My Kinsmen Ministries

02/14/2026

Can you see the joy?!! It's always great to complete a project!

02/13/2026

Karen, Jen, and Juliana were able to attend the prayer meeting fellowship in Bandama this Wednesday. It was a privilege for them to pray with these believers and seekers in the Muslim dominated village!

One of the MKM staff, Saidu (pictured driving the motorcycle below), lives in Bandama with his wife and family. Saidu sensed God working in this area a while back and started holding these weekly prayer fellowship times. The MKM staff have been praying for the last year for God to show them what He is doing in Bandama so that they can join him! There is now a pastor in the village who will be participating in the Pathways Bible Training with Pastor Moses. Praise God!

On another note, Juliana had her first motorcycle ride! The only hitch was that Emo ran out of gas!

Please join us in praying that God would make it clear how we can join Him in what He is doing in Bandama. Also pray that God will give new believers and seekers strength to stand on truth in the midst of any persecution that may come their way.

02/10/2026

Day 2 of sewing is officially complete! The women are fast learners! And praise God for great weather and electricity!!

02/07/2026

This morning the MKM kids Bible day took place. After the time together Karen said, "These kids are amazing! They have learned to organize themselves, lead each other in games, help each other learn Scripture, and they are one big family!" Their theme today was Chosen by God, just like Queen Esther was chosen by God.

Praise God for the joy of this day and how God is growing these young people who are involved with MKM! Thank you for your prayers!

02/05/2026

Karen, Jen, and Juliana made it to Kenema earlier this week. They are safe and doing great and a big plus is that Karen says it's remarkably not hot! Later this week, they will be going to Kortihun for a women's meeting.

During their time in Kenema, Jen, Juliana, and Karen will be teaching women how to sew backpacks so these women can start a small business. If you would like to order one of the backpacks, please message [email protected]. They are asking $25 a bag and would love to bring some back to you in the USA!

Thank you for your prayers!

08/23/2025

In 2017, several MKM girls took part in being “soccer leaders.” I, Mark and Karen’s daughter Ellyn, was in Salone for the summer and worked together with MKM staff and these girls to put on two weeks of girls soccer camp. But before any soccer camp could begin, the soccer leaders themselves had to learn how to play. These brave young women, between the ages of 12 and 17 at the time, took up the challenge. I spent time practicing with these girls and teaching them the basics of soccer. I also spent time discipling them. We shared our testimonies, studied the Word together, and planned Bible stories to teach about the love of Jesus at the soccer camp. After weeks of learning to play soccer themselves, we put on the soccer camps. The soccer leaders helped guide their groups in the basics, passing along what they had recently learned. They led singing, helped prepare and distribute snacks and food, and helped lead the participants in many ways. On the last day of each soccer camp, the participants got to play a game against each other. At half-time, the soccer leaders acted out the story of the prodigal son. If I remember right, a couple of them even acted as the pigs! Although the game was very chaotic (picture lots of excited girls playing a game without knowing the rules) it was a great time and a great way to share the love of the Father with the crowd of mixed Muslims and Christians!

In years following these soccer camps, the girls continued to be involved in outreach camps that MKM put on in villages surrounding Kenema. They even played soccer with those kids! These girls have continued to grow and develop and now they are all young women. While some of them have transitioned away from MKM, many of them are part of the Transition Kids (meaning they are going to college soon, are in college, or are transitioning into working or an apprenticeship type position). These kids help with the camps that Karen puts on when she visits each year. They also are involved in other outreach events put on by Kinsmen Christian Church and they even started a college ministry at their school called Lighthouse InC. (In Christ).

Each of these girls are on an individual path and God is at work in their lives. He uses the staff at MKM and Kinsmen Christian Church members to continue to disciple many of them. They are also growing in Christ together through Lighthouse InC. and in their relationships as sisters in Christ. Not all of their lives look the same, but it’s a delight to see how God has grown them over the years.

So where are they now?

One of the girls is now a wife and mother. She married Lansana, a man who has been part of MKM for a long time. She is also trained as a midwife and helps assist at births in villages.

Another girl finished her two-year program at the college in Kenema, and after seeing her potential, one of her relatives decided to pay for her to get a four-year degree in health services in Bo at a larger university.

Others are still in school (nursing school and business school)at the local college or have graduated and are figuring out what is next for them.

As I’ve been thinking back to the trip that I spent with these girls, I realized that all of these girls are older than I was when I spent the summer in Salone! It’s great to look back and see what God has done in their lives so fa

07/15/2025

A story from Karen on her last trip! "A Timely Gift"

The day before I left for Salone a friend brought me a bag of bracelets she had made. There were over 100 pretty bangles in the bag, delicate and beautiful. When I met with the village leaders and women from the church in Kenema early in the trip, I was able to bless them all with this gift. I told them that I was quite sure my friend would have been praying for the people who would receive the bracelets. They were thrilled! I noticed that my friend, Sarah, seemed especially delighted.

The next day the women returned for another day together and Sarah came right up to me with a big smile on her face. “I have a testimony,” she grinned. She went on to tell me how she loves to wake up at midnight and pray until 1 a.m., but lately she just could not wake up or stay awake. “Oh Karen, last night I looked at my bracelet before I went to sleep and thought of your friend and that I needed to pray for her. And I woke up right at midnight to pray!” I cannot help but think that Sarah and my friends would love each other.

Just two days later, Sarah’s mother passed away and Sarah was called to her mom’s village. When she returned a week later, she was still donning the bracelet, rubbing her fingers over the beads. The prayers of these two women on different continents surely please our Lord!

07/11/2025

Many of you may remember hearing stories about the Fambulleh kids whose lives were changed forever when their parents passed away due to ebola. During her trip in April, Karen spent an afternoon with the twins of the family, Janet and Princess. During this time, Princess shared about how God has worked in her life over the last several years. Here is her story and some pictures of her and her siblings over the years.

Princess remembers being home with her 5 siblings and mom when they got word from the hospital where their dad worked in the lab, running tests for Ebola. He had tested positive, no doubt exposed in the lab. The hospital allowed him to come home for treatment, thinking he may have a better chance of survival with close care. His medical work was important and the community needed him to survive. After five days home with his wife while he kids kept their distance, he appeared to be recovering. But they were mistaken. He got worse, exposing his wife to his contaminated bodily fluids. He passed away days later.

The family was Muslim and they “prayed like crazy” Princess told me. She said she didn’t even know who they were praying to, but they did not know what else to do. After thirteen days and no symptoms for their mom, they began to relax. But on day 14 she fell sick. She was taken to the hospital leaving the 6 children under the care of Bockarie, the oldest brother at age 12 or 13. Their house was ‘contaminated’ and no one would come near.

Princess remembers the friend of the family arriving, but keeping his distance, to tell them of their mother’s passing. Their grief was to be experienced alone, quarantined for 42 days. People would drop food outside for them, but they were not allowed to leave the house. And so they cried, and mourned and waited. When the 42 days slowly crept to an end, the children and their home remained shunned, stigmatized by the fear of Ebola. Until one day when an MKM staff member approached their home, entering in and spending time encouraging and praying with the children who had lost everything. He provided food, water, mattresses, and most critically, he provided hope. Soon the family was invited to the MKM compound where they found other children in difficult situations learning about the hope they can have in Jesus. Princess remembers coming and seeing the kids, attending church, hearing words about Jesus and kind of going through the motions. MKM was a family willing to care for the children as their own and healing soon began.

One brother moved with a relative in Freetown, but the other five stayed together with a new Aunty and Uncle. The children had little, but they had each other. The two older boys, Bockarie and Foday claimed Jesus as their own fairly early on. Foday became the spiritual leader in their home insisting that they pray together everyday. Soon Bockarie went away to college and was then employed in healthcare in the military. Foday soon followed to college where he planned to study medicine.

Princess and her two sisters remined in Kenema. Princess said, “I was acting like a Christian, loyal to church and the ministry, but I still didn’t really trust in Jesus. And then Foday fell sick, very sick. At the age of 20 he succumbed to infections and dehydration, the cause of which was never really determined. Princess said at that point she fell into the deepest despair. Angry, confused, and feeling very alone, Solomon and other staff visited with her time and time again.

It was then that she realized she had no other choice but to trust Jesus as her savior deep in her heart. She had confidence that Foday was at peace with Jesus, and that comfort drove her to depend deeply on Jesus Christ. “I don’t need anything else,” she exclaimed to me. “Nothing.”

Since that time, their caregiver has lost his job and has been unable to find work. They cling together and thank God for their many blessings each day. The oldest brother, Bockarie, has stepped in to help, and MKM is providing some additional help with food. And in the midst of it all, Princess said, “I am so blessed.”

07/03/2025

Check out our updated website where you can see recent photos of our staff and read stories about what God has been doing through MKM!

MKM has provided over 150 loans for small businesses in Western Sierra Leone as part of a movement to provide financial independence for the community.

07/03/2025

The Great Gift of an Audio Mende Bible!

These words are from Pastor Moses, with Karen's explanations in parentheses.

I shared the audio Mende Bible with Mama Baindu, a devoted elderly member of our church. Her Muslim friends were around in number. (Mama Baindu has been involved at the church since we intervened with her son Ishaka, probably 7 or 8 years ago. While Ishaka has not shown great interest in Jesus or the church, his mother has!)

I played the creation story from the book of Genesis in the Mende language to help her understand God's Word more personally and deeply. Mama Baindu only speaks and understands Mende. For many years she has attended church faithfully, but she could not understand the sermons or Bible readings in Krio or English. (About 80 percent of the services are in languages other than Mende). I wanted her to finally experience the Word of God in her own mother tongue. As I played the creation story, she was amazed and filled with joy, smiling and laughing. She looked at me and said in Mende, "So this is how everything began? So God really made all of this for us?" I used the moment to explain in her own language how the creation story shows God's deep love for mankind and explained the role of the trinity in it all.

While the audio was playing, some Muslims who were passing by heard the message and quietly came closer. They were surprised and curious to hear the Bible being read in Mende. They stayed and listened for some time without interruption. One of them said, "This is good. We have never heard the Bible speaking Mende like this before." The evening was special. It reminded me that the Word of God, when delivered in a language people understand, is alive and p

04/23/2025

Left the beach about 5 hours ago! Only 34 more hours of travel! Almost home.