common questions…

What is your favorite thing about living in Kenya?

Serving God by serving others and proclaiming the Good News about Jesus Christ.

What is the hardest part about living in Kenya?

Leaving our family and friends in America and the lack of tacos here!

What is the average income for a Kenyan citizen?

It is really difficult to determine an “average” income for Kenyans. Those with professional degrees working in Nairobi earn a much higher salary than most. Over 40% of Kenyans live below the poverty line (less than $2 per day). Kenya is ranked 8th in the world for most people living in extreme poverty and our county of Bungoma is among the counties in Kenya with the highest percentages of people living in extreme poverty. In our area if someone is making $50 a month that is considered a good income. Our area is mostly small farmers so there are very few steady jobs available.

How would you describe the landscape of Bungoma, Kenya?

Almost all of Bungoma county is farmland. The major crops being grown are corn (field corn, not sweet corn), sugarcane, and beans. From Mercy Home, you can see Mt. Elgon, which sits along the border between Kenya and Uganda.

What keeps Kenyans from knowing God?

There are several challenges that make it difficult for many Kenyans to know God. Political instability and the growth of Islam and religious cults are certainly among them. But the biggest factors are probably poverty along with illiteracy and especially Bible illiteracy. With such a large population living in extreme poverty, the main focus tends to be on getting out of poverty, as opposed to knowledge of truth. Therefore the so-called “prosperity gospel” is very prevalent as many like to hear that god wants them to be rich and healthy. This is why we try to focus on a holistic ministry approach, combining the preaching of the gospel, teaching Biblical truths, and meeting the very real personal needs of our community. We try to not only proclaim God’s love, but also demonstrate it.

What’s something interesting about Kenyan culture?

There are about 42 tribes in Kenya, and each has its own language and culture which all mesh together to make up the Kenyan people. Most Kenyans, especially the younger generations, speak their tribal language (they call their “mother tongue”), Swahili, and learn English as their third language. Those who complete high school are usually fluent in all three. The tribe we live among, the Luhya tribe, is the second-largest tribe in Kenya. There are about 18 sub-tribes of the Luhya tribe, of which we live among the Bukusu. Something peculiar about Bukusu culture is it is considered an abomination for most in-laws to greet one another, or even be in the same room or ride together in a vehicle. For instance, when our eldest son, Cory, came to visit with his wife Rachel, Jeff hugged Rachel at the airport, which would have made our Bukusu friends VERY uncomfortable had they been there.

There are so many needs in Kenya. How do you decide which ones to meet? And how do you have peace about the ones you can’t meet?

We pray a lot, that God would meet the needs according to His will. With the help of our social workers and some of our staff, we have put procedures in place for identifying and prioritizing needs. As various needs are brought to us, or as we meet various people with needs, especially children and widows, we trust that God has connected us for a reason and try to determine the best way we can help. Knowing how much monthly committed giving we have to work with also helps, but there have been several times where we felt we had to help beyond our means and trust that God was leading us and would provide. Up to this point, God has provided every time we have done that, usually beyond what we even imagined.

What language do the Kenyan people speak?

All Kenyans speak their tribal language, most also speak Swahili, and about 30% are fluent in English.

What are your plans for the Mercy Home kids after they graduate high school?

Our plan is to assess each of our kids’ desires, abilities, and aptitudes in order to help guide them into adulthood. For those who would like to pursue a degree, the costs for college in Kenya is quite reasonable. For others, we will help them get technical training. We raise our kids as a family, therefore we will remain their family and a source of support even after they leave Mercy Home.

 Can items be mailed to you?

Yes, shipping a box or package to Kenya through USPS is expensive. Cards, letters, and pictures are much more reasonable. You can mail to: Jeff Bys P.O. Box 1166 Bungoma, Kenya 50200

Recently we learned about Kentex Cargo and Linktech Shipping. Both of these companies specialize in US to Kenya shipping and do ocean and air-shipping for reasonable prices. If you would like more details about that you can email info@afm.ngo.

How do you do it?

Through Christ alone! We are not some sort of super hero or super spiritual people, just “normal” folks trying to follow God’s call on our life.

About the Bys family…

How long have you been married?

19 years. We married January 11, 2003

Why Kenya?

For many years, Jeff had an unexplainable love for Africa. For most of that time, Steph was resistant to the thought of moving. Jeff often prayed that God would either take the desire away or change Steph’s mind. David of AFM, which is based in Garland, TX, approached Jeff about volunteering with the ministry, which Jeff did for a couple of years. Jeff finally had an opportunity to visit one of the AFM supported ministries in April of 2016, which happened to be in Kenya. During that short trip, Jeff felt that was where they needed to be. While Jeff was away, God made it clear to Steph that we were to go. When Jeff returned, we started selling all our belongings and making plans. We arrived in Kenya with our 7 youngest children on December 1, 2016.

How do your American kids help in the ministry?

In so many ways! Just to name a few: Caitie is the admin queen, in charge of medications, helps with the babies, is the girls’ room monitor (she sleeps in the girls’ dorm), and is really one of the backbones of Mercy Home. Karson helps with maintenance, helps with our weekly shopping, is the boys’ room monitor (he sleeps in the boys’ dorm) and is also one of the backbones of Mercy Home. Karson, Brendan, Joy, Violet, Aspen, and Reed are all fluent in Swahili and help with translating often!

Do your American kids attend school?

Brendan, Violet, Aspen, and Joy are all homeschooled, while Reed attends Mercy Christian Academy.

How do you get spiritually fed?

Spending time in the early morning praying and reading the Bible, Jeff and Steph try to spend some time reading a devotional and praying together, we start every school day with chapel which is often taught by Jeff, most nights we have a family Bible study, Jeff preaches nearly every Sunday so he spends time during the week studying and preparing sermons, and we go to Mercy Baptist Church every Sunday together, which meets at our Mercy Ministries campus.

How long do you picture your family in Kenya?

Jeff and Steph are here for life, God willing. We sold all our possessions and do not take a salary, therefore we are trusting that God will provide for our needs. As for our children that are here with us, we are praying that God will lead and guide each of them as He sees fit. Caitlin has, to this point, expressed that she desires to remain in Kenya and continue in ministry work. God willing that will include starting a clinic at some point. For the rest, they are still a bit too young to know what God has in store for them.

Got more general questions or ideas we should add to our FAQ? Shoot us an message on our contact us page.