Small Heart, Big Provision

February 28, 2026February 28, 2026 by Jonathan In Nairobi Church Plant 1 Comment

Daniel and Dorothy (not their real names) first visited our church one of the very first Sundays after we planted, coming at the invitation of Daniel’s brother, a student Jonathan taught at Moffat Bible College. From the beginning, it has been a joy to watch God draw them into the life of the church.

In March 2025, they welcomed their daughter, Diana. Soon after her birth, doctors raised concerns about her heart and mentioned the possibility of Down syndrome, though nothing was confirmed at the time.

We also learned that Daniel and Dorothy were not married. In Kenya, marriage is often delayed because of significant financial costs and extended family expectations surrounding traditional weddings. Many couples postpone it indefinitely. Our church has been walking closely with them, and they have begun conversations with Dorothy’s parents about moving toward marriage.

At a recent follow-up appointment, doctors discovered that the hole in Diana’s heart had not closed on its own. They advised surgery to happen as soon as possible— a procedure far beyond what the family could afford.

Then the Lord began to provide in extraordinary ways.

A couple of days later, the Lord brought Tenwek Hospital to Lilli’s mind – a facility known for excellent cardiothoracic care, including the exact surgery Diana needed. That very evening, she received a text from a missionary friend who had served with her parents in Madagascar years earlier. He shared that he had recently begun working with a fundraising ministry at, of all places, Tenwek Hospital!

Within days, the family made the four-hour journey to Bomet, Kenya for a new assessment. Within a week, Diana was undergoing her 18 hour surgery.

Diana has since been officially diagnosed with Down syndrome, though doctors expect a milder presentation. Daniel and Dorothy will need ongoing support and encouragement in the years ahead, and we are grateful to walk alongside them as a church family.

Our church community helped cover the cost of the initial evaluation and follow-up visits. Even more amazingly, the surgery itself was fully funded through the hospital’s donor program. Today, Diana has been discharged and is recovering well. We rejoice in God’s perfect timing, His tender care, and His provision through His people.

Church Life

By God’s grace, church life continues in a steady and encouraging direction. Desiring to grow in our dependence on God in prayer, we started meeting each Sunday before the service as a church to pray together for 45 minutes.

Also, we have a growing number of young adult men that love to come over to our house after the service to play football (soccer). We decided it was a good opportunity for discipleship. So every other week, before they play, Pastor Brian leads them in a study through Romans.

After welcoming 31 members in January, we will begin another Membership Matters class on March 1. This allows us to walk through the foundations of church life – how amazing the gospel really is, the importance of the local church, and what it means to live in a covenant community. We have found most people begin the class with a limited understanding of each of these areas. Church membership is not commonly practiced in many churches in Kenya.

Lord, We Need You

As the Lord continues to add to our numbers (not quite daily!), we are increasingly aware of the need to create opportunities for discipleship, training, and fellowship, and to find a bigger space that can be used throughout the week.

This in turn means we must develop more leaders who can shepherd, disciple, and care for others. This is in addition to the men we sent to Pastors College, who will return in September to help serve and Lord willing, help plant a church in the future. We are also needing to be more deliberate about searching for a new venue.

This all takes time, patience, and intentional investment. We want to move neither too quickly nor too slowly, but in step with the Lord’s timing.

How You Can Pray

• Pray for Diana’s continued recovery, for Daniel and Dorothy as they care for her, for a conviction about marriage, and for the support of the church community.
• Pray for spiritual growth among the young adults going through Romans.
• Pray for wisdom as we invest in developing future leaders and that God would lead us to our next venue.
• Pray for Brian and Jonathan as they attend the first Sovereign Grace Churches Africa Pastors Retreat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from March 23-29. Pray this would be an encouraging time of equipping and fellowship as we’ll have pastors from Ethiopia, Namibia, Zambia, and of course, Kenya.
• Pray that Christ would be honored in both our gathered worship and everyday lives.

Thank You

Thank you for standing with us through your prayers, encouragement, and support. Your partnership strengthens this work more than you may realize. We are grateful to serve here and to witness the quiet but steady ways Christ is building his church.