Missionaries
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Elly has served in a number of roles with Africa Inland Mission, including outreach among an unreached people group in the mountains of South Sudan, and most recently, serving as part of the team at AIM's Retirement Center in Florida.
Currently, Elly is preparing to return to South Sudan where she'll serve as part of an ongoing outreach among the Didinga people.
Bruce and Amber have served in various churches and ministries around the world whenever and wherever God calls. They are currently returning as furlough relief missionaries to Rift Valley Academy, a school for children whose parents are missionaries throughout Africa.
Our names are Rachel and Tyler and we are following God's call in pursuing full-time ministry in Kwale, Kenya.
We will be serving and reaching the Digo people who are located on the South East Coast of Kenya. Our two main goals are evangelism and discipleship to the Digo people while sharing the love of Christ.
Rachel will be using her nursing skills to provide community outreach and building relationships with those around her, and Tyler will be working alongside a local pastor as we all share the Gospel with the Digo.
It's through our personal and thriving relationships with God that we strive each day to follow the Lord and grow to know Him more deeply, and it's through Him that we are sustained and able to do all things.
We greatly value your partnership and obedience to God's call to further God's Kingdom in Kwale, Kenya.
"Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14
Andy and Margaret have served for 30 years as disciple makers and church planters in Tanzania, East Africa.
Their current assignment began in 2015 to the region of Tabora, to work among the Nyamwezi people, who largely have remained in the stronghold of Islam. The Nyamwezi are the second largest tribe in Tanzania. They embrace Islam, African traditional beliefs, and Christianity. They have much respect for their ancestors, "the living dead", to whom they offer sacrifices and rely on for benevolences. Most claim to be Muslims and follow the five pillars of Islam.
Working under the Africa Inland Church, the Andersen's vision is to teach Biblical principles, start churches, and train and equip church leaders and new believers. Much of their ministry is in the context of building relationships with their neighbors and addressing the needs of the community, sharing Jesus through word and deed.
Activities include conservation agriculture, clean water procurement, religious education in public school, equipping local churches through theological education, discipleship, and a Bible and Literature project.
Evangelism methods include showing the Jesus Film, orally communicating Bible stories chronologically, preaching, initiating discovery Bible studies, and Community Bible Study. Additional ministries among the Nyamwezi include health ministries and Bible translation.
Andy was born and raised in Kenya. From 1997-2015, the Andersens planted multiple churches on the islands of Lake Victoria and started an elementary school, Lake Victoria Christian. They have three children who were raised on the mission field. Abigail graduated from Biola in Spring 2020 with a BSN degree, and is now working as a nurse in Maternal-Child Health. Ben is completing his studies in Psychology at Biola. Caleb is studying to become an EMT aspiring to become a firefighter.
Eddie and Rachel Andersen live in Dukana, Kenya, a small town just a few miles south of Ethiopia, with their six children. Since 2008 they have lived and worked in East Africa. They currently serve the Gabbra, an unreached people group.
The Gabbra live in a land that is marked by desert, lava fields, and scrub bush. They are nomadic pastoralists and raise camels, sheep, goats, and cattle. 89,000 Gabbra live in Northern Kenya and approximately 200 follow evangelical Christianity.
Eddie and Rachel serve the Gabbra through various means. Famine relief, well drilling, mechanical skills, and medical care are some of the ways they help the Gabbra with their every day needs. They also distribute audio Scriptures, have Bible studies, and hold church services. Eddie & Rachel oversee a radio tower and studio which broadcasts among the Gabbra as well as to several neighboring tribes.
Related AIM Projects:
We also have three kids. They're sort of crazy and absolutely incredible. They teach us so much about rolling with the punches and and accepting people as they are. That's what Jesus modeled, and kids are the outright best at it.
We’d love for you to partner with us through prayer, financial support or by simply following our journey on our blog (andresinafrica.com).
Brian and Patty Arensen have served with AIM for over 35 years in Africa. For the past ten years they served in Nairobi where Brian worked in the AIM Eastern Region office as the regional administrative officer.
In the summer of 2017 they returned to Minneapolis Minnesota to accompany their daughter, Kerith, who is enrolled in a two-year college program for special-needs young adults at Bethany Global University in Minneapolis.
AIM has loaned Brian to Bethany Gateways which is an interdenominational mission with similar goals and vision to AIM. Brian will be working with their personnel department in the home office in Minneapolis. Patty will continue to use her passion for quilting and inductive Bible study as God opens up doors for ministry and outreach. Although temporarily based in Minnesota, they continue to rely on support through AIM for their financial needs.
Shel and Kym Arensen serve in Naivasha, Kenya. Kym's passion for children leads to her involvement in three different ministries. She is the curriculum director for Eden Adventures, which teaches creation care in local government schools, as well as providing outdoor camping experiences for children from homes for street kids. Kym also volunteers at Little Hands, a mainstream school for children with disabilities. Lastly, she serves as a special needs consultant for AIM International. Shel works with the Dorobo, a hunter-gatherer group in Kenya's highlands, planting churches and discipling church leaders. He is also involved in friendship evangelism among several other unreached people groups.
Related AIM Projects:
AIC Dorobo Outreach
Nicki Armand is preparing to serve in Chad, Africa. She will attend language school to learn French in the Fall of 2019 and then to Chad in 2020. Nicki served at Wellspring Academy in the capital city from 2014-2015 and is now very excited to return long term to work among the 70 unreached people groups and to be a part of God’s work in Chad.
Wendy serves with AIM through the ministry of Ethnomusicology, helping African believers to craft worship music in their own distinct style, and traveling to different parts of Africa to conduct seminars to teach worship music composition. During her many years in Central African Republic, Wendy worked closely with a national missionary and the Zande church to build relational bridges with the unreached Mbororo people.
She has also played an active role in helping displaced peoples in central Africa through participation in Trauma Healing Seminars.
We are called to go to the Rift Valley Academy for the 2022-2023 school year, which will be a sabbatical leave for Steve from LeTourneau University.
We plan to minister to the RVA students through teaching math and physics and by mentoring them. We hope to strengthen the connection between RVA and LeTourneau University.
As a Christian couple we would like to develop friendships with other missionaries serving at the RVA and partner with them in their ministry. Our goal is to serve others during this year. Our home is in Longview, Texas, where we love to host missionaries coming through.
Pat was born in Kenya and grew up in a missionary family which helped prepare her for service on the mission field. At the age of 9 Pat trusted Jesus as her Savior and committed to obeying His leading in her life. After graduating from college with a BS in Health Science/Radiology and a Masters in Health Care Administration, she worked in a hospital for 10 years before beginning her missionary career in 1980. During that time she prepared herself by taking additional Bible courses and serving in various capacities, including the mission's board, at her home church in California. For 30 years Pat traveled the world assisting mission hospitals in the field of radiology. From South and Central America to India and Africa, she knew the Lord was with her each step of the way guiding and giving wisdom to train nationals and repair equipment. She can remember the exclamations of "wonderful" when old broken down equipment would jump to life again. Best of all, she says, it was an honor to serve medical missionaries who ministered to the sick in very remote parts of the world and lend them a bit of encouragement. During that time she served with REAP International, World Medical Mission and World Concern. In 2009, she entered a completely new season of ministry with AIM, following in the footsteps of her grandparents and later her parents who faithfully served under AIM for 55 years. Now the Lord has blessed Pat with the opportunity to create audio/visual Bible stories and hard copy Sunday school materials appropriate for the African culture. Currently, she serves on the Church Council of her local town church and helps direct the Sunday school program which enjoys over 900 registered kids. Forty five teachers and helpers, under the supervision of Pat and her Kenyan co-worker, Pastor Naomi, teach and disciple the teachers and children. Pat is thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and is trusting Him for grace and strength to continue serving in Kenya.
