A number of people associated with GES support Kathryn and me via prayer and finances for our travels to other countries to teach in schools and churches. We leave for Kenya early on Friday (July 29) and I thought you might be interested in what the trip will look like.
We will leave home around 4 am to make it to the airport in time. It is an hour-and-a-half drive. One of the hassles, of course, is making sure we get our covid tests done in a timely manner. On one trip, we took the test two hours too early, and they wouldn’t let us fly. It has to be done no more than 72 hours before we land in Kenya (not before we take off in Charlotte).
We have a stopover in New York. Then we take a 14-hour flight to Nairobi. Those long legs are probably the worst part of the trip. Our feet definitely swell a little bit, and it is hard to sleep in those chairs.
We are scheduled to arrive a little before noon their time on Saturday (a little before 5 AM our time) in Nairobi. We then travel two hours by car to Acres of Mercy, a strong Free Grace school. On Sunday, I will speak at a church.i Kathryn will teach a group of women in a Bible study in another location. Travel in Kenya usually takes some time.
During the week, Kathryn will continue doing these studies and I will be doing a pastor’s conference each day for 160 pastors in Nairobi. The conference is on the Gospel of John. I will teach for about 6 hours each day, Monday through Friday. In all of our teachings, we stress the offer of eternal life as a free gift by faith alone that can never be lost. It is safe to say that practically none of those we teach have heard that message.
We are taking some heavy suitcases, filled with Free Grace books. The pastors and those attending the studies will receive at least one book from GES that emphasizes the message of grace.
On the next Saturday we will have to get another covid test in order to be able to fly back to the States.
The last day we are there, Sunday, I will speak at another church. When that is finished, we will go to the airport and stay at a coffee shop until we have to go through security.
We then take a 15-hour flight to New York (gaining 7 hours this time). My feet are hurting already. After a four-hour layover, we take our final leg to North Carolina. That will be followed by a 90-minute car ride home. Then, we get to sleep in our own beds!
This trip Kristina, one of our foreign language translators (for Spanish and Russian), will be flying in from Europe. This is her first trip to share in our ministry. She will be assisting Kathryn in her studies.
That is a quick rundown of what it will look like for us the next two weeks.ii Thanks for all your prayers and support! We will give a report when we get back on how it went, Lord willing.
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i Note by Bob: I think Ken should have put Lord willing at this point. After all that flying and jet lag, to speak less than 24 hours after you get to a location is very difficult. My experience has been that it takes me about three days or more before I feel right.
ii Note by Bob: Ken fails to mention that three days after he gets home, he is flying again, this time to Dallas for our August 12-13 board meeting. I don’t know how he does it all. I think he still thinks he is in the Army!
