Hello Friends; Jambo (Hello) from Kenya! After fifteen months in Kenya, we sense that God is moving Safari Through the Word Ministries into its second phase. The gospel and our ministry have been received with love and open arms in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. We currently do two one-week conferences per month. God has led us into rural parts of Africa where there is no electricity, running toilets, or water. People in these areas have received little training in the Word of God. Most ministries do not come out to these locales, and yet it is here that we find an incredible hunger amongst the churches to receive training in the Word.
During this time, Jose has gone to minister every three months in the USA. On his return to Africa, he has felt that Kenya is not our home. Though we love the ministry that God is performing here, we have discerned that eventually we would come back to America.
At the end of last year, God spoke to us that unless believers in Kenya receive a breakthrough in finances, socio economic, and Biblical resources, its church, which has a strong global calling, would remain paralyzed in spite of the many powerful teaching conferences. Shortly afterwards, when Jose visited America, God spoke to him about the need for the church in the USA to receive its own breakthrough, but one that would be spiritual in nature. From then, God showed us that our ministry would be more effective ministering breakthrough to the church in the USA and simultaneously channeling resources to equip the church in Africa. Thus, we believe that our family will move back to South Florida in August of this year. It seems as if God placed us in Kenya to receive His vision for Africa and send us back to the USA in order to fulfill it.
With the funds, that we have received in this past year of ministry God is doing some of the following.
We are paying the annual school fees for two children of one pastor, the wife of another pastor who is completing the eleventh grade, another pastor who will be going to Bible school, and a Christian sister who is going to computer school.
We are paying the rent for a pastor whose wife is currently out of a job.
We have supplied the fees for a twenty-year-old worship leader in Uganda and four church leaders, all women, in Western Kenya to learn to read and write.
We have assisted two men of God to purchase cars.
Our ministry has financially assisted the launching of two major Bible conferences in interior Maasai land.
We are assisting in building a community water well (bore hole) in Narok, Kenya.
We will help finance the creation of a Bible training center on four acres of land in Maasai land within the next few months.
We pay for all of our transportation and visa fees to the conferences and leave most of our financial offerings with the hosting pastors.
As we move back to America, the Lord has told us to form and register a branch of our corporation in Kenya that will act as a trust. Utilizing a Kenyan accounting and attorney firm and Christian trustees, we will furnish funds into projects designated by the Lord into Kenya from the USA.
Some of these undertakings will be:
The purchase of water pumps to provide believers in rural areas access to water from rivers so that a cash crop can be created that will sustain them.
Secondly, the purchase of motorcycles and vehicles for pastors whose churches extend over miles of grass and mud.
Thirdly, will be the development of adult education centers so that many Christians can learn how to read their Bibles, maintain the ongoing revival, and fulfill their ministries.
We will also micro finance the development of small businesses for devoted believers so that they can prosper in their lives and ministries.
We will bring worship into Africa, which is severely lacking in the church.
Finally, we would like to finance missions in the areas of Bible training in Uganda, and Rwanda.
We will be coming out to Africa three or four times a year and host two to three-week conferences during these trips in order to train Christian leaders. We will bring other ministers from the USA with us. We believe that if the Christian leaders can be taught and transformed they will change their churches.
Our whole family will be in South Florida on May 22nd for six weeks. Please pray for us during this time and the changes that God is making.
God bless you
Jose, Mary, and kids
Jose and Mary Alvarez 