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The Money is in The Bank!

Ronnie Matheny • Feb 25, 2020

7 Days of Heaven

It is so great to be back in Kenya, being with our Kenya family and with so many of the pastors. The last 7 days have been heavenly.

Marriage Conference
Last Tuesday-Thursday noon we had 59 couples in attendance in Rift Valley for an exciting week teaching on marriage. Many of the couples were younger and they were all in every session and workshop. Several had traveled 20 miles to attend. We witnessed so many couples have joy return to their marriage as well as healing.

A New Era
Thursday afternoon we traveled to Kitale in Western Kenya for a 1-day regional meeting. At first we had planned for 300-350 but as the response grew, we rented a hall that seats 500 but then had to move outside into a large garden area under shaded trees as we had 730 pastors and leaders in attendance! What a special day for me and Debbie as this is the town that in 1966 while my father was visiting Kenya on a mission’s trip God spoke to him to bring his family back. Our family moved to Kitale 52 years ago and it is where it all started. On the way there, February 20, is when we received confirmation that the wire transfer for our payment was being prepared. While I was preaching on Friday, the confirmation came that the payment had been sent. The video is the response when we shared with the pastors. (Still wanting to see the money in our account but these were all good signs). Someone on our team felt that God was starting a new era with CMM that day. Since it all started in Kitale and we happen to be in Kitale when the ministry receives confirmation that we have been paid for the old facilities and funds coming to double our facilities and move to next level of the vision was quiet a moment for us. 02/20/2020…double, double and 20/20 Vision!

CMM Offices
Sunday I spoke at Destiny Chapel and then we got a tour of the temporary CMM offices and where all our things are stored. They had the “chairman’s office” all ready for me and it felt so special. We carry on while we rebuild.

Then came Monday!!!!
Pastor Chola stopped by our bank to check the CMM bank account. He asked for our balance. When the teller looked at the computer, he was startled and then began to count the digits to make sure he was reading it right. He had first written our current balance before checking for any deposits. Our current balance was $47.50. He then looked at any deposits and looked startled. AGAIN, he counted how many digits in the deposit to make sure he had it right. Pastor Chola watched him count 9 digits!!!!! Our compensation funds were in our account and available!! From that moment on that day became a blur….shouting, crying, laughing, shaking, hugging, more laughing and shouting, more hugging and ice cream!

What a Ride
Pastor Chola, John Magangi, Sam and I had to leave that afternoon for a 4-hour trip to eastern Kenya for another regional. That trip in our van was one of the greatest rides in Kenya yet. We planned, recalled experiences along the way, more laughing, made phone calls, at times someone just shouted…it was awesome.

Eastern Kenya
The next day we had 200 pastors in Kitui and it was another wonderful day with the pastors and doing what God called us here to do. When I finally got the mic away from Pastor Chola and John, I preached for 2 ½ hours (this is Kenya not America).

So very grateful!

The post The Money is in The Bank! appeared first on Mission Barnabas.

22 Dec, 2023
The past 6 weeks have been a whirlwind, starting with our annual banquet, and then traveling with 10 Kenyans to several churches and groups in Texas and Mississippi. The Kenyans turned every place we visited upside down. We had powerful services as we shared the 2023 update and the songs they sang, brought the house down everywhere. During this season, we were believing God for an outpouring of support for several major projects: buying concordances, shipping a sea container, buying needed items for CMM, scholarship funds for students waiting for help, travel expenses, and finishing paying for several projects that arose from opening. So far in this fund-raising season, we/you have bought 1,004 concordances, paid for finishing immediate projects, bought kitchen utensils, musical instruments, and funds for some scholarship help, and we load and ship the next sea container on Dec. 28th (if you live in the Metroplex we will load from 7am-1:00pm…snacks, lunch and a heavenly award provided). This response comes a couple of months after funds were given to buy our transformer and build a small building to house it as well as purchasing a 20ft. container equipped and customized into men's and women’s public toilets that CMM desperately needed. In this season of Thanksgiving, our hearts are full of thanks for each of you and your heart for Africa, CMM, and the part you play in enlarging this vision. From Debbie and I and all of our CMM team, we wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Let’s all buckle up for a great 2024 and as always, may the Lord enlarge the borders of your tent! Ronnie and Debbie PS…If you have been contemplating where you might do some year-end giving…we have the place. We are still hoping for more funding to scholarship several more students for the Bible college (25 waiting for help), extra funds to bless our staff during this season as well as purchase a commercial dryer before the next rainy season. If God prompts you to help, CLICK HERE . Or mail us at: Mission Barnabas PO Box 820734 N.Richland Hills, TX. 76182
10 Oct, 2023
Greetings Friends and Family, It’s that time of the year again, celebrating at the Mission Barnabas Banquet! Please mark your calendar now for Tuesday evening, Nov. 7th. We are returning to the Colleyville Center, and have lowered the cost to $30.00 a person. LaHacienda Ranch will cater a delicious meal. mb2023.eventbrite.com It promises to be an exciting time of celebration now that CMM 2.0 is open and dedicated. What a celebration this will be. We have 10 Kenyans from our staff and team that will be at this year’s banquet. There will be inspiring praise, singing, testimonies and video updates of what has happened in 2023, the year of launching our new facilities, conferences, and Bible college.
12 Sept, 2023
We have just finished five conferences at CMM over the past three weeks. Three of these were our conferences: 2 “Count Me In” (youth and college) and our Leadership Conference (pastors and church leaders). In total, we have accommodated 2,135 delegates. We are definitely up and running. Here are some of the highlights as the ministry explodes: During the youth camps (ages 13-19), several hundred received Christ, and many recommitted their lives to Christ. During the college-age camp (ages 20-30), powerful services and serious renewals of God’s purpose and calling on hundreds, many of them youth leaders During the pastor’s and leader’s conference, powerful teaching on “Knowing Your Purpose and Discovering Your Destiny.” There are so many powerful testimonies from the pastors. We gave away hundreds of books, plus facilitated a fantastic workshop to give out concordances and teach them how to use them. One of those in the seminar had recently been saved and had been a professor at a Muslim university. We also had 110 first-time delegates to attend a CMM conference. In other news, by God's grace, we received the funds needed (over $25,000.00) to purchase our own transformer, have it installed by the power company, and build housing for it. It should be installed any day now; even though we were told several weeks ago when we paid, that it would be installed quickly, we are still waiting. However, on Sunday, the power company came out and drilled a hole for one of the poles needed and left many parts to be used in hooking up our transformer. We are hoping this is done before Jesus returns. (Those who have helped us with this unexpected and quite large sum needed, Asante Sana!) There is so much to share with all that has been happening since we opened. So many miracles, blessings, and ministry explosion, along with God helping us through many challenging and stressful situations. You do not want to miss this year’s banquet on November 7th. Please mark your calendar, as this will be another celebration of what God has and is doing. Several Kenyans from our staff and team will be attending this year! We have a couple of projects we believe God will provide quickly. The next rainy season is in October, and we have one place that must have gutters and one area where we need a retaining wall. Both projects are $1,500.00 each. If God prompts you to help, just CLICK HERE. Or Mal us at: Mission Barnabas PO Box 820734 N.Richland Hills, TX. 76182 Enjoy some of the pictures taken over the last few weeks. Blessings, Ronnie and Debbie
27 Jul, 2023
Last November many of us made pledges to help scholarship some of the Bible college students who might need help. Our first term started in February and the second semester was completed in June and the 3 rd is this September. Our first class we had 40 students, 54 in June and we are expecting another group of first timers in September as word is spreading and there is so much excitement. We are expecting to reach 100 by Feb. 2024 semester. Debbie and I made a pledge and have it in our budget to pay. If you made a pledge, this could be a great blessing to help some of the students for the September class. CLICK HERE TO WATCH a video report about the college so far in 2023. Blessings, Ronnie PS…if you did not make a pledge or did not know about this challenge, if God directs this would be a great investment: $300.00 supports a pastor for 1 semester full scholarship or 2 pastors partial scholarships. Mail: Mission Barnabas Int. POB 820734 N. Richland Hill, Tx. 76182 Donate Online: www.missionbarnabas.us/donate Mark your calendar: Mission Barnabas banquet….Nov. 7
23 May, 2023
Ten days after the first conference at our new facility, we were chosen by Great Africa Harvest to accommodate hundreds of pastors from every nation in Africa and every county in Kenya for an international conference held in Nairobi. We started preparations for this group the day after our conference ended and basically worked around the clock to be ready. The organizations involved in this evangelistic endeavor bought tickets for key leaders from all 53 nations on the continent for a 4-day conference. CMM provided accommodations (bed and breakfast) for 640 pastors and leaders for 5 days. We believe this was historic as, from our investigation, this is the first meeting ever to bring pastors from all nations together for one meeting, and CMM hosted all the international guests and Kenya county leaders. We were overwhelmed as we met great men and women of God from so many nations. I must share what happened on the last 2 nights of their stay with us. We have been sending containers with resources to Kenya even during the 5 years we have not been able to have conferences. We had hundreds of concordances on hand and felt it would be a blessing to give a concordance to all these leaders. On Wednesday night, after they returned from their conference, we gave them information about CMM and the Bible College and THEN gave all 640 of them a concordance (each concordance stamped with CMM contact information). On the following evening, I gave them a crash course on how to use it. So, get this, we have now given a concordance to leaders in EVERY nation in Africa!! What a glorious and fun time as I shook hands with pastors from Nigeria, Togo, Algeria, Ghana, Congo, Ethiopia, and many others, some I could not pronounce. It also looks like we will be having students come to the college from other nations in Africa as well. We signed concordances (so many requested that Debbie jumped in and helped sign them), did an interview, answered questions, and received invitations to travel to other nations and teach pastors. God is enlarging the borders of the CMM tent, and we (Ronnie) must now go and learn how to pronounce every African country. Enjoy the video of all nations in the new CMM auditorium waving and shouting thanks for their brand-new Strong’s Concordances!
03 Apr, 2023
What a glorious day, March 15, Dedication Day for CMM 2.0. The excitement, joy, and anticipation were ‘off the charts.’ After over 5 years of no conferences, when we gave the first shout of triumph, I thought the roof started to lift. With 500 pastors and leaders, an awesome worship team, many local guests, guests from the States, 80 workers, and our staff and team, 700+ celebrated this momentous occasion with such thanksgiving and praise for what the Lord has done. We will attempt with words, pictures, and videos to share and capture how exciting the dedication was. From the ribbon cutting to the first shout of triumph, the first praise song, to recognizing those that helped us to reach this historic moment to the dedication message, such joy filled the auditorium. Then we had the dedication prayer, the unveiling of the official opening plaque, the cutting of the cake, and the dedication offering while many of the Matheny family sang, “It’s Worth it All.” It is almost impossible for me to describe in words the emotions, the joy, and the glory of the Lord that filled the building along with so many smiling faces, high fives, hugs, and dancing. The rejoicing, the recognition of God’s Hand, and His blessings that made all of this possible were almost tangible, along with recognizing and appreciating so many that helped us reach this goal.
07 Oct, 2022
Greetings Friends and Family, I have been anxiously waiting for the day to arrive to invite everyone to this year’s banquet. We have not posted the latest progress or developments in the construction of the new CMM so we can do a ‘big reveal’. Trust me when I say you will be blessed, excited, and amazed at the progress. Joel and Pauline Chola will also be attending again this year, and it is always wonderful to hear from them. You must plan to come and rejoice and celebrate as you have been on this journey with us for several years. This year’s banquet will be at the same venue as last year’s: The Bowden 1775 Keller Parkway, Keller, Texas Tuesday, November 1st, at 6PM. The cost is $40.00 per ticket. If you would like to sponsor a table for 10 guests, the cost is $1,000.00. These sponsorships are vital to making the banquet such a wonderful event, enabling us to make it so special. Why not stop now and go ahead and get your ticket or sponsor a table? CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Last, please plan to invite other friends to be your guest so they can witness the miracles of this journey. Can’t wait…can’t wait…can’t wait to November 1st…see all of you there!! Blessings, Ronnie Matheny Chairman, Mission Barnabas The evening will include a pre-meal experience, a chef-prepared dinner and a special presentation from the Mission Barnabas Team. Doors open at 6:00pm. Please note: There will be no RSVP or walk up tickets available for this evening. You must purchase tickets online by October 20th in order to attend, with limited seats available. Children are welcome, but must have a purchased ticket.  Dress is Business Casual.
19 Sept, 2022
After a 5 year journey, we've just completed our first ever meeting at the new CMM - you have to see it to believe it! CLICK TO WATCH
24 Aug, 2022
Greetings from Kenya! Debbie and I have been back in Kenya for 4 weeks and we hit the ground running. We can’t tell you how wonderful it was to walk into our new home, unpack one time, sleep in our own bed, turn on the coffee pot and just look out the windows to such peaceful and beautiful surroundings. We are surrounded by wonderful neighbors in our Lakeview Estates community. What a joy and blessing. It is so wonderful to have our team just “across the street” as since our arrival we have been in non-stop meetings and decision making and shopping. With everyone and the CMM offices only a short walk away, things have been so much easier and convenient. We are blessed. Kenya Presidential Elections Kenya held its Presidential elections on Aug. 9th and the winner was announced 7 days later after all the votes were tabulated. The losing party felt that the election was stolen and have taken their case to the Supreme Court. Within 14-21 days arguments will be heard and then the court will rule. For the most part the nation has remained calm and is back to normal while the petition is being heard. Please continue to believe with us and pray that once a decision is made that peace will continue to prevail. Construction Updates and Event Dates We want to update you on the progress and plans as they stand now for the next few months and into 2023. We were hoping to dedicate our new facilities during a conference in September. However, our contractor recently informed us that due to several reasons our auditorium will not be available for meetings until December. The rest of the various buildings will be completed by the middle of September and some in early November. We will be able to host smaller meetings this fall but not be able to have a large conference until the auditorium is completed. So we have moved the dedication of the new facilities to March 13-17, 2023. We will launch our first semester of the Bible college at the end of January-February. We will conduct our second semester in June and the 3rd semester in September. We are also planning a marriage conference the first week of July and another leadership conference in the first week of September. Today we met with our staff for several hours and it was so much fun to start planning conferences again! Also, mark your calendar for our MB banquet Nov. 1 at the Bowden in Keller, Tx. Container. Another great testimony and blessing are how things went with our latest container arriving in Kenya, then on to customs and then finally to CMM. I wrote all about it and posted it on Facebook. If you missed it, I have copied it below. It is a must read. Enjoy! So grateful for each of you and your support. We are so close to seeing the dream come true! Ronnie and Debbie Container Story After sending containers over the past 19 years this last one was not only one of the most challenging but also the one with the most miracles and favor! For those helping us send this last container in June are familiar with the challenges to get it loaded and shipped. After delays, shipping date changes, no truck drivers available, and extreme heat, it left Texas. However, this container arrived on time to Mombasa then in record time to Nairobi. It arrived the day before the Presidential election which meant many businesses, schools, etc. closing for possible chaos aftermath. Our wonderful clearing agent, Beverly Maina, started the customs and inspection clearing on Thursday. This container was the highest valued container we have sent and in most cases they find items to add additional charges after we have already paid standard custom rates. This one could have lit up the “extra charges” lights but after a short inspection they released the container with NO additional fees! This is for sure a blessing. After the container left the port headed to CMM, the truck driver took a wrong turn in the town near CMM and got trapped in the open market with so many people and traffic that he could not maneuver. He had to stop and wait but he stopped on an incline. He was leaving the truck to find a mechanic as his brake system wasn’t functioning properly. After he got out of the truck it started to roll backwards (30+ tons) toward the market filled with people, open air shops, etc. By the Grace of God, the truck turned slightly and smashed into a car and the driver running after it was able to prevent more damage. The police came and “arrested the truck” and towed it to the local police station…approx. $200,000+ value of goods…where it had to stay overnight. The sea container traveled over 12,000 miles via water, land,by rail, by truck and then was arrested 3 miles from CMM! Since starting construction at CMM, our team had gone to the local police station to introduce ourselves and who we are. That led to us meeting the senior overseeing officer and started a good connection and relationship. That led to Sam Karanja and Joel Chola Mnjala even having the senior officer’s cell number. So after the container was towed to the station Sam called the officer who made sure all was well with the contents and it would be safe. He said the truck was arrested but not the contents and we were free to come the next morning and remove them! Another blessing as sometimes things aren’t safe at some police stations. We all had to release this situation to God so we could get some sleep in order to be ready for the next day. Sam organized for about 10 guys to come to help us unload the container at the police station, load it into rented trucks, take it to CMM and offload again. Around 10:00pm all the container goods were at CMM with nothing left, stolen or impounded and without a forklift, pallet jack or a nearby McDonalds. What a journey with this container that contains thousands of blessings for the pastors, CMM and many others that are not even aware yet! To God be the glory!!
08 Jun, 2022
Due to several challenges and issues beyond our control, we have changed the dates for our dedication and Bible College launch. CMM will host a 2-day leadership conference Sept. 27-28th. We will have the dedication service of our new facilities on the 28th. On Sept. 29-30 we will host a 2-day Bible College orientation and application process. All prospective students will be able to register and meet the necessary requirements by the government in pursuing ministry education. The students will be given materials for preparation for the first semester courses (28 days) and the College will be launched Feb. 2023. We will host our first 5-day conference in early March 2023 which will include our Grand Opening!! Exciting days ahead!! We are on schedule for construction to be completed in late August or early September with a couple of weeks to spare if needed. The Jewell House, kitchen/dining are roofed, and the interior finish is being done now. The dormitory’s top floor is being walled now and both floors of the Admin building are being walled and the roof finished. The foundation for the auditorium is being poured with walling to begin soon. Last fall we challenged our supporters to help us purchase a complete bed set up for our new dormitory. We have 300+ beds in storage from our old dormitory but our new facility will sleep over 600. A complete bed set includes the bed, mattress, sheets, pillow and blanket costing $300.00. Several have furnished a room for $1200.00 which includes a plague on the door honoring the sponsor of the room. Those that pledged to purchase a bed or room last fall, the pledge was/is due by May as we are in the process of ordering the beds. If you pledged but haven’t paid yet, a pastor is waiting on you☺. If this is your first time to hear about this challenge, please feel free to bless many future pastors with a bed. Donate online: missionbarnabas.us/donate or by mail: MB POB 820734 N.Richland Hills, Tx. 76182. We have almost reached our goal of 300 beds and believe we shall over the next few weeks. In Other News: We will be loading the next 40 ft. sea container on June 17th and can use all the help we can get. Loading with books (19,000+), sound equipment, mowers, computers, tables, etc. Arrives in Kenya late August. Debbie and I return to Kenya on June 24th and will be there until October. We have waited for this upcoming trip and all that will happen while gone for a long, long time. CMM is hosting a Leadership Summit in Nairobi on July 13th to keep the tradition of meeting before each Presidential election to bring leaders together to pray for the nation and strengthen unity. We are expecting hundreds of pastors to join us for this powerful event. Please begin to pray for peaceful presidential elections, August 9th. If you are interested in or planning to travel to Kenya for any of our events, please contact us for the latest requirements and information you will need for a successful trip. Once again, thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers. The day we all have dreamed of for so long is almost here! Going to cooler temperatures…will not miss the Texas summer heat, Ronnie and Debbie
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