In the fall of 2023, Pastor Sam went on a missions trip with Santiago Missions International to Kitale, Kenya. Partnering with Seed’s Ministry, Samuel and Marsha Santiago, and Pastor Sam were able to teach at a bible school located on the top of Mount Elgon. They visited several churches in the bush to deliver bibles in Kiswahili (native language); they were able to test eyesight and fit hundreds of glasses for many who were in need. People were most thankful to be able to see, and now could read the bible. Very few of the churches had a building. Most met in a small room. One room was so small, local people were taking turns of who got to stand inside and listen to the missionary speakers.
It was this small church [in reality it was a home with one room constructed of sticks, mud, and manure] that a vision was set to build a church in Kenya. As Pastor Sam was pulling up to this particular church, he felt the Lord give him a passion for this congregation. He soon found out that the pastor of the church had passed away a few months prior to this visit. Several years prior to his death, that pastor was at the Bible School on Mount Elgon. While there, he was ministered to by Marsha Santiago. He came home from his time on Mount Elgon and had a vision of reaching his surrounding community for Christ. He pastored in his community had had a dream of one day building a church building. They saved money for years and years, and were finally able to purchase a piece of land. Another missions organization came along side of them and built a well on the new piece of land. Now, the property was serving the community by giving them a clean water source. The pastor passed away, but his son picked up the mantle and began to pastor the church.
Pastor Sam arrived to this church in Kenya, and walked in the door of the one room church. The presence of God was very evident and the people were so happy. Pastor Sam felt the need to pray over the pastor, still unaware of the story behind the congregation. Later that evening, he was given the details of the church’s situation. It was right then that He knew God was going to use Faith Church in Conway, Arkansas to fund a church building project in Kenya to provide a well needed building for this lovely group of Christians. The next day, he traveled back to the property that the church owned. He stood at the well and talked with the pastor to inform him that Faith Church was going to raise the $10,000 needed to build a church. The pastor was grateful. He was happy that some Americans came to visit his church and brought him bibles and glasses. Now these same Americans said they were going to raise money to build a building. That was in the middle of November of 2023.
Pastor Sam came home and presented the story to Faith Church. He presented his heart to build a church in Kenya. They had no idea how long it would take to raise the $10,000 needed to build a church. As the fund raiser kicked off, God moved on the hearts of many people. It took only 2 weeks of fund raising and all the needed funds came in. The money was sent to Kenya. Supplies were purchased, and the building process began. As of April, 2024, the church building is complete. Testimonies had come in while the church was being built. People wanted to see what was going on, which then gave the pastor an opportunity to speak with people about what God did for them. Before the building even had the roof on, 25 people gave their heart to the Lord. God is doing BIG THINGS in Kenya. Below are the pictures of the building process. One church building complete. There is need for many more.
