The Rogers' Family Neighborhood

One of the ministry locations that is strategic to the work of ELI is the Kipkaren Training Center which is located past Turbo, Kenya on the Kipkaren River. We have about six acres of land which hosts a large training hall, a dormitory, other classrooms and offices, kitchen, and guest cottages. Here people come from all over Kenya for courses that can help them break the cycle of poverty. In addition to the short and long courses on the campus there are regular camps such as the youth camp that was recently held for 560 young people! Just over 60 were baptized and though hosting that many people for almost a week was an exhausting endeavor it was worth all the effort. We are also grateful for the Water of Life Fellowship who helped make this possible!

This past week I had the privilege of meeting with four of our key leaders in Kipkaren Training Center. It was a fantastic time and we are looking forward to expanding our Farmer Field Training Strategy where we meet with needy families at their homes. I will share more about this in a future post BUT – I wanted to share that where most people harvest 20 bags of corn that one of the women who attended ONE training last year applied ALL of the techniques that we shared. She harvested 56 bags per acre! The government ministry of agriculture was so impressed that they visited her farm – verified these results – and presented her with a special certificate of recognition. This changes the course of her life for this year.

Oops – power is going out and no electricity today. I’ll post more photos and progress tomorrow. Serving together, Don and Amy

We want to thank you again for your prayers and encouragement to our family as we serve! Thursday held significant travels as Don headed to another pastor and church leadership training about an hour from Eldoret during the morning. He returned to Ilula by noon and immediately headed over to Kipkaren to join a visiting team from California called WATER OF LIFE and the amazing ELI Youth camp that was already in motion. Almost 500 young people from all over Kenya were at the camp! Don preached/shared the morning message on Friday and after the message there was a special time of prayer as over 150 of the young people wanted individual prayer. The Kenyan pastors who were helping as camp counselors and the WOL team divided up and prayed for each of the young people. Many received Christ for the first time and there were many rededications. Today (Sunday) 60 young people were baptized in the Kipkaren River as a sign of their decisions to follow Christ.

Don preached again today at the Ukweli Chapel service in Ilula and then our family headed to town to get some food supplies and say goodbye to the WOL team as they flew to Nairobi on the evening flight.

Tomorrow (Monday) Don will pick up a new intern (Jordan Baxter) from the Eldoret Airport – meet with Stephen Reech (ELI Sudan director) and then drive Jordan to the Kipkaren Training center where he will be attached to one of the families at the Children’s Home (Orphanage) and will also be helping with the Training Center Agriculture programs.

Amy and the boys and Don sang a special song during the church service today. Josh and Nathaniel are making a new friend each day and seem to be adjusting well to this new “neighborhood” in the village. Joshua is especially enjoying the passion fruits, guavas, and mango juice. Nathaniel is addicted to Kenyan Chai and Chepati (flat bread).

So much takes place each day it is hard to even keep track of.

We’re doing well but these days of ministry are long and diverse. Thank you for joining this journey with your prayers.

Today is another important day. Below are a few photos from yesterday’s meeting in Barsombe.

Don will be traveling this morning (Thursday, Aug 12) about an hour to a village near Kalyet, Kenya along with ELI Training Center Manager Patrick Kiprop. There they will both be speaking to pastors and church elders about Christian leadership and also economic development. Don then heads onto Kipkaren Training Center where the annual ELI youth camp is in progress. It began Wednesday night with the first meeting and Don has heard that already over 330 young people have converged on the campus. Don will return to Ilula on Friday. Amy has reconnected with many friends here and the boys are doing well. Amy prepares to begin the school year with Joshua and Nathaniel this next week. We need and appreciate your prayers especially during days of traveling.

Director Samuel Teimuge drives for several hours North to reach people among the Pokot tribe where he and Laban Rono (ELI Children Home Director) are giving a training on empowerment – Thursday and Friday.

Being here in Kenya we are very encouraged by what God is doing and the impact that is taking place in lives as a result of our ministry together. Here are some reflections thus far at the end of our ninth day in Africa.

This morning I had the privilege to talk with all of the staff in Ilula. I spoke from Judges and reviewed the story of Gideon’s’ victory over the enemy – a small army using unique tools (trumpets and clay jars and torches). I focused on the verse (Judges 7:22) where it says that the Lord caused the enemy to begin attacking itself.

We closed the staff meeting by joining our hands in a circle – facing outward – praying with all our energy for God to have His way in defeating strongholds of poverty and spiritual bondage and bringing ELI together as a unified front to gain great ground for the sake of Christ and His growing Kingdom.

Yesterday I was so encouraged to see the new team from Water of Life minister during the church service and later at the children’s home. Their lives will not be the same as a result of their time of service. I met with Kipkaren Director Peter Meru and heard his heart and passion to see people empowered. I sat on a bench with Children’s Director John Bush on the school porch where we could overlook the entire children’s home, the school, and the new classroom. There we talked heart to heart and I was so encouraged by him – heard good advice and guidance – and felt and saw his commitment to the children and the ministry.

I have had a couple of brief meetings with Isaac Ruto who has just returned from three months of training farmers in Tanzania. He showed me his spread sheet of his daily and in some cases, hourly work with details of how many people received training and where the groups met. In the past three months he and ELI Tz staff met with 6,581 farmers. It is hard to grasp how he could have done this BUT I went over his report and there is no question. This man is an amazing gift to ELI and the needy. He shared much about the results he is seeing and this December will return for more follow-up. I hope to join him on that journey.

I had an initial meeting with ELI Sudan leader – Stephen Reech two days ago and we were to meet again today but he is struggling with Typhoid and was not able to come today.

Today (Monday) I sat in a training here in Ilula led by Mark and Cathy Lessig to 20 local school teachers and marveled at how this couple shared such insight in such creative ways to these captivated teachers. God is going to use Cathy and Mark in special ways in the future after they finish raising their support.

Making the adjustments as a family has its challenges for sure but day by day we are adjusting to what comes our way in the physical, spiritual, and emotional environments.

There is a lot of activity each week at each of the training centers. This Wednesday over 300 youth will converge on the Kipkaren Campus for the youth camp. Today was the teacher training here in Ilula, Tomorrow is a special training on a unique income generating orchid, Wednesday Samuel, Mark, and I head to a village to meet and train a large group of pastors, Thursday and Friday I head to Kipkaren for the youth camp and Samuel and Rhoda head to another village where they have been invited to be key note speakers at a retreat that hungers for ideas on Development.

Pray for :

Continued good adjustment for our boys.

For Amy’s neck – seems something is out of place and she feels some pains.

For this week’s trainings in Ilula ( Tues on campus – Wed – Thurs Friday outreach meetings) – Kipkaren youth camp Wed through Saturday.

For strength and wisdom.

For Stephens recovery.

We were in Kipkaren this past weekend. This is the sight of our second training center and orphanage here in Kenya.

Saturday morning Amy, the boys (Joshua and Nathaniel) and I drove from Ilula to the Eldoret airport to meet an incoming team that had just arrived from California. This team of 10 people sent from Water of Life Church arrived tired but enthusiastic and ready to head to Kipkaren where they will be instrumental in the program during an important annual YOUTH CAMP that ELI hosts each year and which begins this Wednesday at our Kipkaren River Training Center. Here are a few photos to give a glimpse of this journey.

Tomorrow – Monday – will hold; Sharing at ELI Ilula Staff meeting; Cathy and Mark Lessig lead Teacher Training workshop.

ELI leaders are key to the work of Empowering Lives.

From the beginning we have recognized that national leaders can impact their people and nation in powerful ways. Today I was able to arrange several meetings and it happened that at one point several of them were all here at the Ilula Training Center at the same time – so – we captured the moment in a photo. Julius Toroitich is our ELI Kenya director of Operations. Stephen Reech is ELI Sudan director – having just arrived recently from Sudan for strategy meetings. He needs our prayers as he is fighting a battle to overcome typhoid as well as stomach pains; Isaac is on our Kenya staff but has just returned from spending three months on assignment in Tanzania where he and our Tanzanian staff were able to provide Skills For Life Training to 6,581 needy farmers! He is very tired BUT very enthusiastic about the results of the trainings held and the potential that is ahead. This month Isaac will now turn his attention to farmers here in Kenya. “Above all…” Isaac shared, “We want these farmers to know that there is a God who cares about them”.

The Referendum Vote took place on Wednesday and the results were sent out yesterday. We thank God along with people from across the nation for a peaceful reaction to the results. The majority have voted YES and the nation now has a new constitution. Now the journey for Kenyan leadership is the implementation in a timely manner.

We are doing pretty well as a family. They boys have been attending a VBS program every day and most of our suitcases have been unpacked. We feel the embrace of our friends here and though we know that there are challenges in ministry we feel the peace God gives when you know that you are in the right place for the right reasons – ready to serve our great God and His mission on earth. Thank you again for your support and prayers as we move forward on this journey of empowering lives!

Don, Julius (Ky), Stephen (Sudan), Isaac (Tz)

Today was a great day – our first day back here in Ilula, Kenya. We are doing well! Today: Unpacking – Boys went to a special VBS program with the kids from the children’s home – Don and Amy made phone calls to connect with ELI staff in Kipkaren and Eldoret and make plans for visiting Kipkaren ELI Ministry (This Saturday) – Cleaning and organizing home we are moving into. Evening fellowship with ELI staff and interns – Melissa and DiAnne Drachand and Kelly Stringham – More discussions with Samuel Teimuge about the impact of ELI and the many trainings taking place in surrounding villages. Take a look at the Flickr link to view more photos of the day. Next week will be three very important trainings: One here at the training center and two in villages. I will write more details on the objectives of these trainings tomorrow. Right now my eyes are refusing to stay open : – ) Thanks so much for your prayers. We are seeing and feeling answers.