Africa - 2015

On June 4, 2015, Caleb Evangelist Jerry Riess re-turned to Africa on his Fourth Evange-lism trip to this area. This time instead of visiting Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and other western countries, he focused Kenya, on the eastern border, with the goal of knitting Christians together in their battle with the enemy. This issue is devoted solely to this trip to Kenya and how the Lord used many resources, events and appointments to once again thwart Satan in his tracks. Great Is Our Lord!

Objectives for Caleb Journey to Kenya in 2015

Since 2007, Caleb Ministries has enjoyed a significant role on the African Continent, based mainly in the west out of Nigeria. Ongoing mis-sions and outreaches have been held in 17 countries, as well as many effective medical, food and educational programs. Since the recent increase in violence against Christians in Nigeria by terrorist Muslims under the guise Boko Haran,

Caleb outreaches have brought medical aid, food, com-fort and relocation opportunities to the victims in the battlefields. Our hope is for those in East Africa to provide the same humanitarian aid as well as adopt other Caleb programs for those in Kenya and surrounding countries. Already, Caleb has many strong alliances in Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Chad and Ethiopia.

Caleb Ministry Outreach Begins in Nairobi, Kenya

Jerry Riess arrived Friday evening, June 5th, having left Seat-tle 23 hours before, coming through Amsterdam and then Nairobi. He reports, "I was greeted at the airport by Arnold, a 23 year old Kenyan hired to drive me in the Kiamthubi family car, my hosts in Nairobi as needed during my stay. Along with others connected with the host home, were Bishop Benard Ongaga and Pastor James Okenda, both traveling the six-hour drive from Kisii to greet me, and Pastor Erik Ondicho and Pastor Vincent of the Harvest church in Nairobi. Saturday we ar-ranged speaking engagements throughout the country for the coming 17 days, visiting rural cities and towns with Benard and James (left picture) as my transport, interpreters and guides in west Kenya, before concentrating on Nairobi. Sunday was a visit to a large Nairobi Presbyterian Church and meetings with The Harvest Church pastors, setting up a four-day evangelism for the end of the journey in the Nairobi slums. Harvest Church has 350 members and represents the poorest area of Kenya. Many pastors came to visit on Saturday and Sunday seeking to establish meeting dates and our calendar was fully booked before leaving Monday morning for Kisii.

Early Monday we left for the tour of Western Kenya, Pastor James Okenda driving us in his Honda. Arriving at Kisii, I set up at The Palm Motel for the week, having a suite of a teaching room with adjoining bedroom and bathroom, connected to second bedroom and separate second bathroom. By day, we counseled visiting pastors in the main room, up to 25 at a time. They journeyed from Tan-zania, Chad, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Congo. The four basic teachings were well received as we affiliated many new partners into our work. In the evenings, church services were held emphasizing our teachings and programs with many coming forward for prayer. Visiting Noah's Boat Orphan-age, and two Christian schools, made the Kisii experience an awesome success. Sunday evening we held a six-hour service in the home church of Bishop Benard. Exhausted on Sunday night after five services , I fell asleep about 6 p.m. and woke at 8 p.m.to find the rest of the team had left for their homes, and I was alone in the modest motel. I started to pull myself up from the bed to prepare for bed, grabbing the door handle to the big room. Suddenly, I was suddenly pulled across the room into the larger room and thrust to the floor, smashing the back of my head on the marble floor. I awoke at 8 a.m. to find myself in my bed in the still-locked motel room. I was in extreme pain and could barely see. My vision was blurry like a bright light shining into my eyes. The back of my head was screaming in pain and random unconnected thoughts kept running across my mind. I de-cided it best to just lie still. Finally about 10 a.m. James Okenda arrived and I yelled for him to get a pass key, as I was locked in my rooms. Obviously, angels or heavenly messengers had helped me back to my bed. Later, we found I had suffered two grade 4 concussions to the back of my brain and I was bleeding in my brain.

Effects of the Enemy Attack

As I lay in bed that morning in extreme pain, I kept asking Jesus why. He showed me! He gave me a brief vision of me pulling myself up from the bed by the door knob, and the sight of a tentacle wrapped around my left leg, tripping me. He told me to rest as my brain had been injured. Benard, James and I purposed to continue our tour but modifying it so that I would sleep 16-17 hours each day and my physical exertion would be minimized. I could not walk, stand, or dress myself. As we continued our meetings, I would be seated and would simply talk until exhausted. I was amazed that often I preached from a chair, not even remembering what I had preached. Every night and most mornings we held services in big churches and small churches, packed and exuberant, giving glory to God. I know that I ended each teaching with a story of one of the many miracles Jesus has done in my life. Waking later in a small motel room or hut or village house, I would find local pas-tors and distant friends praying at my bed-side for me, often in Swahili or another language.

The headaches never left me the entire journey. Food was a huge problem as I would want to eat but the food never tasted like it should and I ended up with dry heaves. They tried mango, watermelon, pineapple or chicken but none of it tasted right. I could not even keep water down. The pain was unbearable but we were not near any medical facility so we just kept to our schedule, going into the mountains, up river beds, and into the wilderness, holding services. The beauty of this is that we continued to draw bigger and bigger crowds. More pastors came from distant churches and congregations. We were doing exactly what we intended in uniting the Christians, teaching them to work in unity against the enemy, showing them how to share resources, and keep the enemy at bay. With the increasing terrorist attacks from neighboring Somalia, the Kenya churches need to assist each other.

As we drew closer to larger cities, more requests came for appearances. At Eldoret, we booked a hall for two morning teachings for pastors ands one short evening service. By the time evening ar-rived my energy was spent. Another ministry, Bread of Life, out of Jerusalem, had booked the same arena for their evening seminary graduation. As the times began to collide, one of their members suggested I give a short presentation on our Nigeria work and then we would leave. It was agreed and I started telling of our evangelisms in Togo and the attack by the four gunmen and rescue by Queen of the Obo. Brain injuries make you emotional and I surmise it became somewhat dramatic. The director of their program came on stage and applauded the program enthusiastically, offering to do a joint communion for all in attendance and asking that I speak more as their graduation guest. We probably ad-dressed over 500 pastors at the service. between the combined meetings! Clearly, The Lord was glorified in Eldoret!

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