Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, May 26, 2007

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Kipture Baptist Church

Last Sunday, May 20, Henry and I visited the newly revived church in Kipture, which is close to Kapsabet.  It was one we started on one of our mission trips, but they were lured away by another group.  They have now come back to us and are meeting in a mud/stick structure that’s used by a nursery school.  There may be some property available across the road that they could purchase with some help, and then construct a building out of wood or tin sheets. 

During the worship service two children’s choirs sang, one from Irimis and the other from Kipture.  They also quoted Bible verses and a few gave short testimonies.  They learned the music and verses during Sunday School.  The rest of the service included singing, testimonies, prayers, preaching, and at the end they presented Henry and me with gifts.  Henry received a mug and I was given a thermos, a household necessity so that tea is always hot and ready to serve.  Then we were invited to the mud structure home of Francis and Mary Sugut for lunch.  Would you believe Henry and I had rice with peas and carrots and pieces of beef, while everyone else had red beans and rice?  We were treated very specially that day!

We began the first step in getting the churches organized and operating as Baptist churches by asking each pastor to write their salvation testimony and call to the ministry.  The next step will be to form committees in each church to draw up a constitution and set of by-laws.  Part of this process will be the teaching of the Baptist Faith and Message as it becomes a part of each church constitution.  After the constitutions are completed and voted on, we’ll begin the process of choosing deacons and other leaders in each church.  It will take a while with lots of teaching and educating, but God is in it and all will be accomplished in His perfect timing.

Linus Kirimi will be with us tomorrow at Kapsabet.  Please pray that God’s perfect will will be done, that these people will repent and the church will once again become a beacon of light in the town of Kapsabet.

This has been a very full day with not much time to write, so enjoy this brief update!  Thank you for your prayers!

Mungu awabariki!

Judy

The two left pictures are the Children's Choirs from Irimis and Kipture.   These are pictures from Kipture last Sunday of Henry and his mug and me and my thermos.  They're gift-wrapped so you really can't see the item.   The other picture is of our ever-growing literacy class at Kapchorua.  Every week there are a couple of new students.  The teacher is Teresia Rotich standing on the right.    Some of you may have noticed that Rotich is a common name among the Kalenjin, almost like "Jones" in the US.

Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, May 19, 2007

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Irimis, Kipture, Taito, Kapsabet, Temso, Kapchorua, and Lion’s Club

(I couldn’t think of a title this week!)

Some of you may remember that the last time Henry and I visited the church in Irimis, only one member and a visiting pastor friend were present.  That had followed many visits where the church was filled.  The pastor, Peter Bett, had gone away and so had the members.  On Sunday, May 6, we were asked to go back there.  This time there were two members and the pastor had returned.  Also present were members from a new church, Kipture, which is actually one of the former churches that had been led astray by another group but has now revived.  Bwana asa fiwe!

Tomorrow we will visit Kipture although we don’t know exactly where it is yet.  I’m not sure if the roads are passable by car or they’re just for people and cows and sheep.  There’s always an adventure here!

Last Sunday, May 13, we had a great worship service at Taito followed by a meeting of the pastors to plan for the upcoming mission team from First Baptist Church, Snellville, GA, July 26–August 4.  The people are so excited and appreciative of the sacrifice the team members are making to fly to Kenya just to help them.  It will be a huge spiritual boost for all of the churches and the surrounding area where we’ll share the gospel.

Kapsabet update:  Linus and Ojienda are coming next week, the Lord willing.  Please pray that the power of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God will take over everything that’s said and done.  Also, please pray for the pastor, John Rotich.  It’s been a long four months since his last sermon there, and on top of that someone stole his five cows last Sunday night.  Cows are a major source of income as milk is in high demand by all families.

Last Wednesday at the Temso Bible study, which is from 2:30-4:30, one of the regular ladies arrived at 4:20.  I explained that we were almost finished and was so sorry she missed it.  Then I found out she had walked for two hours, uphill all the way, to get there.  A younger person could have made it in less time.  My heart went out to her, especially when I remembered that just a few weeks ago she had come with her foot bandaged where a dog had bitten her.  She brought a prescription from the local clinic for rabies medicine which she could not afford to pay.  The cost was 1,500 Kenya shillings or about $22.  God is so good!  That’s the exact amount I had with me that day.  She came back two or three weeks later eager to show everyone her healed dog bite.  Can you imagine walking two hours uphill with your foot bandaged from a dog bite?  Can you imagine living such a hard life?  Can you imagine walking two hours to attend a Bible study?

Today was supposed to be Bible study at Kapchorua where we have the literacy class.  However, it seems that the locks were changed on the doors to the primary school where the church meets and no one had a key.  The probable reason for the new locks is they now have power and new wiring and light fixtures, and locks tend to discourage thieves.  Can you imagine going to a school or church without electricity?

The highlight of the week was going to Eldoret to pick up the wheelchair from the Lion’s Club for Japhet Kipkorir (but they call him Jeffrey).  Japhet had returned to his school for the disabled, which is 30-45 minutes from here, and was not able to go, so I asked John Rotich, and his wife, Judy, to ride with me.  They brought along their two youngest children: Jeruto, a girl, 4, and Malcolm, a boy, 3, who were very well-behaved.  Jeruto thinks I’m her white mom!

We arrived at the Lion’s Club school where several people met us.  I brought a picture of Japhet which his uncle gave us to document the need.  Many pictures were taken and everyone was very happy.  We plan to take the chair to Japhet at his school, Tachasis School for the Disabled, run by the Catholic Church, this week.  Hopefully, his uncle, with whom he lives, will be able to go with us.

The Eldoret Lion’s Club would like to hear from any of their fellow Lions in America.  Here’s the address: 

Lion’s Club of Eldoret

P.O. Box 59

Eldoret 30100

Kenya

President – Lion Shanti Shah

Secretary – Lion Daksha Lodhia (Mrs.)

V. Pres. – Lion Sanjay Gujral

Members -  Lion Bharumati Lodhia (Mrs.)

                   Lion Anil Haria

                   Lion Vasakha Sabharwal

                   Lion Sah’sh Shah

                   Lion Kirit Mandalia – my friend who, along with his wife,

Hasu, owns the dry goods store

This club is a mission field!

Thank you for your faithfulness to pray!

Mungu akubariki!

Judy

In the wheelchair is Pastor John Rotich, with Malcom on the left and Jeruto on the right. At left on the back row is Judy Rotich, Lion Daksha Lodhia (a doctor's wife), me, President Lion Shanti Shah, Lion Sah'sh Shah, peering from behind him is my friend Lion Kirit Mandalia, and last on the right is Lion Bharumati Lodhia (sister-in-law to Daksha, also a doctor's wife). The school pictured is a primary school, grades 1-8.  Across from it is a nursery school, ages 3-5.  A secondary school is planned for the immediate future, grades 9-12.

Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2007

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Lion’s Club in Kenya

Some of you are members of a Lion’s Club and are aware of all the benevolent things they do for people in need.  Do you remember Jeffrey, the 17-year-old young man in the wheelchair in Kapsabet?  I’ve been trying to find out where to find wheelchairs and their cost because my daughter-in-law wanted to collect money for him to have a new one.  I went to Eldoret Friday to buy more curtain material from my Hindu Indian friends, Hasu and Kirit (wife and husband), and the Lord told me to ask them about wheelchairs.  How amazed I was to find out Kirit is a former president of the local Lion’s Club!  He made a phone call and told me they had a wheelchair available.  All I have to do is bring him a picture of Jeffrey to show the members and to document the need, and make a donation so they can get a replacement.  Bwana asa fiwe!  Praise the Lord!

Our God loves and cares for everyone no matter who they are or where they live.  Jeffrey will experience God’s love and care when he receives his new wheelchair.  Also, this was another opportunity to plant a seed about the Christian God to my Hindu friends.  I told them that the Lord told me to ask them about the wheelchair and their eyes opened wide.  Only our awesome God would have known to ask Hindu Indian owners of a dry goods store about the prices of wheelchairs!

Speaking of Indian friends, I stopped in to say hello to Deepen Bhatt whom I’ve asked for prayer because he is truly searching.  He shared some problems and then asked, “Why do we feel better when we help other people?”  I told him it’s because God made us that way.  He told us to love others and one way to show that love is to be available when they need our help.  Also, in the process of involving ourselves in the lives of others, our own problems become insignificant and we realize how much we are blessed.  He liked that!  By the way, he hasn’t read Ravi Zacharias’ book yet because he just returned from a long visit to Canada and didn’t want to accidentally leave the book on the airplane.  How thoughtful! 

Shikuku, Chemartin’s resident driver, has been on leave this week, so, I drove myself to Eldoret, an hour’s drive over and around millions of potholes.  This was my first time to drive that far.  I stayed on the wrong side of the road and turned my windshield wipers on only one time when I wanted to signal a turn.  And I made it safely through all the busy intersections without traffic lights.  Of course, much prayer was offered many times!  Anna had Joseph, one of her house servants, go with me in case I had a flat tire (called a “puncture” here).  We had a good time practicing my Kiswahili (which still has a long way to go!) and eating samosas (Indian hamburgers) at Sizzler’s Café.

The Kapsabet patience-waiting-and-perseverance game continues, but the Lord reconfirmed that He is going to do something.  When I was reading about King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, verse 12 stood out like a neon light:  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.  Waiting is exactly what He wants us to do so we don’t get in His way.  Every time I think about the SWAT Team, He reminds me of my need to have patience!

In a little over two months a mission team of 13 people will be here from First Baptist Church, Snellville, GA, to help with evangelization, lead conferences for men and women, train leaders so we can start AWANA in all the churches, train other leaders to start a Kenya-based program called MotherWise, and lead a Youth Rally that will draw hundreds of secondary school students.  Much planning and many, many emails have been written and sent on both sides of the world.  Oh, how I thank the Lord for the internet!!!  Please pray for us as we seek God’s perfect will for His people here to grow spiritually and for new Christians to be born.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Mungu awabariki!

Judy

The before and after picture is of the outside stonework.  The ceiling of the porch is on the top left.  When they laid the stones, they didn't smooth the mortar between them.  Now they're chiseling out some of the mortar and applying a new layer and smoothing it.  The stones above the lintel in the picture are rough, while the stones below the lintel have been chiseled and remortared.  (Hope you can see what I'm talking about.)  Next they'll take iron brushes and clean the excess mortar off of each stone by hand.  Lots of hard work!   For some reason Kenyan men are enamored with my RAV4 and want me to take their picture with it.  It must be their dream car, or maybe they want to show it off to their girlfriends!   The iron work on the doors and windows must be sanded before painting, so that's what the men in the picture are doing.  The front door is actually a door and a half that opens like a French door.  It's a great idea to make sure there's enough room to move in all the furniture.

Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2007

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Honey Care Africa

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent traveling to and from Nairobi to visit the people at Honey Care Africa.  I came away with my mind filled with all the possibilities and challenges of organizing the people, setting up training, arranging for funding, keeping good accounting records, and transporting many beehives to and from the people and the honey collection point.  Once it’s up and running, it will be an excellent source of a substantial, supplemental income for the people.  I’m excited and so are they! 

Here’s a brief summary of how it will work.  Honey Care recommends that each person have at least five hives.  They are Langstroth design and “idiot-proof” (I plan to try it!) and cost $65 each.  If they can’t afford the full amount, which most will not be able to do, they can pay 10% down, and then each time they’re paid for the honey 50% will go to them and 50% will go directly to pay off the hive.  At that rate it will take about three honey collections to pay for the hive.  I will set up an NGO (Non-Government Organization) to act as a loan agent.  The organization will buy the hives and the people will pay it back without interest.  Therefore, the money will be reinvested over and over. 

Do any of you know of a group in America that would be interested in funding such a project here?  Right now the countries involved are Denmark, Belgium, India, Kenya, Britain, Germany, Finland and Sweden.  The U.S. Ambassador’s Fund is also involved with a small group, so I plan to contact the U.S. Embassy here in Kenya to see what that’s all about.  But wouldn’t it be great to have a Christian NGO helping in an endeavor like this?  James 2:16 says:  What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Kapsabet update:  Nothing.  The hard lesson in patience continues.  I’m waiting for next week, so please keep praying.  Meanwhile, I received a call from one of the members at Irimis, which has been affected by the problems at Kapsabet, asking that Henry and I go there tomorrow.  I hope it’s good news!

The number of ladies in the literacy class doubled today at Chemartin following Bible study.  They are thrilled to have this chance to learn how to read and write and they’re trying so hard!  When I attended church last Sunday at Kapchorua, I realized all the women participating in the class are from there.  Therefore, today we decided to start meeting at Kapchorua beginning next Saturday.  They said it will be a 30-minute walk for me, but only 15 minutes for them because they’re younger and more experienced.  Since I’m not familiar with all the shortcuts through the tea fields and I really think it will take me an hour to walk, I think I’ll drive!

It’s getting late here while you are enjoying your afternoon naps, so I’ll close for now.  Thank you for your love, support and prayers!

Mungu awabariki!

Judy