Dear Friend,
Greetings in Christ! The taste and smell of curry became nauseating to me, and I did not know what to do because it was everywhere! Where was I? India. 18 years ago, in January 2006 I ventured out upon my first international ministry trip. I was there for nearly three weeks at the invitation of the Luis Palau Association. I was one of 20 preachers and their teams that 
proclaimed the gospel throughout the district of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. We covered 21 cities, reaching over 100,000 with the good news and saw thousands turn to Christ.
I was assigned the city of Jaihindpuram, and preached the gospel nightly outdoors over the course of a week. Over 500 people a night attended with hundreds turning to Christ and witnessing miraculous healings and demonic deliverance. This was my initial experience at preaching internationally and was both greatly challenging and extremely rewarding.
In April 2004 Great Awakenings was officially formed, and from the beginning there had always been a vision to obey Jesus’ command to take the gospel to other cultures that are different from mine, and in a rural context. For Jesus commanded, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mk. 16:15) India was the first, then Nicaragua and Kenya twice. We are preparing for our fourth international trip June 13-26, which will be back to Kenya.
The Manna Bible Institute
We are going to Kenya again at the invitation of the Manna Bible Institute (MBI) or Manna College in the city of Ontaga Rongai, Kenya. It is about 30 minutes south of Nairobi, the nation’s capital.
- MBI started in 1986 and has trained over 12,000 students throughout East Africa.
- They are registered with Kenya’s Ministry of Education and offer a variety of certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas in Christian Ministry, Chaplaincy, Evangelism, Children Workers, Bible & Theology and Biblical Counseling.
- Their faculty are mostly native Kenyans, but they also have foreign guest professors that teach occasionally.
- They provide resident learning on their five-acre campus, online classes through their website, distant learning through satellite centers in Kenya and other East African nations, and they have established international campuses in Uganda, as well as Florida, in the United States.
College Freshman is Going to Kenya
Joining me on the trip will be 18-year-old Manhattan Christian College freshman, Gabe Hedman.
Earlier this year he asked to meet with me, and during our conversation he stated, “I feel God is calling me into missions.” We had a great conversation which led to other things. Then he eventually asked, “Are you going back to Kenya in 2024?” As we talked about the trip and the possibilities of him coming, I extended an invitation for him to join me. By the end of the year, he gave me a formal commitment to go. Afterwards, I set up video calls for him to meet Bishop Dr. George Muguro, Principle of MBI, and also Rev. Stephen Muguro, Administrator of the college.
The Apostle Paul told young Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth…” (1 Tim. 3:12) Myself along with the leaders at MBI are embracing Gabe’s youth, and believing that together, God will do amazing things through Him in June.
What We Will Be Doing
We have four focuses in our time of ministry at MBI, with the main purpose of the trip surrounding the training of Kenyan pastors and evangelists. Upwards of 100 people will be traveling in for a week of classroom learning and outreach. The students will be men and women, from teenagers to those in their 60s and 70s. Most will already be active in ministry while seeking to grow in Christ.
1 – Classes. Manna Bible Institute will be inviting current students and alumni along with area believers and pastors to attend a one-week
evangelism class. I will be the featured teacher and lecturing on The Office and Work of The Evangelist.
Since Gabe is studying for the ministry, he will be a fellow student, alongside his African brothers and sisters. Daily, he will be listening to lectures, engaging in small group discussions, taking notes and will have a final exam like all other students.
2 – Person to person evangelism. At the end of each day of classes, students will engage in evangelism. After some brief training, instruction and prayer, Gabe, along with fellow students will hit the streets to engage people in conversations in order to share the gospel.
3 – Festival evangelism. Each evening after students return from talking with people about Christ, they will join together to hold a nightly evangelistic festival. I will be the main speaker, and Gabe, along with the other students will participate in different ways. The outdoor event will utilize music, testimony and preaching to proclaim Christ in various neighborhoods around the college.
4 – Other ministry opportunities. In the coming months there will be further plans laid out. We will have opportunities to preach in area churches and other special events, along with learning about the culture and even get in some important tourism. From morning to night, we will be busy!
Street Family Outreach
On the campus of MBI is the Manna Community Church. Rev. Stephen Muguro, Administrator of college serves as pastor. I preached there last April. They have two Sunday services with a few hundred people attending. In December, the church organized an innovative outreach to street families, which they asked me to participate in. In America, we would call street families, homeless families, which is a major problem in Kenya. The government has no official data, but estimates are about 300,000 Kenyans live on the streets, and among those, many are children. One report I read said this about boys and girls, “….that 3,000 children in Nairobi linger along the streets begging for anything from passers-by. Many of them sniff glue and jet fuel, not caring about the risks the harmful substances pose to their health. For these street children to get food, they forage through rubbish bins and dumpsites, yet another risk to their health.”
Near the end of December, I preached a gospel message via video at the end of a long day of outreach to over 100 precious street people by the Manna Community Church. In addition to the gospel message, they also provided food, clothes, Bibles, and teaching on various practical topics. Praise God for such a godly vision and for genuinely caring for the needs of others. Jesus once said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matt. 25:40)
How You Can Help
The budget is larger than last year’s, and the second greatest we have ever set out to raise. The end of February God provided enough to purchase our airline tickets, leaving us with 75% more to raise. What will most of that go to?
Class expenses. Great Awakenings will underwrite the cost of food, classroom materials, lodging, other MBI staff and faculty that will be there, plus the expenses for electricity and internet usage. All this for nearly 100 students over the course of a week.
Outreach expenses. Great Awakenings will cover the costs of outreach materials, security, electricity, rental fees and costs for promotion, sound equipment and other supplies.
Would you be willing to prayerfully seek God if He would have you join with us? Perhaps He would lead you to give a gift of $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or $35. You can give a secure tax-deductible gift online, through the mail or drop it off directly at our office. Consider having your local church or small group of believers you fellowship with could join together in supporting this work.
Great Awakenings Israel Tour Postponed to 2025
We had a recent video call with one of our Israel tour organizers, Anita Widaman with Heartland to Holyland Tours, and a joint decision was made to postpone the trip to 2025. The new dates will be Saturday, March 29 – Wednesday, April 9, 2025. The stated reason for the change was not directly due to the war or security concerns, but because of extremely high airfare prices, which are a result of the war’s impact on tourism. Widaman said tourism has largely returned to normal since January. (Image from Pixabay)
In April the Widaman’s will release an updated 2025 itinerary and cost for the trip. Please contact our office if you are interested in learning more. In April check our website with updated information.
Register to Vote
2024 is a presidential election year with many offices up for election on the national, state and local levels. In 2020, upwards of 77 million Americans who were of voting age, did not vote.
As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to exercise Christian citizenship, which means we ought to pray for our nation and its leaders, and also practice the privilege of voting. Please find out where you can register to vote and be in prayer for our nation during this election cycle.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you have been encouraged and pointed to Jesus. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Servant of Jesus. Servant of Yours,
Clint Decker
President
Great Awakenings, Inc
