More than 800 years of combined missionary service: a SIM Kenya legacy rooted in faith

By Tohru Inoue | Kenya in East Africa

Valuable members of the office staff. Photo by Tohru Inoue

The first night of the SIM Kenya team retreat wasn't filled with the usual icebreaker questions.  There was a team trivia night. One of the questions asked, “If you add up all the years of service on our entire SIM Kenya team, how many years would that be?”

Could anyone guess the total? There  was surprise from around the room as the answer  was announced: 831 years! 

That's right, if our humble Kenya team started serving their years back-to-back, we would have an unbroken stream of missionary service stretching all the way back to the 12th century.

This year,  we recognised those who had been serving for over 20 years at SIM. A flower was given for every year of service. A bouquet of 27 flowers here, another of 38.   It was meaningful and moving for us who were watching. It made us want to aspire to that.

It also made me picture a garden. One where he keeps adding flowers every year.

One day, some of these flowers will retire, some of the flowers will pass away, and we will hand out new flowers to a new generation. A growing bouquet of God’s garden, here in Kenya.

Today, there are 831 flowers. He has  planted them across the country. In the humid areas on the coast, in the dry places in the North, in the forest grown areas of the West, in the bustling cities and in the lush villages. And he is adding to them, every year.

When taken as a whole, it is quite beautiful.

Claire and Martha who between them have 50 years of service with SIM.

Pray for:

• For God to keep sending people to places within Kenya where He is least known. 
• That God would strengthen each of the people where He has planted them.
• Thanks to God for sustaining the many who have served no matter how many years of service they count.