Kenya Missions Update

February 29, 2008

Greetings in the Name of our Lord, Jesus!

 

Thought I would send you some great news if you have not heard.  A political solution has been found by the politicians.  Next week, the Parliament will meet and make a constitutional amendment to allow for an Executive Prime Minister and other changes that need to be made.  Praise the Lord!

 

But this does not mean that it is business as normal back in the country.  There are at least 22,000 ‘internally displaced people’ in Eldoret area alone.  With 20,000 plus of these at the Agricultural Society of Kenya Show Grounds.  It is a massive tented city!  There are a lot of problems there as well.  A lot of sexual abuse is taking place.  They have a school trying to teach the children, but I hear that teachers and teaching supplies are lacking.  We pray that the government will see what to do as quickly as possible, as the rains are about to come. 

 

They are also predicting that if these people do not go back to their farms and plant maize, that there will be a severe shortage of food in Kenya next year.  But can you go back to your land when you were chased out by your neighbors?!  The government is saying they will help the people to rebuild their burnt houses and provide necessary protection.  Let us wait to see what will happen. 

 

We had to leave our house on the 31^st of December.  We returned on the 11^th January.  The burning in our area continued until the 14^th of January.  They have literally burned up to 100 yards of our house.  Do you believe in angels?  Well, Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” The angel who helped us did a good job of protecting all that the Lord has given us so that we serve Him! 

 

There is an abundance of rumors around, such as, when the police go, we will go and finish what we started.  Do they think they will defeat our Lord! J We continue to stand on Psalm 91; Proverbs 29:25; and 2 Peter 2:9a.  How many times have I read this verse in 2^nd Peter and it meant nothing to me.  Lot lived among the evil people in that city, and God protected him.  We live among evil people here and the Lord has and will continue to protect us!  When he wants us to leave, then we will leave!  I met two people in town today and they asked when we came back (as they and most people fled to Nairobi).  I told them we never left Eldoret, the Lord told us to stay here and pray and help. 

 

Those 12 days we fled to a safer part of town and stayed with the Phyllis & Horace Leister family.  They have been in the country for 3 or 4 months only.  They have come to build an orphanage here.  But because of some legal stuff with the land, they have not been able to start.  They also had hoped to do foster care as well.  As a result of what has happened the last two months in Kenya, it is said that there are now 160,000 new orphans or children who have been separated from their parents.  Phyllis went to the show grounds the other day and saw two startling things.  A lady just gave birth the day before in her tent.  When the food was ready by the Red Cross, the young and strong were able to go quickly and get food.  Because there is a shortage of food, ladies like this don’t eat unless they have someone to help them.  Secondly, there is a young lady there with AIDS.  The day before they took her to the hospital and gave her an injection and brought her back.  She has two small children, 8 months and 6 years.  Both look to be about half the size they should be.   To make a long story short, the Leisters now have their first two foster children.  They have gone to America for two months and some other people are taking care of the children. By the time they get back they should have their legal status with the government, so these two girls will most likely be the first two children in the orphanage.

 

Some encouraging news.  The last three weeks, I have been preaching at the police post just 200 yards down the road from us.  We are going through the Gospel of John.  Each chapter gives a different characteristic of Jesus.   I bought each man a Gospel of John mini Bible.  My guess is that 3 maybe 4 know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  The Inspector (the man in charge) is from Meru and a Christian.  They have now seen 11 Christian videos.  We have taken our video machine down to them.   We visit often with the men.  Last Sunday, they finally opened up to me and we had discussion time after church of questions that they have about many issues.  

 

Next week we will also start to teach them about SPECK.  This is a course that we use to teach people how to read the Bible. When you read, ask 5 questions of the text.  Below, I have written what it stands for.  I will not be teaching the course, Majimbo will.  Who is he?  He is a young man who I lead to the Lord some years back.  He works as our night watchman and helps in the yard.  He is studying at our Extension School and when I taught the course on, ‘How to Study the Bible’, of course SPECK was part of it.  Now it is time for my disciple to teach others!

 

IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS, KEEP YOUR EYES FOCUSED ON HIM!

 

In Service to Christ,

The Gafner Family

 

P.S. Prayer works.  I was told to come to Navillus and remove the pump in the pump house, as thieves sold the door one night.  We tried everything to get it out, but could not break the rusted pipes loose with the tools we had.  When Charles went to get the hacksaw to cut the pipes to drop them in the well, I prayed.  He could not find his hacksaw, so we said let us try one more time.  And, I came home with the pump head as well as the pipes!  Afterwards, we sat and talked and remembered how when Joseph’s child was sick, we prayed and he was healed, how Charles’s wife stopped having children after their first and now they have 3 more and when the neighbor’s baby was to be born with a deformed big head, the ladies prayed and Brian who is now about 3 is as normal as any other kid.  Put all things in PRAYER!

 

S  sin to confess/repent           *Am I doing a sin the bible shows that I should confess and repent of?

P promise to claim                 *Is there a promise for me to believe Christ for?

E example to follow               *Is there a biblical example for me to do?

  ~ error to avoid                    *Are there mistakes for me to learn from and avoid?

C command to obey               *What things should I do or not do?

K knowledge of God              *What does it teach me about the Father, Jesus or Holy Spirit?