The government will be upon His shoulders

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Dear Friends,

This will be my (Moses’) 50^th Christmas and Jo’s 45^th.  We have together celebrated 93 Noels.  What is special about Noel?  For many it is the gifts they get and get to give.  For others it is the gift of salvation that God’s begotten Son purchased with His own blood.  But it is important to remember the political nature of His advent.  The government shall be upon His shoulders!  Though His reign is here but not yet in its full realization, His is the only reign that is everlasting. “Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7). 

He came as the Son of God—God in human flesh—to conquer sin and death forever.  Daniel prophesied, 2:44  “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.  We recognize the failure of human solutions.  What man can’t do, God has done; He’s given the Messiah. Psalms 2:12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.   Merry Christmas as we jointly invite the lost world to take refuge in Jesus!

On the ministry front, We have been blessed to serve the body of Christ both in Kenya and Internationally, teaching and preaching on a regular basis.  In Kenya, Moses continues to assist in consulting  for a missions board for our home church, a local denomination (FPFK, Free Pentecostal Fellowships of Kenya). They are a former Scandinavian Lutheran Mission that became Charismatic and has started over 197 local churches.  They want to go to the least and the unreached globally.  Our prayer is to see the Kenyan church continue to rise up and impact the nations.   

YWAM-wise, Moses stepped down from North Africa Regional eldership at the June meeting in Spain to focus more on Family and Graduate Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is still involved as a resource person for YWAM Chad and also here in the East Africa region.  He taught at the Summer DTS in Sarh, Chad and spent quality time with National Leadership and staff recently. We are excited to see the next phase of the work in Chad, as we continue to challenge Christians here in Kenya to be 'world-changers.'

As a family, we enjoyed our time in US, although it flew by far too quickly.   On our return, Joshua sat the KCPE exams in preparation for High School and is already accepted at a Christian high school near us.  Zachary, Marianna and Katie are adjusting well to Swahili and excelling in academics.  The girls are near top of their class in recent exams.  Zack has struggled the most with our transition to a different academic system, but he is getting there through prayer.  Thank you for your prayers as we continue to serve.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and  Happy 2017!

 Moses & Jo, Josh, Zack, Marianna & Katelyn Kariuki ~~ P.O. Box 4323-00200, Nairobi, KENYA ~~ email: mosesnjo(at)gmail.com

 

Update from Chad!

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