What does it take to serve faithfully for more than 30 years?
Ask the pastors of National Evangelical Outreach (NEO) in Kenya. Several began serving in the early 1990s and are still planting churches, discipling believers, mentoring pastors, and serving their communities today.
But faithfulness doesn’t make daily needs disappear.
Families still need food. Children need school fees. Travel between churches costs money. And in communities where economic opportunities are limited, local churches often cannot provide consistent financial support.
Flourish is one way we come alongside them. Instead of filling the same financial gap again and again, Flourish helps missionaries build small, sustainable businesses that fit their communities and what they already know. The income helps them provide for their families and continue serving where God has called them.
Clean Water Near Mai Mahiu
Rev. Josphat Githae has served with NEO since 1992 in a dry, rocky area where groundwater contains dangerously high levels of fluoride. Families may walk long distances for water that still isn’t safe to drink.
His Flourish project is a small reverse osmosis water purification and dispensing business. Families can access safe water at an affordable price, while Josphat earns income to support his household and continue overseeing fourteen pastors and evangelists.
A Shop in Marsabit
Rev. Daniel Lemadada has served since 1992 among predominantly Muslim communities in Marsabit, overseeing twelve pastors and evangelists across remote villages. Families there may travel many miles for food staples and basic household necessities.
His Flourish project is a small retail shop stocked with goods sourced from Nairobi with help from his eldest son. The shop will bring everyday necessities closer to local families while providing Daniel with a steady source of income.
Rebuilding After Loss
For years, livestock provided for Rev. Stephen Punyua’s family as he served among nomadic Maasai communities. Then flash floods drowned much of his flock, followed by a prolonged drought that wiped out the remaining animals.
Stephen kept serving.
His Flourish project helps him rebuild a livelihood he already knows, beginning with fifteen sheep and one breeding ram. As the flock grows, Stephen can sell mature sheep when income is needed while keeping enough animals to continue growing the flock.
Sheep and Dairy Cows
Pastor Luka Manyara’s Flourish project also begins with fifteen sheep and a breeding ram, a livelihood that fits naturally within the Maasai pastoralist community he serves.
For Pastor Job Kisang and Rev. Samuel Wainaina, sustainability looks like dairy farming. Both have served for more than three decades, and each project begins with two dairy cows. The milk can provide food for their families and income through local sales, while the herds can gradually grow through breeding.
Helping Them Stay
The businesses look different, but the questions behind them are the same:
What does this missionary already know? What does the community need? What can keep growing after the first investment?
These pastors have spent decades faithfully serving their communities. Flourish doesn’t replace that faithfulness. It comes alongside it, helping missionaries provide for their families and continue the work God has called them to.
Sometimes helping a missionary go further begins by helping them stay.
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3 Ways to Honor God on Your Next Mission Trip
We're sharing three things you should consider before you organize or participate in an international mission trip, seek to do work in the multicultural neighborhood in your own city, or embark on any cross-cultural partnership.
