Kisii Collaboration

Let me share an incredible story from Kisii, Kenya—a story of transformation, faith, and collaboration.

It Begins with a Boy

It begins with a boy who grew up never hearing about Jesus in his church. Everything changed when he attended a Christian school. There, his teacher spoke about the good things Jesus had done, and curiosity sparked in his heart. Over time, that boy learned more about Jesus and eventually felt a deep desire to share the gospel with others.

That boy is now Pastor Kenedy, a faithful leader who gathers and shepherds two congregations in Kisii. What’s remarkable? Over 80% of the people in these congregations are former Mormons—just like Pastor Kenedy himself.

His title doesn’t come from a seminary degree but from years of dedicated service, guiding people with God’s Word. But Pastor Kenedy and his group wanted more. They longed to understand Scripture better so they could clearly share the truth with others—especially those questioning or leaving Mormonism.

Collaboration with TILM and OAT

Thanks to the blessing of the internet, they connected with Truth in Love Ministry (TILM). TLIM is an organization committed to communicating the gospel to people with a Mormon background. For the past couple of years, Pastor Mark Parsons from TILM has been meeting regularly with Pastor Kenedy and other leaders online, offering instruction and encouragement.

While these virtual meetings were fruitful, it became clear that a deeper connection was needed. That’s where the WELS One Africa Team (OAT) stepped in. In November, my wife Leslie and I traveled to Kenya to meet Pastor Kenedy and his congregations in person. Over several days, we gathered with more than 200 men and women to review the basics of Christian faith and to discuss what collaboration OAT can offer to local ministries in sharing the gospel.

Looking Ahead

The result? A renewed sense of mission and plans for ongoing collaboration between TILM, OAT, and our partner churches in Kenya. Together, we aim to strengthen outreach to Mormons and equip local leaders for this important work.

Please keep Pastor Kenedy, his congregations, and all these ministries in your prayers. Your continued financial support makes this possible—and we are deeply grateful.

Pastor Howard Mohlke and his wife Leslie live in Zambia, where he serves as the One Africa Team leader .

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Planning to Move Forward in Tanzania

Planning is a risky business. We don’t know the future. We take our best guesses and try to do everything possible so that something goes according to plans we’ve made. However, all of that still falls far short of guaranteeing the outcome. God reminds us: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” (James 4:13,14)

God’s Plans Always Prevail

The African Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC) is a Lutheran church of about 13,000 souls in Tanzania. Plans for a declaration of fellowship with AMEC didn’t come to fruition at our recent WELS convention. There was a sudden leadership change and a delay on AMEC’s side in accomplishing some tasks. Plans that had been made were put on hold. WELS and AMEC mutually decided it would be better to take a little bit more time before proceeding.

God warns us about putting too much hope in our own plans. He also spoke through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11). Though our plans might not work out, God’s plans always do. He knows what he has in store for all of us, and we know that his plans are good.

I don’t doubt that his plans for the relationship between WELS and AMEC are good as well. We have made progress even in the short time since the delay. It looks like we will be ready to move forward with AMEC sooner rather than later. During a recent visit to Tanzania, Missionaries Roebke and Foxen witnessed good teaching by the leaders of AMEC. They explained to the rest of their called workers a locally written, Swahili-language confession of faith. The called workers thoroughly discussed many of the points in the confession. In the end, 65 men voiced their agreement that these are the things they believe and practice. This was a decision the WELS missionaries certainly rejoiced to hear.

Planning Our Move to Tanzania

Because of these developments, the One Africa Team has decided to relocate two mission families to Arusha, Tanzania. Missionaries Foxen and Roebke will be able to focus on training future church workers in AMEC. Through a program of classroom instruction and practical ministry application, the missionaries are planning to train a select number of AMEC men. Those men will become trainers of future gospel workers within their church body. Our prayer is that these men will be able to pass the same kind of training on to others in AMEC. God-willing, this will ensure a good future supply of gospel workers for their church body.

Such an endeavor requires even more planning. We are currently working with local lawyers to register our mission organization in Tanzania in order to obtain work permits. The missionary families will be leaving their old residences and searching for new ones. Missionaries are making efforts to maximize Swahili language learning when on the ground. The One Africa Team is weighing how these changes will affect the responsibilities of each member of the team. Of utmost concern is securing our families’ welfare in an area where we’ve never had WELS missionaries.

There’s a lot to think about and plan for, but also a lot to be gained. As with everything we do in life, we make our plans as best we can. At the same time, we trust that God’s plan is the one that will actually be accomplished. God will reveal in time how our planning lines up with his plan. We will continue to trust that whatever he has in store, it will be good. We know his planning is good for our missionaries and their families, for AMEC, for WELS, and ultimately for the kingdom of God. All glory to his name for his marvelous plan!

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia.

Why We Visit

A pastor who visits people makes people who visit church. That’s why I devoted two nights a week to visit both members and visitors when I lived in the United States. Sometimes I would call ahead, most times I just showed up at the door. I only got a gun pulled on me once – but that’s how he greeted everyone.

I don’t make house calls anymore because I don’t have a congregation. However, every other month I’m on the road. My father asked me, “Is it necessary to visit all these people?” It’s true that we can handle a lot of our work online. But this post will show why we visit in person.

What We Saw

I just returned home after a two week visit to Uganda, where we partner with the Obadiah Lutheran Synod. We are also pursuing relationships with two new groups. One is called the Confessional Lutheran Synod of Uganda (CLSU). Two years ago, conservative pastors broke away from the Lutheran Church of Uganda. They formed their own church body and Seminary, and are seeking partnership with WELS.

Missionary Ben Foxen and I were greatly encouraged by what we saw during our visit. Members of Christ the Vine enthusiastically welcomed us. We worshipped in their newly constructed sanctuary, constructed of mud and wattle and roofing sheets. We witnessed baptisms, confirmations, and the installation of four congregational evangelists. They were greatly honored by our visit.

We also visited Mt. Calvary congregation, whose members worship in a schoolroom. Several CLSU congregations have started schools as a means to reach out to the community. Bishop Benson Barahuka, the leader of the CLSU, joined in the dancing and fun. He asked the members to contribute towards a church building project. A visit like ours shows that every member and congregation are valued and connected to the body of Christ.

School building where members of Mt. Calvary meet on Sundays

Missionary Foxen and I sat down with CLSU leaders for a week to study Lutheran teachings and practice. I had met some of them previously, while leading an online course on the Augsburg Confession. We all agreed that meeting face to face is better. Bishop Benson thanked WELS donors for making our visit possible. He told us, “You care.” He was glad we made a visit – and so are we.

What Needs Work

The other group we are working with in Uganda is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession Uganda (ECACU). This group also came out of the Lutheran Church of Uganda. Rev. Simon Peter Waako is their leader.

At our opening worship service we sang from The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH), which had been donated by LC-MS congregations in the USA. The tunes we sang did not always match what was printed in the hymnal. Almost all of the long meter (LM) hymns were sung to the tune of, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.”

The liturgy was conducted in the Runyoro language, although not everyone in attendance spoke that tongue. Throughout our visit, everything we spoke in English had to be translated twice. This slowed us down considerably. Did you know that over 3,000 languages are spoken on the African continent?

Our visit to God Bought congregation was also a challenge. Our van got stuck in the mud and we had to walk the last kilometer to the church site. A small group of Christians gather every Sunday under a tree. The owner of the adjacent property evicted them from their building because he wants to farm crops there.

The next visit was to Kakasato church, which has 50 members. A local man invited ECACU to start a congregation in his barn. They offer Sunday School and Bible class, in addition to worship. We also made a visit to Kabatindule, which means “felling a tree.” The congregation meets under a lean-to on the property of one of the members. They do not have any Bibles, catechisms or hymnals.

Our visit showed us there’s a lot of work to be done with ECACU before we declare fellowship. There’s no way we could know this without coming in person. This is why we visit. And God-willing, we will make another visit soon.

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi.