North Side Baptist Church

Jesus said, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6) He also said, "I am the light of the world."(John 8:12) It is true that some people refer to Africa as the dark continent, but for those of us who were a part of the North Side/Lucky Summer Partnership, Africa was anything but dark. For us it was a place filled with the light, love, and power of Christ.

I gave others a chance to share their thoughts first, but I definitely want to share just a few of the incredible ways we saw God at work.

First, I want to mention our girls that went for an extended stay: Chrissy Johnston, Stephanie Boyter, Brittany Robinson, Jessica Powell, and Rachel Haddon. By the time I arrived in Africa, those girls had displayed their passion to love for Christ and their willingness to live anywhere and do anything to spread His word all over Nairobi. Even the long term missionaries on the field had been touched by their work. The people of Lucky Summer Baptist Chapel claimed them as their very own. Day after day they poured out the love of Christ in small, dimly lit classrooms and many students accepted Christ as a result.

Once the larger team joined us, we continued to see God’s power at work. Here are just a few of my favorite stories: Because of the generosity of the people of North Side, Baptist Chapel had completed an addition to their facility since last summer. Their attendance had increased from 150 to 250, and the first Sunday we were there, the building was overflowing even with the extra room! On the Sunday after we left, they had over 30 people in attendance for the very first time who had been witnessed to by our team members. One man came because he had seen us using the storying cloth. He heard about Jesus, but wanted to know Him. He accepted Christ that Sunday! Sandra Hawkins shared her testimony with a man who accepted Christ, and afterwards said, “I have been waiting for you to come!” Jerry Hawkins had the privilege of leading someone to Christ where Baptist Chapel is trying to plant a church. In that same town, as we were telling Bible stories, Hannah Nichols noticed a man sitting across the street listening very intensely. She asked an interpreter to help her share the Gospel with Him, and He received Christ right there on the spot!

One day Chrissy Johnston, who had been teaching a class for weeks, felt led to do something different during Bible class. So she changed the lesson, gave her testimony, and afterwards invited the entire class to receive Christ. Many of them surrendered their lives that day! The medical team saw almost 900 patients in 4 days, and tirelessly worked to give care to people who couldn’t afford to go to a doctor! The staff unselfishly poured out the love of Christ to heal not only physical hurts, but emotional ones as well!

Those are just a few of the incredible things that happened on the trip! God not only changed others, He changed us. Here is a list of all the team members. Thank you so much for your support and prayers! You will one day meet all of our new friends from Nairobi when we reach heaven together!