Kenya Missions Update

March 20, 2007

Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus!

Thanks for your prayers for the weekend. I have not heard the full report of the Epke crusade, but called them on Saturday and they said that it was going well. As you will recall, we were in Baringo. We, being 4 elders and myself. Baringo is a 3 hour drive from Eldoret. We go up the Kerio Valley and finally get to a place called Barwessa. Now one elder, Clement Maiyo lives in the Nandi area, which is cool and has a lot of rain, thus lush with vegetation. He has never been in the valley. When we got there, the first thing he did was to take off his sports coat, tie and undershirt and left them in the car. It was hot. I was thanked many times for bringing a good supply of drinking water. We are received and then started with small talk. We were told that some of the members from the other churches might delay as the government just yesterday lifted the ban on eating goat and beef in the area. Why you ask? A virus called, ‘Rift Valley Fever’ killed some people just across the Tugen hills. But there had been no reported new cases in about a month, so they thought it was safe. We ate supper and then they wanted us to talk on ‘fasting’. So, I talked and answered ?’s on fasting until about 10 PM. By then we were completely drained of energy.

My choices were to sleep in a crowded (I mean wall to wall people sleeping on the floor) mud house with iron sheet roof (hot) or sleep with cramped legs in the car. I chose the car. Sometime in the night, a noisy bug woke me so I smacked him. When I did, I noticed that my hand stuck to my face. In this area at this time of year, water is not very plentiful. The next morning they gave us water to wash our face, about 1 cup full!

I continued to finish teaching my lesson and also talked about agriculture until 1:30 PM. So, I was finished with my teachings, now I turned the program over to the four elders to teach. We were informed at 5 PM until 6 PM would be the time of ‘cleanliness’. I guess they had enough of us upcountry guys who have been sweating for two days! Stupid me, when the time came I asked, “Where is the water and place to bathe?!”

Have you ever heard that grown men are just boys with bigger bodies? A lot of times as you travel; you will see small boys bathing in streams. Off to the river we went. I said my towel is in the car, let me go and get it. I was informed that you sit on a rock until you dry! WELL, we found some nice rocks on the almost dried up riverbed. I was given some by Clement to bring home to the girls. I know what they will remind me of when I see them.

The meeting continued Saturday night. Then Sunday before church began, we went to the field that they will use to plant vegetables and other crops as an experiment. I demonstrated how to plant maize in the proper way. Church was about 120 adults and maybe another 200 children and youths. We left at 1 PM with them still going on. See, we had a 3 hour drive home and then the men still had to get to their homes. Wilson Towett called me at 6:30 PM and said that he had made it as far as the public transport goes. He still had a 4.5 mile walk home.

I left there excited about two things. There are 12 churches in this cluster. Until a couple of months ago when we sat down with both sides, 3 of the 12 churches had no fellowship with the other 9 churches. Even in the past when we came, they would not come to the meetings. They joined us for the meeting on Saturday and Sunday. Praise the Lord! And Secondly, I see an uplift in the Christians both spiritually and physically. On the last visit, late last year, we talked about not depending on donor support all the time, do something. One man did, he planted one acre of sweet potatoes. Others also did and others planted cassava. This is the first time I felt them to be receptive to sit down and listen and contribute to what they can plant to provide food for themselves. I took seeds and fertilizers for them. Each church will have a demonstration plot for their members to see and others in the community. Some of these churches are a long distance from the others. Some as far as 12 miles. Pray for them, that when the rains come that they will plant according to instructions and the demonstrations that we did. I really believe that this desire to do more in the physical is a results of the spiritual growth that I have seen in the people. Transformed lives in the spiritual brings transformation in the physical as well!

KIRSTEN AND RUTH KORNER

The other day, I was in the car with K & R and schools were letting out. Kirsten said, “Dad have you ever noticed that it is always two girls and one boy or two boys and one girl walking home from secondary school (high school)! Why is that?” So I tried to explain that at that age boys and girls like one another. To which she commented, “When I go to secondary school, I am going to an all girls school!” So I asked why. “At our school there is a boy who comes up and pulls my hair and I don’t like that!”

The girls are waiting for school to close. They will close on April 6th for the month. I am sure that their pet rabbits will get a lot more attention then. The other day I went out there and found one dressed in doll clothes.

In Service to Christ,
Keith, Grace, Kirsten and Ruth Gafner
Eldoret, Kenya

P.S. In Barwessa, we leave the car about 100 yards from the church building, so it is out of sight. We hired a 9 year old named Kibet to keep watch over it. For young kids, it is a great fascination. If they were to let the air out of the tires, I think the closest place to refill them would be back at Iten, some 45 miles away!