tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369887491747733392024-03-04T20:11:06.198-08:00CLC Kenya and UgandaPastor G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11737118891277682089noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-19263882846313094172022-07-28T22:56:00.000-07:002022-07-28T22:56:14.641-07:00Back safely in the USA! After over 40 hours of total travel time (flights plus layovers) we have landed safely in Phoenix. Praise the Lord! (“Bwana asifiwe!”) Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-83196174731017107682022-07-26T21:59:00.006-07:002022-07-28T11:56:01.661-07:00Delayed for a day…but it could have been MUCH worse.<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yrcNl-rszVtOhHGysIsGRD74xBjxGc9VYMkv-dTYqBG8wue7MIe7QdLgotD-f-2VxxrryvtA7q4Rx5HTXMmFEPpAGLGasrpHHYVrk8a_QOkiljtaZf4ThvifbXSHhIhikku7PhzTYu8o0AfgUb7tqXY4vze6CEqcOHz7HXXIzIQeHtr8-LtQ3p40/s3612/37136A64-2FFC-4827-BA6D-38589F09A40F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="3612" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yrcNl-rszVtOhHGysIsGRD74xBjxGc9VYMkv-dTYqBG8wue7MIe7QdLgotD-f-2VxxrryvtA7q4Rx5HTXMmFEPpAGLGasrpHHYVrk8a_QOkiljtaZf4ThvifbXSHhIhikku7PhzTYu8o0AfgUb7tqXY4vze6CEqcOHz7HXXIzIQeHtr8-LtQ3p40/s320/37136A64-2FFC-4827-BA6D-38589F09A40F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We woke up Tuesday morning to the news that there was a one-day labor strike happening with grounds crew workers at Lufthansa (the German airline we were going to be flying out of Nairobi into Frankfurt on the first leg of our trip. After going to the airport and back, sending messages, making phone calls, and Pastor Gurath sitting on hold for over an hour we finally got confirmation that our flight for Tuesday night was in fact “delayed” 24 hours till 10:25pm on Wednesday. </div><div style="text-align: left;">This, of course would cause us to miss our connection to our United Airlines flight back into Chicago. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">Jemima Sagala sent a driver to pick us up and take us back to her house to stay overnight. </span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">The Sagala family has been so generous to us throughout this whole trip. We thanked them for their kindness and we thank the Lord!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">Well, things got really hairy for a while, but after 3+ hrs on the phone </span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">with United (</span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">and the agent telling us that it wouldn’t be </span><span dir="ltr" face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-touch-callout: none; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: inherit; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 120, 212);">till Aug. 3rd</span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">that we could get a flight home because of this strike in Germany! 😳) we ended up having to refund our flights and after searching and searching miraculously found flights that will get us back to Phoenix</span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;"> </span><span dir="ltr" face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-touch-callout: none; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: inherit; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 120, 212);">Thurs. night at 8:18pm</span><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-size: 16px;">. So, a day later than planned, but it could have been much, much worse.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px;">The United Airlines agent said that millions of flights have been affected by this strike. We were very fortunate to have found one. God was certainly watching over us! </div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px;">Please pray that our Wednesday afternoon flights back to America go smoothly. Hopefully, my next post will be reporting a safe landing back on home soil! </div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px;">-Pastor Luke</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: #212121; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: #212121; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, HelveticaNeue" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33); color: #212121; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-85936617327053208852022-07-26T05:40:00.000-07:002022-07-26T05:40:21.387-07:00“Safari” to Nairobi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMi8Y30RdRO7NIOB6UH8AhMDFaasyJe0_FxnlvJWXBR4E2FyuJ4q9rniLzgdzfCjn-P8QsoXXnxRUbs6QKAj--BhOIKb-G7XqgEKriCWj2BDwIsbXSt2CoKLHRFWhXdgFjV9LOtJJoBQLvD7I80vMren8OerkDDCE3TWK9FWy-JXHEucqb9jGkiLE/s1322/9E6B4DD2-675E-42A9-832F-A092270B7318.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="1239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMi8Y30RdRO7NIOB6UH8AhMDFaasyJe0_FxnlvJWXBR4E2FyuJ4q9rniLzgdzfCjn-P8QsoXXnxRUbs6QKAj--BhOIKb-G7XqgEKriCWj2BDwIsbXSt2CoKLHRFWhXdgFjV9LOtJJoBQLvD7I80vMren8OerkDDCE3TWK9FWy-JXHEucqb9jGkiLE/s320/9E6B4DD2-675E-42A9-832F-A092270B7318.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Well, maybe not the type of “safari” that pops into your mind when you think about Kenya…”safari” means <i>journey </i>in Swahili. However, on our journey from the little village of Matunda to the big city of Nairobi we did happen to see a few packs of zebras and several groups of baboons (some of which had little ones hanging on to them—sorry you can’t see them in any of the photos I took since they were taken from a moving vehicle from a bit of a distance). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIjr8myjwPF_oUsB4YmGm2rQA4VuT3D2vGY_xDw8T27PgfZfXqoSaGxuYiajS-bTRKMp1mc1rQd751mceXclATbIOUVn7gJkClr_Uefa8KDFwpzR4Cg1esjpxFktmu-59aOZdnd3MNgsrTkwVEBF0f6XR-Ehg6ap4UKLqZ3RpebtitMKco1vUzvJP/s4030/49DEF35F-D903-44AD-B86B-FD532CB5F253.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2523" data-original-width="4030" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIjr8myjwPF_oUsB4YmGm2rQA4VuT3D2vGY_xDw8T27PgfZfXqoSaGxuYiajS-bTRKMp1mc1rQd751mceXclATbIOUVn7gJkClr_Uefa8KDFwpzR4Cg1esjpxFktmu-59aOZdnd3MNgsrTkwVEBF0f6XR-Ehg6ap4UKLqZ3RpebtitMKco1vUzvJP/s320/49DEF35F-D903-44AD-B86B-FD532CB5F253.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful valley & mountain scene on the drive to Nairobi.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z4wukAphUqmVxUHI_cVuun_64MGvPjAyq8wpCFxT2Lw9if_94dmA-I1S7tYlFRMqvEyXFklcwRk1IwEYdjtwGaJ5VpdgFzLHNmS6IrjtFF2EY3JVe3AJZZzZCE81JHg-xYqG17nzyJ-2VRfRr3naGQaom9uUl-R2qZzPgFQPembzNtepiQRM42YS/s1117/62CC0223-076E-45DC-914D-B0414FF5544E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1105" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z4wukAphUqmVxUHI_cVuun_64MGvPjAyq8wpCFxT2Lw9if_94dmA-I1S7tYlFRMqvEyXFklcwRk1IwEYdjtwGaJ5VpdgFzLHNmS6IrjtFF2EY3JVe3AJZZzZCE81JHg-xYqG17nzyJ-2VRfRr3naGQaom9uUl-R2qZzPgFQPembzNtepiQRM42YS/s320/62CC0223-076E-45DC-914D-B0414FF5544E.jpeg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A roadside baboon digging for treasure.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFLi3w81sx5aENZxI0o5fNZDgtnGTqsxRojPC4EXQyPxs-yFfX6UcKMFjhMFxe7XxyPOeOmxHERflWx8g2Y0lFE_0QtC67LACp4ZF1kjjzZzfiJxvVvqjgrxRJTMe2ClPYmIfMQR6ElwQygXBCQqVF0PpSqXYZ889JvT3Dkj47ODM3VksmGxH-mpu/s1571/86DA9B2E-4855-4D4E-B12B-189C19FC04EF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1571" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFLi3w81sx5aENZxI0o5fNZDgtnGTqsxRojPC4EXQyPxs-yFfX6UcKMFjhMFxe7XxyPOeOmxHERflWx8g2Y0lFE_0QtC67LACp4ZF1kjjzZzfiJxvVvqjgrxRJTMe2ClPYmIfMQR6ElwQygXBCQqVF0PpSqXYZ889JvT3Dkj47ODM3VksmGxH-mpu/s320/86DA9B2E-4855-4D4E-B12B-189C19FC04EF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, those grainy white and black images are zebras 😄</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCapeKzCslIZIFMAZsAOr52eW4_9siWNXqoyyN6uZPmVOLWsuYt_KWmV643ZCVHFyiNlFjPb-ERmomxDe_vT5x-_OONqJvHZ9yt9_bsPP8sXQlL3B8eT7302qNobapYrqUfo_Cfn521DkTTvMQsIrEmbAmNqjuVHhoe-6IlH-MbyqKr6Ok3mPGA8y7/s485/088DA094-BDE5-4A99-B6D2-401636043903.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCapeKzCslIZIFMAZsAOr52eW4_9siWNXqoyyN6uZPmVOLWsuYt_KWmV643ZCVHFyiNlFjPb-ERmomxDe_vT5x-_OONqJvHZ9yt9_bsPP8sXQlL3B8eT7302qNobapYrqUfo_Cfn521DkTTvMQsIrEmbAmNqjuVHhoe-6IlH-MbyqKr6Ok3mPGA8y7/s320/088DA094-BDE5-4A99-B6D2-401636043903.jpeg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This baboon is carrying a young one on its back—sorry for the limited picture quality.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIausNel2Wx2hlUVud2D_lc94z8bNmASwmF8TbYsznxwTo5CkFoPcLd-xHbcyHZHccsJejIsVu7lNlPMfLcNYz-66lna-I8a0YUX9A32Bh0sGYtp5shqoY9Sx6RZJWzfNJx6qND5W5imVFne4p0GfllvTMmOG-RWPLCIrcssTyUFp1-UKOElXtwFf/s3952/ECABCD96-E56F-4BBC-9832-B50A76BF7908.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1797" data-original-width="3952" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIausNel2Wx2hlUVud2D_lc94z8bNmASwmF8TbYsznxwTo5CkFoPcLd-xHbcyHZHccsJejIsVu7lNlPMfLcNYz-66lna-I8a0YUX9A32Bh0sGYtp5shqoY9Sx6RZJWzfNJx6qND5W5imVFne4p0GfllvTMmOG-RWPLCIrcssTyUFp1-UKOElXtwFf/s320/ECABCD96-E56F-4BBC-9832-B50A76BF7908.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large pack of Zebras near the highway.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCCom6bpra5-debNRId-vWxa2izoYZfNcvlmdKtuVJTGqN2yLnfZ-of03YM4l39s5-j9iOiQw8YxoeKBzMg5s7EjI8V6AaSM18bd7WnKGpVXCPFgiml7yeGdSPY_s1uc1mtmaDahdjhEgUFymFlRMxd_fVgPuL2Xpibok8nVV8PN4hVHu_vRFNtw9/s2097/FEC29A04-8399-485A-B309-770714A6B8EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="2097" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCCom6bpra5-debNRId-vWxa2izoYZfNcvlmdKtuVJTGqN2yLnfZ-of03YM4l39s5-j9iOiQw8YxoeKBzMg5s7EjI8V6AaSM18bd7WnKGpVXCPFgiml7yeGdSPY_s1uc1mtmaDahdjhEgUFymFlRMxd_fVgPuL2Xpibok8nVV8PN4hVHu_vRFNtw9/s320/FEC29A04-8399-485A-B309-770714A6B8EB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided not to stop and pick up these hitchhikers 😏</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We left in the pitch dark at 6am and saw many children out already walking along the roadsides to their schools—many of them likely walking several miles to get there. Yet another reminder of how good we and the children of our country have it. Our skilled driver, Dan, got us to the Nairobi area in near record time. We dropped off a load of the avocados we had brought from Mary Sagala at her sister, Jemima’s, home in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi—we stayed at her beautiful home when we had first arrived in Kenya). She provided us a delicious lunch of rice, beef stew, chicken, and vegetables. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-BdkhKJTyysgWJEiSvptgYzRYs7cb0LN7sTCDZT6-VH-YliPF8y3sVvrvYc2EUHVxeEXozXSUEtmG6grB6keszfgYpB1GFt3nsxZgrRuASeJo6i4848gQCJET6uj9ZNDPeLwREx4Lag5tNqrQpEi1rM_Hqr3WwAxZZqkSyRiLAlcX760MK0VhW5s/s3585/A71B0089-0BEB-4E8C-88D5-C2EB1BEFBA00.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3585" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-BdkhKJTyysgWJEiSvptgYzRYs7cb0LN7sTCDZT6-VH-YliPF8y3sVvrvYc2EUHVxeEXozXSUEtmG6grB6keszfgYpB1GFt3nsxZgrRuASeJo6i4848gQCJET6uj9ZNDPeLwREx4Lag5tNqrQpEi1rM_Hqr3WwAxZZqkSyRiLAlcX760MK0VhW5s/s320/A71B0089-0BEB-4E8C-88D5-C2EB1BEFBA00.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor G. & me with Jemima & her brother, John Sagala.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">After all the travel, the places we’d been, and people we’d met and ministered to, it felt like it had been much more than 3 weeks since we’d first arrived at Jemima’s home! </span></div><p>Our driver, Dan, dropped us off safe and sound at the Four Points hotel in the Nairobi Airport for a good night’s sleep before our flights back home. We gave him our thanks and appreciation for the wonderful work he did for us. He really is an impressive young man, an excellent driver, pleasant to be around, and a pleasure getting to know over the past 3 weeks. Again, thankful to the Lord for leading us to the right people to help us on our “safari” (journey)! </p><p>-Pastor Luke </p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-91018247116742228962022-07-25T00:21:00.000-07:002022-07-25T00:21:14.052-07:00Everything Except a Wedding and a Funeral - The “Grand Finale” Worship Service at Holy Cross<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkhhONEBCuXj9qh3cuNaj5nV-c-evqbAhT55M2ur4gMkGskWAoHEWnjedWFJlMBJfim5NFhQZbR0V4kPH04LN2SJQ2ScCYlrrQrkUz7yukY6FJAqGPNSS0kIdMQN7Hgr3dkIvIw_DomTvSMwOjkb1BdGaAzu8QXfGJQfWiuGl5LBO6fPcgvTyqkXY/s2944/8ABB712C-A0A6-40ED-A1D3-F68249FDFE28.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2944" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkhhONEBCuXj9qh3cuNaj5nV-c-evqbAhT55M2ur4gMkGskWAoHEWnjedWFJlMBJfim5NFhQZbR0V4kPH04LN2SJQ2ScCYlrrQrkUz7yukY6FJAqGPNSS0kIdMQN7Hgr3dkIvIw_DomTvSMwOjkb1BdGaAzu8QXfGJQfWiuGl5LBO6fPcgvTyqkXY/s320/8ABB712C-A0A6-40ED-A1D3-F68249FDFE28.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy Cross congregation waving “hello” to their brothers and sisters in Christ in America.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sunday was the “Grand Finale” worship service at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on the campus of Emmaus School. By m count there were approx. 50 people squeezed into the small church building. More than half of the congregation was children, a good number of whom are students at the school. Several of the school teachers attended as well. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEasT7FuyTElbK45ppINmQRzjrnHjJtsl0yyDPkxU92UsTzZsPIy_PlaZosgm_Mv7_3tH0zeXku0nHPVPG0albEsRcUh-dAWtFRax8NitBq6Z6kyZeNI7HcjxrxPJ7AXMs4vnYt6r3J1FY2bBCgs9Ji1M3sAVi77TqLilkO77o3mecBpVD9_0hvA_9/s4032/513B9844-DCE5-4C1D-B1CD-400A7FD0725E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEasT7FuyTElbK45ppINmQRzjrnHjJtsl0yyDPkxU92UsTzZsPIy_PlaZosgm_Mv7_3tH0zeXku0nHPVPG0albEsRcUh-dAWtFRax8NitBq6Z6kyZeNI7HcjxrxPJ7AXMs4vnYt6r3J1FY2bBCgs9Ji1M3sAVi77TqLilkO77o3mecBpVD9_0hvA_9/s320/513B9844-DCE5-4C1D-B1CD-400A7FD0725E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the church building.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We packed so much into the worship service that Pastor Gurath and I joked that we had everything but a wedding and a funeral! Allow me to show and tell you…</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31rtYPHxdeb8hjdnjhS7K2YCw_QeYBi0648aBRtKwdO9bBjsTC2lgmvsl-DdlgBXwEGfM5mLWQlnbgZc4RxVFI8AM2AnpK0hqKpynwXSx0Tobd6F6nqC85kYefbs-gOuMpTYkqTDtOtkH0P-y8b_Y8dY6hJNOFEh7MpooLIAifOxR5yNIY4J8Ypmi/s4032/FF8E2E0A-0E07-43A4-A04B-B7B45C5DAA9B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31rtYPHxdeb8hjdnjhS7K2YCw_QeYBi0648aBRtKwdO9bBjsTC2lgmvsl-DdlgBXwEGfM5mLWQlnbgZc4RxVFI8AM2AnpK0hqKpynwXSx0Tobd6F6nqC85kYefbs-gOuMpTYkqTDtOtkH0P-y8b_Y8dY6hJNOFEh7MpooLIAifOxR5yNIY4J8Ypmi/s320/FF8E2E0A-0E07-43A4-A04B-B7B45C5DAA9B.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baptism of baby Nancy.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG47Cdivw0N-RqZM0iUP_3HUMeMXLslRflUxJK2bL35FJm8fTpgSon8JHUG5piANDvqGaA-4ZmaSeBSYjasvgMu87y96ujmket-3jg_QsMP6htGL_Kksf0U8m1mx6Oo76AN5Vxkd_WQoQG0GfoTAdQ1zBSsWr8PPRkmICndMe0FrMr5p9QgI2CULGV/s4032/0A34DCFA-099D-465E-B8F9-41D8A2BAF29B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG47Cdivw0N-RqZM0iUP_3HUMeMXLslRflUxJK2bL35FJm8fTpgSon8JHUG5piANDvqGaA-4ZmaSeBSYjasvgMu87y96ujmket-3jg_QsMP6htGL_Kksf0U8m1mx6Oo76AN5Vxkd_WQoQG0GfoTAdQ1zBSsWr8PPRkmICndMe0FrMr5p9QgI2CULGV/s320/0A34DCFA-099D-465E-B8F9-41D8A2BAF29B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation of Jasper (in the glasses and tan pastoral robe) as assistant pastor and and Elvis (blue jacket) as acolyte.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeIDcbX5SMiSL9pU5AfgEOGimplw5wBmPRHixjGxCtnp7NMaZYxBBkz5Ldf7m9kLamjesiZbeIdFxVSwTSn9jCZn6zWleEjEcNiro-R0V_oLRs1zlh0p_ctjZyIFFbL2bMG-gP7P4jW3OYcaBp04xiJWlZSWGvH0RJgcMNkNjeYqOtakzqUI2vMhe/s4032/F8C57A70-BE18-49F7-AE0F-35B495BAAA20.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeIDcbX5SMiSL9pU5AfgEOGimplw5wBmPRHixjGxCtnp7NMaZYxBBkz5Ldf7m9kLamjesiZbeIdFxVSwTSn9jCZn6zWleEjEcNiro-R0V_oLRs1zlh0p_ctjZyIFFbL2bMG-gP7P4jW3OYcaBp04xiJWlZSWGvH0RJgcMNkNjeYqOtakzqUI2vMhe/s320/F8C57A70-BE18-49F7-AE0F-35B495BAAA20.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath preached the sermon.<br />I preached the children’s sermon (the 30 or so children fully filled up the center aisle and front of the church). Mary Sagala did the translating into Swahili.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQHIe1-N9Se6EnYN7FTD1cChcNBtjTamFXhaaGUf_SKr62x4dC4YTfE7ChU1XQsvRbUydmhqznhmRGrAlzklcw-uxi0bdRQKEQfVoNb9-TGOFWPc1Bs1N39qs5ea6kxDIEyhxKqL8-Dn7olEsyU65-D309PwhnXNipkTc_wr1kv6r19svUW5T7Far/s4032/ED5D6359-146B-4E2A-85E6-AA0416F5B931.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQHIe1-N9Se6EnYN7FTD1cChcNBtjTamFXhaaGUf_SKr62x4dC4YTfE7ChU1XQsvRbUydmhqznhmRGrAlzklcw-uxi0bdRQKEQfVoNb9-TGOFWPc1Bs1N39qs5ea6kxDIEyhxKqL8-Dn7olEsyU65-D309PwhnXNipkTc_wr1kv6r19svUW5T7Far/s320/ED5D6359-146B-4E2A-85E6-AA0416F5B931.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath and Jasper distributed the Lord’s Supper.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dztAzdsiILaV1BMn2bBtSJJCotgFsHo1Je506ugzfLpmFNnnz2ljaQ2HQJVO3F7tlYy82xzv0PqErQPdAbrqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">During the offering the congregation sang a hymn called, “At Calvary.” Pastor Samson (seated next to me in the front of church) said the prayers for the service and also led in the singing of the hymns to “practice” for the service as we waited for people to come.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABKYJyNAPgAiBTATzdH3NJxJoKKLhz4R59RSszgQKXr1Zs3DcUNdTnA1anA3KsVKOmKZ76P1YCxhr2hK5FGnfJm0Di8wl7IUkc3AEUjZmjjbOK5tELND8jdMz2J42QWOGIMoTCRKCelNGegHs2V_72izyK6wWTab8dQodpX1GcJJknLW2dU5sYJET/s4032/5F015955-B62D-46C6-8EF1-602095C46314.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABKYJyNAPgAiBTATzdH3NJxJoKKLhz4R59RSszgQKXr1Zs3DcUNdTnA1anA3KsVKOmKZ76P1YCxhr2hK5FGnfJm0Di8wl7IUkc3AEUjZmjjbOK5tELND8jdMz2J42QWOGIMoTCRKCelNGegHs2V_72izyK6wWTab8dQodpX1GcJJknLW2dU5sYJET/s320/5F015955-B62D-46C6-8EF1-602095C46314.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the end of the service Pastor Calvin from St. Peter’s in Kitale was asked to say a few words and he presented Mama Anna Sagala with a “Women of Faith” headscarf from their women’s group. Anna wore it proudly the rest of the day. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUPJT_0sYvCP56550iVXB2rH-coVX2-Iu7ijRv8QRW2SCwZVGUhbOTgqA0zhQB4bYXaNmJW8GUC2INOrCTOs5Yye-lZdS_YXHfRE5YaHy0YrJ4Ddayi62_61vySsl2xQ70-sgcNf66OiyVvpwqO7pgMiNp3i8zDYvcfhVwwVDHXx4JalSZ9fgvIph/s4032/09566607-B931-4531-B4DA-B2E5FBC6297C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUPJT_0sYvCP56550iVXB2rH-coVX2-Iu7ijRv8QRW2SCwZVGUhbOTgqA0zhQB4bYXaNmJW8GUC2INOrCTOs5Yye-lZdS_YXHfRE5YaHy0YrJ4Ddayi62_61vySsl2xQ70-sgcNf66OiyVvpwqO7pgMiNp3i8zDYvcfhVwwVDHXx4JalSZ9fgvIph/s320/09566607-B931-4531-B4DA-B2E5FBC6297C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the end of the service Pastor Gurath conducted a dedication of the well that had recently been constructed on the property.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWzi8L10eTaoV2O8b7O0CSpTEPQCaMz-xfeTpu5TURQNGFxEdhKyyYu6A48WjNU10ja48UHD-ZqVbjStTqhmmE4kLAEEiVo6MYJu9l2AacVMM6hW2BdiRbc-XoYxYVAS7XEkf6PZK81dJGleqQVlqzNS_OXrnsWZWnLM4z-T49k_RZG6ObJYAMO6W/s4032/102BBC2C-835F-49E2-8BCE-3D8C14942C36.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWzi8L10eTaoV2O8b7O0CSpTEPQCaMz-xfeTpu5TURQNGFxEdhKyyYu6A48WjNU10ja48UHD-ZqVbjStTqhmmE4kLAEEiVo6MYJu9l2AacVMM6hW2BdiRbc-XoYxYVAS7XEkf6PZK81dJGleqQVlqzNS_OXrnsWZWnLM4z-T49k_RZG6ObJYAMO6W/s320/102BBC2C-835F-49E2-8BCE-3D8C14942C36.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Sagala commissioned a plaque for the well dedication.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcVbP9l3LxxXoAaHWT6xLkVduu8UKOtF7xxGIYxEDpEJ68Yn88WHxeEUE5c6jsYyCOgjkN5ljGD8U6jrQjMRT7caP71A2nQn9joN6V9V1Kbr3Gv5CVKtUQDUIZyBl_GbyjcUDolQO5YY4KRWiIuS36ZLPiEaZfLJWH75jMk017XM6XsPDh48M7A8e/s4032/8E43D13B-D6A5-4FE8-B233-8889D1B15A79.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcVbP9l3LxxXoAaHWT6xLkVduu8UKOtF7xxGIYxEDpEJ68Yn88WHxeEUE5c6jsYyCOgjkN5ljGD8U6jrQjMRT7caP71A2nQn9joN6V9V1Kbr3Gv5CVKtUQDUIZyBl_GbyjcUDolQO5YY4KRWiIuS36ZLPiEaZfLJWH75jMk017XM6XsPDh48M7A8e/s320/8E43D13B-D6A5-4FE8-B233-8889D1B15A79.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the well dedication we went back into the church for some cake and sodas. Pastor Gurath and I also passed out “sweets” (candy) to the children (and to all the “older children”—aka, adults 🙂).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We ended the day of worship by singing “Rock of Ages” in Swahili.</div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr58uUJXtEFDQXZ9dVqi-8OBnnkaLBsl7dqk6O16PVNM-a4zEadKNjFwJwnNoaijWc2L2ztjIgw_0dHSbgDK7BtdCaYiFfpQXmk6paFW6LET0meTCmzL8WE0mAri3ncsSuSxpm213CPqwmPJ8XZdVJTBc5qD6hp6LNo4rAzabHtRrgNgtUQaSy_m1E/s4032/74185B65-5B25-4D36-849C-926C859849F1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr58uUJXtEFDQXZ9dVqi-8OBnnkaLBsl7dqk6O16PVNM-a4zEadKNjFwJwnNoaijWc2L2ztjIgw_0dHSbgDK7BtdCaYiFfpQXmk6paFW6LET0meTCmzL8WE0mAri3ncsSuSxpm213CPqwmPJ8XZdVJTBc5qD6hp6LNo4rAzabHtRrgNgtUQaSy_m1E/s320/74185B65-5B25-4D36-849C-926C859849F1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to get a picture of cute baby Nancy after the service.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXZvNeZUHGGGUQalh2vvh8vH6EwJxAvULLx7ET1tOR9r8klerv3JHOSQw1kvFyDGNgKiRDo9TGeZo25GThYy67E2dP1t_69kicoAM4OMwXHYUpusB4LMAx-mUaguscaxp-MiwvVf38ju8vSe0nChvhrQRGxpdtHUnGEbKWoeINFG0cCJy6Ofc_2zh/s4032/49739144-66CE-4298-89B9-D767E1B2E1E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXZvNeZUHGGGUQalh2vvh8vH6EwJxAvULLx7ET1tOR9r8klerv3JHOSQw1kvFyDGNgKiRDo9TGeZo25GThYy67E2dP1t_69kicoAM4OMwXHYUpusB4LMAx-mUaguscaxp-MiwvVf38ju8vSe0nChvhrQRGxpdtHUnGEbKWoeINFG0cCJy6Ofc_2zh/s320/49739144-66CE-4298-89B9-D767E1B2E1E0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 Swahili catechisms with explanation were passed out to families after the worship service<br />(this was the last half of the shipment that we had picked up from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation on one of our first days in Kenya).</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeJK74QVJNqR02iHP85n9ivHS92vIAlnCn9N75yAhJiUetRG6eYTHJZE8qet0m-f3DAwbeJGW175fwqU5I1jsD7xBceiqLXX5CxezIhhSP9tKx_WdkbvJXpvhxW_0NLcQ8TREFTfs4RvhNc_iA1yYnzEu6B4vcbMY_sSeS1BVXTi3lacv-TP4loom/s4032/0934953C-BEC6-49E8-9E7E-DBFEC5CDAE8D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeJK74QVJNqR02iHP85n9ivHS92vIAlnCn9N75yAhJiUetRG6eYTHJZE8qet0m-f3DAwbeJGW175fwqU5I1jsD7xBceiqLXX5CxezIhhSP9tKx_WdkbvJXpvhxW_0NLcQ8TREFTfs4RvhNc_iA1yYnzEu6B4vcbMY_sSeS1BVXTi3lacv-TP4loom/s320/0934953C-BEC6-49E8-9E7E-DBFEC5CDAE8D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the church service Mary took a number of us to a restaurant in Moi’s Bridge that has a big open pit BBQ on which they grill goat meat. The meat was perfectly done and the seasoning was so tasty. Probably my favorite meal I’ve had in Kenya. We all ate way too much! <br /><br />Vocabulary I learned at the restaurant:<br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Mbuzi = goat</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Choma = grill, BBQ</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Nimeshiba - “I am satisfied!” (“I am full.”)</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Nimeshiba sana - “I am very satisfied!” </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGREVfr3-T0ZuaHb-XffmPOGHr6dmW_pSrofmG7Ux7z6RlJsBo2fB6ww0tRFGvaFKDzDV9Xl1CodYY9RJSqzTO0UXT9iMmxYkSBgdGf7szccJiWDLZz3uMYMSHddxTzQLvMJob04j5Fgj5gkw9m1Ekjs0olgrtgZHNKJPiBnZf5l_BP6xd7Eqbh02/s4032/23B5C4D3-F60E-41BC-BAA3-EF8063237532.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGREVfr3-T0ZuaHb-XffmPOGHr6dmW_pSrofmG7Ux7z6RlJsBo2fB6ww0tRFGvaFKDzDV9Xl1CodYY9RJSqzTO0UXT9iMmxYkSBgdGf7szccJiWDLZz3uMYMSHddxTzQLvMJob04j5Fgj5gkw9m1Ekjs0olgrtgZHNKJPiBnZf5l_BP6xd7Eqbh02/s320/23B5C4D3-F60E-41BC-BAA3-EF8063237532.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Pastor Gurath, Martin (Anna’s grandson), Mary, and Anna Sagala in front of the gate to Mary’s home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We went back to Mary’s house to pick up several large bags of avocados to take to driver Dan’s family and Jamima Sagala’s family in Nairobi. I think they were trying to fill our vehicle so full that we wouldn’t be able to fit ourselves in it and would have to stay! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They thanked us both for making the long trip and for serving the church and school while we were here (and said special thank you’s to our families for being willing to have us gone for so long). They also wanted us to express their greetings, love, and prayers to all of you in America. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After a very long “Lutheran goodbye” filled with profuse amounts of “Asante sana” (“thank you so much”) from us to both Mary and Anna for their care and hospitality to both of us—and for all they do for thr people they serve so selflessly here in the Moi’s Bridge area—we went back to our hotel for the night. We were both quite tired from all the day’s events, but also very happy and praising God for His strength and safekeeping as we completed the 3 weeks of work we had come to do. Bwana asifiwe! (“Praise the Lord!”)</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-83417993938154033822022-07-23T10:54:00.000-07:002022-07-23T10:54:36.955-07:00Worship at St. Peter’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Kitale<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgR843FB7_8gVor6sNhFT_e1qdUjVC8WQ5icRlcfoNz859jPASGv6J8ztStmRK6VfL04PwADT7pd523SAN0LQTTdgPY0SwhwM-sxpdxlKyTwrL8DaaeKJcEdzKyq-wt-42wvNTQqI9t18-NANUPcu3Ds2DAtjpjLjsTwkTk_Z7Je1fkRFJ1sDEUq_/s3729/275ED9A0-FCB9-427C-A75D-079D4E7BD30F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3729" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgR843FB7_8gVor6sNhFT_e1qdUjVC8WQ5icRlcfoNz859jPASGv6J8ztStmRK6VfL04PwADT7pd523SAN0LQTTdgPY0SwhwM-sxpdxlKyTwrL8DaaeKJcEdzKyq-wt-42wvNTQqI9t18-NANUPcu3Ds2DAtjpjLjsTwkTk_Z7Je1fkRFJ1sDEUq_/s320/275ED9A0-FCB9-427C-A75D-079D4E7BD30F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The servants of the Word for our worship service in Kitale. Pastor Calvin & his congregation had robes and stoles available for us to wear for the worship service.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Saturday morning we drove up to Kitale (about a 45min drive) to visit and worship with Pastor Calvin and his congregation, St. Peter’s. Currently St. Peter’s meets in a large tent on Calvin’s property. They are saving up and praying that the Lord will bless them with the resources to buy a small plot of land in the area and build a permanent church structure. According to Calvin there are no other Lutheran churches in the Kitale area (which is one of the largest cities in this region). He thinks that the closest Lutheran church in the area is Holy Cross in Milimani (which is on the same campus as Emmaus School, near Moi’s Bridge) which is at least a 30 minute drive away. <div><br /></div><div>For now this small but very committed congregation of Lutherans makes very good use of the facilities and resources they have. By my count there were 40 people at the worship service. Thanks to some donations from a couple of CLC churches they have a sturdy tent and plenty of chairs. They also have enough hymnals to pass around (which is good, because their services are very much intentionally “Lutheran” in flavor—they follow a liturgy and sing lots of hymns from the hymnal). Pastor G. and I were also given hymnals to follow along with. Even though I could only pick out a few Swahili words we were singing or reading we both did our best to sing along and read the Swahili words as best I could (Pastor Gurath was much better at it than I was, of course!). I was asked to do the children’s sermon and say prayers for the children. Pastor Gurath preached the sermon while Pastor Calvin translated.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='318' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwlhqRhvQWAjwISKLyc_kwj0VL7BGuYwJ7jNSsmndDFWuCyAEuTsHeOGHhF9h1wNOGu8Bp6mQAXBu7fqfljuw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the hymns from the worship service. I think this one was, “No Friend but Jesus.”</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgTbFkRvtITYMRyTm-NCEVQBbcZPi2-YYstRJeWQgLuKjYehMt10ziIwiaBU0cizQi7Wyh95j5CDUyoDuio1EgoIqI5MnkEV2Jt7DP6lkbKxIPGXlfcpiAc2MNSoKjirDtRlAsKlM9l3jrR4U0Bw7xwvg61Of1fFG2TrpxnfPUkSDBgb9BULfjeVe/s4032/5E31BFA8-830E-479F-B67E-63C64B5E3CA3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgTbFkRvtITYMRyTm-NCEVQBbcZPi2-YYstRJeWQgLuKjYehMt10ziIwiaBU0cizQi7Wyh95j5CDUyoDuio1EgoIqI5MnkEV2Jt7DP6lkbKxIPGXlfcpiAc2MNSoKjirDtRlAsKlM9l3jrR4U0Bw7xwvg61Of1fFG2TrpxnfPUkSDBgb9BULfjeVe/s320/5E31BFA8-830E-479F-B67E-63C64B5E3CA3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the close of service the congregation sings the final hymn and follow the pastor(s) out as we all shake hands and finish the hymn facing each other in a circle.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsudx6mWzGfuG_ppYppzu9srMn5LtbH7gtt0Eo4ZqOUBpHWaC-Dp_eIsj5xeet1qPnKiOQJCQs-tL6mqzeiqhTvw31DFASjvk_pjLUl_WFq4Vi5WIZZuxTqcN_2Vvq5TUoxD_CJKe-xKDXJEALH-TNbyufBzQqZx8LdeBVmAIfjFmfwDCs7vL5tkQp/s4032/9C49C8F5-DB29-47EF-9A4E-CCE2DB8B8475.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsudx6mWzGfuG_ppYppzu9srMn5LtbH7gtt0Eo4ZqOUBpHWaC-Dp_eIsj5xeet1qPnKiOQJCQs-tL6mqzeiqhTvw31DFASjvk_pjLUl_WFq4Vi5WIZZuxTqcN_2Vvq5TUoxD_CJKe-xKDXJEALH-TNbyufBzQqZx8LdeBVmAIfjFmfwDCs7vL5tkQp/s320/9C49C8F5-DB29-47EF-9A4E-CCE2DB8B8475.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Swahili Lutheran hymnal that St. Peter’s uses.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn29aVbVQdzDkWESCg-OjEkqyXLiUtXEzQuZ8q2eHBkulJTNhk9exyp5yVmYqx_vAaG0F6xf0ETyDT4uBFELuOqG8cxfUVqbFbPXqm3wWb33liU3Zux-0Q6BGojhSkmYhge2yay11brrbx4Yt09flsZB52dlwOOomIoceKXMGTYQG8-pa1Z4oQ36ml/s4032/3241A287-70CE-4BCF-89DC-F0BF50E34797.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn29aVbVQdzDkWESCg-OjEkqyXLiUtXEzQuZ8q2eHBkulJTNhk9exyp5yVmYqx_vAaG0F6xf0ETyDT4uBFELuOqG8cxfUVqbFbPXqm3wWb33liU3Zux-0Q6BGojhSkmYhge2yay11brrbx4Yt09flsZB52dlwOOomIoceKXMGTYQG8-pa1Z4oQ36ml/s320/3241A287-70CE-4BCF-89DC-F0BF50E34797.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn’t get a photo of the fully decorated altar in time, but I did get two more members in this photo of the front of their church tent.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2SEfFEDkCjaX6mpg6LnTqNgQEidNKCtdhzHMHGJMOw_OqUaVM5bv0nkMOQ3SwHyr-rspi0L56kGAswXpoAwAkQ2CvkEvzM9tuOURVEetvpA-GEY6pBkA4P29i8pJzNZsBkOTln7nYyE2QGjeKihL9K9nzjGARDv-u3NxB7u7ZAUXmom6pkgq52mE/s4032/ED5C09A0-7C16-453D-A665-783724E19055.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2SEfFEDkCjaX6mpg6LnTqNgQEidNKCtdhzHMHGJMOw_OqUaVM5bv0nkMOQ3SwHyr-rspi0L56kGAswXpoAwAkQ2CvkEvzM9tuOURVEetvpA-GEY6pBkA4P29i8pJzNZsBkOTln7nYyE2QGjeKihL9K9nzjGARDv-u3NxB7u7ZAUXmom6pkgq52mE/s320/ED5C09A0-7C16-453D-A665-783724E19055.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A number of women were proudly wearing their St. Stephen Lutheran “Women of Faith” headscarfs. They have a very dedicated and active women’s group.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQMwuttdj4LQ_pGb89rOE4is8KJgyhd-3eWrh-_IhwOlwj8dhjjG-tawdH3smOaCt1q10gEnyrjf-EOGLEisFafyFC_KVh4RVhyxPo_7fkEKY1LIKtGmy6jFEiqrj2JR0GLd7lnnsczU7wjcL5ISaOBJMYfRfwCL6-gd4HLKf505ZbDHk5ChHuBcb/s4032/EF802A0B-D6AB-4C7A-AA97-BAA9137D405F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQMwuttdj4LQ_pGb89rOE4is8KJgyhd-3eWrh-_IhwOlwj8dhjjG-tawdH3smOaCt1q10gEnyrjf-EOGLEisFafyFC_KVh4RVhyxPo_7fkEKY1LIKtGmy6jFEiqrj2JR0GLd7lnnsczU7wjcL5ISaOBJMYfRfwCL6-gd4HLKf505ZbDHk5ChHuBcb/s320/EF802A0B-D6AB-4C7A-AA97-BAA9137D405F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Calvin, Mary (one of the founding members of the congregation), and Robert, one of the council members and assists with pastoral work as well.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After the worship service another hearty meal was served (chicken, beef, rice, homemade chipati, and bananas—so flavorful when they come right off of the area banana trees!). We stayed for quite a while talking with Calvin and a number of the church leaders. They and the rest of the congregation all expressed their deep thanks for the support, love, and prayers they have received from their brothers and sisters in Christ back in the U.S.A. Both Pastor Gurath and I expressed greetings, prayers and Christian love from all of you, as well as our appreciation for their hospitality and the joy of sharing in worship and fellowship with them.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlRXhCV2i1B5w94QtJDBo0hDuGq8CuIm71iq3aI2SLKn3aLIEbEUhOdlp_FFFtMWm-Oy3IBJYs2YtVEaFOUn4fgqalCOpihych_bAZZoBJw_0D8LaE3t2unH2srsip06gyMybKIaGyxDHTQvG22E-DCojrAOgKr7XhLihR8BrsMSdaE2FAhPVGruw/s4032/F1E5FF03-89FC-4E0B-912D-05FA1F2CED12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlRXhCV2i1B5w94QtJDBo0hDuGq8CuIm71iq3aI2SLKn3aLIEbEUhOdlp_FFFtMWm-Oy3IBJYs2YtVEaFOUn4fgqalCOpihych_bAZZoBJw_0D8LaE3t2unH2srsip06gyMybKIaGyxDHTQvG22E-DCojrAOgKr7XhLihR8BrsMSdaE2FAhPVGruw/s320/F1E5FF03-89FC-4E0B-912D-05FA1F2CED12.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the dedicated “Women of Faith” from St. Peter’s who made and served a delicious meal to all after the worship service. So thankful for them and all the women who have done so much for us on this trip!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>One more “grand finale” of a very special day of worship at Holy Cross tomorrow (Sunday) and then we begin the long journey back home on Monday. The time has flown by and the trip has been nothing short of a parade of blessings. At the same time, as we near the end of our 3rd week here, we are both looking forward to returning home to see our families, loved, ones and congregations again. Blessings to you all in Christ!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Pastor Luke</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-88479986785101992762022-07-22T10:26:00.003-07:002022-07-24T22:30:01.422-07:00The Road (Back) to Emmaus<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Thursday morning we returned to Emmaus School and were excitedly greeted by the children once again. Handshakes and high fives till my hands were red (the children thought it was funny when I said “Ouch!” and shook my hands…I think it only encouraged them to give me even MORE enthusiastic high-fives 😆)! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDtNDF84XbnA7QeKmqOj1vSRgslwPNv8jtmztzzo8u78ngrswpOJupHeuZoArCFzpzc_ti2q2wcYXtkzE6Gv50ri_gpY3xQAxmFEd8zkARrOvamkqTK_Rmc5aU272cYtvUNIxBPGmdzQzGE1XETMNiqPhgjgWARjaLtvUA9diNt_Dn0PrfeFvE_JA/s3088/11408843-2118-4F29-9FA3-1D04EA398323.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDtNDF84XbnA7QeKmqOj1vSRgslwPNv8jtmztzzo8u78ngrswpOJupHeuZoArCFzpzc_ti2q2wcYXtkzE6Gv50ri_gpY3xQAxmFEd8zkARrOvamkqTK_Rmc5aU272cYtvUNIxBPGmdzQzGE1XETMNiqPhgjgWARjaLtvUA9diNt_Dn0PrfeFvE_JA/s320/11408843-2118-4F29-9FA3-1D04EA398323.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are they waving or just trying to give me more <br />high-fives? 😄</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The standard 8 (grade 8) teacher asked us to meet with his students in their classroom to chat with them and ask and answer each others questions. We asked a few questions of them as they were getting ready for important exams in September in preparation for 9th grade and high school. They all said that their favorite class was science, so their questions of us were about science. Pastor Gurath and I being the “scientists” we are (ha!) did our best to answer their questions about the importance of plasma in blood (Pastor G. had donated plasma back in his college days so he gave a really good answer that impressed the students greatly). They asked me about the planet Pluto and quizzed me on the planets in our solar system (I think I passed their quiz!). </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Then the REAL questions they wanted to ask came from the students (all girls): Were we married and did we have children? They screamed and squealed with delight at pictures of Pastor Gurath’s adorable little girls…and then reacted (with a little too much surprise 😏) at how beautiful our wives were when we showed them pictures (see video below). Yes, yes, we get it, even people in other countries can see that we’ve obviously “out kicked our coverage” and been blessed with wives that are far too beautiful, talented, and amazing than we deserve (Hi Anna & Jewels!). We closed our little Q&A session with them by </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">praying for their upcoming exams and for God’s blessings to them as they prepare for high school.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy4JuVUvL5Cw8W5R_AVcIkhEM_HLZhoTGvJfUH-FNlG0IgngB5CwzuYRdlr7dHP5eoQkjc5DLzK1L_Hu1RRyg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">The students reaction to pictures of Pastor Gurath’s wife, Anna. “Wow! So beauty!”</div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-oSQ5LulvuSOVArQrqsW3URAbcu6mmOikHCfwlT9GrTpialIE1ys5UnQ5e0icvZaWfFQuuC9IXZmN6ATmc2CZFhTF9pIJmU7QsG8dELlbsYwsO6MfYnK5LWgTiDGGzzSvBDtws-jEmQJHxKq1mB9x4USdIC6WqdI1dR4Re8xoZZ-wT0Ak9ruGpMF/s3088/0413680A-B656-415E-9784-8B4067BAEADA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-oSQ5LulvuSOVArQrqsW3URAbcu6mmOikHCfwlT9GrTpialIE1ys5UnQ5e0icvZaWfFQuuC9IXZmN6ATmc2CZFhTF9pIJmU7QsG8dELlbsYwsO6MfYnK5LWgTiDGGzzSvBDtws-jEmQJHxKq1mB9x4USdIC6WqdI1dR4Re8xoZZ-wT0Ak9ruGpMF/s320/0413680A-B656-415E-9784-8B4067BAEADA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last selfie with the standard 8 students.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Around 10:30am we gathered with the teachers for a “teacher seminar.” Very similarly to the one Pastor Gurath conducted at St. David’s School in Etago, he led the teachers in a summary study of the main teachings of the Bible as they are laid out in the CLC’s “Statement of Faith and Purpose.” The teachers all got printed copies to follow along with and take with them (plus we dropped off the rest of the Small Catechisms—both the ones with and without the explanations—for both the teachers and students to use). The teachers all seem to read English very well and speak it clearly, which is good to see! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It was also very enlightening when we came to the subject of Creation and Pastor Gurath mentioned that unfortunately many people in the USA and in most of the schools the theory of evolution is taught and believed as fact. They literally laughed at the thought of this, since they realize how impossible it is that all of creation (including ourselves) could somehow come out of nothing. According to them most people and teachers here in Kenya believe in creation. In this category it appears that Kenya is far ahead of the U.S.! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKAsEq8Itnt0EQlvvi8mORrVV_f4slckRWNrpMzQhboJGu0ieA2xXm0IyrAo04Ny0MZjBfTDP0HP8VOZob7Z6fGVkpfAEMEVH3VVTML4S5X7703GjozBMtIYFcPl7O8D_vT3Nt9glbhfOkeSkprhuvRO4xeVa0I8QxDOAFaObEMrsYtXJPJCCHkTM/s3106/1134B928-C0FB-4FA5-BF36-FE90494C8A0E.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3106" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKAsEq8Itnt0EQlvvi8mORrVV_f4slckRWNrpMzQhboJGu0ieA2xXm0IyrAo04Ny0MZjBfTDP0HP8VOZob7Z6fGVkpfAEMEVH3VVTML4S5X7703GjozBMtIYFcPl7O8D_vT3Nt9glbhfOkeSkprhuvRO4xeVa0I8QxDOAFaObEMrsYtXJPJCCHkTM/s320/1134B928-C0FB-4FA5-BF36-FE90494C8A0E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath leading the teachers seminar.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6k7AjXPWwj-gEOQ4hATK4TWbvh_PjdPnbEvLqcmcmibrhALBhmFHHU5bMu0--z84eT_mbjAj_BeEFeEE6cr19ZmIRahIyyg2aWTEALPs09Xv7a4RnqmO8HdPrliFf0f-2OUEWhNx5zjmUI6jsL-3fHJtW9RyN5Bt2-hBL23gUXSRgHccXrNZ06jn/s4032/02A64C27-1974-40C5-8779-47DDCEFCFAB8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6k7AjXPWwj-gEOQ4hATK4TWbvh_PjdPnbEvLqcmcmibrhALBhmFHHU5bMu0--z84eT_mbjAj_BeEFeEE6cr19ZmIRahIyyg2aWTEALPs09Xv7a4RnqmO8HdPrliFf0f-2OUEWhNx5zjmUI6jsL-3fHJtW9RyN5Bt2-hBL23gUXSRgHccXrNZ06jn/s320/02A64C27-1974-40C5-8779-47DDCEFCFAB8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Emmaus School teachers and Mary Sagala (on the end in red, who also attended the teacher seminar). </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzC9Y6aXwEFZ77ikTrrCQ7G3mPTfqZsIT6p9UiBzF6Q68tbSpkFoKg9gh7sOLvrZgtjbQ8M-KsTpUwICUPxVg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The students (and even Mary and some of the teachers) saw us off with a song and dance. One little guy, Fabregas, really loves to dance (he’s the one in the front with the book bag)!</div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">That afternoon we visited with Pastor Samson. He is very elderly and blind, but still preaches and has many Scripture passages and many hymns buried deeply in his heart and mind. He is anxiously awaiting being reunited with his wife and being with His Savior in heaven soon (he says he “turned in his application long ago” 🙂), but he also acknowledges that God’s timing is best. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">When we entered the house he greeted us with a hymn. After conversation and a meal, which was made and served by a woman and her daughter who help take care of Samson, he sung a closing hymn (with those who knew it in Swahili). </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWNwxdZrTQv9WttAm709_AW6DC4Qz_rVaYb8q_y7DU0M5zenlU2osO_3m2n1wGGHL2LT2nYT2g7vKYrHJdQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pastor Samson greeting us with a hymn as we entered. Mary Sagala also knew the hymn and joined in. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgad5MOv1KUxNhZoN1pnnayUSLjP0caVzlOYpkCii7Iqg5vsj9fN31XtqG5iB8xaXlb1VmYK5D3r7qqFt3qPuFNdHwXDA-TscsNyhJQgitudauJkYinXnrL6iQqlqz6mFJzeAoHyCkaL1bszdzvIZBFNm-XF_D8jTC_PE3fA8ZmdUlSBM0TTivvByhh/s4032/DB208AE7-E4BF-455D-ADA9-4DE10070E793.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgad5MOv1KUxNhZoN1pnnayUSLjP0caVzlOYpkCii7Iqg5vsj9fN31XtqG5iB8xaXlb1VmYK5D3r7qqFt3qPuFNdHwXDA-TscsNyhJQgitudauJkYinXnrL6iQqlqz6mFJzeAoHyCkaL1bszdzvIZBFNm-XF_D8jTC_PE3fA8ZmdUlSBM0TTivvByhh/s320/DB208AE7-E4BF-455D-ADA9-4DE10070E793.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary, Pastor Sampson, and the family that helps care for him. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">Friday we had lunch at Mary Sagala’s. Her granddaughter, Tessie, also helped make and serve the meal. Mama Anna Sagala and another grandson, Martin, who is in grade 3 at Emmaus School joined us later that afternoon. The large meal of chicken, beef, rice, chipati, potatoes, stewed cabbage (aka Kenyan Kraut—that’s what I call it in my head 🙂), and salad was delicious! The conversation that afternoon was equally delightful. As we left Anna had me try on the preaching robe she had made for guest preachers here at Holy Cross Church. It fit perfectly & I am honored that I will be the first one to wear it for the service on Sunday (see photo below).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QMUw0RKqvz76T_nSM934_Apg1f8bQhhS2NygGmJaclM4t7XLyz2EJiRW1HyJ7lGabmYcJTHhXFCq5oeXlQYQRtOf2QMzKO4iAzIXvXhKFfzyww9jEn5KzFtYQKRoAbvruyIHS8GeVC3rgXSVrH-G5Jab34eXZ3mEEGmRqDbA1xNU4s3rRRyKSVJ6/s4032/A93C5CB4-A891-48D0-83C4-95A5FDD4AFEA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QMUw0RKqvz76T_nSM934_Apg1f8bQhhS2NygGmJaclM4t7XLyz2EJiRW1HyJ7lGabmYcJTHhXFCq5oeXlQYQRtOf2QMzKO4iAzIXvXhKFfzyww9jEn5KzFtYQKRoAbvruyIHS8GeVC3rgXSVrH-G5Jab34eXZ3mEEGmRqDbA1xNU4s3rRRyKSVJ6/s320/A93C5CB4-A891-48D0-83C4-95A5FDD4AFEA.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div> </span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><b><u>“Kidogo” More Swahili</u>:</b></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Kidogo” = a little</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Habari = “How are you?”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Mzuri = “I am fine!”</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-45747025495871677692022-07-21T07:13:00.004-07:002022-07-21T22:47:05.203-07:00Good Bye Uganda<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Wednesday morning we packed up and left the Continental Hotel in Iganga to make a few visits on our way out of the country of Uganda. Our plans were to meet in Bulandani with Pastor Tannas and in Busia with Pastor Absalom.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pastor Daniel accompanied us all the way to the Kenyan border. All three of these pastors know each other from when they all lived in Busia (which is a busy city at the border of Uganda and Kenya).</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Our first stop was in the little rural village of Bulandani and Pastor Tannas’ home and church next door. Pastor Daniel has known Tannas since 2004. Tannas had gone through serious family tragedy and serious personal and spiritual problems. father had committed suicide which caused Tannas great sadness and spiritual problems. Pastor Daniel helped him work through these issues with the help of God and His Word. Now Tannas shepherds his own congregation. Yet another incredible testament to God’s saving grace! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We spent time talking with Pastor Tannas, eating some local pineapple, mango, and the best chipatti we’ve had on the trip so far (homemade by Pastor Tannas’ wife and still warm—delicious! I made sure to tell her that hers was the best chipati in Uganda AND Kenya :) Chipati, if you’ve forgotten is the flatbread that is similar to a soft tortilla and is eaten in India, but has been adopted by a number of African countries as well). </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">After talking and eating for a while we walked to the church where we had a short worship service in which Pastor Gurath and I were both once again invited to preach and Pastor Tannas translated into Lugandan. The congregation was very receptive and appreciative and said they were blessed by the message and thanked us deeply. We, as usual, we’re equally blessed to be able to share God’s saving Word with them!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjO4L9pyrN_2L61K60wDzxoDJ-sRuPgf4O-5tqdGAlVpYoF36WW-_kk5J5STgH0m25JDjJBMQmFejFxw9LVjy1OtKqWZAIMf5W2l4qvfqEZYSWHhP_zF9GAkuzG0QcCxeEk3mufGOqowSrxVYEOY36gGEEAv9lhIsynjp8zicz-NhIF0TLdaGw39s/s1040/A3241CAD-70E4-4E8C-9950-55F4E967B5E4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjO4L9pyrN_2L61K60wDzxoDJ-sRuPgf4O-5tqdGAlVpYoF36WW-_kk5J5STgH0m25JDjJBMQmFejFxw9LVjy1OtKqWZAIMf5W2l4qvfqEZYSWHhP_zF9GAkuzG0QcCxeEk3mufGOqowSrxVYEOY36gGEEAv9lhIsynjp8zicz-NhIF0TLdaGw39s/s320/A3241CAD-70E4-4E8C-9950-55F4E967B5E4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preaching at Pastor Tannas’ church in Bulandani.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt_dScjSJQtrU3eixH8NAmN2huZsFYyQ83JI99cGlKqACJ2xrw-oT0OyJsXZPmI27VeY-F7MNrlViiAPAULwGBB8u-kKn2sHsMUBUHQvJQrh-oavoQJIIvrRNxQO30ov77JrWqfzc6wGBC1VSEv0pMBZS7ia26iPYnWFhKN8CJ7RQ9wdE_SMD0nEk/s4032/21D413F7-8F9A-4A0C-81EA-CB83D778E91D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt_dScjSJQtrU3eixH8NAmN2huZsFYyQ83JI99cGlKqACJ2xrw-oT0OyJsXZPmI27VeY-F7MNrlViiAPAULwGBB8u-kKn2sHsMUBUHQvJQrh-oavoQJIIvrRNxQO30ov77JrWqfzc6wGBC1VSEv0pMBZS7ia26iPYnWFhKN8CJ7RQ9wdE_SMD0nEk/s320/21D413F7-8F9A-4A0C-81EA-CB83D778E91D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the members of the church.<br /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">When we took this picture Pastor Tannas wanted me to make sure and let everyone know that they usually have many more people and many more children at their services on Sunday, but this service was on Wednesday at 12noon, so many children were in school and many men were at work. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPTvW0kXMzyTOkFAIBsp1c0H-LJmpRJLej1Xe3eaCInWFuUydCztlD0YoD3KXtf1DwRZIy5ZUHntAK1a_kX-XyyOP5UX6_luV4GEM92pFWycXFGGXYIxMFaRaDgIuzBe5xgBZNFA1_i2Asq4PZAmdsFrrZx3yEAzbRvpTRGuT_UJyM0hhAomKgmQQ/s4032/37C90A30-EA02-4731-B60A-EF225DE72AC1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPTvW0kXMzyTOkFAIBsp1c0H-LJmpRJLej1Xe3eaCInWFuUydCztlD0YoD3KXtf1DwRZIy5ZUHntAK1a_kX-XyyOP5UX6_luV4GEM92pFWycXFGGXYIxMFaRaDgIuzBe5xgBZNFA1_i2Asq4PZAmdsFrrZx3yEAzbRvpTRGuT_UJyM0hhAomKgmQQ/s320/37C90A30-EA02-4731-B60A-EF225DE72AC1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute babies alert! </td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKTVSAnJ2ULzdKSZE6PFr9mP_uVoL8aWYMr_yKXtitwcHQ-CMKz1BuOyaDTPCpk20kIleUB4meh8M6qLlPlPNESYIV9n2s1iUsgHrZ-aKQQxfp42hodzbkR0iBCCUjMYX8dHKyZPHDefnTVALhSNDiYsk46YWrqV3jG2sV4UItLT4V-PuqyeP8178/s4032/3A9585A9-9A0A-4921-8071-A522F103C210.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKTVSAnJ2ULzdKSZE6PFr9mP_uVoL8aWYMr_yKXtitwcHQ-CMKz1BuOyaDTPCpk20kIleUB4meh8M6qLlPlPNESYIV9n2s1iUsgHrZ-aKQQxfp42hodzbkR0iBCCUjMYX8dHKyZPHDefnTVALhSNDiYsk46YWrqV3jG2sV4UItLT4V-PuqyeP8178/s320/3A9585A9-9A0A-4921-8071-A522F103C210.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After some effort (and a little help from his mama) this little guy cracked a smile for me 😊</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwT4_GfLxHEwApxVKGALAys3s3TvQvedjmt1cdYTwPL8_TnK5Akqrf77tgyorLhSNw7KMDzbuaks6T8npnzDEY4M4KQWzGvXkyFRecfAXDq9f_oT-yUtEbCvY5nYAHhv99Cs5F1Zllm2nLaUbWVLaZmF3JP9t3G0zJCEteOv2NtIbpkWGNMSqvf0X/s4032/E0BBFD17-1173-4A28-AA75-F87892FE08BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwT4_GfLxHEwApxVKGALAys3s3TvQvedjmt1cdYTwPL8_TnK5Akqrf77tgyorLhSNw7KMDzbuaks6T8npnzDEY4M4KQWzGvXkyFRecfAXDq9f_oT-yUtEbCvY5nYAHhv99Cs5F1Zllm2nLaUbWVLaZmF3JP9t3G0zJCEteOv2NtIbpkWGNMSqvf0X/s320/E0BBFD17-1173-4A28-AA75-F87892FE08BF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children eating ugali (Ugandan style) and fish (Nile perch). The ugali is dipped in the fish “soup.”</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS_cSuGsJ-zoppVVsdJuLCBfk1r40BdL1fjFdhXaY8jzhrZN9M9R_mFToUrLskJrS8XBEvrBuP87uVqJUcLVvj-Ana4iXxvSDNZjJQH--jsOI_s138pHcbeMJO7VbvfczSjb685q2DE-v-_8PslGUDZSbcMyiqCOc24yYQM88Fu0R4X74niBALJg9/s1866/15BC5735-0889-4E87-8632-86BDAAB6431F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="1635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS_cSuGsJ-zoppVVsdJuLCBfk1r40BdL1fjFdhXaY8jzhrZN9M9R_mFToUrLskJrS8XBEvrBuP87uVqJUcLVvj-Ana4iXxvSDNZjJQH--jsOI_s138pHcbeMJO7VbvfczSjb685q2DE-v-_8PslGUDZSbcMyiqCOc24yYQM88Fu0R4X74niBALJg9/s320/15BC5735-0889-4E87-8632-86BDAAB6431F.jpeg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the women who helped make and serve the meal. Tannas’ wife is in the white shirt and light blue head scarf. His eldest daughter is the one walking.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfsesgCWDq0DG367R9AT0iiRtZf-d7cU6M68xnfxNMF9zQUX-JoNpBEYSa3RlZGoPoiwz2ZR_On8jLFmyriUxsANXV9crk6jmrta0PChIkxYPwepvPEI4ewQpSmCN8iKhG6nwaOXOb7jbjw2a0PZLb1CpyZnhW9_ahlIVngGJPLTfg6wGPamsZg5F/s4032/B67B4518-A08B-4373-8357-155624261D02.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfsesgCWDq0DG367R9AT0iiRtZf-d7cU6M68xnfxNMF9zQUX-JoNpBEYSa3RlZGoPoiwz2ZR_On8jLFmyriUxsANXV9crk6jmrta0PChIkxYPwepvPEI4ewQpSmCN8iKhG6nwaOXOb7jbjw2a0PZLb1CpyZnhW9_ahlIVngGJPLTfg6wGPamsZg5F/s320/B67B4518-A08B-4373-8357-155624261D02.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried some of everything at lunch.<br />Chicken, Nile perch (fish), rice, buttered noodles, and Ugandan-style ugali. Ugandans make their ugali from casaba, sorghum, and/or millet (as opposed to maize, like Kenyans do). Our driver from Kenya really liked it. It is very sticky and dense. As Pastor Gurath said, “This will stick with you till tomorrow!” He wasn’t kidding. It was very filling!</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One of the commenters on </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">an earlier blog asked about the women and their participation. Those who were attended today were almost exclusively women (only a few men and some small children). In fact, in every church service we’ve been a part of the women have outnumbered the men. In both of our Kinship schools at least half of the teachers are women as well. So, yes, the women attend and are very involved (in addition to usually being the ones making and serving the delicious food we’ve enjoyed on this trip!).</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pastor Tannas and his wife have 5 children, but he says he cares for a “small family of 9” (I think this also includes his elderly mother, who is also a member of the congregation). He also works part time as a teacher in a nearby school. He stretches his meager income to help support his family, send his children to school, and also helps support his church. On their property they keep goats, chickens, and rabbits for food and for income.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPfrTg0u1BoaGKsvN1kdbDfTVOZVxoiUsW6hFaIalsDSZE3Qz96ZPtJQg0kES8w152Trv375JUNX5mWWXoEDGXqHZbaBbGTjlxU6IgH0gum09QE22FfPPEumR_e89QY_QJovndnLTEWgkc0omJMAwDjGP0NAgNXr90ZXHeMkK3xmHOgYj048Wr2HP/s4032/64C4F0D5-ED01-4585-A1C7-DF5932BE3B06.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPfrTg0u1BoaGKsvN1kdbDfTVOZVxoiUsW6hFaIalsDSZE3Qz96ZPtJQg0kES8w152Trv375JUNX5mWWXoEDGXqHZbaBbGTjlxU6IgH0gum09QE22FfPPEumR_e89QY_QJovndnLTEWgkc0omJMAwDjGP0NAgNXr90ZXHeMkK3xmHOgYj048Wr2HP/s320/64C4F0D5-ED01-4585-A1C7-DF5932BE3B06.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Tannas & me.<br />From the time I met him at the previous week’s Pastoral Conference I have been impressed with Tannas’ wise insights in the Word and his commitment to preaching it and shepherding his flock.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdxVUH23IEA-AiEeFANx0tAvizGsvaqb4gxtdctEHBJDW85xkrleAZRFWggpu4XtTzs8B3SfQ8VHJyhOw0kbKihhUFdOIgOq8E3m4IlTCHKqdUriOMlX8sRgqjyx3lZ-uoOI_Y7NjmiuzvBc3p-YS1Iv85fmwHt14Pu93CVAKXZhHcf0pk3YCgD8T/s4032/98B628E2-2A93-4497-8EB3-59B25C09486F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdxVUH23IEA-AiEeFANx0tAvizGsvaqb4gxtdctEHBJDW85xkrleAZRFWggpu4XtTzs8B3SfQ8VHJyhOw0kbKihhUFdOIgOq8E3m4IlTCHKqdUriOMlX8sRgqjyx3lZ-uoOI_Y7NjmiuzvBc3p-YS1Iv85fmwHt14Pu93CVAKXZhHcf0pk3YCgD8T/s320/98B628E2-2A93-4497-8EB3-59B25C09486F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Tannas’ firstborn, Emmanuel, is in high school. <br />He made me this decorative star as a gift! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4zs0ooV-eXgyyE3ztyxePNir3rHip6UzyLQSGvBWYxihhLGxdmkxDas5PWiGq6Uhof9JHPCL59l7rVwMjAQtPQyGi2Cj375T8N9cjnsPB2d6qiooCcjlcZZkrlEm3OlJh_CsmZxHwToIUMLewZarv4kbXW5iBwhvuUmsQ5RVazbQB-SnH5rDPw5V/s4032/00899153-8BFE-485F-A318-D68970E7C48D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4zs0ooV-eXgyyE3ztyxePNir3rHip6UzyLQSGvBWYxihhLGxdmkxDas5PWiGq6Uhof9JHPCL59l7rVwMjAQtPQyGi2Cj375T8N9cjnsPB2d6qiooCcjlcZZkrlEm3OlJh_CsmZxHwToIUMLewZarv4kbXW5iBwhvuUmsQ5RVazbQB-SnH5rDPw5V/s320/00899153-8BFE-485F-A318-D68970E7C48D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest of Tannas’ children.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We only able to meet Pastor Absalom briefly at the border, and weren’t able to visit with his congregation this time. He is a very busy man who work as a counselor to young people (teenagers) in addition to shepherding a congregation in Busia.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWMrluXMahiCIHVmgjSNH4LzUIIV31SxnGCBuRl7gboYLv38eqbDwY0z4oU0FrV-u6fiNcwIaQ0_T1tLBJMBuJ7Gj-OX2gxKPv2H7ZqCCHRoUwJCoEk6cOzFuKvZJViTEVTcVxbQbJ7jHKHU_YFzWp8rCDzrBlllv9AYKBmh3fGblb6RefdTUR1oj/s4032/137320ED-2DCF-4A53-8AF6-507800B7D728.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWMrluXMahiCIHVmgjSNH4LzUIIV31SxnGCBuRl7gboYLv38eqbDwY0z4oU0FrV-u6fiNcwIaQ0_T1tLBJMBuJ7Gj-OX2gxKPv2H7ZqCCHRoUwJCoEk6cOzFuKvZJViTEVTcVxbQbJ7jHKHU_YFzWp8rCDzrBlllv9AYKBmh3fGblb6RefdTUR1oj/s320/137320ED-2DCF-4A53-8AF6-507800B7D728.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Absalom, me & Pastor Daniel.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The Lord gave us a smooth and trouble-free border crossing back into Kenya and safe travel all the way to our hotel in Matunda on Wednesday night. Bwana asafiwe! (Praise the Lord!)</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-69823341596658367772022-07-19T12:33:00.003-07:002022-07-19T12:33:43.753-07:00Tour of Uganda<p>Today (Tuesday) Pastor Daniel took us on what he semi-jokingly called a “tour of Uganda.” In the morning we went way out of town into a very sparsely populated rural area where Daniel owns some land. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZM84MAMpHWw3p76uUpqzHY96vXppRrozENvr0SIU1oSJyryas_T5f7StjvkeYxtWxPualNfP1IPfVuti7rAlOzN7moRuMhe30mBdAEOdG8dE_H7x3NFQMqF2-TiBXPX2M7CyllsFmJFqHZSn9nTkyDvhM_afOi-XLEzO-BPnzQ6tDV_o4f6z2W5R/s4032/1BC5D4F6-3E9F-4B16-8113-1545148991B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZM84MAMpHWw3p76uUpqzHY96vXppRrozENvr0SIU1oSJyryas_T5f7StjvkeYxtWxPualNfP1IPfVuti7rAlOzN7moRuMhe30mBdAEOdG8dE_H7x3NFQMqF2-TiBXPX2M7CyllsFmJFqHZSn9nTkyDvhM_afOi-XLEzO-BPnzQ6tDV_o4f6z2W5R/s320/1BC5D4F6-3E9F-4B16-8113-1545148991B2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man harvesting rice in rural Uganda.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On one plot (1 1/2 acres) he has a small house and a few unfinished buildings. There are many holes dug in the field on his property in preparation for the planting of his planned plantain plantation 🙂</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB1tohWh7BHl058ySalUQaCbvVfyvxJehk4rUEZu7FKdmgSuIvRAbTNbqB4qFSzOd0MaxG2jpd-caBjRLmGCGlkcpYtjQNJRlk0-Qh_Aa5I3eWm82pD0c2ZO2MysWmKdnEPIaLn84aDGLuwsW4daowDHnUlH2GQXBr2uoJYRpjp1rHAeGyarTb_KT/s4032/89EDCD0E-A680-433E-8E4E-E2B06EB84467.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB1tohWh7BHl058ySalUQaCbvVfyvxJehk4rUEZu7FKdmgSuIvRAbTNbqB4qFSzOd0MaxG2jpd-caBjRLmGCGlkcpYtjQNJRlk0-Qh_Aa5I3eWm82pD0c2ZO2MysWmKdnEPIaLn84aDGLuwsW4daowDHnUlH2GQXBr2uoJYRpjp1rHAeGyarTb_KT/s320/89EDCD0E-A680-433E-8E4E-E2B06EB84467.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Daniel’s “village.”</td></tr></tbody></table><p>He let’s a widow named Mary live in the house and on the land with the 6 children she takes care of. He bought her groceries at a market on our way to the farm. Mary’s older children go to school and are able to speak some English. Pastor Daniel also does what he can to help the elderly widow neighbor and her children, who live in similar very poor conditions (the children in that house had nothing to sleep on but some bed sheets bundled up on the hard cement floor). This glimpse into the lives of the poorest in the rural area of an already very poor country was heart-wrenching. At the same time it is heartwarming to see Daniel’s generous and genuine care for these families. The family lit up when they saw us arrive and despite some initial shyness from some of the younger ones, the children were all eager to greet us too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaljlb1Xl7XwHK2r7rP0uRXhWEU93mYOW9tZPalUcLDIz03DEsS5xbdDNqeb63QbY4jipk-ND7vm-ry8Vd-mPUWj2XjMHjRv-ysWJ7HQxU2mMSumBbo8NGIgPa-YXlBiYfdipuAvDnhJGUBxZRdlvkTyXtGpOOsRAEFKZI_Oo7HogWAYcphQwqssg4/s4032/48A32E25-B342-43AD-9DB7-9D34B073ABAE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaljlb1Xl7XwHK2r7rP0uRXhWEU93mYOW9tZPalUcLDIz03DEsS5xbdDNqeb63QbY4jipk-ND7vm-ry8Vd-mPUWj2XjMHjRv-ysWJ7HQxU2mMSumBbo8NGIgPa-YXlBiYfdipuAvDnhJGUBxZRdlvkTyXtGpOOsRAEFKZI_Oo7HogWAYcphQwqssg4/s320/48A32E25-B342-43AD-9DB7-9D34B073ABAE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zzY1OTLelZ6g-vvIeyY9PFHAXICRXXjt31-qxauZWSF8qiorOlKNjm9I5xo5O30QyxZzhNV3Z6U_TPzHJ7jQt8bcL7XqobcmNJEoFg-_Wsx46abH6IbgW0bgMwXELSjx11kXek0Zhd-4E-QbzkKVNLVlfclQ0NtZhWNvOX8m7Mr2bZGiZzsXUzYI/s4032/D49117E3-296B-4110-A0E1-612F54A986EC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zzY1OTLelZ6g-vvIeyY9PFHAXICRXXjt31-qxauZWSF8qiorOlKNjm9I5xo5O30QyxZzhNV3Z6U_TPzHJ7jQt8bcL7XqobcmNJEoFg-_Wsx46abH6IbgW0bgMwXELSjx11kXek0Zhd-4E-QbzkKVNLVlfclQ0NtZhWNvOX8m7Mr2bZGiZzsXUzYI/s320/D49117E3-296B-4110-A0E1-612F54A986EC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At first the youngest one was not scared of me or the camera…</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRK-yeQ9jftZrLlKq3nd0wFk_J5IDDIpaZyBnEKLI73-6aIj2N8_hMC6OqKFrLWAcwuhcYkiPSY9u778SAKWa4CLcNGsNZ-UZmaOtxzm3f2TFCHcqbrCtxpnsJOqVzNPLtE8hQzMmW9iQJyHPnZqm9642rbTKf5-cKdZ3Xhch2PkYUosbNDlpgHxWp/s4032/150E1C26-AA28-4882-8AD2-797CA3B0EC32.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRK-yeQ9jftZrLlKq3nd0wFk_J5IDDIpaZyBnEKLI73-6aIj2N8_hMC6OqKFrLWAcwuhcYkiPSY9u778SAKWa4CLcNGsNZ-UZmaOtxzm3f2TFCHcqbrCtxpnsJOqVzNPLtE8hQzMmW9iQJyHPnZqm9642rbTKf5-cKdZ3Xhch2PkYUosbNDlpgHxWp/s320/150E1C26-AA28-4882-8AD2-797CA3B0EC32.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary (3rd from left) and a few of her children (the youngest was now hiding from me & the camera).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTWTs7rq2jtUld8ZQp-yCskHtlwOAjf-eYzSyDFUcQZl1Qa-aMPksulpC5pE9lsjePaHwXf3MGLIvDtvYl0bb8pBWTstLr4NBYpWz5Noc4TEnkYztaWdT5kFYeT9a079aOOeKKBtPh_dIIfP0ERBQylOa1Ta3SuxMfMF8EVvUPmXx89zolAuOcg9Y/s4032/E88517F5-5A0A-4226-B027-6A7D236699B8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTWTs7rq2jtUld8ZQp-yCskHtlwOAjf-eYzSyDFUcQZl1Qa-aMPksulpC5pE9lsjePaHwXf3MGLIvDtvYl0bb8pBWTstLr4NBYpWz5Noc4TEnkYztaWdT5kFYeT9a079aOOeKKBtPh_dIIfP0ERBQylOa1Ta3SuxMfMF8EVvUPmXx89zolAuOcg9Y/s320/E88517F5-5A0A-4226-B027-6A7D236699B8.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After I got a safe distance away the youngest was brave enough to come out again and wave good bye :) </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pastor Daniel then showed us his second plot of land, a half acre across the road that he hopes to give to the church and eventually build another church on it since there isn’t one near this area. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKxtpaItcrP4goluEZC5uD-5uGDMdbc3jEqs5_YSh8bcqEBL-ZpqKKswSzlE_OgBOJ5e_NSxAtggPjykPHaEaE3tFU5lZ4RW3oNxWSvunSJrGZura-9HgDZ8RUeLP8t27PPSXhxpuBmBKjlTLjklzz5KO3qaigY33r2XGHnd93vkAoGMgO2odOsxi/s4032/6F7A2142-5321-4426-BC8A-EA76859BFD49.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKxtpaItcrP4goluEZC5uD-5uGDMdbc3jEqs5_YSh8bcqEBL-ZpqKKswSzlE_OgBOJ5e_NSxAtggPjykPHaEaE3tFU5lZ4RW3oNxWSvunSJrGZura-9HgDZ8RUeLP8t27PPSXhxpuBmBKjlTLjklzz5KO3qaigY33r2XGHnd93vkAoGMgO2odOsxi/s320/6F7A2142-5321-4426-BC8A-EA76859BFD49.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Land where Pastor Daniel hopes to build a church one day. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>After our visit, Pastor Daniel, driver Dan, Pastor G., and I headed to to the city of Jinja for some afternoon touristy activities. Jinja is located at the northern edge of Lake Victoria (the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world, behind Lake Superior located in the great state of Michigan…also bordered by Wisconsin and Minnesota and Canada, but most importantly, Michigan!). Jinja is also the location of the source of the Nile River. The four of us took a scenic and informative 1 hour boat tour down the river to the Nile’s source and then toured part of the shoreline of Lake Victoria (we even saw a Nile crocodile!). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hue3KXQU7QQBGkP-xKVhemB5EkrhYuDaWlpwcvOz5RRKWVStCXdSh57b5SuLYC4RSMBdIW8qNS9nze0V6-mL1anxJ_VcJ1Qn318_82wAmvQZy7SgsDnyD3NChkLxHTzIU3zYhczajtXxz1AntFFRqg5V5KeFGufpenxQGkww7EpddpqHWNkfCke8/s3080/6C341D7F-7AB9-45B1-B8F3-5EA6572A65FB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3080" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hue3KXQU7QQBGkP-xKVhemB5EkrhYuDaWlpwcvOz5RRKWVStCXdSh57b5SuLYC4RSMBdIW8qNS9nze0V6-mL1anxJ_VcJ1Qn318_82wAmvQZy7SgsDnyD3NChkLxHTzIU3zYhczajtXxz1AntFFRqg5V5KeFGufpenxQGkww7EpddpqHWNkfCke8/s320/6C341D7F-7AB9-45B1-B8F3-5EA6572A65FB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PkExUa7V7Z2A_A3fRhszynZLGkNa5LrpEy5uEK86b2d4jCZmbt6vA9qAi4rnhim6zGBs0pgMQfue5Mwmd5iZIDypio65YJmgt_EJ8o9WPNdKMnRLsxWNbA7yB3RS1ykGWGFgh_2cWoGP4d2aw3bza-VDH6q-5bjwHT79bz3TA_Hvwn2WVPX3cJ23/s4032/9FC76BB6-3334-42FF-B099-ADF2F096CF03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PkExUa7V7Z2A_A3fRhszynZLGkNa5LrpEy5uEK86b2d4jCZmbt6vA9qAi4rnhim6zGBs0pgMQfue5Mwmd5iZIDypio65YJmgt_EJ8o9WPNdKMnRLsxWNbA7yB3RS1ykGWGFgh_2cWoGP4d2aw3bza-VDH6q-5bjwHT79bz3TA_Hvwn2WVPX3cJ23/s320/9FC76BB6-3334-42FF-B099-ADF2F096CF03.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahatma Ghandi’s ashes were immersed here at the source of the Nile in 1948.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iPQWQzJapcEM66mNgWVS9F4ceiOwLs7JAbXh_BiWhEar_ZpajulEvZ0bI7Lg6wi6_67ZOv0irD0g7p5MC4BCdyEp5Ed31jk1TzT32GeIoQiNUP3TKdy5TV5F7rJQlCRZBuecBl_lE_NkIUaaUp7r-3aVcSq4i4tR_BQVbD4dxgLPno0AUht50Vj2/s2800/69DADCE3-D8C2-451B-ACF9-6AB5562A8F33.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2800" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iPQWQzJapcEM66mNgWVS9F4ceiOwLs7JAbXh_BiWhEar_ZpajulEvZ0bI7Lg6wi6_67ZOv0irD0g7p5MC4BCdyEp5Ed31jk1TzT32GeIoQiNUP3TKdy5TV5F7rJQlCRZBuecBl_lE_NkIUaaUp7r-3aVcSq4i4tR_BQVbD4dxgLPno0AUht50Vj2/s320/69DADCE3-D8C2-451B-ACF9-6AB5562A8F33.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The source of the Nile. Note the waves and current indicating the start of the river.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPgm_yMIwcz2BhqIkKV1jZnpvE2CYe2z50IYaQ6_eFo-2lg6LgEX25wD_B1W1CN3uojcAeq_K9T1j3tAQ-w-E0Qg8if5iwBPMYnQHoypLeAM1a9URWRj8YcUWVMy2GZ3P0Pea89xOQlQLzloqSgsgS3I2Z34fw15U5feO_9bj-v_7pg62_ahELKrz/s4032/122B9CAA-7529-4FA2-932A-24DCC340B457.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPgm_yMIwcz2BhqIkKV1jZnpvE2CYe2z50IYaQ6_eFo-2lg6LgEX25wD_B1W1CN3uojcAeq_K9T1j3tAQ-w-E0Qg8if5iwBPMYnQHoypLeAM1a9URWRj8YcUWVMy2GZ3P0Pea89xOQlQLzloqSgsgS3I2Z34fw15U5feO_9bj-v_7pg62_ahELKrz/s320/122B9CAA-7529-4FA2-932A-24DCC340B457.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JlaY-Ah827uZTxnkwsaU9uSD0RiebxL0sTps5JySphDsraLfsOL0MMaAKjkAzzD_u-qRxekIBleo5m-TtUMoYwiDkrvcQp_s9BAcpMScX5lgCQJVLuxCkfOcFFnCawBg8aCA4BkCtXmypOfOgqbA6VG1qmZ-BIIlM-gYKL-Us3w5mwsxcdW-otJ8/s4032/5968B4CE-874D-4C74-BD83-5E59A89AED40.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JlaY-Ah827uZTxnkwsaU9uSD0RiebxL0sTps5JySphDsraLfsOL0MMaAKjkAzzD_u-qRxekIBleo5m-TtUMoYwiDkrvcQp_s9BAcpMScX5lgCQJVLuxCkfOcFFnCawBg8aCA4BkCtXmypOfOgqbA6VG1qmZ-BIIlM-gYKL-Us3w5mwsxcdW-otJ8/s320/5968B4CE-874D-4C74-BD83-5E59A89AED40.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This drum commemorates all the nations that were (or are) in the commonwealth of Great Britain. The U.S.A. is not listed on this commemorative drum. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgNGOuukiBDd3rU0iKPUtE5vt_nbeO5wYzKVSotWqXSoaG3855d-WdzggA5P4AJBhoqu9s6kF5BxsyTS3aqLxT8XKeu9ctqX_GWVf7OZnEIUGzaaS_4Q-HtvMGl35PrLt4ya_SNuw3elfSwX4UzYjfFytndnynRtC2arYup8vqwG3OnCK4DLmKWog/s4030/B44A7E87-1FFB-4EC0-AD4C-681FFDDD2B80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2109" data-original-width="4030" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgNGOuukiBDd3rU0iKPUtE5vt_nbeO5wYzKVSotWqXSoaG3855d-WdzggA5P4AJBhoqu9s6kF5BxsyTS3aqLxT8XKeu9ctqX_GWVf7OZnEIUGzaaS_4Q-HtvMGl35PrLt4ya_SNuw3elfSwX4UzYjfFytndnynRtC2arYup8vqwG3OnCK4DLmKWog/s320/B44A7E87-1FFB-4EC0-AD4C-681FFDDD2B80.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the crocodile? <br />(Had to fully zoom in so the picture quality isn’t great. Even in real life it took a very observant tour guide to spot this young croc for us. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fGG__umiEwP5fSyznYh8LFrbceWkt0TWSdzi0ij98YJ8eYaDylLIQxAAAbfSCRcIX2T8bUhysRXnVJA7yNAfzqo0Xh79NaX8xARVHP4eUM81VWH1x9_tCDaoynFSwjjBNb4kpR1okjxyPvBvJIFxd2D-HKHvet-eOIYLUZA9mAGtyRi-H8PYoH6l/s3790/BD474603-13A8-4DAC-94A9-ABAAD75C6B27.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2644" data-original-width="3790" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fGG__umiEwP5fSyznYh8LFrbceWkt0TWSdzi0ij98YJ8eYaDylLIQxAAAbfSCRcIX2T8bUhysRXnVJA7yNAfzqo0Xh79NaX8xARVHP4eUM81VWH1x9_tCDaoynFSwjjBNb4kpR1okjxyPvBvJIFxd2D-HKHvet-eOIYLUZA9mAGtyRi-H8PYoH6l/s320/BD474603-13A8-4DAC-94A9-ABAAD75C6B27.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath, driver Dan, Pastor Daniel, and me.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some fun facts that we learned while in “de-Nile”:</p><p>-The Nile River is the longest river in the world, stretching more than 4100miles (6650 km) from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea. </p><p>-It takes an estimated three months for the water from the source of the Nile to reach the Mediterranean.</p><p>-Only an estimated 10% of Lake Victoria’s water comes from underground springs or the tributaries/rivers flowing into it. 90% of the lake’s water is from rain water. </p><p>(These facts courtesy of our tour guide, Ivan. He seemed knowledgeable enough so I feel like I don’t need to verify these facts via Google. I think he “Nile(d) it.” 😏 Ok, no more river puns… or they’ll just keep flowing on, and on, and on…ok NOW I’m done. You can “bank” on that. Ok, seriously, that’s the last one…).</p><p>Tomorrow we head to two more Ugandan cities: Bulandani and Busia and visit with Pastor Tannas and Pastor Absalom and their congregations. We hope to be back in Kenya and the Moi’s Bridge area by nightfall tomorrow (which here near the Equator is around 7pm).</p><p>-Pastor Luke</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-65257460760555781542022-07-18T07:59:00.002-07:002022-08-28T18:23:16.899-07:00Completed Colloquy of Pastor Daniel / Hope Centre Uganda OrphanageMonday morning we had the privilege of meeting with Pastor Daniel for the final stage of his colloquy (which is the process an already established pastor undergoes to become a pastor in fellowship with our church body, the Church of the Lutheran Confession - CLC). This last stage entailed a face-to-face meeting with Pastor Gurath and myself as representatives of the CLC in which we went through an extensive question & answer review of the main Bible teachings (135 questions in all) to make sure we are in agreement on the Bible’s teachings. Pastor Daniel answered the questions well and professed his agreement with the CLC, and his desire to join our fellowship. Praise the Lord! We will be bringing our report back to the CLC President, and will <i>officially</i> be receiving Pastor Daniel and his congregation (who will be the first congregation in the newly formed CLC-Uganda), Lord willing, at our next CLC Convention in 2024.<div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, Pastor Daniel and his wife, Aidah, care for 20 orphan children in addition to their own 4 children. An older neighbor lady, Elizabeth, whom they have helped in her times of hardship, also helps them out by giving care to the infants. Daniel and Ida clearly have a deep love for children and both are committed to sharing what they have with others—no matter who they are. A number of CLC members have been sending monthly support for their work with the orphans, and I will be bringing back a report to the Kinship committee to assess ways we can be of assistance to their orphan care efforts as well. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; text-size-adjust: auto;">Pastor Daniel also provides support, as he is able, for 14 other children who are orphaned or living in hardship, as well as several elderly and disabled adults in his community and in the surrounding area.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; text-size-adjust: auto;"> </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8Ug2XTdU4HZffx_GWAo7LDH_kjpZ4yvfw51EHRunl6NmCxwWqkZoAUpFf-QS_trOL7Mp6g6PkzC_MNi04UCthDk7AQBYw1hBlp6YOKAFpqgxZ_xVlOr9t_tZS2DGRU8uTnW-4mSWRPSC3pjIPiuS5Wt76WPsdwDgirDZ6XwcrKownjgsI78L4G6R/s4032/576D44C4-878B-48B4-B3FF-23AF815B0A44.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8Ug2XTdU4HZffx_GWAo7LDH_kjpZ4yvfw51EHRunl6NmCxwWqkZoAUpFf-QS_trOL7Mp6g6PkzC_MNi04UCthDk7AQBYw1hBlp6YOKAFpqgxZ_xVlOr9t_tZS2DGRU8uTnW-4mSWRPSC3pjIPiuS5Wt76WPsdwDgirDZ6XwcrKownjgsI78L4G6R/s320/576D44C4-878B-48B4-B3FF-23AF815B0A44.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children and helpers who were gathered at Pastor Daniels home and orphanage on Sunday. Notice there are more than the 20 orphans and 4 of their own children in this photo. It is common for Pastor Daniel and Ida to feed more than just the 24 children in their care. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; text-size-adjust: auto;">After meeting the children and those who were caring for them on Sunday I expressed our love, prayers, and support for them from their brothers and sisters in the U.S.A. They were so happy to hear this and wanted me to express to all of you how much they love us and pray for us!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAfebhhRB26cVI29SxG_pnrIciB8c1hgrKNBb6ihOV6xQBZzZnPy5azo-rUlERgLd2QKcVBU6O8a8tSJprDoGTs-BV4LZQLPj72wmAi73HgRQ4a8vXrMX_yJtSj8e9YnmExeW7fVRBJNYZt3uEvT0JbuaUuyUJ6PDZIgzXGx1FqM2qxOzN_qrfx_0/s4032/CD9D450E-42A7-49FA-9A3D-EEDF3445D067.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAfebhhRB26cVI29SxG_pnrIciB8c1hgrKNBb6ihOV6xQBZzZnPy5azo-rUlERgLd2QKcVBU6O8a8tSJprDoGTs-BV4LZQLPj72wmAi73HgRQ4a8vXrMX_yJtSj8e9YnmExeW7fVRBJNYZt3uEvT0JbuaUuyUJ6PDZIgzXGx1FqM2qxOzN_qrfx_0/s320/CD9D450E-42A7-49FA-9A3D-EEDF3445D067.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Hope Centre Uganda” orphanage. The buildings & courtyard in the back of Pastor Daniel’s house are used to house many of the orphans. There are a number of beds in this building for the children. A number of others sleep in the house. The building is essentially unfurnished right now. Pastor Daniel plans to continue to make improvements as he is able.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzkyyQYk8Qvlktl314p7WiqRGD3_6v_R7o5dStQS1ZzgirMpPCdRpApRyqM8zKLyTQ8CNkr9bPz9l5ty4doz8mWP3fj8NqMy0ybciSNBZJ99hOP_2gn17hepZ0P1x6EfF68HafsVepurHXOQwV8iArZsJZG1yaWO5UD-4aFLUDOE8Je1soOt36BMg/s4032/4A5002BB-0602-47FF-93AA-E1F4AA860DD9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzkyyQYk8Qvlktl314p7WiqRGD3_6v_R7o5dStQS1ZzgirMpPCdRpApRyqM8zKLyTQ8CNkr9bPz9l5ty4doz8mWP3fj8NqMy0ybciSNBZJ99hOP_2gn17hepZ0P1x6EfF68HafsVepurHXOQwV8iArZsJZG1yaWO5UD-4aFLUDOE8Je1soOt36BMg/s320/4A5002BB-0602-47FF-93AA-E1F4AA860DD9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lower level of this building is a chicken coop (see next photo). Daniel plans to add a second chicken coop to the second level. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-c8GtZUpWKEjN0hKdYJI8eoxw3YeB7WgQdWfRBUUlWPQ6lWOQca7NB7Lq2GYYQqeXQAVbfbGxWiop9I-Z9upv_Eof_w0YDHZYUtVtCO7-2YzxPMGQi_27DYY2hJEaC2aZdU0_8QigBBz_T2vwb6himtWlwmVWpeGd_LRsaQfONhtpHiYzq01Js-x/s4032/FF60FC30-0699-4126-A69A-80AAEDAA4EFD.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-c8GtZUpWKEjN0hKdYJI8eoxw3YeB7WgQdWfRBUUlWPQ6lWOQca7NB7Lq2GYYQqeXQAVbfbGxWiop9I-Z9upv_Eof_w0YDHZYUtVtCO7-2YzxPMGQi_27DYY2hJEaC2aZdU0_8QigBBz_T2vwb6himtWlwmVWpeGd_LRsaQfONhtpHiYzq01Js-x/s320/FF60FC30-0699-4126-A69A-80AAEDAA4EFD.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickens are raised and sold to help support the orphans. They also sell eggs.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlxaFggxCpKQQ7kcPFYmGNVgZIOyH52hnKAjgPtB9dJxESRoEtXLq59TfKUR2FtYv9-Nr8L7asiTMoKhY4GlcSAMRvmFsQ3syAUHWhxyp4Dm6eTstrb_CN8phq4n7Y5AlY66r3aLLq94esCjhCczTqPFujDWcY5P1fAf26qSIRtoZgQ1b4hEYh-yT/s4032/6E49D10E-C136-4E3A-B26E-BE9B904C2ECE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlxaFggxCpKQQ7kcPFYmGNVgZIOyH52hnKAjgPtB9dJxESRoEtXLq59TfKUR2FtYv9-Nr8L7asiTMoKhY4GlcSAMRvmFsQ3syAUHWhxyp4Dm6eTstrb_CN8phq4n7Y5AlY66r3aLLq94esCjhCczTqPFujDWcY5P1fAf26qSIRtoZgQ1b4hEYh-yT/s320/6E49D10E-C136-4E3A-B26E-BE9B904C2ECE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like most children they like watching TV.<br />Orphanage living room area.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKPaRYAdvabIt9Me5zNqFzFpzN2s6Jp1do6hOv6gx1bH95uCnHzViN1cRfyiQa-pN7jUz_jYlMizX5emZVguuyeG2HUUviT1b5MWftOoc8ju_3TiEdrEXgXtKZQw3kQ8oMv5wKqZ8sdIDkk9R5iQshgsiV7wf-zr0SMr5R6X_JDHki384ke6WRrqz/s4032/E5572D0E-0200-4B7A-BA02-E08BE052B7C2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKPaRYAdvabIt9Me5zNqFzFpzN2s6Jp1do6hOv6gx1bH95uCnHzViN1cRfyiQa-pN7jUz_jYlMizX5emZVguuyeG2HUUviT1b5MWftOoc8ju_3TiEdrEXgXtKZQw3kQ8oMv5wKqZ8sdIDkk9R5iQshgsiV7wf-zr0SMr5R6X_JDHki384ke6WRrqz/s320/E5572D0E-0200-4B7A-BA02-E08BE052B7C2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen in Daniel & Ida’s house…</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyXt9aW2rlZR3OwkkQZnMvcLT2OCfZSdQDtmTqO-uompfH9kalmUlrUkJBCPCWbQKsVeIcXStdzUUUmDkfy-FEe9XoBvuLE7hD2xsRTUDCbhieeuHWJtu5isJmDyHRLYjtefkkVd1fVisms9GzTk-AOu_iCnin1Wv63kxS37H-diYESyj4XS9Vx2I/s4032/524EB6D0-25D4-401B-B919-09EEA58D7697.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyXt9aW2rlZR3OwkkQZnMvcLT2OCfZSdQDtmTqO-uompfH9kalmUlrUkJBCPCWbQKsVeIcXStdzUUUmDkfy-FEe9XoBvuLE7hD2xsRTUDCbhieeuHWJtu5isJmDyHRLYjtefkkVd1fVisms9GzTk-AOu_iCnin1Wv63kxS37H-diYESyj4XS9Vx2I/s320/524EB6D0-25D4-401B-B919-09EEA58D7697.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">…the bigger outside kitchen.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Pastor Daniel talked with me today about his background and upbringing. He grew up in hardship and was orphaned at a young age and abandoned on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya at age 9. Having come from the deepest depths of despair multiple times in his life and going through periods of his life when he had no one who loved or cared for him, he has a deep desire to show and share love to those who have nothing and no one and to, most importantly, share with them the love of Christ. Eventually Daniel made his way back to Uganda and worked many jobs during his life. One family he was working for was Ida’s family, and that is how he met his wife. The two have been married for 11 years. Pastor Daniel’s life is truly an inspiring reminder and testimony of the undeserved love of God in our Savior Jesus Christ! </div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-size-adjust: auto;">- Pastor Luke</p><div><div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p></div></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-82685086435989793772022-07-17T12:06:00.002-07:002022-07-17T23:13:50.895-07:00Worship at Grace Harvest Church in Iganga, Uganda<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwRLh912qoAL9qbiZSR0bDhdEJ1PuZDZRA3TyYlSq_s77ipPy23pXI0ye4n_FiuMHgXZ6M6L-9U-ixgDc9IJIvNo96AEUG7frZbRYSuyZu8-rcb5IeaXk7g-vhahxf00TB92I9iniekwH9a81o4r_O5IBe3psEblgzsmBZAjwAd7GVRPtfuHl-vqM/s4032/3FD6687B-023D-4C3B-ABC4-90DAC9C1CE76.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwRLh912qoAL9qbiZSR0bDhdEJ1PuZDZRA3TyYlSq_s77ipPy23pXI0ye4n_FiuMHgXZ6M6L-9U-ixgDc9IJIvNo96AEUG7frZbRYSuyZu8-rcb5IeaXk7g-vhahxf00TB92I9iniekwH9a81o4r_O5IBe3psEblgzsmBZAjwAd7GVRPtfuHl-vqM/s320/3FD6687B-023D-4C3B-ABC4-90DAC9C1CE76.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Sunday morning we went to Pastor Daniel Mugeni’s church, Grace Harvest Church, here in Iganga, Uganda. In fact, we were there for both of their worship services: Morning service which started at approximately 9:30am, and then sometime around 11am the first service blended into a second worship service. </span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">People filed in for worship throughout the morning and by the time the second service had started the church was so full that there weren’t nearly enough chairs for everyone. Pastor Gurath and I estimated around 200 were in attendance, including a large group of students from a nearby school. Pastor Daniel informed us that this is one of two schools in the area that often have large groups coming to their worship services.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pastor Daniel has been preaching here in Iganga since 2010, and after praying to God to lead him to a Lutheran missionary he found Pastor Nathanael Mayhew on the internet. At that time (2011) he only had 3 people he was serving. To see the large and vibrant church he now shepherds is a testament to the grace of God and the miraculous work of His saving Word working in the hearts of people in this area. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The congregation has had its current <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>property since 2014. They have a building where Pastor Daniel has been housing boys who need a home (many of which are orphans). Daniel and his wife, Ida, also house a number of young children and girls, many of whom are also orphans, at his home. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Needless to say, Daniel is a tireless worker with a deep love for the Lord and for all people. More will be said about Pastor Daniel and the children he and his wife care for in tomorrow’s blog post.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The church campus also has new building which is used for storage and for the church office. All of this was built and supported by Pastor Daniel and the members here with no “official” CLC USA support from either or the Mission Board or Kinship. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Lord willing, Pastor Daniel will be finishing his colloquy tomorrow and he and his congregation will officially be joining us in fellowship. Praise the Lord!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0whsiR7HDAgpPx8fdhgAkxqRB5WOe1OTGcv8RE55e2Dr4CIz6XZRDCMXZjZTPah0N7zygDonI9zgFW_AO3fDZFecBZ8k7HECJyD5aDuojC2Krt9kjLlBoPMEV6Gwh94FQLoUSLqnxSPIg7Xun1BRN3bbM8xwsuTBvb8LTSzg4Il4VvkK0QfGdpvy/s4032/4F67CFC9-B0FD-439E-ACC3-28805F89AF70.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0whsiR7HDAgpPx8fdhgAkxqRB5WOe1OTGcv8RE55e2Dr4CIz6XZRDCMXZjZTPah0N7zygDonI9zgFW_AO3fDZFecBZ8k7HECJyD5aDuojC2Krt9kjLlBoPMEV6Gwh94FQLoUSLqnxSPIg7Xun1BRN3bbM8xwsuTBvb8LTSzg4Il4VvkK0QfGdpvy/s320/4F67CFC9-B0FD-439E-ACC3-28805F89AF70.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Daniel in front of the church building</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHD8cvrj327O9PvBcJuj7dHYwMRIBgSmwowcZip06JJCddVTjmosdJYA6IDdAlQ8cNaBfdd-68ewcoRy_WZfzfRH19bFPHGRxWGphaNl-RVv9-H6rkFy-t_-WoVy7Ni6U6CMf9K6pCICIJtnaGvRiyPaTpnWA53e0s7mNu9bpMTePITKaGTkpMCBbu/s4032/6A2AD460-FA86-47C5-924C-0BCFF5528D78.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHD8cvrj327O9PvBcJuj7dHYwMRIBgSmwowcZip06JJCddVTjmosdJYA6IDdAlQ8cNaBfdd-68ewcoRy_WZfzfRH19bFPHGRxWGphaNl-RVv9-H6rkFy-t_-WoVy7Ni6U6CMf9K6pCICIJtnaGvRiyPaTpnWA53e0s7mNu9bpMTePITKaGTkpMCBbu/s320/6A2AD460-FA86-47C5-924C-0BCFF5528D78.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neighborhood children getting water and washing clothes in the morning. The congregation allows the neighbors to freely use their water (see the water pump in the background of the photo).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMM0kVcw4yv_SGjack8blIDkVs3dLH_3M2YNP5vlS_5W0rpVe5mIzr4Wa6CichRIApQWmZz_9z5yBymRbgfGfe6a2sjdCabfZlZFPx507jmJ0k3GC_9xhk2qJmXGNHeIStTx9aDYJM4nN04f5LE6NoTWieP993GRbntJUDGXc2FZ38c65RYIeIKfs/s4032/113C1702-FFA7-44BB-B04C-4A8158FADF34.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMM0kVcw4yv_SGjack8blIDkVs3dLH_3M2YNP5vlS_5W0rpVe5mIzr4Wa6CichRIApQWmZz_9z5yBymRbgfGfe6a2sjdCabfZlZFPx507jmJ0k3GC_9xhk2qJmXGNHeIStTx9aDYJM4nN04f5LE6NoTWieP993GRbntJUDGXc2FZ38c65RYIeIKfs/s320/113C1702-FFA7-44BB-B04C-4A8158FADF34.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building currently houses some of the older boys Pastor Daniel and his wife, Ida, are caring for.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwHrR9fnm612hrhTDhb_K185RDRwFVsOwszo605MIz54AWchT2QzKTCTIlIfbyJGV5ETfDnIpuOIoogofI3O6rMBoOJlaXmDxc93RK3VNs20Au_ygTU5q2crQ-TxKe6SRpx7V2xia0nO-nwAGIqmzhuHdl7Jk3PasMZ0ykmttuVrDQpOoF-74sX--/s4032/14051512-ADED-4B17-AE7A-71CFC9302790.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwHrR9fnm612hrhTDhb_K185RDRwFVsOwszo605MIz54AWchT2QzKTCTIlIfbyJGV5ETfDnIpuOIoogofI3O6rMBoOJlaXmDxc93RK3VNs20Au_ygTU5q2crQ-TxKe6SRpx7V2xia0nO-nwAGIqmzhuHdl7Jk3PasMZ0ykmttuVrDQpOoF-74sX--/s320/14051512-ADED-4B17-AE7A-71CFC9302790.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A building on the church campus that is being used by a member who runs a nursery school. The rooms are also used for children’s Sunday School classes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlZIjWdLHicAr-9VBnjBetDoWzr6ZWVbFGfefcXlpovacM7duZl5miPsg8vHNzmnr-rnfKwlRAZkqT4Vf3uC-KkRreOl6qVV2syVacw82DY15y6jV2tIqQraOtg5_iBb9pnpY6vjgjmlY3DPVKqTCwqnHZiTHf9TsTqgCu1AzqyvTIldVsMRUFlt7/s4032/B75F0F8B-0918-4FAB-B1E3-F8E845B00D33.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlZIjWdLHicAr-9VBnjBetDoWzr6ZWVbFGfefcXlpovacM7duZl5miPsg8vHNzmnr-rnfKwlRAZkqT4Vf3uC-KkRreOl6qVV2syVacw82DY15y6jV2tIqQraOtg5_iBb9pnpY6vjgjmlY3DPVKqTCwqnHZiTHf9TsTqgCu1AzqyvTIldVsMRUFlt7/s320/B75F0F8B-0918-4FAB-B1E3-F8E845B00D33.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New office and storage building constructed in 2017.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI6FoKknkbrlYwSYYh9fjMcaK73ItxZVIIryRMkBU_pu6vIePwm4HEP5Ht7I5_zPV57b6tN7FkpH-rfCroMppubMEZUrDcT_RCodXoMgcUVesLK_qh-xDZqpWJzJvOCCE7JKj1eGawTUsquNdZFTYgueCd7jkGyiATzfIVCKG9e5eTl4jTjaBIJaG/s4032/B299BD42-5EE2-41D1-8A01-6EAF42173457.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI6FoKknkbrlYwSYYh9fjMcaK73ItxZVIIryRMkBU_pu6vIePwm4HEP5Ht7I5_zPV57b6tN7FkpH-rfCroMppubMEZUrDcT_RCodXoMgcUVesLK_qh-xDZqpWJzJvOCCE7JKj1eGawTUsquNdZFTYgueCd7jkGyiATzfIVCKG9e5eTl4jTjaBIJaG/s320/B299BD42-5EE2-41D1-8A01-6EAF42173457.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little ones from the neighborhood coming to get water.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Speaking of praising the Lord, today’s services were without a doubt the most lively and exuberant worship services I have ever attended. The choirs, singers, musicians, dancers, and congregation all very joyfully and loudly sing and dance and praise the Lord—even in a very warm tin church building in a hot and quite humid part of Africa—and did I mention the services lasted for approximately 3 hours? The time flew by, however, and it was a joy to once again hear Pastor Gurath preach in the first service, and was a privilege and a blessing to preach the sermon for the second service (Pastor Daniel translated the sermons for both of us into Lugandan, the native language of the people of Uganda. Although many of the worshippers understood and spoke English quite well.). </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzIYGN1qOHUgf26ZP4JpdoPBTLzgYeAjGvb0VJTf7lcXUceZujuDxWkydEQA30C1wneQ7NEA-vwvID5CEU4vw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath preaching while Pastor Daniel translates into Lugandan.</div><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I can say with certainty that I’ve never preached a sermon with that much cheering, enthusiasm and even some loud “ululating” during the introduction (I was saying as I was introducing myself that even though I cannot move or dance like they do, the joy that they show in their worship is the same joy that is in my heart. The congregation then erupted with cheers and shouts and loud “ululating”—if you’ve never heard what that sounds like, you can hear it in the video below around the 23 second mark. Pastor G. thinks that my words may have been translated “Show me your joy” when I was speaking that line—and wow, did they ever!). The congregation was so appreciative of the messages we preached from God’s Word and followed along with both sermons very attentively. Both Pastor Daniel and the congregation expressed that they wanted us to preach even longer! (A pastor doesn’t hear that too often </span><span class="s2">🙂</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">). </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzzFrPSTa75mOFe7nafojstckAcufzXBeyWx9esE1CiE0o2k25RNuSqVThNDpNvlZxI2q9DJx5XwZFf6EuFTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Singing, dancing, and ululating (around the 23 second mark of this video).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">After the service we greeted a number of the members and children, and then were invited to Pastor Daniel’s for lunch with him, his family, and the many children who live at his home. His wife, Ida, is an amazing lady and an amazing cook—and regularly cooks meals for more than 26 people living at her home! Pastor Gurath and I agreed that the beef she made for us was easily the best we’ve had on this trip. It was tender and delicious. I made sure to tell her that her meal tasted incredible at least three times :) Again, more about Daniel and his work with the orphans and children in tomorrow’s blog post. See you then! God’s blessings to you all from Uganda, “The Pearl of Africa!” </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">- Pastor Luke</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUQ0nOhbOfNE7LCdi39_SHNiCWQOeTbn743k8dToTtFobl7XIsJMG9BbCvSlvm-nT2FhYdGz2xwuAXBTPbu5Dw2vWXSLfE7apLMHTG2bl4vnP1UEehJU4lolD5nznBW2nKAoWaihWvSBMoNwqd66sSsyZgMZEK1hM_xPFh2KeVMtABZU4sEpNi0SV/s4032/2ED821D0-1DF1-42A8-AF2C-5C4B17338102.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUQ0nOhbOfNE7LCdi39_SHNiCWQOeTbn743k8dToTtFobl7XIsJMG9BbCvSlvm-nT2FhYdGz2xwuAXBTPbu5Dw2vWXSLfE7apLMHTG2bl4vnP1UEehJU4lolD5nznBW2nKAoWaihWvSBMoNwqd66sSsyZgMZEK1hM_xPFh2KeVMtABZU4sEpNi0SV/s320/2ED821D0-1DF1-42A8-AF2C-5C4B17338102.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mugeni’s children and the children they care for. <br />The girls in the dresses were some of the very talented singers and dancers in the worship service.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamgz1cS7hQOv7sX4Uc-eI7FtM0HXwxEn6Mvj7zyIDz-1wp4FjDexlQybb3DSsDnSqHpNZgm-pPG5bXP0yp-1cw16wLDXLBfzgc_kRV7_DagXnbsyenIcukO8YpyQtnytQLAh5u4sM2dAh1fQimgRYT_YfBzW8Dbl-30-QcYbsJI3cGOrqxV5JgfTz/s4032/DF98F8E3-16EE-439A-BF3A-45F9DC5E0A33.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamgz1cS7hQOv7sX4Uc-eI7FtM0HXwxEn6Mvj7zyIDz-1wp4FjDexlQybb3DSsDnSqHpNZgm-pPG5bXP0yp-1cw16wLDXLBfzgc_kRV7_DagXnbsyenIcukO8YpyQtnytQLAh5u4sM2dAh1fQimgRYT_YfBzW8Dbl-30-QcYbsJI3cGOrqxV5JgfTz/s320/DF98F8E3-16EE-439A-BF3A-45F9DC5E0A33.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Daniel and his wife, Ida.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-41256858255478428442022-07-16T10:45:00.028-07:002022-07-18T02:06:42.122-07:00Emmaus Hill School near Moi’s Bridge / The Sagalas<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_sOiHT3rlY-E-UY2Daw65pn92CGsBjdRNWQ5pPyAJnIwB5DxuL8W7-2uX9Nq1FvC9s88J8g3M0D72OI9TFdCJeZA0SNH_nV_c-d0fbuG05T7QexEH7LluhCI1G31cG0R6BpRHaWbZkOIiGz2rUTENTs8QL53t2QcbMAp5EgGCdcMJcTv4H68AzFW/s3088/71B4987C-CAAF-4873-9620-2B6AA91AA949.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_sOiHT3rlY-E-UY2Daw65pn92CGsBjdRNWQ5pPyAJnIwB5DxuL8W7-2uX9Nq1FvC9s88J8g3M0D72OI9TFdCJeZA0SNH_nV_c-d0fbuG05T7QexEH7LluhCI1G31cG0R6BpRHaWbZkOIiGz2rUTENTs8QL53t2QcbMAp5EgGCdcMJcTv4H68AzFW/s320/71B4987C-CAAF-4873-9620-2B6AA91AA949.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Friday morning we made our first visit to Emmaus Hill School (commonly referred to in our circles as Moi’s Bridge School, since that is the name of the city near by). Emmaus School is one of two Kinship sponsored schools in Kenya (St. David’s in Etago which we visited earlier is the other). As a member of the Kinship committee the visits to these schools are a main reason for me being here on this mission trip. Like I said in my blog post about St. David’s School, after years of hearing reports about the amazing things the Lord has done for them and through them, my excitement for finally getting to meet these children and see this school was through the roof.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The fact that this school exists is truly a miracle only the gracious Lord of all creation could accomplish (More on that later in this post). Emmaus school has 190 students enrolled from baby class, pre-primary <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 & 2 (referred to as PP1 & PP2), to standard 1-8 (what we would call grades 1-8), and 14 teachers. (I realize I forgot to include the numbers for St. David’s School in my post from our visit there: St. David’s currently has 170 students and 10 teachers). </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The students were so excited to see us when we showed up for our morning visit (almost as excited as I was to see their smiling faces)! The various grade levels had prepared a number of different presentations for us from poems, to Bible passage recitations, to songs, dancing, and even a reenactment of the birth of Jesus. I could tell you more about it, but I’ll just have you enjoy these pictures and videos of some of their presentations instead </span><span class="s2">🙂</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLq_uz3ui_8V5HXsgz7GL4KNSB1I8vU5q74J5848esnbMvHNCBGqomlmnVsB5uK9ILm4MMmyndYybH547t-zzuzSFD7DLcCwz53soubmTO7Tn-JILdRX6ExaT2oxASBU2fhUw55-0VcQ_C4A8lJHmDa6d6GSqiGt0Vgr9tCeDuZkfBi7qZtCvs0jF/s4032/A039EB92-3E65-496E-8632-BDE3BC281592.jpeg" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLq_uz3ui_8V5HXsgz7GL4KNSB1I8vU5q74J5848esnbMvHNCBGqomlmnVsB5uK9ILm4MMmyndYybH547t-zzuzSFD7DLcCwz53soubmTO7Tn-JILdRX6ExaT2oxASBU2fhUw55-0VcQ_C4A8lJHmDa6d6GSqiGt0Vgr9tCeDuZkfBi7qZtCvs0jF/s320/A039EB92-3E65-496E-8632-BDE3BC281592.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The students and staff of Emmaus School</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlYfL3i92rRZKmZ5-QWRNgvCHRR7kd6JcRQTIiVgmDqOBAZS0eO5SWJgy8hoPkRX8bjtW_58t5CoGcx9204MgV8kKCZFz23qaPV8Mm2u9YMs40NggJpc8GjmWutPoeJ5V8L9fVeHxTW_p1PWkcXpzRtsuKa2UQoU2FanOh9IKWFv6vAe1thsEYEV6/s4032/3A62FA54-A585-4073-94A0-5F534BD285E5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlYfL3i92rRZKmZ5-QWRNgvCHRR7kd6JcRQTIiVgmDqOBAZS0eO5SWJgy8hoPkRX8bjtW_58t5CoGcx9204MgV8kKCZFz23qaPV8Mm2u9YMs40NggJpc8GjmWutPoeJ5V8L9fVeHxTW_p1PWkcXpzRtsuKa2UQoU2FanOh9IKWFv6vAe1thsEYEV6/s320/3A62FA54-A585-4073-94A0-5F534BD285E5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Holy Cross Church sanctuary (which also doubles as a pre-primary classroom) and the pre-primary teachers.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr5g6b1pt7T0jwu33pI_02XNi3I2MYCMymP92B77t8p5PRiDAWafTlIX2EaWIoGkPPDWcLLmjtpMnRTq3IYnrVqV-A_QAU5Kk89N8avxyMJgdAClK3PFfLNbYun5CEih9u-Snytw5T5naDNVqWZowi-ZYFpx1EbLlfDkcyIT8lf5t9z86ZM41J8c-/s4032/6F67899C-9432-4800-8CEF-BAA17D3A2A19.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZr5g6b1pt7T0jwu33pI_02XNi3I2MYCMymP92B77t8p5PRiDAWafTlIX2EaWIoGkPPDWcLLmjtpMnRTq3IYnrVqV-A_QAU5Kk89N8avxyMJgdAClK3PFfLNbYun5CEih9u-Snytw5T5naDNVqWZowi-ZYFpx1EbLlfDkcyIT8lf5t9z86ZM41J8c-/s320/6F67899C-9432-4800-8CEF-BAA17D3A2A19.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath quizzing the PP 1 & 2 students with the English words on the chalkboard. Here is where I learned the Swahili word for cat = “paka.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-BoPJT734cW6AtDT33WtChudZfxbyTg2tjxKxS9wOYr5KGjrB5On5SETCKRZmf6pNlot1awzNf1iuu3uXYm64Qq51YzOg_RufnW3CFszAMOlerNMfYou3K7c_WqdCFpirUkAtZOTl9zVDSYRU3WIQVBX_FhLqIQNqhVkvxlc0YZL8W1wO4LQh5C7/s4032/46B2E1B0-1FAC-4CE6-B2EF-44D6086743C0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-BoPJT734cW6AtDT33WtChudZfxbyTg2tjxKxS9wOYr5KGjrB5On5SETCKRZmf6pNlot1awzNf1iuu3uXYm64Qq51YzOg_RufnW3CFszAMOlerNMfYou3K7c_WqdCFpirUkAtZOTl9zVDSYRU3WIQVBX_FhLqIQNqhVkvxlc0YZL8W1wO4LQh5C7/s320/46B2E1B0-1FAC-4CE6-B2EF-44D6086743C0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lovely lady (one of the cooks, I think) told me that she makes these decorations for the poorer children to sell to help them buy food. The bag next to her is full of these decorations she has made.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGcGiIsqmnBju5JTPCkuMQwGDyDqMcL8HOESATk_U4gAZqpiAxSvTt9-NAL57nKqXl2hNyjFbGkQ1qNU7vO7y2o_2MYLyOkk7Q6IBVz3qtw1Cr8WD4fm0ewlGDVcgbQPn_1ynha28pnR25MUH7o-TNuockGU7RcF4h8BRrQnXb-bil0N28td_Yjsv/s4032/58B6DF9C-BA70-473A-8A4A-7EC742900100.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGcGiIsqmnBju5JTPCkuMQwGDyDqMcL8HOESATk_U4gAZqpiAxSvTt9-NAL57nKqXl2hNyjFbGkQ1qNU7vO7y2o_2MYLyOkk7Q6IBVz3qtw1Cr8WD4fm0ewlGDVcgbQPn_1ynha28pnR25MUH7o-TNuockGU7RcF4h8BRrQnXb-bil0N28td_Yjsv/s320/58B6DF9C-BA70-473A-8A4A-7EC742900100.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the teachers with her students. They didn’t mind the interruption of us saying hi and taking pictures.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5WNoi-EMDbleWb3n160_GwUumyZnFO-xc_zVaJFlNgUrE9gFCcMJA0d7nCB0Ssux191hsqzF75p9BbA7v8glllz7LtVmLiQ51j_y7dCyEIXupdUMioUDJMjK0HyVWMlrig8bSH91b3Fx1xHtYxzFDpKCdzWr2ZpWfv65KuzEUMsaDWKQzPozWUcV/s3088/605B0A7E-B3BF-481E-884B-23AF0152FC31.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5WNoi-EMDbleWb3n160_GwUumyZnFO-xc_zVaJFlNgUrE9gFCcMJA0d7nCB0Ssux191hsqzF75p9BbA7v8glllz7LtVmLiQ51j_y7dCyEIXupdUMioUDJMjK0HyVWMlrig8bSH91b3Fx1xHtYxzFDpKCdzWr2ZpWfv65KuzEUMsaDWKQzPozWUcV/s320/605B0A7E-B3BF-481E-884B-23AF0152FC31.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These little ones had been high-fiving me non-stop…until I took a selfie with them and then they left me hanging 😆</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87JlY6Mewydq3K8unLpVh-3PshVBJygvz7wew9uuFk0mz3wK-b7OLn8lKwl9yz0pvcIanbVCHB-V_cY6XYJAR6MkdLsm2uOguBtUqY8WpoBA5B2-1WmxNoU_YokLAMe-sJ6RKkiMUT3Q3CiP8ZyXgSRYbwl4iyX9JCaF93c1vL3IOI1qma9DqYk44/s4032/B509B372-0B5F-4C78-9967-75A34F54237C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87JlY6Mewydq3K8unLpVh-3PshVBJygvz7wew9uuFk0mz3wK-b7OLn8lKwl9yz0pvcIanbVCHB-V_cY6XYJAR6MkdLsm2uOguBtUqY8WpoBA5B2-1WmxNoU_YokLAMe-sJ6RKkiMUT3Q3CiP8ZyXgSRYbwl4iyX9JCaF93c1vL3IOI1qma9DqYk44/s320/B509B372-0B5F-4C78-9967-75A34F54237C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another classroom & the teacher.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnN6fChKFhr7sI0QOZTl0FYhkQK0QuW6hSZ5Ao_nXAO49wMC0QPhFs3C-CLHR3pYKKHpL9myXNj0H3Fc3WF85CLRKTd0X_Xc7hMgw6f2eF3DHY-OtpXFiOulDlccNzJqr4sEcL_UQj6TunpIpUwcUhkYoIs2_PzngkncGLFGTeCGMc5_dA24pUhNr/s4032/05B101A8-5766-498A-AB05-95829FEA161A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnN6fChKFhr7sI0QOZTl0FYhkQK0QuW6hSZ5Ao_nXAO49wMC0QPhFs3C-CLHR3pYKKHpL9myXNj0H3Fc3WF85CLRKTd0X_Xc7hMgw6f2eF3DHY-OtpXFiOulDlccNzJqr4sEcL_UQj6TunpIpUwcUhkYoIs2_PzngkncGLFGTeCGMc5_dA24pUhNr/s320/05B101A8-5766-498A-AB05-95829FEA161A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grade 8 students wanted a picture with us and Mary Sagala.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mcI9NUkOfyb2rJmwXLPSpbeb7nOVlymSfaWDJPOsn2qPdNFNaCRNnos5zDqTCp9SJc0ovgMNMYoDHIDx_cvdKb1y26y3PdGjmIaq8twCqyTo7ZLZtBsInKzxpOdPLfx73upYJtJOtKwQnDAaIbs9JNVi26EwDhEwE_sxfVqFSqhS7ZQz1tLuLr49/s4032/37977B4D-BC02-44B7-AF55-66B299BC8C4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mcI9NUkOfyb2rJmwXLPSpbeb7nOVlymSfaWDJPOsn2qPdNFNaCRNnos5zDqTCp9SJc0ovgMNMYoDHIDx_cvdKb1y26y3PdGjmIaq8twCqyTo7ZLZtBsInKzxpOdPLfx73upYJtJOtKwQnDAaIbs9JNVi26EwDhEwE_sxfVqFSqhS7ZQz1tLuLr49/s320/37977B4D-BC02-44B7-AF55-66B299BC8C4C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The teachers.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-OhTIwhFm8mGOvaeGpXqEnEXWUEC2lC2T9i1OvlfBq_Bb_HxVsh2WPqfPWqQdxomWr1XMb4QeKcZdrupulg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Grade 5 reciting their Bible passage, Philippians 4:4.</p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxIkAtLq_QowUOQRhszyvW0P_JM7BzBJJGPzAJZonP9F-Eb_7NJDrmaVfVhepNhO_5A65eYxIFOz1cmFoJCAQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">“Standard 7” (Grade 7) students and their song.</div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7EnNmQvx8_h772Bdlbg-9LySHIEHkjvJLrkNPMj3Rp1KR6_Yn27eoCpuoOEe4XL7lYgxX6rdPaAwTn3LQQw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><div style="text-align: center;">The children were fascinated with touching my light-colored skin…but most fascinated by my arm hair! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The school campus has undergone a number of recent improvements that have truly been life-changing for the students, staff, and even the community. A new perimeter security fence has been put up and the road, which used to literally go right through the school campus and the area where the children played at break time, was diverted around the security fence. A new gate and entrance buildings, which will house the new offices for the head teacher and deputy head teacher were also constructed.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">By far the most important and life-changing improvement to the campus (and community at large) was the completion of a decade-plus long well project, which was completed in late 2021. The well was made possible by generous private donations from various people in the U.S.A. A group that specializes in drilling wells in African countries was contracted and appears to have done great work drilling and constructing the well and 10,000 liter holding tank. Previously water had to be hauled up the hill from the closest town (Milimani) several kilometers away. There are now water spouts on the outside of the buildings where freshwater is readily available. In the early mornings and in the evenings the community is also allowed to come in and get fresh water, since this is the only well on the top of this rocky hill. Take a few moments to imagine, if you will, <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>what a life-changing blessing this well would be if you lived here, taught here, or were a student or congregation member here. It’s hard to overstate the impact of this incredible blessing. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIErx9W0oOXwtnjt58o4jjvbDJgdwQfWwBR3fG8mCmma7GZDm7E1aHowkdv4enYBGu2IBEWlsi6o3amL1slRqagIFiWFYDX01Z8mRP4ThkkX_E0En3rkRLXNN83AMf3DNKN-dmUr-wcr8r9V66NaupUQrL0ME6Zh-znXjwyaHtPawWML9plhX-80H-/s4032/9477DED4-9B96-4661-A531-F625E4A5A9A4.jpeg" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIErx9W0oOXwtnjt58o4jjvbDJgdwQfWwBR3fG8mCmma7GZDm7E1aHowkdv4enYBGu2IBEWlsi6o3amL1slRqagIFiWFYDX01Z8mRP4ThkkX_E0En3rkRLXNN83AMf3DNKN-dmUr-wcr8r9V66NaupUQrL0ME6Zh-znXjwyaHtPawWML9plhX-80H-/s320/9477DED4-9B96-4661-A531-F625E4A5A9A4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The well pump and 10,000 liter storage tank.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEpy3jimsEtkgD748MPBW5FzBu6tJLYZURayBYweqAIh0eFx5L-95E6-yg5nf5LrHY818qH8yLFNRzyWH2DC4ZSAdgVglCAc8scoRP1sGpv-L3I5bD7FFVv7tUIW8OUhSHpRww0VzLtaREAqgYSml5_5TUYCDbMvb9K1v3OqDx3goAkEwmEzEDNRR/s4032/44A9DD8D-9FD0-48AF-9498-BA9955C75DD6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEpy3jimsEtkgD748MPBW5FzBu6tJLYZURayBYweqAIh0eFx5L-95E6-yg5nf5LrHY818qH8yLFNRzyWH2DC4ZSAdgVglCAc8scoRP1sGpv-L3I5bD7FFVv7tUIW8OUhSHpRww0VzLtaREAqgYSml5_5TUYCDbMvb9K1v3OqDx3goAkEwmEzEDNRR/s320/44A9DD8D-9FD0-48AF-9498-BA9955C75DD6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the newer buildings (classrooms and current head teachers’ offices). New solar panels on the roof.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-03MMESCGFMtv2omVrvqIVB_f4wvnGb3UXq2GIjrty1uWMHY0A3ex6P765pGB3uDeSshaE63Ltkyk9u68QDdNMigYpuNElyHyQV_HB8n35u2HK1fKfOUK4qCCPb93qLvStWItdqU23oJihtPQ1EdgYGbFp6W2EctQ8iQNTv_xzgbf_Sh2Ry8eJ8Xa/s4032/7236C243-91C0-44FF-B7BF-EC697212656F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-03MMESCGFMtv2omVrvqIVB_f4wvnGb3UXq2GIjrty1uWMHY0A3ex6P765pGB3uDeSshaE63Ltkyk9u68QDdNMigYpuNElyHyQV_HB8n35u2HK1fKfOUK4qCCPb93qLvStWItdqU23oJihtPQ1EdgYGbFp6W2EctQ8iQNTv_xzgbf_Sh2Ry8eJ8Xa/s320/7236C243-91C0-44FF-B7BF-EC697212656F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Sagala proudly holding up the school’s approval certificate from the Kenyan government. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yF8KajfB1Gn0VpTR8O8wf6O521NMUbA5a3V-W6lCTcDpv4nLmuoCEfLhlLM90Lw05Bh2awXkRPAmiv1ddEL3kvt9Ap-YEB9dlsUbyoyDWPpFfcASWfXErKwzC2eoetDHYtRDxM2yoLVfuXRXpYbvTrlQg4qff7JDoPjcex2_thYVIPYIr8WfrxTj/s4032/581032FF-AF5D-464A-A788-971C786AA05E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yF8KajfB1Gn0VpTR8O8wf6O521NMUbA5a3V-W6lCTcDpv4nLmuoCEfLhlLM90Lw05Bh2awXkRPAmiv1ddEL3kvt9Ap-YEB9dlsUbyoyDWPpFfcASWfXErKwzC2eoetDHYtRDxM2yoLVfuXRXpYbvTrlQg4qff7JDoPjcex2_thYVIPYIr8WfrxTj/s320/581032FF-AF5D-464A-A788-971C786AA05E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the older classroom buildings. Mud and wood construction with tin roof. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnFN11t4k1AlcKDVAp607fpSxred3ribK17EaVjzqr-DY9xT4PWEHnoa-JeFDly2COCHA9_s-sJnfo94h1ZbUtqDzc16tKmWiZdJLszqlErZyW7CrlDla3i_gpdh9cgvfjwN-69qidVJ77zPe6ZAccnLMsFYkq78gaBI9dsgm6cpDeDPupSOI5w85/s4032/66353930-627A-4B27-8B81-8BAA232A2A0E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnFN11t4k1AlcKDVAp607fpSxred3ribK17EaVjzqr-DY9xT4PWEHnoa-JeFDly2COCHA9_s-sJnfo94h1ZbUtqDzc16tKmWiZdJLszqlErZyW7CrlDla3i_gpdh9cgvfjwN-69qidVJ77zPe6ZAccnLMsFYkq78gaBI9dsgm6cpDeDPupSOI5w85/s320/66353930-627A-4B27-8B81-8BAA232A2A0E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New gate w/ dual new head teachers’ offices.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilx86qPdk8AOfy73O2_nqadmKRj-Cfi4Jda6Ch31wn4mcGQrfmoBqqdb8Ip28HyCGVm-c_9QnXQhZph98TkEcO6-fAf3-ab3Hu13-hKmnCR2g8-_8GvhWihdN9EEiWx0fGJO5i-DTrKijfv0f1DihanxHqYXUjZYgq-pL9LEmLZHRaNbqLL4-PCbwW/s4032/A20B7F6E-0EBB-4EC1-B7E1-4E7D132AC1BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilx86qPdk8AOfy73O2_nqadmKRj-Cfi4Jda6Ch31wn4mcGQrfmoBqqdb8Ip28HyCGVm-c_9QnXQhZph98TkEcO6-fAf3-ab3Hu13-hKmnCR2g8-_8GvhWihdN9EEiWx0fGJO5i-DTrKijfv0f1DihanxHqYXUjZYgq-pL9LEmLZHRaNbqLL4-PCbwW/s320/A20B7F6E-0EBB-4EC1-B7E1-4E7D132AC1BE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New fence around the school campus.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxYcvCNH6GPaEw7G9gImgpLyNuIqAn5Lp9wb9aNizA4NQgTuUX3nrXTmqqtPjB9ye0IcZRsWcS0-hKu4bendA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Video panning the campus while the students are at play during break time. </div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxQwjujAHUPT2V21pVzwpCxo50ICMqwccOI9aeMnjvjHgy07pHO6aa1ei1ooUmAU9NEEOZ09dzA9RogpZ_LRA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Video of one of the working water spouts along with some heartwarming greetings from some new friends. </div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Friday afternoon was spent having lunch with Anna and Mary Sagala at the Sagala homestead & farm where Anna, the 83 year-old matriarch of the family lives. Anna is the woman God used to start this whole miraculous story of Emmaus School and Holy Cross, Moi’s Bridge congregation. Back in 2009 Anna was visiting family for a few months in Phoenix, AZ. Since she had a Lutheran background and greatly appreciated Lutheran Biblical teaching and worship services she insisted <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>on her family taking her to a Lutheran church while she was in the States. The family had often driven past Holy Cross Lutheran Church when they would drive down Thunderbird Rd. so they decided to go there for church. Anna said that she was nervous walking into church for the first time that the people there would not accept her. Needless to say, the congregation very warmly accepted her (after all, who couldn’t love this warm, generous, and joyful woman and her family!?). The rest is an amazing history of God’s providing and guiding hand at work in ways that are beyond what we could have asked or imagined. While Anna spent those months in Phoenix she spoke with Pastor Del Maas and the young associate pastor at that time, Mike Gurath, about the fact that there was no Lutheran church or school near her home in Kenya. She dreamed of building a church and school on some family land in the area. The Holy Cross congregation began sponsoring this church and school mission project (now under the care of the CLC Mission Board and Kinship Committee, with continued generous support from Holy Cross). In 2010 Pastor Gurath was sent to live and do mission work in the area for two separate 6-month stints. The first mud and wood construction school buildings and initial church building (now converted to a cement structure) were built. 13 years later—after all the improvements and building projects, and most importantly, hundreds of students have gone through Emmaus School and been educated and taught about their Savior Jesus—here we stood in the middle of this very rural hilltop school and church surrounded by smiling and waving students and teachers. It’s nothing short of miraculous! It’s overwhelmingly joyful and humbling to even be a small part of supporting this work and to be here in person to encourage their efforts. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Mary Sagala, Anna’s daughter, the administrator and “mother hen” of the school is a smiling, vibrant force of nature who works tirelessly to help run the school and continue the various continuing improvement projects. Her heart for the students, teachers, and the school and church itself is evident in everything she says and does. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoP_4fC4gvlcarVKanmJr3Kh27vEsIWvMTvHSQc2oK18cWoZuMTJObJaxV-IL4op7QCDDZ5mIz8wHP9tlijpuvtjCM5UV7xpeSRYk9vxkjRGEgl4C2thkH4NYmd8Omsc26wAOQKlvmzyRQQJhItsTyeo5EYvqLvdCLXytYJ2hK3yyI0Cfeohq-tN1/s4032/0087457F-3610-4B7B-B579-7F9902CD3279.jpeg" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoP_4fC4gvlcarVKanmJr3Kh27vEsIWvMTvHSQc2oK18cWoZuMTJObJaxV-IL4op7QCDDZ5mIz8wHP9tlijpuvtjCM5UV7xpeSRYk9vxkjRGEgl4C2thkH4NYmd8Omsc26wAOQKlvmzyRQQJhItsTyeo5EYvqLvdCLXytYJ2hK3yyI0Cfeohq-tN1/s320/0087457F-3610-4B7B-B579-7F9902CD3279.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Sagala (standing)<br />Mary Sagala (seated w/ us)</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMTsrpKW-QA1-a7CEEclX98Snvafx2dNIZX5G6fqZoozLvUdRY4bzODBBVlWcjYo6oNkJT31oF_4Q0YCIV3tCuP9xvBaDtjc-qzvXCnJKDgPA73iwCYYd5Y3-sHoRVc574j1UOzxF4nbzFY90KnT8tYIj96IJqPtSI26g0g4wBUNSeXLT26VbzDKg/s4032/3D64F33E-EB84-4AAA-B270-6F78DDBAB814.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMTsrpKW-QA1-a7CEEclX98Snvafx2dNIZX5G6fqZoozLvUdRY4bzODBBVlWcjYo6oNkJT31oF_4Q0YCIV3tCuP9xvBaDtjc-qzvXCnJKDgPA73iwCYYd5Y3-sHoRVc574j1UOzxF4nbzFY90KnT8tYIj96IJqPtSI26g0g4wBUNSeXLT26VbzDKg/s320/3D64F33E-EB84-4AAA-B270-6F78DDBAB814.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna’s home.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGcCk4BcQUCvYTCC4y0ORblfB5XWZElIvqRBMI_4oN9xotlBs268gBebrXwPjwi_-i9lBNxJkEuC2BcHcKs7yQV5yLJ2K4la9YximdzCTzKmrON8D-XVxAEuBx1NPc_UEwZFzaXYN9kq4GPf09_gM1fRftdVkc8kKhrQfidZvgWcedbarVXxFepA8/s4032/DEF4A61A-EF97-4128-BE60-F87D4E4DE19C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGcCk4BcQUCvYTCC4y0ORblfB5XWZElIvqRBMI_4oN9xotlBs268gBebrXwPjwi_-i9lBNxJkEuC2BcHcKs7yQV5yLJ2K4la9YximdzCTzKmrON8D-XVxAEuBx1NPc_UEwZFzaXYN9kq4GPf09_gM1fRftdVkc8kKhrQfidZvgWcedbarVXxFepA8/s320/DEF4A61A-EF97-4128-BE60-F87D4E4DE19C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna, myself, Pastor G. and Mary in front of the new home her son, John, is building on the homestead.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBxnkaw_iLyweHTHWkLF7vQDeuEj_bN_hBsrN2wjvo6shrEHJ0lmP-6MmQKx_IczFyZ8c1AE7YG3-NZuo0JhudhG-tmvFf29s_v3guTzcuY8jJAf4hu9Nbz92rS4Q_Oq9_3CxLR-JO4kbXLKIWb8bxCU9wcvqLaR_KWha9IFNnWzcaG_d95rSEmD-/s4032/C4D457CD-CB49-437A-9C5F-9097E35E9A35.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBxnkaw_iLyweHTHWkLF7vQDeuEj_bN_hBsrN2wjvo6shrEHJ0lmP-6MmQKx_IczFyZ8c1AE7YG3-NZuo0JhudhG-tmvFf29s_v3guTzcuY8jJAf4hu9Nbz92rS4Q_Oq9_3CxLR-JO4kbXLKIWb8bxCU9wcvqLaR_KWha9IFNnWzcaG_d95rSEmD-/s320/C4D457CD-CB49-437A-9C5F-9097E35E9A35.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4S6bvxZF1Fp3LIBxBS9V7NZfkHpkICb0Ym3WLcmM7sC8dyrdBoeG4nUq6oIf92Z8eENTMsuVbP1SrdQse8P1vWx54Bt7LNFwBLq3s-fnryc4uSIGQM1B-ZqvCyBFEAopG-mxgALyoN0T2W4_QatoCtHBaUkGHMd4u0soaGXUJ_r1ENcifYUCCu9c/s4032/E19D7CD7-D3B3-436B-A2AE-17A801A015B9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4S6bvxZF1Fp3LIBxBS9V7NZfkHpkICb0Ym3WLcmM7sC8dyrdBoeG4nUq6oIf92Z8eENTMsuVbP1SrdQse8P1vWx54Bt7LNFwBLq3s-fnryc4uSIGQM1B-ZqvCyBFEAopG-mxgALyoN0T2W4_QatoCtHBaUkGHMd4u0soaGXUJ_r1ENcifYUCCu9c/s320/E19D7CD7-D3B3-436B-A2AE-17A801A015B9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goats and chickens are just a few of a number of animals on the Sagala farm. Wild monkeys are also back in the woods on their property (they are seen as a nuisance since they steal fruit from the farm). When Anna said that some monkeys were following her around in the trees that day I said, “Oh, you have monkeys here?!” She said disgustedly, “They’re not my monkeys!” (I rephrased it and said that what I meant was that “there are monkeys here.” But then I continued to joke with Anna throughout the afternoon that she owned monkeys on her farm 😁 She has a great sense of humor so she got a kick out of it.)</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Saturday we hit the road again to cross the Kenyan boarded into the country of Uganda where we will be visiting our brother pastors, Daniel, Absalom, and Tannis and join Daniel’s congregation for worship on Sunday. Praise God that we arrived safely at our hotel in Iganga, Uganda on Saturday evening, without too much trouble crossing the border. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3MfLCe_yC86e4BEfp60v19ZtDT57h9wKUY2EpobPl8Z_nJ-1BrZnXJ6tWQyoyBHPS3-uO6e_ZDzakOkxHrJkpuHt-Q5fCq3S0ZmQcdKcLx-2t8lIQhog8G4g2Jz-O5ZOACMPuW10t4b67jtTjeZ3xEfd27VE7utzpTGmeEOLs7osQw982gnQWCyV/s4032/235DE27A-4FD9-4481-9AA3-7FD9C2930991.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3MfLCe_yC86e4BEfp60v19ZtDT57h9wKUY2EpobPl8Z_nJ-1BrZnXJ6tWQyoyBHPS3-uO6e_ZDzakOkxHrJkpuHt-Q5fCq3S0ZmQcdKcLx-2t8lIQhog8G4g2Jz-O5ZOACMPuW10t4b67jtTjeZ3xEfd27VE7utzpTGmeEOLs7osQw982gnQWCyV/s320/235DE27A-4FD9-4481-9AA3-7FD9C2930991.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busia, Uganda…just across the border from Busia, Kenya.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67oIgraFqvuCn4D0-WLNb-PdtRkHG9pzqHf-YUxZ9QHKjHgs4I_oRH0oOFFA4wA2jyHF_rQO7XE9iOjcS0kFFRjchQkpZJixYq-rFP7e1eZmW_cpMA6c0D6T9J0gUNBDOXJ0k83jbRyiVAmLXCjnzot5R2j5Peh7QJ3b1-15GrMMNtMc1sooPjPQD/s4032/FDC8B5FC-3295-44BC-ADCB-6DE7BBE138E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67oIgraFqvuCn4D0-WLNb-PdtRkHG9pzqHf-YUxZ9QHKjHgs4I_oRH0oOFFA4wA2jyHF_rQO7XE9iOjcS0kFFRjchQkpZJixYq-rFP7e1eZmW_cpMA6c0D6T9J0gUNBDOXJ0k83jbRyiVAmLXCjnzot5R2j5Peh7QJ3b1-15GrMMNtMc1sooPjPQD/s320/FDC8B5FC-3295-44BC-ADCB-6DE7BBE138E3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugandan rice fields.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Your continued prayers for our safe travel, good health, and prosperous work in spreading and encouraging the people of this region with the Word of God are appreciated more than these typed words can express properly. The Sagala family wanted us to also express their love, appreciation, and prayers for all of you back in the U.S.A.</span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-24149878336047230732022-07-14T10:14:00.006-07:002022-07-23T10:13:36.734-07:00Pastoral Conference - Day 2 & 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Wednesday and Thursday we finished up the pastoral conference. All the men had a chance to deliver a sermon message during the 3 day conference, which were really enjoyable to listen to and hear the Bible passages they chose and the Biblical insights they shared.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Pastor Gurath and I finished up our lessons on Jonah and the Lord’s Prayer today (Thursday) as well. Both presentations we received with enthusiasm and gratefulness, and generated much good discussion among the pastors.</p><p>We were able to distribute all of the “Good News” (“Habari Njema”in Swahili) magazines we had picked up on our first full day in Kenya. One of the issues was on the subject of prayer, so that fit in well with my presentation from this week. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nv8q5e0XKEtwwN3qs4g0IksBW99T93Qaj8QH7YLlUwZ4116UIeXcoxvEHvYLRE9b_oMaMTXwLqqp_d2gielQpmMEaNKkGfreImjZsL72q0bcs6_7VnVPHcqa56D3BvnAsCZNJP52jdNCURxe8I2yKTkkMxG9eofqd4F65n-6ouV4Rnnu6bJrqi4/s4032/E4DBCB98-271D-49CF-BF87-B170C59BA5F5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nv8q5e0XKEtwwN3qs4g0IksBW99T93Qaj8QH7YLlUwZ4116UIeXcoxvEHvYLRE9b_oMaMTXwLqqp_d2gielQpmMEaNKkGfreImjZsL72q0bcs6_7VnVPHcqa56D3BvnAsCZNJP52jdNCURxe8I2yKTkkMxG9eofqd4F65n-6ouV4Rnnu6bJrqi4/s320/E4DBCB98-271D-49CF-BF87-B170C59BA5F5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Good News” magazine on prayer.<br />“Lord, teach us to pray…” Luke 11:1</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was such a blessing to get to know these men a little better over these past three days, to study the Word with them, and share in that all-too-often taken for granted gift of fellowship. “Bwana asafiwe!” (“Praise the Lord!”).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1-LJxd5vW1ReeJ9DQwtbyjrCC48ZZ7yHBctam5BcXSjxM4XxqirUtk_lsJKyGXmaaWei4HO9MOpO1zQd7KtA5oz1OYHwe_IbS2ZJf5v9udS5KfAXJWDZCJlHGZjbDHnP9LPqLvti2ertMaxz6f7MyRjH0UVcopHkJ9FgAm1flX15SZwvgcY3nuQg/s4032/F19C6D07-E071-4178-B4CC-B8448F196790.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1-LJxd5vW1ReeJ9DQwtbyjrCC48ZZ7yHBctam5BcXSjxM4XxqirUtk_lsJKyGXmaaWei4HO9MOpO1zQd7KtA5oz1OYHwe_IbS2ZJf5v9udS5KfAXJWDZCJlHGZjbDHnP9LPqLvti2ertMaxz6f7MyRjH0UVcopHkJ9FgAm1flX15SZwvgcY3nuQg/s320/F19C6D07-E071-4178-B4CC-B8448F196790.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastors in the midst of study in the conference room.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0H4f5JAy6MAJpDSrd3NaGxXDZ-x9uXb6v5ID78ICscsRAVpmkxeozFj8CtVjc2GkpIxldjw15Y-9hOVmK7paUBMkI54nnX7SXthPNRUF9ncJjkH8U0dFY0gTgbIUoGBPHMUggwZvdCdtiDbb3HREwLWBUxHWpvjXSu48QRIzMX2_1lDwZ42xw4u_/s4032/60904293-73C6-4C99-B60E-77E3A7959FED.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0H4f5JAy6MAJpDSrd3NaGxXDZ-x9uXb6v5ID78ICscsRAVpmkxeozFj8CtVjc2GkpIxldjw15Y-9hOVmK7paUBMkI54nnX7SXthPNRUF9ncJjkH8U0dFY0gTgbIUoGBPHMUggwZvdCdtiDbb3HREwLWBUxHWpvjXSu48QRIzMX2_1lDwZ42xw4u_/s320/60904293-73C6-4C99-B60E-77E3A7959FED.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John, the youngest attendee at age 22, wanted a picture with the Jonah Bible Study booklet Pastor Gurath taught. (Obviously the Maasai do not always wear their traditional garments as John was wearing jeans and a Kobe Bryant jersey today. I made sure to tell him that I’m a Golden State Warriors fan and remind him that we won the championship this year :) Fun fact: Our driver Dan is also a Warriors’ fan. The NBA is fairly popular in Kenya. However, soccer (“futball”) is by far the most popular sport in Kenya.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3wZGSHdknqh0hArEPiEw0MAyaqVkl-rA_e2sfCatuNwTwXHM3EwGr9iC_qmHA1FxYYoaqSX-coXSR9QtIk69gRdCxD3QYDwJybkb6lTV4ch6bSbU6FnG83_c0-fmxGQr83d1C-LnW9XJsnYilMVG3HdnsPEzVMri_y2BjiQ5n_K3lFQHmbFn8GYr/s4032/E56FADDA-9C0D-4477-9EF0-412F7E211891.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3wZGSHdknqh0hArEPiEw0MAyaqVkl-rA_e2sfCatuNwTwXHM3EwGr9iC_qmHA1FxYYoaqSX-coXSR9QtIk69gRdCxD3QYDwJybkb6lTV4ch6bSbU6FnG83_c0-fmxGQr83d1C-LnW9XJsnYilMVG3HdnsPEzVMri_y2BjiQ5n_K3lFQHmbFn8GYr/s320/E56FADDA-9C0D-4477-9EF0-412F7E211891.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afterwards John insisted on having me try on some of his traditional Maasai ornaments…they barely fit, but I got them on! I told John that I am an honorary member of the Maasai tribe now. He laughed (perhaps he could just sense that my livestock herding skills aren’t up to par? 🙂)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyuWTwF2rnEAxJicPBSvMjvIbed6ntmCSi5XjdbZ_6SWDbl3QVVACS8u29zA0zz2LfDDwK2JMMoF5tOscEOZA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The pastors “crowned” each day with the singing of a hymn. This was Wednesday’s hymn: “God Loves Me Dearly” in Swahili.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>More vocabulary:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bwana = Lord</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bwana asifiwe = “Praise the Lord”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mungu = God</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Habari Njema = “Good News” (Gospel)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Maji = water</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mission Helper Trip in Zambia </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Mission Helper trip to Zambia has also begun. You can follow their work by clicking on this link to their blog: <a href="https://2022clcmhtzambia.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">https://2022clcmhtzambia.blogspot.com/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">May God bless our efforts to spread His Gospel message in Africa!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Pastor Luke</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-50602141422583621232022-07-12T13:05:00.001-07:002022-07-12T13:35:25.332-07:00Kenya & Uganda Pastoral Conference - Day 1<p>Tuesday was the first day of our three day pastoral conference which included men serving congregations in both Kenya and Uganda. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25WSAi0-tj_wm0AbHi9Xc5d1A5ABWipjUNHTxHR_jivPcTg0xrhZ26khxuRfxAOmPjNU5XcLCjHE6c2po40btXpYtg1JzNjASrHjMnaKpeTLVQ9L52oMMwDRJ71HIbu3FluoFfxX8Uopx0uXBj3AHBmKn0xOlK1Gdld3ChxQ1OR_xPeGP0_V1rlIe/s4032/FD5C8C9A-24E9-463D-BAC2-5CBD2006567C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25WSAi0-tj_wm0AbHi9Xc5d1A5ABWipjUNHTxHR_jivPcTg0xrhZ26khxuRfxAOmPjNU5XcLCjHE6c2po40btXpYtg1JzNjASrHjMnaKpeTLVQ9L52oMMwDRJ71HIbu3FluoFfxX8Uopx0uXBj3AHBmKn0xOlK1Gdld3ChxQ1OR_xPeGP0_V1rlIe/s320/FD5C8C9A-24E9-463D-BAC2-5CBD2006567C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>11 men attended day 1, plus Pastor Gurath and myself. The conference is being held at the Soy Club & Resort. This resort has recently been remodeled and has the claim to fame of having Queen Elizabeth stay there on part of her honeymoon (the staff kindly gave us a tour of the recently renovated “Queen’s Suite” where she stayed). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48g5_54Cwc9uTnPZRkLtP9p1_qGwG0BPjSPCGLO0Prm4VzgdRHYq57aCZjP74DdPH0KJiRkANC7z4Ic9Uc1Do85ClyZZz7BPl-zEE8U4too936sux-1LQ1GDnzDkJQDlc_PMJXviZWUyPrgUPK3-uHuke-oaA7MU8wbX2p5NJdno3eaTEo1ibLX6r/s4032/4EB7973C-7D70-4D39-92ED-F95CEB742D7E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48g5_54Cwc9uTnPZRkLtP9p1_qGwG0BPjSPCGLO0Prm4VzgdRHYq57aCZjP74DdPH0KJiRkANC7z4Ic9Uc1Do85ClyZZz7BPl-zEE8U4too936sux-1LQ1GDnzDkJQDlc_PMJXviZWUyPrgUPK3-uHuke-oaA7MU8wbX2p5NJdno3eaTEo1ibLX6r/s320/4EB7973C-7D70-4D39-92ED-F95CEB742D7E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen Suite bedroom<br />I was told you can stay here for 5000 Kenyan shillings per night (approx $50 US dollars). You can’t rent a bathroom at a Motel 6 in California for that price! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2P9i0W3Ur0RTPATYS3s3MzUu2mZ7PcPcz7ZNw5wEor00OhV7CP__9X824o889Jli5UD8BwJ1YPTcIa6TcQ3x7qDEWX7CBGfA1lPusY1_RIc-G4CrQPb3YHGtgZYovgUMK-rTqnxOMpT-132zw9GpMLgsxdwf84ZUMIe8rRGzPUUkbcKdS6s2sGtt/s3840/6ADE6DA8-8388-4E07-96BF-3DFB40A0B656.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2313" data-original-width="3840" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2P9i0W3Ur0RTPATYS3s3MzUu2mZ7PcPcz7ZNw5wEor00OhV7CP__9X824o889Jli5UD8BwJ1YPTcIa6TcQ3x7qDEWX7CBGfA1lPusY1_RIc-G4CrQPb3YHGtgZYovgUMK-rTqnxOMpT-132zw9GpMLgsxdwf84ZUMIe8rRGzPUUkbcKdS6s2sGtt/s320/6ADE6DA8-8388-4E07-96BF-3DFB40A0B656.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4HphpsHkNbtNwJFIgo6E0KvHZas1uQM0los2_wsaRTK5ufYadYBkA6W5c-kfZadCpLcVZY_DO36LIPsvf_qjSkqzHxsGy5LFOHJSUrkbKctQCyBt3v0nJolld9Z1who7u6NiaX7tc5FVdNISoqCi_fwfRLZ78_sqQXa8o9QWMJ2HDMVYUwC1uGcc/s4032/4822BDFF-68F5-446C-9DE8-124BE4EDED5E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4HphpsHkNbtNwJFIgo6E0KvHZas1uQM0los2_wsaRTK5ufYadYBkA6W5c-kfZadCpLcVZY_DO36LIPsvf_qjSkqzHxsGy5LFOHJSUrkbKctQCyBt3v0nJolld9Z1who7u6NiaX7tc5FVdNISoqCi_fwfRLZ78_sqQXa8o9QWMJ2HDMVYUwC1uGcc/s320/4822BDFF-68F5-446C-9DE8-124BE4EDED5E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, hangs above the mantle to commemorate their stay here on their honeymoon trip in 1952. Elizabeth was princess at the time she stayed here, but later in their Kenyan trip her father, King George VI died and she was declared queen. It is rumored that she came back for a stay in 1959 as well. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVpNG6REzuXlw8NLJePqw3LnjT0lBcB93mbGxPMPXKMA_9FA3k0g0HbIAU4OnGVVOoR6gnLtfY4iOy5hrb0To3u3Q6FE6snjNFVD16UQqawbCIKyET7nW4-clbN1qXwq64r4spg5BTa939oLcu46Y5kDTqGKlsOD-iJjg7aCICJ4kBg-fv43gllaI/s4032/FF594D27-BEBD-43B6-945B-042ED10152AD.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVpNG6REzuXlw8NLJePqw3LnjT0lBcB93mbGxPMPXKMA_9FA3k0g0HbIAU4OnGVVOoR6gnLtfY4iOy5hrb0To3u3Q6FE6snjNFVD16UQqawbCIKyET7nW4-clbN1qXwq64r4spg5BTa939oLcu46Y5kDTqGKlsOD-iJjg7aCICJ4kBg-fv43gllaI/s320/FF594D27-BEBD-43B6-945B-042ED10152AD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting room in the Queen’s Suite <br />(I’m pretty sure the flat screen TVs weren’t there when she stayed here).</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pastor Gurath and I started our presentations today on Jonah (taught by Pastor Gurath), and Prayer/The Lord’s Prayer (taught by me). Two of the pastors gave sermon presentations. The rest will also get their chance to preach during the conference. </p><p>The presentations seemed to all go very well with great participation, questions, and insightful comments from the pastors. I was concerned about how much the other pastors would be able to understand since my presentation would be completely in English, but with the help of the pastors translating for those who needed it at times, it seemed to go quite well. One of the Ugandan pastors thanked me for the section we went through on the Lord’s Prayer and said he got a lot out of it. That was so encouraging to hear! (Of course, that was after he and his fellow Ugandan pastor joked with Pastor Gurath that I speak pretty fast! I am trying to be extra conscious of slowing down…but sometimes I am “rushing like a river” like the Kisii brothers do! I will try and do better tomorrow. Maybe only one cup of coffee in the morning instead of two 😏).</p><p>It is hard to put into words how encouraging it is to see and hear the love for being in the Word these men have, and the joyful blessing it is to share that Word and fellowship with them. Despite the fact that we are from three different countries and several very different cultures our shared faith in Christ instantly connects us in a way that is amazing and quite surreal to be a part of. They have expressed several times that we be sure to greet everyone back in the USA and send their prayers, love, and God’s blessings. So if I don’t get a chance to express their greetings to you in person, this blog post will have to do!</p><p>- Pastor Luke</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk_444b-cfzPP54JTPgjyqoUmdjZpYBscqOKg5bXl-vhNWfD2jIWumyTNDOqNTiMSPQErkkbUzqnLQX2KsVk7GWfnPfQIlycbMv9JPINayXtet4E35yUzPLPNPoDQETcpH7tkg9VdhTYxSRxC3p6kTDRiObmt0Gt9vJtADFHoBC4v4vG7DXIzUV8i/s4032/7C863D96-4972-41DD-9ED5-B94E8378F25F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk_444b-cfzPP54JTPgjyqoUmdjZpYBscqOKg5bXl-vhNWfD2jIWumyTNDOqNTiMSPQErkkbUzqnLQX2KsVk7GWfnPfQIlycbMv9JPINayXtet4E35yUzPLPNPoDQETcpH7tkg9VdhTYxSRxC3p6kTDRiObmt0Gt9vJtADFHoBC4v4vG7DXIzUV8i/s320/7C863D96-4972-41DD-9ED5-B94E8378F25F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Paul Papani (shaking hands with Pastor Gurath),<br />and his son, John (shaking hands with me).<br />Paul and John are members of the Maasai tribe, a tribe of nomadic livestock herders in Kenya, renowned for their traditional ways & dress.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVeO58L1GoSszf76yttRU8j17GejsmoXIbCdnOEUmNMam3t4exWNy3xEMFaViLjnSm57y5Mdg3B-polXaEzsNEn3TfWIkB5XRAcy9PSUiBFViXOUYrP3rU95XzYyxut6ur81HJF_IzzejFb_q7J8cE2ap8lg3WojiI99eDZFosO0oFAHex-J_-cbm/s4032/80227899-7E04-40BF-B479-A54080539CD2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVeO58L1GoSszf76yttRU8j17GejsmoXIbCdnOEUmNMam3t4exWNy3xEMFaViLjnSm57y5Mdg3B-polXaEzsNEn3TfWIkB5XRAcy9PSUiBFViXOUYrP3rU95XzYyxut6ur81HJF_IzzejFb_q7J8cE2ap8lg3WojiI99eDZFosO0oFAHex-J_-cbm/s320/80227899-7E04-40BF-B479-A54080539CD2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Fred wanted to be taller than us for once.<br />(Notice he has borrowed some of the Maasai’s ornamental wear. It was interesting to see that even among the other Kenyans, they are delighted and fascinated by the Maasai. John enjoyed sharing his ornaments with anyone who wanted to try them on—he even shared his sandals which were made with tire treads for the bottom!)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5FD6MsTtAKv0zlI1NkV_JqcwB3eGBL6PtOVV3jRTvJtbZYu88JwrxA3h1IYhy0FRW4UhpYCA9gnHFhaQVYkN6sfb_I2sPT65lKNW2h0nntOQS1Dyjh993YE_GstBPw-k9mPGd-Yyoux-CYhMXWOKfWqpUp9s6OAThN55uvkq3pt-TxE4j2GbOoXr/s4032/3E9AC79A-3C32-4A68-BC7A-1984FF107C4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5FD6MsTtAKv0zlI1NkV_JqcwB3eGBL6PtOVV3jRTvJtbZYu88JwrxA3h1IYhy0FRW4UhpYCA9gnHFhaQVYkN6sfb_I2sPT65lKNW2h0nntOQS1Dyjh993YE_GstBPw-k9mPGd-Yyoux-CYhMXWOKfWqpUp9s6OAThN55uvkq3pt-TxE4j2GbOoXr/s320/3E9AC79A-3C32-4A68-BC7A-1984FF107C4C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the pastors at tea break. Kenyans serve their tea with lots of milk, sugar, and a hint of tea!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmIQ0zZzSCdGiA8yXonEiGbB027hlRYe2293w6jNhS2dTGt6OWuc_je_sgeicxob9TgBssoz4vELqfU3Xo4gwkaUNva9-gu6i3gXEc6x4vp0-mbuuMUAd9XYiXWVulOpGKmlVq8Y9CDlT9Qx4i6PWMOKUfpyOt4iRXbsQWhmBaYlOGUV8-V56_68l/s3080/6A001978-E8F0-4C02-993A-B1C5763839A3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3080" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmIQ0zZzSCdGiA8yXonEiGbB027hlRYe2293w6jNhS2dTGt6OWuc_je_sgeicxob9TgBssoz4vELqfU3Xo4gwkaUNva9-gu6i3gXEc6x4vp0-mbuuMUAd9XYiXWVulOpGKmlVq8Y9CDlT9Qx4i6PWMOKUfpyOt4iRXbsQWhmBaYlOGUV8-V56_68l/s320/6A001978-E8F0-4C02-993A-B1C5763839A3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our conference room building</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOArMRnKQguJ51aUjggik5PycemgBENBjy3TIJ62Tt_V6Pdmt9J-VYf5n-Q4qge1foGWpJQnDD_wlhRaA8MGHM8PFUedh4A3LJH4gGAGJHd8tTdJEh_fpw0fCadAxXTNDqJxfGsS_Hc4TaGqX02zYQ4d_tJcHDu4QFX2SGmyYjw_xNw3Hy5xRBsUD5/s3806/9AE0F5AB-61CF-4502-81FC-B69DC7F8CD8A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3806" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOArMRnKQguJ51aUjggik5PycemgBENBjy3TIJ62Tt_V6Pdmt9J-VYf5n-Q4qge1foGWpJQnDD_wlhRaA8MGHM8PFUedh4A3LJH4gGAGJHd8tTdJEh_fpw0fCadAxXTNDqJxfGsS_Hc4TaGqX02zYQ4d_tJcHDu4QFX2SGmyYjw_xNw3Hy5xRBsUD5/s320/9AE0F5AB-61CF-4502-81FC-B69DC7F8CD8A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the grounds behind the conference room</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijf3YfV-OH8H6NHVAR50dRDJ3vuwcVvLZkDVZmFjl3SzRM6BaIIItSViVgmNTImEBx59gMBOs5655P2b8GuZrtaogmNb_VaoP8TwkA5xB9ExAL-H0gF25EHG6BHUBgbaE9l4E5WBArQTXbXjOmPUbs_avBEYWXqgO1qKg0VcUmgWufS67A9m2qCzrR/s4032/F28D0465-1DD9-44D4-9BE4-89CF2FF37840.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijf3YfV-OH8H6NHVAR50dRDJ3vuwcVvLZkDVZmFjl3SzRM6BaIIItSViVgmNTImEBx59gMBOs5655P2b8GuZrtaogmNb_VaoP8TwkA5xB9ExAL-H0gF25EHG6BHUBgbaE9l4E5WBArQTXbXjOmPUbs_avBEYWXqgO1qKg0VcUmgWufS67A9m2qCzrR/s320/F28D0465-1DD9-44D4-9BE4-89CF2FF37840.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cats seemed to know exactly when food was being served. I may have slipped them some chicken…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY4kdagqUiWs2AuYT6JWxp99nxDHplNJFqoDG1XHjehLtl-wSeX2NOegcW3BcH7RARPQGqUyIzqjmqm-80Tw9LDcSC_SG8KUNX00Rh0DEre8LoVvaR4VPE5Hc49egcCgM0DeLtsaPubDHe1889czMvc7Ge0oAcHF1qnqnPy746exAAatbLHa1iez7/s3022/96BED40E-D2B0-40D5-90BA-758B42D00012.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2846" data-original-width="3022" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY4kdagqUiWs2AuYT6JWxp99nxDHplNJFqoDG1XHjehLtl-wSeX2NOegcW3BcH7RARPQGqUyIzqjmqm-80Tw9LDcSC_SG8KUNX00Rh0DEre8LoVvaR4VPE5Hc49egcCgM0DeLtsaPubDHe1889czMvc7Ge0oAcHF1qnqnPy746exAAatbLHa1iez7/s320/96BED40E-D2B0-40D5-90BA-758B42D00012.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">…seriously, how could you resist sneaking some food to this little guy?! </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-13910311047665245632022-07-11T03:01:00.004-07:002022-07-11T03:15:09.987-07:00 🎶”On the Road Again”🎶 - Miscellaneous Musings while Motoring to Matunda<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The title of today’s blog entry is a nod to Missionary Todd Ohlmann (who is leading a Mission Helper Trip to Zambia, Africa as I am writing this). Pastor Gurath started singing, “On the Road Again” the first time we got into our vehicle and mentioned that Missionary Ohlmann would sing that song every time they loaded into a vehicle on their various mission trips together. Without fail, (including this morning) that song has popped into our heads and one of us has sung it every time we head out in our vehicle with our trusted driver, Dan.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMjp9cE2QUlj_S0OjuAQ4-RinPjyoliI4ae0tFO0ioEr63UUu3TIyF6FTpkDn--0zZrNp90C7Ty_ZNwyLAI8WIyIc60elDN1H14ab5J4DG_QVdNXnzL1aQ5VseqRVdMpNEkeFP11J22EJ6IvoYpCHIMlYeYiRRbcq4DrYojiHd6YMbjqNIjJgExew/s4032/B8FD2BFE-2415-4E4C-A67E-7C14E64A3B4C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMjp9cE2QUlj_S0OjuAQ4-RinPjyoliI4ae0tFO0ioEr63UUu3TIyF6FTpkDn--0zZrNp90C7Ty_ZNwyLAI8WIyIc60elDN1H14ab5J4DG_QVdNXnzL1aQ5VseqRVdMpNEkeFP11J22EJ6IvoYpCHIMlYeYiRRbcq4DrYojiHd6YMbjqNIjJgExew/s320/B8FD2BFE-2415-4E4C-A67E-7C14E64A3B4C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our driver, Dan Bossy, and our trusty (and comfortable) Nissan X-Trail<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">While we traverse another swath of the Kenyan countryside at the one-week mark of our trip I thought I’d write about some miscellaneous things I’ve observed and learned.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">While we’re on the subject of travel…</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">TRANSPORTATION</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Many people in the Kenyan towns and cities get around either by walking (it’s immediately noticeable how many more people are just out and about compared to U.S. cities and towns), or hiring a motorbike driver, or riding in a “matatu” (a Toyota van about the size of a VW van that are sometimes so crammed full of passengers that there are people hanging off them as they drive down the road). </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91t7P8gXvSn1ZKt9EvY0uIowB4d-fRAIE-loNEHN1s5kholBlHG3h8Swk5ktSQnMXcXzhp7x4YxbvzZSHOmWUHsO-mmR7mCDC5QH6_Sslks9pPxmYZqtTS4SpQCxcF_jB-0oactRbL29Lo248F3QqyxnNG2K8-8-ZpnvXCZyzY_LjuNPGAwVrYzL3/s4032/CC7E1AD9-DAC3-4D04-8EC0-6F5E990CB21B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2095" data-original-width="4032" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91t7P8gXvSn1ZKt9EvY0uIowB4d-fRAIE-loNEHN1s5kholBlHG3h8Swk5ktSQnMXcXzhp7x4YxbvzZSHOmWUHsO-mmR7mCDC5QH6_Sslks9pPxmYZqtTS4SpQCxcF_jB-0oactRbL29Lo248F3QqyxnNG2K8-8-ZpnvXCZyzY_LjuNPGAwVrYzL3/s320/CC7E1AD9-DAC3-4D04-8EC0-6F5E990CB21B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motorbike drivers waiting for work</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kNas1XiCjv2uSIn_vK1_a2X-jKw7YZuvo1pcXRiRmeBIcu9hupw8PyKN3ldCrunOvMqu3i2goYUCeICSune3VPEtnoLpkM9SbjO7LAI_K7QmZiYOLLghuBTGZKH6stmqINV38ZidVwjxQ31UbhGbPIOAF-2MaDk3fIOvZmg8y5I69EklxRimHwAj/s1800/D9C02FCA-ED23-465A-9E6F-EFD77B736CA4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="1800" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kNas1XiCjv2uSIn_vK1_a2X-jKw7YZuvo1pcXRiRmeBIcu9hupw8PyKN3ldCrunOvMqu3i2goYUCeICSune3VPEtnoLpkM9SbjO7LAI_K7QmZiYOLLghuBTGZKH6stmqINV38ZidVwjxQ31UbhGbPIOAF-2MaDk3fIOvZmg8y5I69EklxRimHwAj/s320/D9C02FCA-ED23-465A-9E6F-EFD77B736CA4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matatus and motorbikes lined up at a junction<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZ5N-On-bLCZ6wjjl3EDXZYGZB7mwQbmUpsPb5wNNZ_T0ybgr2OaTCx0sRlS2u0l_v9I-ImFtd99K-gciM-w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Enjoy this 50 second video of a typical drive through a Kenyan town.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Everyday I’m here I am appreciative of the vehicle and driver we have, the clean and comfortable lodging we’ve had, and the good food we’ve eaten (no sickness or stomach upsets for either of us so far, thank the Lord!). I’m especially thankful today after driving past the place where Pastor Gurath used to stay in busy Kisii town (just a few minutes from an enormous and incredibly smelly city dump </span><span class="s1">🤢</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">), and hearing some of his tales from his early days when he first started doing mission trips here (and lived here for two separate 6 month stints) back a dozen years ago or so.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">On today’s drive we went through some beautiful hills and mountains covered in maize and tea as far as the eye can see. The pictures do not do this idyllic and peaceful scene justice. Just breathtaking!</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6CQwAPPYw--UJcQGuO0mezYQ5ZbljQ_fKzvdYQUmPgYHEYY7KjF5NIvWFtagfsjzAPttFSrr2lrHhvgTwrlFgahyXaziylltCXleYP-tQsjOXMcj4hwUrKc5mSmrdVblnGzmPv9pi32mV9JBODBJIBfwlGCpsb5u9gwPf2hiHQ7bV1oMQW1SMnTr/s4032/10EE4C15-0E92-49BC-930F-741933686F87.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6CQwAPPYw--UJcQGuO0mezYQ5ZbljQ_fKzvdYQUmPgYHEYY7KjF5NIvWFtagfsjzAPttFSrr2lrHhvgTwrlFgahyXaziylltCXleYP-tQsjOXMcj4hwUrKc5mSmrdVblnGzmPv9pi32mV9JBODBJIBfwlGCpsb5u9gwPf2hiHQ7bV1oMQW1SMnTr/s320/10EE4C15-0E92-49BC-930F-741933686F87.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mRJPQnhzTEOU_Rqp8z5AyKpPozj7Ad8I4VuKThMavmIa2zDVwCFhqHBpfcDAVQ1dLWb5AKxCnWSNw4xeOOdVzvNfsLg9NfE41cnigvIs1NUSc1Edte365wdUat63bJzCSuenjoJ_Bhu0w5tat2CYOh4454IPFHnYXVIqNMt2XarGHY-bjwvfGrGD/s4030/B22FE1CE-F00B-4AC5-8A9A-81CA5EE6F64C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2512" data-original-width="4030" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mRJPQnhzTEOU_Rqp8z5AyKpPozj7Ad8I4VuKThMavmIa2zDVwCFhqHBpfcDAVQ1dLWb5AKxCnWSNw4xeOOdVzvNfsLg9NfE41cnigvIs1NUSc1Edte365wdUat63bJzCSuenjoJ_Bhu0w5tat2CYOh4454IPFHnYXVIqNMt2XarGHY-bjwvfGrGD/s320/B22FE1CE-F00B-4AC5-8A9A-81CA5EE6F64C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrbwmqyP91e7sThmA3ttj5zbvbPJ0QC0nrKhFAhZJMhSoQrHzb-bJsODTNzZrWv2oP32VQ04rrMFBM_9jdyfZGOBaVjwWFBgcAnQy9kq61zEh9djVVGGIwDdLB9vixU5Y9Nh6l8yHkyiU_xj4h2pfBpUV4wb-ShxHsscB2aRABnKOy4GeF9eFb0fl/s4032/E669E0BA-8A5A-4ADC-8396-83F5C584B2A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrbwmqyP91e7sThmA3ttj5zbvbPJ0QC0nrKhFAhZJMhSoQrHzb-bJsODTNzZrWv2oP32VQ04rrMFBM_9jdyfZGOBaVjwWFBgcAnQy9kq61zEh9djVVGGIwDdLB9vixU5Y9Nh6l8yHkyiU_xj4h2pfBpUV4wb-ShxHsscB2aRABnKOy4GeF9eFb0fl/s320/E669E0BA-8A5A-4ADC-8396-83F5C584B2A8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWLvG2Y48hoZ_uQYXF3A6nZaVJcx8wwkZVnetIPINwtZVCwC-97jtK6Ik5RnH_CFiZnnIinwysHu2yA3PfZfjNukn3bLd6t8qXahXFQX85lYF_MX1doyGxErNE4E6w9Fxl2qIjR_zh13_R03vv0z4SHs1PFv8U7eoUVDjAgDoi526jTHONoIGcArT/s4026/EB4822DE-DF1E-483E-9CDE-30D3185425EA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2529" data-original-width="4026" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWLvG2Y48hoZ_uQYXF3A6nZaVJcx8wwkZVnetIPINwtZVCwC-97jtK6Ik5RnH_CFiZnnIinwysHu2yA3PfZfjNukn3bLd6t8qXahXFQX85lYF_MX1doyGxErNE4E6w9Fxl2qIjR_zh13_R03vv0z4SHs1PFv8U7eoUVDjAgDoi526jTHONoIGcArT/s320/EB4822DE-DF1E-483E-9CDE-30D3185425EA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One other notable scene from our trip today:</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A cow, right in the middle of town, hooves up on a dumpster just chowing down on the dumpster’s contents. Completely normal. No one even batting an eye. Wasn’t quick enough to get a photo, unfortunately </span><span class="s1">😕</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">VOCABULARY</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ve learned a few basic Swahili words in my first week here, and have even used a few of them (with varying degrees of success), and with what is, I’m sure, a very strong American accent. Here are a few I can think of off the top of my head: </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Jambo” = hello</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Karibu” (car-ee-boo) = welcome / you’re welcome</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Asante” (asan-tee) = thank you</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Sawa” = OK (“sawa sawa” = OK, OK)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Serviette” = napkin </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">(This one is actually the first word I learned and is very important! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>About an hour after we first landed in Nairobi we were eating at the hotel restaurant and I asked for a napkin. Pastor Gurath informed me after the waiter walked away that “napkin” in Kenyan English refers to a baby diaper! The waiter had, no doubt, served many American customers before and, thankfully, brought me a napkin and not a baby diaper. Now Pastor Gurath quizzes me every time I reach for a napkin at the table).</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Are you not impressed with my “vast” Swahili vocabulary of 5 words?! </span><span class="s1">😆</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ve still got two more weeks here…maybe I can double it? </span><span class="s1">😏</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Notable saying / Deep thought from week one:</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Americans have watches, but Africans have time.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ve observed this to be profoundly true in the short time I’ve been here. Kenyans, on the whole, are refreshingly unhurried. Portions of each day are spent <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>walking, sitting, eating, and conversing with each other and enjoying each other’s company and not in a rush to get somewhere else. (This would also explain why “Africa time” is a thing. Meaning, events don’t always start when scheduled). Obviously, there needs to be a balance in life when it comes to the management of the great gift of time, but we Americans could probably benefit from incorporating a little more of a Kenyan perspective on it.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">- Pastor Luke</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><ul class="ul1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><li class="li1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></li></ul>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-16260648565624992522022-07-11T00:40:00.001-07:002022-07-11T00:50:37.199-07:00Church at St. David’s<p> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Sunday morning we headed back to St. David’s for church. When we arrived at 9am we were again greeted by the school children’s singing. The head teacher, Benard, led the children in what we would call Sunday School in our country (Bible stories, reciting passages, and of course lots of singing!).</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyjgKbiTl6gkAQasIvVl5KAPRpR05X4X3ZGHlXvaDlTILAIGXFb1JXNEPrPrlVMl_0d9r7gZVwmcDzJpWsLtA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s1">Church services don’t really have a hard and fast start time (things tend to </span>run on “Africa time” over here) so as the congregation began trickling in Pastor Enosh asked me to deliver a message from the Word to the children and the other members who had gathered. I preached again on Luke 7:1-10, Jesus’ healing of the Centurion’s servant, and felt quite a bit more comfortable preaching with a translator. I should have that sermon down pretty well by the end of the trip :)<span style="font-size: 17px;"> </span></span></p><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdEwmVgQLCgUQuGHOrNedCJrGvSEnxGLny06s0GJp91_Dg57qHfisMhg6nh0tQfcpQF35cwFJfIpPqm5MpgkVwhcTPM_1yyqPzY7g3DWHSVQySXnphhuVy-5fDf3vA5o5IsfvgXdG8azd3rcR6FBhLdnhQTUougEMpy0_sSu6t8cgjIqZ9Mugg40v/s4032/3FA2F2D2-B77A-4CDE-A4C7-721C22DFF8C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdEwmVgQLCgUQuGHOrNedCJrGvSEnxGLny06s0GJp91_Dg57qHfisMhg6nh0tQfcpQF35cwFJfIpPqm5MpgkVwhcTPM_1yyqPzY7g3DWHSVQySXnphhuVy-5fDf3vA5o5IsfvgXdG8azd3rcR6FBhLdnhQTUougEMpy0_sSu6t8cgjIqZ9Mugg40v/s320/3FA2F2D2-B77A-4CDE-A4C7-721C22DFF8C4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Fred conducting the liturgy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The worship service began around 9:45am and by my count around 55 people were in attendance, some of them trickling in at various parts of the service. Pastor Fred conducted the liturgy from a Lutheran hymnal that had been translated into Kisii, the local language (which is a completely different language from Swahili and is spoken very fast. “Kisii runs like a river,” they say. Which leads me to speculate that maybe some of my Bernthal ancestors may have been from the Kisii area…we tend to be a very fast-talking people too. Ha!) The service followed a liturgy, like our worship services do. I was able to tell when the Apostle’s Creed and Lord’s Prayer were being spoken. There was also confession and absolution of sins, Scripture readings, sung portions of the liturgy, and a number of hymns. All sung beautifully without accompaniment.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzOdVSfT0lBHUcoY74jCTuKu9QoGBtRmy-9Rh-gaERKI3KEaQZz8qao1-uXAdKq77xODdnSiIjaQ9pLheU02w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>(The video clip above is the lively song they sing as a “call to worship” just before the service begins)<p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pastor Enosh read the Scripture readings and once again translated for Pastor Gurath who preached on Isaiah 6:1-7. I always enjoy getting to listen to someone else preach, but it’s especially enjoyable to see and hear Pastor Gurath. He really is in his element here mixing in enough Swahili phrases to draw the headers in, and then preaching in such a natural and free-flowing manner despite the challenge of preaching with a translator—and did I mention he does it with no notes, no manuscript, only his Bible in his hand. Even more amazingly his sermon didn’t meander or wander off topic, but beautifully, and in such a warm and engaging way emphasized the Gospel and God’s forgiving love for us in Jesus. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The worship service concluded around 11:30am and we stayed around afterwards for more “picture pictures” and to greet the members, and chat with the teachers, and students once again. As both of us expressed in our good-byes at the end of the worship service, even if I never were to see these wonderful people again in this life it is a great comfort and joy to know that we’ll see them again in heaven, where there will be no distance or language barrier between us. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzAkZrwcW5aGyOjoQq44hB3I-OqfMoUrxwTXRRPESfV7EoSV2uNT4xzJUEqXGOaEX0BC7ZaNqhRlNoYnpoG4STTaPhdc7AeraYBoKjy5yjr9ZEu1vddzFHyqhIoKS0S3knWKwt2DGhsQ-PJln-pjGYiVdH1Gq1WmPaw7pR1l-nu7e2cgNug-QjaW2/s4032/02BFED93-B392-4549-B4D6-A3EC9681CE13.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzAkZrwcW5aGyOjoQq44hB3I-OqfMoUrxwTXRRPESfV7EoSV2uNT4xzJUEqXGOaEX0BC7ZaNqhRlNoYnpoG4STTaPhdc7AeraYBoKjy5yjr9ZEu1vddzFHyqhIoKS0S3knWKwt2DGhsQ-PJln-pjGYiVdH1Gq1WmPaw7pR1l-nu7e2cgNug-QjaW2/s320/02BFED93-B392-4549-B4D6-A3EC9681CE13.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group picture of most of the people who had attended Sunday’s service</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsE6XSRToVoqOFJcV9dk3AYqX3zof7dY0axk7qKLtJkOCeD9uUFTPPZoo7b14kS_vkYtBqfvqMfy3EK0vbT7izanX7xEZzWZa9_SjR_LYCAuTDQLFVuYnb5eKl5GB82oGO7-DfQoOn2RTNgdnQZAdgzwvWitGEpmF-mXqeYXxxIM6wVRAwNOgOYNj/s4032/695F5A0B-B476-44B5-9523-75E818D49BDB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsE6XSRToVoqOFJcV9dk3AYqX3zof7dY0axk7qKLtJkOCeD9uUFTPPZoo7b14kS_vkYtBqfvqMfy3EK0vbT7izanX7xEZzWZa9_SjR_LYCAuTDQLFVuYnb5eKl5GB82oGO7-DfQoOn2RTNgdnQZAdgzwvWitGEpmF-mXqeYXxxIM6wVRAwNOgOYNj/s320/695F5A0B-B476-44B5-9523-75E818D49BDB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Me, Joshua, Pastor Gurath, Silas (a former Bible student of Pastor Guraths when he taught in Chotororo), Pastor Fred, and Pastor Enosh.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbMU3qSz6MS-7uvXsgKusdBc6J3PUThgXihSzP1LUfABPWXFEz6pyoeFJz_uhVUv4l4EPVB-oxHlZaEBgBl3GM4N6aorH8pxFoce1MCBh38sT-WNocByAaz4uQUjxCF5dR6NEwj3D3WLQrbTayEiY9tZ-A4P-U1q5JG69VXYBAlm1GkQD2RINlJ2V/s3088/893A387A-83A6-4ADE-9292-BE7AD92FAE82.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbMU3qSz6MS-7uvXsgKusdBc6J3PUThgXihSzP1LUfABPWXFEz6pyoeFJz_uhVUv4l4EPVB-oxHlZaEBgBl3GM4N6aorH8pxFoce1MCBh38sT-WNocByAaz4uQUjxCF5dR6NEwj3D3WLQrbTayEiY9tZ-A4P-U1q5JG69VXYBAlm1GkQD2RINlJ2V/s320/893A387A-83A6-4ADE-9292-BE7AD92FAE82.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and as many St. David’s students who could cram themselves into this selfie.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoVcEBedWL4qS4VoRueiAAwlQTta9IHUbvvwhPhRSU-dCUfHiK5Kx0tCOoQkdOzFPuKULOZLAO2P4GKtYZmn68Mq4wQDNWrnO0XToCsfKifXVPnlpES2HNvX2AoYui5BA_hssF0aswbdbdbNlqRelmdAutZvNOm1O-K1v3gnP89fTKGWVXD0Hva1a/s4032/FCA11D5F-1E36-4F23-A6DD-D8C6C9DC7C7C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoVcEBedWL4qS4VoRueiAAwlQTta9IHUbvvwhPhRSU-dCUfHiK5Kx0tCOoQkdOzFPuKULOZLAO2P4GKtYZmn68Mq4wQDNWrnO0XToCsfKifXVPnlpES2HNvX2AoYui5BA_hssF0aswbdbdbNlqRelmdAutZvNOm1O-K1v3gnP89fTKGWVXD0Hva1a/s320/FCA11D5F-1E36-4F23-A6DD-D8C6C9DC7C7C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Fred & Pastor Enosh</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pastor Enosh and his wife Elizabeth graciously invited us and a few others to lunch at their home near the school. Enosh has a small tea farm and also works as a director/manager of several tea farms in the area. A few of his adult children were there for lunch with us, along with a few of their adorable grandchildren. The two youngest, Mirabelle (2yrs) and Braden (3yrs) were at first very shy of Pastor Gurath and me, but within a few mins we were good friends. Mirabelle even hopped on my lap and didn’t want to get down when it was time to eat. The children here are just all so heart-meltingly cute! It is worth the long trip out here just to see their smiling, laughing faces. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Lunch was potatoes, stewed goat meat, and ugali (pronounced: oo-gah-lee), which is a Kenyan staple at meals (which is maize flour boiled in water and made into what feels like mashed potatoes. You roll that up into a ball with your hands and dip it in the stew). We joked that I was finally “officially” in Kenya because this was the first time I had been served ugali (I had been served plenty of rice, also a Kenyan staple, but I’m not sure how it happened that I went a week without trying ugali. Oh well, I’m “officially” in Kenya now! Full disclosure: I prefer the rice.) </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBMqh_VFL76RRTuZtYeT8aksMfBhbUg2u-XPIBq3oYviDTlEVElYj7fATb8SFPqoidx2Flwe9MhFRmFhTBAo0Q1OGRE5yctZul8SQK_DA-3qlzzy34Ke_Naz_nXLh3TTHRtckOXmTEl73tMBxUUZaW6Qp4lZClxVwCSQfP9CH-KH5FGyHfAHF3X1D/s2871/3A42C5EF-CED9-4248-8774-3F8A35D2E818.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2030" data-original-width="2871" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBMqh_VFL76RRTuZtYeT8aksMfBhbUg2u-XPIBq3oYviDTlEVElYj7fATb8SFPqoidx2Flwe9MhFRmFhTBAo0Q1OGRE5yctZul8SQK_DA-3qlzzy34Ke_Naz_nXLh3TTHRtckOXmTEl73tMBxUUZaW6Qp4lZClxVwCSQfP9CH-KH5FGyHfAHF3X1D/s320/3A42C5EF-CED9-4248-8774-3F8A35D2E818.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us with Pastor Enosh’s family</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uswlYU5T0kraWH53DSqDdz0wjgTzvJrs7pPyJpvBVsqfNyx2L7eFHCqXQcN5ym-HbvzPPkrGxURvO_ZBCRSyJ8D1G13Mbg9G-KG5bm7yIwGcHnt-J1_sWjd6btt2bElbv0YQdL2iOjxLN77cAJtPuq8uNM_kvjfE6_PisUMFAEUddwmbuvvzV23u/s4032/830BFCEB-1D74-4C0C-B39D-2C7C0E21A401.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uswlYU5T0kraWH53DSqDdz0wjgTzvJrs7pPyJpvBVsqfNyx2L7eFHCqXQcN5ym-HbvzPPkrGxURvO_ZBCRSyJ8D1G13Mbg9G-KG5bm7yIwGcHnt-J1_sWjd6btt2bElbv0YQdL2iOjxLN77cAJtPuq8uNM_kvjfE6_PisUMFAEUddwmbuvvzV23u/s320/830BFCEB-1D74-4C0C-B39D-2C7C0E21A401.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole lunch group in front of Enosh’s house</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjRyT3F3QELshUz7i4tZrEpsLQOaKJ-36qsR7wi-LUHiTbjgNyxLQIXyVhIgIxH6AhA9elitJfGoJy0cejWTYpFemvCJtd_wmwxhbn__kM8NoHE_Y25_-1ZvaOh6dMV5P5EWSrO7kZbeNSgj-g1Stk5eGgOLS5PgpS4iwYOL8DZyMHr8utCXun5QU/s4032/9D58E09F-D714-49CD-9F8F-D3332B8C4E5F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjRyT3F3QELshUz7i4tZrEpsLQOaKJ-36qsR7wi-LUHiTbjgNyxLQIXyVhIgIxH6AhA9elitJfGoJy0cejWTYpFemvCJtd_wmwxhbn__kM8NoHE_Y25_-1ZvaOh6dMV5P5EWSrO7kZbeNSgj-g1Stk5eGgOLS5PgpS4iwYOL8DZyMHr8utCXun5QU/s320/9D58E09F-D714-49CD-9F8F-D3332B8C4E5F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Enosh’s house.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KCfK0g9ajxGFCAqc_1Qlre7wsxxbn5PCltQRxVUW4y8t0TRsoGswzMuQxil2KUzFBegZRLWS6DytXb-CrAUVvrvXXpD0EDb4zN8cuEA8wGGF7YUDaL0QLLRfzH88RZIooFRDdLICg_Erx0dm32uM-G_I_-MTcRtvvtNZObcy1JKWbsEVH1OBmUow/s4032/348D7712-771B-43C8-8327-35D12FDE46FC.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KCfK0g9ajxGFCAqc_1Qlre7wsxxbn5PCltQRxVUW4y8t0TRsoGswzMuQxil2KUzFBegZRLWS6DytXb-CrAUVvrvXXpD0EDb4zN8cuEA8wGGF7YUDaL0QLLRfzH88RZIooFRDdLICg_Erx0dm32uM-G_I_-MTcRtvvtNZObcy1JKWbsEVH1OBmUow/s320/348D7712-771B-43C8-8327-35D12FDE46FC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is here so that Pastor Gurath’s daughter, Evie knows that I’m here too. She’ll see pictures of her dad and ask, “Where’s Luke?” (I’m usually the one taking the photo). Here is “proof of life” that I am, in fact here with your dad, Evie 😊<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsTxfmSe7GyMjjXsCZTmLT7QZka9fqhcaZszduC2snnHQXTfCbg42VeCAvDzaugPSidBMEmd2pHgRpUC_FZkLagIy4c2UEL4E413Z3mVkTGB4poXqCuWSX9owJbP7fNRXpQ8WMUjYiPZqDMNmhVe1Zplx3DshTOYWEcNeWRDtkgurcplluXD8pTqF/s3829/3F8331D5-26F7-4B91-B48E-B3A4C01922D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3829" data-original-width="2250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsTxfmSe7GyMjjXsCZTmLT7QZka9fqhcaZszduC2snnHQXTfCbg42VeCAvDzaugPSidBMEmd2pHgRpUC_FZkLagIy4c2UEL4E413Z3mVkTGB4poXqCuWSX9owJbP7fNRXpQ8WMUjYiPZqDMNmhVe1Zplx3DshTOYWEcNeWRDtkgurcplluXD8pTqF/s320/3F8331D5-26F7-4B91-B48E-B3A4C01922D7.jpeg" width="188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new friend Mirabelle</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The rest of Sunday was spent back at the hotel getting some rest, having a relaxing dinner, and finishing up my preparations for the pastoral conference this week.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Monday morning we do the long drive to Matunda & the Moi’s Bridge area where our pastoral conference will be held.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">-Pastor Luke</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-77425159593713780732022-07-09T12:36:00.003-07:002022-07-09T12:36:44.792-07:00Church in Chotororo (That’s fun to say!)Saturday morning we headed to Chotororo for church with Pastor Fred's congregation. This area has a very large Seventh Day Adventist population so many other people we drove by were also going to church today. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n6Q--khqc8L-pac6gUX1-s0yYlrceljSUqYnuQLMCyExm_49OFaah7sGxTXhcQtkxFuGyYZ0QXWfItUb8bb1yuE2s55e3OqyqgbarPT3dLbohYxNh2GPoyuo7HKCYE6wdkjQD9E6kpfP-C7BEz_NevC-hm-wv-fJOMIYihfCULUlsEEi32PhpYAl/s4032/5E6C2B21-04A8-4FF6-B301-5E3BA3981F1C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n6Q--khqc8L-pac6gUX1-s0yYlrceljSUqYnuQLMCyExm_49OFaah7sGxTXhcQtkxFuGyYZ0QXWfItUb8bb1yuE2s55e3OqyqgbarPT3dLbohYxNh2GPoyuo7HKCYE6wdkjQD9E6kpfP-C7BEz_NevC-hm-wv-fJOMIYihfCULUlsEEi32PhpYAl/s320/5E6C2B21-04A8-4FF6-B301-5E3BA3981F1C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Fred’s house & small farm</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtZGFIBPowek7yso5AAji5f8elDzLNYlBLRVa7Dh28pPayCRtPopWWTshkL8sBZ-Np3wfOPOeB20Y_WNqdch6cEe3a4yM5cuU-efqFNV5l7ds_3i9LVexIFB4_9CiS3mjRVikbb31jLaJNXSLC7lWPab2qaAydrIU_KKSEFLuPq40Rjza2KBn42jC/s4032/84232C07-2D79-41A0-A517-CDDE1F93A870.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtZGFIBPowek7yso5AAji5f8elDzLNYlBLRVa7Dh28pPayCRtPopWWTshkL8sBZ-Np3wfOPOeB20Y_WNqdch6cEe3a4yM5cuU-efqFNV5l7ds_3i9LVexIFB4_9CiS3mjRVikbb31jLaJNXSLC7lWPab2qaAydrIU_KKSEFLuPq40Rjza2KBn42jC/s320/84232C07-2D79-41A0-A517-CDDE1F93A870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical busy “junction” at a town near our hotel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0-e_2-Ed0C0rKq__R20v2NXySwwTMxGpzYNfw_ws1eVX2WGCc6PKrroxb8u_Wys1gcrwmZgkCTHd-JYkV1t4jyXZVqlgOlhvY6Uw4o0zAHADmdg44iAPgPxm9VlalyzQq5p22jhGho2jDPQtaonT23DyhJ1b9rdmKff9h3mRc5D8sxweFnELZ0Y1/s4032/BEAC8DFE-FB55-4819-B552-CBE33891287F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0-e_2-Ed0C0rKq__R20v2NXySwwTMxGpzYNfw_ws1eVX2WGCc6PKrroxb8u_Wys1gcrwmZgkCTHd-JYkV1t4jyXZVqlgOlhvY6Uw4o0zAHADmdg44iAPgPxm9VlalyzQq5p22jhGho2jDPQtaonT23DyhJ1b9rdmKff9h3mRc5D8sxweFnELZ0Y1/s320/BEAC8DFE-FB55-4819-B552-CBE33891287F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It’s very common to see livestock (usually cattle, goats, or sheep) grazing in the ditches next to the roads and highways—even right in the middle of busy towns and shops.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div> A small gathering of 18 met for our worship service in Pastor Fred's house on the outskirts of town. Pastor Gurath preached on John 3:16 and reminded us of the awe and wonder of the Gospel of God's love for us in sending Jesus to save us. Even though that is a passage and a message that we are very familiar with, God's grace and salvation should still make us go "Wow!" in amazement and appreciation. I followed with a sermon from Luke 7:1-10 and the account of Jesus' healing the Centurion's servant. I encouraged the hearers with the message that the love, actions, humility, and trust that make up their faith in Jesus are strengthened by hearing and reading God's Word.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYwW1ZsXODVQgFqHtroa91v97zXEsXx349Rd3IU7C0A5GxNlj-CCCnuoUK11nwjkuPc9aq1tpdfC3eOMxUh8DbY_oz2j9hm_1v5ukXIZbCT-JQ7UgGTCDWKhvGEpi8cnCCYknD9VU_FNICr42M2HI-Us08N3fFnn6qGo1c_2s5G36_0jwOhfBoDGs/s4032/2F853548-1752-4FD7-895E-082B3280546D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYwW1ZsXODVQgFqHtroa91v97zXEsXx349Rd3IU7C0A5GxNlj-CCCnuoUK11nwjkuPc9aq1tpdfC3eOMxUh8DbY_oz2j9hm_1v5ukXIZbCT-JQ7UgGTCDWKhvGEpi8cnCCYknD9VU_FNICr42M2HI-Us08N3fFnn6qGo1c_2s5G36_0jwOhfBoDGs/s320/2F853548-1752-4FD7-895E-082B3280546D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The congregation gathered for todays “house church” worship service</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34tQFgN5mK2CmnojK-SrUovevLzP5Q_NFmt-W_s_3MWo3xkqCHg6nmcwq3h2Pq7XBr4DCih8jNUcOl2QvAhdEka8Qjk2D7vuXa--lYf0A5-ll7FPigXoDeHYlQWPi_S_2zlMhxNA2RTIrEIMipiWBeLrf3__3PZhRWPQhWUeaXplejBCS6coIMTpQ/s4032/7C00112D-6711-4E6A-B230-818C868DDED8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34tQFgN5mK2CmnojK-SrUovevLzP5Q_NFmt-W_s_3MWo3xkqCHg6nmcwq3h2Pq7XBr4DCih8jNUcOl2QvAhdEka8Qjk2D7vuXa--lYf0A5-ll7FPigXoDeHYlQWPi_S_2zlMhxNA2RTIrEIMipiWBeLrf3__3PZhRWPQhWUeaXplejBCS6coIMTpQ/s320/7C00112D-6711-4E6A-B230-818C868DDED8.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Fred with his infant granddaughter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYoDqVqR3hHSrVG3TEbZhZkOBRwMKRe8BmSj5yhG706xLuDdv_BPLtlj-NU0MXz43mnmYpiY0Nz9icLpukghD8vBroTH7jvTEzKDBA9FXDrtoASgsBrTd6p5Q07nEaaHq9eaOoEJC6ohVyTUSvbk2qZJN7-TvNcLmH6gZkYBkhv6ytoTWrRzYgWQq/s4032/AE6AFEFD-FD8F-4016-BA46-796571DE0D4D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYoDqVqR3hHSrVG3TEbZhZkOBRwMKRe8BmSj5yhG706xLuDdv_BPLtlj-NU0MXz43mnmYpiY0Nz9icLpukghD8vBroTH7jvTEzKDBA9FXDrtoASgsBrTd6p5Q07nEaaHq9eaOoEJC6ohVyTUSvbk2qZJN7-TvNcLmH6gZkYBkhv6ytoTWrRzYgWQq/s320/AE6AFEFD-FD8F-4016-BA46-796571DE0D4D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath delivering his sermon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After the service the women served us a delicious lunch of rice, chicken, and a cabbage side dish that tasted a bit like mild sauerkraut (maybe that's just the German in me talking).
After lunch we took a walk to town and went to the "weigh bridge" where they weigh the sugar cane trucks before and after they are loaded. I was given a stalk of sugar cane to chew on like the locals do. Spoiler alert: Sugar cane tastes sweet :)</div><div><br /></div><div> I made a few new little friends today pretty much the moment we got out of the car at Pastor Fred's. Two of his adorable grandchildren, James (4) and Esther (5), ran up to Pastor Gurath and me and were pretty much inseperable from us the entire time, both insisting on holding hands with us for the entire walk.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpVS7zSe7I1iypfoQRbW3lprHsep7qIZrfsKaLniy2QgllXOgRnxXnmgLsX_WpoO2ECIXvQ4qSSBj65U4dLpk5sN7x6H6Dbf3osFiMBhQBOHaK006Umc-ymd8srQbDKJCS7rwFLqWRD7O9dvDK7Dn6OFuXyO3V3r_xP4z9C_pUrGvmSBRiYvM4ag-/s3088/271F6F2D-E478-4399-B66B-25CD23206E59.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpVS7zSe7I1iypfoQRbW3lprHsep7qIZrfsKaLniy2QgllXOgRnxXnmgLsX_WpoO2ECIXvQ4qSSBj65U4dLpk5sN7x6H6Dbf3osFiMBhQBOHaK006Umc-ymd8srQbDKJCS7rwFLqWRD7O9dvDK7Dn6OFuXyO3V3r_xP4z9C_pUrGvmSBRiYvM4ag-/s320/271F6F2D-E478-4399-B66B-25CD23206E59.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new friend Esther</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQqazQU2xiDC9lKrSswraaFpzvDxhB9Njzq18cGQke_M6y07W9-KA2loIljqK96lhTzHZANZvoxbf-fw47AxWQkPLBk4KTiLJ49rZiAwbcUaknSOjw2plXObjc6gTFv87aKS3IKFpDE-_rRIF_4R9Hb8tRRUmhDdJ_4mU-okJZENG9ANZyPB67PID/s3088/B302017E-3F78-4337-9947-87A923A2A461.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQqazQU2xiDC9lKrSswraaFpzvDxhB9Njzq18cGQke_M6y07W9-KA2loIljqK96lhTzHZANZvoxbf-fw47AxWQkPLBk4KTiLJ49rZiAwbcUaknSOjw2plXObjc6gTFv87aKS3IKFpDE-_rRIF_4R9Hb8tRRUmhDdJ_4mU-okJZENG9ANZyPB67PID/s320/B302017E-3F78-4337-9947-87A923A2A461.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My other new friend, James</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp6FN72clL4GFvjKxR5T5BoCtmZ_Leke9oBVKg7EqMrZ3bJUsOwynvijXl10FYU1x_U_qBBohRq-IUeq7yAJmiJatJF6RzB8eBAvvG0aoCETtSyXgWM67MKUD6hGzAfBoq_NXrtNO73YLQ_6UYgqXbuIlLQYvrKJGv6pqFVHuUCKn7sl9xMhX_CcV/s4032/357A2148-CC61-45B3-8BBD-F959DC812065.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp6FN72clL4GFvjKxR5T5BoCtmZ_Leke9oBVKg7EqMrZ3bJUsOwynvijXl10FYU1x_U_qBBohRq-IUeq7yAJmiJatJF6RzB8eBAvvG0aoCETtSyXgWM67MKUD6hGzAfBoq_NXrtNO73YLQ_6UYgqXbuIlLQYvrKJGv6pqFVHuUCKn7sl9xMhX_CcV/s320/357A2148-CC61-45B3-8BBD-F959DC812065.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The young people of our “nature walk” into Chotororororo (<-- I added on an extra “roro” but I bet you didn’t notice!)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-mzIPrSkBY0hRtRTkduJamnDsFEgwdJi4pMnPUjm6ji043iwuJwrCVZ8f-b4lBl4SrxUPdkKep22lUxla8qGre4cn-YQaLPva2Zuc347VBIBaXxB1DI1O9_j-EDWClKDmV_nA4_-KBpiYJ-K8We1EroH788UPZNp4SV1k8MKwrBHg6h6Kb0hCvZy/s4032/73D340B9-8064-4456-8607-C7B692CA9A19.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-mzIPrSkBY0hRtRTkduJamnDsFEgwdJi4pMnPUjm6ji043iwuJwrCVZ8f-b4lBl4SrxUPdkKep22lUxla8qGre4cn-YQaLPva2Zuc347VBIBaXxB1DI1O9_j-EDWClKDmV_nA4_-KBpiYJ-K8We1EroH788UPZNp4SV1k8MKwrBHg6h6Kb0hCvZy/s320/73D340B9-8064-4456-8607-C7B692CA9A19.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weigh bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKpz5C_P8EPuFTPoLf9AK7pbNuz7_x68D68fWcCIDVPWm1QebKgkoQCkmVrjY0iO872fG1Kgad1bqg5dHsYUGnbHeQElk5yC4irCXDjRhLeIIdkASa-ux-YjSh1StLYOG89rf7Usb-jcirHeGw7FrxTCpxcMOHpOS7fE0eMLi6rgJQ81FPmJrI1V/s3088/B9FF5A40-1378-415F-B0E3-680324449B66.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKpz5C_P8EPuFTPoLf9AK7pbNuz7_x68D68fWcCIDVPWm1QebKgkoQCkmVrjY0iO872fG1Kgad1bqg5dHsYUGnbHeQElk5yC4irCXDjRhLeIIdkASa-ux-YjSh1StLYOG89rf7Usb-jcirHeGw7FrxTCpxcMOHpOS7fE0eMLi6rgJQ81FPmJrI1V/s320/B9FF5A40-1378-415F-B0E3-680324449B66.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biting into a stalk of sugar cane.<br />I like to say, “I’ll try pretty much anything once…but maybe just once!”</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div> After our walk we all prayed together and said our good byes. </div><div><br /></div><div> Back at the hotel we got some rest, worked on preparations for the upcoming pastoral conference next Tues.-Thurs., and ate dinner at our usual outdoor table at the hotel restaraunt. The sun sets early here near the equator (6:48pm) so after dinner we turned in to our hotel room.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRMTRVJIjFMSjH2rGN-Qg2qg5kWCY_oAUBxF6CjrYBKbeuk_cf3OZkB70WWHvnYxAXLWCamnqfXQxdFsBxfmtC-C9LWDOH6Q3dSiwMeTHRqYp9dflC9wwK34V7sY7-9HCOIOGcrCBvOszv8CE0ro1gNyZKKgmipvzV_VqX0OOgWes7dhGFuGII6gT/s4032/1CACD4C9-A1F3-4C8C-9E8E-313EF07BD1E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRMTRVJIjFMSjH2rGN-Qg2qg5kWCY_oAUBxF6CjrYBKbeuk_cf3OZkB70WWHvnYxAXLWCamnqfXQxdFsBxfmtC-C9LWDOH6Q3dSiwMeTHRqYp9dflC9wwK34V7sY7-9HCOIOGcrCBvOszv8CE0ro1gNyZKKgmipvzV_VqX0OOgWes7dhGFuGII6gT/s320/1CACD4C9-A1F3-4C8C-9E8E-313EF07BD1E6.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our outdoor table at our hotel: Maya at Holiday Point<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div> Tomorrow morning we head back to St. David's in Etago for church at 9am.</div></div>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-6078078209783301552022-07-08T13:31:00.003-07:002022-07-10T23:53:28.298-07:00St. David’s School <p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Friday we spent the day at St. David’s School in Etago. St. David’s is a school that was established back in 2002 and is sponsored by the CLC’s Kinship committee, of which I have been the secretary since 2010. Being on this committee, which helps support the students, orphans, and widows of our overseas missions, you can imagine how eager I was to finally see the school and to meet the students, teachers, and pastors whom I have been hearing about and praying for for years. </span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLkYzZMRq8YDbn3VKB668hPyUfbYlRB7oAEKKWuJDi8-9Ktv0seqktaTRTzwqKL9R6wdpwXvrQZ_-pdwn52h7y7thL7p08xb5UttScVZIZWx6gDw59faAP2uq4JO6zY4JUiIjTsZefQz-kWKAnkTrEcs_ENkBGchozcUEjKTFCibvg8vvZ5tUWJdP/s4032/6057CF02-01C2-4AFA-BA60-655A07D52C8C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLkYzZMRq8YDbn3VKB668hPyUfbYlRB7oAEKKWuJDi8-9Ktv0seqktaTRTzwqKL9R6wdpwXvrQZ_-pdwn52h7y7thL7p08xb5UttScVZIZWx6gDw59faAP2uq4JO6zY4JUiIjTsZefQz-kWKAnkTrEcs_ENkBGchozcUEjKTFCibvg8vvZ5tUWJdP/s320/6057CF02-01C2-4AFA-BA60-655A07D52C8C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7th & 8th grade students at St. David’s<span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qOVRmZS6ZyKXz8K-Qetj5EonnGPidpOmqlanJaxQMA79cgOFzCeRRdlvC2a8ybuSFOe6pIKvcg6QNTN-vh4xf0XE6274r6mkVH6tszs2-kvWiByVA-YPLl2MGXlcrLSSVMVLAkuZE6UkgYYIilSzP7iNfJiOOnTVvw0Q7jshl2Af_I3yIaI_DLxV/s4032/4372F346-41C2-4F9A-B99D-A752F3BEF9A2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qOVRmZS6ZyKXz8K-Qetj5EonnGPidpOmqlanJaxQMA79cgOFzCeRRdlvC2a8ybuSFOe6pIKvcg6QNTN-vh4xf0XE6274r6mkVH6tszs2-kvWiByVA-YPLl2MGXlcrLSSVMVLAkuZE6UkgYYIilSzP7iNfJiOOnTVvw0Q7jshl2Af_I3yIaI_DLxV/s320/4372F346-41C2-4F9A-B99D-A752F3BEF9A2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPZNM3AWCjGUI9d58FipAYbJF09uJ9kfbdQ-Kftt-LYy-tAswmbTV4Zc1bDkyozUwTT5MFmrT16dGpRmvV_V6E09ml6138zKB3q-4R5WjD-Bl2-jGCAKSTHquqQMJDPGkn-tlvY4Z1nUPmo-ZtvvzM3DdNyFOpFU4pFDgs2MY-xnDrSxjCqD_mVA2/s4032/5EE45D3E-57B6-43DE-8D2E-433AFFC65A6E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPZNM3AWCjGUI9d58FipAYbJF09uJ9kfbdQ-Kftt-LYy-tAswmbTV4Zc1bDkyozUwTT5MFmrT16dGpRmvV_V6E09ml6138zKB3q-4R5WjD-Bl2-jGCAKSTHquqQMJDPGkn-tlvY4Z1nUPmo-ZtvvzM3DdNyFOpFU4pFDgs2MY-xnDrSxjCqD_mVA2/s320/5EE45D3E-57B6-43DE-8D2E-433AFFC65A6E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGPw7SUwBiMPz6UChI4eAicUYr0T6xILUhmLfO1py9MpFheRZ0Tc6WJRRwHlz1J0vmf9PHex_8uk-cJ43YEmV5a90IBOlfA1lvt-EjNYO7adpY839UnDPX1XaMbLmWVFxfnh5Ca1jieO8pe9bpJ66KztOg79s2XSe7ml4J_uVv4A8Tc6D8FvDysnf/s4032/21AB9FA5-1195-419C-961E-12DFB915F7C9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGPw7SUwBiMPz6UChI4eAicUYr0T6xILUhmLfO1py9MpFheRZ0Tc6WJRRwHlz1J0vmf9PHex_8uk-cJ43YEmV5a90IBOlfA1lvt-EjNYO7adpY839UnDPX1XaMbLmWVFxfnh5Ca1jieO8pe9bpJ66KztOg79s2XSe7ml4J_uVv4A8Tc6D8FvDysnf/s320/21AB9FA5-1195-419C-961E-12DFB915F7C9.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Only the 7th-8th grade students were in session at this time, so unfortunately we were not able to meet all the students. However, the teachers were all there since we were having a teacher training seminar. The students welcomed us with a welcome song as we arrived, and then presented a program to us which consisted of reciting Bible passages and singing several songs in both Swahili and English. Their Bible passage recitations were well done and their beautiful singing voices (without accompaniment) were a delight to listen to. Pastor Gurath and I then were invited to share a Word from God with them. Pastor Gurath shared a devotion based on Noah and the Great Flood. After which I shared a devotion based on the life of Joseph from the Old Testament. Pastor Enosh translated for us, just to make sure the children understood everything we were saying to them.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During our break time I was able to take pictures of and with the children and chat with them. I asked them lots of questions about school, and life in Kenya, and what they wanted to be when they grew up (several even said they wanted to be pastors). After a while they started asking me questions and didn’t believe me when they asked my age (their first guess was 25–did I mention how much I really loved meeting these children 😁).</span></div></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIGc60dJsxj48LnOz7HOk_HLb_wxF7jdCq312ayHJfAJU_-UtvMiLRKyuck2y2pCFgK6-M9I2JH2UY1RQ6bZP3Tvab2uP1GUi7QXoBuja4GtpT681INjXofTIhSF8ursqTSh_MzKRTCgJj2cyqpGqfrh1uKslw9JgwLIg4HEOF66J3npDvXWNnlSh/s4032/9AA3AEF1-144D-4FF6-AB09-51AB8B9D4225.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIGc60dJsxj48LnOz7HOk_HLb_wxF7jdCq312ayHJfAJU_-UtvMiLRKyuck2y2pCFgK6-M9I2JH2UY1RQ6bZP3Tvab2uP1GUi7QXoBuja4GtpT681INjXofTIhSF8ursqTSh_MzKRTCgJj2cyqpGqfrh1uKslw9JgwLIg4HEOF66J3npDvXWNnlSh/s320/9AA3AEF1-144D-4FF6-AB09-51AB8B9D4225.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn6nCo03XwIQcCM-HukaxErP9SnqC4YLFk0HUTo5xYbLtbvjdvZroRvJg45IFDfpfiEYeGJMchQvlkYujMS_qXvUnBDIDGvLshrH_e5xl3J52QxjnG10i9sYIKT_thL9XghldUM7ZcLPCNx52NC4uwT-rqoLu3ZetEzV41VS26g6K9_auWmVZEKVd/s4032/9C009D2D-C261-4068-82A9-FDB1D33E8C17.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn6nCo03XwIQcCM-HukaxErP9SnqC4YLFk0HUTo5xYbLtbvjdvZroRvJg45IFDfpfiEYeGJMchQvlkYujMS_qXvUnBDIDGvLshrH_e5xl3J52QxjnG10i9sYIKT_thL9XghldUM7ZcLPCNx52NC4uwT-rqoLu3ZetEzV41VS26g6K9_auWmVZEKVd/s320/9C009D2D-C261-4068-82A9-FDB1D33E8C17.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEts19BSPiO_DDaJmDN_SdbrgYgyealrglPZSIJTYSqR_QcPtdJ30-x-PJCHSL4vQflu4BIJDcw26Apj19yTJDxUOIxVT60WzfGGYb7bBsRzGVWHedqQBJc6GqDPPc-KUpfd45qHv1eXVY_-GeIdVv9lp8Id43IaM2B8z9v2zBBFHy5IVJ36Iyv1YJ/s4032/889C88D4-6465-4E82-B166-D055421EC602.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEts19BSPiO_DDaJmDN_SdbrgYgyealrglPZSIJTYSqR_QcPtdJ30-x-PJCHSL4vQflu4BIJDcw26Apj19yTJDxUOIxVT60WzfGGYb7bBsRzGVWHedqQBJc6GqDPPc-KUpfd45qHv1eXVY_-GeIdVv9lp8Id43IaM2B8z9v2zBBFHy5IVJ36Iyv1YJ/s320/889C88D4-6465-4E82-B166-D055421EC602.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOI4Tu658MG8EFGo0byvVAAs1bZWV6_H0wMs-lWoAsJC7BDhxZaZXpyXXEBEB5Gwudl1WsZ9EQlKc45wpp7UXorwtLIgHzuJUodXLl4nUCRm8nuoJLrHHTsatWwgamlx7S2eYVaUqFHXZKyKmQCx_JjuJAs_DDu8VQpH9PFc6dKORQHF9GiSOaAih/s4032/60180C92-D2FC-4836-A29D-1C8255006ACD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOI4Tu658MG8EFGo0byvVAAs1bZWV6_H0wMs-lWoAsJC7BDhxZaZXpyXXEBEB5Gwudl1WsZ9EQlKc45wpp7UXorwtLIgHzuJUodXLl4nUCRm8nuoJLrHHTsatWwgamlx7S2eYVaUqFHXZKyKmQCx_JjuJAs_DDu8VQpH9PFc6dKORQHF9GiSOaAih/s320/60180C92-D2FC-4836-A29D-1C8255006ACD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNDkT7Ch4FnRlJEYLLnBlhqdp9E4c04ijIogZWnrfxeWPUv5dPrSS2IueCa9FBgod3k9dq_8u5zA0rRKTGjai6AGEd2h7SFNC_SzMCTevhPXdBEi3empvd95dlsiuTlIXYh6Wzn6-8pUNYaDIqFj66pw4X8SmZ9cIwpJO3XGqCJCcuI00P39UDx_q/s4032/A1DFC160-C211-49DD-B090-BD7AFC0C30CE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNDkT7Ch4FnRlJEYLLnBlhqdp9E4c04ijIogZWnrfxeWPUv5dPrSS2IueCa9FBgod3k9dq_8u5zA0rRKTGjai6AGEd2h7SFNC_SzMCTevhPXdBEi3empvd95dlsiuTlIXYh6Wzn6-8pUNYaDIqFj66pw4X8SmZ9cIwpJO3XGqCJCcuI00P39UDx_q/s320/A1DFC160-C211-49DD-B090-BD7AFC0C30CE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbeYtRXn03vT-4uYw1bCNTz9ZnxWxLL0djwgojgAYlrWHTQmDvNXrkUjgVNxbIBAElUC5X7Ml8Vpzz8SzTgkCG6bUqW_GDCF5Eg9zuTz_4K64ZvzjldCReo5MEzqIq11ByUcuZKfj5gKM-o_xl1fS2UlIv_HRgH6w2fBAnWSl15b4OfwdO5raHPZv/s4032/AE23C053-514E-4547-BB43-9618327F2B98.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbeYtRXn03vT-4uYw1bCNTz9ZnxWxLL0djwgojgAYlrWHTQmDvNXrkUjgVNxbIBAElUC5X7Ml8Vpzz8SzTgkCG6bUqW_GDCF5Eg9zuTz_4K64ZvzjldCReo5MEzqIq11ByUcuZKfj5gKM-o_xl1fS2UlIv_HRgH6w2fBAnWSl15b4OfwdO5raHPZv/s320/AE23C053-514E-4547-BB43-9618327F2B98.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCt-ykkFWK73b-HowQig5BDmt1UZ05iQAhGF7BzNXKZVsbOj5NRIaePcYc-MNYt4vU0b_XL4WsB2KCABleA4YOa8488vmmFxvhmrP8S-j4uCArZ8ETDrNQQ6WR4iC4XM7tPxDPp0fYN113z2fm7uI2Qp8JjQWXgE2SUxLImhp2RmOrAB2qSE9M9FVV/s4032/D04051C0-C76F-43C2-8C79-4F42A1D6AE40.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCt-ykkFWK73b-HowQig5BDmt1UZ05iQAhGF7BzNXKZVsbOj5NRIaePcYc-MNYt4vU0b_XL4WsB2KCABleA4YOa8488vmmFxvhmrP8S-j4uCArZ8ETDrNQQ6WR4iC4XM7tPxDPp0fYN113z2fm7uI2Qp8JjQWXgE2SUxLImhp2RmOrAB2qSE9M9FVV/s320/D04051C0-C76F-43C2-8C79-4F42A1D6AE40.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the St. David’s students at break time</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Pastor Gurath lead the teacher training seminar which reviewed some of the main points of Bible teaching. This seminar took up much of the rest of the day. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gd1BFPMolu9DyDG_m_J1pSsOi9n73BJx1gxka-sgYTQUppT1cVWWBdX9ozSdMfV6AAigbkKzgBMUdM2GWeUHXxXIx8bgOvqajEjW3EMMeBdUGdNUG-9sGusC_XHlhYDidGZtrA3DL1gqrxXvML3p3UpfxH1b-2WoGHpQEbTtxwy_SqjRiBKDXXmf/s3936/8A17313D-4251-4446-8D25-FCD02FE46D4E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3936" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gd1BFPMolu9DyDG_m_J1pSsOi9n73BJx1gxka-sgYTQUppT1cVWWBdX9ozSdMfV6AAigbkKzgBMUdM2GWeUHXxXIx8bgOvqajEjW3EMMeBdUGdNUG-9sGusC_XHlhYDidGZtrA3DL1gqrxXvML3p3UpfxH1b-2WoGHpQEbTtxwy_SqjRiBKDXXmf/s320/8A17313D-4251-4446-8D25-FCD02FE46D4E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Gurath leading the teacher’s seminar</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7sLpVkPlsSr9sE_pR35TrEk-9foUCKo05_QBjtTYjG0xdia8RCmMws_YYeA01Nw4SFF6S-cU6QpSwkTp3jLKETSxI7V_kl-sfCG23a_GitOVCMGou6posMrfMt-9oDObfUF4rB6BaESyH8-73RyAbBUxD4CN27dodRnYu2fiH2pChEvpVQ43vLD0/s4032/3F234E6F-59ED-4B6D-A70A-9E5F2989ADDF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7sLpVkPlsSr9sE_pR35TrEk-9foUCKo05_QBjtTYjG0xdia8RCmMws_YYeA01Nw4SFF6S-cU6QpSwkTp3jLKETSxI7V_kl-sfCG23a_GitOVCMGou6posMrfMt-9oDObfUF4rB6BaESyH8-73RyAbBUxD4CN27dodRnYu2fiH2pChEvpVQ43vLD0/s320/3F234E6F-59ED-4B6D-A70A-9E5F2989ADDF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the teachers with me at break time </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OtjRbVZSwXYLRQQJpUS2Q-EI7hWC8E-fZ_RzF6551xjPvulYZ6-Iu_bRZFBhmnVdUB_Lht4vdVhgkFezp_gx8q3ynuJmCLLB6Acl3urK6V4X-XucG2G0tIOid_ueVkcPcViCXfKGE2ga3nzTE3SmEgscEyoiUQQLYauvPaI19ijqBp2erWi1QDEA/s4032/5A7C7288-CAF0-491C-9ECC-D5FA4205CF1D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OtjRbVZSwXYLRQQJpUS2Q-EI7hWC8E-fZ_RzF6551xjPvulYZ6-Iu_bRZFBhmnVdUB_Lht4vdVhgkFezp_gx8q3ynuJmCLLB6Acl3urK6V4X-XucG2G0tIOid_ueVkcPcViCXfKGE2ga3nzTE3SmEgscEyoiUQQLYauvPaI19ijqBp2erWi1QDEA/s320/5A7C7288-CAF0-491C-9ECC-D5FA4205CF1D.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. David’s head teacher, Benard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrNNuoqHlw1vtETVVZPR-OYQonRN-zn4JLuPaYWgBfHUkV7NokVxw4UAC3v7a1MC5FxCYbLRPUmvialngKxTZPZG9ZF1GSfvnfp9gMQ00ZPvcjE03QtwoWATgvP5pE9qNsyvUG40V09QMhbsS1QeJxC4-7XHchvD8e_iZeFYM5Ky8Q-hl6S8xaDNz/s4032/DFF02C4F-B572-4C28-8D86-1F8B84EF11E5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrNNuoqHlw1vtETVVZPR-OYQonRN-zn4JLuPaYWgBfHUkV7NokVxw4UAC3v7a1MC5FxCYbLRPUmvialngKxTZPZG9ZF1GSfvnfp9gMQ00ZPvcjE03QtwoWATgvP5pE9qNsyvUG40V09QMhbsS1QeJxC4-7XHchvD8e_iZeFYM5Ky8Q-hl6S8xaDNz/s320/DFF02C4F-B572-4C28-8D86-1F8B84EF11E5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the teachers and pastors at the seminar (including the cook!)</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For lunch we went to Pastor Joshua’s house which is just across the road and up the hill a bit from the school. His wife, Josephine, graciously prepared the pastors (5 of us) and our driver a delicious meal of rice and stew. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, the generosity and hospitality of that the people we have met continues to amaze and inspire me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Their adorable little grandchildren waved and smiled at us from the windows while we ate. The people of the small towns in Kenya don’t see many “wazungus” (sp?) (meaning, “white man”) so Pastor Gurath and I are kind of a “novelty” to see, esp for the children. They will usually light up with a big smile if you smile and wave at them! </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aFytCHQ7fjtvVxoyxfAFXWAyo9x-cMHSs9akpxxXywuSbPsuo5YbdHNIHOkyH2zuEE15GQr6MHaXYrGySiK4RfHYsuDBHuzcaQF-5wfoWuwrZJzVlLf-4SQXrJVQNRscq0TayhdP96QqpQOtazxHekZtKhb7Ad-fH50Lb2_Z5Xp8ylEnBhlPKXkh/s4032/AAB6C809-94B7-47D3-BD7A-15880D2BAB98.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aFytCHQ7fjtvVxoyxfAFXWAyo9x-cMHSs9akpxxXywuSbPsuo5YbdHNIHOkyH2zuEE15GQr6MHaXYrGySiK4RfHYsuDBHuzcaQF-5wfoWuwrZJzVlLf-4SQXrJVQNRscq0TayhdP96QqpQOtazxHekZtKhb7Ad-fH50Lb2_Z5Xp8ylEnBhlPKXkh/s320/AAB6C809-94B7-47D3-BD7A-15880D2BAB98.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandchildren waiving and making smiley faces at us during lunch time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq-G9YH9W2SpYJMdVQTGKByVgd6IPEcvG4sXWaqTKLHfqw3Rf3jGLd-R0hwy9aoFf3urCtxKLvM0u3GXPQK58vOCW4GBboXkyNZC6wpwZEZ0J24DXzDsMlazjKAnoksd5P6IBeYDhLvRCH53PI0JxN9iMwpOt1JZsCzE9NMBeZB9BRMd5MA28nONK/s4032/FB747055-43ED-4206-BDBF-B6CAE9D529F6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq-G9YH9W2SpYJMdVQTGKByVgd6IPEcvG4sXWaqTKLHfqw3Rf3jGLd-R0hwy9aoFf3urCtxKLvM0u3GXPQK58vOCW4GBboXkyNZC6wpwZEZ0J24DXzDsMlazjKAnoksd5P6IBeYDhLvRCH53PI0JxN9iMwpOt1JZsCzE9NMBeZB9BRMd5MA28nONK/s320/FB747055-43ED-4206-BDBF-B6CAE9D529F6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Joshua, his wife, Josephine, and two of their granddaughters </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After lunch we said our goodbyes to the students and teachers. On our way back to the hotel that afternoon we stopped at a town called Tabaka, which is known for its soapstone carving, and we did a little ”curio” (gift/souvenir) shopping there.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZUnMJXh5DEQaTv55tQLL20pNsnE7dXEGsw8xN2q8yW7zRkby6AK2ym6K9Ha08V96ek3tXeUCIbX5nbqwLLdEvdIY4beIPP6sCDBqy21kv8YJtNPbSIGEgada0XjKlrV9iQZb2UoRJ0_d_4EkYZO7_4IBJRkU1Qk9VS3QvRWKT96YqLilCGLDd8eV/s4032/0FC326D2-EEA0-403E-8B48-371A3A392F1A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZUnMJXh5DEQaTv55tQLL20pNsnE7dXEGsw8xN2q8yW7zRkby6AK2ym6K9Ha08V96ek3tXeUCIbX5nbqwLLdEvdIY4beIPP6sCDBqy21kv8YJtNPbSIGEgada0XjKlrV9iQZb2UoRJ0_d_4EkYZO7_4IBJRkU1Qk9VS3QvRWKT96YqLilCGLDd8eV/s320/0FC326D2-EEA0-403E-8B48-371A3A392F1A.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children from the area who stopped by to check out the day’s events & play in the school yard</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyE3ZcUz_UNCsQMS7MrRrE7KEvIIlytgGYLKtIrW9d_VKTmrIf50EQnvM8gKHieEcbKEwaB_Bv4SKbrfZ4NduOj-a7BPcAOIWKVubRfxmdwSrJFPkHipVES32h9TbeZwpTsaR3QpGbqkDuOyKUDqOLpIQl9b1q49gw1UpdfMNh-ZOfnTQJhWySF8v/s4032/5651F748-C350-4E4C-9810-60BC06296B87.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyE3ZcUz_UNCsQMS7MrRrE7KEvIIlytgGYLKtIrW9d_VKTmrIf50EQnvM8gKHieEcbKEwaB_Bv4SKbrfZ4NduOj-a7BPcAOIWKVubRfxmdwSrJFPkHipVES32h9TbeZwpTsaR3QpGbqkDuOyKUDqOLpIQl9b1q49gw1UpdfMNh-ZOfnTQJhWySF8v/s320/5651F748-C350-4E4C-9810-60BC06296B87.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The area in which the school is located has beautiful hills and mountains covered in trees and tea farms and other vegetation. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">-Pastor Luke</span></p>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-22166470715360110402022-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:002022-07-08T12:13:28.166-07:00Driving Across Kenya<p><span dir="ltr" face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-touch-callout: none; color: #201f1e; font-size: inherit; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 120, 212);">Thursday morning</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt;">we made a stop at the Lutheran Heritage Foundation in Karen to pick up Swahili catechisms for use in the schools we support. We talked with the men in charge of the LHF for a while and they described for us the translation work that they do of Lutheran materials (such as catechisms, the Book of Concord, various writings of Martin Luther, Lutheran pamphlets and tracts, hymnals, etc.) into various African languages and dialects. They do not charge for their materials, but send whatever is needed to churches and schools that request them. They sent us on our way with 50 Catechisms (the full-sized book kind which include questions and answers and Bible Passages) and 72 booklet-sized Small Catechisms. </span></p><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-size: 16px;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">We then made the long drive across central and western Kenya from the Nairobi area to the Kisii area. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRF5EqrOSphBeq-rM0mdCAz79cBXebS9sTg2AdSlrHnAzJQbAq5P-MhnBvzr1hE-aOTnabmlfKvGSeKJPyVVf0GpT5PKlXzLdRFcPbxINU3APZq3b6JoY4hW8iPfrTVhM4S9fIsp4csWWPHefo6T1dKNrTNCHGmXXReIat3lI7YSCsCopqgToqbCCm/s4032/5262F16F-9DF4-4915-9E56-5C72AA3BA3C8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRF5EqrOSphBeq-rM0mdCAz79cBXebS9sTg2AdSlrHnAzJQbAq5P-MhnBvzr1hE-aOTnabmlfKvGSeKJPyVVf0GpT5PKlXzLdRFcPbxINU3APZq3b6JoY4hW8iPfrTVhM4S9fIsp4csWWPHefo6T1dKNrTNCHGmXXReIat3lI7YSCsCopqgToqbCCm/s320/5262F16F-9DF4-4915-9E56-5C72AA3BA3C8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Rift Valley</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd6oP635maHifoYcDh43QP85arl0y-JjMpM0sIMGSC4_i7s05bsb28th7qbeGBiEf40N4moZEk4DGAJ93MbDRITCCAdEc-X7tmpapdGI84Ws7gCOONM7ev2bYYJTP5dGZx79dvBLAS4UCMoaZ8LxvIL0OevYAsSTnaaMh8IBj6-1_QjF4x9I6O564/s4032/EBF8E9E3-3423-40ED-A7C4-B7E2A5A54CDB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd6oP635maHifoYcDh43QP85arl0y-JjMpM0sIMGSC4_i7s05bsb28th7qbeGBiEf40N4moZEk4DGAJ93MbDRITCCAdEc-X7tmpapdGI84Ws7gCOONM7ev2bYYJTP5dGZx79dvBLAS4UCMoaZ8LxvIL0OevYAsSTnaaMh8IBj6-1_QjF4x9I6O564/s320/EBF8E9E3-3423-40ED-A7C4-B7E2A5A54CDB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A “Curio” (gift) shop on the edge of the mountain road</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Along the way we drove on a steep mountain road overlooking the famous Great Rift Valley. The photos I took while the car was speeding down the mountain road to not do justice to just how vast and impressive the view of the valley actually is. There were many “curio” (gift) shops on the side of the side of the steep mountain, most of which looked like they were just about ready to slide right down the mountain at any moment! There were also many people on the sides of the road selling roasted maize (corn). In fact, on almost any road in Kenya (including busy, congested highways) you will find people on the sides of the road (or even between the lanes of traffic) selling many different items and various kinds of food (including live chickens!). Our driver noted that this mountain road was one of the most dangerous in Kenya. We certainly believed him. Driving/traveling on Kenyan roads is not for the faint of heart. We are thankful for our skilled driver–and thankful to the Lord for His protection!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5;">Our trip was not completely uneventful, however, as we were pulled over twice by police. Once our driver was required to give the policeman “a little something” (cash) to avoid getting a speeding ticket. The next time we were pulled over a very stern looking policeman approached my window and asked Pastor Gurath and myself, “Are you Kenyans?” (Apparently he and I don’t look like Kenyans!). When we said “No,” he asked to see our “permits” (passports). We showed him our passports which have valid East Africa Tourist Visas affixed to them and he let us go. Once again, we are thankful for the Lord’s protection. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; text-align: start;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">We arrived at our hotel near Kisii safely <span dir="ltr" style="-webkit-touch-callout: none; font-size: inherit; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 120, 212);">on Thursday evening</span> after more than 7hrs in the car and met with Pastors Enosh and Joshua and chatted over a spicy hot ginger drink called “dawa” (which means “medicine” in Swahili). Even with a good amount of honey in it, it was very “spicy” with strong ginger, lemon, and garlic. It definitely cleared out the sinuses and lungs after a long and dusty day’s drive! We presented Pastor Enosh with a laptop that was supplied by the Mission Board to assist in his pastoral with his congregation and our Kinship school, St. David’s, in the small town of Etago. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">- Pastor Luke</span></p></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-74987088657638618432022-07-06T22:47:00.000-07:002022-07-06T22:47:36.885-07:00First Time in Africa: The View from the New Guy<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">After a long, long day (or was it two days?--Kenya is 10 hours ahead of the Pacific TimeZone, so that kinda messes with you!) we arrived at our hotel at the Nairobi Airport. We were greeted there with signs in the airport that said, “Welcome to Magical Kenya.” </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_x717a9ub0COSZ9DGNBK_QY69bCZD6AjQ9kcl9wg-TFJPLUEnw9FRIMMKGKsgV49AKMQZ-cuEhuSbnkJZi5TO9_pocgQ7GVkD4Nu7qqb16NT09Tjd9iQ7e-1ycip1U9DzJ7falug8swjVIXP9jdxHLvyR7EtRWDMq0qJWR8_9cDqQKqdMC6AKLa3/s4032/906AC6A0-DEA0-4CFB-B68D-BAAC9488C11A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.333333015441895px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_x717a9ub0COSZ9DGNBK_QY69bCZD6AjQ9kcl9wg-TFJPLUEnw9FRIMMKGKsgV49AKMQZ-cuEhuSbnkJZi5TO9_pocgQ7GVkD4Nu7qqb16NT09Tjd9iQ7e-1ycip1U9DzJ7falug8swjVIXP9jdxHLvyR7EtRWDMq0qJWR8_9cDqQKqdMC6AKLa3/s320/906AC6A0-DEA0-4CFB-B68D-BAAC9488C11A.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hWcTtkjhmWDLfuKNl8-oLx4RpMCsMrqk0cDSiRxe2TNyx0I6wWUOezTZULM_xv5_xRGz2-r1ADnPN5LewfDaB__xAtV8nIb2g_rk8Iq17xf4JaffBXrIP-MiOO_fugmrAyFVin-tP7frISzBzB-AMhS48Vf9DDeGTYY7-yOFQeshClAOc7q9qr_E/s4032/AB969621-BFB1-4FD8-ABFA-B4F7ECFC3787.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.333333015441895px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hWcTtkjhmWDLfuKNl8-oLx4RpMCsMrqk0cDSiRxe2TNyx0I6wWUOezTZULM_xv5_xRGz2-r1ADnPN5LewfDaB__xAtV8nIb2g_rk8Iq17xf4JaffBXrIP-MiOO_fugmrAyFVin-tP7frISzBzB-AMhS48Vf9DDeGTYY7-yOFQeshClAOc7q9qr_E/s320/AB969621-BFB1-4FD8-ABFA-B4F7ECFC3787.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">After a good night's sleep we headed out with our driver, Dan, to the Lutheran School of Theology, an independent Lutheran seminary/farm/small village in the beautiful Kenyan countryside near the town of Kimuka. We were grateful for a four-wheel drive vehicle as some of the roads out in the country were very rough and rocky. </span></p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhmP9dpDfqA5xx2JIUVnY3BzgxnSjKOUTv2CkxAGR_qWSejBfTr7JLrbs8EbpEY-YJ0kfmSbm4J8vV793PYU5AxbAHyrSvdAbn0TppZIIzQN7Qb7_AcsB_DwLeUeI0VjEYdRPCOiCE-L2CfGmu-erU2fWigpvGavw0Yt5m1oogUETRxFyohudiqBA/s4032/BCE9557A-B840-43E3-BF46-C02CACD21C07.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.333333015441895px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhmP9dpDfqA5xx2JIUVnY3BzgxnSjKOUTv2CkxAGR_qWSejBfTr7JLrbs8EbpEY-YJ0kfmSbm4J8vV793PYU5AxbAHyrSvdAbn0TppZIIzQN7Qb7_AcsB_DwLeUeI0VjEYdRPCOiCE-L2CfGmu-erU2fWigpvGavw0Yt5m1oogUETRxFyohudiqBA/s320/BCE9557A-B840-43E3-BF46-C02CACD21C07.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through Nairobi. Thankful for our skilled driver, Dan!</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPeNsGpRuiavuvZFnjPlXkdgXO_4Gq9TylUueP6s2AQdnPwDSGwIyT2tL8IJLC3yhFPt8SuS333z5xBcWfhc2YkAvXa9xGxRvGBJxvy-SLZEoTlDa34mRQlTszWay65pjy5O2xsyZZrgg0TiN3Ptp2jnenT-PyBL1If-Nfd2EFz5mloYOXIszr53d/s4030/7F30D99A-1521-49F3-AF3C-A6A6FB9ED0BD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.333333015441895px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2188" data-original-width="4030" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPeNsGpRuiavuvZFnjPlXkdgXO_4Gq9TylUueP6s2AQdnPwDSGwIyT2tL8IJLC3yhFPt8SuS333z5xBcWfhc2YkAvXa9xGxRvGBJxvy-SLZEoTlDa34mRQlTszWay65pjy5O2xsyZZrgg0TiN3Ptp2jnenT-PyBL1If-Nfd2EFz5mloYOXIszr53d/s320/7F30D99A-1521-49F3-AF3C-A6A6FB9ED0BD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibera slum in Nairobi. Approx 250,000 people live in this largest slum in Africa. </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uzhN09sXt5aYcl73chRlaHS_2OHSU8X6CyHOb6AHI50Y4aM8RM0EyjAD8clnmvhXvTIvESI7Ly4YDUHB9ZoaoxuBMKkBN3_8WNhoQgVeSrmdopNIHSta6-Klmg1h1GkiGjx85wyX4cUcZho0KF2XLxnUQsB4gGmIvaxtWaKwZfBZog3ZHXCkRY-b/s4032/B9E53E67-AE32-446F-8DE5-AB5F491F3C3B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uzhN09sXt5aYcl73chRlaHS_2OHSU8X6CyHOb6AHI50Y4aM8RM0EyjAD8clnmvhXvTIvESI7Ly4YDUHB9ZoaoxuBMKkBN3_8WNhoQgVeSrmdopNIHSta6-Klmg1h1GkiGjx85wyX4cUcZho0KF2XLxnUQsB4gGmIvaxtWaKwZfBZog3ZHXCkRY-b/s320/B9E53E67-AE32-446F-8DE5-AB5F491F3C3B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenyan countryside.</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zjOD-NWMlAi_O80W5wPztHvHDIoKY2CiE9TMA2RQbMAhrcp3fDyuY-CcKrTFqQY1n4gVsL3nnXi6aRbdux4qMxva-yigRpF8pU4gJ_Q8FAzmcj8jEcb-LC9lL3i6RDeyir6P6HZUm-EE8WhFMffn4J-76aUjQ4mpMN1Do3HpuOivKkbumaKj3mjU/s4032/5062897E-1B03-451A-9624-3ED83750CFC9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 11.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zjOD-NWMlAi_O80W5wPztHvHDIoKY2CiE9TMA2RQbMAhrcp3fDyuY-CcKrTFqQY1n4gVsL3nnXi6aRbdux4qMxva-yigRpF8pU4gJ_Q8FAzmcj8jEcb-LC9lL3i6RDeyir6P6HZUm-EE8WhFMffn4J-76aUjQ4mpMN1Do3HpuOivKkbumaKj3mjU/s320/5062897E-1B03-451A-9624-3ED83750CFC9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different kind of “jam” than the ones in Nairobi.</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">The leader and head teacher of this school is Rev. James May, a former LC-MS pastor. He served us lunch and showed us around their campus, which had been built using stones from their property beginning in 2015. The students who attend are required to spend half of their day working and contributing to the farm, caring for animals, or helping with the various building projects on the campus, and then half of the day is spent in class and studying. It was an impressive operation, and although we are not in fellowship with this group, it was encouraging to see the dedication to training up confessional Lutheran pastors and spreading the Gospel. This school also has a large warehouse full of “Good News” magazines, which teach various doctrines (“teachings”) of Scripture from a Lutheran perspective in French, Swahili, and English. We were able to pick up a load of Swahili magazines to be distributed among the pastors we will be meeting with during our trip.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GzI5jMEhkfmP00jg6g-wMhLs0mK4P0y6Esjew32_8oFWrcmY-SZWfsG0PZGApNUX8ha9VDrEyDuCdhrqWCE8lww2NJUZ4nNRGryvxrdFPcIUn0iJ_-4Ucvd4mAiVIWgnrn1hwjkwHqEYXXygiSk-vostMm48sCJV_PKQVzFtiDQQs0bqXWg5RbqG/s4032/81CD7AA5-F6C3-4E3C-971A-CE5B5934EE9D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GzI5jMEhkfmP00jg6g-wMhLs0mK4P0y6Esjew32_8oFWrcmY-SZWfsG0PZGApNUX8ha9VDrEyDuCdhrqWCE8lww2NJUZ4nNRGryvxrdFPcIUn0iJ_-4Ucvd4mAiVIWgnrn1hwjkwHqEYXXygiSk-vostMm48sCJV_PKQVzFtiDQQs0bqXWg5RbqG/s320/81CD7AA5-F6C3-4E3C-971A-CE5B5934EE9D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUEkK5APVtd-8Kofuf83IgsBHjgzQY_KDQ4OjzuPDt1E0ZhNpbNMzpissZs9_VRv1bIL01U_BiSmC2xuAsSBUI4ukdalKByEs0d5vtXpLKGgg3vignT2ESzCNosPVeFZ-lMCsE8LO9ZKyp7hG0hvPyOarWpnc8Z_Z_1L3Z5TyWjndcQaB8NHF-aPe/s4032/2B72B7CA-B9B0-40E7-A653-93EC6FF57EB2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUEkK5APVtd-8Kofuf83IgsBHjgzQY_KDQ4OjzuPDt1E0ZhNpbNMzpissZs9_VRv1bIL01U_BiSmC2xuAsSBUI4ukdalKByEs0d5vtXpLKGgg3vignT2ESzCNosPVeFZ-lMCsE8LO9ZKyp7hG0hvPyOarWpnc8Z_Z_1L3Z5TyWjndcQaB8NHF-aPe/s320/2B72B7CA-B9B0-40E7-A653-93EC6FF57EB2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School buildings at the Lutheran School of Theology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmpq3JlY-f1OzvdjNBNAEiPP2NBpUF0ACVSTtLMvJ8yEjRRpXn1CDZm3YQNZT7nz3DVUd6PB1_kQu_MGZ0WhpziL3GC7xkb_T1dXcnJEzzuqfkL03EfSNGt1MlNstDiw8ZXxtEylRqHSRTZJwcNJx7xqpNyGgw8UNo9abh2eFj89dZRyRxQXcdhrA/s3734/1240B7CE-A436-4BA2-A075-5ACF6B249ED3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="3734" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmpq3JlY-f1OzvdjNBNAEiPP2NBpUF0ACVSTtLMvJ8yEjRRpXn1CDZm3YQNZT7nz3DVUd6PB1_kQu_MGZ0WhpziL3GC7xkb_T1dXcnJEzzuqfkL03EfSNGt1MlNstDiw8ZXxtEylRqHSRTZJwcNJx7xqpNyGgw8UNo9abh2eFj89dZRyRxQXcdhrA/s320/1240B7CE-A436-4BA2-A075-5ACF6B249ED3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the highest point on the school’s campus.</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">In the evening we arrived at the beautiful home of Jemima Sagala and her family in a suburb of Nairobi called Karen. They very graciously fed us a meal of rice and beef stew and a flat bread called “chapati” (which looks kind of like a tortilla). It was all delicious and their generosity and hospitality has been truly heartwarming. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37BUoncGSUOZQqJeKqnMpEelquBqiF0px1Tyvq6YyPlesIj_DVjwMJVAO4EYFZ0LeReN4wMbhCfc7uTJ306kCikT0ImJdNzPuDxNEWlP8rLXmHzt_dC03KXqD0b91hdTZjAk-LnRGRoYTqXU3t0WQkDfi7NDcVq-8C0cuTNgsbwkuDPEOhcAaXX-U/s4032/00BBE6C5-C947-4E69-9932-7E1ED796B75D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37BUoncGSUOZQqJeKqnMpEelquBqiF0px1Tyvq6YyPlesIj_DVjwMJVAO4EYFZ0LeReN4wMbhCfc7uTJ306kCikT0ImJdNzPuDxNEWlP8rLXmHzt_dC03KXqD0b91hdTZjAk-LnRGRoYTqXU3t0WQkDfi7NDcVq-8C0cuTNgsbwkuDPEOhcAaXX-U/s320/00BBE6C5-C947-4E69-9932-7E1ED796B75D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TeX27R8E4ApxbYJ28eNzlBCX19cMT6riewH06nDdEL8ie1GMiWPfzq6Cv2WiQxCOh4RStWf8iqLkADMw6C0G1M_txg7tgTR9uKq5AkSoNeYEWZtlBOusaBFP_2lsG-K8RHGKWHvmr7tHmSjV_diiy-tdWZp9mbyBMHCIlpkr53qUA-r5xlynrOtL/s4032/25F7365E-7EEC-4576-9A54-8BF9F06EA909.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TeX27R8E4ApxbYJ28eNzlBCX19cMT6riewH06nDdEL8ie1GMiWPfzq6Cv2WiQxCOh4RStWf8iqLkADMw6C0G1M_txg7tgTR9uKq5AkSoNeYEWZtlBOusaBFP_2lsG-K8RHGKWHvmr7tHmSjV_diiy-tdWZp9mbyBMHCIlpkr53qUA-r5xlynrOtL/s320/25F7365E-7EEC-4576-9A54-8BF9F06EA909.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemima’s home</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">In the morning we <span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">plan to pick up a load of Lutheran Catechisms in the Swahili language and make the long drive to the Kisii, where we will begin our work in that area. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Praise the Lord for safe and uneventful travel so far. Your prayers as we begin our work in Kenya and Uganda over the next three+ weeks are very much appreciated.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">-Pastor Luke</span></p></span>Pastor Lukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954072704055591927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-2472534019423089382019-05-04T07:04:00.002-07:002019-05-04T07:04:45.233-07:00A Well Worn Path: One Among ManyAnother added benefit of staying so close to the airport as opposed to the usual haunt (Milele Guest House) is that you can bypass almost all of the Nairobi traffic on your way out of town towards Kisii using the Southern Bypass Road. 'm sure you all wanted to hear the latest on Nairobi traffic patterns and hotel locations. I can't remember how many times I've traveled the road to Kisii but the views afforded to you while descending down into the Rift Valley never get old.<br />
<br />
I It was a mostly uneventful trip which is fantastic. Four solid days of travel has taken its toll so Saturday was a welcome relief absent of all travel whether it be by plane, automobile, or motorbike. Patrick the pro driver is someone that I'd never met but who was with the mission helper team last year each step of the way. You can tell that he's guided tours for a very long time since he is a fount of info on just about every sight you might see along the road from baboon begging tendencies to the latest developments in Kenyan infrastructure. He was eager to point out how reckless the drivers of Trans Line buses were being as they passed us in both directions. (He did this because Trans Line buses were the mode of travel that I used while staying in Kenya for longer periods of time and on a shoestring budget.)<br />
<br />
Saturday I was able to recover a bit, listen to the Bucks victory over the Celtics on the radio, and meet with Pastor Enosh to discuss many things. Please pray that St. David's KINSHIP Academy at Etago would be able to overcome any challenges that they face. Sunday will involve riding with Enosh in his trusty wagon to church services at Chotororo (Pastor Fred Ogendo) and Kenuchi (Pastor Isaac Kemue) and hopefully making it out of the hills before the heavy rains come and make things a sloppy mess.<br />
<br />Pastor G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11737118891277682089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336988749174773339.post-32464653735318108962019-05-02T12:01:00.003-07:002019-05-02T12:31:02.612-07:00Does Kenya Keep Their Armies In Their Sleevies?Since the last visit to East Africa a new hotel has been constructed within the confines of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport's secure property. Four Points is a part of the Sheraton family and qualifies for Anna's employee discount. It's a relief to take only a five minute ride to the hotel after over 30 or so solid hours of air travel. It's good to have connections.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrIux3bfHFv27FWWdx5HHWeZqackdTIFcS6-Nt-_YcGH0qe715q4PPM0gqa02maTRioIrdnIADuck1AeMkJJX_s3rderZAWljrJ_6yaT7K3Jdfdc7e1xa59wCaWSBSO1k10Otq2ZIL_c/s1600/IMG_2490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrIux3bfHFv27FWWdx5HHWeZqackdTIFcS6-Nt-_YcGH0qe715q4PPM0gqa02maTRioIrdnIADuck1AeMkJJX_s3rderZAWljrJ_6yaT7K3Jdfdc7e1xa59wCaWSBSO1k10Otq2ZIL_c/s320/IMG_2490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Roughing It"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today's to-do list was supposed to be rather simple and uneventful. It started out exactly that way. Change money, get malaria meds, buy local sim cards for phone all were normal things. Next was a trip out to Ngong nature preserve where the new campus of Lutherans in Africa is located. They were previously known as The Lutheran Heritage foundation and located in Karen. They are an independent Lutheran outfit that translates catechisms and various other Lutheran materials for various parts of Africa including many local languages of this country. A new facet of their work has been the training of men from different parts of East Africa for the ministry. Rather than paying rent anymore they bought some land and are in the process of building classrooms, dormitories, a library, dining hall, kitchen, the whole works.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVIAYE6RsoNl7bEQPsrm6OQ4edwQg-_UAYa6k7VWooGbhqN6gck3rE25kpl7ZO2VEtf4UPjgbKz6ewWkaAq13MNWOcC8y8EBvHS2YG3Nol9iChOANsPs3YQMVVOX9kYezwsQQ5TEjzfI/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVIAYE6RsoNl7bEQPsrm6OQ4edwQg-_UAYa6k7VWooGbhqN6gck3rE25kpl7ZO2VEtf4UPjgbKz6ewWkaAq13MNWOcC8y8EBvHS2YG3Nol9iChOANsPs3YQMVVOX9kYezwsQQ5TEjzfI/s320/IMG_2494.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conflict Resolution Specialist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way to finding this place we came upon a protest involving the majority of a primary school's student body. Small children in school uniforms had blocked the road with stones, thorn bushes, antheir own little bodies. We didn't get a definitive answer as to why they were doing this, but the story told was that the road in front of their school was dangerous and more than a few people had lost their lives vehicle crashes there. They wanted to get the attention of the local government and the teacher of this school thought this was the best way. So we waited...and waited. Two hours passed when suddenly filing past our car were Kenyan men in fatigues and wielding military rifles. A few orders barked from the man in charge forced bodies into motion and the stones were cleared away in minimal time.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2hLdsco0L7hrmMMRC3aZa2FSrDcYoBEwQ8JInw2li1S2KrFPttsV6v9wASC9EyMdiCFJ2uoZiD-Y4yJ0AgRRIkfaVyQrKM8-RZ1s-76mZy7srX3cVKJRJtClOqi86FdRaRvyDrFmLQQ/s1600/IMG_2496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2hLdsco0L7hrmMMRC3aZa2FSrDcYoBEwQ8JInw2li1S2KrFPttsV6v9wASC9EyMdiCFJ2uoZiD-Y4yJ0AgRRIkfaVyQrKM8-RZ1s-76mZy7srX3cVKJRJtClOqi86FdRaRvyDrFmLQQ/s400/IMG_2496.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crisis Management Squad: Front and Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unbeknownst to me, our issues were not totally resolved. Lutherans in Africa doesn't have an address, only a google map point. There is no signboard on the side of the road either. We wandered a bit to no avail. Google Maps on my Kenyan phone does not work very well. We asked for directions from some locals and ended up unofficially hiring a Maasai to guide us to our destination. We went down dirt roads, gravel, roads, holey roads, and roads that should not be classified as roads. An added bonus was that we wandered through a giraffe sanctuary which had a very Jurassic Park feel to it.<br />
<br />
After only two more hours were added on to this routine trip we found the place. Upon asking a roadside dweller if he knew where the Lutheran place was his eyes immediately lit up and he flashed an enormous smile. It turns out that he works on the construction projects there. Several people were milling around, students were on their lunch break, and I made a bee line for their book storage to get what I needed and to head back out on a much shorter return route. I met with their chief translator as the resident pastor that I'm familiar with was currently in the U.S. A visiting pastor from America who was filling in to teach that week was having a hard time rounding up the students after their lunch break which was taking a long time. (I've been there. I feel his pain.) I gathered up a bunch of Kisii catechisms, Swahili large catechisms, and Swahili copies of the Book of Concord. 2 hour mission accomplished in just under 5. That's why you should only plan to accomplish 1 thing each day. If things go your way, 2 is a real treat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzq6adwS6rh0QdjMyEJB_1OUEb8du25KYa9mhMbVZK3lFa9ALDR51wLv0OesysesMAMOb-aqly0yWsrrIxcPOtYWMze1m7_ec4QWrK6oqvzxlmSByBPYRHRChnUf7-e_vMH24p-ql468E/s1600/IMG_2498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzq6adwS6rh0QdjMyEJB_1OUEb8du25KYa9mhMbVZK3lFa9ALDR51wLv0OesysesMAMOb-aqly0yWsrrIxcPOtYWMze1m7_ec4QWrK6oqvzxlmSByBPYRHRChnUf7-e_vMH24p-ql468E/s320/IMG_2498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classrooms, Worship Area, Library, Book Storage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6eyRBgz9C9yrESJoEamjjFzh0HFQMfptvoWnjqSShQ2ySUcV4aHgIaUauwQCa7lqRmTSMpH29luIEa8IgG-GqHKjOzwLtcQeIACOYRSUSujykhQgDN4zgsoRB0afVXkqoGqKC_OWo34/s1600/IMG_2497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6eyRBgz9C9yrESJoEamjjFzh0HFQMfptvoWnjqSShQ2ySUcV4aHgIaUauwQCa7lqRmTSMpH29luIEa8IgG-GqHKjOzwLtcQeIACOYRSUSujykhQgDN4zgsoRB0afVXkqoGqKC_OWo34/s320/IMG_2497.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Administration Building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Off to Kisii in the morning! Or as the travel guide calls it "loud, dirty, and rude. Don't bother visiting Kisii if you can help it" Tourists, amiright?Pastor G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11737118891277682089noreply@blogger.com2