Samburu of Kenya

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November Newsletter

Posted on November 9, 2008 - Filed Under Prayer Requests |

TAKE IT OR…

…leave it. Skip this part of the newsletter if you just want to read about ministry and prayer requests. You’ll be bored as I take some time to recount what our family has been doing of late.

We’ve been really blessed to be healthy and happy these past several months. There have been some stresses as our boys in the States have struggled to find jobs. One has and one still hasn’t.

The economy has taken its toll everywhere and companies just aren’t hiring as much, as you know. Continue to pray that he will find work soon. As Thanksgiving approaches, I mindful of the fact that Sam is in NC, Travis is in Dallas and we are in Africa. This will be Sam’s first holiday to be away from any family and although he is not bothered about it, I’m pretty sure he will at least miss some of his favorite family foods. Or maybe he will make the broccoli and rice casserole himself.

We have had visitors again this month. In fact since we returned from the States 7 months ago, we have had as many visitors as we did during our previous 3 years. The last ones came from the States for a short visit to Africa and with only a week, still managed to make it all the way to Maralal! We are grateful for this family and their willingness to travel such a long way in a short time on rough roads to come and see what we get up to here in Samburu. It was a privilege to host one of our trustees and his family; they are a delightful bunch and blessed our socks off.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Our “late lamb” or “African blessing” will turn 5 years old this month. We will also celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary. What joy! If you’d like to help make Joseph’s birthday extra fun, please send a card to our Maralal address (Charles Daniels, Box 306, Maralal, Kenya). And yes, that’s the complete address. Postage from the States to Kenya for a regular greeting card is 94 cents.

PRAYERS and PRAISE

• Continue in your prayers for men willing to learn to lead groups. This is one of our biggest obstacles in bringing God’s Word to all of Samburu. There simply are too few who are willing to do the work.
• Today Joseph and I thanked God for all the people who gave money through their local church to the International Mission Board and in other ways supplied everything we could want for his schooling. Thank the Lord for generous saints.
• Pray for the service this month when our Baptist pastors will be ordained by leaders of the Baptist Convention of Kenya. Pray it will strengthen their commitment to their call and God’s work.
• Pray for everyone in our organization as we undergo a major restructuring. Missionaries and leaders everywhere need wisdom and grace to make the necessary changes.

MINISTRY NOTES

Today Charlie went to the weekly leadership meeting near Kisima. These men are each coming to learn how to lead their own group. Some have already been working and have groups they meet with regularly. There were 8 men present today; 6 of them were men of Charlie’s age wearing traditional dress. These are the men we need to reach the average Samburu. Because of their age, they are automatically respected and have access to everyone in the community: men, women, warriors, etc. These elders are the decision makers in this culture and very influential. The other exciting thing is that they each live in a different direction, giving opportunity for the news of God to spread to many places and people. Pray that this leadership group is only the beginning of many others like it.

The work in the “forest” continues well, although it is another place where we would like to see some leaders emerge. We all traveled there last week with our visitors and were greeted warmly. We had told them that the Samburu people were very hospitable and they proved it that day. I have never seen so much food. There was roasted goat, beans, rice, chai, chapatis (a flat bread) and beads for everyone. Even as it began to rain during Charlie’s story, people huddled under the trees to listen. There was a great crowd that day to welcome our visitors. The women sang several songs and all in all it was a beautiful time. The story for the day was so appropriate: the guests who were invited to the feast but didn’t come. Others came in their place and when they changed their mind…it was too late. These people understand the meaning and they realize this is just like God’s invitation to us. RSVP.

Pray for one of our churches whose pastor has left and taken money and members to go with another church. They came in and built a building near the school where our Baptist church had been meeting. We don’t know what else they may have promised him, but the ones who have chosen to remain Baptist are hurting and need your prayers. Ask God to bless their faithfulness as they continue to meet without a pastor. This particular church is one that was started by the first Baptist missionaries to this area and they have been gained and lost several pastors. This one had continued long enough to give them hope of stability and now he has left them.

LATE ENTRIES

We are planning to go up to the forest where about 20 or so people are waiting to be baptized. Pray that God will use their witness to reach others. Pray also that those baptized will grow and mature in their faith and knowledge of the Lord.

Earlier this week at another meeting, Charlie met some young warriors or moran. He was able to share the Gospel with them and several prayed to receive Christ. Now, they have agreed to invite others of their group to meet with Charlie on Monday. These guys can be the most difficult segment of Samburu society to reach because they do not associate with others. They stay on their own with their age-mates in the bush. It is against culture for them to be where women are meeting which excludes them from all of our regular groups or churches. Pray for this meeting to go well. This is an exciting opportunity and we are hopeful of what God will do.

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