If you've already "read" this blog (before this morning, June 22nd, around 9:15AM Kenyan time), be sure to look for new photos and additional info about the rest of the churches!
I have some more time to blog this afternoon (I guess blogging's in my blood today) so I thought I'd share some additional info about the churches I've met with at this point. Be sure to come back for further stories and photos about the churches mentioned below!
Keera Church
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| A youth bringing water for the day |
I've said pretty much all I can say about the church so here are some additional photos of my three days with them. One thing that does come to mind is that along the hillside you can see "holes" - dirt spots...that's where "cow grass" has been planted for future selling.
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| Church land down to the river - planted cow grass |
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| Overlooking ladies' bathroom (left) - notice cow in river? |
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| Benard and I taking a break on hillside |
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| Benard's brother, James - what an awesome youth! |
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| School yard next door with kids looking at the mzungu! |
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| Children carrying benches for Sabbath School outside |
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| Sabbath eve sunset leaving Keera church |
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| A children's choir - 1 of 4 different ones that day! |
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| Filling the hole while James holds the banana tree! |
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| River at the bottom of the church's hill. Comes down... |
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| ...and goes around. Baptisms take place to my left. |
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| View of church land from river's edge. |
Kiabugesi Church
After being with the "mother church" of the Kenyan Conference, the Keera church family, I spent the next day with the Kiabugesi church family. Traveling from Benard's family's home, one would go about 4 kilometers on a paved road, and then another 27 kilometers on what has now become typical to me (two weeks later) of very rough, rocky, rutty dirt roads.
We first were welcomed into the home of Pastor James Opio and his wife, Salla were we enjoyed chai and wheat flour bread. There was good sharing about life in the US and other topics before we went down the hill to the church building.
James and his wife have a good farm that produces maize, tea and other crops as well as several cows. However, he, like Benard and the other pastors of the Conference, are struggling with rampant poverty in their country and, like his fellow pastors, has to use public transportation or his feet to get around as none of them have their own transportation.
The day was spent in worshipping with them, teaching, enjoying a lunch
and, like with the Keera church, hearing their joys and concerns for
their church and their Conference.
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| Pastor James, wife Salla and some family members |
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| The Kiabugesi church family who could gather Sunday |
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| Enjoying the church's children |
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| Lunch time at the pastor's home! |
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| Traditional welcome with chai and bread |
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| Local spring for area villagers on the pastor's property |
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| The Kiabugesi church building |
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| The youth group praising God in song and dance |
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| Pastor's home - mother's is to the right. |
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| Maize drying & sampled on pastor's yard |
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| Coming together during singing |
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| Another shot of the church building |
Igorera Church
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| Pastor JohnSilas in the tomato garden |
The next day we traveled a good distance to be with the core people of the Igorera church family pastored by Pastor John-Silas Marube. Their building is smaller than the first two I've seen but their hearts, like their brethren throughout their conference, is BIG! While I was able to meet with just a core, the hope is that, at the time of this addition to the blog (Friday, June 21 at 8:40AM Kenyan time), that tomorrow evening I will be meeting with the whole church for the close of the Sabbath.
Riomoyo Church
The next day Pastor Benard, myself and my first "mzungu" that I had met since coming to Kisii, a nurse named Ben from Sydney, Australia (more about him later), travelled to the Riomoyo church site to see the "sheep project" that they have going in order to support their church financially as well as serve their community. Since it is remote from the actual homes of the church members, several of them personally care for the sheep in order to eventually produce a flock from which offspring can be sold.
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| The Riomoyo church's sheep project |
It was quite the climb to this site after having parked outside of one school yard where we'll be holding a public open-air Sabbath service on the 30th and then walking past another set of classrooms for another school (there are many public schools here for the many children in the many villages). But what was even more challenging was getting back to the car!
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| Sheep outside of the church building |
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| One of the caregiver's of the sheep - kitchen in distance |
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| A sea of children to see a "mzungu" - a white man! |
As soon as a couple of the children saw a "mzungu" go by (Ben was able to slip past - I made it a point not to), dozens and dozens literally surrounded me, pouring out of the entrance and almost toppling a fence that they were reaching over just to touch me and try their English on me by asking me "How are you?" I said I had to go and they somehow knew what I meant and shouted "No!" If it weren't for the head teacher, a man named Charles, and his assistant, coming to my rescue, I don't think I would have been let go of for quite some time!
As of this update to this entry (Friday, June 22nd, 9:30AM Kenyan time) the plan is to be worshipping with the people of this church tomorrow morning!
Nyondoche Ibera Church
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| The path to the home of James & Joyce |
I was able to meet with this church family for teaching and sharing on Thursday, Friday and Sabbath Day. We arrived first at the home of one of the leaders, James, and his wife, Joyce, for the traditional chai and light eating. I was also treated to sugar cane, of which two types are grown in the area - one for sugar as we know it (although not as refined) and the other just to chew on, swallowing the sweet moisture and spitting out the rest.
We then walked down the road to where the church building was (I thought) - after all, there was a building and a sign right there together on the corner. Was I ever mistaken!! The church building was located way up a very steep hill (or mini-mountain) and so, for the next three days, God blessed me with a brief aerobic workout to start my day!
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| What I thought was the church location! |
While such a climb isn't normal for most of us, this is what life is like for the people of the area. Each day, except Sabbath Day, the mid-day meal was prepared below at
James & Joyce's home, and then carried up the hill for all to
enjoy. Any other necessities needed would require another run down the mountain and back up again.
In my "American" mind, I would have thought this to be a hindrance to having guests come (we think of parking spaces and easy access to the facilities) - but this doesn't discourage the church's, nor the community's, spirit. In fact, on Sabbath day, they had 4 guests join with them for the service!
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| Pastor James on our way up the "hill"! |
About 3/4 of the way up, past family compounds and a variety of crops being grown, was the site. And what a sight it was! The view from their spot was breathtaking to say the least! You could see all over, once the mist created by Lake Victoria cleared the hillsides (which mist reached to our position even though the lake itself was quite a distance away!)
The property which the church family owns is enough for two buildings and one "latrine" (hole in the ground covered by timber with four standing tree poles holding a tarp for privacy) at this point - both the property and buildings made possible by gracious donations from several individuals and a couple of churches in the US, including the Verona church. Prior to this, they met in a home, then on their plot in the shade, then in the "pastor's house" and now in their church building.
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| What a sight from the church site! |
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| Catching our breath while taking in the view! |
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| Another shot! |
The "pastor's house" is a single room structure that served them well while construction on the worship house was being completed. After the placing of iron sheets on that structure, they awaited my being with them to officially open the building for worship.
Much of the walls are unfinished so one could see how they are made from various mixtures of dirt, rocks and such, along with tree limbs acting like 2x4s throughout. The floor, like at every church building I've been to, is dirt. The raised dirt platform, where I and the other leaders were sitting, was soft in places, and so I found myself often sinking into the dirt depending on how I positioned not only the chair, but my weight on the chair!
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| The "pastor's house" aka worship building |
Led by Pastor John Omenta, who travels 4 hours each way every week from his home and family (7 children) by matatu (public transportation via an overly crowded van), this church family, like the others I've spent time with, has a great vision for the future in their desire to reach out. They also have a sheep project like some of the other churches and a desire to share the love of Jesus Christ with many!
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| The "real" worship building |
Sabbath Day service was much like that at the Keera church, highlighted by officially opening their church building for worship services. We commemorated the time by prayer, cutting a "ribbon" and having a soda together. I also enjoyed sharing peppermint candies with the children and youth while teaching them songs like "Jesus Loves Me", "Father Abraham", and Camp Harley classics like "Singing in the Rain" and the "Hatracker" song with my own twist of "...That's why I think God is cool - yahoooo!"
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| Discussing the making of the walls |
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| The "iron sheets" Verona provided |
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| Inside the "pastor's house" for our first two days |
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| Thomas' drum used during singing |
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| My view from the door while teaching |
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| Unfinished walls to the church building |
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| Angle on the church property (most of it) |
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| Walls in different stages |
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| Lunch break! |
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| Benard preparing sugar cane to chew on |
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| The sheep project |
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| Mother and lamb |
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| Youths Sarah and Nancy with "SDB" lamb |
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| Mobile Medical Outreach/sheep project committee |
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| Sabbath morning on the mountain! |
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| Gathering for prayer and worship! |
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| Special music being shared |
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| "Ribbon" cutting time! |
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| Benard and church elder after their cutting of a "ribbon"! |
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| Pastor John and I wearing the ribbons |
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| Getting ready to pray over soda |
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| Everyone enjoying a variety of soda flavors! |
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| Explaining how to enjoy the hard peppermint candy |
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| Passing the treats out to one and all - twice! |
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| Back in town - caught in heavy rain - sitting in a restaurant! |
Kerobo Church
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| Sunday morning shoe-shine |
On Sunday, it was off (and up) to the Kerobo church to meet with their core people and hear their story and their hopes. After a long journey on VERY rough roads, as well getting stuck in one of a number of muddy patches (good thing I had my boots as I had the privilege of pushing us out and on at one point), we then made the climb up to the home of Pastor Jeremiah Momanyi and family.
The church family gathered in his home for chai and light food were so welcoming and gracious. We shared for a time and then made our way back down the hill, past crops they were growing, and the beginning of one of the son's first home (just poles from trees at that point), and to the church building.
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| The view from the Kerobo church site |
I was immediately struck by the fact the a large portion of one wall was caved in, having just happened the Thursday before. Due to that incident, and because the corners of the other walls were showing large cracks, the church family was reluctant to meet inside for worship the day before I came, fearing that it might collapse. Because Sabbath had been a rainy day for them, they weren't able to meet under the shade either.
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| Another similar angle |
We did, however, sit in the structure for our time of sharing and it was such a blessing to see their joy and hope on their faces and in their expressiveness as I encouraged them from 1 Corinthians 3, Ephesians 2, 1 Peter 2 and Matthew 16:18 as to the kind of "building" God was making of them! It was hard for Pastor Jeremiah to keep his seat, his heart was so overflowing with joy and encouragement from God's Word.
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| And another! |
They later showed me their goat project, which is to not only foster flocks from which they can sell goats, but the milk from kind of goat the bearded male represents, has strong medicinal qualities that can help those affected by HIV/AIDS as well as TB and other respiratory ailments. While a cup of cow's milk may sell for $50 KSH (which is about 75 cents US), a cup of this goat's milk goes for $250 KHS, or about $4 in US currency).
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| Walking down to the church building from the pastor's | |
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| A new home starting in center of photo |
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| The outside where wall portion collapsed |
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| A view of the collapse from the inside |
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| Looking towards the "pulpit" area - wall collapse left |
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| Singing to the Lord - Pastor Jeremiah on the right, back! |
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| Pastor Jeremiah with the breed of goat for medicinal milk |
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| Other goats in the outreach project |
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| The outreach team caring for goats and a cow |
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| View while leaving the Kerobo church |
There are still one or two churches on the schedule to meet with starting tomorrow (June 23rd), a time with the Conference leaders next week, as well as a personal day for a safari before things wind down with Benard's wedding next Friday, the open-air, public Sabbath service and baptisms next Sabbath and my 4-hour trip back to Nairobi on Sunday, July 1st, where I fly out around 11:25PM Kenyan time (4:25PM EST).
Thank you for your continued interest and for lifting not only me but this foundational missions trip before the throne of our Father in heaven!
What this blog post is entitled is a heart-felt apology to you for having left many of you hanging waiting for news as to my trip home. The word, samahani, means I am sorry for having offended you. 
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