Back in Kenya…
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Thank you for your prayers as we get re-acclimated to life in Africa. Soon after Robert returned we decided to go on a “safari-run” to remind ourselves of the beauty of Kenya.
Lois & Andrew spying some animals
Another bit of encouragement was a wonderful visit with two of the AEPC pastors- Pethuel and Patrick. It was great to see them after seven months and hear what God has been doing in our absence. Here is a sampling:
1. In spite of a challenging year of drought with crops failing and animals dying and food in short supply, the church planting efforts of the eight new church plants in the Mwingi and Kyuso areas are moving forward. They told us how every month all of the church planters (about ten) are going to a different church each Sunday- to support them in worship and witness. In addition to this, each of them has to bring five hundred shillings (about $6.50) and they put all their money together ($60-70) and give it to that church planter. He can then use that money for a pressing need in the ministry (chairs, Bibles, hymn books, etc) or a pressing family need (food, medicine, school fees). The next month they all go to another pastor’s church and repeat the process. This may not sound like much money to an American but believe me- in their context it means a lot. Of course, what is greater than any dollar or shilling is the love and support that is being shared among them! Hey, I need to tell you that I never gave them this suggestion- this was theirs!
2. Lois also got a report on the Community Health Training Project. Community groups from five church locations were trained in topics such as what makes a good community, HIV/AIDS, and malaria treatment. Leaders were identified for further training and they are longing to continue with other topics. One result was participants voluntarily went for HIV testing!
3. While Pethuel and Patrick were here we went out to see the Lenana Church roof they had worked on. I was really amazed at the job these guys did on a very difficult structure. The shape of this building required a roof that is rounded and has no pillars in the middle to support it. The architect who originally drew up the plans evidently made a mistake and Pethuel, our builder/pastor, was able to correct it and came up with a new design. They also had to deal with inconsistent measurements by the builder of the walls but was somehow able to do a very nice job as you can see in the accompanying photos.
Completed Lenana roof
Inside new Lenana church
God continues to supply items for our container we are hoping will reach us this summer. We have been getting many inquiries from churches and individuals. One thing I wanted to make clear is that these items (except for children’s shoes) can be new or used. We have decided we can still take more children’s shoes- up to another 100- but they must be new so we don’t have to pay fumigation fees. I have also written up a list of titles for those who want to contribute new or used Bibles and theological books. To look at this book list or the whole list of items, go to our blog site at: http://www.carrafrica.com/?p=518
We will soon start loading a container
Thank you for the way so many of you have prayed and given to help us erase our deficit while we were in the U.S. Unfortunately, as we have looked at our record of contributions over the last two months, we are concerned that our monthly shortfall has actually grown as some churches have had to cut back as giving wanes in their congregations. If you are not already a regular contributor, please pray about giving $50- $100 or more per month to help us continue this ministry. Also, if you have given one-time annual gifts and intend to do that each year- let us know so that we can figure this in our calculations. We so appreciate the sacrifices so many of you have made for the Kingdom of God here in Africa!
El Shaddai Children
Kianga Kids Update…
1. Porridge programs in Mukuru slums in Nairobi and the orphan school in Gai (Mwingi) fed 110 nursery age children during our absence. Within this time orphans were tested at the local health center for…
2. Sadly, one of the projects schools attached to the Lenana church lost their teacher to a higher-paying school. For the first three days, the students showed up but the teacher did not! The parents then had to enroll their children into other schools. The church hopes to open the school again by January, once they find another teacher.
3. James (9) and Christine (12), the brother and sister we support, are both doing very well. Christine’s HIV-related eye condition was treated and has improved.
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for our upcoming trip to the town of Nakuru (about 2.5 hrs) where Lois will visit children at a nursery school run by one of the AEPC churches, an IDP Camp and Robert will speak at the graduation service of one of our Bible Schools. We will also take a couple of days of rest at the famous Menengai Crater- the second largest inactive volcanic crater in the world!
2. Please also intercede for a church planter seminar in the same town April 5-7. Robert anticipates about thirty pastors coming from all over Kenya. He will have three mentors teaching with him. This is a great opportunity to hear how the church planters are doing and assess the quality of the teaching of his mentors.
3. Praise God for the safe return of our daughter Becky from her trip to Haiti with her church in Chicago. Please pray for our son Steve as he prepares to go with his church group in Chattanooga, TN March 19th. He will be helping to build a facility to house the many volunteers going there to help in the aftermath of the earthquake.
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