PIONEER COMMUNITY CHURCH & MINISTRIES P.O. BOX 3242 ELDORET. KENYA TEL:  011-254- 321-31549. 21ST FEB. 2001 MINISTRY REPORT 1.      PRAISE We thank God for all the friends and churches from U.S.A who responded to our appeal through prayers and finances towards our return to Kenya to begin our Church Planting Ministry. When the Lord spoke to us it seemed impossible because we needed a lot of resources to buy tickets, pay our outstanding bills in the U.S and begin life in Kenya after several years of being away. Although everything was not accomplished before our departure on the set date of Dec. 19th 2000, but we must acknowledge the providence and the faithfulness of God to us. 2.   BACK TO KENYA. Our trip back to Kenya was very difficult in that on the material day of Dec. 19th 2000, the weather in Birrningham was extremely bad. In fact we had to wait in the plane for two hours before our departure to Atlanta. In Atlanta we found our flight to Zurich had departed. The Airline Company had to reroute our journey through Newark, Brussells, Zurich and Nairobi. It took us two days to be back home. Upon our arrival in Nairobi Kenya, we found that due to the changes on our route, we had lost all our packages. In fact the airline company gave us some small allowance to buy clothes and a few things to begin life in Kenya. We were received by about fifty people in the airport, among them being family, Christian friends and our church core group. It took us another four hours to travel to our home province and District. On our arrival in the afternoon we had a great feast and prayers to receive us home. My wife and children remained with my in-laws for several days as I traveled back to Nairobi to work with the airline to trace our lost luggage. Good enough on 23/12/2000, our luggage were located and they handed over everything to me on 24/12/00. Our Christmas did not go as planned due to the loss of our luggage. Towards end of the year we traveled to my family to celebrate the New Year with them. I enjoyed to be back to my mother and brothers. My kids were also excited to meet with their uncles and cousins. On Jan. 2nd 2001 I was privileged to lease a rental house in Eldoret for my family to stay as we started our ministry. On Jan. 6th 2001, I organized a party in Eldoret to announce my return and my calling to begin a church ministry. The attendance of the meeting was about thirty people. In the meeting I spoke on "The Mission of Jesus". At the same venue I announced the date of beginning our church as Jan. 14th 2001. Each person that attended our party was blessed. They all prayed for our ministry. 3.   BEGINNING AND PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. Before Jan. 14th 2001, I came across a vacant building in the main street of Eldoret town. The rent was extremely high by Kenyan standards, but I had to accept to take because it is rare to get such a property. I had to pay one month's rent and deposit of the same amount. I had also to put electricity and water deposit. The hall was vacant without furniture. I had to look for rental chairs from a company for each weekend. We were not able to worship from our church hall on 14th of January due to the fact that the painted walls were still wet and smelling. We had to rent a hall from another church for our first Sunday service. During our church founding service I spoke on "Pioneers and settlers". I made clear to the people that were prepared to begin a Mission minded church in Eldoret against all the resistance from the devil. The attendance of our service were 49 people. In the meeting I introduced five people, three young men and two young women who were to lead praise and worship for our church. They came to me from different parts of our country through the recommendations of some of my old ministry friends. I provide food and accommodation and my church provides small stipend for them to work full time with us. After a time of prayer and seeking God I was able to identify from my church two old Christian friends of ours as our church elders. That action facilitated me to open a church account for our church.  I have enjoyed working each day with our church elders and praise and worship team. About two weeks ago, the Lord brought to me a very talented young man to work with our drama team on voluntary basis. My daughter Grace is part of the drama team. He is a very fine young Christian person. Each week he plans for drama to communicate my sermon. We thank God for people who have been coming to our church each Sunday to make decisions for salvation and membership. It is our prayer that through our church we shall reach many unchurched people in Eldoret. Our attendance for the cast five weeks as follows: Jan. 14th = 49 Jan. 21st = 93 Jan 28th = 116 Feb. 4th = 71 Feb. 11th = 73 Feb. 18th = 77. For the last six weeks, we have spoken to one high school, one hospital, in the market place and several evangelistic door-to-door outreaches. People in the community are beginning to involve us in preaching and praise and worship. Our biggest limitation is the fact that we don't have a motor vehicle or sound system. The ministry in America has is still in the process of shipping our personal goods and church equipments. We have one box guitar, which our American short-term missionary came with. At the beginning a Christian friend loaned a keyboard to us but for the last three weeks he has taken back. We have installed our telephone today and we are hoping to install our e-mail tomorrow if our finances in the bank will allow. 4.     FAMILY. Due to financial needs in the family my wife has taken a part teaching in Moi University. Dinah was glad to get back to her former job and to witness to students during spare time. Grace and Joy are back to their former School. They are struggling so hard with a new Education system. They are performing badly in their Kiswahili language, which they have not spoken or been taught in about five years. A Christian lady teacher has offered to help them during her free time and weekends. My first-born daughter Grace is a member of our church drama team while Joy is involved with our children's ministry. I pray that they will grow to love and serve the Lord. Thanks to MountainTop Community Church for the ministry training they provided to them. Billy stays at home daily with a maid. 5.   PRAYER NEEDS (a) Pray that KenAme in the U.S will soon ship our ministry equipment and personal belongings to us. This will highly improve our ministry outreach. (b) Pray that churches and friends who pledged to support our ministry will faithfully keep their promises. And that the good Lord will continue to supply resources to them. (c) Pray that God will continue to provide finances for us to pay our church rent, telephone, e-mail, water and stipent for our praise and worship team. (d) Pray that God will touch our members and attenders to give generously. I praise the Lord that they were able last month to provide enough money for installation of Telephone and pay for stipent for our praise and worship team. (e) Pray that our Bankers will reconsider to approve our U.S $ 13,000 dollars for the completion of our home under construction, which stalled due to financial shortage. The Bank Manager wants us to wait for a period of one year as he watches our financial flow. While we are feeling that we need the loan immediately to ease the congestion in our three bedroom house, with a guest wing which currently accommodates ten of us, five of us and three members of our praise and worship team and also two others. (f) Pray that God will provide a vehicle to facilitate our church planting efforts, Pastoral visitation and movements of church property and equipment. (g) Pray that God will bring an office secretary to assist us with our typing, telephone answering and reception. (h) Pray that God will use us as his instruments to touch the lost people in Eldoret with the love of Christ. 6.    MARLANT HAYES - Came to us from Birmingham Alabama on Jan. 17th as short-term missionary to help teach contemporary English Music to our praise and worship team in our church. This type of music is now very popular among high school and college youths of Kenya. Marlant stays in the Guest wing of our house. We eat Kenyan food with him. This is the finest Christian young man I have known for the recent past years. Since he came, he has worked very closely with our praise and worship team. They spent long hours singing and composing songs without getting tired. Currently Marlant is able to sing and speak in Kiswahili. He attracted a week ago an attention when he started singing a Kiswahili chorus in a restaurant when we were waiting for dinner. The people were amazed to see an American sing in their language. We praise the Lord for Marlant's family, MountainTop Community Church, friends and KenAme Ministry International for facilitating his coming to us. Marlant has a few days to stay with us. My family, our church and the praise and worship team will miss him as he leaves us. Pray that God will speak to him to extend his stay. CONCLUSION Again we thank God for people and churches that stood behind us during the period of our support raising. We are so excited that the Lord graciously allowed us to return back home to begin our church ministry. The road seems very rough for us at the moment but we believe that refreshing moment will come in the fullness of time. We praise God for the few members of our church who have prayed for us each day as we continue to serve Him. We also thank God for people who have encouraged us through letters, e-mails and telephone calls. We will be looking forward to hearing from you. And you are all welcome to visit with us in Eldoret, Kenya. Thanks. Yours Missionary, Rev. Daniel C. Chelagat Pastor. Our church Kenyan Bankers C/o Pioneer Community Church & Ministries A/C No. 011.00.45960300 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Eldoret Branch P.O. Box 2948 Eldoret - Kenya. Tel: 011.254. 321. 62717 or 61167 Fax: 011.254.321.63667 Our U.S. Sending Agency KenAme Ministry International P.O. Box 19102 Birmingham AL 35219 U.S.A. Tel: 205. 823 5065