About the Stravens

Ken & Emily Stravens are full-time staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. They are blessed with four children, Natalie, their eldest is 15yrs. They lost their second child Stuart through a miscarriage and third child, Stephanie who died in a car accident in Zimbabwe. Eva their youngest is 7 years old.  As a young man, Ken received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1983. After working in the marketplace for several years, Ken sensed the Lord calling him to join as a full – time missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ in 1991.

For three years before he met his wife Emily, he served in Kisumu, Kenya reaching out to students at Maseno University. He also ran a weekly young professionals Bible study, and was involved in conducting training workshops and seminars with several local churches in Kisumu to equip lay people in skills of evangelism and discipleship. He got married to Emily on 6th August 1994. Emily, who had come to know the Lord in 1983 in Nairobi, later left her banking career to join Ken and they moved to Kampala, Uganda so she could attend the nine –months staff training. In Uganda, they both served in reaching students at the Makerere University. They later returned to Kenya to serve in equipping churches and had their first child, Natalie.

Soon after, they sensed the Lord leading them to pursue a post – graduate degree in Missiology and Biblical Studies respectively, in Bangalore, India at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS). After graduating in 1998, they were challenged by the leadership of Campus Crusade to help in pioneering a post – graduate leadership school in Harare, Zimbabwe, the Africa Leadership and Management Academy (ALMA) with two other American family. At the same time to help open up the ministries in the Indian Ocean Islands where Ken’s heart is. At this time of transition in Kenya while raising support, they lost a son, Stuart, due to miscarriage.

During their time in Zimbabwe they had another daughter, Stephanie. In 2001, they were involved in a very fatal road accident and lost their daughter Stephanie who was about 20 months old. Ken also suffered multiple fractures on his right leg. Their third child, Eva was born late in 2003 and after serving in Zimbabwe for about five years, the Stravens felt the Lord leading them to focus on the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles, Mauritius, La Reunion and the Grand Comoros. They were stationed in Mauritius and saw the Lord using them to build the ministry from scratch.

After establishing the office in Mauritius and ministering on the campus, with the local churches and in the marketplace, they were challenged by the leadership to move back to Kenya to give leadership to the Kenyan ministry where they served for about three years. Ken handed over the ministry in Mauritius to Mervin Pool from Seychelles and another young Mauritian staff, Jonathan Baillache. The Stravens are passionate about cross – cultural missions and recently sensed the Lord leading them to serve Him in Toronto, Canada, a nation with one of the largest immigrant communities in one place. They strongly believe that this is Africa’s time to send missionaries to the West. Please pray and partner with the Stravens that they would be able to raise their funds soon so that they can relocate to serve with Power to Change, Canada, a sister organization of Campus Crusade for Christ International.