[Kenya] Church Retreats during Easter (May 06, 2011)

In the country close to the sky, Kenya, there are holiday breaks in December for Christmas and in April for Easter. Everybody goes down to hometown and meet family and neighbors. Born in December and April, we, born again Christians, are having church retreat and those lovely local church brothers and sisters who we really missed for a long time are inviting their loving families and neighbors to share hearts and establish faith!

More than 1,000 church brothers and sisters attended the Easter Holiday Retreat held in the mission headquarter in Nairobi, Kenya, during April 22 to 26. There are 300 more attendees than the Conference held last December, and the elders and deacons who got appointed during last retreat have grown in faith and led brothers and sisters, took charge of various conference departments and organized the retreat.

Conference was just like the World Camp for brothers and sisters. It was a great time for local church ministers, brothers and sisters who haven’t met for a long time due to long distance to gather together and share life and hearts. “You were like that, too? Me too!” through the testimonies we shared, the Lord who saved us and leading us became bigger and bigger.

Main speaker, Paster Ryu Hongryeol (from Ulsan Church in Korea) shared the words about the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, said it is not possible to receive life while having thoughts of distinguishing between good and evil, or thoughts of separating right and wrong, and the wisdom opposite word of “good and evil” is ‘life’. Pastor also said that the thoughts of “need to do well”, “become right person after detailed reasoning”, which brothers and sisters always have during spiritual life, are actually the way of departing from God who is living inside of us and loosing the life of soul. Afterwards, pastor preached words about turning back from following all thoughts came out of our minds and having faith only in the word of God.

Listening to the words, reading the Bible, Confirming the faith, all these blessings did not only go to brothers and sisters. For new people who came together with brothers and sisters, 4 Gospel classes in either English or Swahili language were well prepared. For those who heard the gospel of grace and born again, on the last day of the retreat, there was a baptism ceremony with Pastor Sin Eongeun from Ulleung Island Church, which was the burial of flesh, and became new creations.

Conference featured with sports games, Easter Bible Quiz and other recreation in the afternoon. Therefore brothers and sisters realized that the most blessed, most fun, most exciting time was when they attended the Retreat.

Through the Kenya Easter Retreat held in April 2011, God allowed us to see our hearts through each other and gathered our hearts with only God’s grace and mercy. In addition, Pastor Ryu Hongryeol also held meeting time with missionaries from Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia to have fellowship and talk about East Africa World Camps preparation.

We engrave in our hearts that just as the phrase “I ♡ KENYA” growing in restaurant garden of Nairobi church, God is speaking the same thing to churches in Kenya. “I love Kenya!” Brothers and sisters around the world, please pray for Kenya church.