Heading home

I arrived safely in Nairobi early this afternoon.  Jemima graciously had me picked up from the bus stage and brought to her home while I await my flight out tonight.  Lord willing, I will be home again in 36 hours.

It has been a long trip and I'm eager to get home before the newest addition to our family arrives.  I thank the Lord for His many blessings, which are indeed "new every morning"! (Lamentations 3:23).

Thank you all for your prayers over the past month, and please remember our brethren here in your prayers. May He continue to bless the study and preaching of His Word!

In Christ Jesus,

Nathanael

East African Pastoral Conference in Kisii

On Monday morning we began our two day East African Pastoral Conference in Kisii.  In all, 19 men attended representing five different countries: Kenya (7), Tanzania (6), Uganda (4), Zambia (1), and the United States (1).  Five men from different East African districts presented papers on various topics crucial to distinguishing our church from others in these countries: Baptism, the Role of Women in the Church, Church Discipline, and Law and Gospel.  I also gave the men a test on Christian Doctrine to review the basics of Biblical knowledge and understanding.

The conference leaders (Pastor Malyi - Chairman; Pastor Fred - Secretary; Pastor Enosh - Chaplain)

• Pastor Fred Ogendo of Chotororo, Kenya presented a paper on Baptism
• Pastor Godson Mshana of Makanya, Tanzania presented a paper on the Role of Women in the church
• Pastor Paul Papani of Kajiado, Kenya presented a paper on Church Discipline and Excommunication
• Pastor Ebenezer Maly of Moshi, Tanzania presented a paper on various church denominations
• Pastor Jeremiah Issangya of Arusha, Tanzania presented a paper on the use of Law and Gospel
• Pastor Samuel Waako of Kampala, Uganda offered an encouragement to confessional purity
• Greetings were shared from other pastors in Zimbabwe and DRCongo.

The men of the conference outside the Kisii Hotel where the conference was held.

We began at 9:00am both mornings.  On Monday we continued until 5:00pm when we adjourned for the evening for meetings, fellowship and discussion among the pastors.  We resumed again on Tuesday morning and concluded just before noon.  Goodbyes were shared and greetings passed on, and many pictures were taken!

More individual meetings were conducted in the afternoon with those who did not have to return home immediately.  Since this would also be my last day in Kisii, I worked to tie up as many loose ends as I could with Fred, Enosh and others.  Tomorrow morning I will leave Kisii early in the morning for the trip back to Nairobi, and tomorrow night I fly out from Nairobi for the return flight home....

The men of the East African Pastoral Conference in Kisii

While these days are always full and chaotic, they are always very beneficial and useful.  It is a joy to see the fellowship with men from so many different areas, tribes and backgrounds.  May the Lord continue to bless the service of these men to the Savior of all men!  There is so much to be done, and we must work while it is day, for the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4)....

Thanks be to the Lord for the work that He has accomplished through this trip this year, for His blessing and for the safety and encouragement He has given through His Word!

In His service,

Nathanael

Sunday service at Etago

On Sunday morning I was up early one more time for the trip out to Chotororo.  The roads were not nearly as busy as they were the rest of the week.  That was a very nice surprise!  I was picked up at Awendo by Fred’s nephew, Joseph, on his motorcycle.  There were some sprinkles along the way, but the rain helped reduce the dust from the road.  We arrived at Chotororo at about quarter after 8:00am and waited for the students and for Enosh to arrive to pick us up to take us to Etago.  When Enosh arrived, we piled 10 men into his little Toyota station wagon for the 30 minute ride to Etago.  I felt like I was reliving my high school days!

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Amos Otieno, a sem student from from Mois' Bridge, read the Scripture Readings for the service.

This was my first opportunity to see the Etago church and school in several years and to check out the work that had been done by Loren Hansen and the Etago Mission Helper team last month.  They had built a fine retaining wall and installed a drainage pipe under the school to divert water from the building (among other things).  They did a wonderful job!

The seminary choir sang two songs for the service.

The service was to begin at 10:00am.  They began by singing several hymns as we waited for latecomers to arrive.  The service started at about 10:30am and continued for the next three hours!  We burned down two sets of candles before the service was over....  It was a very special service, conducted in Kisii, and with many visitors.  All the seminary students were introduced as well as Pastor Papani from Kajiado, Kenya, who had arrived early for the Pastoral Conference.  He and his wife stayed with Joshua, who lives right across the road from the church.  After the service the ladies of the congregation served everyone lunch in several of the school rooms.  It was a very nice day.

The Etago congregation joins in the singing.

After all the festivities were over those who were headed to Kisii for the Pastoral Conference again boarded the Enosh Express for the trip back to Kisii.  Although it had been a long time since I had been to Etago, I quickly remembered that the roads to Etago are among the very worst in the whole world!  The rocks in that area make travel on those roads horrible.  I was glad to get off the dirt road and onto the tarmacked one!

After the congregation filed out of church during the closing hymn, I gave the Benediction.

The afternoon was spent getting ready for the conference.  I met with Dennis, the manager of the Kisii Hotel - the place where Enosh had arranged for our Pastoral conference to be held.  We also met with Pastor Makundi from Himo, who had arrived in the morning.  The rest of the pastors would continue to arrive through the remainder of the evening.  Everything was ready.  The next two days will be the Annual East African Pastoral Conference.  May the Lord bless the travel of these men, and our time together over the next two days!

In His service,

Nathanael

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

A quick visit to Matunda

The change of schedule in Tanzania gave us the opportunity to make a visit to the congregation of Emmaus Milimani, near Matunda, Kenya.  In my original schedule I was not going to have time to make that visit, but the cancellation in Kajiado, opened the door for us to be able to make an unscheduled visit.  Instead of staying at a hotel in Kitale, Russ and I were invited to stay at Anna’s home.  We were made right at home.  On Sunday morning we slept in until about 8:00am, and then began getting ready for church.  Church was about a 45 minute ride (in the same ‘72 Peugot we used the day before) through several small villages to the church location.  We arrived early and walked the “campus” looking over the now-completed classrooms and hearing of the plans for future classrooms.

We had a full house for church.  Russ again presented his childrens’ sermon on the Good Samaritan and I was asked to preach.  After the service there were three new visitors who came forward requesting baptism.  They had recently begun attending Holy Cross but had never been baptized.  After discussing the importance and meaning of baptism with these candidates, I baptized them before a small group of witnesses in the church.

After visiting with many of the members, both old and new, we drove to the house of Samson Otieno, the pastor of the congregation.  He had been sick with malaria for over a week and has not been feeling well.  His wife also suffers from diabetes, and recently had a leg amputated as a result.  We came and offered prayers to the Great Physician on behalf of both of them, commending their care into His merciful hands.  While they had been struggling with many problems it was a comfort to us to witness their trust in the Lord even in this.  May the Lord continue to be with them both and their family!

On Sunday night we again returned to Anna’s where we again spent the night.  We enjoyed a nice meal with the family, and had some very beneficial discussions together to late in the night.  It had been a very busy, but very productive day!

On Monday morning we were up early again to get ready for our trip to Kisii.  After a breakfast of chai and jelly toast, our faithful driver and his ‘72 Peugot arrived to return us to the main road where we would get another car to take us to Eldoret.  (When someone suggested that we make the trip from Matunda to Eldoret in the Peugot, Russ exclaimed, “IN THAT CAR?????”  To his relief, the driver said he would not be able to take us!)

Motorcycles are the main means of transportation in East Africa - here is an up-and-coming driver....

After reaching Eldoret, Russ and I boarded a shuttle to Kisii and arrived safely by early afternoon.  We checked into our hotel and decided to get a jump-start on shopping for the school presents for the Etago school children.  The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting store and pricing out presents and ideas for presents for the school children.  Even though half the day was spent traveling, this day was a productive day as well.

Tomorrow I will head to Chotororo for teaching while Russ remains behind to finish up KINSHIP work here in Kisii in preparation for going to Etago on Wednesday.  We thank the Lord for granting us safe travels over the past few days, and now ask for His blessing upon the work that we will be doing here in the Kisii area, to the glory of His name!

In the service of Christ,

Nathanael

An update on Pastor Gondwe

Thank you to all of you who have been keeping Pastor Gondwe in your prayers over the past week.  I recently spoke with Pastor Gondwe and received an update on his injury.  When we were in the Tanga area we were told that he had suffered a dislocation in one leg but that his injuries were not that severe.  He even had hopes of seeing us before we left the Tanga area.  But after we left it was discovered that he had a broken bone in one of his knees.  He was transported from Amani to the large city of Dar es Salaam for surgery.  They have now completed the surgery, but Pastor Gondwe will be in the hospital in Dar for at least two more weeks as he continues to recover.  So please continue to keep Pastor Michael Gondwe in your prayers over the coming weeks.

Pastor Michael Gondwe - Our CLCEA District Leader in Tanga

In His service,

Nathanael

Travel Days

On Thursday we had a brief meeting with Pastor Malyi in Moshi before boarding a shuttle for the 2 hour ride back to Arusha.  We met an Australian couple on the bus (one was English and the other German, but they were living in Australia) who were spending 6 months traveling through Africa before returning to Australia.  It was very interesting to hear the German’s perspective on the results of World War II on the German people and the state of the church in Germany.  They were both well traveled and very interesting people.  They had just climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and dissuaded Russ from ever trying it!

Once we arrived in Arusha we settled into our hotel and arranged for our travel to Nairobi for the following day.  Then we met with Pastor Jeremiah and his son Elisha in the late afternoon.  Plans were made for the conference in Kisii, which is in just over a week.  At our hotel we met with a man from Wisconsin who helps a Non-denominational organization in teaching pastors.  One of the pastors he was working with was with the ELCT (the large liberal Lutheran church body in East Africa).  I explained that we were not associated with them and pointed out some of the differences.  I gave him my card which has our www.lutheranmissions.com website on it.  I hope that he looks into it more.

On Friday Elisha picked us up early to take us back to the shuttle stage.  We boarded it and were off by 8:00am.  It has been so wonderful to have good roads now from Arusha to Nairobi.  After 6 years, they are almost completely finished.  They only have a little left right at the bordertown of Namanga - other than that, it is smooth sailing and almost cuts the time of that trip in half!   By 3:00pm we were at the airport and a little later we were picked up by Jemima and taken to her house which is only about 10 minutes away.  We had an enjoyable night visiting with her family and getting things packed and ready to go for our trip to Matunda.  One more traveling day still lay ahead, and we were going to have to leave early in the morning....

Saturday morning came too early.  We were up by 6:00, and finished packing and eating breakfast by 7:00am.  Jemima took us to the bus stage where we caught a shuttle to Kitale in western Kenya.  It was a hair-raising ride.  We saw one accident, and several other trucks turned over in the ditch on the side of the road.  The roads are so narrow and the buses and matatoos all go so fast and pass the trucks without regard for what is coming it seems....  We finally arrived safely in Matunda at around 2:30pm and took a taxi up to Anna Sagala’s home to see the family.  This was a bit exciting as well.  It was a 30 minute ride on muddy roads in a 1972 French Peugot car that was well worn (to be PC).  There was a plastic jug with fuel in it at my feet that had a tube going through the dash and into the engine cavity (aka "gas tank")... the window kept rolling itself down ("air conditioning")... and the wipers stopped working when we hit a big bump ("rainx test")... and three of the doors were missing their handles on either the inside or out (maybe it was a French police car???)...  It was quite the experience!

The view from our '72 French made "death trap"!

When we arrived, Anna greeted us with big hugs, and we were also met by her children Mary and Eric.  We were warmly greeted and enjoyed seeing them all.  Tomorrow morning we will be here for church at Mois Bridge and then Monday we are back on the road once more.  More about that later...  We thank the Lord for all the safe travel and for all your prayers!

In His service,

Nathanael