September 2020 Update: Covid, Chaos, and Caring for Others

Many churches gather together to pray for Kenosha.

A building in ruins after a night of riots in Kenosha.

Where to begin? This summer was certainly not how I envisioned it. With COVID hitting and all that I originally had on my summer agenda cancelled, I didn’t think I would have much to write about in this update, other than to tell people that the actual COVID virus hit our home and our extended family hard. However, there is so much to write I can barely get my head around it. COVID hitting our home seems like it was a lifetime ago lost somewhere in the fog of so much that has happened since. Like I said, I barely know where to begin. We could start with the senseless killing of George Floyd, and the rioting that ensued plunging our country down a dark road where it seemed like there was no return. But what made this really hit home for me is the shooting of Jacob Blake and the rioting, burning, and other senseless shootings in Kenosha. It is difficult to watch your own city burn...to watch it be torn apart. It’s different, your understanding changes when it’s your own backyard. Kenosha is in turmoil, at times it looks like evil wins the day. But to really give better understanding to this story, I need to take you farther back. Back to November 10, 2019, that’s really where I feel like this story begins. On November 10th (my son David’s birthday) the Lord gave me a Word: 

Oh, My people be prepared.  The wrath of God is coming.  I feel God is saying there is a shift in the heavens.  A new season is upon us. (It’s like I felt this block slide into perfect place), that scales have become so unbalanced.  Sin has piled up so much that the wrath of God is being unleashed on our nation. For those of us who have been set free, be prepared for the work is just beginning. The season of rescue has begun.  God wants to heal you so you can help to heal others. Be prepared to pour yourself out.

Firefighters putting out fires after a night of rioting in Kenosha.

At the time I did not feel the full gravity of these words, not until COVID was in full swing and we were locked down in our homes. I was praying and felt the Lord say, “Go back and look at the Word I gave you.” When the Word first came in November, I was focused on the second half and praying for people to be set free so they could minister to others.  The first half of the word just seemed to melt away from my mind and be lost until God had me recall it, and I began to feel the weight of the words. 

Then on May 20th the Lord gave me a second Word:

Sound the alarm, Man the walls the enemy is at the gate!  The fog is lifting.  The siege ramps are rolling into place.  The battle is just beginning.  There is nothing you can do to stop it.  It will come like a flood and overcome everything.  It is a sea of destruction covering all.  Some say, “See the enemy has gone and all is good! Let us eat drink and be merry for a new day has dawned.”  Can’t they see the enemies camped just over the hill waiting to attack.

You repulsed an attack that was only designed to test your strength and resolve and to show your weakness.  And yet You say, “We have won the war!”  You are dancing in the street and you do not see the lion waiting to pounce.

I will destroy what you have built says the Lord.  You are a prideful and foolish people.  I will tear down your idols and destroy your shrines.  Repent and return to me says the Lord and I will hold My hand from destroying you.  Tear down your idols, heed my commands and I will bless you says the Lord.

Shortly after that on May 25th, George Floyd was killed and it seemed that hell was beginning to be unleashed in our country. Rioting erupted all across the country and we began to spin out of control.  

Pray For Kenosha

Church leaders from all over Kenosha gather in unity to pray for the city.

Then on Sunday, Aug 23rd, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha Police officer and things started spiraling out of control again.  As my city burned, God began speaking to me again.  On Wednesday the 26th, we met as Allies, (senior pastors of Kenosha) to pray together for the first time not involving zoom since we had mandatory lock down from COVID in March.  As we were praying, I began to have the feeling that God was saying I needed to bring the church together in unity now, and that if this didn’t happen, all of the ministry of the last 12 years would be wasted and all that I have done a failure, that things were on the precipice and the window of opportunity was very small.  I shared this with the 13 pastors there and it was decided that we would meet as the Church the following day to pray for our city as “The Church”.  We met at 5:00 pm at the lakefront about a mile from where most of the civil unrest was taking place, and cried out to the Lord for our city.  The newspaper said there were 1000 people there, my estimates were 500.  It was a great start but there is still a long way to go.  

At the event, I was sharing another Word that the Lord gave me to a fellow pastor about the Church and he replied that he felt very strongly that that was from the Lord and it needs to go out.  So we put it together in video form and sent it out through facebook, here it is so you can hear it and weigh it against God's Word for yourself.  

Even though terrible things are happening, we know that God is in control and that He will win this battle.  The scriptures tell us in Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  So please no matter where you land in the argument, don’t hate the other side.  God created them in His image and loves them dearly just like He loves you.  Pray for them, love them and pray against the spiritual forces of Hate and Fear which seem to be driving this chaos across our country.  Right now I suggest that you just stay away from facebook and not fuel the fire, but just spend your time praying for our country instead.  Then we will begin to see positive change in this country.   

Feeding Africa

Things are continuing to Progress with the “Feeding Africa” program that God has so strategically placed in our laps.  We continue to bring hope to Kenya as we provide water and food for two meals a day to 1000 people. As of September 12th, we have been able to help with approximately 232,960 meals. The needs for Feeding Africa continue as the families we support continue to struggle with the effects of COVID on their community and on their families. We are asking people to consider sponsoring an individual or a family, approximately $7 per person or around $50 per family provides food and water needs for an entire month!  If you are not familiar with our Feeding Africa Program click here to check out our other posts and videos on our Kingdom Partners Global web page.

Grandson Paul Lando Johnson

Family Update

On the family front, we are all well after having had COVID 19.  It was a very long 3 weeks and we are thankful that we have come out on the other side.  Tammy was hit very hard, and thankfully she didn’t get the respiratory symptoms.  Our home was declared a natural disaster, and we are slowly getting it back to normal.  The great part was that friends and neighbors made sure that we had plenty of food to eat.  There was even someone we did not know who left groceries on our porch.  Thank You, Jesus, that the only residual effects seem to be with our daughter Kellie, who still does not have her sense of smell back. (With two kids in diapers, that may be a blessing!) Otherwise, we all seem to be doing well. Kellie and her husband David welcomed their second child, Paul, into the world on September 2nd. We are thrilled, and Tammy can’t get enough baby snuggles.

Tammy will be homeschooling all three of the kids this year as the online schooling which happened when lockdown occurred was not optimal for our family and presented many challenges for our kids.  Please keep her in your prayers as she deals with a myriad of challenges with these three with their learning disabilities.  

A quick office-keeping item for everyone to be aware of, the office address for Kingdom Partners has changed.  Our new address is 6009 Pershing Blvd.  Kenosha, WI 53142.  If you have donations sent automatically, please let your bank know of this change.

We cannot say Thank You enough for all of you who have prayed for us and our ministry and those of you who have given generously and sacrificially to our general fund as well as to our FEEDING AFRICA program! It is because of YOU that we can do these ministries! May God richly bless YOU for richly blessing us and others!

Kingdom Partners, COVID-19, and the Call to Care for Others.

Hello Family and Friends, 

This is a crazy time in the history of the world, and we are desperate for your prayers as Tammy and I move forward with Kingdom Partners Global.  There are so many opportunities for God to use us all and we want to be listening carefully and obeying immediately. We want to fill you in on what He is doing through Kingdom Partners Global and, therefore, us. If you read Tammy’s updates, some of this will be repetitive, but we thought we would give you the complete history to fill in the gaps. This will be lengthy, but please read it to get the full picture.

Over the past two weeks Kingdom Partners has been able to help provide food for more than 500 people in Kenya who are struggling during this COVID-19 crisis.

Margaret provides food for 25 families in Kenya, a task that has become difficult with the new challenges of COVID-19.

There are really two stories here that need to be told. (some names have been changed for the sake of those we are serving*) The first story is the story of Margaret. We met Margaret in 1992 when we were living in Kenya. Margaret, a widow with four children, including one with special needs, would come and help us in our home. It is important to understand that in the culture Margaret lives in, women are second class citizens and widows especially are looked down on and rarely treated well. As a widow, she had nothing to pass on to her family. We felt strongly from the Lord that we should buy her a small one-acre piece of land; this would give her something to be able to pass on to her children. Back in the mid 1990’s, an acre of land in Africa was dirt cheap for Americans to buy and caused us very little financial burden. We thought that was the end of the story, but God had different plans. Margaret is a woman who loves Jesus and she shows that love to the people she encounters. Over the next 20 years, Margaret was wise with what she had been given. She grew food and sold what she grew and with her money purchased two additional acres of land around her farm. Then with the help of her business-minded daughter Beth, she began to grow a lot of produce and also raise livestock. Among her livestock is a sheep named Tammy (name not changed.) God blessed Margaret’s harvest and Margaret was generous. In 2000 Margaret began to use her produce as well as extra items she traded for to be able to feed a primary school of 25 children lunch every day. Then in 2015 she expanded from feeding 25 children to feeding their families as well. Because of problems created with shutdowns related to Covid-19, funds are getting very tight for Margaret. Through donations to our Feeding Africa goal, we were able to assist her this last week in continuing to feed those families. 

Families in Nifah’s community are overjoyed to receive food

The second story began in 2016. We met Nifah* when we visited an orphanage in Kenya. In Kenya children can end up in orphanages even if their parents are still living but cannot afford to feed or care for them. Eventually when Nifah finished high school, she returned to her family. During our visit Tammy and Nifah made a strong connection and have stayed in contact. With the spread of COVID-19, Tammy sent Nifah a simple text, “How are you doing?” Nifah told her “we are struggling but God will provide for us.” After more conversation Nifah admitted that her family had no food. Nifah and her family live in one of the largest slums in Kenya, typically they go out during the day and take odd jobs so that they can have money to buy food in the evening. With social-distancing guidelines in place, they are unable to go out and earn money which means no money to buy food or water. Tammy immediately felt strongly, “This is not okay, we need to do something!” We discovered it takes only $5.60 to feed a family of 9 for a whole day (less than $40 for a week)!!! I agreed that we should send them enough money to supply them with a month’s-worth of food.  We found a secure app that does not take fees out, and since we have been to Kenya and have personally met Nifah (which we had to prove by sending photos of our passport and Kenyan visas), we qualify to use this app.  We sent the money and she received it immediately. When Tammy followed up the next day, she felt led to ask, “How are your neighbors doing?” Nifah sheepishly replied that some are doing great, while others are still struggling. It turns out they could not live with the thought of having so much food while others around them were going to bed hungry so they gave to the 10 neediest families in their neighborhood. We shared out of our abundance, but they shared out of their poverty leaving them with only a 3-day supply of food. This completely broke Tammy, and she shared with her Bible study and put a post on FaceBook…God touched hearts to give generously, and we were able to provide enough food for a week to 10 more families making it 20 families being fed! Yet God was not finished! We eventually became aware of the fact that there are 50 families (all single moms with a combined total of nearly 400 children) in Nifah’s realm of influence, and we prayed and watched God supply enough to feed all 50 families for a week! A few days later, we were made aware of the fact that none of these families have running water in their one-room homes. They had to purchase water for drinking, cooking, cleaning purposes and no one could afford to buy water!

Women filling as many containers as they can with clean water.

We were able to purchase water for a week for all 50 families and the “water people” were so astonished that they gave Nifah a key for the week to allow anyone to get water at any time for the 7 days! They filled up every possible empty container with water! We are continuing to send money weekly and have now fed them for 2 weeks and we will be able to feed Nifah’s 50 families and Margaret’s 25 families next week! In the past two weeks, God has provided for and allowed Kingdom Partners to provide food for upwards of 500+ people!!! He is the God Who Provides! There are MANY more families in this area… how many do we feed? In the midst of feeding these people they are faced with more bad news creeping towards their doors. The government just demolished the homes of 700 families who lived in the same slum only 5 minutes from Nifah and her community leaving them all homeless!  The timing couldn’t be worse for these families as it is tragedy on top of pandemic.  Where and how do these people shelter-in-place to ride out Covid-19 with no money, no food, and now no home?

Many homes like this one in Kairobangi slum, are being demolished by the government, leaving hundreds of people without shelter during a time of crisis.

Many questions are rising up in our minds… Do we feed more and use up all the money we have collected in one fell swoop?   Do we feed fewer and take care of them longer?  Also, it is getting colder there: as our weather warms up theirs is cooling down …do we help provide blankets, shelter…? The needs seem endless as Nifah lives in the 2nd largest slum in Kenya with 600,000 people living there. How do we fulfill the scripture in James 1:27 which says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” God knows the whole picture and started these relationships between us and these precious ladies many years ago knowing that there would be this great need now! He is using the MEANS of His children here to provide the NEEDS of His children there! WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS as we continue to ask God how much He wants us to do as each day presents more need, and we want to be faithfully obeying God and staying within Kingdom Partners’ mission, “…to unite the Church and to inspire her to action, providing help to those in need, both locally and globally, and to encourage and equip those who are about God’s work.”

You may be asking, “What can I do? How can I help?” First and foremost, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for us as we try to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us and make wise decisions, and pray especially for all those in huge need around the world…that God will meet those needs. Second, give out of the abundance of what God has given to you either here or anywhere else that God lays on your hearts. If you choose to give through Kingdom Partners, 100% will go to helping these families and you will get a tax deductible receipt. A little bit can go a long way, especially with how far our dollar goes in third-world countries. This last week, we were able to send $550, for food and water, divided among 75 families. That’s about $7.33 a week, or $1.05 a day! Third, teach your children to be generous and share. Include them in your giving by telling them what you are doing and why. Finally, thank God for His Providence and care and please pass this information on to anyone you know who would be interested in helping. Thank you all, or as they say in Kenya “Asante sana!”

The destruction of the homes in Kairobangi slum

- Roger Myers
Executive Director