I am flying back to Kenya tonight. I would like to ask for prayers regarding a meeting next week. We are having a three day meeting, Tuesday through Thursday, with all Turkana church leaders together in Lodwar. The purpose of the meeting is to resolve some internal conflicts among the churches and to pray together about unity in God’s mission – reaching the lost. A healthy church cannot be solely inwardly focused. Please pray with us that the leaders would focus on God and unity in Him, grow in their reliance on God to see them through struggles, and that their passion for the lost would be renewed. I pray that one day soon a Turkana evangelist will be going across tribal lines to reach those yet unreached.
-Chad
January 22 2010 | Family and Turkana Life | 2 Comments »
I heard an interesting story today. It was about a pastor of a church in Nairobi which had grown, planted two others, and was reaching thousands in the city. He was speaking to a supporting church in America about ministry and growth. The story goes that he explained that the African method of planning was different from the typical American method. Americans generally like to aim at the target or goal, assess risks, try to factor in problems, aim again, foresee obstacles, plan some more, and finally shoot or start. Africans tend to take aim, shoot, and try guide the process along the way. He was not being critical of either method but was trying to prevent his African ministry from being judged by American values.
It made me consider whether either model may be more Biblical. I came to the conclusion that there is a time and place for both. God values prayerful preparation as well as timely action with faith is his guidance through the process. As an American I know I tend to want to know how things will work out. I usually consider it my responsibility to plan as thoroughly as possible. I wonder though if God sometimes views my planning as a lack of faith in him. I think of Jacob returning to see his brother Esau years after cheating him. Jacob feared Esau and worried he would still be angry. God told Jacob that He would be with him as he returned, but God didn’t tell him how the situation would work out. Though uncertain of the outcome, Jacob had faith in God’s plan and provision. He followed in faith. I pray I can have more faith in God’s provision. I pray I would have the faith of Jacob and when God shows the next step in ministry, I will step confidently knowing He will be with us throughout.
-Chad
January 20 2010 | Family and Turkana Life | 2 Comments »
The 17th marked our official one year anniversary of being in the field. It was a milestone. Unfortunately, I spent half the day alone while detained by immigration in an Ethiopian airport (which is a story for another day). I was traveling to a training in Addis Ababa on Community Health Evangelism (CHE) which I think is going to be a key part of ministry in Turkana. I bring it up to say that I had some time to think. I thought back to our expectations of what our ministry and life would be like and the many discussions we’ve been a part of about the difficult adjustment of reconciling expectations with reality. Kara and I have shared many conversations about it and other missionaries have shared their struggles with it as well. Whether we are able to work to bridge the gap or we must just accept current reality, it is something we are trying to work through. I plan to write in the coming weeks as I work through my thoughts on a few of the issues.
One expectation I had before coming was difficulties and struggles in ministry. I expected to be challenged by our calling and even doubt it at times. I praise God that has not been true. Yes, we have had many struggles and in many ways our first year has been more difficult than I expected, but God has continually reminded us of our calling and his desire to change the hearts and lives of the Turkana. I have questioned why we were here, what impact we can have among so much need, and most often whether I am up for the task. Yet God has seen us through. I know by faith that because he has called us, we are able; because he has called us, we are gifted to fulfill his will. Kipuroy Akuj, praise God for his faithfulness.
Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
-Chad
January 17 2010 | Turkana Life | No Comments »
The life of a chicken farmer has highs and lows. This morning Kara and Eooi’s wife cleaned and cooked the bird. They shared a good time of fellowship together. We enjoyed the resulting chicken stew and ugali. Elias, who is a picky eater, on this day would only eat the chicken pieces from his stew, all the while chattering away about what a good bird Rocks was.
-Chad
January 13 2010 | Family and Turkana Life | No Comments »
Elias is a proud young boy right now. Today he was given his first chicken, a rooster. Many months back we visited a family and as most of us drank chai and talked, Elias chased their chickens. Occasionally he would come in and give us a report on which chicken he almost caught and which chicken was mean. The family really enjoyed him. As we left, they said they would give him a chicken some day. His day has come. He gave it some water, a little rice, and named it Rocks. He thinks Rocks will taste good one of these days.
-Chad
January 11 2010 | Family and Turkana Life | No Comments »
The rain Turkana land received was more than had come in many years. There was a large lake (normally a mud flat) between Lodwar and our house. Trucks were stuck for days. We ended up going and long southern route that took most of the day but was dry. Even though they consider the abundant rain a blessing, the people of Nakor have struggled from the rain. The river flooded above its banks and swept away crops, animals, and part of the hand pump. The verb they use is translated as “eat”. They even said the river almost “ate” Nachemoya one day when she tried to cross it. We’re grateful, as was she, that she wasn’t swept away. Now as the river is going down people are planting a traditional garden where the river flooded. It is busier than I have ever seen people. Everyone spent all day chopping down palms, digging, and planting across the river. They should begin to harvest the sorghum in a couple months. In the meantime, grass is growing tall attracting all the livestock. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
-Chad
January 09 2010 | Turkana Life | 1 Comment »
Finally Turkana land has seen rain. It first rained in mid-December. Grass started to grow but all the men said it would burn up in the sun if more rain did not come. Then after Christmas we had a good long morning rain one day followed by ten hours of rain on Jan. 2nd. There are puddles everywhere. Everyone is landlocked because of mud. It is a huge blessing for the people. Grass should grow well and feed the animals for a while allowing to fatten up for before kidding. God is great! It is odd to see green all around us where it has been only brown for a year. So much of life here sits dormant waiting for that one opportunity for moisture.
- Chad
January 04 2010 | Turkana Life | 1 Comment »
January 03 2010 | Pictures | 1 Comment »
Happy New Year!
The New Year has come and passed again. Kara and I had a big night planned – Fritos, Velveeta dip, and a movie. All three saved for months in anticipation of the evening. We live on the wild side. We also remembered the year with its highs and lows. We got to celebrate many successes, laugh about many experiences, and remember some situations we were glad God saw us through. It has been an interesting year. As we talked, one thing that became apparent is that Hannah is not pulling her own weight yet. Believe it or not, though she is an amazing blessing, her arrival didn’t open up any more time for us. So we have not been good at keeping up with this blog and communicating what has been going on. Here are some highlights from the past few months:
September:
Aidan seemed to decide to walk one day. He took five steps to get to me. I had to wonder how long he had been walking in secret before unveiling his new skill. It is amazing how quickly the kids change and learn new things.
Hannah was born in Aga Kahn hospital in Nairobi. We felt God’s presence through the whole experience as well as everyone’s prayers at home. Kara’s mother, Nora, was able to come over and be here for it all. It was hard to be away from the rest of our family and friends but it was an affirming time for us regarding our calling here. Hannah is now three months old. She smiles and coos constantly for her dad’s singing (really who wouldn’t?) and is the most peaceful and easy going child of our three. Praise God for his many blessings!
October:
Early in the month I went to a seminar explaining the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) program. The program does an impressive job of integrating biblical lessons with those on preventative health. All lessons are then taught by the students to neighbors and friends. What may be the most important aspect in relation to the Turkana churches is that it empowers individuals, and through them communities, to take ownership of their problems and thereby the solutions as well. We hope to move past dependency upon missionaries. After the conference I was able to spend some time with an experienced teacher in the program discussing ways to implement it in Turkana. It looks like CHE will end up being a big part of our ministry here. It will work beside the clean water and garden ministry. I am going to additional training in late January and materials are currently being translated into Turkana.
We took a tour of the work CMF is involved with among the Urban Poor. The main project CMF has partnered with is a school called Mission of Hope on the edge of the Mathare Valley, a slum with an estimated population of 800,000 people. The project is very impressive with ministries reaching students, parents, and the community at large. They have the school, counselors, CHE programs, and micro-finance loans, as well as other ministries. They have been able to make a huge impact on an area with many needs. I’m not sure yet how their methods are applicable to Turkana but we’ll see.
November:
I flew up to Lodwar mid-month for the graduation at the Turkana Bible Training Institute. This was the fourth class to graduate from the two year program preparing them to teach and lead their local congregations. It was a small class but they made up for it with enthusiasm. It will be exciting to see how they use the knowledge in ministry back home.
We also got the site for the first well we will be involved with. I was able to get some pictures and visit with the local church leader after the graduation. A supporting church interested in raising money for a well and irrigated garden took a one day donation the Sunday before Christmas. God moved in an amazing way through them and they raised more money for clean water than they even expected. Praise God! We should begin on the first well in mid-January and hope to have the solar panels and garden plots in by March. Through this one church’s donation hundreds of people will have clean drinking water and will soon be growing healthy food year round.
Finally, I had a language helper work out. I worked with him for the last few weeks of our stay in Nairobi. He helped me stay conversational as well as worked with me on new conjugations of verbs.
I attended the Annual General Assembly of Christian Community Churches (the name churches planted by CMF in Kenya are registered under). It was a three day meeting working through the constitution and trying to resolve some current issues affecting large numbers of churches. There are now churches among the Maasai, Turkana, Samburu, and in Nairobi. I learned more about the history of he team’s work among the Maasai and got a better glimpse of the direction the churches want to go.
December:
In the beginning of December I went on a two day trip with a missionary friend, Chuck, from another organization to an area near Lake Victoria. We spent one day on a spear hunt for deer and antelope which was a unique and exciting experience. A couple hundred guys with spears, as many dogs, and a thorny brush forest full of wild animals could lead to nothing but a wild experience and a good story. We had a great time being involved in their local tradition. The second day we went door to door visiting with people, praying for them, and encouraging them to get involved in a local church. It was great to visit and pray with so many people and see Chuck’s method of ministry. It was his first time visiting the area but I think he will be returning. Our team has now discussed ways to implement some of things he and his pastors do. There are many resources here in Kenya and I hope I can learn from all of them to benefit the Turkana churches.
We returned to Nakor and got back into the daily routine. My language skills had improved in our absence. Kara was better able to communicate as well. It was good to see that we both had progressed some while gone. The boys were happy to be back in the sand and it was neat to see how much more thy can play with each other now. Hannah was the star of the show and everyone wanted to hold her. Especially Agnes who was a little upset Aidan was walking now and didn’t want to be held by her anymore.
We have figured out our future housing. It will be in an existing house closer to Lodwar (about a 60 min. drive without any major river crossings) in a community that hasn’t had a missionary for about eight years. It will work well for ministry because we will still be part of a community. Being new, we felt it was vital for us to live in the bush to understand the problems facing church leaders and their communities. We will also be closer to town for meetings or teaching at TBTI. It will be an improvement for our family as well since it is a larger house with multiple bedrooms and doors. Living will be a bit easier for us. The community is excited to have us move there. We are planning to have some more language learning time in Nakor since we had to remain in Nairobi so long and move to the new house in June. I pray our remaining time in Nakor is fruitful. I also pray we can fully communicate to the churches that we will live in one area but we will be involved in ministry among all the areas. Please join us in prayer for these two concerns.
We celebrated Christmas in Nakor. It was a big occasion – as it should be. That was all people talked about for weeks leading up to the big day. For Christmas all the area churches within a few hours walk came to worship together in Nakor. It was an amazing celebration. There were hundreds of Turkana believers all worshiping together from morning until evening. The singing always moves me but it did so even more on that day. It was amazing to hear hundreds, in a land that did not know Christ for so long, dancing and singing, “the door, the door, the door to heaven is opened.” It still moves me thinking about it. I shot a couple songs on video to share with all of you. I hope to get it sent back to the states with visitors in February to be put on this website. We also helped the churches distribute food so everyone could share a filling meal together.
As a family, we celebrated Christmas two days later in Lodwar. Elias was on cloud nine. Aidan wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew he liked it. We had a little tree and some stockings. We watched “A Christmas Story” together, which Elias loves. At 105* with no family or friends around it wasn’t like any other Christmas, but Kara did a great job making the celebration special for our family.
- Chad
January 02 2010 | Family and Turkana Life | No Comments »
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