SGC Nairobi. We invite people who work in the supermarket, who cut our hair, Uber drivers and shop workers, and much to our surprise, many of them come…with friends. Some of them don’t yet have a full understanding of the gospel, but they are eager to learn. They come and find a loving community that wants to treasure Jesus, not his stuff, and so they stay. Pray we would have a baptism service soon! This is the Lord’s doing, and we stand in awe that he uses us jars of clay to show his glory.
We meet in our garage every Sunday from 10:00-11:30 a.m., and are currently preaching through Philippians. After the service, we serve lunch and most people stick around for hours after, visiting under the shade of a tree, or playing soccer. Last Sunday we had over 50 people, including kids, which means we’ll soon be outgrowing the garage.
As always, check out our prayer page for the latest praises and prayer requests.
