Local Pastor Plays 49 holes to contribute to a Water Well for Boys in Kenya

By: Margie Taylor
| Published 09/15/2022

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CONROE, TX -- Pastor Chris Lake, pastor of Tree of Life Lutheran Church in Conroe, wanted to do something memorable for his 49th birthday. Completing 49 holes of golf on three local golf courses from sunrise to sunset seemed like the challenge that would help make a significant difference to the distant ministry school in Bungoma, Kenya, which provides a home and schooling to “street boys of Bungoma”, called The King’s Embrace.

“I would like to use the opportunity to do something significant on my birthday,” said Pastor Chris Lake. “I turn 49 on Sept 21st and I am asking for donations for every hole I play on three courses, (River Plantation, Walden, and West Fork) starting at 7:00am on Wednesday, Sept 28 at River Plantation. I will then drive to Walden about 11:00am for a few hours with hopes of arriving at West Fork between 3:00pm-4:00pm.”

The community is invited to donate funds in any amount per hole or a flat amount towards the goal. Pastor Chris Lake is expected to finish at approximately 7:00pm or as the sun is setting. Interested participants may donate on the link: http://strokes4water.com

Why The King’s Embrace in Bungoma, Kenya?

Earlier this year, Chris Lake traveled to Bungoma, Kenya, and spent 10 days there at a ministry known as The King’s Embrace (TKE). Longtime friends and past members of TOL Linda and David Fischer supported another ministry in Kenya and learned about the Street Boys of Bungoma. This is a group of homeless boys in Bungoma, a community of 1.6 million. Because there is no social infrastructure for abandoned children and boys are considered “tough enough to manage it” there are few options for the abandoned boys. The boys sniff glue to curb their constant hunger and lessen the pain of being homeless. The glue suppresses hunger feelings, and the boys claim it gives them a false sense of warmth. It was out of the boys’ need that TKE was born and as of 2018 there has been a place for some of these boys to come, go to school, eat, and live in a healthy community.

Pastor Chris Lake shared reflections of his time at TKE. “The time I spent with the TKE boys was transformational and I learned of their huge needs. The most pressing issue was the need for a new water well. The original well was at a depth of 435 feet which was about fifty feet short of the expectation. Many shortcuts happened with casing and the consequences have been devastating. The well is significantly underproducing the water needed for both the community and the residents of TKE. “

The cost of the well is $25,000. To date TOL Lutheran Church has raised $10,000. Strokes for Water will raise awareness of the community of Bungoma, Kenya and TKE while having fun playing golf for a cause.

The event will be Live Streamed on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Treechurch and then added to the YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/Treechurchtx. If you are going to play golf why not make the most of it?