Dear Ones in Christ Jesus

Our greetings for Christmas and the New Year.

Since our last prayer / news letter, many things have happened in Kenya. We have continued to experience severe drought in many planes - causing great hardship and deaths both of animals and people!

We have also had much happening as we have gone out with the Outreach Team. It was a privilege to go to 16 prisons. I was touched and shocked to learn that an estimated 65% of prisoners are HIV positive and that 20% have already died from AIDS. Never before did I have such a burden for prisoners as I have now (this is why I include a prison visit when I go to schools - teachers training colleges, medical training colleges and some churches in an area). What disturbs me is that these prisoners are dying without knowing the Lord as their Saviour and very few preachers have a burden for prisons and schools. A total of 846 prisoners accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour. We also discovered that these prisoners had only 10 Bibles to share round and so it is our desire to see these saved prisoners receive a Swahili Bible each. They cost 356 Ksh each (about £4) and can be purchased in Nairobi - we have had money sent to us and have already taken some to the prisons but we need more.

Also back in August, we had one of the most successful Youth Camps we have ever had. A total of 1800 attended the Camp and 664 gave their lives to Christ, including 26 school teachers. Since then to the present time, as we have gone out in many areas we have seen so many accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

We had a request from 7 Headmistresses from 7 different High Schools. They had been so impressed with our girls as we have gone to their schools and wanted to send some of their girls and teachers to the Western house for teaching and counselling. Drug taking has been on the increase and many of the girls come from poor backgrounds and had horrifying experiences. We had such a wonderful time together and 8 teachers were saved and 26 girls - how we rejoiced.

We went to the Kisumu Medical Training Centre and preached over 3 days and 66 students accepted the Lord. While I was there the new Nyanza General Hospital Superintendent requested me to pray for the sick people in that large hospital. I was there for over 3 hours paying for the sick and preaching the Gospel- I became quite physically tired but the Lord strengthened and helped me. I was able to minister to 300 sick people. 111 gave their lives to the Lord, including 6 AIDS sufferers and 16 testified that the Lord had healed them. One middle-aged man who had very swollen legs due to Elephantitis, was healed immediately and his legs were restored to their normal size. It was a very wonderful time.

There have also been some really sad times- we had a dear Headmistress at a large girls High school- very very kind to preachers of the Gospel- she was killed in a really terrible road accident.

There have been a lot of killings, especially preachers. Very many have lost their lives - for example - the gangsters entered the home of a very dear Pastor who worked with the team some years ago - and cut him into pieces in front of his small daughter and a helper - his wife was working at the hospital. The gangsters say that the preachers are preaching against their evil activities so they kill them - also politicians have been killed - so we do need your prayers.

We were so glad to have the loan of an old Chevrolet truck up at Western and also to get the team vehicle mended and on the road. it needed a new propeller shaft- thanks to Brother Robin getting the part sent to us.

You will praise the Lord with us that we have harvested 15 bags of maize at the Nandi plot (these are 90 Kilo bags of kernels off the cob) and 3 bags of beans so this is a good crop. Maize on many farms was destroyed by the Army worms so we are grateful that the Lord kept ours. We did not dig the whole shamba so it is a good crop. The girls have taken turns and worked so hard on the Nandi plot - so they are rewarded .

Who knows what the new Millennium will bring forth but we do look to the Lord for health and strength to go on winning souls to Him.

With our love in Jesus to you all. Thank you so much for your support and prayers which have made the outreach possible - we rejoice in the harvest together.

Joseph & Jenny, family and team.