Reba Johnson, who divides her time between Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Lexington Ky., became a Facebook friend of Stevie Ogutu, of Kisumu, Kenya, never dreaming it might take her halfway around the world. A licensed associate minister at the True Believer Church, Reba followed Ogutu's postings of inspiration, motivation and compassion for others." When Reba asked if women were embraced by this ministry, Ogutu explained women were an integral part of their worship services and they were also embraced as ministers and pastors. He suggested she come and see for herself. Reba agreed she would like to do that without any expectation it would happen.
Much to her surprise, Ogutu invited her to speak at a women's conference which would be held in his village in April 2017. Excited by the opportunity, Reba agreed to participate.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Reba and her daughter, Brooke Johnson, also of Poplar Bluff, flew to Nairobi, Kenya.
When Reba arrived in Nairobi, she was surprised to discover she was the conference. Reba was not just a speaker, she was the speaker! Everyone, Ogutu told her, was excited she had come from America to speak. Some of them walk for days, carrying bundles of food and clothing, to attend this conference.
As Reba adjusted to the idea she was heading the conference, she was also dealing with another situation -- her luggage didn't make it to Nairobi. In fact, Reba never saw her luggage again until a month after returning to the States. At this moment Reba realized first hand how God works in mysterious ways! While shopping for a couple of outfits to get her through the upcoming week, Reba understood God's message: He had sent her, not her trappings or her planned speech, to the conference.
The first night in Kenya, they stayed in Nairobi. The next day, they drove to Kisumu and then on to the village of Gem. At one point they were pulled over by the police. While Reba and her daughter remained in the car, the church hosts, Minister Opondo and Archbishop Tobias, who were seated in front, stepped out of the car and dealt with the police. "We had no idea," Reba said, "what was going on, but you can imagine all the things that ran through our minds." After what seemed like a very long time, the police let the men return to the car and go on their way. To this day, Reba has no idea why they were stopped. For the rest of the trip, the mantra for Reba and her daughter was -- NO POLICE. Apparently, it worked. The rest of their trip proceeded without a hitch.
In Gem, huge tents, which seated 200 - 300 people each, had been set up to house the conference. "It was most impressive," Reba said, "and a bit overwhelming."
Fortunately, God has blessed Reba with flexibility and improvisation. Instead of her prepared speech, which was floating around in her luggage somewhere, Reba spoke from her heart and was warmly received. "These people worshipped with their whole hearts," Reba said. "The Bible totally came to life here for both Brooke and me!" Later, Reba led workshops in which she taught praise dance worship for three different songs. The local ladies loved it!
A highlight of the conference for Reba was when her daughter, Brooke, spoke words of motivation and inspiration to more than 200 high school age kids.
The down side of the lost luggage was the loss of the toiletries and other items which she had brought for the people of the village. Reba is currently putting together another package of toiletries and items to send to the village in mid-July. While there Brooke visited the village library, which has less than 100 books. The villagers do speak and read English so children's books would be appreciated. Anyone interested in donating to the project may do so by contacting Reba @ reba.johnson4@gmail.com.
After the four-day conference, Reba and Brooke returned to Nairobi where they were dinner guests in the home of Bishop Paul Korir and his wife Selline.
The last few days, Reba and her daughter did some sightseeing. They visited an animal orphanage where they saw lions, tigers, hedgehogs, zebra, gazelles, wort hogs, and many other animals. At one point between Nairobi and Kisumu, they arrived at the equator where they took some photos. One evening they visited Lake Victoria. Here they enjoyed fresh fish for dinner.
"Downtown Nairobi is 'super crowded.'" Reba explained. "There are no stop signs! You are on your own! People sell food at the side of the road, but the more interesting event involved cows. Every morning a herd of cows appeared out of nowhere and walked down the main street as if they were going to work, then every evening, those same cows made the same trek back. People accepted this as routine, giving the cows space as if this was the most natural thing in the world! Well, perhaps, in Nairobi, it is!"
Reba was surprised how quickly the week flew by. Both she and her daughter were sad to leave, but they look forward to returning someday.
"This visit was such a blessing," Reba said. "We both made wonderful new friends, and memories which will last a lifetime."
This trip taught me, Reba said, "All the things God can do. We tend to put Him in a box thinking this is all He can do, forgetting God can do everything!"
"This mission would not have been possible," Reba explained, "without the support of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Kennedy, Pastor Andrew Jefferson and Morning Star Church, First Assembly of God, Marthies Johnson, Ron Douglas, David Odom, David Stout and the Holiday Inn." Reba invites anyone who would like to partner with her in future outreach projects to contact her at 859-420-2097 or reba.johnson4@gmail.com.