The Word of Life

Movements require special leaders to propel them forward, to cast a vision and see it through. We spent 3 days with one such leader on the campus of Kima International School of Theology (KIST), home to the CBH Swahili broadcast. The program is hosted by Obed Okech: engage him for five minutes and you'll note his brilliant mind, quick humor, and bright smile.

For those 3 days, we encouraged each other, visited churches, climbed a mountain and had the best chai tea in all of Kenya. One day, as we sat down to lunch, Obed pulled out his phone, texted a message and slipped it back into his pocket. 'Who was that?' 'A radio listener asking for prayer. She says she is 24 years old and is trying to go to school.' This was Saturday. The program airs on Sunday. Obed told us that, no matter the day, his CBH phone constantly rings with messages from listeners who need prayer or want to learn more about Jesus. And we witnessed that firsthand as we visited his community. Not long ago, CBH moved the broadcast from shortwave to an FM station that could send the radio waves up the mountains famous in the region where KIST is located. Since that day, Obed's phone hasn't stopped ringing. In fact, the demand for prayer has gone up so much since that first FM broadcast that Obed is arranging for two student interns from the school to assist him with the calls, and they'll receive graduating credit for their work.

And still, he's pushing on. This year, he's taking student teams into the villages surrounding KIST capitalizing on the their gifts in music, mentoring, and leadership to minister to the pockets of listeners responsible for the program's overwhelming response. It will reach the people where they are as well as give the students the opportunity to use their unique gifts in a real life setting.

God has provided the people, means, and the vision necessary to cast out the nets. Please pray that this life-changing ministry would keep moving forward, keep reaching those in desperate need of Hope.