2 New Bible Training Centers on Mt. Elgon

    What a tremendous response we have had on Mt. Elgon this past month, with over 70 new students. Pastors and church leaders representing over 20 churches registered for Bible Training in the towns of Kaptama and in Kapsokwony. The classes are fairly divided between English and Swahili speakers and about a third of the students are women. Already the Bible School in Kaptama is in their 5th week of classes and the students have been faithfully paying for their first 2 course books. Financial help from the listeners of Faith Radio has made it much easier for the Mt. Elgon students to pay for their books and Study Bibles with chickens, eggs, beans, maize, cabbages, bananas or even a goat or a lamb!
     We now have 5 qualified Bible teachers on Mt. Elgon who are fully trained in the B.T.C.P. curriculum and are doing the teaching in the 2 new schools. This has freed us up to concentrate our efforts on training teachers, school principals and directors, and to help develop a national program that will facilitate the opening of Bible Training Centers throughout Kenya for the future.   

Sixty-Six Students Graduate Bible Training

 

     On October 9th the first three classes of students from Mt. Elgon, comprising 31 men and16 women, descended the mountain to join the two classes of 12 men and 7 women from Kitale for a formal graduation and celebration! These students studied hard during the 2 years of training, which covered 520 hours of instruction in 10 courses: Bible Study Methods, O.T. Survey, New Testament Survey, Pastoral Ministry, Bible Doctrine Survey, Personal Spiritual Life, Church Ministry, Teaching Methods, Church History and
Missions-Evangelism-Discipleship! This was the first time for most to participate in a formal graduation ceremony wearing caps and gowns.  We had a great day of rejoicing with the Director of African Leadership, Benson Mutisya and his wife who joined us from Nairobi and gave each graduate an elegant ‘Certificate of Completion’ from the Bible Training Centre for Pastors and Church Leaders (BTCP) in Tucker, Georgia.  A number of these graduates are already teaching in the new Bible Training Centers that are now opening in Kitale and Mt. Elgon!

Mt. Elgon students wed - 35 couples married!

     What a great day of rejoicing.  There was really a party in the house of the Lord Saturday when 35 couples from the Mt. Elgon Bible Training Center were united together in marriage.  These couples have been living together, some for many years, and have been unable to get married due to Tribal traditions, expensive and unreasonable dowry requirements, and lack of funds to purchase a legal license and certificate.

     But on Saturday a group wedding made it possible for 35 couples to break tradition and have a blessed ceremony with music (traditional & keyboard), rings, certificates, dinner and wedding cake for all.  Over 1000 people turned out and even 2 local tribal chiefs joined the ceremony and we all worshiped the Lord together.  12 people came for salvation and re-dedication.  It was truly a day to remember.

Peaceful Referendum Day in Kenya

Praise the Lord that things have been very calm today.  Most people went to vote early and most shops and businesses were shut down for the day in Kitale, an unusual site that brought back memories of the post-election of 2008. There was a UN and Red Cross medical tent set up in town and police driving around.

Kenyans voted in droves today on a new constitution that could reshape the politics of east Africa's largest economy.  The constitution changes are seen as important to avoid a repeat of the 2008 post-election bloodshed in 2008.  The new proposed changes address the corruption, political patronage, land grabbing and tribalism which have plagued Kenya since it's independence in 1963.

We have had a quiet day at home studying and reading the Word and staying in prayer over the announcement results in two days.  We are comforted by Romans 13:1-2 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God."

Uganda Adventures

It took less than an hour to cross the Kenyan / Ugandan border in our Mitsubishi station wagon early Sunday morning on May 1st with our son, Isaac, who had been visiting with us in Kenya.  Since we had never been to Uganda, we decided to drive him home to Fort Portal in Western Uganda near the border of the Congo.  We all spent the previous night in Jaki's Guest House in the border town of Malaba after a full day of attending the wedding of our Kenyan friends, Fred and Susan Lukulala on Saturday.  Fred has been a student in Isaac's School of Ministry in Ft. Portal this past year and we have known Fred since we first arrived in Kenya in August 2007.

The first thing we noticed after crossing the border is that Uganda is a lot greener than Kenya although they are at the same latitude near the equator.  Uganda gets much more rainfall, more mountainous and landscaped with natural, uncleared jungles.  Of the 560 km (350 miles) of roads to Fort Portal, all were paved highways in good condition except for a 60 km (37.5 miles) stretch after the Kampala city bypass that is being repaved.  We have become so used to the deplorable conditions of the roads in Kenya that we actually marveled at the dual lane highway outside of the city of Jinja and stopped to take a picture of it... a sure sign you have been in Africa too long.

Another first for us while traveling on the way was stopping for a quick snack of 'meat on a stick'... which the Ugandans said was beef but we will have to take their word for it.  It is sold on the side of the roads where hawkers come up to multi-passenger taxi-vans picking up or letting Ugandans out in the various villages along the way.  You can also get 'chicken on a stick' (barbequed skewered leg and thigh) for $1.00, but the real deal is the 'beef' which is quite delicious; a serving of about 7 pieces of roasted skewered 'meat' for only $0.25 or 500 Ugandan shillings... yumm... another sign you've been in Africa too long when 'meat on a stick' is as mouthwatering as a Big Mac (which of course you can't get in East Africa).

Once in Fort Portal we were welcomed by our daughter-in-law, Clea, and 4 very excited grandchildren...Nehemiah (Nemo), Ezekiel (Zeke), Hosanna (Lulu) and Elijah (Lija).   We had a great week with the family, hiking every day in the mountains, fishing with the grandchildren in the Crater lakes in the area and just loving the LORD together!  We also enjoyed the fellowship of the Calvary Chapel Church in Fort Portal where Isaac and family attend and are co-laboring with the missionaries, Doug and Destiny Calhoon who planted the church more than 5 years ago.  You can check out their website and ministry at http://calvaryfortportal.com

Uganda is much less evangelized than Kenya and really needs our prayers.  There is a greater presence of Islam throughout the country and the majority of Ugandans are non-religious or secular unbelievers.  The work and ministry in Uganda is growing but the laborers are few and the task more difficult than in Kenya.   Two of our graduates from the Bible Training Center in Kitale and two untrained Sudanese pastors/church leaders from Southern Sudan are intending to come to Uganda in October for a year of full-time training in Isaac's School of Ministry -- Shepherding Program.   These men will definitely experience going through a culture shock from the change in countries, even though they are all Africans, and therefore will need our prayers, assistance and encouragement to stay the course for this intensive year of discipleship and ministerial training.

Praise Reports & Prayer Requests

Praise Reports:

We have completed the Swahili and English recordings of the 12 Lesson Biblical Foundation Course and Praise God for the great responses of encouragement and ordering of booklets and the testimonies of those phoning in weekly, many with questions.  We thank God for helping Ben & Christine Tanguli do an excellent job in completing the recordings in Swahili.

Praise the Lord for helping our teachers and students complete the 3rd semester of classes in the Mt. Elgon BTC total of 32 men and 20 women) and the Kitale Tent BTC (12 men and 7 women).  Pray for the students to raise the finances to purchase their next 3 books at KES1,500 which is $20.

One of the Discipleship teachers of the Foundation Course, Ruth, has 17 teen students who are wanting to be baptized.  God is rewarding her faithful labor and these children's lives (all of whom are teenage orphans living in a compound in a local slum) have been changed and are continuing to change.  They are happy to have one pair of shoes and one uniform to wear everyday to school.


Prayer Requests:
 

Many have been praying and fasting here in Kitale for South Sudan.  Yesterday began the 1st National elections ever in southern Sudan.  After 21 years of war, the last 5 years of which have been more or less stable, the people are waiting to see if they will be able to establish a democratic independent South Sudan. North Sudan, primarily Moslem, has been responsible for the death of 2 million Sudanese in the south.  The south is primarily Christian and Animist (tribal). Yesterday the elections began and will continue through tomorrow.  Please stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have already suffered extreme persecution for being Christian and most have lost everything including family members.

Please pray for our 4th Teachers Training here in Kitale this weekend.  Greg and I have much preparation to do before the students arrive.  We expect 12 to 15 pastors and church leaders to attend.

Pray for the Tonj Bible Training Center in South Sudan.  They have recently experienced outbreaks of violence which resulted in serious injuries, two of which were small children with gunshot wounds to the  face and head.  The children are being treated in Nairobi, Kenya.

East Africa Radio Broadcasts

 Imani Radio Broadcast reaches into very remote areas of East Africa, in many places where the radio is the only contact with the outside world.  We are so thankful for the opportunity to broadcast the 12 lesson Biblical Foundation Course.  

We have just completed the first six months of broadcasting and are looking forward to starting over again from Lesson 1 next week.  Each week we do receive requests for booklets and many questions concerning the material taught in the lessons.  We are so glad that people want to understand God's Word.  

Support for this project is greatly appreciated.  We do pray for further financial support so that this very important ministry may be able to continue.  Peoples lives are being changed by these biblical teachings. Recently a man who had never been to church in his life phoned in to say that after he had heard the prayer for family reconciliation over the broadcast, his son returned home that night after having been away without any contact for over two years.  This father gave God the glory and committed to going to church the very next Sunday.  There have been many such testimonies like this over the past six months.

Visit to Kapsabet Bible Training Center

We had a great weekend visiting in Kapsabet where we have two Bible Training Centers.  This was our first road trip with our own vehicle and, though the roads are in terrible conditions, we had a safe and blessed journey to the beautiful mountainous tea raising region.  Having our own car is such a blessing and far more economical than hiring vehicles.

We have 19 Bible students in the Kapsabet BTC and over 200 students in the Kapsabet Prison school learning the Biblical Foundation Course.  The prisoners do not have bibles and we are praying for God to provide.  Pastor Robert, on the right in the picture, will be attending our 4th Teacher Training in Kitale this weekend.  Pastor Philip attended our 2nd Teacher Training.  He is the Chaplain in the Prison and in charge of the classes there as well as the Life Changing Discipleship BTC in Kapsabet.

We thank God for these mens' initiative and hard work so many untrained pastors and church leaders are now studying the Word.  These students are spiritually hungry for Bible teaching.  We taught the Old Testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther and an introduction to their two new course books.

We trust the Lord to return to the area in a few weeks time to visit the Kabeyet Life Changing Discipleship Training BTC just an hour away from Kapsabet.  Pastor Ernest has just completed teaching their 1st semester and has invited us many times; but only now with a vehicle is this trip possible.

Flexiblility, the key to stress-free life in Africa

In Kenya the term 'I'm on my way' has absolutely no meaning... everyone uses it to mean I'll be there in a few minutes or maybe at the latest tomorrow.   When someone says "I'm on my way" to us, we immediately try to pin it down more specifically by asking: "From where?", but of course that doesn't mean that the person you're speaking to doesn't have a few unannounced stops to make on his or her way to where you are... so even the clarification of 'from where' rarely helps.

Another non-committal type of expression common in Kenya is used whenever directions are asked of someone... such as "Where is the grocery store?"... the answer ..."Its up ahead."  Trying to gauge how far 'up ahead' really is, you might then ask, "How far is it to Nairobi?" ... which would then cause you to wonder when you hear again, "It's just up ahead!"  It is possible that if you were to ask someone in Africa, "Where's is the north pole?"... that you could get the same casual answer -- "Oh, it's just up ahead!"

'African time' works fine for Africans but is somewhat irritating for Westerners to get used to. African time is a vague period in which 1-2 hours late is still acceptable and considered 'on time' for church, Bible school or an important meeting or appointment.  More than an hour or two late might warrant a "Polee polee" (Sorry, sorry) response from the offender with a bright smile that says, "Lighten-up, remember you're in Africa!"

The price of almost anything from a bag of mangoes to a vehicle tune-up is also flexible, and depends on factors outside of the supply & demand curves that we have come to love and rely on in the world 'Outside of Africa'.  The price is generally whatever one is willing to pay for an item or service, and is adjusted according to skin color in most cases.  Lowest price is for fellow tribal members, friends or family... next non-tribal members and strangers (Africans)... then Asians who own and operate many businesses in Kenya, speak Swahili and are less likely to be taken advantage of... and then foreigners or mazungus (white people).  Mazungu friends pay less than mazungu strangers but of course more than Africans or Asians.  With every transaction there is the idea that the quoted price is just the starting point in the negotiations for the final price.   If you like to haggle over the price of everything, then this place will be a paradise for you. If you don't... then just send a trusted African friend to buy whatever it is you are needing.   Even with the mark-up for his or her transportation costs, you will definitely save big time.

The key then to successful stress-free living in Africa is found in remembering two rules ... Rule #1 ... "Don't sweat the small stuff." Rule #2 ... "It's all small stuff."   Distance, time and price are all relative in Africa as in quantum physics.  Most people here are living on the edge of crisis and disaster daily and are hanging on by a thread most of the time.  Malaria, famine, drought, disease, school fees (more on that subject later) are just a few of the things that take priority over the 'small stuff' like being on time or overcharging someone a few shillings for a bag of mangoes.  We often need to just take a step back and wonder how we would cope in their situation... would we be able to smile and take things in stride and say, "Praise the LORD!" ("Bwana Asafeeway!" in Swahili), when things look like they couldn't get worse?  Living in a mud hut (tukul) in Sudan for two weeks this past month made us aware of just how flexible and happy our Kenyan friends are who live in these conditions permanently without complaining.

Out of Africa News

Welcome to Out of Africa News Blog.

The purpose of this blog is to give glory to Jesus Christ for everything and to give you insight and spiritual "eyes" so you will know how to pray and intercede for the people and burdens here in Africa.

We want to inform you of the current news happening in the ministry and in every day life by posting fun facts and loads of interesting pictures. When I first arrived in Kenya in September 2007 I was in shock. Nothing could have prepared me for this other world. Did you know that most Africans live in mud huts with little furniture, no electricity or running water.

Jesus said. "Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:38

We invite you to become a partner in prayer with us and follow along. God has many wonderful surprises in store for those who are waiting, watching and praying.