About Us
Pastor Hosea Otieno and I have known each other for the last 5 years. We were in another ministry together for 3 years, and when God called me, Mama Jo, out of that ministry and gave me the vision for Treasure Keepers Kenya, Pastor Hosea decided to continue on with me in the new ministry. Treasure Keepers Kenya was inspired by a book that was called Treasure Keepers about end times and young people who were trying to protect the Bible from the New World Order. Thinking about 2 Corinthians 4:7 and Jude 3,4 I felt that truly we ARE keeping this valueable treasure in our earthen vessels as we contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. We must hide this treasure in our hearts but we must also share it with others. We don't encourage people to JOIN Treasure Keepers Kenya, we encourage them to BE Treasure Keepers! We believe we are also responsible to teach others the truth who can then teach others and we are all to be ambassadors for Christ as if Christ were calling others to Himself through us. We take this responsibility very seriously.
Several years earlier I had attended a meeting for pastors and found that a false doctrine was being taught. As I looked around at these precious pastors who had come with a hunger for the word of God, only to be cheated, I felt it in my heart to have a special place where pastors could come and spend time digging deeply into the word of God as preserved in the Authorized KJV Bible. Sadly, most who come here from outside Kenya bring some kind of a wrong doctrine and focus on leadership or getting 'the annointing'...there isn't any real beneficial information or teaching given that they can take back to their little congregations, so they just continue on with the things that all the rest do...being slain in the spirit, loud and emotional preaching, teaching prosperity, etc. The list is long. So many of these dear pastors do not even have much understanding of the basic knowledge of the faith once delivered unto the saints. They don't even know that they don't know!
I was with another ministry at the time but when their focus began to be on a more social gospel, and prosperity, I still believed that it was the spiritual condition that must come first, so we parted ways.
When Pastor Hosea and his family and I moved to Ndere there were just some mud buildings, but we moved in, getting our water from the river, and learning to live with all the hardships of the interior life. We walked every where or took the pikipikis which are motorbikes with a driver that is hired. In fact, that is still our usual mode of transportation. Being 72 years old now it is a bit rough on the old body, but God gives me the grace, and Pastor Hosea, too, who is now 63 years old...not young for a man in Africa! But ALL for Jesus and the gospel!!
We were blessed to have 2 solar panels which allows me to use my laptop computer which was graciously donated, and we can charge our phone batteries and torches, which are flashlights. We were able to purchase a 2,500 ltr. plastic container to catch rainwater and because of the kind donation of our representative and treasurer, my son, Troy Smith, in the U.S., we are having a well dug. We praise God for these wonderful things which will make our lives much easier. The clothes had to be taken to the river for washing, we had to pay someone to fetch -using a bicycle- several litres of water each week for our bathing and other needs and we even drank treated river water. So, we are very happy and praising God for the rain catchment and for the well which will soon be completed. Of course, there is still no indoor plumbing, but we do hope one day that is coming.
We are thankful for those who have joined us to help to provide the Authorized KJV Bibles to the pastors and even the Strong's Concordances and Halley's Bible Handbooks which we give out in order for them to be able to have some well spent time in Bible study. The pastors are so very happy about this. Another big blessing has been the reading glasses that some have so kindly donated! I have been amazed to see how badly these men have needed reading glasses and have really struggled to read their Bibles! God thinks of everything! Our team co-ordinator, Pastor Sablon, has such zeal for Treasure Keepers Kenya discipleship ministry that his old bicycle was just falling apart as he was riding all over to reach pastors with the news that the centre was now open for them. Well, we praise God, HE touched someone to donate to buy this precious pastor a new bicycle! He said no one had every given him a gift like this before. He was just so happy! We were even able to help him to get the dentures he needed! Such a beautiful smile he has now!! Our focus is on the spiritual FIRST and these are just a few testimonies of how GOD does take care of everything else when we seek HIM and His righteousness and His kingdom FIRST!! We give Him ALL the glory!!
When I see these pastors riding up on their rickety old bicycles, some coming from many miles away, my heart just goes out to them because of their comittment to what they are learning at the Treasure Keepers Kenya discipleship meetings. At our last two meeting some of the women leaders and their pastor walked over TEN miles to come to the meeting! At our last meeting in November there were 30 in attendance! They are SO hungry for the word of God and we make sure all that they are learning is backed up with the scriptures and in line with the Corner Stone Jesus Christ.
We emphasize standing for the truth and never compromising their faith. We do warn them of the deception in the church but we do not focus on that for we believe that if they are solid in the word of God that the Holy Spirit will show them if/when they are hearing false doctrine. We give them the scriptures that are corrupted in the NIV and other modern versions of the Bible so they can see the comparison between them and the scriptures in the Authorized KJV Bible. One of our pastors has a copy of an old KJV Luo Bible and he is copying those scriptures as they should appear so that those using the newer version Luo Bibles will have the corrected scriptures in their own language. God has preserved His truth for us, the full counsel of God, in the KJV Bible. We want to live by EVERY word of God!
This discipleship centre is a place where they can ask questions and get to the truth in the Bible without feeling shy or embarassed because they don't 'know' something. In the past we have found pastors who had many questions about the basic foundation of Christianity and now they are never embarassed if they don't know something...they freely ask and we go right into God's word to find the answers. They pastors have grown close through their association and we find each meeting the number has grown! Their committment and excitement is very 'contagious'!!
The centre itself started out as just a mud builing but God just kept providing and today it is a very lovely building with a nice large sitting room. No ceilings, yet, but that will come, too, I'm sure. Though, I'm afraid if things continue to go as they are we will have to have a tent to meet in or start having meetings more than once a month! God is so faithful! All of this has been through word of mouth! We have seen the hand of God here in Ndere and the people have been amazed. God gets ALL the glory. We have done nothing except to lift Him up high! This is HIS vision and no man can stop it and He has proven this. On November 30th we had a 'Thaksgiving' meeting to just give God thanks for what HE has done in the one year we have been here in Ndere. There were about 60 in attendance, also family members of Mama Junior who came from a very far distance and relatives of Pastor Hosea as well, and of course the pastors and their wives and some others. Everyone just praised and glorified God and it was indeed a wonderful meeting.
Since most of the interior pastors are quite poor, we do our best to give them some chai -tea with milk- when they arrive early in the morning on the meeting day as well as give them one meal before they leave for the long journey back to their home areas. God has stretched the food and there has always been enough. We DO request your prayers for this matter, though. Since the cooking is done over a wood fire it is a very big job for Mama Junior to do all this cooking! We are blessed that sometimes the ladies come and help her, but that will end when we start having the women's meetings separately. God knows what is on the way, though! He is where our help comes from!!
Treasure Keepers Kenya does not look for profit or gain...our treasures are being laid up in heaven. God has faithfully provided and we know it is the prayers of our family of God in other places who have touched the heart of God and we are most grateful for those He has raised up to stand with us here in Kenya.
If you have any qustions please feel free to cotact us....the quickest way is over the internet. God bless you and we encourage YOU to BE a Treasure Keeper, too!!
We will soon be having some certificates of appreciation printed up for the pastors who have so faithfully attended the meetings as well. It encourages them so much.
See the page for PIKIPIKI MAMAS 4 JESUS to find out more details about this ministry to women.
God bless you, Faithfully His, Mama Jo
TO our users
Kenya, even any place in Africa, is not an easy place to minister. But, there are those who do have a heart for the African people and are interested to know about the effots to bring the gospel to these precious people and even to stand with those who are ministering.
Treasure Keepers Kenya is here for those who wan to know. On this site we will keep you abreast of our own ministry and also just our every day life here.
We are happy to answer any questions so feel free to ask. We are the family of God and that is the most important thing. We care for and minister to one another wherever we may be either spiritually or materially if we are able.
Thank you for visiting our website and we pray that you have been blessed.
Mama Jo and Pastor Hosea / Treasure Keepers Kenya
History of project
In this part you can describe the project's history and give reasons for its creation. It is convinient to mention project milestones and honor participating people.