Global Prayer Initiative

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He began “When you pray, say  ‘Father, hallowed be your name…’” Steven Hawthorne suggests the actual Greek is more like, “Sanctify your name… reveal your name to the peoples of the earth. Become famous for who you are. Cause the people of earth to know and adore you!” What if our prayer life reflected this? Before we asked for daily needs for ourselves and our loved ones, including His grace for personal transformation, what if we started our prayers remembering God’s heart for the nations, including the almost 400 least reached people groups (LRPs) in East and Southern Africa? Imagine the impact if all discipleship programs started with this foundation!

This simple, yet profound, truth is being echoed today throughout Stephanie & Andrew Onguka’s life and ministry in Kenya. Thanks to the fruit from short-term teams from Calvary Church and others, and the prayers that support and follow these teams, OneLife Africa has built bridges with the Maasai and Ilchamus, two of Kenya’s 31 LRP. These communities regularly send young people to evangelistic high school camps and the discipleship-based LEAD gap-year program at OneLife.

The Maasai are nomadic people who store their wealth in livestock

and highly value bravery, traditionally honoring the young man who throws the spear that kills a lion in a rite of passage ceremony.  

The Ilchamus come from a region historically affected by inter-community conflicts over livestock. In this context, taking livestock from neighboring communities was often part of longstanding disputes, where local values around ownership and conflict resolution differ from biblical concepts of forgiveness.

OneLife Africa students Danson, Hellen, and Patrick (pictured below) are examples of how the gospel can penetrate communities and transform them. Danson, from the Maasai, graduated from university and now works in wildlife-human conflict areas, while Hellen is among the many Maasai girls who defied tradition by completing high school and her university degree in education. She has been a trailblazer, paving the way for other girls to follow in her path from that community. Patrick, from the Ilchamus, was supported to be one of the first of his community to go to teachers’ training college. The Onguka’s relationships with the elders of the Naboisho and Marigat communities were instrumental in Danson, Hellen, and Patrick’s stories. OneLife also helped build a church structure among the Ilchamus, so that worshipers can be protected from extreme weather conditions.

All these success stories would not have been possible without prayer.

This year, Andrew is completing his doctorate work from Fuller Theological Seminary on discipleship needs among Kenya’s youth from the slums. Among the gaps of their spiritual formation is helping them see how they fit into God’s plan for all of humanity—misseo Dei. 

Similarly, Stephanie’s newest class of Family Medicine residents come from across East Africa, all with a heart to go back and serve the people of their home countries or among predominantly Muslim populations in Kenya. When they complete their medical training, Stephanie and the other faculty will ensure they are equipped with the knowledge that they are integral in God’s plan to sanctify His name over all the earth! These same principles must be taught to the gap year LEAD students, whether they come from slums or LRP in Kenya, so that they see themselves as God sees them—redeemed and beloved children, and His chosen instruments to accomplish His will on earth. Only then can we see the fruits of discipleship efforts that Jesus Himself taught and modeled. And it all started with, “Lord, teach us how to pray!”

Patrick

Hellen

Danson with the 2025 Calvary Team