Five hundred and thirty kilometers north of Nairobi, Kenya, a little boy was in the fields tending his father’s goats and cattle. This was his life; this was his future. Or so he thought. A member of a large family with one father, two mothers, and ten children, where Islam was the predominant religious way of life in that region of northern Kenya, Dominic’s parents were people of the land and not religious. With this traditional Kenyan upbringing, young Dominic could not have imagined the untraditional path he would soon follow out of those fields among the grazing herds.

 

Dominic’s story took an unexpected turn in December 2005. After months and months of drought and famine that dramatically affected his family’s livelihood, he became hopeless. It was then and there amid his despair that Jesus met him. The Good Shepherd found a lost sheep, and Dominic surrendered his life to Christ.

 

Dominic became overwhelmed with a hunger to learn. But his father was opposed. Animal husbandry—not education—was the family business. Dominic knew quite early that his calling was to study the word of God. He didn’t deem other professions as secondary in their goodness, but rather he knew his passion and focus: to know and share the word of God.

 

However, there were many obstacles to overcome. Dominic’s father was not only opposed to schooling, but also to attending church meetings. “By God’s grace, my grandmother who is still alive, thought me God’s, and I was able to go to church with her,” Dominic remembered. Her faith was instrumental in Dominic’s growth, and her wisdom and patience helped guide him. “She advised me to wait three days before going to school, in order to obtain my father’s approval,” said Dominic. However, his dad still resisted. So, the faith and generosity of his dear grandmother became the means of God’s provision as she helped to house Dominic at her place to attend Mwangaza (Light) Primary School. God was lighting Dominic’s path.

 

Unfortunately, obstacles continued to darken his path. Dominic’s father grew indignant and threatened to divorce Dominic’s mother if she supports him in anyway. Later, a school scholarship was rescinded through the corrupt dealings of the school headmaster who took a bribe and gave the scholarship to a different student.

 

In response to this unfortunate event, God showed his loving care once again. Dominic enrolled at a new high school, and the principal happened to be friends with the Permanent Secretary of Education. The Secretary, after meeting Dominic, agreed to send him to school and promised to settled the issue for this persistent, bright young man. The Secretary eventually left his position, and Dominic was concerned he would be unable to provide his school fees, but once again the Lord provided. There was a Muslim man who became an area member of parliament, and he agreed to pay Dominic’s four years’ school fees. “I haven’t forgotten his counsel to me. God is speaking to us in many ways, but we don’t always discern it,” Dominic shared.

 

In 2016, Dominic enrolled at Kenyatta University, and there he began to fulfill his passion to share the word of God. His classmates couldn’t understand why Dominic was a follower of Jesus Christ. After all, Dominic was from the predominantly Muslim Cushite people group of northern Kenya (the three main language groups of Kenya are Cushitic, Bantu, and Nilotic). But his classmates saw Dominic’s passion for Christ as he began preaching the word of God for the first time.

 

Dominic went on to complete a Bachelor of education arts degree, graduating in 2020. During his university years, Dominic found even more freedom and space to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The primary context for this during those years was the Christian Union (CU) at his college where he held leadership positions as a prayer coordinator for the CU’s work at the hospital ministry, as well as helping to lead the CU’s annual mission committee to go out and preach the love of God.

 

It was in the CU that Dominic made a friendship with Joshua who first introduced Dominic to PHOKOS.

 

Together, Dominic and Joshua took a Kairos class where they learned more tools for sharing the grand story of redemption. Later, Pastor Anthony invited Dominic to interview with PHOKOS. “He and Overseer Pastor Ezekiel asked me if I was willing to commit to the four P’s of PHOKOS: prayer, practice, preaching, and partnering. I was already living those out in my life, so I readily agreed,” said Dominic.

 

“PHOKOS gave me the support I needed and opportunities to share my passion, which is my faith and the word of God. As well, the housing—the rent and utilities—gave me the platform to go out and preach the love of God, to pray with the brothers, and to have accountability in my life. The friendships and opportunity to influence others with the word of God—that is the greatest gift PHOKOS has provided, and it is something I will never forget,” beamed Dominic.

 

Prior to receiving stable housing through PHOKOS, Dominic was somewhat nomadic, laying his head to sleep wherever he found a place to rest. The financial support of PHOKOS’ founder and his generous friends and church also paved the way for Dominic to enroll at Africa International University and study in the Master of Divinity in Theological studies program. God willing, he will graduate this July. Not only will Dominic complete his studies this year, but he is planning to be married later this month to a woman of God he met during his undergraduate studies.

 

“I desire to serve God as a shepherd (pastor) and scholar wherever he leads me, ministering in urban and rural areas, and training believers to develop their relationship with Christ so that they can be ministers of his gospel wherever they go. That is my passion. I plan to look for others to partner with who are passionate about reaching the world with the message of the cross. I envision having an internship program where people could come and join us as missionaries in the field. I am sure God will grant us favor as my wife and I pursue this goal. He is the owner of all and will always be with us as he promised,” shared Dominic.

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