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Latest Missions report from our visit to Kenya in August and September 09
by Mike Pike (Sep09)

Having been back home for over a week from the last mission to Kenya in August/September this year, I have had time to reflect on all that took place and its significance for both the present and future. Without doubt the Lord has a plan in mind, and amazing things in store for Kenya and in particular Western Kenya where we spent much of our time.

I was blessed to have with me my good friends Tony James and Andy Stickland, and also my dear son Ben who had accompanied Howard and I on our earlier mission to Kenya in March this year. As a team of four we were able to cover more ground, and at times we were split up into two or more different teams ministering the message of Time Out Mission and Body and the Bride. For the first four days we spent time with Pastor Samuel and Pamella in Nairobi, holding conference at the church and ministering at different churches on the Sunday. God moved in a powerful way during our stay in Nairobi and we were encouraged as time was spent with some old friends, as well as new relationships being made. After our short stay in Nairobi, we took an internal flight to Kisumu where we met up with some local pastors and then traveled by road to Pastor Martin and Gladys home in Bungoma which served as our base for the next couple of weeks. From then on, our time was taken up with a number of conferences, crusades and revivals, at times ministering up to four times a day. The missions trip culminated with a four day open air crusade in Bungoma, and a two days pastors conference which was well attended by around 200 pastors and bishops some of whom had traveled from other parts of Kenya and even some who had come from Uganda. Although it is difficult to know exactly, we believe that over 200 people responded to the call for salvation, and many others also were healed and received ministry.

Throughout the entirety of the mission there was a real sense that God was doing something powerful and especially in laying a new foundation which would serve the future purposes of His church and Kingdom. As is so often the case, whenever there is a move of God, there is also opposition and our mission was no exception. But though we did encounter some disturbing resistance, this served only to confirm that our presence in Kenya was right and also necessary. Those that sought to cause trouble for us were in the vast minority, and we were largely welcomed and encouraged to fulfil that which God has placed upon our lives. In particular we received the welcome and blessing of the Bungoma Pastors Fellowship together with other spiritual leaders and men of God who were totally supportive.

During the main crusade and conference we were really blessed to have with us two international Christian recording artists and worship leaders, Tete Renaga and Antoinette from Congo. Their gentle spirit and anointed vocals were truly heavenly and brought a great addition to the ministry team, and we were so grateful that they had come to serve and did not insist on any financial honorarium.

On the last Sunday, a door of opportunity opened for me to minister for half an hour on West FM, a radio station covering over 5 million people, and I was grateful to Apostle Julius who had made this possible. I was able to share the importance of intimacy with Jesus as the right foundation for life and there was good feedback after the transmission had ended.

Many doors of further opportunity both in Kenya and other African nations opened during our time in Kenya, and it is now a time for reflection and allowing the Lord to confirm the right way forward. Part of the future plans involve ongoing training and teaching which is so desperately needed, but also involvement with a number of practical self sustaining projects which will help the local people become more financially independent and able to meet some critical humanitarian needs. These include various agricultural projects, together with looking at how new water wells can be dug and maintained to provide much needed water for many in Kenya

Time Out Mission and Body and the Bride have now joined together to form just one movement/ministry. September 09
by Mike Pike and Howard Barnes (Sep 09)

Since the TOM team arrived back from Kenya earlier this month, we have been earnestly seeking God for His heart concerning our future together. As readers may or may not know, the Lord brought our paths together with Body and the Bride and Time Out Mission, and whilst there has been a great synergy between us, there has also been a question mark over how to best merge the two ministries. This has not been an issue in the past, but with the developments of the last trip to Kenya we have both sought the Lord for His will. To cut a long story short, there is no longer two separate ministries but just one, namely Time Out Mission.

This will help enormously to avoid confusion and any duplicity when working in a region. Time Out Mission mandate is broader that Body and the Bride and covers the message of church unity and bridal awareness which is why TOM has taken the mantle for both. So whilst Body and the Bride no longer exists as a separate movement, it's message and mandate is still very much alive but within the scope of TOM, and where conferences are held which are focused on church unity and bridal awareness, the name for such conferences will be Body and the Bride. The result of this is that the Lord has broadened both of our ministries and we now find ourselves deeply humbled and grateful for the Lords favour and a growing confidence that the Lord is preparing this work for global significance.