Ring Family

Kenya is around 7,960 miles from East Tennessee, the equivalent to a 14-hour plane ride. This beautiful African country is situated on the equator and is prone to droughts. It flourishes in ethnic diversity, which has produced a rich culture, but is also affected by high unemployment, crime and poverty levels.

Thinking about Kenya makes me think about the Bible – specifically examples of how God does extraordinary things through the least likely of people. David was a shepherd boy, Peter was a fisherman, Paul was a persecutor and Moses was a murderer, and yet God used each of them in marvelous ways to accomplish His perfect will.

God can do great things in Kenya and that’s a central reason as to why Jarod and Sarah Ring are currently serving there.

The Rings re-entered the international mission field earlier this year, this time taking their three young kids with them as sidekicks. The family is serving through Alongsiders International, an organization which at its core has older youths leading, loving and guiding young children.

Jarod and Sarah believe in this youth-discipleship movement and are working to help others catch the same vision. And so when you see the above photo of Jarod teaching in a remote Kenyan village to an eager group of church leaders in a packed room, know his heart is to see a multiplying discipleship movement started that touches one vulnerable or orphaned child at a time.

Training is indeed the primary means by which Jarod presents the Alongsiders movement in Kenya. He helps leaders see the youths in their churches and communities as untapped resources for change, growth and discipleship. After all, if a youth or young adult can catch the vision of discipleship, a whole community can be changed.

Our Father can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, so I’m praying that the Lord would use the Rings and their ministry as a means of equipping one generation to reach the next with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who knows, maybe someday the Lord will use a small child from Kenya to accomplish big things for His glory.

If you want entertaining ministry updates, Jarod and Sarah do a great job on YouTube. Go subscribe to their channel now and watch the latest update.