Teaching in Chotororo

It has been a physically draining but emotionally uplifting week.  I spent 5 days teaching at our temporary seminary in Chotororo, Kenya.  Chotororo is a tiny little village outside of Kisii, near the eastern shores of Lake Victoria.  Every morning I was up before 6:00am to make the 2+ hour trek out to Chotororo for class (which is scheduled to begin at 8:00am.  I generally arrive at the bus station around 6:15am have a 30 minute wait until the bus fills, endure a 1 hour bus ride to Awendo (on a good day), then get a motorcycle driver to take me the next 30 minutes (on a good day) through sugar cane fields to Chotororo.  This is some of the most beautiful land you will ever see.  It is full of corn, sugar cane, tea, avocados, and much more.  The hills are green and very fertile due in part to the large amount of rain they receive from their proximity to Lake Victoria.  It is simply a gorgeous place!  But the roads are another story....When it rains, which is almost every day, the roads become treacherous and in some cases impassable by most vehicles.

William was my first motorcycle driver to Chotororo.  We had a good discussion on the Bible. (Left) 

Christopher attended several days of classes at the seminary from Emasa congregation. (Right)

I made this two and a half hour trip ten times this past week, twice on each school day (Tuesday - Saturday).  I had some interesting conversations with various people at the bus station in Awendo while waiting for my motorcycle “taxi” to arrive on those days.  A real witnessing opportunity.

Students are at work taking notes during one of the classes which are held in the Chotororo church.

The classes also went very well this week.  I gave another test on the Catechism and was glad to see that there had been some improvement since I was here last year.  I also implemented some teaching aspects that I have not used here before.  I decided to have the students open each session with a devotion and demonstrated how to evaluate and critique a class sermon.  Each of the students gave a sermon this week and received feedback from the class.  This is something that Pastor Fred will now continue to do in the future.  I also assigned them to give “papers” on various books of the Bible, and some were chosen to present their overview in class.  Others were given an assignment to present a section from the Gospel of Mark to the class.  These assignments were interspersed throughout the week and gave me an opportunity to see the gifts God has given to the various students and to give them advice and encouragement.  It was very different from what I have done before, but helped me to better evaluate the students’ knowledge, gifts, and abilities.  While it was a long week, it was a very productive one!

Pastor Fred is dean of the seminary here and the lone teacher.

After only two days in Kisii, Russ returned to Nairobi for his early flight back home.  Even with only two days in Kisii, he was able to finish up almost everything that needed to be done at the KINSHIP School in Etago.  With Christmas money from KINSHIP he purchased Bibles for all the older children and the teachers, and shoes for the younger children.  It was a real headache to try and get shoes for that many children and some exchange was necessary, but Enosh was able to finish up what remained after Russ left.  Banners which were sent from Immanuel, Mankato were given to the school and were hung up in the church and in various classrooms.

Students are pictured outside the Chotororo church.

Tomorrow I will make the trip to Chotororo one more time, where I will meet with the students and travel with them to Etago for a group church service.  It will be my first time in Etago in three years, so I am looking forward to it.

Please continue to keep the work here in your prayers, even as my trip this year comes to a close.

In Christ

Nathanael