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Some of the deepest ministry happens when people are placed outside of their comfort zones. Over the years, we have seen this through mission teams who visit us in Kenya. While they come to serve, many leave surprised by how deeply they themselves have been changed. Perhaps one of the best ways to learn something is to try to share it.
Ndoto applies that same philosophy to its discipleship ministries in Kenya. In November, a group of our sponsored students traveled to the Remand Home in Kisumu for this purpose. Remand is not a prison, it is a facility where young boys and girls, many from challenging backgrounds, await trial or sentencing. It is a place characterized by uncertainty and a deep-seated need for hope and direction.
Because of its unique needs, Remand is a place we have frequented for years. “This is the heart of discipleship,” our sports director Clinton said. “I did this long ago with Pastor Michael and it shaped me.” A visit moves a person’s faith from theory to practice, challenging them to see beyond their own struggles and recognize the universal need for God. A student sponsored by Ndoto can share not just the message of the Gospel, but a testimony of the love and transformation they themselves have received.
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After an initial message from Peter, our counseling psychologist, and some initial preaching from a few students, the way was paved for the teenagers at Remand to pose demanding questions to our team. Ndoto students, many of whom are not much older than Remand inmates, answered not with trite memorized lines, but with thoughtful, contextual wisdom. They spoke of grace, salvation, repentance, and purpose in a way that demonstrates how most of them know more than most of us knew at that age.
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In the end, our students did not stand apart as visitors, but sat down as peers to share stories. Indeed, some of our sponsored students are former Remand inmates themselves. In many cases, the only difference between our students and the teens at Remand was a few key decisions in the past. This was our constant discipleship programs bearing fruit. Their ability to articulate profound truths in a confusing world is a reassurance that the future of Ndoto’s ministry is in capable hands.
