Ministry Information

While living and serving in Kenya, teams have the amazing opportunity to build solid and long-lasting relationships. In Africa, relationships always come before projects. Team members should come prepared as learners, as the Kenyans will have much to teach about life, God, faith, community, and love.

That said, ELI does have a variety of projects and ministries for teams to get involved with when they come. We love to have people working in areas that they are passionate about, using the specific skills God has given them; different team members may be doing different things. Some may be building, others may work with kids, and still others may work in the health clinic. We want to be flexible in order to see God using people in the way He created them to serve and flourish. Here are the main areas in which teams serve:

Construction: We have both major and minor construction needs at our Training Centers, Children’s Homes, and Health Clinic. From constructing an entire building from the ground up to repairing a broken fence to picking up a paint brush, we have projects for everyone to be involved with - no matter their skill level.

Health: We also have opportunities for team members to serve at our Health Clinic and with our medical ministry. If a team member has a specific skill, they can set up a medical clinic in that field for the people of the village (i.e. an eye clinic or dental clinic). We also have a Home-Based Care team that visits and cares for those suffering from AIDS in the community. Team members assisting the Home-Based Care team will visit AIDS patients in their homes to encourage and love them. This may include helping with household duties, providing check-ups, reading the Bible to them, singing with them, praying with them, or maybe just sitting and holding their hand.

Training: Team members can be involved in assisting or leading training seminars for the villagers. These can be trainings for pastors, Sunday School workers, the house parents at our Children’s Homes, or villagers. Trainings can be on topics like leadership, child development, family and marriage counseling, psychology, agriculture, or computers. If a team member has certain skills or knowledge that compliments the ministry goals for the year, special arrangements may be made for such a seminar to take place. But again, please come into these types of situations as a learner first. Before teaching the Kenyans, we ask that you take the time to learn from them what they already know about the subject and how they handle that subject in their culture. These kinds of trainings can be a great learning and growing experience for both parties.

Children’s Ministry:  ELI has two Children’s Homes in Kenya, each housing 96 orphans. Teams can work with our nationals to host a Vacation Bible School or youth camp, organize recreation, lead evening devotions, or participate in any other projects that would bless the children. The staff at the homes can always use help with household chores, helping the children with homework, and just loving and investing in each child. If a team comes in April, August, or December (the months the children are out of school), they can also raise funds to take the kids out for a field trip. The children love getting to travel to explore new places, experience new environments, and see more of their country. A team could also raise money to take the house parents on a retreat to give them a time away for team building, counseling, refreshment, and fun. 

Evangelism: Teams can participate in outreach meetings that are held in partnership with local churches where we invite hundreds of villagers and share the good news of the Gospel! And no matter what the main project for a team may be, all teams are involved with church on Sundays (singing, sharing testimonies, preaching, etc.).

Home Visits: All teams will participate in home visits - visiting Kenyans in their homes and building relationships. Kenyan culture is very relational and much of the trip may be sitting in a Kenyan hut, drinking chai, sharing life, and praying together. In Kenya, having a guest in your home is a huge honor and these home visits bless both the visitor and the host.

Interested in joining an ELI team or sending a team of your own through us? Read through the next steps here.