Many doors have been opening for me to speak in the villages around Kitale. I love to be busy for the Lord and this week has proved to be just that, busy! Early Sunday morning the 14th of March, "Esther" a little street girl finds me as I'm walking in town. She is hungry and we find a place that will serve her some food and tea. We leave her very happy and head for church. I hopped on a motorcycle and followed Pastor Thomas to the village of "Rafiki" which means friend in Swahili. Leaving Kitale we road down through Kipsongo slums. The waste beside the road, the small homes made of the earth, the little children wandering by themselves are all signs that we are leaving the town behind us. The dust of road rolls behind us as the African country side becomes so real. The sun is already hot. The children take great pleasure in seeing a white woman zoom by. Their little hands wave with anticipation of some type of response from me. One quick smile from me and they jump with joy.
The roads we travel get smaller and smaller. We are not alone on the road, in fact we seem to be outnumbered by the cows today. We are dropped off right at the door of "Faith Church" and the children are waiting to welcome us. Before starting the service we walk the village streets for a while and greet the people. It is a poor area without any school for the children. The people of Rafiki once lived in Mt Elgon but because of war they left the mountain in 1992. They resettled and gave their village the name of "FRIEND". It is a hard life for them here and they have very little.
The church is celebrating their third anniversary. With about 50 present we sat within the earthen walls and sang together. Many shared in verse, song and testimony before it was time for me to speak. There were also gifts given of Bibles and ties.
The lodge where I stay is a quiet place, that is unless you have a monkey in the kitchen! The air is nice in Kitale and we have a beautiful front porch with the view of the mountains. In the day time the doors are left open – not any more. We knew we had a monkey that was helping himself to any fruit that was left outside. This week he got brave and decided to take over the kitchen. He destroyed the kitchen, helped himself to some food and was jumping from shelf to shelf. He was on the top shelf when he got found out and he quickly left.
Monday morning the 15th I received a call early in the morning from my friend Joanne. Joanne is a missionary from Canada. She was very ill and she was calling me from her bathroom floor. She was so ill she couldn't walk without help. She wanted prayer and arrangements were made to take her to the hospital. She was admitted with severe malaria. We thank you for your prayers. She is doing much better.
It had been our plan to go to "Kebegenge" together for a time of ministry with the women. The women were expecting us and Joanne had already prepared and packed 90 bags of maize so that each woman would have one. We agreed to continue with the day as planned. So with Paul driving and with Gladys to interpret we left for Kibageng. When we arrived the ladies were already singing under the big blue sky. Tarps were placed on the ground for them to sit on. They were also positioned close to the trees in order to have a little shade. Ninety women took time out of their very busy morning to join us. There were even some men sitting in the nearby bushes. Before we left each lady lined up behind the land cruiser to receive their gift from Joanne. She had prepared the exact amount needed! Ninety bags of corn were placed in the land cruiser and ninety women came to the meeting! God is good.
Within Joanne still in the hospital on Tuesday the 16th we again traveled without her. Paul loaded in 300 individual bags of maize into the land cruiser and we headed for Moi's Bridge. We ran into one little snag before leaving town, as many places were without diesel fuel. We found enough for the day's trip and off we went. The church is big but almost too small for the number of women that come. As we drive up to the door we can see the church is full to the brim. The drums keep beat as the women sing and dance. The women have left their very busy morning to sit at the feet of Jesus for a few hours. It is a beautiful scene to see almost 300 women rejoice together in the Lord. They carry their babies along with the hurts of life and walk for miles to come today. Sitting on the floor they received the message into their hearts sometimes with laughter and with times of seriousness. The pain that so many of these women hold within is enormous. So many of them feel like they are alone and surrounded by a life of suffering. How beautiful it is to see ten women who fall to their knees in front of everyone and ask Jesus into their heart.
Food is something that is so needed by many and what some have is very meager. The women are never told in advance that they will be receiving a gift because the whole village could show up and things could get out of hand. Before we leave the women are told to make a line and as they leave they will be hand a bag of maize. The side door is closed and locked so that no one can reenter after leaving. The older women are permitted to leave first. The front door of the church jams with women as the worry of being left out takes over. No one is left out though and today we have a few bags left over.
Joanne has blessed these women many times. The land cruiser was filled with joyful chatter on our way back to Kitale. Gladys, my interpreter for the day, and I along with Paul rejoiced in what God had done in today's meeting.
Each morning as I leave the lodge in Milimani I walk for a distance to a beautiful shade tree where several boda, bodas (bicycles) are waiting to be hired. They will pedal you into the town of Kitale and surrounding areas. As I positioned myself securely on the back of the boda my eyes hit this man feet. I felt pain in my body as I saw how badly his feet were cut and swollen. This man's lively hood depended on him being able to use his feet. Here I am sitting in comfort as he pedals me with feet that should be treated, bandaged and rested for a few days. My heart broke for the pain I saw this man going through. We had a bit of a communication barrier but some Swahili words came to mind one being "duka", which means medicine. We arrived at a pharmacy in town and I motioned for him to come inside with me. With hesitation he follows and the pharmacist examines both of his feet. The medicine is bought and Philemon leaves with instructions of how to care for his feet. Philemon is just one of many that go without the care and necessitates of life.
It is now Wednesday the 17th we leave Kitale with those that are going to teach and pick up a few pastors that are attending class along the way. The piles of dirt that have sat on the edge of the road to Endebess for two years have finally been used to help fill in the pot holes. It is dusty but a bit smoother. It is amazing how quickly the muddy roads turn to clouds of dust.
The mountain is majestic and beautiful as we drive closer and closer to it. The surrounding lands are being plowed for planting. We pass the muddy pool of water that is sometimes used for baptisms. Today as we pass by the women are gathering large containers of water from the river to take back home.
The three Bible classes are held inside a brick church without a door to close or a window to shut. It is very open and empty. The pastors carry benches and black boards from other areas so that class can be carried on here. Each class is at a different level. I'm filling in for Beverly woman's class as she is in Sudan. In the morning the women are doing Old Testament Survey and in the afternoon they have New Testament Survey. They are so eager to learn. They continually take notes throughout the class. Everything they learn is repeated higher up in the mountain when they return to their villages. Week after week the message ripples like a stone hitting the water.
Our journey home is somewhat wet but without problems J
2 Thessalonians 3:1
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