08/22/09: Missionary, Husband, Father and Bread-Winner

It was in 1998 when I became a Seventh-day Adventist, while I was a college student. I can remember the day clearly that I started searching for this precious truth. I knelt down alone in my room and for the first time in my life I burst into tears and carried my supplication to the Lord. In my prayer I confessed all the wrongs that I had committed and asked for forgiveness, and in my closing sentence I pled, “Lord, lead me to a people who believe and teach the Word of truth.” That was on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. As I arose from my knees, I decided to pay a visit to a fellow college mate. When I reached his room, I knocked on the door and pushed it open, and there I found five young men studying. One was holding a white book entitled National Sunday Law, and another had a blue colored book entitled The Great Controversy. I had heard about these books before, but I had never seen nor read them. You can guess what followed: I joined the group and turned into a serious, diligent student of the Bible; and before the end of that year, I quit college and went into fulltime missionary work.

I first became a full-time colporteur selling Spirit of Prophecy books and Bibles, and then later I was ordained to the work of the ministry. My assignment as a minister was to go out into unchurched areas and establish churches. During this time I came to a deep understanding of the book of Acts, as well as Paul’s other books. Many of the experiences that I had reminded me of the apostle’s experiences, such as imprisonment, hunger, dangers along the journey, sleeping out on verandas, being hosted in a stranger’s house, betrayal by brothers, being sent away by the churches I helped to establish, etc. All this did not deter the missionary spirit in me; instead, I became more determined to work for the Lord, and in all of these incidents I saw the Lord’s hand at unexpected ends.

Today in 2009, I am a father to a precious three-year-old boy and a husband to Susan. I thank the Lord that I am proud of how the Lord has worked in our family. My wife is very supportive in my work in that every time I arrive home she welcomes me with a word of prayer to the Lord, saying, “Lord, thank you for the work my husband has been able to accomplish today. We believe that even tomorrow another soul will be harvested for the eternal kingdom.”

“There is a great work to be done in our world. Men and women are to be converted, not by the gift of tongues nor by the working of miracles, but by the preaching of Christ crucified. Why delay the effort to make the world better? Why wait for some wonderful thing to be done, some costly apparatus to be provided? Into all that we do, whether our work be in the shop, on the farm, or in the office, we are to bring the endeavor to save souls.” My Life Today, 219.

Apart from the missionary work I do, I also run errands for a nursery school as a way of earning a living to sustain the daily needs of my young growing family, such as food, medical expenses, etc.

Currently I am also working with schools where I conduct early morning devotions and Bible studies. My days are very full with all of these responsibilities and missionary endeavors. I spend Mondays through Thursdays morning till night, working at the school as well as the other missionary endeavors. I take off Friday afternoon from my regular activities so that I can prepare for the Sabbath. Sabbath is another busy day as our small group meets to worship and then witness. Then I spend Sunday trying to keep my home in repair as well as study for my presentations for the new week. When there are school holidays, we travel to neighboring churches to bring encouragement to them.

Truly, brothers and sisters, we kindly solicit for your prayers and material support like Bibles, books, prophetic charts and funds to enable us to purchase a vehicle. The needs here never seem to end, but the Lord is ever faithful.

God bless you as you carry the work to a finished end.

By Paul Mites, P.O. Box 2093, Nakuru-20100, Kenya. Telephone: +254722418931 or +254722448380.