Kenya Missions Update

July 31, 2006

Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord, Jesus!

This is a small report thanking you for your prayers. The Lord has really heard and answered!

I wrote and said we needed rain. What a blessing it is raining almost everyday now. Finally we are getting a bit of water in the soil and those who planted late because of the poor rains at the beginning of the planting season are having a bit of a hope for a harvest this year.

You prayed about the meeting that took place on 21st – 23rd July. I was told by one leader that it was a highly successful meeting. We in total had 23 leaders there. I was healing from an ear infection and combined with three days (and nights) of using another language, by the time I got home on Sunday afternoon, I was dizzy. I preached that day on the book of Haggai.

Pray for two other things:

1. This Thursday, Grace's aunt, sister and niece will come and visit. They will be with us several days. Pray for their safety in travel and their time while with us.
2. The annual leaders/elders/preacher meeting 11th – 13th August. Actually this meeting will start on Thursday the 10th. That is the day when we need to purchase food, charcoal etc. for the meeting. It is planned that anyone who wants can come and pray and fast with us that night
3. Pray also for Sieion and Charles. Simeon is a hearing person who works with deaf Church of Christ Christians in Kenya. Charles is deaf and keeps 4 orphans in his house. The deaf community wants to start a deaf orphanage here in Kenya. They will travel to Eldoret on the 5th and be here until the 8th. We will go to Kitale and see the Church of Christ orphanage there. Also will see an orphanage here in Eldoret and also look at a machine that makes interlocking soil blocks. Which greatly reduces the cost of construction.

A lesson learned in life or The night Keith slept with a family of rats! Peter Cheruiyot and I went to the Kesses cluster (consisting of 4 churches) meeting last Saturday. We both have not been at this church in some years, so we were trying to remember how to get there. It was a bit more complicated by the fact that the house that we were going to Thomas Lagat's was no longer where we remembered it to be. He had bought a new plot and moved there. The Lord brought us a person who directed us to his house. After the rain stopped, we headed to the church building to meet with the leaders of these four churches. Thanks for praying for this meeting went well and also the worship service on Sunday.

That night, we went to a family's house for supper and that is also the place we were to sleep that night (we being Peter and I and three other leaders). After supper while we were talking, I was called out. I had brought blankets and mattresses for us to use. I was taken to a room that had two beds, both 3 ˝ feet wide. The ladies told me that I would sleep on the bed with another man. And one of the other men would sleep on the floor. I said that I would sleep on the floor, as I am only used to sleeping in bed with Grace. They refused and said that two men would sleep on the floor and I would sleep in the bed alone.

At bedtime, we go to the room and I am told I will sleep on the floor, by the men! So I got my wish. When we got all settled in, they said, don't worry about the rats! I did notice a hole in the wall about 3 feet from my head, but was tired and went to sleep. I don't know what time it was, but I was sound asleep when a rat ran across the top of my pillow. I woke up with a shout. Which did not bother anybody, as they keep breathing heavily as they slept. Something seemed to be in my hair as well, or so it felt. Now I could hear the rats. Once I turned on the light and saw a rat slowly going into the hole. I wanted to grab him by the tail and kill him, but didn't. I could not sleep after that scare.

Then I got wise and said, let me turn around and put my feet here. Beside me was a cabinet which was filled with whatever, it was the playhouse for the rats. I almost got to sleep again when one found something metal to play with inside. Then again, started to doze again when a rat let out a horrible cry, one that I have never heard before. All I could think about was this cannibal rat coming to chew on me next!

Finally, I got to sleep and who knows how long it was when Peter calls out, “Keith, it is time to pray!” I got home around 5 PM on Sunday, in bed by 8 PM and slept very soundly for 10 hours.

Lesson learned: When your hosts decided on the sleeping plan, better stick with it. They may know something you don't!

Please remember to change to our new Email addresses kggafner@yahoo.com or kggafner@gmail.com Phone is country code 254 0723-636911 it is a cell phone. Usually on from 8 AM to 8 PM.