The Roland Allen Post

Update on Kenya Faith Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:09:20 +0000

Pastor Christian Mungai prepared a yummy Kenyan stew for the team.

Last night, our Kenya Faith Adventure Team gathered for its final meeting at the home of Pastor Christian Mungai. It was a wonderful evening together as we continued preparing for what we hope will be a meaningful experience in Kenya.

In recent weeks, we’ve been following news of an Ebola outbreak in the region, including reports of nine confirmed cases in Nairobi. Encouragingly, the reported cases have been linked to a single individual who arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and health authorities have reported no evidence of wider community transmission.

Our team is still scheduled to depart on November 13, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to proceed as planned. Mariners Church is carefully monitoring the situation, drawing on guidance from both the CDC and the U.S. State Department. At present, their recommendations differ somewhat. The CDC advises travelers to practice usual precautions, while the State Department has raised its advisory for Kenya to “Reconsider Travel.” The church is also drawing on its longstanding relationships with ministry partners in Kenya, whose firsthand knowledge of conditions on the ground is especially valuable.

In the coming days, the church will decide whether we’ll travel as scheduled or postpone the trip until early 2027. I have complete confidence in the care and wisdom of those making this decision, and I know that the health and safety of everyone involved will remain a priority.

Naturally, I’m eager to go, but I’m also at peace with the possibility of a delay. Whether we travel in November or a little later, the purpose of our journey remains unchanged.

Kenyan Ministry Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:43:27 +0000

This post links to the five ministry partners our group will come alongside when we visit Kenya in November:

Nairobi Chapel

Logos Christian Schools

The Living Room Hospital (The Living Room is about 200 miles northwest of Nairobi, in the Rift Valley.)

Mauvuno Church

Bawa Hope (Support for marginalized artisans.)

Mission, Vision and Values

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:15:38 +0000

Today was the first Kenya team meeting at Mariners Church.

I appreciated the way the leader framed this trip - not as a missions trip, but as a faith adventure. We were encouraged to see it as a narrative rather than an event. An event happens once and is over. A narrative is an ongoing conversation, one where we keep listening for how God is speaking.

He also spoke about the importance of relationships - with one another as a team, and with the people we'll meet in Africa. We were reminded that God works through relationships: when God sees a problem, He sends a person. That's exactly what He did when He sent Jesus to address our sin problem. This trip, then, is ministry with people, not to people.

We were encouraged to view this faith adventure through a global lens rather than an Orange County one.

Our leader, Christian Mungai, is an African missionary to Orange County - a reversal of the direction we usually picture missions moving. He talked about how we are all equal in our poverty before God; every one of us needs a Savior. He shared that when he first arrived in Orange County, he encountered a kind of poverty he hadn't understood before: the poverty of having all the money in the world, yet being relationally poor.

Two more trainings are ahead - one on spiritual warfare, and one on cultural sensitivity and engaging the global world.

Why Am I Going to Kenya?

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:53:33 +0000

I was commissioned as a Shepherding Elder at Mariners Church in June. Prayer is an important part of serving as an Elder. I pray for people and their expressed needs, including praying for healing and, when appropriate, anointing people with oil, following the teaching in James 5:13–16.

Around that same time, I read J. P. Moreland’s A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles. The book challenged me to expect and look for God’s active, miraculous involvement in everyday life, rather than treating prayer simply as an exercise. Moreland observes that people in other cultures often have a much greater expectation that God will respond to prayer.

That idea prompted me to seek an opportunity to experience a different perspective on faith and prayer. Fortunately, Mariners offered a Faith Experience trip to Kenya, and I signed up.

I am now committed to traveling to Kenya with a team from Mariners Church this November. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will do, learning from the people we encounter, and allowing the experience to deepen my own faith and understanding of prayer. I’ll share updates about the trip as I have them.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support as I prepare for this adventure.

Be careful going out your door

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:43:12 +0000

As I think about going to Kenya - this quote from The Fellowship of the Rings made me chuckle:

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

I Am Going to Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:31:30 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to share an exciting opportunity that has recently come my way and to invite you to join me in prayer as I prepare for a Faith Adventure to Kenya with Mariners Church this November.

For more than 15 years, Mariners Church has partnered with churches and ministries in Kenya, including Nairobi Chapel and Mavuno Church. Over the years, these relationships have grown into something much deeper than a series of projects. Mariners has had the privilege of learning from our Kenyan brothers and sisters, supporting their work, and walking alongside them as they serve their communities.

I am especially excited about this trip because it gives me the opportunity not simply to visit Kenya, but to listen, learn, serve, and deepen these relationships. I expect that I will come home having learned so much from our Kenyan partners.

During the Faith Adventure, we will experience the vision of Mariners’ Kenyan partners and have opportunities to serve alongside several of their ministries:

Nairobi Chapel

Founded in 1952, Nairobi Chapel has planted churches throughout the region and has developed a model of church multiplication that has influenced churches well beyond Kenya. We will have the opportunity to learn from their approach to church planting and discipleship.

Mavuno Church

Founded in 2005 as a church plant of Nairobi Chapel, Mavuno is led by Pastor Muriithi Wanjau. Mariners has developed a particularly meaningful partnership with Mavuno, learning from its approach to discipleship and community transformation. In fact, Mariners adapted Mavuno’s discipleship curriculum into what we now know as Rooted, a foundational part of Mariners’ discipleship pathway.

Logos Christian Schools

Logos provides children with a nurturing, biblically based education designed to help them develop their abilities and live lives of purpose. Logos now serves more than 450 students. Mariners has supported the schools through child sponsorships and teacher education programs, and we will have the opportunity to see this work firsthand.

The Living Room International

The Living Room was founded to provide compassionate hospice and palliative care to people facing life-threatening illnesses. Its ministry is built around a powerful conviction: every person is created in the image of God and deserves dignity and quality of life. Mariners has supported the development of The Living Room’s hospital and care center. During our visit, we will have the opportunity to come alongside those receiving care and simply be present with them.

Bawa Hope

Bawa Hope, a ministry of Mavuno Church, works with marginalized artisans by creating markets for their products and providing opportunities for sustainable employment and entrepreneurship. Mariners has supported training programs that help artisans develop business skills and greater ownership of their work.

I am looking forward to experiencing these ministries firsthand—to meet the people behind the ministries, to serve where I can, and especially to learn from the faith, resilience, creativity, and generosity of our Kenyan partners.

I believe that some of the most important things we can do in life are to step outside what is familiar, enter into relationships with people who see the world differently, and allow those relationships to change us. I hope this journey will do that for me.

I would be grateful if you would pray for me and for our team as we prepare for this journey.

Please pray that we will approach our Kenyan partners with humility and a willingness to listen and learn. Pray for the people we will meet and serve, and for the many ministries that are working every day to bring hope, dignity, education, opportunity, and the love of Christ to their communities.

Please also pray for the relationships that have been built between Mariners and our Kenyan partners over many years—that they will continue to grow and bear fruit. And pray that God will use this experience to change each of us, not simply through what we do in Kenya, but through what we learn from the people we encounter there.

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey through your prayers. I am grateful to know that I will not be making this journey alone.

Asante sana kwa maombi yenu. Mungu awabariki.

(Swahili meaning: Thank you very much for your prayers. God bless you.)

With gratitude,

Roland Allen

Support for Kenya Faith Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Roland Allen) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:31:08 +0000

To make this Faith Adventure possible, I am asking for your prayerful and financial support. Your generosity will help cover the costs of travel, accommodations, and other expenses associated with my participation. More importantly, I would be grateful to have you journey with me through your prayers and encouragement.

If you feel led to support this opportunity, there are two ways you can participate:

Give. Financial contributions can be made using this link:

https://rock.marinerschurch.org/page/472

When you reach the page:

Select November 13–24, 2026 Kenya under Fundraising Opportunity.

Select Roland Allen from the dropdown menu.

Click Next.

You may also send a check made payable to Mariners Church, with my name and “FA Kenya” in the memo line.

Checks may be mailed to:

℅ Keelyn Dennis

Global Partnership Director

5001 Newport Coast Drive

Irvine, CA 92603

Please know that I will not see the amount of any individual contribution. All gifts are processed confidentially. I will receive only a list of those who choose to give so that I can personally thank you and, afterward, share with you the impact you helped make possible.