Kenya Missions Update

12 February, 2005

Greetings in the Wonderful and Precious name of Jesus the Christ!

We had a surprise couple of days of rain and that was it. The rains normally don't come until March. Yesterday I had a meeting with some Christians and came home about 3:30 PM. It had just finished raining. Grace said as soon as the rain started, the girls got on their raincoats and umbrellas in hand and headed outside. When I got home, they had made little stone ovens and had cakes cooking in them. With flowers on top! They then made mud soup. They made a mess on themselves, Grace remembers making mud pies, but not making such a mess on her clothes!!! So I had to calm her down a bit! The girls are loving being home. They both enjoy school, the swing and slide at home and picking berries from the bush to either eat or make fruit drink from.

Francis Yator and his vegetable garden.

While we were on furlough, I reported that I had heard from him about the acre vegetable garden that he planted. We helped him with some of the needed things to get started, the biggest being a plastic drum to pump the water into from the stream. I went to visit the project and was greatly encouraged. The water pump had broken down and was being fixed, so things were very dry at the time of my visit. Francis has a field that he is trying to purchase. He told me that he was able to pay $400 toward the farm by just selling 3000 cabbages for a little over $0.13 each. In his area, an acre costs about $1,070 per acre. I was able to give him a bit of advice to help and the Agricultural Officer from the area also attended the meeting. I had hoped to encourage him to help out as well. (I hear that he doesn’t do much work in helping people!)

The exciting thing about the program is this, this project was to excite other young men in the area to stay there and work and help their community instead of running to town. Next to Francis’ plot another young man has planted tomatoes that were ready for harvest. Francis helps by allowing him to use his gasoline run water pump. I am told that further down the stream another youth has also started the project of raising vegetables. Praise the Lord!!!

February 4th the day that things did not go as planned!

At 8 AM, Sammy Kibet came and helped me put the roof rack back on the car. We then loaded up 7 iron sheets (9 others were already on site) and wood for a door. The plan for the day was for me to help him transport the things to the Sergoit Swamp. He and Charles Luvanda would put the iron sheets on his mothers and fathers house while I visited the family of Yusuf Shimoli. Then, we would proceed to Charles house and have a meeting there with several people. Charles and a helper James did not show up until noon. I found them there putting the roof on the house. It is a small mud house, divided into two rooms. My guess is 10 x16 feet in total. As I waited in the shade of the roofing that was already on, I decided I had a choice, to be upset that the other meeting would probably not take place or thank the Lord of what was happening.

December 2002 somehow I made it known to Sammy Kibet that there was a plot at the swamp that would be a place for his parents to live. He went and saw it. It is one acre, ½ rocks and ½ farmable. Sammy prayed about it, and wrote letters to his sisters who are married in Masaai to see if they could help. They did and the land was purchased. What is so important about a mud house on 1 acre of land? It is because Sammy’s parents are squatters on a land in Kitale and they could be forced to leave at anytime. The Lord provided for this house in many ways. Charles and other Christians came and helped to make the wooden structure for the house. They also came this day and donated their labor as Christians. One of Sammy’s brother was there, he is not a Christian, this was a real testimony to him! The ridge caps where the iron sheets join at the top were bought from another Christian at "a real good price" so I was told.

The others had drank tea before beginning the work, I hadn’t, so they brought me a cup of tea to drink. When the work was finished, we sang a song and 3 people had some words to say and two of us prayed for the house and family.

Then we went to where Sammy’s mom is presently staying. Another mud house about 6..5 x 11 feet. As the sun beat down on the low roof, it was hot inside. Furniture was one lone stool. In the corner were the three stones for cooking. We ate and were satisfied. Sammy also owns one acre at the swamp, he had planted tomatoes on some of it. He wanted to give me some of the first fruits from the land. So we also had a thanksgiving prayer for the tomatoes. Because of the situation in Sammy’s family, and also because of the brother who came to visit for a few days, there were 6 people sleeping in that small dwelling!!! No bed, remember just a stool was seen!

Praise the Lord that he has touched the hearts of many to help in this situation. As Sammy said many times, he really thought it to be impossible to buy this plot and build a house on it for his parents. But when everyone gives what they can, nothing is impossible. That the Lord only requires of us to give what we can and He will provide the rest. AMEN

Dreams Became and are Becoming Reality

***Empowering Lives International is on of the locations where we shot some of the footage for Mable’s Garden Secrets Video. In the last few months, they have been busy building pressed earthen blocks buildings for orphans. They now have 90 orphans in residence.

***William and Moria Thompson also dream of working with starting an orphan project. The Lord has blessed them with 3 ¾ acres of land. We visited the plot last week because he wanted us to advise them on how they might proceed in developing the place agriculturally. They hope to build 5 houses and each house to have parents with 10 orphans.

Pray for:

* 21-24 Feb when Church of Christ men in East Africa will be on their annual retreat. Pray for the men and our wives and children at home.

*4 elders and I will get together on 25/26 Feb for a night of discussions and prayer

*March 5/6 is a meeting with all the elders in our area

*March 17-20 Keith and ?? will be in the Kisii area teaching agriculture at the extension school for Nairobi Great Commission School (NGCS)

*Week of March 21st as I will be helping Thomas Kurgat who is getting his Ph.D. at Texas Tech. He will be conducting his research in Kenya and Uganda. In Kenya, his project will focus on gender issues and how they are underrepresented in agricultural extension. It is a dream of several people to have a Church of Christ Agricultural college in Mbale, Uganda. Mbale is a 3-hour drive from Eldoret.

*First week of April, I will be teaching at the Mafuta extension school for NGCS a course on "How to Study the Bible"

MAY THE LORD GRANT YOU HIS PEACE!

In Service to Christ,

Keith, Grace, Ruth and Kirsten Gafner