Return to Kenya | 重返肯尼亚

It has been two years since I left Kenya. During the days I was away, I often thought of the children at the Mbooni Children's Home and the brothers and sisters at the Yongguang Church. How Sister Zou, who just believed in the Lord, is doing? How is Pastor Huang's recovery? With these thoughts, I took my wife to this land again in mid-September this year. 

The first Mbooni Children's Home we visited was sponsored by “Kenya’s Kids” and the Church of the Nazarene. The children here not only believe in the Lord, but also want to be used by God when they grow up. More than a dozen children who grew up in the Children's Home have become servants of God. Compared with the Mbooni Children's Home, the Kathonzweni Children's Home is in a difficult situation. Due to a break in funding since 2011, conditions have worsened, and the number of supported children has dropped sharply from around 100 to about 20. It was the local AIC Church (Africa Inland Mission) that lent a hand to ensure that the children have food. The director of the Children's Home introduced the maintenance plan of the Children's Home to the short-term mission team, including the establishment of safety fences and the repair of houses, so that the scale of receiving more than 100 orphans can be restored.

There are nearly two million Chinese in Africa, but there are only a handful of Chinese churches. In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, there are 60,000 to 70,000 Chinese. Yongguang Church in Nairobi is one of the few Chinese churches. Two years ago, I came to Yongguang Church to visit seekers, church families, and fellowship with Pastor Zhou and her family, so I would remember Yongguang Church in prayer. The Chinese in Africa are all here to pan for gold, and it is very difficult to preach the gospel. The Chinese who come to Africa are highly mobile, so the scale of Yongguang Church is still very small. The Christians who were cultivated with great difficulty left at any time. This time, I spent a little more time with the brothers and sisters of Yongguang Church, had more contact, and spent a happy and unforgettable Mid-Autumn Festival with them. It is because of missionaries like Pastor Zhou and Pastor Huang that the Chinese churches in Africa can stand firm and be salt and light in the Chinese community. What we can do is to remember them often in prayer.

离开肯尼亚两年了，离开的日子常常会想起Mbooni 儿童之家的孩子们，还有永光教会的兄弟姐妹，那个初信主邹姐妹怎么样了，黄传道的身体康复如何……带着这些思念，今年九月中旬我带着太太又一次踏上这片土地。

我们前往探访的第一个儿童之家Mbooni就是“Kenya’s Kids”及拿撒勒教会开始资助的。这里孩子们不仅信主，而且还愿意在长大后为神所用，前后有十几位从儿童之家长大的孩子成为了神的仆人。Kathonzweni 儿童之家比起Mbooni 儿童之家就显得困难重重。由于资金链断裂，从2011年开始，每况愈下，资助儿童从100 名左右，锐减到20人左右，是当地AIC 教会（非洲内地会）伸出援手，保证孩子们有饭吃。儿童之家的主任向短宣队介绍了儿童之家的维修计划包括建立安全围栏，修缮房屋等，从而能够恢复接待100多位孤儿的规模。

非洲有近两百万华人，而华人教会则屈指可数。在肯尼亚首都内罗毕，有六、七万华人，内罗毕的永光教会就是屈指可数的华人教会之一。两年前来永光教会，探访慕道友，探访教会家庭，与周牧师一家交流，于是便会在祷告中纪念永光教会。非洲的华人都是来淘金的，传福音非常难，来非洲的华人流动性强，所以永光教会的规模依然很小，好不容易培养出来的基督徒，说走就走了。这次来与永光教会的弟兄姐妹相处的时间稍长一些，有了更多的接触，还与他们一同度过了一个愉快难忘的中秋节。非洲的教会正是因着象周牧师和黄传道这样的宣教士，非洲的华人教会才能毅立不倒，在华人社会做盐做光，我们能做的就是常常在祷告中纪念他们。