travel troubles and new friends

Greetings from Eldoret, Kenya

I am thankful for airplanes and even more thankful to get off of them! In Washington DC we were all set to take off but when they closed the door the latch would not work. They made everyone get off and we had to change planes ...I guess the idea of a flapping door banging on the aircraft would have been annoying to the pilots.... as a result we missed our connection in Zurick. At first they rerouted us to Franfurt to Cairo to Nairobi...but changed it to London to Nairobi. This meant another day of travel and another night sleeping on a plane. A screaming three year old two rows back ...a future opera or heavy metal star ...made sure no of us would get any sleep.

When I arrived in Nairobi of course my luggage was not there ....but I did have my guitar which I had taken on all four of the flights. That is really the only thing I need ...anything else I can get here.

I caught my connecting flight to Eldoret and was able to meet Pastor Ken and all the campers from his church. We did a mini concert and these kids were jammin'. Their English is great they love the participation! It is going to be a fantastic week.

I've settled in my room ... and just found out my luggage will arrive tomorrow.... so despite some convenience and vanity issues all is well.

I keep hearing the Lord saying.... I'm in control....Stay focused on me ... I'm more interested in your character than comfort!

The ride here was interesting....we dodged a lot pedestrians ... potholes .. animals and a variety of other moving objects.... our driver probably would experience success in the NASCAR circuit... and the funniest thing of all.....everyone here drives on the wrong side of the road. I thought disaster was imminent more than once!

I'll write more soon!

Pray for open hearts and minds and safety for the travel of all the campers.... and that the Holy Spirit will unite us all!

Where in the World is John Wilkie?

Hi all!

My name is Lauren Ridge, and for those who don't know who I am, I'm John & Bonnie's eldest daughter who lives in Atlanta. I came up from Atlanta to suprise my dad for Thanksgiving and to see him off on this amazing trip that he has been so clearly called to go on. I am taking the liberty of posting an update on behalf of my wonderful dad even though he has no idea that I'm doing this! In this post, I will be referring to John as Dad since it's just too strange for me to refer to my father by his first name!

Yesterday morning bright and early, mom, dad, and I went out to the Penland Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our tree. Had we actually known the time dad's flight left we woudn't have done this. (more on this in a moment) We drove back to the house Charlotte and dad set about getting the tree up in the stand, getting last minute items together, and tying up last minute loose ends before leaving the house.

When we got into the car, we noticed that we had a problem with dad's mp3 player (it wouldn't turn off), and we had another 15 minute delay in which we unsuccesfully tried to power down the device via the computer. We gave up and headed to the airport while I fiddled with the device and eventually figured out how to turn it off!

Mom dropped Dad and I off at the terminal at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and we headed to the check in desk. The desk attendant mentioned something about his flight leaving in 14 minutes, so we couldn't check in because the flight was closed. Both dad and I were very confused and then realized that his flight left at 12:30, not 2. We had misread his itinerary from the travel agency and thought his arrival time in Washington was his departure time from Charlotte. Oops. Fortunately, the ticket agent was extremely helpful and put dad on the next flight out on a partner airline that had him arriving in plenty of time to connect to his flight to Zurich with less of a layover in D.C. She also arranged for dad to be able to carry on his guitar, which was a relief to all of us. Even if his bag gets lost, he has everything important on his person for the duration of his travel. It's amazing how God is always in control, even if we humans tend to screw things up sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time.

Dad's traveling adventures have not yet ended. He made it to D.C., connected to Zurich... and was still in Zurich as of this morning due to a problem with the airplane door. Apparently they couldn't close the door and he is now being sent to London to connect on a flight to Nairobi. It is still uncertain how he will get from Nairobi to El Doret since he most likely will have missed that connection as well.... but we do know this: God is in control and knows exactly where Dad is right now. He also knows exactly when Dad will arrive at his destination to do the work that he has gone to Kenya to do.

So, please continue keep dad in your prayers! I am sure he will update all of us whenever he arrives and has access to a computer. Thank you for your financial support and prayers, as I know they are very much appreciated by my father and the rest of us.

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my Blog!

This summer I was presented an opportunity to travel to Africa to work with Ken Manono who is senior pastor of a 5000 member church in Eldoret, Kenya. For the past 7 years, his church has hosted the “Lamb’s Conference.” This is a weeklong experience for 600 kids who come from Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Kenya. They receive extensive training to strengthen their Biblical knowledge and to hone their skills in evangelism. Several sessions each day include worship and music and they were in need of someone to lead this. Once Pastor Ken and I agreed my abilities were a good match I asked the Lord to confirm my attendance.

Soon after I was having my devotional time and the Bible reading was John 4:38. In the “Message” it says, "I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others." I believe this was clear affirmation….. so I’m stepping out in faith! I will be doing several other concerts in the capital city of Nairobi and will be posting exact details.


As you read this blog…… I need prayer warriors who will faithfully lift up my preparation, travel, health, logistics and the conference itself to the throne room of God. From previous trips to the Dominican Republic and Ethiopia, I have experienced intense spiritual warfare and I won’t enter this battle without my most crucial weapon! Each post will detail specific prayer requests….So….thanks for being on my team!


- John Wilkie