Engage the Nations

Ministering at our SHINE Duluth outreach, Duluth, MN In a few days, 2014 will close on us. In retrospect, it has been a whirlwind. Besides being a husband and dad, I travelled to five different countries logging over 100,000 miles in the air for ministry. I led our SHINE team to successfully minister to over 50,000 people in Rwanda, Kenya, DR Congo, Tanzania, and around the United States.   I successfully completed, defended my doctoral thesis in global leadership, and graduated from Bethel University in the month of May. I successfully defended my statement of faith (theological beliefs) and ministry leadership philosophy in readiness for ordination through Westwood Community Church under Converge Worldwide (Formerly Baptist General Conference). Finally, I successfully petitioned to become a US citizen and voted in local elections for the first time. Graduation Day The academic journey that started sixteen years ago when I left my obscure Kenyan village to study as an un

Yes, I want to tell you all about what God is doing here in Muhanga but my body fails me.  I want to tell you how He is moving through our Kinderroots team where already several thousands of children have been ministered to over the last two days on hills, plains and valleys surrounding Muhanga.  Where hundreds have already given their lives to Christ. I want to tell you how God is moving through our Prisoners of Hope outreach program to where three thousand prisoners were reached with the love of Christ earlier this afternoon with hundreds of them giving their lives to Christ. Where we delivered supplies worth several thousands of dollars to the delight of the prison officials following a devastating fire at the facility that gutted much of what they had beyond salvaging. How God worked to open doors so our team could go in and bring the Good News of Christ. How doors to another prison with even more inmates are wide open for the gospel tomorrow morning. I want to tell you of s

As Christ gives all, He claims all, and the pastors here in Muhanga grasp this principle with passion. While today was our team's Sabbath (rest) day , about 50 pastors, evangelists and intercessors gathered together for a time of fasting and prayer for the week-long mission. What a powerful time! For exhortation, I spoke from Matthew 6:5-13, focusing mainly on verses 5, 9 and 10. First, I highlighted that when we pray, we must do so with no ulterior motives. We must do so with a pure sincerity and unpretentious simplicity. This, our Father loves, delights in, and He will honor with speedy response because we seek after Him and His heart's desire for our lives and our world. Secondly, that prayer is first and foremost relationship. It is relationship between the Father and His sons and daughters. Prayer is powerful because it comes from the place of mutual affection and unhindered access. God is our Daddy. He is near us and as sons and daughters, we access His presence o

Yes, we just prayed with over 100 people to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior at the Muhanga bus park . What great joy for answered prayer on a beautiful day that started with team prayer and a reminder to the team that our sufficiency is from Christ! A crowd estimated at 1500 gathered at the market center, several hundred standing on the peripheries and by the shops. As the choirs from neighborhood churches sang and danced, the curious crowd kept growing.  The Anglican Church youth choir sang beautifully. Then it was our SHINE team's turn.  With the team divided into 3 and two groups send to two other zones around the city(one with Pastor Dave Sorn from Renovation Church and the other with Shug Bury, SHINE's Prison Evangelist, about 8 of us had remained at this bus park open air preaching station. The local pastors were concerned to get the preacher out as quickly as possible before the audience lost interest or got distracted by buses zooming past. Emmanuel fro

So I am calling this the SHINE "21" challenge. A 21-day global impact mission involving 21 people, preceded by 21 days of fasting and prayer, and chronicled in 21 blog posts. Yes, I hope to publish one blog per day over the next 21- days of our global efforts here in Rwanda and then next in Kinshasa.  The challenge's hoped for outcome is a powerful manifestation of God's glory during two of our SHINE ministry's 2014 summer festivals in Rwanda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The challenge is already half way through.  The first half was a 21-day fast I engaged in from July 7 to July 27.  During those days, like the prophet Daniel in Daniel 10, I ate no meat, ate no bread, and I abstained from all caffeinated drinks, drinking only water and occasional grape juice and eating vegetable based foods.  It also involved the recruitment and training of additional people to our SHINE staff to make a total of 21 people that form the team for this high imp

It was a full house Thursday evening November 7th at Hazeltine National Golf Club as Shine in the World Ministries launched the Elevate vision. Over 200 partners, some coming from as far as Westbrook and Marshall, MN, and from all around the Twin Cities were treated to a great evening of delightful vocals by former NFL star Ben Utcht and pianist Mary Beth Carlson followed by a compelling vision moment by Shine Founder and Evangelist, Sammy Wanyonyi. "What drives us? What infuses us with a passion to go around the world proclaiming the gospel?" asked Sammy to an attentive audience. "It is the worthiness of Jesus Christ!  It is Jesus' love for humanity! Our love for Christ compels us to love those whom He loves and died for.  He has commanded us to go beam His light in the dark places where His people are. That is our mission. To shine His light that all may know Him." "What if we reached more people with His love? What if we reached more places with H