MosesnJo

Revival

2011-07-07T12:46:00.001-07:00

It feels like the dams have broken in North Africa & Mid-East. It's definitely not what we wanted. But, after years of intercession, maybe it's what we need. Like the good Samaritan do we have wine and oil for the wounded spirits? The priest & the Levite were too absorbed in the image they wanted to portray and people's perception of them. Consequently they failed to live up to their true calling.

I once met a man who told me that people pray for revival but when it comes they reject it because it doesn't look like they wanted. Have we ever rejected the move of God?

Ten years ago in the Mountains of West Virginia, I was privileged to work with a very noble ministry called Mustard Seeds & Mountains. I was still new in America & my wife was helping me adapt to the culture. We first visited a church where people looked like me & there was dance, music, slaying in the spirit, healings, but sadly no love. My wife was rejected because she wasn't the same shade. We were directed to a different church up the hill where people looked like her. The next Sunday we went uphill, there we sang wonderful hymns and the message was well exegeted, but again, sadly, no love for those that look different.

We prayed for open doors in the community to build relationships. God sent rain and O boy, I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed what followed. Helping clean out 3-4 feet of silt & mud from many house's basements, carrying jugs of water & food since roads were washed out and strengthening creek walls. It was not what we wanted but it was what we needed! God had opened Gates, multiple gates and it did not matter what side of the tracks one came from, we were welcomed.

Times of crisis are times of opportunity. Fear paralyzes but love seizes the day! Are we as a church seeing that opportunity in our day and asking God if we can be part of what HE is doing?

Our healing wine & oil as a ministry is the "Village des Nations" Campus that will multiply our capacity to train servants who are relevant to their world both locally and internationally. Men & women who understand their times and what is required of them!

Financial support can be sent to:

IN USA: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM (our name should NOT be on the check) with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

Getting re-energized to go back!

2011-07-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

May 2011

Kariuki Family News

Missionaries serving in Chad, Africa with YWAM

Dear friends,

Furlough for us is a time to step out and look back & allow God to walk us through the very fruitful ministry that has happened in our time in Chad in spite of war, rumors of war, and many stretching times he has carried us through. To acknowledge we are not superhuman and that it has taken its toll physically, emotionally and even spiritually ... But also to get re-energized to go back! Please pray for us during this time of rest, refreshing, sharing vision, and enjoying relationships with friends and family here. We have been blessed by those who drop in without notice, just like our friends in Africa do. ;o) Come anytime, we love visitors!

When we arrived in the US in January, we woke up the next day to 8 inches of fresh snow outside. After five years without winter, it came as a bit of a shock to some of us, although the kids were delighted! There was nothing cold, however, about the welcome we received here – so many gave of their time and possessions to get our home ready for us and smooth our transition into life in the US. Whether it was giving furniture, transporting it to our house, cleaning the house & stocking the fridge and closets or helping us in hunting for vehicles and paying for them… We've been very blessed and thankful for everyone who sacrificed to make it happen. Thank you!

God has generously given us 16 acres in Chad to develop a YWAM Campus. He's answered our prayers and we were able to finish paying for the land in March and we are very thankful! Moses has already had meetings with builders and an architect has done drafts for housing already. One foundation has committed to give as we build & a farmer has committed part of his crop towards the buildings. Please pray that God will open doors for us to share this exciting vision and connect us with those who would like to invest.

During this year in the US, we will be based in PA, but will be travelling some in the summer to the mid-West and possibly Colorado. If you would like to have us share about Chad, the ministry there, or simply bring a Word to your church, youth group or home group, please get in touch, we would love to come.

Our staff in Chad continues to do an amazing job. In our absence souls are being won, churches are strengthened and communities continue getting seeds of transformation. Thank you for going this journey with us, though like many in Pilgrims progress, you could have give up and fallen along the wayside!

Moses & Jo (Josh, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn)

4980 Lincoln Hwy East, Kinzers, PA 17535

Flashback:
Here's a glance at our news from almost ten years ago: we'd just had our first intro to ministry in Chad as a couple and were so excited about what God was doing. We're STILL excited! We're still seeing God change lives! This is the heart of our vision for the campus in Sarh – training men and women of God to minister the Gospel to those in need, being a light in our community, seeing our nation transformed by His truths. It's a huge undertaking for us, but it is not huge for God. Please stand with us as we take this next step He has called us to in Chad.

"Do you remember me?" he asked. Excitement was written all over his face, mixed with shyness for not knowing what to expect. "My friend and I were at the meeting yesterday and I gave my life to the Lord." Remember? Of course we remembered. Much to the crowd's amusement, the meeting had been disrupted by drunkards. Now they had returned to talk to us. Moses was preaching in an open marketplace in front of a mosque in the town of Sarh, in southern Chad. Although many people came and eagerly listened to the good news about Jesus, there was opposition as well. The young man continued eagerly, "I just wanted to tell you that my friend and I have not drank any alcohol since we prayed yesterday at the meeting. I don't even want it anymore." As he continued to tell us how he was attending a new believer's class, we simply had to thank God for the miracle worked in his life. This is what it is all about – Jesus changing people's lives and drawing them into a relationship with him.

Elections in Chad today and a family update

2011-04-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Today Chad is holding presidential elections. While there isn't a strong opposition, we always appreciate prayers for peace and justice in this nation God has put in our hearts.

After arriving in the US in the middle of winter, we are very happy to see signs of spring. We are thankful for a God's grace in settling into life here in the US, especially for the boys as they are in public school here, which is a big change from homeschool in Chad. The girls are in a Christian preschool, the children all love school and are doing well and learning lots.

We are especially grateful for God's provision of a beautiful home for us to live in while here, and for the many friends and family who made sure it was furnished and ready to move into when we arrived. We cannot say what a huge blessing this was for us, finding food in the pantry, winter clothes in the kids closets, and everything we needed. We've also been able to buy a minivan and a small compact car. PTL!

Please pray with us:

that God would open doors for us here to share about the work in Chad- if you know of a church or homegroup that would like to hear more, please let us know. Thanks ;o)
that we would be a blessing to the body of Christ here, and a joyful witness to those who don't know him
that we would be able to finish paying for our tickets, we still have about $4000 debt for those.
Thank God that as YWAM, we were able to finish paying the purchase price of the land for the campus. Our next challenge is to begin building!

Many blessings,

Moses and Jo

Praise report and travel update

2011-01-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

Kariukiprayerpartners

We're thrilled to give you an update on the land we are purchasing for the development of a YWAM training center! Since we received the offer to purchase and begun communicating about this piece of land in November, we've received over $7500 which we needed for our initial payment (slightly more than half of the total.) We were able to make that payment this week.
Since then, we have received another $2200 for the property. We are humbly grateful to see God at work, and SO excited to see what He has in store!
For details on the project, check out mosesnjo.blogspot.com ; , or send us an email if you have questions. :-)

As a family, we're getting ready to travel to the US in 3 weeks time. We
will not be keeping our (rented) home here in Chad due to financial
constraints and the length of our stay in the US, so we're busy getting
things sorted out to put into storage here. Please keep us in your prayers during this time of transition, extra grace (and strength!) for the adults in the family as we face this big task, but also for the children, as it can be quite unsettling to leave the only home they've known, for the younger three especially. We're all excited about this time in the US, and looking forward to it, but transitions can always be stressful.

We are very thankful for the way God has been providing for us - a home to stay in in the US, furniture and appliances have been offered to us, and friends who are helping coordinate it all to lighten the load for us.

Please pray specifically
*for our travel to N'Djamena Jan. 20th, and flights to the US the 25th
(about 24 hours in planes/airports)
*for favor with immigration procedures both Chad & US, of late it has
been stressful.
*for dependable reasonably priced van and small car for our use in the
US
*for us to be able to pay the remaining balance for the purchase of the
property so that we can begin the next phase.
*for open doors to share vision, recruit and fundraise for the Campus
project.

Until all have heard,

Moses & Jo
Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

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Fall 2010

2010-11-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

News from the kariukis
November 2010

Seasons…….

We love the change of seasons and one of our favorites in the Northern Hemisphere is fall: the colorful leaves, the harvest, fresh apple cider and the crisp sunny days. It's been harvest season here in Chad as well, we've been enjoying fresh maize and pumpkins from the garden, and we're watching the bananas and papayas in the garden get bigger and bigger. We're thankful for a plentiful harvest, in physical as well as the spiritual. The seasons in nature are, as so many things, yet another picture of the way God works – things look different, yet He is still working in countless ways to accomplish his purposes.

As a family, we've been sensing for some time that a different season is coming for us. With the new challenge of buying and developing a property for the training and ministry center of YWAM, this coming year Moses will be traveling quite a lot, sharing the vision, mobilizing people and raising funds for the project. With this in mind, we will be in the US for a season, and will be traveling in January. Although Moses will still be spending some time in Chad, we plan to be based in Pennsylvania for 12-18 months before moving back to Chad to be involved hands on with the development of the land we are purchasing as a mission.

We'd appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this time.... Obviously the practical things like airfare, affordable housing (and vehicles) for us during our stay in the US – but much more importantly that this time will be one of fruitfulness for the work that the Lord is doing here in Chad, and in and through us as a family.

If you want to know more about our specific needs for this time, please contact us via email or FaceBook.

“Look, Daddy,” Zachary proudly showed off his artwork, “I designed a YWAM base... here's the houses, and here we'll have a garden, and here's the classrooms...” Creativity has been running high in this house, and even the children are catching the vision. We (YWAM Chad) been offered a piece of land just outside of town for purchase and are eagerly looking at possibilities and praying for this vision tocome to pass. (see Link for all the details)

Recently our staff held a 3 day seminar for teachers, including topics like, Hearing Gods voice, Seeing your Vocation as Calling, Biblical Paradigms vs Worldly Paradigms on Education, Molding the next Generation, and Discipleship of a Nation. “Is my job as a school teacher simply a job – or is it a calling?” Please pray for the teachers who attended that they carry out their vocation with excellence, and use their position to impact the next generation to the glory of God.

It's a joy to have Tyler Stoltzfus, a volunteer from GCC PA, here with us for 2 months. Tyler has come to learn more about missions, and help out in any way he can. He's already working on learning French and making lots of new friends. Please pray for this to be a fruitful time in his life as he serves here. It’s great to see youth from our home area take up the challenge in faith and stepping out.

Our colleague Margaret is doing a wonderful job leading the School of Biblical Studies, with four students from Chad and South Korea. Pray for her as she ‘cuts her teeth’ as a school leader especially as she just recently lost her Dad to cancer and is still dealing with that.

We know many are facing very difficult times financially, and we don’t take for granted the financial support that we receive. Like many others, we’ve had to adjust and tighten our budget, but God continues to be faithful. Let’s all hang in there in faith and trust God for greater things even in these difficult times.

Ideologies cannot be changed without a heart and mind change, which will happen through the Gospel being lived out and applied – in all the world. A recent BBC article quoted military strategists acknowledging that the war against violent fundamentalism will not be won by force. Our prayer is that God will continue to raise up a mighty army to go and sacrificially live out HIS kingdom. Pray with us for the harvest that is ripe, and will spoil if there are not enough laborers in the field.

Family News: Our kids continue to grow up so fast. It’s a joy to see them fall in love with God, grow in his ways, and believe Him for great things. The boys and Jo continue in home school, and have been studying the middle ages in History, which has been a very popular subject. We’ve lots of re-enactments of battles with Lego castles, noble knights and princesses in distress needing to be rescued. J Josh is showing more and more initiative in doing his assignments independently, and Zachary is very proud to be reading his own books – all by himself. Marianna is very eager to “do school” also and spends a lot of time practicing her letters. Our “baby” Katelyn just turned three, and can’t quite decide if she is a “grown-up” or Mama’s baby. J We were glad that Moses was able to go to Kenya for a few weeks in August to spend time with family and friends there.

Until all have heard,

Moses and Jo
Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

Financial support can be sent to:
IN KENYA: Moses N. Kariuki, A/C No. 5108023009, Commercial Bank of Africa, Standard & Wabera Streets, PO Box 30437, Nairobi, SWIFT: CBAFKENX
IN USA: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM, with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

CHICKEN BBQ - Chad Mission Trip Fundraiser

2010-10-01T02:34:00.001-07:00

Attending,

YWAM-JEM Sarh Tyler Stoltzfus is preparing to travel to Chad where he will be helping out the Kariuki Family and YWAM Chad for a few months. Pray for him and support this worthy cause!

CHICKEN BBQ - Chad Mission Trip Fundraiser

Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 11:00am

Gap Community Church, Gap, PA

Kariuki News Sept 2010

2010-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

When It Rains It Pours!

Beloved,

When It Rains It Pours!

In April the earth in the Sahel was scorched. Trees were drying up, all living things were either dying or suffering from the extremities that come with severe drought. God heard the cry and YES! it has poured and it is still pouring. There has been so much rain that it is hard to remember that scorched, dusty, thirsty feeling of April and the preceding months… The greenery is therapeutic ;o)

Ministry wise it has also poured so much that we have hardly had time to stop and report to you, our beloved partners in the Kingdom. But know that your prayers have born much fruit; Our DTS though full of unprecedented challenges, finished its outreach and many came to faith, others were healed and delivered from oppression. There is a new crop of laborers released into the harvest field. Before their graduation the DTS helped us run two powerful events over a period of two weeks;

A Summer of Service that saw over 70 youth come together from all over the nation with Europe, US, the Pacific and other African nations represented, for motivation, training and outreach. The flame we dream about continues to ignite other flames and soon we believe light will cover the land as the waters cover the seas.

The second event was YWAM's 50th anniversary celebration where we invited all of our alumni and staff scattered around the nation and continent to come back for a time of thanksgiving and celebration of Gods goodness. About 60 made it and we had superb time hearing testimonies from the nations and ministries that are as diverse as can be. Pygmies in Kribi, Cameroon, Hindus & Buddhists in India and Nepal, Touareg and Bedouins in the Sahara, Literacy, Nutrition, Sex trafficking in N'Djamena & Community health work…and many more.

Family wise, JoAnna has been a super tutor cum super mama as Moses traveled twice; first in May/June to the US for INS purposes and Spain for leadership consultations, North Africa Staff conference & Jubilee celebrations with YWAM in the Iberian Peninsula that is geographically and demographically linked to the Maghreb. Lastly he went to Kenya to visit his mother who he hadn't seen since the death of his father in March 2009.

We are thankful to God who gives the rain, and to you our precious partners, who faithfully pray, give and make it all possible. As a mission we are excited about buying land to develop a Campus. You'll be hearing more about this vision the Lord has given us! As our ministry outgrows rented facilities, it has become necessary to increase and diversify. Our faith is being stretched like never before but we serve a miracle working God!

Love in Him,

Moses, JoAnna, Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

Financial support can be sent to:

KENYA: Moses N. Kariuki, A/C No. 5108023009, Commercial Bank of Africa, Standard & Wabera Streets, PO Box 30437, Nairobi (SWIFT: CBAFKENX)

USA: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM, with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

ONLINE: You can now give online with a credit or bank card at: Paypal http://tinyurl.com/28b8fa

OH GOD, LET IT RAIN!

2010-05-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

April is a month of expectation in Chad, eager expectation! Desperately hot with temperatures soaring to over 100F/40C nearly every day, the sun beats down mercilessly and the sky is crimson with dust…. Many plants, animals, and even men wither and die. The slightest hint of a cloud brings forth a heartfelt prayer… Oh, God, let it rain! We long for the refreshing, cooling rain that brings new growth and life.

Just as in the physical, it’s also a season of expectation for us in ministry. We have an urgent expectancy to see what God is going to do here in Chad. The harvest is ready but the laborers are few!

This year is a special year for us as a mission – we’re celebrating 50 years internationally as YWAM and 7 years here in Chad (our Sabbath.) It is also Chad’s 50^th year as an independent nation and churches and missions are getting together for national Jubilee celebrations and prayers. (Lev. 25)

As YWAM Chad, we recently received permanent government authorization for the ministry here; we can now buy properties and develop them as God leads for the glory of His name. (Until this point we’ve been operating under local authorities on a temporary renewable basis.) We have a dream to build a Campus for the training and multiplication of workers, equipped to impact every domain of life here in Chad and beyond. Currently we are involved in Church, Development and Healthcare ministries. We look forward to seeing those multiply!

We are thankful for the recently found oil wealth, which has increased Chad’s average annual income from $100 to $450 over the last several years. However, with a lot more money available to a lot more people, this means that rents and other prices have also gone up - some missions have been forced to give up their rented facilities, due to huge rent increases. YWAM Sarh is in our 3^rd building in 8yrs. We are praying that we would be able to purchase our own property where we can develop a training campus. Oh, God, let it rain! When the enemy raises a standard, the Lord raises a higher standard! Please pray with us to this end, that as we search for the right property and begin to raise funds that the Lord would guide each step of the way.

As we write, Moses is preparing for a trip to Spain for leadership meetings and staff conference there for YWAM in the region. Thanks to his frequent-flyer miles, he was able to tack on a few weeks in the US prior to being in Spain. You can contact him at (717)380-4830 from May 6-26 if you’d like see him!

As a family, we are well, apart from heat rash discomfort… (Oh, GOD, let it rain!!) Jo is quite busy with home schooling the boys and we are excited about finishing up 2^nd grade (Joshua) and Kindergarten (Zachary) before Daddy gets back from Spain, and then enjoying a summer break. Marianna (4) and Katelyn (2) are growing up so quickly- there is definitely never a dull moment in this house!

Please pray;

For our DTS Outreach as they reach out to Bagirmi, Banda, Balimba, Maele, Kra-Koy Bongo and Kyabe.
We will also have a weeks ‘Summer of Service’ for young people here.
And our own Jubilee/Sabbath celebration to bring all our alumni together. (Lev. 25)
For God to lead us to the Land that He has for us.

Your partners in service,

Moses, & Jo,

Josh, Zacky, Marianna & Katelyn

Financial support can be sent to:

ONLINE: You can now give online with a credit or bank card at: Paypal http://tinyurl.com/28b8fa
IN KENYA: Moses N. Kariuki, A/C No. 5108023009, Commercial Bank of Africa, Standard & Wabera Streets, PO Box 30437, Nairobi SWIFT: CBAFKENX
IN USA: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM (our name should NOT be on the check) with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

Update from Chad!

2010-02-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Dear ones,

This week finds us battling the flu as a family, preparing for the DTS (which starts next week) and Moses teaching a seminar this weekend. Never a dull moment! :-)

Please pray for good health for our family, Katelyn has been sick with fever, coughing, stomach symptoms for a week and is doing better but quite weak and unable to eat much or keep it down. Josh, Jo, Zachary and Marianna also are coughing a lot and just pretty miserable.

Pray for the DTS staff and students as they prepare for what God has for them together in the next five months. Some have to travel internationaly and deal with visa issues, tickets etc. Lots of the Chadians are financialy challenged & need a faith breakthrough. Pray for smooth beginning, good time of meshing together as a group, and for provision for all their needs. Mirom Collette will be leading the school.

Moses is teaching a seminar in a local church on Spiritual Warfare January 28,29,30. Pray for effective teaching time and for the Lord to open hearts and minds to his truth.

Please pray also for our coworkers. Margaret, a friend and co-worker found out yesterday that her Dad's lung cancer has begun to spread and his dr. has said this is "the beginning of the end." (He has exhausted all the treatment options.) Please pray for Margaret as she plans to travel home to spend time with her parents, and for her family for special peace and the Lord's presence. Also this morning Mirom, our school leader has had to travel to Koumra because her daughter is hospitalized there.

A few weeks ago there was an gov't assault on rebel positions less than 100 km from here. The town has quieted down in the last week and we are happy NOT to hear the military aircraft all day long....! It is "that time of year" when in the past there has been considerable conflict and we pray that this year will be the exception and that we will have peace. (During dry season of Dec-April, it is much easier to move around the country, and that is usually when there is the most fighting.)

Until all have heard,

Moses, Jo and family

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

Dear ones,

I was just reading a book by Brother Yun, called Living Water. (great teaching book to go along with his amazing testimony, The Heavenly Man, highly recommend that you read them both!) A quote from his book:
Oh, if we would have a revelation of God's care and provision for his children, we would never be the same again! He is much better at running your life than you are! 'Humble yourselves therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety upon him for he cares for you.' 1 Peter 5:6,7

We've just spent New Year's Eve thanking God together with our children for the amazing way he takes care of us. Zachary requested that we read the story of Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China in the 1930's, and the way God took care of her and 94 orphans in her care as they walked many miles to escape attack by Japanese warplanes. We are so thankful and humbled as we look back over our lives and this year in particular and see the way the Lord has taken tender, loving care of US. He is, indeed, "much better at running our lives than we are!" :-)

Tomorrow the 1st Jan 2010, is the graduation of the Bible Core Course. We are thankful for the privilege of imparting in these students' lives tools that help them discover more of HIM and his ways in His word. They are set for a lifetime of Bible Study, Practice & Proclamation!

Thank you for being part of what God's called us to here in Chad. So many of you have given sacrificially, prayed without ceasing and encouraged us along the way. We are grateful for the opportunity of working together in the harvest.

Many blessings and more adventures in God in this new year!!

Love,
Moses, Jo, Joshua, Zachary, Marianna, and Katelyn

PS Last night just after I wrote this we had fireworks in Sarh to celebrate the New Year. We've never had fireworks here before, but the president was in town so perhaps it was in his honor. Unfortunately, Chadians are much more used to war than to celebratory fireworks, and many people in the village ran away from their homes in fear, and hid in the bush until morning. I spoke to a friend in the market this morning, and she was at an all night prayer meeting, and they, too thought that war had broken out. We've been joking all day that fireworks never brought such revival anywhere else!!! We are thankful it was only fireworks, we've been especially aware of the tenous peace in this nation, seeing the heavy artillery security in town over the past weeks and this week especially. Keep praying for Chad please!

Who’s Got Your Back?

2009-11-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

News from the Kariuki family

November 2009 - Serving with YWAM in Chad – mosesnjo@gmail.com

Who’s Got Your Back? We have returned back to Chad and hit the ground running - back to home-school for Jo & Kids & ministry for Moses. We are thankful to the One who has made it possible for us to continue being part of this amazing privilege. He watches out for us even when we feel like we don’t deserve it! Yes, the Bible Core Course is up and running with multiple nations represented. We have an Islander student from New Caledonia, two Chadian students, an English Leader, Moses giving oversight & 2 speakers a Cameroonian & a French/Swiss in the works. One of the highlights has been the visit of a former Chadian DTS student working in Niger. She visited & shared her experiences on the mission field. This small group saw an amazing visitation as we took an Antioch offering to send her back to Niger where she works with another organization… What a privilege!

In order to meet Zachary’s residence & Naturalization requirements we had to go back to the US earlier than we had planned and in retrospect it was so nice being there over the summer. After over 2 years in process Zacky got his residency upon entry, and then we were able to apply for a US passport. It had been a crazy start of year with Moses undergoing surgery twice & losing his Dad, and we were broke… Fares within Africa are still the highest in the world & family travel is impossible without miracles of provision. It was amazing how even usually unavailable local flights became available just when we were in need and with people to share the charter 50/50. Many times we have been reminded not to look to people who God uses but to look to Him, the Father of lights who doesn’t change. Zachary was given US citizenship and now has both Kenyan and US passports like the rest of the children. Now only Daddy & Mommy are without dual nationalities. J Our stay in the US was a complete work of grace. We had no money to rent a place and no place to stay. We prayed and put out the word. A few weeks before traveling (just as we were getting anxious!) we got word of two basement apartments available. We ended up with the Dieter family… they have a furnished basement apartment which was a huge blessing to us. Then a high school friend of Jo’s offered us a van and CMTS, the ministry we normally rent from, also had one ready. With school & Moses’ speaking engagements we made good use of the two vehicles. We also are thanking God that he enabled us to pay off our tickets BEFORE we left the US. PTL!

Besides the normal home assignment visits to churches, Bible studies, friends & family; God also opened exciting opportunities to touch base with people we hadn’t seen in ages. A road trip to Texas allowed us to visit Moses’ brother & family… the cousins had a ball ;o)). We also saw Congolese/Rwandese friends from our Kenyan church that have immigrated to the US… what a superb time of catching up we had. Another amazing opportunity was for Moses to share in an Amish fellowship… It’s a miracle for the Amish to even consider missions, it will be an even greater one when we get some to come over to the Sahel - but then we DO serve a God who works in extraordinary ways.

Consider this; when we arrived in Chad, the income per capita was US$ 100. Now it has quadrupled to $ 450. Rationally speaking, Chad shouldn’t be sending missionaries but then again, when was walking on water ever rational?? In our seven years we have trained people who have gone on to pastor successful churches, lead ministries and even gone to the nations as missionaries. Thanks for your partnership! We are privileged to know the Almighty has our backs and is working in ways beyond our ability and means!

Love, Moses, Jo, Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

Snailmail: Moses Kariuki, BP 166, Sarh, Chad.

Blog: http://mosesnjo.blogspot.com/

COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS!

2009-11-10T01:06:00.002-08:00

Our return to Sarh has been nothing but miraculous... The Lord kept coming through just when we needed it;

1. We were overweight with the home-school stuff & didn't want to pay extra since we were short of funds... so we called the airline & voila!... God gave us favor and we were allowed to be overweight & even bring an extra bag

2. Immigration chief exempted us from paying visa's for kids but didn't give us gratuit visas... a new official decided to cause problems so I asked him to call his chief who came and resolved all after a long wait... arrived at 12.30am & only got to our accommodation at 3.00am.

3. Went to sleep thinking how I needed to go charter a local flight next day for Sarh & organize to send luggage by road, BUT God had our backs ;o)), at 5.30am I got a phone call from (MAF) Mission Aviation that there was a plane chartered one way from Sarh and all we had to do was pay one-way from N'Djamena but had to be at airport in 30 minutes. So after 2.30 hrs of sleep I woke up the family that had just done 29 hrs of traveling ;o)) with difficulties of course. We got to take half of the luggage on the plane PTL!.

4. In Sarh our friend Neldjita was waiting with our car that hadn't been driven in 4 months... It got our luggage home but broke down after two days... Getting anything fixed here is hard cause half of the time you can't get the right parts & when you do they are overpriced... It is working but not quite right ;o(

5. Got home to a house with no running water and a town with no electricity. Its been over a month of no power and only sporadic running water ;o( It was an extreme change of climate we came back to... extreme humidity & heat, no electricity means no respite

7. Started Biblical studies but couldn't accept candidates with Debts from previous training... Seminar fortnight is intense and does not live room for much else.

8. Have had to walk two staff members through the loss of their parents; one a Dad & the other a Mom.

9. On a brighter note, Some Pastors brought the rest of our luggage on Public transport, A new super generator just arrived & in the meanwhile with my limited mechanical knowledge & a lot of prayer I have coxed both our little generator & car to work though not perfectly.

10. We have studied; Philemon, James, Acts, now Romans & have read through Luke, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, II Timothy, I & II Peter, II & III John, Jude & Psalms BK I & II.

11. WE are excited about Jesus.

Recently, reading the book; "Heavenly Man" by brother Yun was a breath of Fresh Air... best Autobiography I have read in a while. His other book "Living Water" has encouraged me greatly because Biblical Truth remains true no matter where you are... works the same in China , Africa & all over the world. "Truth" that only works for a "select few" & only in a given country is suspect...

His simple but powerful messages are very similar to what we have been preaching in Africa & they are truly transformational. Its not just a lot of Doctrine & Theology but its knowing Gods Character & Nature & walking intimately with Him. Not formulas but being led by the Spirit. I will do a book review when things slow down a bit!... ;o) Thanks for sending us off with prayers.

Kariukis

2010 We celebrate 50 years of Youth With a Mission

2009-09-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

We celebrate knowing God... His everlasting faithfulness, goodness, power and love. We celebrate the privilege of making Him known in all nations, all tongues, all peoples... lighting the torches of the future entrusted to each of us. 2010 We celebrate 50 years of Youth With a Mission.

The Flame Goes Forward - Celebrating 50 Years of YWAM from YWAM Kona on Vimeo.

Pray for the Berieved

2009-09-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

My Pastor in the US lost his mom who had been ill for a while, please remember the Wilson family in your prayers.
In Chad one of our Staff Irene recently lost her dad after a long struggle with his health... please remember the Sagnata family.

Only God knows how to meet His children in times like this!

He is a Comforter!

Live & Online on YWAM Sarh at GCC, Gap, PA

2009-08-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

YWAM Chad

Touching Base

2009-08-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Our time here in the US has been flying by.... we've been here just over 6 weeks and it's wonderful to see friends and family again here in Pennsylvania! We will be here through the end of September before heading back to Chad. We have been so humbled and amazed at God's faithfulness in so many ways - we have a beautiful apartment to live in, vehicle to use, we've received home school supplies (a major expense we were anticipating before our return to Chad) lots of great clothes for the kids, and are just encouraged the way so many have stood with us in practical ways. Thank you to you all, you know who you are! :-)

"So what are you doing while you're here?" the most common question :-)

most importantly, spending time with people.... a lot happens in 2 years and it's time to "catch up" and process with friends, much easier face to face than via email! :-) It's a privilege to share with friends about our life and ministry in Chad, but also to find out how things are going in your lives, laugh, cry and pray together.
Sharing in churches / home groups about Chad - if you're in the area and would like us to come to your church or small group, we'd love to do it, please give us a call: 717-940-0895 (Moses) or 717-341-6142 (Jo.)
We are beleiving God for a financial release for us during this time.... Our regular pledged monthly support is sufficient to meet our day to day needs in Chad, but does not leave us any reserve to travel with. We're asking God for an additional $1000 a month which would enable us to leave Chad once a year without going into debt. We also need to see $4000 to come in to finish paying for our tickets for this trip and an extra $1000 for the local MAF flight. The majority of our support has always come from individuals who give on a monthly basis, and we so blessed to have many faithful partners who invest in Chad in this way. (more info on giving here)
In August, in addition to spending a long weekend vacation with the Groff side of the family, we'll be travelling to Texas to see Moses's brother and family. We will come back via Illinois, to visit dear friends Chuck and Ruth, and visit Crossroads, their home church who support us.
We're also continuing to do admin, communication and networking for the work in Chad.... the internet is faster here and the electricity doesn't go out for months at a time (hasn't yet anyway!!!) :-) so in someways it is easier to get those things done here.

Please pray with us:

for us to experience true rest and refreshing during this time - so we are "re-charged" so to speak to head back to Chad
for new partners to be raised up to stand with us - financially and in prayer cover
for the security situation in Chad to remain stable
preparations for the School of Biblical Studies in Chad which begins in October.
for the purchases we need before heading back - a few remaining home school items, toiletries, clothes, office supplies - stocking up for the next 2 years! :-)
for safe travel for our road trip to Texas and Illinois...(more than 3200 miles / 5200 km!

Love,

Moses, Jo & family

All patched up and on the mend!

2009-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Kariuki News

May 2009

Moses and JoAnna Kariuki - Serving in Youth With A Mission CHAD

It's been a hectic year so far, but we are pressing on to see what God has in store! J We traveled to Kenya just before Christmas last year and spent exactly two months there - much of it concerned with two surgeries for Moses, numerous dental visits for Jo, (praise God everything went well and we are all patched up and on the mend!) but most importantly spending time with family and loved ones there.

Moses got to share in our 'Eastleigh FPFK' home-church? albeit he had to sit down several times during the message the first time. J Thank you for your prayers he is recovering quickly, his second time preaching was less uncomfortable and went well!

We are very grateful for one week's vacation at the beach which was so graciously given to us by dear friends! Loads of fun! J It had been quite a while since we had seen ANY beach, much less one as beautiful as the Kenyan beach! Another miracle which we are thankful for was that we could travel with almost no debt for our tickets! With a growing family and rising airfares, we appreciate that! We returned to Chad Feb. 20^th,feeling refreshed after a change of scenery and ready to get home again!

Precious in the sight of the LORD

This year we have lost two men of God very dear to us. Moses's father passed away March 18th after a week in the hospital. The time we spent with him in January and February was very precious and we are grateful to have had that. Also what a privilege and blessing it was for us to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary with Mom and Dad Kariuki in December. Dad Kariuki had been in good health, but getting weaker and in pain from some old injuries. We know he's in a far better place but miss him so much. We're very thankful for your prayers during this time of mourning for him, and especially while Moses was in Kenya for 3 weeks for the funeral. Please continue to pray especially for Mama Kariuki.

On Jan. 12th Pastor Meschac from Sarh was killed in a vehicle accident. Pastor Meschac was one of our first and closest friends here in Chad, he invited us to come and begin YWAM ministry and training here, and truly was a "man of peace" for us as a family and mission. As well as being the secretary general of his local denomination, he had begun several development projects (a literacy project and a primary school in the local mother tongue) and played a key role in the local church unity here in Sarh. He leaves behind his wife Yvette and five children, ages 3 - 19. He is greatly missed.

is the death of his saints.

Back in Chad, in our absence our DTS staff did a great job preparing for and running the Discipleship Training School, which began in February. We have five wonderful students. They have now just finishing up lecture phase and have left to go out and DO it! Please pray for them and our staff team as they spend May and June reaching out with the Gospel. Having just returned from Kenya, Moses spent the last 2 weeks of lecture phase with the students, teaching, encouraging and motivating them on to give their all and expect awesome things from the Lord. Now they are out on the field doing practicals. Please join us in praying that this outreach, as well as being a transforming time in the lives of students and staff, will see an unprecedented harvest of souls- the reason we are out here discipling nations (Matt. 28:19,20)

In addition to lots of administration for the ministry here, we find ourselves spending a lot of time with our staff in; mentoring, training, lending a listening ear, praying together...you get the idea! What a privilege it is to invest what God has given us into these dear ones. Pray with us as we continue to ask God for more workers to be raised up, and for continued equipping of those of us already here. We continue to ask the Lord for wisdom, grace and strength as we lead the work here. .

Up next?...more travels! It's almost two years since we've been with family and friends in the US, and we plan to spend July-September there, returning for the School of Biblical Studies which begins here in October. Please pray specifically with us for airfares, grace to be on the move once again, AND this time we are also are in need of a place to stay, since Jo's parents have moved to a much smaller home. So if you are in Pennsylvania and know of a possibility of housing for us, please let us know! If you would like to have us speak at your church or home group, please email us! We'd love to share about what God is doing in Chad!

Due to rising airfares, growing kids, and the devaluation of the dollar and the Kenya shilling (in exchange to our currency in Chad,) we need to see a significant increase in our regular monthly support. Please pray about whether God would have you be involved in Chad in this way. Thank you to those of you that have made use of Paypal to set up a monthly gift. If you haven't and would like to, give us a buzz and we will email you the link. Yours in the HARVEST, Moses, JoAnna, Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn.

DONATIONS

mosesnjo@gmail.com -- JEM BP 166, Sarh, CHAD -- Phone +235-6390371 (Moses) or +235-6991866(Jo)

Official Autonomy of the Church in Kassai

2008-11-19T23:11:00.000-08:00

Kariuki News November 2008

Moses and JoAnna Kariuki - Serving in Youth With A Mission CHAD

A special event for us recently has been the official autonomy of the church in Kassai, one of the ‘quartiers’ of Sarh. This church is close to our hearts as it was planted in a joint effort between a local church, our DTS outreach team, and an international DTS team from Dunham, Quebec last year. The church had been functioning as a cell group of the mother church until the ceremony held recently giving it full recognition as a sister church in their local organization. Elie, the pastor, was on staff with us for several years. Some of the elders are men who came to know the Lord through the outreach last year! We are excited to be involved in what God is doing in growing his Kingdom in Kassai.

The Bible Core Course began in October with 5 students, who've been kept very busy digging into the Word ever since! Already we are seeing God's transforming power at work in their lives. Please pray with us that they would continue to grow not only in the knowledge of the Bible but in their character and walk with the Lord.

Yes, we are still in Chad, and plan to go to Kenya for Christmas. Although we had hoped to go earlier, it's always nice to have the holidays with family and we are all looking forward to that, and especially the joy of introducing Katelyn to the Kariuki side of the family. We are thankful that our dental and medical problems have not worsened, we're hanging in there! :-) Presently we have about half the finances we need for our tickets to Kenya and back, so we're still praying that we will be able to travel in December. To all those who have given towards our travel expenses thank you so much!

Family news: The children are all doing well, and growing so fast...we recently celebrated Katelyn's first birthday, she's almost walking and doing her best to keep up with the rest of the tribe. :-) Rainy season is at its end, and with less mud and mosquitoes, the kids are enjoying playing outside every day, the Joshua and Zachary climbing trees, and Marianna usually making sand “soup,” or playing with her big brothers' tractors. Apart from home schooling Josh in first grade, Jo's recently began another long-awaited project: learning Chadian Arabic. She's enjoying weekly lessons with a friend hoping to talk with the many Muslim women who speak no French at all soon.

Until all have heard,

Moses & Jo, Josh, Zack, Marianna and Katelyn

thekariukis@yahoo.com -- JEM BP 166, Sarh, CHAD -- Phone +235-6390371 (Moses) or +235-6991866(Jo)

Ever at the Brink!

2008-07-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

News from the Kariuki family in Chad

July 2008

Chad seems ever at the brink of something... Darfur situation continues as horrific as ever, rebels in the East threatening to attack the capital once more, and more recently (and closer to home) an Islamist sect calling for Jihad, burning churches and homes in our area (Kouno, Manda, & Sarh.) We pray for a great revival and harvest in the midst of these difficult times for our adopted nation! Already we see light dawning, as churches are being roused to pray and fast for their nation, and we believe together that God is going to act. The unreached will be reached!

In times like these some stories stand out and they are to be told. One Nigerian young man who just recently graduated from his university studies was on his way to us in Feb. to be a student in our Discipleship Training School. Because of the fighting in N’Djamena, he entered Chad at a border town south of N’Djamena. On entry he fell into the hands of evil gendarmes (military police) who beat him up & robbed him of everything. Somehow he got back to Jos, Nigeria, got medical attention & a week later was on his way back to Chad to fulfill what God put on his heart. In spite of his limited French and no Arabic, people were very receptive to his message and he was even used to lead some Muslims to the Lord. This is the tenacity of those who will accomplish the remaining parts of the great commission. May God raise more like Kelly!

Moses just returned from two weeks away at the North Africa staff conference, a very challenging and encouraging time. Andee, our volunteer nanny who was a huge blessing to us, has returned to the US, having finished her commitment here. As a family we are well, although facing some health issues (Moses may need minor surgery for a hernia, and both him and Jo need some dental work done) and feeling quite tired. Moses also needs a new passport, (which can only be issued in Kenya, since Chad doesn't have a Kenyan embassy) having completely filled up his current one on this most recent trip.

We had originally planned our next "break" from Chad to be in Kenya over Christmas and January, giving us 4-5 weeks maximum away, that time being between schools. However at this point, looking at our needs, and also the possibility of visiting team (Medical Outreach) coming in January, we would like to go in August/September, which would allow us to see doctors and dentists sooner, and also give us a bit more time to allow for those things which may take longer (passports, etc!)

A big challenge for us at this point is purchasing tickets for this trip. However we know nothing is too big or too small for our Lord and we are praying for his provision for tickets and our other expenses while we will be in Kenya. Would you please stand with us, pray for this need, and ask God if he would have you contribute as well?

Until all have heard,

Moses and Jo Kariuki

Joshua, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

Pray for the peace of Chad!

2008-04-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

News from the Kariuki family in Chad

April 2008

Pray for the peace of Chad…. On Feb. 2^nd, rebel troops attacked N’Djamena, our capital city, with the intent of overthrowing the president. There was heavy fighting in the city for several days, until the government forces repelled them, peace was restored, and rebel troops left the city. Many lives were lost, properties damaged by the fighting and looting, and thousands fled the city. In our town of Sarh, 560 km (330 miles) away from N’Djamena, it remained peaceful, although tense. Our prayer and our cry throughout this time has been for our Chadian brothers and sisters, that peace would be restored and that this nation would prosper and experience the fullness of the Lord’s blessings. We pray for healing and restoration for those wounded, those traumatized by the fighting, those who mourn the loss of loved ones, and those who fled their homes in search of safer places.
At the time that the fighting erupted in N’Djamena, we had two visiting YWAM teams, totaling 22 people. Their sending bases were able to organize an air evacuation by MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship). We and our long term staff chose to stay in Chad but were prepared to leave if the situation escalated and spread southward. Although a long term resolution to the conflict has yet to be reached, the violence was short lived and didn’t reach our town, for which we are thankful. More than ever, we are aware that we cannot take for granted the time that the Lord has given us here in Chad, and are determined to use it to the fullest to accomplish what we can in His Kingdom.
Our 6^th Discipleship Training School held in Chad started off on Feb. 3^rd and has 9 students. This year we are blessed with a dynamic group on fire for the Lord, hungry for more of God and full of passion to share him. This past weekend, on their day “off” from school, the students were evangelizing on the street, and out of those who received the Lord, 10 have committed to be coming to a weekly Bible Study. Please pray for Hervé, Naomi, and Moses as they lead the students.
On the home front….we are happy to be settled back into life here in Chad and so glad to be together as a family after our many travels and separations last year! Katelyn is now 5 months old (where does the time go?!) and a very cheerful little girl who has lots of smiles for her big brothers and sister, and pretty much anyone else who tries to entertain her. Marianna just turned two, and is talking lots, and still trying to keep up with those big brothers. She’s now potty trained and we’re thrilled about that! Zachary is now four and loves riding “his” bike around now that Josh has outgrown it and it’s been fitted with new training wheels. He’s learning his letters, loves asking questions and trying to figure out how things work. Joshua is looking forward to turning six in July, and is flying through his Kindergarten curriculum. He is reading very well and loves books, racing cars and playing football (soccer.) One challenge we’ve had this year is that our town was without electricity from the end of December to mid-March. We are VERY grateful power has been restored; our kids (and us!) prayed quite a lot for the mechanics who were repairing the town’s generator!
We have been blessed by Andee, a young lady who has come as mission nanny (www.missionnannies.com) to help Jo with the children. Her primary responsibility is home schooling Josh, as well as doing a few preschool things with Zack, but she chips in wherever an extra hand is needed. Andee arrived in January and is staying at least through June. She has freed up Jo’s time to be able to begin catching up on some of the YWAM admin, and also be able to get out a bit – with 2 preschoolers, a baby and a five year old in the house, that’s greatly appreciated!!
Please pray with us:

For peace, healing and restoration in Chad after the fighting.

For God to continue to work in the Discipleship Training School, and for the students as they prepare for outreach (May and June)

For Joshua who has been having some problems with asthma in this dry and dusty season. We are trusting for his complete healing.

For us as a family, for our peace and security to be in the Lord, the ROCK who is solid. Also for rest and refreshment after these last few months that have been quite stressful.

For a new car, our tough roads old have worn out the '91 Toyota 4 Runner';-)
We are so thankful to be part of what God is doing here in Chad. Thank you to each of you who have prayed for us, given to us, and encouraged us in the work here. We love and appreciate you!

Blessings,

Moses, Jo and family

What does Jesus want for Christmas?

2007-09-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

What will you bring him? After being told that Christmas is Jesus's birthday, Joshua asked recently, “What does Jesus want for Christmas?” That's our challenge, this Christmas, and always, to live in a way which glorifies the King of Kings, the One who was born in a stable so that we could know him. A very Merry Christmas to you all, from our family!!

We’re happy to introduce to you the newest addition to the Kariuki family - Katelyn Waithera was born October 11^th, and is doing wonderfully, we're all thrilled to have a new little baby in the family, and thankful for her safe arrival. Mom and Dad now have their hands full with four little blessings!

Our time here in the States has absolutely flown by – August we spent a lot of time with the Groff family with a weekend at the mountains, brother Tim’s wedding and traveling to see the Wisconsin branch of the family, as well as some very dear friends in Illinois. In September school began, with Josh in Kindergarten and Zachary in preschool. That month Moses took a two week trip to Korea to attend a YWAM workshop and also be recognized for completing his bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies. At the end of September we were in a minor car accident, which while we were very thankful didn’t result in serious injury, slowed us down quite a bit, with Jo spending a night in the hospital and both Jo and Moses being stiff and sore for a while. With October came the arrival of Katelyn, and Moses’s departure for Chad the end of the month – let’s just say October passed by in a blur! J Moses returned to Chad before the rest of the family in order to help with the Biblical Studies Core Course, training missionaries how to study and apply the Bible in their lives and ministry. The rest of the family will be leaving for Chad Nov. 25^th. For those of you who we have not seen during this time in the US (and there are so many of you!) we’re very sorry and hope that our next trip here will allow us time to catch up. In the meantime, we love to hear from you – keep the emails and letters coming. J

Please pray for us:

v We’re so excited to have Corinne, a friend from our church here, traveling with Jo and the children to Chad. Corinne is coming to help with the children during the trip and will be in Chad about 10 days before returning to the US. Please pray for safe travel for us to Chad, and for Corinne as she returns.

v We’d appreciate special prayers for the children as they adjust to traveling and life back in Chad. We’re all excited about getting back to Chad, but the boys do love school here in the US, and will miss their friends, not to mention Grandpa and Grandma and lots of other relatives!

v Pray for the work in Chad as we continue to train up leaders who impact their communities and nation.

v The continuing conflict in the region (Sudan, Central Africa and Chad) weighs heavy on our hearts. Please join us in prayer for peace.

Blessings and Happy Holidays to you!

Moses, Jo, Josh, Zachary, Marianna & Katelyn

Action de grâce

2007-05-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

Kariuki News July 2007 Serving with YWAM in Chad, Africa

Action de grâce ( French for Thanksgiving)

Last year and this year seems to be quite the harvest years in every sense here. Our evangelism efforts have borne much fruit especially through film projection. Churches have been planted and other strengthened through the YWAM ministry here.

We are thankful to the Almighty God for who he is and for what He has done, is doing and will continue to do.

Our Discipleship Training School students just finished their outreach June 22, they did some work in partnership with local churches here in Sarh, evangelism and planting a new church, and then moving on north to work with an unreached people group (the Baguirmi) that has less than 20 believers. We are still praying for great fruit, there are a lot of strong holds of witchcraft, animism and islam, but our God is GREATer! We are excited about what He is going to do. This year we had three ladies and six men as students. We were especially thrilled to have a Pastor and his wife doing the school together. Their 9 yrs old daughter was a great blessing to the school atmosphere. We also be hosted a Team of 13 fromCanada (Quebec) that joined with our team for outreach. Visit our website for a photo journal;www.ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki .

For those of you who have followed Chads news of late; there is a bit of a lull in the war with rebels, unfortunately the Janjaweed terror continues seemingly unabated and the same ethnic strife in the Darfur has afflicted eastern Chad and northeastern CAR. The insecurity on our roads has declined but is yet to be totally brought under control…the rough roads are treacherous enough ;-)

As a family we had to do a trip to Kenya to renew Zacky’s Passport and get one for Marianna. We had all struggled healthwise so it was also a good opportunity for medical attention. The heat got to us all (45° C). The double surprise blessing of a little one coming early October and Jo’s brother Tim marriage means we will spend sometime in the US. All this needful travels have stretched us financially.

Floria the little girl we were taking care of while her Mother did the School of Biblical studies has gone to be with the Lord. She was HIV positive and her mother still battles the virus. Please remember this precious lady that we love dearly in prayer. We grieve for she had really become part of our family.

STAFF PROFILES & Needs
	Mama Martine Marabaye: Spoken languages: Sara, Chad Arabic, French and few other local dialects . Role: Support staff, operations, kitchen and evangelism. Support Status: $ 30 monthly. Support need: $ 200 monthly
	Papa Elie Adoumngue: Spoken languages: Sara, French, English and few other local dialects . Role: Asst . Director, Support staff, operations, and training. Support Status: $ 30 monthly. Support need: $ 350 monthly
	Bienvenue Kpanam: Spoken languages: Sara, Sango, French, and few other local dialects . Role: Church Planting, Evangelism, Support staff, and training. Support Status: $ 100 monthly. Support need: $ 250 monthly
	Mama Collette Yoya: Spoken languages: Ngambaye, Sara, , French and few other local dialects . Role: Training, operations, kitchen and evangelism. Support Status: $ 30 monthly. Support need: $ 200 monthly
	Margaret Tanner: Spoken languages: English, French and working on Chad Arabic. Role: Primary Healthcare, Community Development and Support staff. Support Status: Savings from past job. needs Support
Could you pray and ask God to meet their needs. If possible please consider being involved with one or more of these precious missionaries… contact us for further details if God leads you to support them.

good will to men

2006-12-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Kariuki's in Chad!

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.....

We are indeed filled with joy as we realize the great gift we have been given in Christ Jesus. As we minister here in Chad, we are daily confronted with the reality that a life without Him is a life without hope. Our hope and desire is that many more would come to know that joy. Please continue to pray for us that we would be effective ministers of the Good News!

Peace on earth, good will to men... (Including the Sahel…)

Please take a minute now and when you think of us to pray for peace in Chad. The Darfur conflict has destabilized the region and there is a lot of insecurity around the border, as well as a rebel movement in Chad which is fighting the government. Our town is in a peaceful region and we are thankful, but praying that the senseless loss of lives in Chad, Sudan and Central African Republic would come to an end.

Our family is doing well, Marianna has become mobile and is crawling all over, and she is quite the intrepid explorer. Zachary is expressing himself more and more and is a very gentle big brother, with a ready smile and hug. He does a great “vroom, vroom,” noise and loves his trucks. :-) Josh is loving his ABC's that we do in home preschool, and currently learning what countries are where on the globe – so he can find where his extended family lives! He's also getting better and better on his bicycle.

We've been told that it is “cold” here in November and December.... “cold” that is, according to our Chadian friends. :-) At the time of writing, (end of November) Chadian “cold” simply means that the thermometer dips a few degrees below 80F (27C) some mornings before the sun comes out in full force! Not “cold” in our definition but a nice change!

The Biblical Studies Core course has five students, two of whom are local pastors. They are eagerly digging into the Word and finding new treasures each week. Here one can become a pastor simply by virtue of being literate. To be able to equip pastors and others with tools to really study the Word effectively is a great joy to us.

Thank you for your prayers and partnership with us in the Kingdom! Once again; Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Love,

Moses, Jo, Joshua, Zachary and Marianna

Snail-mail: BP 166 Sarh, Chad Phone: Cell:+235-6390371 Home: +253-681749 Email: thekariukis@yahoo.com

A movie always draws a crowd

2006-09-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Kariuki News September 2006 Serving with YWAM in Chad, Africa

Rain, rain, rain, and more rain! The Sahel is looking greener than we have ever seen it. We have eaten lots of fresh maize from our garden and the pumpkins are just as delicious. With the rain come blessings but also challenges... many homes here are made of unbaked mud bricks which don’t hold up well under heavy rain. Some have been killed by their homes falling on them. A former student just had her house collapse... fortunately it was in the daytime and everyone was outside. No one was hurt, but there is lots of damage to their belongings and of course they need a new house. Rain also makes travel very difficult and we are happy to stay in Sarh for a while!

It was a privilege to host Iain Muir, international president of YWAM, here with us the end of June. Iain came to teach in our DTS and was a great encouragement to all of us here.

A new ministry tool: We had been praying for a video projector and were given one while in the US. Moses has been putting it to good use showing evangelistic films and preaching on weekends. A movie always draws a crowd here, and the Gospel is a powerful and attractive message - we've been privileged to see many come to the Lord already. We've been working with local churches so that new believers have a place to belong. A big THANK YOU to Lord's House of Prayer in Quarryville, PA for the projector!

Coming up: Our three month school of Biblical Studies begins the end of September. Moses will be leading the school. Please pray for extra grace for him during this time, as the only experienced school staff, he is responsible for a lot of the teaching as well as leading the school. Also pray for teachers to come and help out. Our desire is for the Biblical Studies School to be a life-changing tool that enable the students to interpret and apply the Word correctly

We continue to network with local churches and were privileged to be part of the International Day of Prayer in June. Moses gave the message at a multi-church service in the morning, and on attending the prayer event in the afternoon, was surprised to hear the governor quoting his message! Our prayer is that more Christians will be able to work together for the transformation of Chad.

The Family: the kids keep growing and growing! (Almost as fast as the weeds in our garden!) Josh turned 4 in July, and is full of questions about EVERYthing. He is picking up French again and loves having friends over to play. Zachary at two and a half tells everyone he is a "BIG boy" and is now (mostly!) potty trained (Mom's happy about that!) Other than his big brother, Zack's favorite playmate is "Paka," our cat - we’re not sure, however, that the feeling is mutual! Marianna is six months old and charming everyone with lots of smiles, coos and giggles. Jo's discovered that she is married to an avid gardener (this is the first place we've lived with enough space to garden!) and is happy about that, since there usually seems to be enough work inside to keep her busy!

We've been praying for better housing for our family for a long time - we're so glad to see an answer to that prayer. When we arrived back in Sarh we spent two weeks house hunting before finding a new house in our price range in the neighborhood we wanted. God is so good. We have three bedrooms and separate one-room "studio" which will function as our YWAM office, a huge dining/living area with plenty of play space, and enough land for a garden. It is nicer than we ever imagined we would find here. We did wait six weeks after moving in before the power company connected us to power, and even longer for phone, but well, we survived! :-)

Please pray:

· For our co-workers; most of whom have minimal, if any, financial support and have been giving themselves sacrificially to the work. Just a few of our team:

Mirom, who led the DTS which just finished is struggling with her health and has severe anemia.

Irene continues to work with street kids and is in the process of raising funds to get them enrolled for the new school year beginning next month.

Bernadette is volunteering in the chronically understaffed pediatrics wing of the General hospital and has many opportunities to share God's love there.

Bienvenue just planted a church as he temp-worked with a road construction firm near the Central African Border for 3 months.

· For our health – thankfully we’ve not had major issues since our return but are plagued with many small things – heat rash, diarrhea and a few abscesses.

Love,

Moses, Jo, Joshua, Zachary & Marianna

The Faith of a Child

2006-04-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

“Mommy, I’m a policeman!” Joshua paused his ‘siren’ just long enough to explain why shrill wails were echoing around the house. “Hold out your hand!” he commanded. “Why?” I asked. “Because I’m a policeman and I give out airplane tickets, I’m gonna’ give you an airplane ticket!” Oh, to have the faith of a child, that when one needs an airplane ticket, someone will just give you one! J On that note we are happy to report that we have recently received two offerings that together will almost cover the cost of our tickets back to Chad. While we are still trusting God for other needs, we are humbled and grateful at His faithful provision once again. Our time in the States has been made possible by generous gifts from many of you… some of the ways God has provided for us here: a low-cost minivan rental from a ministry called CMTS, Joshua attending pre-school for less than normal tuition at Maple Grove preschool, Mom and Dad Groff opening their home for us to live with them (with two toddlers and a newborn, that was a pretty brave thing!!) boys winter clothes from friends at church, lots of stuff for Marianna – everything we need for her! - and that is not to mention those of you who have given financially in order to meet our other needs. Thank you ALL very much for allowing God to use you in this way!

2 Corinthians 9:8-12 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God; for the rendering of this service not only supplies the wants of the saints but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God.

We are delighted to announce the birth of Marianna Wanjiku, who was born Feb. 21st, 2006. She has two proud big brothers who are happy to show off their little sister and give her lots of kisses. We are very thankful for her safe arrival, and Mom’s quick recovery. We adults realize we’re now outnumbered in the family, and are having lots of fun! J

CHAD: You may have read in the news that there has been a coup attempt and some unrest and rebel activities in Chad. The presidential elections are scheduled for May 3^rd, and we would appreciate your prayers for the peace of this nation God has called us to. We have spoken to our staff there and other friends, and things are calm now but obviously there is a lot of tension leading up to the elections. Our Discipleship Training School there began in February. Please pray for Mirom, as she is leading the school, and also for the students, that they would grow deeper in their relationship with God and be bolder in the witness for him. They will be leaving on outreach the beginning of May. Considering the current situation in Chad we would appreciate special prayers for safe travel for the outreach team, and for protection for us as a family as we return. We plan to travel back to Chad on May 10th. Please pray with us that we would have our complete airfare by the end of April, and also some finances to travel with, as we will need to “set up house” there since we will be moving into an unfurnished home. If you’d like to give specifically to either of these items, please get in touch with us.

Moses had the opportunity to go to Haiti for a weeklong ministry trip in January. As an African missionary, he had the opportunity to challenge the Haitian church that they too have an inheritance in missions. His French came in handy on that trip, as well. J

Moses has also been kept busy with preaching and teaching invitations here in the States as well. We are glad for these opportunities to encourage the body of Christ here in the US, as well as share about what God is doing in Chad.

Until all have heard,

Moses, Jo, Joshua, Zachary & Marianna

Nation to Nation

2005-09-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Sarh! We’re thankful to God for what he is allowing us to be part of here in YWAM in Chad - nations have been touched with the Gospel, and His Kingdom is being extended!

Sahara Nations

Chadian Arab, Cameroonian Fulfulde, CAR Sango, Nigerian Hausa, and Sudanic Kulfur are some of the peoples/languages our teams have had to contend with this year. As a result a church with an attendance of 200 strong has been planted 100 miles from our base in collaboration with a local Church. Another church planted last year 15 miles from us is also doing well (average attendance 80 plus) with the ministry of Bienvenue, one of our staff. It is a privilege to partner with local churches to expand the kingdom!

Newsbytes…..

Impacting Cameroon….

Moses traveled to Northern Cameroon (the country just west of Chad) in August to speak in a youth camp organized by YWAM Cameroon. There were about 200 young people from all over the country and even some from Nigeria and Chad. Reaching Muslims and poverty eradication were some of the subjects taught. It was a great time to mobilize for missions.

Bangui Outreach:

Our DTS staff and students ministered in several towns here in Chad, and the capital city of N’Djamena before going to Bangui, the capital of the neighboring country of Central African Republic. They were very well received there and had a fruitful time…not without sacrifice, though: the trip back to Sarh (of 600km/350 miles) took them six days by dirt roads on public transport! We thank God for the lives that were brought into the kingdom, and encouraged in their faith through the ministry of this team.

Our boys are as usual, full of energy and keeping us busy! Zachary began walking (actually running!) in June at 15 months and loves to go outside exploring. Joshua now understands and speaks lots of French, due to the fact that none of his playmates speak English! We’re thankful for their continued good health and growth.

Kulfur 4 Jesus!

One of our joys this year was when Moses went to evangelize the Kulfur people with some coworkers. A man who came to the Lord through our DTS outreach last year, preached and led 4 to the Lord. In our vicinity there is no Kulfur church and most of the Kulfur we know of are either Muslim or Animistic.

Equipping for Missions

We are in the 10^th week of our 3 month Inductive Bible Study Course (SBSCC.) We have two French missionaries, a Cameroonian and a Nigerian as students. We have also had a missionary working in Central African Republic who needed a break and has been studying the Bible with us. The feedback from the students is very encouraging as they explore with us the depth of Gods word and the liberating truths therein.

Coming up

We are looking forward to a short season in Switzerland and USA this fall and winter. Moses will be doing a three month course in YWAM Lausanne, Switzerland, which begins the end of September. Jo and the boys will also be in Switzerland until mid-November when they travel to the US, where Moses will join them just before Christmas. We plan to be in USA for four months, catching up with friends and family and sharing about Chad and what God is doing here. We also need to increase our support base as we are finding that with a growing family, and devalued dollar our support doesn’t go as far as it used to! (We receive about 30% less in local currency for the dollar than we did three years ago, while our expenses have gone up.) Please pray that this trip would be a refreshing and renewing one for us as a family. Please also pray with us for provision of our airfares, our total fares will be about $8000 to come to the US and back. THANK YOU for your partnership with us. We look forward to seeing those of you in the US! As always the best way to stay in touch with us is via e-mail at thekariukis@yahoo.com We’d love to hear from you!

Blessings,

Moses, JoAnna, Joshua & Zachary Kariuki

Delay is not denial!

2005-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Delay is not denial! The music was blaring from our neighbor’s house…. “One day at a time, sweet Jesus” (with a good Southern drawl that made it sound like “Jaysus”J) and I paused to think about that old song…. Easier said than done, I must admit! Adopting has been quite a journey of faith and self discovery. Praise the Lord who orders our steps one step at a time. We had hoped that we would be finished with Zachary’s adoption in 4-5 months, but it took seven. Though humanly speaking we were stretched with Moses traveling between Chad and Kenya, airfare bills adding up, and the stress of our family being separated for three 3-4 week periods this year … we kept remembering that “delay is not denial,” and that God is in control, even over government bureaucracy which seems to move at a snail’s pace. J All said and done, we are delighted to have Zachary as our son, which happened in our hearts long before the judge said “I order this adoption granted.” (That was April 12^th, by the way. Moses then traveled back to Chad and Jo and the boys came on May 18^th, since they had to wait for Zachary’s passport to be ready.) It is wonderful to be back in Sarh and together as a family again.

In our absence our team here in Sarh has been ‘plunged’ into the deep-end and forced to swim. They have grown as a result and we can see the Lord at work. This year our DTS has 3 students and 7 staff members. The Lord reminded us that He didn’t need a huge army with Gideon so that Israel would not think it was their strength and not the Almighty’s. We are excited about what the Lord will accomplish with this small army.

“Preach the gospel in season and out of season” (2Tim. 4:2) This is the encouragement our DTS outreach goes out with; already they have brought many souls to the Lord in their first week. They have engaged in door to door, street evangelism and youth ministry in partnership with a local church here in Sarh. This outreach will take them to N’djamena, Moundou, Central Africa (Bangui), Koumra and back to Sarh, working with local churches, evangelizing and teaching the Word. Please pray for them as they “make God known” for a period of 8 weeks. They leave with very limited finances; if you want to give towards this evangelism endeavor please e-mail / write and we will give you further details.

Recently, we attended a service at a church where the outreach team had ministered that week. At the end of the service the church took an offering for a young woman from their church who is in the DTS. It’s wonderful to see churches stepping up to the challenge to send out and support missionaries, especially to see them supporting a young woman, in a culture that traditionally marginalizes youth and women, even in the church. As the offering was being taken, another team member was invited to lead the church in a song. She is from Cameroon, the neighboring country, and delighted everyone by leading the congregation in a ‘Sara’ song, the local tribal language. What a celebration of what God is doing! While we cannot take credit for these young women, it is a privilege and a joy to be a part of what the Lord is working in their lives.

Up next is our 2^nd SBSCC, (School of Biblical Studies Core Course,) beginning in July. Chad, France, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo and of course US and Kenya ;-) will be represented. Pray that this immersion in the Word will produce transformational leaders that the church needs urgently in every sphere of society. Please also pray that the staff we expect will make it on time for good preparation and service.

The Tissinghs made it! A highlight this year has been having Garry and Anke Tissingh with us for a week. They are our North Africa Regional leaders under which YWAM Chad operates. Our location is both difficult and expensive to get to, which means not many people come - the Tissinghs were the second international guest speakers we’ve had since we moved here. We are thankful to God and appreciative for the encouragement and refreshment having them brought to us. They were able to speak to both our students and staff besides spending hours praying and counseling with individuals. Pray that God will open the doors for us to get more input from other international and YWAM leaders & speakers.

Our family is doing well and we are all feeling at home back in Chad. (you can see the boys enjoying their “wheels” in our yard in Sarh!) Josh is still asking about his Kenyan friends and family, but has made new friends very quickly here and continues to be the extrovert of the family. Zachary is taking a few steps at a time, but seems in no hurry to walk much on his own – it’s easier and just as fast when he crawls! J I’m sure he’ll take off any day now and we will wish for the days when he was easier to keep track of! His first word was “AIRPLANE!” which astounded us all as we were at the airport in Nairobi on the way to his adoption hearing in another city. He hasn’t really stopped since, while adding lots of vocabulary, airplane is still his favorite. The rains have begun here, which means Jo and the boys were spared the worst of the heat and dust of the dry season. We plan to try a small garden, if only we can keep our neighbor’s chickens out of it! Jo is (still!) unpacking and getting the house in order and Moses is busy getting ready for the SBSCC, and will also spend some time with the outreach team while they are in N’Djamena.

Please pray with us!

A big THANK YOU JESUS! that Zachary’s adoption went through and we are all together again as a family.
Safe travel for Moses as he goes to N’Djamena and back (June 11-23), as well as for the outreach team in all their travels, and effective ministry.
For the SBSCC to be a life-changing time in the students lives and walk with God.
We are thankful that we were finally able to get a gravestone put up at our daughter Gloria’s grave in Kenya, something which we had meant to do before but hadn’t been in Kenya for long enough to get it done.

Love,

Moses, Jo, Joshua & Zachary

Zacky our new Number!

2005-03-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,

After experiencing the highest temperatures to hit Kenya in 20 years, we are more than ready to be back in Chad… BUT the adoption process for our son Zachary is going slower than we had anticipated. We need a miracle because even after the adoption is finalized, we still have to work on travel documents for Zachary. Our plan is that Moses will travel back to Chad immediately after the adoption hearing and Jo and the boys will travel after Zachary’s passport is finished. Watch this space – we’ll keep you updated.

In Chad our DTS (Discipleship Training School) started on the Feb 27^th 2005. It is difficult for us not to be there yet it’s a great opportunity for our staff to function and grow without us. Our priority has been and continues to be facilitating and releasing leaders into the mission field. Apart from Chad, we have Cameroon, Switzerland, Nigeria, US, Kenya and Central Africa represented in this school. A major challenge for us running schools in Chad has been getting speakers to come teach, as Chad is a very expensive destination besides being difficult to connect to. Things have improved a lot but we still need to see a breakthrough as we don’t pay our speakers and they need to raise their own traveling expenses. Please pray with us that our speakers will receive everything they need financially and otherwise, to come and be a blessing to the school.

As we had mentioned in our last newsletter, we were hoping to be able to buy an apartment of our own while here in Kenya. We have looked around quite a bit. After the first place we had decided on fell through due to a problem with the title deed, we found another one which we liked. However, the owners keep raising the price, and the exchange rate for the dollar keeps falling (meaning we would need to pay more in dollars) and since we’ve been praying all along that God would shut the door if it’s not His timing, we’ve decided not to pursue it further at this time. We know God will give us the right place in His timing.

Zachary is growing very fast - we celebrated his first birthday on Feb. 26^th. He has 3 teeth and the 4^th one is about to break through. He belly crawls so fast that if we don’t keep an eye on him, he is outside or in the yard in seconds. He walks around holding onto things and yes, he communicates though he doesn’t talk yet. He has a great sense of humor and makes faces until we laugh. He is such a blessing and we are forever grateful for the privilege of having him. His big brother Joshua certainly doesn’t let him have all the attention – he’s become a very talkative little boy and enjoys “entertaining” visitors with lots of stories about his friends and favorite toys. We covet your prayers as we finish the adoption process and prepare to go back to Chad. Thank you for your friendship and support. – Moses, Jo, Joshua & Zachary

Miracles of Providence.

2004-11-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

November 2004

www/ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki

PO Box 59443, City Square, Nairobi, KENYA

e-mail: thekariukis@yahoo.com Phone: (254) 735-426234

We’ve been in Chad almost two years and by Gods grace getting the best resource developed… people, people and people! We believe in what God is doing in Chad and in its people. We are excited to be part of it together with you. Isn’t it amazing that the Almighty has invited us fallible beings to co-work with Him? Our highlights this year have been mostly the many pioneering firsts for the body of Christ here since we came. Chadians answering the call to missions, churches strengthened and planted. The local believers rising up to support missions. YWAM Chad sent an outreach team of 10 to Cameroon. Two of our students did outreach in France. Launching of ‘School of Biblical Studies Core Course’ SBSCC with help of YWAM Cameroon. Our women staff and students were well received to speak in the local churches that traditionally haven’t made room for women in ministry. God is at work and it’s exciting for us to see it!

Our time in Chad has been a challenge financially yet full of miracles of providence. We were able to start the year debt free thanks to the generosity of a Kenyan woman who helped pay for the remaining bit on our 4-Runner Toyota truck. A church in Pennsylvania gave towards a generator which will make our lives much easier (and the office much more productive!) in that land of rationed electricity. We received three year visas for us and another westerner who did our training and is coming back on staff…as well as a multitude of other things we can be thankful to God for.

Growing family: We’re very excited to introduce the newest member of our family – Zachary Lee Gicharu. Zachary is almost nine months old and is already bringing a lot of joy to us. Zachary joined our family on November 1^st, we are in the process of adopting him through a ministry which cares for abandoned babies. He’s got the cutest dimples and is a very happy baby. Joshua is a proud big brother to “Baby Zacky”, as he calls him. Zachary must be in our home for three months before we can apply for a court date to legalize the adoption. Therefore we will be in Kenya until probably the end of February. Please pray with us that the adoption process would go smoothly and quickly! We are very happy that God chose us to have the privilege of bringing up Zachary!

Those of us who are Christians have been adopted into the family of God, we have a father who was not our father. It is a privilege and a joy to show this love to a child in need of a family.

For he chose us…..In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Eph. 1:4a,5

Currently we are back in Kenya, for a few months, getting a new passport for Moses, having a bit of a break from our responsibilities in Chad, and of course fulfilling the adoption requirements for Zachary. Looking ahead, we look forward to Moses making a trip to Chad either early December or just after Christmas to participate in the preparation for our training next year. As well as recruiting for the school, one of the challenges we face as a team is getting new furniture and a suitable rental facility for the Discipleship Training School, since the house we were in is too small and the furniture we used until this point was borrowed. We don’t want our new Chadian missionaries to feel forsaken forsaken forsaken in all this though we have confidence in their ability to run with it iineed be.

Please pray that we would be able to raise Moses’s airfare for this trip. Please also remember to pray especially for Mirom, Elie, Bienvenue, Djassinan and Irene as they lead most of our ministries. We are also excited about our international staff; Solomon, Lordienne, Anne & Sarah, as well as new Chadian staff coming on.

Please pray for us as we look into buying an apartment here in Nairobi to serve as a “home base” for us. Rents are so high, with our family growing we can not continue to scatter our belongings in so many places! Besides it’s always good for the kids (not to mention their parents!) to have a home to come back to, when we take a break from Chad. Financially we are already stretched with our tickets still not fully paid for. However we believe in His faithfulness and thank you for your sacrificial partnership with us over the years. If you’d like to give specifically to this or any of our other needs, simply include a note with your gift, or send us an e-mail, and we will make sure it goes towards that area.

We are grateful for you partnership with us and your friendship! We look forward to what God has in store as we press on in what He has called us to!

Love,

Moses, Jo, Joshua and Zachary

Check out our website!! www.ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki

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So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

For we are God's fellow workers; 1 Cor 3: 7-9a

The great inferno of Rome

2004-08-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

News from the Kariukis August 2004

Serving with Youth With A Mission

BP 166, Sarh, CHAD E-mail: thekariukis@yahoo.com

www.ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki

From the School of Biblical Studies…..

Imagine you are in Rome in the year 64 AD. The great inferno of Rome is still smoldering, and much of the city has been destroyed…. rumors are already spreading that the fire was set by Christians, and you fear that the persecution which has already begun is going to intensify. You are a Christian who has just witnessed the crucifixion of Peter. In your hands you have a copy of the Gospel of Mark, a “seditious” document proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus in an empire where Caesar demands (at the penalty of death) the sole title “Lord.” How are you going to read the Gospel of Mark and what will it mean to you? This book written for suffering Christians has much in it for us today – read it again and ask God to reveal His truths in light of the context of Mark.

The school of Biblical Studies (Core course) began July 11^th and has nine students from Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and USA. Moses is leading the school, assisted by Moses Ndjoumo from Cameroon. Please pray for the Moses’s as they lead the school, and also Annie from Cameroon who will be joining us as staff shortly. Several of our long term staff are doing this school and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to see God establish a biblical foundation for our staff.

The Discipleship Training School graduated on July 2^nd, and 13 proud students stood before their friends and families, celebrating what God has done in their lives during DTS. We are especially excited to see the body of Christ beginning to understand their call to missions, in going and in supporting those who go.

La grande voyage….

It all sounds so much more elegant in French, much more than “The Big Trip” doesn’t it? J Well, say it in French or in English, we had an amazing time on our trip to Cameroon in June. We went to accompany a DTS outreach team as well as spend some time with Cameroonian YWAMers and share about what God is doing in Chad. We had good times of fellowship and were able to recruit three staff members (2 for the SBSCC) and one student! We shared with the DTS in Yaounde (the capital) and in Douala as well. Moses taught in the School of Biblical Studies and we spent some quality time getting to know the YWAMers there. Our team had a great time working with a Cameroonian YWAM team who were planting a church in a village just outside of Yaounde.

Other vital stats from our trip:

ONE camel who ALMOST got hit head on, it stepped right out in front of us on a dark night…thank God we had recently changed our brakes and we came to a screeching halt barely missing the camel!

5200 km (3000 miles) to get there and back: Cameroon is the neighbouring country, but the direct route is basically impassable in the rainy season, and we needed to go through N’Djamena to get visas. More than half of those miles were on dirt roads.

Six – number of people who fit on a motorcycle in Cameroon – that was two adults and four kids – second runner up was five adults!

Happenings….

In Chad:

· The Darfur crisis, which is in the news worldwide, is about 700 km (400 miles) from us. You probably know more about it than we do, as our access to news here (from within and outside of Chad!) is very limited. At this point it has only affected us in that goods normally imported from Sudan are no longer available. Please pray for the Sudanese people and for peace in Sudan.

In Sarh:

· We have a new development in Sarh – a cell phone tower is going up about 100 meters down the street from us – we will have the best reception in town! We’re looking forward to communication being a bit easier, and hope that cell phone service starts SOON!

· It’s raining and raining, and Sarh has become very green….we’re enjoying thundershowers and weather that’s not SO hot. J As well as lots of mud and new potholes on the roads! OUCH! Not soo good on our ‘shock absorbers’.

Our family:

· Joshua is now two years old and a very active little boy. He’s now learning how to use the toilet and Mommy’s looking forward to saying goodbye to diapers!

· We’re looking forward to a visit from family – Jo’s brother Tim is coming to Chad in September and will come to Kenya with us for a few weeks as well. There’s also a possibility that Mama Groff will be coming sometime… It will be great to share our world with them for several weeks.

Our plans for the rest of the year include more travelling – after the Discipleship Training School and School of Biblical Studies Core Course back to back, we are going to be very ready for a bit of a break! We plan to travel to Kenya in October to have some rest, touch base with family and supporters there. While there we will also share about Chad with YWAM bases and churches in East Africa. We are also hoping to adopt a baby while in Kenya. We plan to be based in Kenya for a few months, although Moses is hoping to be able to come back to Chad for a few weeks in November or December to work on DTS plans with our staff for February 2005.

Please pray for us specifically as we are facing a lot of challenges for the rest of this year:

· Extra strength and grace especially for Moses, leading the SBSCC, with very few staff

· Safe travels and good health for Tim who is coming to visit us

· Please pray with us that the Lord would guide us through the adoption process.

· Financial provision for our tickets to Kenya ($4000) and adopting ($1500) as well as for some appliances – we are moving out of our furnished house when we leave and will be moving into an unfurnished one on our return – we need to buy our own stove and refrigerator. If you’d like to contribute specifically to any of these needs, our support info is below, just send a note along with it stating what you would like your support designated for.

Love,

Moses, JoAnna and Joshua

P.S. Check out our website for the latest photos and news – www.ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki

To receive prayer updates, send a blank e-mail to: kariukiprayerpartners-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Financial support can be sent to:

· IN EUROPE: Moses N. Kariuki, Account no. 938.60.54, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Chemin des Croisettes 12, 1066 Epalinges. Switzerland SWIFT: BCVLCH2L, Clearing 767, CCP: 10-725-4b

· IN KENYA: Moses N. Kariuki, A/C No. 5108023009, Commercial Bank of Africa, Standard & Wabera Streets, PO Box 30437, Nairobi, SWIFT: CBAFKENX

· IN USA: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM, with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

if the gospel is not relevant...

2003-07-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

"Before DTS, I didn't think that I could be a missionary, but now I am ready to go wherever the God calls me."

" I can say that the Lord has not just renewed my first love during this time, but given me more than my first love for Him."

It is exciting and humbling to look back at how the Lord has worked during these last three months of the Discipleship Training School that we have been leading in Sarh. He has been faithful to work among us, and all of us, students and staff alike, have been changed in the process. It has been especially good seeing how the Lord has provided for the school in many different ways - we've had gifts of chickens, goats, sheep, charcoal, and fruit, as well as many friends and relatives of the students coming to help pay for their school fees. The three month lecture phase came to an end the end of June and we now have two teams on outreach. Please pray for them as they work with local churches in southern Chad, serving in practical ways, teaching and encouraging the believers, and sharing the love of God through evangelism and mercy ministries.

As a family we are enjoying a few weeks off in Kenya - a much needed break from the responsibilities of leadership and the physical stresses of life in Chad. It is good to spend time with family here and share what God has been doing in Chad. Jo's brother Steve will be coming to Kenya and then back to Chad with us (at the end of July), so we are looking forward to spending some time with him as well.

We will be back in Chad during August and September, visiting the outreach teams, and finishing up the school the end of August. In September we move on to Switzerland for three months of intense study - the Applied Principles of Communication course. (see box) We are grateful for this oppurtunity to be better equipped to bring God's Kingdom to Chad.

Why APC?

"Martin Luther is quoted as saying that if the gospel is not relevant to the issues of the day, it is not the gospel at all. Then we may ask, is the gospel we are preaching today dealing with the issues of the day? How can it be if we say for instance things like: 'Africa is 80% evangelised south of the Sahara,' When that same Africa is poorer, more corrupt, more diseased and less educated today than before Christianity came to the continent? How can we have potentially the largest Christian church in history and that Christianity make no observable difference in the communities where it is the majority force?

I have a dream that we will see reformation in our continent. That as God teaches us to think differently, or we could say to think like He does, we can see the reality of transformation. I don't just want to talk about it, I am desperate for us to meet with God together, and learn from Him and his Word how to address the hard core issues of education, political involvement, job creation, land reform and health care in our nations. I do not believe we can disciple nations without being involved in the above. (from info on APC Burtigny, Switzerland)

As you can see, we are looking forward to an exciting time of being further equipped through the APC in Switzerland. We'll keep you updated!

As we look at the rest of this year we are facing several large financial challenges which we would like to bring before you as our partners. We desparately need our own vehicle in Chad, and will be buying a 4WD double cab pickup from missionaries who are leaving in September. We will need $7000 USD for that. The tuition of the course in Switzerland is largely covered by a scholarship, for which we are very thankful. We do however, need to raise quite a bit of money to cover our living expenses in Switzerland and tickets there. (Approx. $4000) Please prayerfully consider if the Lord would have you give towards these or our regular expenses. Thank you.

Love,

Moses, Jo & Josh

Notre equipe - Our team

2003-04-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground, I will pour my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring." Isaiah 44:2

This is our cry and our prayer for Chad….there is not only a physical dryness, but a great spiritual thirst as well. Pray with us that the people of Chad find living water in the person of Jesus Christ.

Greetings from Sarh, Chad! We arrived here in Chad the beginning of February and have been in awe of how God has worked in these few months. He has opened doors for us, given us new friends and family, provided for us through our brothers and sisters here, and is faithful to work again and again when we step out in obedience. What an adventure, and what a privilege to be here!

Notre equipe - Our team

The Lord has given us the privilege of working with a team of Chadians who have been trained with YWAM in other African nations. What we are doing could not happen without them. Irene is a young woman from N'Djamena (the capital of Chad) full of vision and with a heart for children. Elie is an elder in his church here in Sarh, who has been with YWAM in Togo and Ghana. His desire is to see youth raised up in the Lord in order to change this nation. Djassinan, an assistant pastor, is also from Sarh & brings to us a gift of praise and worship. Natalie (from France) has joined us to assist with the Discipleship Training School.

Nous parlons Français un peu seulement!

One of our first sentences: We only speak a little French! J We have been taking classes at the French language centre, which is an excellent way to improve our French, and also get to know people here in Sarh. We are progressing slowly but surely, and would appreciate your continued prayers for our French. We have also been learning bits of Arabic from our neighbours, which is fun, but we can't communicate too much yet!

L'École de Formation de Disciple - Discipleship Training School (DTS)

We have been called by the Lord to run a DTS, the five month foundational training program of YWAM, which began April 5th. This is very stretching for us as we are still getting acclimated, (physically and otherwise!!) and forming our team. However, God has made it happen, and it is exciting to see Him working. We are trusting the Lord to use the school to deepen the students' faith, strengthen the local church, as well as raise up workers for the missionfield. Pray with us to that end. We have 15 students from Chad, Sudan, Nigeria, and Switzerland - pastors, youth, women's leaders, missionaries - what an awesome privilege to be part of what God is doing in their lives.

Le voyage

The wailing music droned on and on, seeming as endless as the hot dusty road ahead of us. Camels along the roadside and nomadic tribespeople on horseback herding their cattle interrupted the drab sameness of the journey. Our Muslim driver frequently stopped for prayers, to chat with policemen, or find out what was happening in the villages along the route. The dust settled into our clothes, hair, and throats, as choking and oppressive as the heat itself. Finally, lights pierced the thick black ahead of us - we were arriving in Sarh. As we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by smiles, helping hands, a cool drink and hugs from friends. Cold water had never been so refreshing!

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. Prov. 25:25

We hope this good news of what God is doing in "a far country" is refreshing to you!

Josué

That's my name in French! I have lots of friends here, Mom says that I am more popular than anyone else in the family. I like it here in Chad, and I am learning lots of new things (like standing up is so much more fun than sitting down!) It is so hot here that I hardly ever wear any clothes besides my nappy, I think Daddy is a bit jealous that I get to go barefoot and shirtless! I am nine months old, so I am a big boy now. Thank you to everyone who prayed for my tummy, I am doing better. Merci, et á la prochaine!

From Joshua Ng'ang'a J

Sujets de Prier - Prayer requests

¨ For the DTS to be a lifechanging school!

¨ Pray for Joshua's health, as he has been sick a lot here, with measles, diarrhea, urinary tract infection, malaria…you get the picture! We are believing for his complete healing and restoration.

¨ Continued prayers for quick minds in learning French would be much appreciated! We understand and can communicate more all the time, but it still seems like a slow process! J

¨ Thanksgiving - we praise the Lord for his provision for our tickets here and for meeting our needs after we arrived. He has used many of you, together with many from the church here - thank you for being part of this ministry!

Love,

Moses, JoAnna and Joshua

BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING IN CHAD!

Become a prayer partner - send a blank e-mail to kariukiprayerpartners-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

and you will receive updates from us every two weeks or so.

Write us at: thekariukis@yahoo.com or snail mail to: M Kariuki BP 166, Sarh, CHAD

And last but not least, if anyone would like to come serve with us for a few weeks or months, please get in touch!

Breaking Dependency!

2003-01-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Dear friends

Our time back in Africa has been very exciting. There is an awakening of purpose & destiny in the Sub-Saharan church. We really feel privileged that God has called us to be involved in part of what He is doing here. God has been stirring us up to challenge “poverty mentality” so prevalent in Africa, even among Christians. We have been motivating our African brothers to move on from ‘desert living’ to Canaan land living… from (hand to mouth) manna to storehouse. The building up of faith and hope has been very encouraging and we continue to pray that poverty will be broken by Gods anointing. Moses has especially challenged the Africans to give to non-Africans intentionally to break the poverty spirit.

Many early missionaries were paternalistic in their approach; this resulted in people depending on them instead of focusing on God. Our heart is to see people equiped and empowered to stand on their own with their faith fixed on Jesus. Partnerships with others should only speak to the world about our unity as a body of believers.

The African believers need to know not just ‘how to fish’ BUT rather how to own the pond.

Inspired by John Perkins of CCDA

Since September, we have been temporarily based in Kenya while reaching out to Tanzania, West Africa and Southern Africa in teaching ministry as well as raising awareness about what God is calling us to in Chad. When not on long distance trips we have been involved locally with churches and a Christian NGO staff conference. The response has been quite positive. Joshua’s contribution as usual has been continued charm as his smile makes friends wherever he goes. We have enjoyed this time here with family and friends and cherish their involvement in our lives and ministry.

We will be moving to Sarh, a city in southern Tchad, in the end of January. Our initial stay there will be largely dependent on the favor we find with immigration authorities. We would like to be there at least until July, when we plan to report back to our leaders in Kenya. We are also looking forward to visiting with Jo’s brother Steve in July. He will be visiting Africa on his way home from China & Vietnam where he has been studying.

Establishing a work in Tchad requires a lot of divine favor. Besides being physically challenging, a basically nonexistent access and communications infrastructure has made it a forgotten place in many ways. Hopefully the recent discovery of oil will be utilized wisely to boost the economy and improve the infrastructure. Once on the ground, we will start off by being involved in an inter-denominational church conference. Hopefully we will be able to recruit some co-workers there. Raising local missionaries is imperative if our thrust to the unreached is to bear fruit. To combat abject poverty we will be involved in community based development endeavors. We will be able to report back to you more on this once we are on site.

Please pray with us as face many challenges moving into Tchad:

· Our fare to Tchad, along with taking a few trunks of belongings – we need $3500 just to get there.

· That the church conference we will be ministering in will be blessed of the Lord and build up the believers there.

· That we find suitable accommodation and can settle in quickly.

· For the Lord’s wisdom and direction as we seek to run a Discipleship Training School in Sarh.

· And last, but definitely not least, that the Lord would help us to remember the bit of French that we have learned, and enable us to learn quickly and be able to communicate well.

Yours in the Kingdom,

Moses, JoAnna and Joshua

Financial support can be sent to PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220, Checks should be made to YWAM, with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis

Check out our website!! www.ywamconnect.com/sites/kariuki

To receive our newsletter by e-mail, send an e-mail to NewsfromtheKariukis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To receive regular prayer and praise updates, send an e-mail to Kariukiprayerpartners-subscribe@yahoo.com

Minimum Absolute! LOVE

2002-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Love God, Love your Neigbor and Love the Alien! (Love your Enemy)

The foundation of all God's laws can be summed up into three principles: Love God, Love your neighbor, Love strangers. Jesus reiterates this in the New Testament to the lawyer and the rich young ruler. Dysfunctional communities & societies seem to be on the rise. Does God care? We often strip the Gospel of its power when we refuse to forgive and be reconciled.

How do you interpret a law like Deut. 21:8 ("When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring blood guilt on your house if someone falls from the roof.") Is it still applicable today? Talk to professional roofers/ builders and hear what the government law requires today. Many believers have had accidents, some of them fatal, because of not knowing Gods heart in such a case.

In June, Moses spent a week with the SBSCC (School of Biblical Studies Core Course) lecturing on the book of Deuteronomy in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This book is very relevant at a time when that nation is going through needless pains trying to amend one wrong with another.

After colonialism the white minority consisting a quarter of the total population owned three-quarters of the land in Zimbabwe. The current government- sponsored violent occupation of private land is wrong, just as the colonial descendants have been wrong in perpetuating former injustices by refusing to surrender some of the land. You don’t right one wrong with another. True repentance requires restitution BUT not to the extent of kicking fourth/fifth generation of descendants out. Lawlessness and greed are taking a heavy toll on a country that still refuses to recognize its HIV/AIDs catastrophe that kills thousands each week. Immorality is rampant and the current economic hardships don’t help - many women resort to prostitution, desperate for their next meal. We read the book of Deuteronomy aloud in proclamation over the land and spent the week studying it in depth, with an emphasis on finding out what Gods heart was with each given law. Deuteronomy is very applicable in Zimbabwe as it calls for mercy, justice and restitution.

Moses' time in Kenya was fruitful as he visited with family, church and supporters who partner with us from there. Many people are stressed by the current economic and political hardships and need Gods perspective. Please pray for Kenya, that there will be peace at the coming elections (Dec. 2002) and that the paternalistic dependence on IMF/ WB would be removed as the nation turns to God - the true provider. The leadership is blind to the God given resources as they race to have western kind of economic development, but the process takes them into deeper debt & bondage?

Moses's journey ended with a conference in Spain for missionaries working in North Africa. It was a time of reporting back both the exciting happenings and the challenges of serving on the frontiers. Tchad was well represented by Jonathan, (a Tchadian YWAM Alumni); Natalie (a French YWAMer focusing further north) and Moses. As a conference we had good times of refreshment and prayers for the region and the 'kingdom extension' by the power of the Spirit. Amazing miracles are taking place and bringing North Africans to Jesus. People that would otherwise resist any kind of witness are getting visions & dreams of Jesus that are so vivid that they just want more. The church has been officially recognized in a nation that was totally Islamic. The people meet in homes like the early church did and though they have authorization to meet in larger buildings they prefer not to. Due to security reasons we cannot go into details in print but let it suffice to say that Christ is building His church that consists of people rather than buildings of wood and stone.

Thank you so much for your partnership, which enabled Moses to make this trip. Know that all of you at Living Truth are part of what God is doing in Africa!

Moses & Jo Kariuki

APPALACHIANS & BLUE GRASS

2002-06-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

News from Moses & JoAnna Kariuki

Serving with Youth With A Mission June 2002

APPALACHIANS & BLUE GRASS

“All I needed was a hug,” the man told me through his tears. I (Moses) was at a cookout when one of our new friends in West Virginia broke down, overcome with grief over the recent deaths of his parents and now the disaster he and his community were facing once again. Many times all God asks of us is to give a hug, a listening ear, and a helping hand to show others his love. Our prayer is that we might always be available to be his hands in a hurting world.

Disaster Struck

Not long after our arrival in West Virginia, for the practical phase of the course in Community Development, we were faced with the implications of what we had been studying about God’s intentions for communities, and the hard work of being a part of that. In early May, a severe storm hit the region, with major flooding as a result. The floodwaters washed away many homes, and damaged many more. Four to seven feet of water come through some towns, carrying trees & rocks. Several people were killed. The floods have been devastating to poor communities already struggling to recover from the “100-year flood” of July last year.

Ministering Mercy & Relief

Moses and the rest of the YWAM team were able to share the love of God in very practical ways. Praying with those who were mourning, distribution of clean water and food, strengthening creek walls and flood cleanup - helping clean out 3-4 feet of silt & mud from people’s basements. While Jo was not been able to be as active in the outreach as she would like, due to doctor’s orders for lots of rest, she enjoyed getting to know some of the local people, and serving the team in practical ways. We are grateful to have had this opportunity to continue our learning in how to effectively reach communities, as well as to serve in a needy area of the US. It has been a privilege to be a small part of what God is doing there.

McDowell County: Those of you who have watched the movie “October Sky” about the rocket boys of McDowell County know that it used to be a busy coal mining area. The mines are still operational, but since the 50’s have been mechanized, leaving 90% of the people jobless and dependent on welfare. In an area where the company used to own everything, there is not much economic activity outside the mines. Challenging? Yes, but no situation is hopeless with God at work!

Joy amidst pain… On weekends the mountain people meet at the “Little Opry,” say a prayer and then have four hours of bluegrass music and flat foot dancing. Their sense of humor, friendliness and perseverance challenged us greatly.

Back To Africa

In June, Moses has been invited to teach Deuteronomy in the School of Biblical Studies Core Course in YWAM Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Please pray that this will be a time of equipping and encouraging the students and YWAM staff in Zimbabwe. After the recent turmoil surrounding the presidential elections, the people of Zimbabwe are going through an extremely difficult time. In many areas the basic foodstuffs are not readily available, and unemployment is very high. The students attending the course have made great sacrifices in order to receive further training in the Word. Pray with us that the Lord would honor their hunger for him, meet their needs, and that they would be equipped to bring Godly change to their nation.

African Family & YWAM Family

Moses will also have a brief stopover in Kenya, spending a few days with family there. He will also participate in a regional conference for YWAM staff working in North Africa. This will be a key time of networking with others in the region, building relationships, and sharing the vision God has given us for the people of Chad.

A New Addition!

We are eagerly anticipating an addition to our family in July. Please pray with us that Jo and the baby would continue to do well, and that there would be no complications in her pregnancy, or the delivery.

Thank you….

In preparation for Chad, our time in the Community Development school in Montana and practical phase in West Virginia was a wonderful time of learning, growing, and being equipped. Thank you to all of you who have been a part of this time of training, through your prayers and financial support. As we look forward to going back to Africa later this year, one truth that has been emphasized to us is that the church is God’s agent for changing communities. This has affirmed our call to work with the local churches in Chad.

Prayer Corner

· Praise the Lord with us for safe travels - from Montana to Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
· Please pray with us for the people of West Virginia who have lost homes, friends and family; and for those working in flood recovery and cleanup.
· Pray also for the people of Kenya who have been hit with severe floods.
· Pray for safe travel for Moses in June, and a fruitful time in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Spain.
· Pray for the Lord's continued protection over Jo and the baby, and the healthy arrival of our little one.

Yours in Him,

Moses & Jo Kariuki, 756 Bellevue Ave. Gap, Pa 17527

Wholistic Development

2002-03-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

Kariuki News – March 2002

“And Jesus developed in wisdom, Physically, Spiritually and Socially.”

A paraphrase of Luke 2:52

Dear Friends,

This is the key verse for development that God has kept zeroing in on, in our Community Development training. We realize that we have had the wrong idea as to what development is due to the influence of the modern world where technological advancement and material wealth are confused for development. In our contemporary world, Jesus would probably be considered poor and primitive … Yet the truth is He was the most developed person that ever lived.

We have been in Montana for two months where Jo has been on the Foundations of Community Development (FCD) school staff and Moses has been a student. Jo took the course in South Africa in 1999. Our work has been mainly in poor communities and part of our heart is to see total freedom from the consequences of sin. God’s word presents a holistic approach that doesn’t stop at the salvation of the soul but seeks to bring about the kingdom of God in fullness. “THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN…” is Gods heart and within His word He gives principles that when followed transform societies to the glory of God. This training will equip us for greater effectiveness in ministering the good news of the Kingdom.

Plato, the Greek philosopher, determined that ‘the spirit is superior to matter’ and therefore the spiritual is more important than the physical. The Bible however teaches that the world and its fullness belongs to God (Ps 24:1). Unfortunately the heathen Greek dichotomy found its way into the church, and that false doctrine has been taught to many generations… in effect Satan has hijacked areas that God intended the church to influence, such as arts, education, science, government and the media. Our mandate is to bring the church into the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13.) In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives us authority to disciple nations (“ethnos”); not just whole countries BUT ethnic groups that can be narrowed down to cultures. When you think of what areas influence cultures then all those areas have to be brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

In short, God is renewing our heart and giving us tools to transform the nations He calls us to. We are excited as we think about how we will apply this in Chad, as well as wherever else he takes us. Thank you for being part of enabling us to become more equipped to serve Him!

The FCD lecture phase, which is completed the end of March, is followed by a two month practical phase, putting into practice what we have learned. We will be traveling with a group of fellow students and staff to a small town in West Virginia, and working in partnership with a ministry there. It is one of the poorest areas in the US, and we are praying that God’s Word will be powerful and effective in changing lives. Please pray with us for this time:

· That as we bring God’s truths and heart to the people, they would be set free from sin, poverty and hopelessness.

· We would be able to be an encouragement to the long-term workers there.

· That we would learn principles and tools that we will use in the future.

· Provision of $1200 towards the outreach fees

Thank you for your partnership with us.

Love,

Moses & Jo Kariuki - 756 Bellevue Ave. Gap, PA 17527

Fields of Influence:

Science is Discovery of Gods Truth

Technology is Application of Gods Truth

Humanities is Interpretation of Gods Truth

Commerce is Implementation of Gods Truth

Education is Transmission of Gods Truth

Government is Administration of Gods Truth

Art is Celebration of Gods Truth

Transformed Drunkard!

2001-11-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

November 2001

News from

Moses & Jo

756 Bellevue Ave. Gap PA 17527 USA

e-mail: mosesnk_98@yahoo.com

“Do you remember me?” he asked. Excitement was written all over his face, mixed with a shyness at not knowing what to expect. “My friend and I were at the meeting yesterday and I gave my life to the Lord.” Remember? Of course we remembered. Much to the crowd’s amusement, the meeting had been disrupted by drunkards. Now they had returned to talk to us. Moses was preaching in an open marketplace in front of a mosque in the town of Sarh, in southern Chad. Although many people came and eagerly listened to the good news about Jesus, there was opposition as well. The young man continued eagerly, “I just wanted to tell you that my friend and I have not drank any alcohol since we prayed yesterday at the meeting. I don’t even want it anymore.” As he continued to tell us how he was attending a new believer’s class, we simply had to thank God for the miracle worked in his life. This is what it is all about – Jesus changing people’s lives and drawing them into a relationship with him. Praise God for the fruitfulness and effectiveness of His Word.

Is giving a celebration in your church? That’s what it was in Chad as men, women, and children gave what they had. We received many offerings, from chickens to fruit, to food which was cooked for us. A church in Sarh felt that they should contribute to our local airfare. When they brought their offering (just over $200), it was more than what the average worker in Chad earns in a year! ($160) Praise God that he is releasing the annointing of giving that will break the curse of poverty.

Egypt was time of sharing our vision, getting challenged and “refueled” to press on in difficult places, soaking up the teachings and wonderful fellowship with many others in our mission. It was especially exciting to meet so many Christians from the Arab nations of the Middle East and North Africa who are passionate about the Lord and serving Him as missionaries. It’s the other side of the story happening in the Middle East that we don’t hear about very often!

In Switzerland we spent several days visiting friends, and looking at different options for French language school next year. We enjoyed visiting the YWAM base in Lausanne, where Moses lived and worked for two years.

“How can we cross cultural barriers?” was the question Moses dealt with during a week in Ghana, teaching on cross-cultural communication. Eyes were opened and walls torn down as students learned of humility as the key to communicate Jesus style. Our prayer and desire is that these warriors in His Kingdom be multiplied and equipped.

We have been humbled and amazed once again at the faithfulness of the Lord in our lives. There are many open doors in Chad, and it is with great anticipation that we look forward to what God has for us there. Thank you to all of you who helped make this trip possible through your prayers, giving and encouragement. We couldn’t do it without you. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are in this time of preparation. Thank you.

Love in Christ,

Moses and JoAnna Kariuki

What’s next? We will be in Pennsylvania until just after Christmas. Moses is doing a course in NT Greek, and Jo is working part time serving the elderly as a nursing assistant. We are also using this time to share our heart for Chad, and how God is leading us in preparation for that. From PA, we’ll travel to Montana for a course in Foundations of Community Development, from January to March. Our e-mail address will remain the same.

Financial support can be sent to: YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. Checks should be payable to YWAM, with a separate note saying it is support for the Kariukis.

Open Doors!

2001-07-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

News from Moses & JoAnna Kariuki

756 Bellevue Ave. Gap, PA 17527 USA - Phone (717)442-8394 e-mail: mosesnk_98@yahoo.com

August 2001

Greetings from the Kariuki’s!

God has done wonderful things in opening doors for us to share our vision for Chad and we are truly grateful. We have spent the last two and half months here in the US, enjoying time with family and friends, sharing our hearts, and preparing for our next few steps. We also had a wonderful time in England on our way here – catching up with friends, with some sightseeing crammed in as well. We have received a very warm reception here, and we thank the Lord for that – it is an amazing blessing to be a part of His family.

Our next journey takes us to North Africa. On September first, we will be leaving for Egypt to attend a YWAM University of the Nations Workshop, where we will be meeting with other YWAMers involved in training. We are excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to meeting others working in the North Africa region. From Egypt we will move onto Chad for a time of ministry and building relationships with the local believers. We will be in Chad for three weeks, and are trusting God for a fruitful time there, laying some of the groundwork for our future plans in Chad. We then will be in Switzerland for a week or so, visiting friends, networking with YWAM Switzerland, and trying to organize French language study for 2002. Moses has been invited to speak in Ghana on Cross-Cultural Communication , in a YWAM communications course. What an opportunity to share in the students’ lives, and equip them for ministry. Moses will be traveling to Ghana from Switzerland Oct. 14, while Jo will go directly back to the US. (Moses returns Oct. 22.) Pray for Moses that he would be annointed to clearly and effectively communicate. J We are humbled by God’s faithful provision of finances for our tickets, and for all the visas required for our travel. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of that.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHAD: Recently we received an e-mail from friends there who say that heavy rains in the southern part of Chad have flooded main roads, and destroyed some houses. (Most homes are made of unbaked mud bricks.) The price of food and other necessities was going up because of the difficulties of transportation. Please pray for the people of Chad that the Lord would hear their cry and provide for their needs. Pray also for us, as we minister there, that we would be sensitive to His Spirit and be able to show his love in an effective and relevant way.

Partners in His Kingdom,

Moses & Jo

To be part of our support team, you can contact us at our US address (or e-mail) above, or send financial support to: Youth With A Mission - PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220. ***Tax-deductible checks should be made out to “YWAM” and should not have our names on it, but enclose a separate note saying it is for the support of Moses & JoAnna Kariuki. We receive 100% of support sent through YWAM.

Coming to America!

2001-06-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

bzb ON THE MOVE…. bzb

news from the Kariukis JUNE 2001

Greetings from Nairobi!! As we write, we are busy packing up and getting ready to be on the move during this next season in our lives and ministry. We’ll be leaving Nairobi the second week of June, headed for the US, with a short stopover in England on the way. Our days are busy with packing, saying goodbyes, and all sorts of last minute things to be taken care of. While we are looking forward to seeing friends and family in the US, at the same time it isn’t easy saying goodbye to those here in Kenya.

We hope that you have caught the vision, as we have, for the nation of Tchad. Our hearts’ desire is to see the Kingdom of God established in the hearts and lives of His people there, knowing that when that happens, the nation will never be the same again. We will be taking trips in and out of Tchad, but for now, we are focussing on being fully prepared and equipped for the task ahead of us. We know that God is calling us to make an impact for Him in Tchad, and are seeking him as to how we can be best prepared for what He has in store for us there.

Our next stop will be in the US (Pennsylvania) for July and August. We are very excited about catching up with friends and family, and enjoying some much needed rest.

From there we will be back in Africa, attending a YWAM University of the Nations workshop in Egypt in early September. We feel that this will be a key time of networking with others working in the N. Africa region. We will be taking a trip into Tchad after the workshop, and are excited about the oppurtunity to go minister as a couple. Please pray that the Lord opens doors for us to be a blessing and a challenge to the believers there. October to December we will be back in the USA, spending most of our time sharing about our vision and plans for Tchad.

All this travelling brings with it some pretty big challenges financially – at this point, (although still shopping around for a better fare) we estimate that for our trip in September, we will need around $6000 for airfare, conference fees, and ground expenses. Please pray with us for the Lord’s provision as we minister in Tchad.

We are looking forward to seeing those of you in the US during our time there. Our contacts will be:

Moses and JoAnna Kariuki , C/o L. Groff, 756 Bellevue Ave. Gap, PA 17527 USA

e-mail<mosesnk_98@yahoo.com> Phone (717)442-8394

We’d love to hear from you!!

We’ve recently had the opportunity to teach in several YWAM schools here in Kenya, and have been thankful for the privilege of being part of the equipping of the African church for missions. It is exciting what God is doing in the African church, and we are glad to be a part of it!!! In Mombasa, we taught in a YWAM School of Frontier Missions with students from Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya. They are headed out to Indonesia, Russia, the Masai people in Tanzania, the Turkana and Orma people groups in Kenya, Muslims in the E. Africa region, and the Pygmy people group in D.R. Congo. In a Nairobi DTS, we were challenged to see several physically disabled students doing the Discipleship Training School – praise God for their courage in obeying His call. In Mbita, Western Kenya, we were privileged to teach in a course with several church leaders who were seeking further training. Pray with us that the church would catch the vision of these students, and be committed to backing them up and sending them out. Pray also that the YWAM training programs would continue to be powerful and effective tools for discipleship.

Thank you all for your prayers since the death of our little girl, Gloria Wambui. We have truly experienced the comfort of our Lord, and are looking forward to seeing Glorir again in His presence. -Moses and Jo

Sapling in the Desert

2001-03-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

bzb The Tchad report bzb

news from the Kariukis March 2001

Imagine a dry and parched place, the ground cracked and thirsty, dusty, and with nothing green in sight, with a hot wind from the northern desert blowing. Something catches your eye and you look closer - a tiny green shoot is springing up, pushing aside clumps of hard, dry sand. Although it looks small, you can see the potential to become a mighty tree, providing shade and rest, security and strength, protection from the elements – don’t you just want to do all you can to encourage and protect the growth of this little sapling?

The church in Tchad is much like a young sapling in the desert – at first glance lacking in much – maturity, knowledge, numerical strength, but with incredible potential to become a wellspring of life for so many in North Africa and around the world. Their passion and commitment for Christ in the face of many odds puts much of Christ’s body to shame. We’ve been privileged to be a part of the nurturing of this body, as well as being encouraged and challenged by the believers in Tchad, as Moses took a three week trip there early this year.

“No, I’m sorry, we can’t let you on the flight,” the airline worker flatly refused our pleas for understanding… without a visa to Tchad, no one was getting on the plane, he insisted. We explained again and again that with no Tchadian embassy in Kenya it was impossible for Moses to apply for a visa here, and that our hosts in Tchad had assured us that they were taking care of the paperwork. Just the beginning of God’s faithfulness and miraculous providence on Moses’s three week journey into the nation of Tchad…after a mad rush home to print out e-mails of invitation, Moses was allowed on the flight, and was off to the Tchadian capital of N’djamena.

Luke 21:1-4 The widow put in all she had…. We were blessed to see an offering the church in Tchad took for their pastors, traditionally supported by churches in France, resulting in the mentality that “we are too poor to give.” Moses brought a word about breaking the spirit of poverty by giving and our responsibility as a church to support our leaders. The church responded mightily to what God was telling them, and brought money, clothes, glasses, just about every item imaginable to bless their leaders. May we too learn to give generously from what we have, according to the prompting of His Spirit.

FREEDOM, FREEDOM!!! A woman came to me (Moses) during a church conference in the town of Sarh, wondering if she would be able to come to the teaching sessions. I of course told her she was welcome, but she hesitated and asked about the Old Testament laws concerning times of uncleanness. She had just given birth to a baby and knew in the Old Testament that after giving birth, women were considered “unclean” for a certain length of time, and wasn’t sure if she was allowed to come to church. I was able to share with her how Christ has set us free from those physical regulations of the old law, and instead given us His Spirit to guide and lead us. One of the pastors asked in a workshop whether it was okay for a woman to attend church & take communion when she is menstruating… things we take for granted bring bondage because of the level of illiteracy and lack of basic Bible teachings. My heart was broken over the lack of knowledge of how to interpret the Scriptures and apply them to life. Simple teachings were received with so much hunger; people sincerely want to follow the Lord, but lack so much in practical knowledge.

A testimony of the “MOST POWERFUL WITCHCRAFT:” A village pastor was sharing with me how he had preached against the traditional rituals that accompany the facial scarring in the animistic religions (see photo.) He had encountered strong opposition from local witch doctors, and they were doing their best to get rid of him. One night he received a report that they were coming to his house to kill him. Quickly he sent his family out of his home towards the river, and he headed in the opposite direction towards the desert. When his attackers reached his house, they set everything on fire, believing that his family was inside, and then set out behind him to kill him. As he was running away, he looked back and saw that they had stopped and were looking ahead in amazement, but he just kept going. They never caught up to him. Later he was told how they had seen two huge, bright, shining men blocking the path, and were afraid and had stopped. Every time they continued forward to chase him, their path was blocked. The men went back to the village and told everyone how the pastor had the “most powerful witchcraft” they had ever seen. Pray for the Tchadian church, as they face not only the opposition of Islam, but also traditional religions and witchcraft. May they continue to stand strong!

Please pray with us as we plan our next steps toward working in Tchad. Our desire is to see the church there strengthened and mobilised to reach their Muslim neighbors, and God’s Kingdom to grow in all areas of society. Our next step at this point is to spend some time in the US networking, and with family and friends. We are tentatively planning to travel in June. Our apologies that the Tchad portion of this newsletter is so late, it hadn’t gotten sent when Jo went into the hospital, and it was then put off for a while.

Our little girl: As most of you have already heard, our daughter, Gloria Wambui Ndura, was stillborn on March 21. Although we know she is with our heavenly Father, in a far better place, we are still struggling to come to terms with our loss. We had a graveside service and burial on March 24^th. Through this all we have been overwhelmed with support from family and friends – many have given us a shoulder to cry on and continue to uphold us in their prayers and help in practical ways as well – THANK YOU! We are also thankful that Jo did not have a difficult labor, and has had a quick recovery physically. Please continue to pray for us as we walk through this grieving and healing process. Thank you so much for your part in our lives and ministry – you’re an important part of the work God has called us to, and we appreciate you!

Moses and Jo Kariuki - PO Box 59443, Nairobi, Kenya E-mail: mosesnk_98@yahoo.com

Financial support can be sent to: M. & J. Kariuki, c/o YWAM, PO Box YWAM, Cimarron, CO 81220, (checks payable to YWAM)

TCHAD – THE FACTS

Location: North central Africa, bordering Libya, Sudan, Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon

Population: 6.3 million (1995 census)

Religion: 54% Muslim, 35% Christian at least nominally. Traditional African animistic religions are also a strong influence.

Language: French, Arabic, and over 100 indigenous African languages (“Tchad” is the French spelling of the English name Chad.)

Economy: The currency is the CFA (Central African Franc,) with 670 CFA = 1 US Dollar. Two thirds of the people rely on subsistence agriculture for survival. The average annual income per capita is $220 US Dollars.

Politics: Received independence from France in 1960, was torn by civil war between North and South from mid 1960’s, and war with Libya until 1988. Tchad is now ruled by a president and a National Assembly.

Geography: The northern two thirds is in the Sahara, receiving less than one inch of rain a year. Below the Sahara is the Sahel, a hot, treeless plain, and south of the Sahel is grasslands, where most of the population lives. Lake Tchad and the River Chari are main sources of water in the country.