After eleven years of progress training refugee community, many significant opportunities have opened up to move into three main tribal people groups. These groups—Boma, Aromo, Traposa— have been resistant historically to Christianity, having mixed Islam with their animism. A fourth group which is related linquistically, the Turkana, is also now increasingly open.
In July 2014, we had a public baptism of close to 3,000 people at one time in the desert on the border between Kenya and Ethiopia.
This evangelistic mission was initiated and led by four native Turkana lay evangelists, who were trained and raised up in the Lifestreams Satellite Missions School outside of Lodwar, Kenya. Every month we have been doing a crusade in the various tribal areas where the evangelists have been working on the ground. The crusades fortify this work and provide the opportunity for people to become born again Christians.
In 2013, our field director, Benson, established seven satellite schools in the field. The schools are used to equip evangelists to further the work. There was a release of 109 evangelists in the first quarter of 2014 who finished their training at the Lifestreams Missions Extension School based in the Kakuma Refugee Camp on the Kenyan border. These evangelists are traveling through the countryside to interact among these tribes and evangelize in the native dialects. There is a threefold process: 1) Individual scouting and advance work by evangelists; 2) Crusades that proclaim the Gospel regularly bringing in hundreds of new believers; 3) The third phase is to send in lay pastors who will lead home / cell churches. This latter work is absolutely critical and must be done right away following the crusades. These are first mention Gospel converts who have no background in Christianity and need to be taught and equipped immediately upon their conversion. Many of the groups also have a history of amalgamating different religions. There is a need to teach and help them to become grounded in true Bible teaching.
The third phase incorporates the approach of saturation church planting. Saturation church planting is when you go into previously unreached people groups and areas and establish smaller cell / home churches. These areas are first evangelized through personal interaction and group outreaches. The converts are then connected to the cell/ home churches for pastoral care and education.The compound which is in Lodwar, will be facility that will be used to train and equip lay pastors from among the new converts in the different locations and among the different tribes. Lifestreams International is currently raising funds to build a new school at this compound in Lodwar.