Kisumu, Kenya

We have been out of internet access for the last couple of days and there are a lot of things I want to share will you all. Lord willing, I will, but first let me tell you about today.

For the last few days we have been in the Ugunja area of Western Kenya with Delmer Lee and Mike Criswell. We have been working with Brother George Odhiambo. We have had a very good visit and achieved a lot.

We left this morning and headed to the city of Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. We were going to meet Mark Masese, a man whom I had heard about from Brother Paul Nichols. It seems that Mark had contacted David Risener through his web site. David had passed on this contact to Bro. Paul and Paul had been studying with Mark through the internet and sending him tracks through the mail.

We were very pleased to meet Paul and his friend and co-worker, Inocent, today. I had booked rooms at the wonderfully named Kisumu Beach Resort. It is a rather tired looking place that once would have been very nice, but Lake Vitoria had got clogged with water weed and the industrial area had encroach the area.

We get settled in here and then set off to meet Mark at the bus station. George Odhiambo had come with us from Ugunja and was a great help. 

We had a wonderful study with Mark and Inocent. From the studies Mark had with Bro. Paul, he knew about faithful worship and understood the concept of worshipping in spirit and truth (John 4:24). We then started studying baptism. It is clear that Mark had been studying this topic too. And it was not too long before he said he needed to be baptised.

Bro. Goeorge baptised him in Lake Victoria, having first cleared a way though the water weeds. We were so pleased to witness the new birth of a new brother in Christ.  Mark has told us he will go home and teach all the other members of the church he has been leading - teaching them the truth of the gospel.

Please pray for brother Mark and this brand new work in the Western province of  Kenya.

Dakawa Teacher's Training College

Yesterday we headed out of Mbeya. I has been a very busy 10 days we spent there, but very good. We had so many studies I can’t count them, and we were well received wherever we went. Two brothers were added to the Lord’s church and after their baptisms they attended every service, which encourages me greatly for their future in the church (the church here meets twice on Sundays and on Wednesdays and Friday evenings).

So, we headed out, but out but our work in this area was not done yet.  Samuel Mwakasugula had asked me if I would be willing to visit and study with some students at a college near to Morogoro. Of course I said I would be very happy to do that. Arrangements were made and we planned to visit them last night when we arrived from Mbeya. We were also taking Felix, who had graduated from the college last year and knew these students very well.

We arrived in Morogoro at about 6.30 p.m., after a long and adventuraous drive. It took us 11 hours to get here and we were not short of entertainment, what with road works and rolled over trucks.

Because of the lack of time we headed straight out to the college here. I have learnt that distances are rather flexible here, so I was not at all surprised to find a college “near Morogoro” was in fact 1 hour’s drive away. We got there at 7.30 and could hear them gathered together singing. Felix was in almost constant phone contact with one or the other of them. Unfortunately, the administration would not let us see the student, so we had to go back to town. We arrived at the hotel very tired and were happy to be able to lie down.

Today we headed back to the college, this time were were going to see the Principal and get permission from him. We first met the Vice Principal, a very nice man called Mr. Msange. He then took us through to the principal’s office where we met Mr. Elasto Nyagwe, who made us feel very welcome and even apologised for last night.

We were finally ready to meet the students.  It seems that while Felix was at the college he baptised 18 students. Some, like Felix, have graduated and moved to other areas, but there still remains 9 students who regularly meet for worship on Sunday. They tell me that many of the other students visit as well.

The study was in one of the class rooms, and when we got there they were all ready to meet us. We were made to feel very welcome and showed a great deal of respect. I was very please with how they all listened to to the  gospel preached.

I taught on how Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. How He built the church - His church and He only build one church. And I also taught how to obey the gospel.  There followed some questions, but not as many as I expected. College students here are very much different from what I am used to. They are expected to just sit and listen to the teacher and not interact with him.

Samuel had some tracks and booklet he wanted to hand out and then we had a song and finished our study with a prayer. It was after that the they all started to relax. We were taking some photos and they started gathering around me and asking many things. I even got an invitation to come the their graduation next year.

I am really looking forward to meeting with these wonderful young people once again. Until today I did not know that there was a congregation meeting here.  I will try to come and worship with them one Lord's day, if I get the chance.