Ministry Gallery

A group of seven people from Phos Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, embarked on a short-term mission trip to Kenya. They spent time with children and adults at Open Hand Children’s Home, engaging in meaningful interactions. The team also partnered with local pastors and laypeople, participating in preaching, teaching, and prayer sessions to minister to the community.

January 2025

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January 2025 *

A boxing coach provides instruction to a boxer in the corner during a match. The coach is leaning in, speaking close to the boxer's face, and the boxer is resting against the ropes with his eyes closed.
Group of seven people standing together indoors, smiling, in casual winter clothing.
A man giving a speech at a podium during a conference or seminar, with an audience seated and listening, inside a tent with green and tan drapes.
Group of people sitting around a dining table in a casual setting, some with drinks and books, with a kitchen in the background.
Group of Maasai men sitting under a tree, some wearing traditional shuka, in a rural outdoor setting with women and children in the background, and a dog lying on the ground nearby.

Bible College Training in Kenya

Group of six people standing together indoors, smiling and posing for a photo.
Group of six adults and five children standing outside in front of a brick wall, smiling and posing for a photo, with the date February 11, 2003, displayed in yellow at the bottom right.

When Blake Lasslett first went to Kenya his greatest desire was to train men for the ministry. Working along side others who had laid the foundation for the Bible College, he trained men from various tribes and many refugees from the Sudan, whom he called his Sudanese Boys. Many of these men who trained for the ministry continue the work of starting churches and ministering the gospel to the communities around them. More information on how you can help continue this work of spreading the gospel can be found here.

Four men in conversation outdoors, one gesturing with his hand, with cars and trees in the background.
Group of men, many in suits, outdoors with trees and a building in the background.
Group of seven people standing outdoors in front of a metal gate with trees in the background, smiling for the camera.
A group of people sitting in a semi-circle in a room with metal walls, participating in a discussion or meeting.
Group of people, including men and women of different ages and ethnicities, gathered outdoors on a grassy area, some seated and some standing, with a building and trees in the background, on August 30, 2003.
A group of people, including children and adults, seated inside a rustic, corrugated metal building. Two men stand at the front, one reading from his phone, possibly giving a presentation or speech. A whiteboard with writing is visible on the right side of the image.

Open Hand Children’s Home Trips

Two infants lying on a bed, wearing diapers, one with eyes open and the other with eyes closed, in a relaxed position.

Open Hand’s First Babies

Group of children and an adult sitting on a bench outside a building, some with painted faces.
A man helping a young girl on a small pink slide in a colorful room with children and a white wall.
Four people standing together in a room, smiling, with a dining area in the background, including a chandelier, a clock, and chairs stacked against the wall.
Two young children playing and smiling outdoors with laundry hanging on a line in the background.

Those First Babies Grown Up

A man in a blue sweater and beige pants stands next to a white van with a flat tire on a dirt road, while a girl in a pink shirt and brown pants stands nearby.

Blake Lasslett first visited Open Hand Children’s Home in 2003 and made many subsequent trips with his grandsons, Matt, Frank and Alex and son, John. During his first trip, he heard about what was happening, and was moved by the plight of the abandoned babies and returned home to raise support for this ministry. God has blessed what began in a small house in the slums of Nairobi and has grown into a large facility on a plot of farmland. S.T.A.R.T. continues Blake’s legacy by raising support for the ever growing orphan population at Open Hand. An opportunity to support one of these orphans can be found here.

A group of five people sitting in a row, with a man holding a baby in the center. There are books and a bag on the table in front of them.
A large house with a red-tiled roof and multiple windows, situated on a hill with sparse trees and shrubbery.
Group of children and two adults standing outside a building with a blue door and a sign that says "Open."

Many have journeyed to Kenya to serve the Lord, captivated by the country's breathtaking beauty and the warm fellowship of both fellow missionaries and the Kenyan people. Their experiences included thrilling safaris, where they marveled at the wildlife, and challenging travels through rugged terrain to visit remote churches, sharing the gospel and building connections. Amid their service, they found joy in the shared moments of faith, laughter, and community, creating lasting memories in the heart of Kenya.

Enjoying Kenya

Two rhinoceroses, one with prominent horns, standing in grassy plains with tall vegetation.
A group of five people sitting and standing around a dining table with drinks and food, inside a room with large windows and curtains.
A lion walking through a grassy plain with green vegetation.
Man feeding a baby giraffe from his hand at a zoo or wildlife park
A small hut made of mud and sticks with a thatched roof in a rural area with sparse trees and a motorcycle nearby.
Three people standing outdoors near a river with greenery in the background. They are posing with their arms around each other, smiling slightly. The man on the left is wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses, a cap, and has a camera hanging around his neck. The man in the middle is wearing a beige button-up shirt, glasses, and a black cap. The woman on the right has white hair, is wearing a dark top with a checkered jacket, and is slightly squinting.
A young girl wearing traditional Maasai jewelry and clothing, standing outdoors on a dirt path with sparse vegetation and trees in the background.
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Three men sitting close together, smiling, with the two men in the middle wearing matching green caps with a Spartan helmet logo, indoors with a metal roof and walls, and sunlight coming through the windows.