Kenya Rediscovered - Part II

Neema Bible College~

Kenya's Present~

During the next ten years, Mike and Pat would visit us while they were in the States. They wanted me to come back, but in the process of opening the Gathering Place and all the transitions we had as a result of our move back to Iowa, it wasn't something I could do at the time.

Finally, in 2017 I told Mike I could swing a second trip.  I asked Pastor Kent Coates to go with me and he immediately said yes. We went in February of 2018.  It was a very full schedule starting on the East coast of Kenya in a town called Kilifi just north of Mombasa, on the Indian Ocean, ending in Kitali on the Ugandan border.

Pastor Ken Coates

From the first day of ministry I could tell things had happened and God was doing something wonderful in Kenya through Mike and Pat's Ministry. I met their regional director of Eastern Kenya, Pastor Victor, who told me how I had ministered to him in 2008. He was a student in the first school in Meru where I taught on 'calling those things that are not as though they were'.

I asked him what happened. He said, "Nothing for six years, but I kept praying. Then the first thing, I became a Pastor, the second thing, a man gave me schillings to build the church, and now I'm the Eastern District Director for the Bible schools. Thank you, Linus, for teaching me these things."

Dennis & Linus, 2008

 In the ten years since my first trip to Kenya, Mike and Pat's ministry has grown to 26 churches in two countries, 27 Bible schools, and over 1,000 graduates. I was able to meet all the regional directors: Pastor Victor, Pastor Stanley in the Mountain District, and Apostle Obed in the Western District. I also reconnected with Dennis Mugambi who is now Mike's assistant director of the Bible schools. On my first trip, Dennis had been my guide. He was 15 and already teaching in the schools. Now he runs all over Kenya being where Mike can't be and helping the directors and visiting ministers.

Apostle Obed, Pastor Victor, Pastor Stanley

All of these men are a tremendous help to Mike and Pat. I was beginning to see where they wanted to go with the growth of the ministry, but how to get there became the question during the trip. How do we get the graduates involved with the schools? How do we recruit students out of the churches? How do we train more Bible School Directors?

Kenya Rediscovered - Part I

 Kenya Past~

In 2008, after Kay & I had moved back to Iowa, Mike & Pat invited me to Kenya.  At that time, they had one church and had started a Bible school in Meru. They asked me to come and minister in the church and Bible school and help start another Bible school in Kitale, Kenya. It went better than expected and things took off!

Neema Bible College, 2008

When I left, I had no plans to go back.  Kay and I experienced a tremendous life-style change.  In 2011 Kay and I opened the Gathering Place, Kay's dad passed and her mom moved in with us, and Seth, our son, had his second kidney transplant.  Life has a way of getting in the way of your calling. Every time Mike Heiser would come back he would be after me to come back to Kenya to help him. He would say, "You might be the only one who really knows what I'm doing over there." For many years it didn't register what he was saying to me.

Pat, Mike & Linus

In the summer of 2018 we had downsized our house, got our budget under control, and were able to swing a trip back to Kenya. The two people I called about traveling with me were Lonnie Dillard and Kent Coates. Kent accepted immediately and Lonnie declined because he was going with his wife and another friend of theirs in May of 2018.

Pastor Kent

Satan fought me at the beginning of the trip. It took ten hours to get out of Omaha. I missed Kent in Chicago, but had a great time with Clint, our oldest son, and his family for the night. I had prayed on the flight to Chicago, "Lord, I need one friendly face in Chicago to fix this mess and get me to Kenya." I found two friendly faces and in just a few minutes had my tickets and was back on track to get to Kenya.

When I arrived in Nairobi I had no idea what I was going to teach but God had a plan. The first person I met was Pastor Victor who is Mike's regional director for the Eastern District. He was so glad to see me and told me his story: "I was in your class ten years ago where you taught me how to call those things that are not as though they are. Nothing happened for six years but then I became a Pastor. A man gave me money to build this church and I am Mike's regional director of the Eastern District. So something did happen ten years ago at the school in Meru."

Pastor Victor, Director of the Eastern District - Kenya

The next day, at the Kilifi Bible school, Mike had me speak last for some reason. While he was introducing me, Mike told the history of his ministry. These words rang in my ears: 27 Bible Schools, 26 Churches and 1,000 graduates. Kent spoke next and while he was speaking God gave me the message for the week: 'You don't need what you don't have but use what you do have'. What do we have? A very good foundation for mobilizing God's army. Another title during the week was: 'Kenyans winning Kenya'. The future was being laid out for us.

Bible School in Kilifi, where Mike introduced me.

I talked to Mike, Pat, and Kent at the team meeting and asked Mike where he wanted to go from here. He spoke to me about already planting a church in Tanzania. He also wanted to start three more districts in Kenya, and the last was to go beyond the borders of Kenya to other countries, including Europe. What a great vision! Of course there is always concerns about how you are going to get there. Life sometimes gets in the way but God always has a plan.

Over the next two weeks more messages came to me. Kent and I taught every day in the Bible schools Mike and Pat had started. Every place was the same - hungry Bible school students all wanting more.

Life Gets in the Way~

Life sometimes (or always) gets in the Way 

Isn't it amazing, when the things you are passionate about always finds itself in the last thing to get done? The lawn needs mowed, car needs fixed, and of course you have to go to work. When you are young and single you had time to do what you loved because you could, now you can't because life has found a way to get into your vision or dream.

1985 - Our Family

  After being single you have an adjustment time of getting married and raising a family. This was in a grand scope of the plan but then the first kid comes along. Both Mom and Dad get the shock of having to go without sleep, change diapers and feed a child who (a) wants to be fed all the time or (b) won't eat a thing so you have to take more time to get them to eat. Life just got in the way.

Dad is really in for a shock because after the first baby, he now finds the love of his life, no longer finds him the center of her universe. The kids took your place, Mom finds her husband has to work all the time to provide for the family.  Life just got in the way.

In many cases in our society both parents have to work and raise money to do of all things child care, buy toys, put gas in the car and by clothes to work in. Kids come home to empty houses in many cases the family tree has become a wood pile in the back yard. Life just got in the way. 

Eating our favorite chicken dinner before leaving for Ontario - 1985

Around 40 years old we start to realize, our kids are now beginning to want to spread their wings, the toys get bigger,  more expensive, and then there is the thing called college, (very expensive). The good news is the kids begin to leave home and you become empty nesters. You find yourself wondering where the kids went. Why is there no noise in the house? This is where you begin to wonder where did I miss it? Life got in the way of the dream.

About this time God shows us where we missed it. We failed to follow His plan and did our own plan. Fortunately for some of us we do our dream early with our family. When Kay and I began our family we did all of the things we were dreaming of when we were young.  

Linus at Rushing Wind, Ontario - 1985

Several times during our lives we found ourselves thinking what in the world are we doing? We took our kids on adventure to Canada when the kids were 13 and 10. We lived in the bush for a couple of summers only way in or out was by a float plane. The kids didn't know fear during this time. They would run into bears, moose and other critters. They would sometimes get lost in the bush but always found their way back home for supper. Every day was an adventure and it was always a different adventure. 

Kay & Linus at Rushing Wind, Ontario - 1985

 The boys learned to take care of themselves and find their way back to our lodge.  As long as you got back by supper time. Life didn't get in the way. No distractions, other than make our guests happy and hope the weather was good for fishing.  Living the life God had planned for us was a lot easier than letting life getting in the way. 

Every Journey Starts with the First Step~

The conversations we have with people can be very superficial, but every now and then a word or a phrase can change your life.  During my life I had plenty of conversations and many were meaningless but the conversation I'm about to share with you was when the journey began.

We all know there is a meeting, but the one which really counts is the meeting after the meeting.  This was the most meaningful conversation I've ever had.

I was meeting with the leader of the lay witness meeting after everyone had gone home.  I asked him about the stirring inside of me, something was happening and I wasn't sure what it was.  I asked the question about being born again, it had been brought up in the middle of the conversation several times. I had no idea what it meant, same with the word salvation, but I did have an idea about who Jesus was but what did He mean in my life? 

I began to say things, "I think I must be born again, tonight". 

He told me to wait till Sunday Morning and there would be an alter call and I could come forward then and accept Jesus. "Wait what if I get run over by a truck when I leave the church will I go to heaven?"  I was very insistent on him praying for me tonight. 

He prayed and I was born again.  The date was March 1977, I don't remember the day but I do remember the month and year when I was saved and Jesus brought me salvation from all of my past, present and future sin.  Awesome a date to remember. 

This was the first step in a very incredible journey.  I had no idea where it was to lead.  I remember I got saved again on Friday night, Saturday night and the big event on Sunday morning when I was supposed to come forward, over 50 people accepted Jesus at the alter on Sunday morning.  What an experience, my wife, Kay, my parents, my sister and many of my new church friends accepted Jesus as their savior. 

I found out what an adventure we were all about to embark on.  During the next six months, we had started a bible study on about every night of the week. My special one was the youth group on Sunday nights. The Baptist kids and Methodist kids all joined up and we met every Sunday night.  Our group started with about 7 kids by the end of summer we had over 50 kids coming to our group.

We had couples groups, lady groups, another favorite was the men's group where I was about to take another step of faith, into the world of ministry. On Friday nights, everyone would come to our house and we would have a speaker come in from Omaha and teach us the Word. These meetings went on for about 2 years. It was so exciting to learn what the power of the Holy Spirit was about to do in our lives. 

These steps were some of the most important steps, we would take.  These first steps of a journey are usually the hardest steps to take. Because you have to make them by faith.

Introduction & Welcome!

Introduction to the Acts of a Modern-Day Apostle

After being born again in the Methodist church here in Glenwood, I prayed a very stupid prayer: "Lord send me to places other people don't want to go".  Simple, probably being falsely humble, maybe because it was something you were supposed to do, who knows what was the motive. 

This prayer has gotten me to 38 countries all over the world, places like the former Soviet Union, Chicago, Colorado, Greece, Kenya, Philippines, Canada. Many, we would say, are third world countries. Oh, I forgot to mention we are now back in our home town, not many people want to come here to minister. 

My favorite book of the Bible is the book of Acts. It shows us Paul's past, his present, and where it leads to Acts 29 - the last chapter in the book of Acts.  "Wait a minute Linus, there is only 28 chapters in the book of Acts".  You are right, but the following one which is your chapter.  The one we are still writing about today in the lives of the people who read this blog.  What is your Acts 29?

Acts 29 Ministries

Another aspect of this blog is Acts 29 Ministries.  It was born on a street in Colorado Springs, just driving along minding my own business and the Lord showed me how Kay and I were supposed to begin our ministry.  Leading people into their next chapter, their Acts 29.

It has taken several years to mature, in many cases taking a back seat to life, but always in our hearts.  At this point our little coffee shop, The Gathering Place, takes up most of our time. Our youngest son has had medical issues and Kay’s father passed away.  Her mother now lives with us.  Last year we downsized and are now settled into our new home. 

All these things led to my trip last year to Kenya with Mike and Pat Heiser.  (Another story for another time).  On this trip, God showed me that everything He has put in me to date is about to come to pass.  Training leaders to make the next step to change a nation! 

This is what the story is all about.  The past is all about training you for your destiny. The present is about using what you have learned and experienced.  Use what you have, and you will then use what you have learned to find your final destiny.  The future is what you make it.  God and you are a winning combination.  You must go through the doors He is opening.  He will guide your way.  

I'm hoping many of you will travel along during this journey. I think it's going to be fun to go back to the past and relive some adventures. The present right now is the Gathering Place.  Kenya is the beginning of a new future adventure!  This seems like the perfect time to start our blog.  Our hope is that you will continue along with us and this can be an encouragement for your next chapter!