Prayers for Tharaka

As has been my joy the past several years I will be departing for another trip to east Africa for the sake of sharing the gospel of Jesus with precious souls and helping the national Baptist leaders to start new churches.  We will be working among the Tharaka people group in the Tharaka region of Kenya.  This area is about 3 1/2 hours northeast of Nairobi near Mount Kenya consisting of about 200,000 people.  They are considered an unreached people group and although certain missiological data claims there is a 43% presence of Christianity (22% Evangelical), I have traveled throughout the area and have not found those numbers to be very accurate.  Our team for this trip consists of 18 wonderfully committed American Christians from 4 different churches in Texas who all have a heart for being the hands and feet of Jesus.  This trip will include a medical team to provide services in a very desolate area that has no medical care.
Our strategy has been very intentional for Gateway East Africa Ministries (gatewayeastafrica.net).  We work for the national leaders to reach the unreached and equip indigenous church leaders to reach the nations.  We lead teams into areas where sound Bible churches are needed and we do evangelism.  The Africans have pastors ready to lead these new congregations that are formed as a result of these evangelistic efforts.  There are times that a new church will have a core group of 20 and other times 200.  I personally work with the African leaders in the follow up efforts as veteran pastors go back into the areas and help the new pastors baptize and begin discipleship with these new believers.  The new pastors and some of the church leaders become students in our Busia Baptist Bible College where they receive a biblical education to do the works of ministry.  I return later in the year with other pastors/professors from the States to teach these eager learners.  The Bible College rotates locations throughout the year in order to be accessible to as many as possible and is led by Pastor David Gitau.  There are 3-4 other highly qualified east Africans who also teach throughout Kenya and we are working with others in Rwanda and Burundi as well.  Pastor Samson Kisia has been the primary leader for this work for many years.
I would greatly appreciate your prayer support as we enter once again into this door that God has opened.  The "harvest is plentiful" as we see so clearly in east Africa.  People are so responsive to the gospel but the "laborers are few".  Please pray with me that God will send more laborers.  If you would like more information go to:    gatewayeastafrica.net