Mercy Ministries

Our Vision

We desire to make disciples by proclaiming the true Gospel, while meeting needs of our community in Kenya and beyond.

Mercy Ministries-AFM Africa

Mercy Ministries-AFM Africa is led by the Bys family (pronounced Beese, like geese) in Western Kenya where the needs are extreme and focused on a very under-served people group. David, the ministry president assists by running the back-end of the ministry and working with the Bys Family remotely, which is basically a full-time job these days.

We have a Gospel minded discipleship focus to teach people to know God and how to follow Christ authentically with practical compassion ministries such as caring for orphans, widows, and the very needy and high risk in our area of Kenya. We are located in Western Kenya, Bungoma County, Bumula sub-county, in Kaya Village.

We have 4 distinct ministry areas.

1. Mercy Children's Home with over 100 orphaned or at-risk children being cared for full time by the Bys Family and the current staff. Our mission for the home is to provide a safe, healthy, and loving home where children can thrive spiritually, mentally, and physically. We are focused on equipping our children to be productive Kenyan citizens as disciples of Jesus Christ so that they may believe the Gospel and live their lives for eternity, in response to what Christ has done and is doing.

2. Mercy Christian Academy where we provide quality education for free to around 240 students. Less than half of those students are from our home, the local village children make up the rest. At Mercy Christian Academy we provide a Christ-centered education in a safe and healthy learning environment to children in need, we equip our students with love, knowledge and skills to help them to see God’s great works through their education. Our primary focus is that they may believe the Gospel and live their lives for eternity, in response to what Christ has done and is doing. We currently operate pre-k through 10th grade and add at least 1 grade level each year, it is our prayer that we would have 12th by January 2024.

3. Mercy Baptist Church in which Jeff Bys serves as pastor. Our mission at Mercy Baptist Church is to convey the whole counsel of God for the sake of calling sinners to repentance and the sanctification of the saints through the power of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming Christ and Him crucified in the means of grace, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. All of this we do out of love for Him who first loved us. We teach and demonstrate faithfulness though sound theology, good works to our fellow man, evangelism, and Bible training for area pastors and church leaders. We now have a large playground that the local children are able to play on each Sunday morning. We invite everyone to come at 9am to play on the playground for an hour before Sunday School starts at 10am, the main church service starts at 11 and then we feed everyone afterward. Opening the playground to the village on Sunday morning has increased the number of families and children now regularly hearing the Gospel of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus!

4. Mercy Community Ministry has grown to a point that we now designate it as a unique 4th part of our work. We have an ongoing feeding care ministry where 11 families get a food box each month, our desire is to help lift the burden and not create dependance. We also provide assistance to widows, helping them with food and often school or school fees for the grandchildren they are raising. We have helped several by constructing basic housing for widows and families we find in crises. Weekly we distribute diapers to 20 Mamas whose babies are in the NICU at Bungoma County Referral Hospital. We help anyone who needs help with jiggers. Jiggers are tiny sand fleas which imbed themselves into the hands and feet causing great pain. They are simple to get rid of, but locally they are considered a curse, so many children and adults live with them. Recently in 2022 we have been blessed with a missionary medical doctor. This is a huge blessing to our home and school. Our desire is to expand our medical ministry outreach as the Lord enables through building a lab and expanding our clinic and services to those around us.

Pray with us that many will hear and learn the gospel and come to trust in Christ as their God and Savior.

We hope you find what we do a blessing and that you choose to partner with us in some way. We need prayer partners, financial donors, ministry advocates, and people willing to help in various ways behind the scenes . Also we need visitors willing to come spend time with us in Kenya, to get to know us, for mutual encouragement, serving alongside us using your gifts, and to simply to hang out and have fun with, and love on our little ones!

Jeff and Stephanie Bys serve with Mercy Ministries - AFM Africa, Dallas, TX. Jeff is also President of Mercy Ministries, Director of African missions and a Co-Chairman of the board. Click below to see our full volunteer staff and board