Hearing Pr.Florencio’s testimony of how he decided to start the ministry in Uyawi, got me to think about the contrast between his unconventional approach and the common approach that sees so many people in Pastoral care and work end up becoming such extortionists with a fixed mindset that the only way they can advance God’s kingdom and do developmental work is by having a lot of money or an abundance of resources.
When he saw all the need in this extremely remote area in the Luo lands of Kenya, Pr.Florencio decided to listen to the voice of God telling him to start doing ministry there despite the exceedingly limited amount of resources he had at his disposal.
He testified about how some days his children wouldn’t have anything to eat and how he had a very hard time finding a land tenant who was willing to let him rent out a hall he could use as the Church he was starting in this area.
Despite not having enough and being rejected by most hall owners he went to, he remained prayerful and vigilant to hear what it is that the Spirit of God was saying to him.
This kind of faith inspired me to put in more effort to learn the word because my eyes were opened to the reality that there’s still so many people who need taught God’s word. The work that goes into extending that education to them even includes a lot of humility and obedience on the part of those who have the opportunity to learn to then take initiative to acquire that education so that they can become stewards of that word; upholding it’s values and teaching it.
Uyawi has so many orphaned kids, single moms, bare foot kids, so many young men working day and night away from their families to make ends meet. In Pr. Florencio’s words, Uyawi is “a land of dry bones that need to come alive.” So many persons in such communities need to have their hope renewed and the LORD is calling his people to hear his voice, learn from him, open their eyes and see what’s happening in the world around them, and do something to change these situations. And I’m so grateful to be a part of these efforts.