Thanks for praying and enjoy the video!

Untitled from Ben Warren on Vimeo.

I hope the video works ok. My speaking is a bit off-pace from my lips :). If it does not work you can also try this link here: http://vimeo.com/36090377

What I mean to say is that I am back to my future here in Kenya. God only knows how long I will stay in Kenya, E. Africa, or this part of the world, but for now, I am here until the next Missions Conference in 2013. That's one of the things that made leaving a bit difficult. The baby below, my nephew Lincoln, will no longer be a baby, and my grandma will likely go home to be in the presence of the Lord where she won't ever have to eat hospital food again ;).

From Going Away Party 2011

From Small amount of pictures I took while visiting the states

It was tough to leave again, but God was so gracious! The trip here included an extra 24 hours in New York City at the JFK airport due not just to snow, but to mechanical failure of the plane...and then a heck of a lot of snow.

From Small amount of pictures I took while visiting the states

When I arrived here in Kenya I was shocked at how American I was acting. Culture was tough, jetlag was the worst I've had, and the heat was ruthless in comparison to the winter in Texas. But now, a month later, I feel I've adjusted back here well. I'm feeling back in the groove and even better than ever in regards to relationships, ministry, familiarity with places, navigating the culture, etc. Overall I feel quite content and excited for what the Lord has for me here.

Classes and the Church are going on very well. I am teaching Bible Doctrine again in our night classes on Tuesday and Thursday and Church History on Wednesday mornings. The church is going well even though we run into our fair share of difficulties: church discipline, conflicts between members, death in immediate families. All part of the work I suppose. We had a good Valentine's Day dinner which I managed to survive and even have a good time :). If you know me well, you know I don't like events all that much, especially ones of this nature. Here is a link to the album:

WOLFC Valentines

One thing I have been very excited about is that a few people from the classes and the church are beginning to catch the smallest of visions, or perhaps at least the smallest of understanding that the church in Kenya really SHOULD do their best to reach out to Muslims and share Christ with them in an effective way. This is something I end up talking about a lot from the pulpit and in my classes. I can't help but talk about it. It's been a passion of mine for years. Here in Kenya like many places where Muslims and Christians co-exist, most Christias' default position is, "The Muslims have made their choice. It's impossible for them to come to saving faith in Christ." Which to that I usually retort, "And how were you saved? Was it because you were so smart or because God created new life in you doing the impossible for you?"

All that to say, I am excited for the people of the church to continue to grow in their understanding of God and His Word and my prayer is that it will never simply stay at understanding but will move on to application, action, and even mission! May God do a miraculous work in the Kenyan church and revive them to care more for God's fame than their own, to seek the heavenly riches over the earthly, and to sacrifice all out of love for God and an openness to His calling even to a place that is hard and a people who hate them. Would you pray that with me? Consider also praying that for the American church as a whole as well.

Pictures: This is our first Baptism Service. We were able to do this just before Dennis left on the 19th of Sept.

Baptism Service

In early October, I had the chance to go to a rural area about 5 hours from Nairobi. It was a LONG journey: 1 1/2 hrs. to Mombasa, 8 hrs to Nairobi, 4 hrs to Nkubu, 1 hr to Mitunguu, and 30 minutes on the back of a motorbike to get to our destination. It is an area called Meru. Daniel Gitonga, our Serve intern, grew up there and is hoping to return to his home in order to teach and train pastors and work with his father in ministry. Missionaries and other NGO workers typically don't go there, so they were very happy to receive us and their hospitality was amazing. I don't ever remember being hungry! I was sick with a cold during that time but God gave me grace especially on the day of our seminar where 50 people showed up. Three old men rode their bicycles for an entire DAY in order to arrive in Karoche where the church was. They spent the night, went to the seminar, spent the night again, and rode for an entire day back. They are hungry for the Word and willing to sacrifice in order to receive it. Pretty amazing! Daniel's father is also a very influential leader in the area who has been preaching and doing ministry for 40 years. He also has established an irrigation system in his town which has really blessed a lot of the local farmers. Most of the people there simply live off the land.

BTCP Trip to Meru

Just the other week, the young people of our church (really college age) put together a Mbuzi Choma (Goat Burn) party where they bought a goat, slaughtered it, cooked it, and ate it. I led them in a Bible Study on the link between trust/faith and obedience. It was a really good time and a blessing.

Mbuzi Choma (Goat Burn)

As for the videos: Dennis had asked me to make videos of many places and since they are already online now, I thought I'd share them with you: