Tuesday, Dec 6

We had a full day today. Getting around has been very strategic and time consuming due to the lack of fuel all over Kenya. (Think of the gas station lines of 1976). We headed into Kitale to meet with James Mark a pastor from Kisii. He left Kisii on Monday, overnighted with a relative and came to Kitali this morning just to turn around after the meeting to travel all the way back to Kisii today. The travel is difficult enough but James Mark also had to be excused from some government training just to come.

James Mark is very passionate about his faith and how he is living it out in his life. Almost from the moment we settled in he began to share what has been on his heart. He is young and has realized that he needs a ‘secular’ job to support his calling to the ministry. These pastors of the poor here seem to end up supporting their members. He also wishes to be married. His church meets under an awning of tree branches situated on rental property so he also would like a rain proof meeting place that belongs to the congregation.

The last time we were here we visited the Kisii church. I shared with Ekklesia, the Victory class and Titus 2 how James Mark’s love for Christ consumed my attention. Here’s this young pastor gathering believers in a small tea farming community in Kenya. His location looks like something from Gilligan’s Island; he has a hand full of congregants, mostly children yet he is praising his heart out singing to God. James Mark has been using a guitar that is literally held together with screws and pieces of aluminum. But yet he praises.

Through the sharing of his story, someone was moved to gift James Mark with a guitar. Today we were able to transport that gift and deliver it to him. It was great! As we started he prayed about God giving his church favor to have some instruments with which to praise God. So when we finally presented him with the gift he was so overwhelmed I don’t think he completely understood that this was for him. It was great! He opened up the case, took out the guitar and started into his opening praise song – Jesus Come and Reign. Now mind you we are in a restaurant with 4 rooms of people and James Mark gets up and plays for 4 or 5 minutes just praising God. I love this guy. What an example of the church being in us wherever we are and living it out loud! What a joy to be allowed to be a part of this experience.

The rest of the day was pretty much just as great. We were building relationships with three other families throughout the day. I have to wonder how the English rule in this country has devastated this peoples’ ability to take initiative to think for themselves. What we take for granted as freedom does not seem to be intuitive here. Improving the quality of life seems to start with the sharing of some very basic things they need to see they can do for themselves. A large challenge indeed, but nothing too big for our God!