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Please visit our weblog for the very LATEST news from Samburu!
Current Newsletter in PDF:
Daniels Newsletter - September 2007 PDF
DANIELS’ DIARIES
September 2007
By the time you receive this newsletter, we will most probably be in Nairobi. It is odd to think that we have only 4 more days left in Maralal. Four more days of life in the village, where every day passes much the same as the one before. The nights are quiet and dark and the difference in days is sometimes marked by the absence or presence of water or electricity or how many people had which needs to bring to us today. “Civilization” and American friends are just an 8 hour drive south. In Nairobi, no one will call us off to the side and begin the conversation with “I have a problem” (which means “I need your help/money.) Many requests come in the form of “my children have no food”. How much and how often can you give and to how many? Life here requires a discerning mind, a prayerful attitude and the ability to remain compassionate without becoming jaded. It is a test of the soul. “What would Jesus do?” becomes very personal and real.
So…whew! We are looking forward to our time in the States. We have quite a bit of travel the first 2 months and then we look forward to some quiet times to visit and enjoy family. Our plans include trips to Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. We will be staying in Dallas and are excited about being home for the State Fair of Texas for the first time in 7 years. What will Joseph think of Big Tex? I can’t wait to find out. “Howdy folks!” See you there!Last week, we were blessed and encouraged by a sense of the “good old days” while traveling to minister to people in the forest. We were with “J” and “E”, who have been our helpers and friends since we arrived in Maralal in 2001. As we drove higher and higher in the mountains, we were all thinking the same thing. How wonderful it was to be able to return to this place after being forced out in 2003. How good the people of this area always were to us and how receptive they were to the Word of God. As one old man said after being approached by a works based faith, “I will not trade the news of God for a cup of food.” He was referring to the many lures used by some to get church members to change affiliations. Our friends asked if we remembered that old man and what he said. Charlie replied, “I will never forget him.” This is a request repeated often by Samburu when one is leaving, “don’t forget me.” How could we ever forget a thin, old man who had heard the Word of God given to him in his heart language and who refused to trade it for the one “thing” he probably needed most…food?
And Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Matt. 4:1-4
* We appreciate your prayers for safe travel as we depart Kenya on September 6th.
* Pray for Samburu believers to be faithful and obedient to the work of the Lord. Pray that they will each use their spiritual gifts to honor God.
* Pray for a young boy we have met and helped a little. Pray for his home situation as he lives with his grandmother and spends a lot of time on the streets. Our friends here will try looking after him a bit and my prayer is they will see an example of how a little encouragement can help a “street child” choose the right path in life.
By now, I hope you have noticed the vision statement listed at the top of each newsletter. This was given to us as we prayed and studied for 3 weeks in September during a Strategy Leader training seminar. We realize it is a God-sized task and can only be accomplished as workers are obedient to tend the harvest fields. Ask God to provide the workers needed from among the Samburu. Pray for us to be open to creative ways of reaching the thousands of unreached people and effectively discipling those who choose to follow Christ.
God’s Promise
“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently for it, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”
Habakkuk 2:3 New Living Translation
Have I said this before? When it rains it pours. Living in this semi-arid region, the color of grass is normally brown and the dust flies from the road as you drive anywhere. But these past few months we have seen rain like never before. It started around the middle of June and has rained every week since then.
Our friends traveled over 3 hours by foot on Wednesday to visit us and say goodbye. “Mama” is in her late forties and the daughter was carrying a month old baby. As we drank chai and talked, it began to rain. Buckets. Then it began to flood the bathrooms, so our chatting was cut short. As Charlie mopped and scooped, all I could think was, “please, God, not his back.” Then he went outside to “see if I can fix this.” Twenty minutes pass and when I look out, he is drenched to the skin, bent over, digging out a trench with a “jembe”, a heavy pick axe/hoe type implement. I send Sam to get Martin (our guard/caretaker) and he takes over. They do get it fixed and I begin to wonder if our friends will be able to return home. It’s nearing 2:00, still pouring and there are small children at home that they need to get to. “And the animals,” they remind me. No way we can drive in this. Water is over the road and they live way off the road. I ask if they ever pray to God for it to stop raining. “No, we fear to ask God that.” I quietly do, it finally does and they are able to leave. A couple hours later it begins to rain again and I pray they can (or miraculously already have) arrive safely home.
DANIELS’ DIARIES
August 2007
After all the issues with backs, I am happy to report we are well and done with that. I (Sandra) still have some numbness in my toes, but the neurologist in S. Africa has said there is nothing functionally to worry about. His tests were very thorough and we are completely satisfied with the results. We praise the Lord there was no need for surgery and thank you all for your prayers during this time.
We are now into our final month of preparation for Stateside Assignment. We are scheduled to leave Kenya on September 6th. Sam will stay with us for a few months in Dallas before leaving for University in January. Pray for all of us to make the most of the time we have left in Maralal. We have lots to do as we sort and pack our things for storage while we are gone. We are able to leave the big things in the house, but must sort things to sell, store, give away, etc. It is time consuming and tedious, to say the least. Why do I have all this stuff anyway? I think it may be genetic. Mom? (just kidding)
We are also trying to make sure we have “good good-byes”. This is so important in a culture where relationships are priority and nationals have seen so many “wazungu” (westerners) come and go. There always seems to be a fear that you will leave them and not return. Pray for them to remain encouraged and faithful to the task God has given them.
There have been some interesting opportunities for ministry lately and it just shows you never know what God is going to bring your way. Charlie is still trying to get to Sononi in the mountains to see who is there and what is happening. From the problems with his back to the rains to talk of everyone moving away from there, it has been some time since he has been able to visit. We are in the process of trying to move our things from there as we do not want to leave them in the house for the 6 months we will be in the States. The rain has prevented Charlie from being able to drive there to get them, so he has been talking with someone about loading the things on donkeys to move them down the mountain. Talks are going very “African” which means that every time he talks to the guy, a new piece of the puzzle gets put in. Things here seldom go as planned, but we are hopeful that one way or another, we can get this task completed. (In an effort to bring good news, the guy says another goat has given birth and now we have 6.) Charlie does hope to visit Sononi before we leave. Pray for that.
A small group is still meeting weekly for prayer at our friend’s home who lives in the Turkana section of town. Although she is Samburu, many of the Turkana have opened up to her and she has had great opportunity to pray and witness. Some have made professions of faith. Pray for this work of God to continue and for her to have favor with these people. We consider her to be God’s missionary to the Turkana.
Along that line, we also have a friend who is a Samburu elder and has been having meetings with some of the Pokot. While the fighting and cattle raiding continues, our friend attends the “peace meetings” and preaches to the men who come. He has had a burden for the Pokot for some time and we are grateful for God’s providence in bringing them near so they can hear His Word.
And as if we couldn’t do without another surprise, a young Muslim man has sought out Charlie’s help with a project. He is part of the youth leadership committee at a local mosque. Although Charlie refused to help with the project, he still invited Charlie to come and speak with his group. Charlie was very plain with him and told him if he came he was going to “preach Jesus”. “Fine”, the young man replied, “the Koran teaches that Jesus was a good man.”
“No,” insisted Charlie, “I will preach that He is God, as the Bible teaches.”
The invitation stood and Charlie sat on the ground in front of the mosque with eleven young Muslims and gave them the message of the Gospel last week. They were impressed with his knowledge of their religion and his easy and understandable way of teaching. The imam was also in attendance. Today, we saw the young man in town and he told us the imam was also pleased with Charlie’s manner and method. And then, an amazing thing happened. He asked Charlie if he would be able to come again and this time, meet with some elders! Pray for the many doors God is opening and that we will be wise and faithful to boldly walk through.
PRAYER AND PRAISE
*Pray for believers to be faithful to all the opportunities God is opening up to share the Gospel.
*Pray for us to do all that God intends as we finish our final 4 weeks in Maralal before leaving for the States. Pray that His priorities will be our own.
*Pray for the believers to have confidence in God and depend on Him to meet their needs and equip them for His work.
*Praise God for Sam’s 5 years of joy and service in Maralal and for his last month to be just as joyful as he says “goodbye”.
By now, I hope you have noticed the vision statement listed at the top of each newsletter. This was given to us as we prayed and studied for 3 weeks in September during a Strategy Leader training seminar. We realize it is a God-sized task and can only be accomplished as workers are obedient to tend the harvest fields. Ask God to provide the workers needed from among the Samburu. Pray for us to be open to creative ways of reaching the thousands of unreached people and effectively discipling those who choose to follow Christ.
“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently for it, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”
Habakkuk 2:3 New Living Translation
DANIELS’ DIARIES
February 2007
We had a weird sort of January, as we spent most of the month away from our home. We had plans to attend a conference in Nairobi the second week of the month and then do our shopping afterward. Instead, we felt we needed to go in early as we had some medical issues that had persisted for several weeks. What started out as just a possible 2 week stay turned into four. Fortunately, we were able to get all the treatment we needed and return at the end of January.
The rains had stopped and they had begun work on the road by the time we returned, so our trip home was much better. Recent trips had been long and difficult, so we were glad to have a “normal” ride of about 7 hours. After a month’s absence, we were curious to see which or how many of our new groups would be continuing. We were pleased that about 10 of them had been able to keep meeting and teaching the discipleship lessons. Those who have been faithfully leading their groups will come together this week for some additional training. Pray for Charlie as he evaluates where each one is and what is needed in this “next step” as we seek to move the groups into church. Most have no idea of the biblical model of New Testament church. We would like to see them be able to build a Samburu church that is true to the Word of God and not to the traditions of man. We want to help people come to know God Himself and not just the things of God.
Even though our extended time in Nairobi was unplanned, God surely used it for our good. We were refreshed in body, mind and spirit. Our friends were wonderfully hospitable to us and we enjoyed spending time in fellowship with them.
March will definitely be a different time for us as Sandra and Joseph travel to the States for a visit with family. Charlie and Sam will stay behind in Maralal and continue on with work and school. Pray for all of us to be able to have great time, even while we are separated. Joseph was only 8 months old the last time he was in the US, so this will be a wonderful opportunity to play with and get to know granny and pawpaw. We will be staying with them at their home in the North Texas countryside. He is very excited about going to granny’s house and riding pawpaw’s tractor. Let’s hope it doesn’t scare him instead!
Sam has his 18th birthday in a couple weeks and won’t be able to be in Nairobi with friends, but we’re hoping he’ll be able to see them when we go in for the trip on the 28th. Charlie has planned to spend the weekend in Nairobi after Joseph and I fly out and so pray that Sam will have the chance to celebrate a late birthday and hang out with his friends who live in Nairobi.
· Pray for the new groups to continue to meet and grow in the knowledge of God. Pray for each believer to be obedient to God’s plan and to have a hunger to know God more.
· Pray for Christian workers to have all their daily needs met by our faithful and loving Father.
· Pray for Sandra and Joseph as they travel to be able to sleep on the flight; to have safe travel, make all their connections and for good travel attitudes all around.
· Pray that we will be able to also connect and spend plenty of time visiting with Travis in Dallas, even though we will be staying a couple of hours away in Elwood.
· Pray for Sam and Charlie in Maralal to be able to do their work and have a good time enjoying each other’s company.
The last few months have been a darker time for me (Sandra), and I am able to testify that God is faithful. I have been processing all the emotions that have come forward from various circumstances and with the help of a loving God and understanding husband feel comfortable in saying the clouds have lifted. I am only sharing this because I feel pretty sure I am not alone in my experience and want to make sure that if you have times like this, you realize you are also not alone. God has a way of giving us what we need and isn’t that what we pray for others sometimes? Even when we do not know what they need, we ask God who knows all things and gives them generously. It is so important that we intercede for each other, for you never know what another may be dealing with. As missionaries, we consistently and constantly are looking for prayer partners. We are always inviting folks to pray for us and with us. It is critical to our work, but also to our life. Just this week, I could count at least 6 missionary friends who were dealing with some kind of health issue. In addition to physical, it is also necessary to keep fit spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I wonder how many of you are regularly engaging and enlisting other believers to pray for you? I am not talking about those times when you can name a specific need. What I mean is do you have someone, or 2 or 3 people, who regularly pray for you? And do you have several people for whom you regularly intercede, whether or not they have given you a particular cause to pray for? Many folks are without Christian family members, which would be their natural intercessors and they need you to pray as much as you need them. Let’s not be lacking in this vital area of our Christian walk and duty toward one another.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible. Ephesians 6:18,23,24 NASB
DANIELS’ DIARIES
January 2007
“For every Samburu man, woman and child to have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This will be done by planting reproducing churches in every village and population center, requiring approximately 4,000 churches. When this is accomplished, these reproducing churches will carry the Gospel and the vision into the neighboring tribes of Pokot and Turkana.”
When I wrote my last newsletter at the beginning of November, it had begun to rain. Unbelievably, it has continued until the end of December. We have never seen so much rain in Samburu during our 5 years here. It has hampered our ability to get out and about as the roads can be pretty treacherous during heavy rainfall. And of course, there is no way Charlie can ride his bicycle to minister during the rain. So there has been a change in our routine and in the meeting habits of the groups for the last 6-8 weeks.
All of that to say, however, that God is still working and there are still some groups that are striving to be faithful to the Word and the Great Commission. These types of circumstances may cause a change in our routine, but they are no surprise to God. And they help us in evaluating our work, because it gives us an opportunity to see who will rise to the challenge and accept leadership responsibility and who is just showing up because the missionary has come.
Charlie has had some pain in his hip, which has also caused him to stay out of the driver’s seat for a couple of weeks. We have got some new medicine now, which seems like it is helping after only a couple of days. Pray he will be back up to normal speed soon. We need him! Joseph is anxious to resume carpet wrestling!
We had a great time with Charlie’s mom and sister last month. We showed them as much culture as we could in the 2 weeks they were here. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together and a fun celebration for Joseph’s 3rd birthday. It was such a blessing to be able to share these events with some extended family. They were also able to experience first hand the terrible road conditions as we witnessed men using ropes to pull matatus (public transport vans) through the mud. It took us forever to make the trip back to Nairobi because of the bad muddy roads. Once we made it to the pavement and were within a couple hours of Nairobi, we got stuck in a construction detour where it took us 2 hours to travel 2-1/2 miles. It was crazy! But everyone held it together pretty well, in spite of it all. Needless to say, by the time we arrived, everyone was pretty tired.
We have just arrived back in Nairobi for a Home School conference next week and to see doctors and dentists before it starts. Charlie broke a tooth on Christmas day and we decided it was time to get some help for his back, so we came in early. The road was even worse this trip and we managed to get stuck a first for us, thankfully. We got out after 45 minutes with the help of some young guys pushing and pulling, Charlie’s 4-wheeling and the grace of God. I wish I had pictures for you. It was a muddy mess. Again, everyone maintained a good attitude and Joseph did not get too scared. It took us 5 hours to travel 75 miles on the mud road.
· Peace seems to have been settled between the Pokot and Samburu. There have been many talks and no more raids or fighting. Praise God that these 2 tribes have been able to work out their problems for now.
· Pray for Charlie to experience healing from his hip/back pain.
· Pray for us to be strengthened and encouraged and experience the joy of the Lord daily.
· Pray for Sam to have wisdom in hearing and obeying God’s leadership for his future plans.
· Pray for us to be able to complete at least 4 stories each month. This involves condensing each story so it is easy to memorize, while keeping the vital elements of spiritual truth.
· Pray for wisdom to know which steps to take next with the T4T groups.
· A new school year is beginning next week in Kenya. Pray for all children to have opportunities to hear and respond to the Gospel. Pray for God to move among the young people to raise up a new generation of workers for His kingdom.
I feel like I am sending this newsletter to you a bit incomplete. Although the news may be short, be assured that our thoughts toward you are long. We have experienced some difficult times and some very joyful times this past year. God has been with us through them all as He is Ever Faithful. We do not depend on our feelings to see us through anything, but rather on the unfailing love and grace from our Provider and our Strength.
Join us in prayer this year:
“May God be merciful and bless us. May his face shine with favor upon us. May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. How glad the nations will be, singing for joy, because you govern them with justice and direct the actions of the whole world. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.”
PSALM 67 New Living Translation
DANIEL'S DIARIES November 2006
GOD ANSWERS “YES”
We prayed for rain and God has answered abundantly. There have been widespread rains all over our area. We have spent the remainder of our emergency food relief money this month helping the local community, which included some old grandmothers. Many of these take care of grandchildren who have been orphaned due to AIDS. We have also seen a lot of sickness and have been able to assist some folks with buying needed medicines. We do all of this in the name of our Lord, praying He will heal bodies and souls in His miraculous mercy and wisdom.
We continue to have great response in the T4T groups. Several people have branched out on their own and begun new groups, which puts us up to 15 currently. Some of the people who are attending the groups are not yet saved, not churched and some are members of other churches. Regardless of where they come from, they like the method of meeting in homes and under trees in small groups. There is an openness and freedom in the Gospel that they have not previously enjoyed. We praise God for His work in the hearts of all who attend.
We are working to develop a set of stories which are simple, short and effective in giving a good presentation of God’s redemptive purpose. Pray for us to have this completed in time for the “next step” in helping T4T groups move into church. Pray for us as we continue to memorize and teach using oral methods.
In about a week, Charlie’s mom and sister will arrive from the States. We are very grateful they were able to arrange this trip and look forward to a fun time while they are here. Thanks for your prayers concerning their travel.
Sam continues his quest for college plans and is zero-ing in on a small school in Arkansas and also considering a few others. Continue to pray for him and us as we make this decision.
We have had very little contact with Travis since his return to the States. There have been a couple of emails, but we’ve not been able to catch him on the phone. Previously we had an arranged time that we would call him weekly, which worked pretty well when he had a regular work schedule. With his new job and irregular hours, we don’t seem to be making connections. Pray that we’ll be able to re-establish phone contact with him this month.
How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy in the presence of God. 1 Thessalonians 3:9 NLT
We are so grateful for all of you praying and encouraging us as we work far away from family and friends. We have been blessed this year to have lots of visitors both family and friends. Some were folks we’d never met, some were friends from Nairobi and then, of course, there was Travis and now Charlie’s mom and sister. What wonderful blessings God gives to help and strengthen us and give us great joy!
· Pray for Charlie’s mom and sister as they leave the States on the 16th.
· As Samburu and Pokot elders meet to discuss the possibility of peace, pray that believers will take the opportunity to share Christ.
· Praise God for His work in the hearts of Samburu. People are making professions of faith every week. Pray for the seed to fall on good soil and grow strong and healthy disciples. We praise God for the obedience and maturity of many.
· Pray that Sandra’s parents will make a trip to visit us in the early part of 2007.
· Joseph celebrates his 3rd birthday this month. Praise God for our African blessing and ask that he continue to grow in grace and favor. He is a delight to us and all who meet him.
The Lord gave this message to Jonah: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord.
He got on a ship leaving to Tarshish, hoping that he could escape from the Lord. But the Lord caused a violent storm and the sailors feared for their lives. They shouted to their gods for help. The captain went to wake Jonah and shouted, “Get up and pray to your God. Maybe He will have mercy on us and spare our lives!” Jonah knew the storm was because of him so he told them to throw him into the sea and the storm would stop. After they threw him over, God caused a big fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah prayed for God to save him. After 3 days and 3 nights the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach and it did. God again ordered Jonah to go to Nineveh and this time Jonah obeyed. The people of Nineveh repented after Jonah told them that God was going to destroy them for their wickedness. So God decided to spare them, which made Jonah angry. He went to sit outside the city and God made a plant to give him shade so Jonah was comforted. Then God sent a worm to destroy the plant and Jonah was so angry he wanted to die. God said to him, “You feel sorry about the plant which only has a short life anyway? But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
THIS IS ONE of the stories we taught last week so the women can teach it as they story to the children. It is a wonderful story of God’s mercy and compassion and His desire to redeem all men. I have included it so you can see an example of the storying method. Test yourself and see if you can accurately re-tell the story to folks this week.
BUT THE NEW THING that struck me as I studied this story is God’s closing comment in the book. He could be saying the same thing about Samburu.
WILL YOU PRAY right now for the Samburu people?
WHAT NEW THING has God shown you from His word about where you are?
This past month was another busy one and had lots going on in Samburu. Charlie finished up the feeding project a couple of weeks ago. People were very happy to receive some help and things went very smoothly overall. We were able to minister in a tangible way to many different groups of people and some that had been ignored by others doing relief assistance. While many churches are giving only to their church family, Baptists gave to all, including some considered to be “outcasts”. Thanks for your prayers regarding logistics, etc.
Almost immediately after delivering the last load, fighting broke out between the Samburu and Pokot. In recent weeks, there have been reports of several attacks. Dozens have been killed or injured and hundreds of cows and other livestock have been stolen. In some areas, people have fled their homes in search of safety. Pray for peace and safety. We feel very safe personally, as this is an inter-tribal conflict. We are praying for a quick and peaceful end to the trouble. Because people have fled quickly (and on foot) many had to leave their food rations. Life continues to be difficult for these beautiful, traditional people and they need your prayers
We had planned for Bible Clubs in 3 areas during the April school break, but unfortunately because of the fighting have not held them in all areas. However, the one held in town brought in record numbers of children, who enjoyed it so much, they wanted to continue another week. The last day, there were 94 children in attendance. Praise God! Pray that evangelistic efforts among children will result in many being saved and called to serve God.
Pray we will find faithful men and women to teach and disciple them and also that their parents would be saved and raise these children in the ways of the Lord. Thank God for continuing to open doors in this ministry.
The past month had been a bit of a challenge for Charlie and me. Our neighbors, the Simmons, had been in South Africa and with so much going on here, there were some tough times. Many of our friends here were hungry, ill, displaced and just generally having trouble making ends meet. With so many needs present on a daily basis, it was easy to become discouraged. We also saw dishonesty revealed in one of our church leaders during the food distribution, which was very disheartening. We are happy, however, for the lessons God teaches us through times like these and know that such testing produces the Godly character our Father desires in us. We have so much to be thankful for and your prayers for us are high on the list. Continue to pray for us to grow in wisdom, faith and obedience.
In other news, we also learned this month that Charlie’s dad (CD) has throat cancer. Because of the location of the cancer (in his palette), surgery is not an option. He is receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments instead. Pray for God’s hand to be upon him and for complete healing to take place. Pray for him to know and experience the grace of God in a powerful way.
· Ask that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
· We thank the Lord for our good health and continued blessings of prayer partners and friends. Your cards, emails, packages and prayers are a huge encouragement to us all.
· Thank you for your giving to Lottie Moon and the Cooperative Program that enables us to live and minister among the Samburu people. Without your giving, we would not be able to do the things we do.
· The father of “T” whom you prayed for has passed away. Please remember this family in your prayers. Pray that her husband will step up in his responsibility to care for his family.
· Pray for Charlie’s dad, battling cancer and for the family. Pray for us to be able to have good communication with him as the international lines are not always the best from here.
· Pray that inter-tribal clashes will cease. Fear is keeping many people away from their homes as the Samburu and Pokot engage each other in vengeful acts of violence.
· We are very excited that Travis will be coming for a visit soon. He arrives in Kenya on June 2nd. Please pray for a safe trip. We look forward to a great visit and praise the Lord for this opportunity.
Why is it that when trouble is far away, we are not worried? But when it comes near our own doorstep, we stop and look for “significant meaning” in the trouble. “What is God trying to tell us as a people? What is the meaning of this disaster? Is the end really near?” According to Hollywood screenwriter M. Night Shaymaylann, “heartache is a part of life.”
There has been scattered fighting in Samburu the past several weeks. It all stems from inter-tribal conflict between the Pokot and the Samburu. We know that several people have been killed and many animals have been stolen. When a Pokot is killed, they retaliate and kill Samburu and vice versa. There has been some military presence, but as Charlie heard from one officer this week, the Pokot have the advantage. They are apparently very familiar with military tactics and in addition, they know the land in a way that the soldiers and police do not. He also stated that when they try to negotiate, Pokot warriors act like they cannot understand Swahili. When people want to fight, it is a tough to convince them otherwise.
As rumors circulate, fears escalate. Some numbers are completely exaggerated. As people search for answers, some are saying that God must be coming soon. I’m sure some Americans thought the same way after 9/11. What strikes me is how isolated we are in our point of view. Only when “fate” is cruel in MY arena do some begin to think of God. Never mind the signs that are happening in the rest of the world. What is not seen are the many ways God is graciously calling each one of us to Himself every day.Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6 NASB
Are you tired, too, or is it just me? This past month seems to have been a real whirlwhind. There are only a couple less days in February than the other months, but it seems to be about a week short. We have been out of our regular routines, but still quite busy.
The water that Charlie was working on the week I wrote our last newsletter turned into a much larger project. After getting the repairs done to the tank and the water lines we waited for it to fill. When if finally did, one of the (concrete) walls burst. The entire tank had to either be rebuilt or replaced. Charlie opted for replacing it with a plastic tank and after 3 weeks of work, it is now completed and functional.
We enjoyed our time with the Simmons boys in February, also. They have now flown to S. Africa to join their parents. Once it was learned that Eddy would need surgery and he and Amanda would need to remain there for a few more weeks, they wanted the boys to come. Charlie drove them to Nairobi last Wednesday and they flew out on Friday. Eddy’s surgery seems to have gone well and now he is recovering in SA. Continue to pray that all will be well with him and the family and that God will speedily heal.
Lastly, you should pray for protection of our minds and hearts. There are stresses that come with living overseas that are intangible, un-namable, but definitely exist. I am always joking that it is so hard to keep missionaries well, and there is a physical dimension to living in Africa, definitely. But the battle of the mind is just as real and so your prayers for that are just as important.
Sam is working well to get his 11th grade school work finished on time and we are looking ahead at 2007 when it will be time for him to begin college and life in the States. We have had some good conversations, and we certainly need your prayers for wisdom and God’s help. There are lots of variables that go into preparing for college and life on your own. Many things an American teenager does are just not possible where we are, such as getting a driver’s license, working a part-time job, internet browsing at colleges, visiting campuses, etc. Pray for all of us as we make these decisions from this side of the world that we would be able to get the information we need. Pray for Sam as he continues to study for the SAT, which he will take on May 6th. Pray that he will find and choose a college that will be a good place for him to live and learn.
Joseph just talks and talks. My parents are laughing as they read that statement, I’m sure. I can’t imagine any child ever having more to say than he does. I don’t know how his little voice holds up sometimes; I think he should be hoarse by the end of the day. It is a joy and he is healthy and happy; we are much blessed.
Charlie and I continue working on language learning each week. It is a slow process and many times we are not able to see the rules (are there any?) of Samburu grammar. We can understand more of what is spoken than we are able to speak, which is normal and helps us to see our progress. We think of Joseph and how much more of our conversations he was able to understand before he could do little more than put 2 words together. Now, after 2 years of hearing English, he understands almost everything and cansay just about anything in a complete sentence. It gives us hope!
Pray for our physical health daily. We have seen and experienced the ways that driving in the bush takes a toll on the body. Pray that God would protect us so that we are able to continue living and working here for many years. Pray for us to keep our walk with the Lord strong through daily study, worship and prayer. Pray for times of refreshing and rest and for us to be fully armed against the schemes of the enemy.
Pray for Travis in the States. He had his 23rd birthday in March and we are making plans for him to visit this summer. Pray that he will seek and follow God’s will for his life and that he will make wise choices. Pray that God will work all things together in Travis’ life for his good and God’s glory.We have just received approval for the feeding project and by the time you get this newsletter, we should have some news as to the progress and timing. It is the weekend here, but Charlie plans to make contact Monday with the man who has agreed to supply the food and transport. We are praying that he is still able to get the items at the prices he quoted and that all those involved will work fairly and efficiently. That is a BIG challenge. As you know, there is widespread corruption all over Africa and efficiency well, that is VERY subjective. Cover this project in prayer that it may be done in such a way as to bring honor and glory to Christ and draw Samburu to see that the help we bring is a gift from Him and comes in the name of the Lord.
· Pray for Sam to work diligently at finishing 11th grade and studying for the SAT. Pray for him as he takes it on May 6th. Pray for wisdom in making plans for college in 2007.
· Pray for our continued good health; physically, spiritually, emotionally. Pray for a daily dependence on the Lord.
· Pray for the feeding project to go smoothly and to reach many. Pray for Charlie to be able to coordinate everything well and to be a blessing to all those he meets along the way.
· Pray for “T” who is one of our women teaching children. Her husband hit their baby recently and he has left in fear. The baby seems to be fine, PRAISE GOD. Her father has also been ill, so it has been a difficult time. Pray for his healing and God’s provision and protection over her and her family. Pray for God to strengthen her faith and pour out His grace and mercy in her life.
· We praise God for those of you who continually pray for us. We know you are making a difference in our lives and ministry. We are so grateful to God for continuing to add to the numbers of you who are praying. We are also encouraged greatly by your emails, cards, letters and gifts from the States. Thank you so much. You can’t imagine how much you bless us.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
A NEW YEAR
Like you all probably are, we have a hard time believing that this first month of the new year is almost over. We spent some time in December with our dear friends in S. Africa and what a blessing and refreshing time it was. We are so thankful God put people like this into our lives to use as “iron” to sharpen us and also encourage us. Praise God for the gift of Godly friends.
In January, we attended a homeschool conference in Nairobi and had intended to return straight to Maralal after it was finished. God had other plans, however, and after a finding a cyst on my (Sandra’s) kidney, we needed to stay in Nairobi for a while to have it checked out. Praise God that it turns out to be nothing problematic and no treatment is needed at this time.
So now we are back home in Maralal and will be resuming language study and ministry. As you may have seen on the international news, much of Kenya is suffering from drought. The lack of rain has pushed those living a marginal lifestyle over the edge and many are lacking not only water, but food, as well. For pastoralists like the Samburu, no rain means no grass. No grass means no food for cows. No food for cows means no milk for people. Milk is both the main food consumed and also the source of income to buy other food for many of the people here. While we continue to ask you to pray for rain, we also ask for God to use this situation so that He may be glorified and draw many people to Himself.
Yesterday, a friend came to us and asked for help to pay an outstanding balance with the water company so that the community just up the hill could begin receiving water from the reservoir. Most people do not have the luxury of this option, but apparently there is a pipe which brings water up the hill to a central point where they can pay 3 shillings (about a nickel) for approximately 5 gallons of water. However, because of an outstanding balance of $120 or so, the water which could serve an entire village has been turned off for over 3 years. After going to one office to pay the balance, we were told to go to another office and get the connection number and return. Once we returned to the office and paid, we were then told we would need to come back later to take them to turn the water on because all of the government vehicles were OUT OF FUEL. Unthinkable to most Americans, but this is a way of life here where we live. It turned out, however, that the tank is in need of some repairs, so Charlie is now working to get those completed and we hope to have the water back on by Monday.
Just before leaving for Nairobi a few weeks ago, Charlie made his usual visit to Sononi. Five old men pulled him aside and asked him if he would help them by buying some food for their families. This is a rare request as men are generally not concerned with obtaining food; it is women’s work. It is also rare to have the request come from men of this oldest age set, unless they are habitually poor, single old men. These were men with wives, livestock, children, etc. One of them was Charlie’s friend, Ndege. News of the drought was beginning to filter in, so he knew the need was genuine and decided to returnthe next day with some food for them. I decided to go with him. The gratitude of these old men as they received the food was different than anything I had seen before. Charlie told them to receive it as a gift from God. As we stood in a small circle to say our goodbyes, the old men continued to thank us. Ndege grabbed my hand, shook it and continued to hold it as he began to pray. The old men all joined him in their traditional prayer, repeating “Nkai” in unison (God) as you would say “amen” at regular intervals. I was really touched, as I had never had old men pray with me. Things are so segregated by gender and age in this culture that it was a big surprise to me to suddenly be included in this prayer. As he finished the prayer, he further blessed me by spitting on my hand. He then moved to Joseph and grabbed his hand to do the same. This may sound gross and disgusting to you, but I knew the meaning and I received his blessing in the spirit he intended.
O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NASB
The government and charitable organizations have already begun food and water relief efforts in many areas. Pray that those in hard to reach places will not be forgotten. Pray for the next few weeks as we are working on a project which will feed thousands. None of us on the team have ever done anything on a scale this big and our desire is to honor and glorify God, be obedient to His commands and bless the Samburu people.
· Pray for a woman to help Eunice as she teaches the Bible stories at DB school. Enrollment has increased to 1,600 students. With only 1 hour per week provided to teach this class, she has had to divide children into 3 groups, alternating each group each week. Pray God will provide enough teachers for each age group to be able to study the Bible stories every week, rather than just every third week.
· Pray for rain in all parts of Kenya. The news you have seen on CNN of widespread drought is real and animals are dying and people have no food. Pray that all agencies and groups that are providing food relief will do so with wisdom, honesty and compassion. Pray that even those in hard to reach areas will receive the help they need. Pray for God to multiply the food that is given and it will do more in His hands than we “see” is possible.
· Pray for us as we seek to undertake a large scale feeding project. Pray logistics to work out smoothly. Pray for ALL to be done to the glory of God.
Our teammates, Eddy & Amanda Simmons will be flying to S. Africa next week for medical help with Eddy’s arm. Pray for good evaluation and positive results. Pray for us and also their 4 boys as we will be looking after them while mom and dad are away. We are so glad to be here to help in this way and pray we will be a blessing to their family. Pray for us to be able to provide the support, comfort and sense of family for these great kids while their parents are goneDANIEL'S DIARIES NOVEMBER 2005
DAILY LIFE
I’ve just been going over Sam’s schoolwork to judge how far we have progressed into this year’s workload. Not surprisingly, I feel like we are a little bit behind in several areas. I think most moms who homeschool tend to get this feeling every year at some point. So, now I am counting the days until December holiday and deciding how much we must do and how much we can let go. Along with his regular studies, Sam must also prepare for taking the SAT later this year, so it is an important time, although I’m not sure it seems that way to him. We still must do a lot of praying and researching about his options after Kenya. We are now less than 2 years away from that time and sometimes it feels very pressing and it is a difficult task from this side of the world to make plans for sending your son off to live on that side of the world. Where will he live? Will he go to university? How much will it cost? Will he need to work and study? There are many “unknowns” about that time that concern me. I suppose I should follow the advice I gave to Joseph as he watched Daddy leave for Sononi yesterday; don’t cry pray instead. Phillippians 4:6 paraphrased by a mom for a toddler. Sometimes we just need to keep it simple.
In other news, we have plans for a good Thanksgiving meal with the Simmons family and possibly another missionary family who live in Samburu.
Joseph just recently learned that a box in the mail is a great thing and can now say “package”. And Sam will be getting braces the first week in December.
Have a wonderful holiday and hope you are able to enjoy time with your family.
We had 2 moran visit us from Sononi this past week. They came Tuesday evening and stayed the night in our home. They said it took 5 hours to walk, which is less than I thought as it takes 2 hours to drive. I think that just shows how slow the driving is on those rough roads. I am not sure who had more fun with all the new experiences this visit brought, Charlie or the boys. They drank cold water for the first time, laid in/fell out of the hammock in the back yard and were scared silly by a large stuffed cheetah we have. And in case you wondered, it is possible to wash red ochre out of your couch cushions. I think they had a good time and I wonder about all the things they told their friends when they returned.
Charlie should be just on his way home from his visit to the village. He is driving our new vehicle there for the first time. We were thankful to be able to make a swap on our last trip to Nairobi. The new one (new to us, anyway) has a much smoother ride and we had a very good trip home because of this truck. After one week, Charlie is able to tell a big difference in the condition of his neck, back and shoulder. This is a wonderful answer to prayer and we are so grateful the mission was able to do this for us.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
As you seek God’s will concerning how you can join Him in overseas mission work, we hope you will consider giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The majority of our support comes through this once a year offering. You can give directly through your Southern Baptist church or you can go online to www.imb.org.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NASBWhile Charlie was talking about God with the old men at Sononi this past Friday night, there came an interesting question for which the Biblical answer was obviously going to confront traditional belief.
“Isn’t God here with us right now,” the old men wanted to know?
Charlie said, “yes, He is, but the explanation why may be offensive to you. I do not want to say something which will make you refuse to listen because I know God has sent me here to tell you the truth.”
“Was there a road here when you came?” the chief asked abruptly.
“No”, Charlie answered.
The chief continued, “no one has ever come and made a way to get to us, and built a home to stay with us. No one has ever come and sat with us or talked about these things with us like you do. We also know that God has sent you here.”
This man of authority was giving Charlie permission, if not compelling him to answer the question and tell them what was in his heart that was so hard to say? What was it in God’s word that would bring the missionary to pause?
The old men had told Charlie that God is present wherever they are; that when they come together and call on God, He is there "near, but far.” They said they are able to forgive sins between men and mediate between God and men for forgiveness, based on their sacrifices to God and their authority as old men.
Charlie began his reply. He told how the Bible teaches that it is Jesus who is called Emmanuel, or God with us. That the Spirit of God now dwells in those who believe in “Yesu Kristo”, according to the New Covenant and that He (Christ) is the reason for God’s presence, not the old men. Please pray for us to be able to explain the scriptures to these old men so that they will understand that the sacrificial system was given as a shadow of things to come, not the substance.
We are trying to make a short media presentation available to you, which has new pictures from Samburu and possibly some short video clips. As soon as these are available I will let you know. If you are interested in getting something to share with your church, Sunday School, missions group or whomever, please ask. We want to help you communicate the story of God’s work in overseas missions and we are grateful for you desire to do so.
DANIEL'S DIARIES SEPTEMBER 2005
DAILY LIFE
I see that it has been 2 months since I wrote a newsletter to you and hopefully you have not forgotten about us! We have a new feature on the website which copies some of the emails I send “home” to mom. After writing quite a long one to her about the circumcision ceremony last month, I realized it contained information that others might be interested in. Rather than edit it into something which was “just for the general public”, I decided to send it as is. Hope you can check these out, be informed, entertained and join us in prayer as needed.
It is Labor Day weekend and like you, we have been watching the coverage of hurricane Katrina and the tragedy along the coast there in the US. To give you an idea of how big this is globally, our yard worker asked me about it the day it happened. Mind you, he does not own a TV and can read just a little. I am guessing he heard it on the radio (which broadcasts only local radio as far as I know) or in town. Many here are praying for victims and their families there.
We are also trying to begin a new school year, focusing on those important final two years of high school for Sam. We are missing a couple of critical books, so won’t you pray those would come in soon? It becomes difficult, at times, to stay on schedule, with the traveling to Nairobi every 5-6 weeks and starting late was not on my agenda. Pray for me (Sandra) to seek and know God’s agenda for my everyday circumstances. This is a big one for me right now; waiting on God and working His plan, not mine or even someone else’s.
MINISTRY NEWS
We visited Sononi a couple of weeks ago for the circumcision ceremony and were able to stay a couple of nights in our new house there. We got the door and windows on which made it much warmer than last time. They are working now (I hope) on closing off the skylight, i.e. putting a roof on.
Pray for our man of peace there, whom they call “ndege” (pronounced nDAYgay), meaning bird. They call him this because, years ago, missionaries came in a helicopter and they landed at his home. If you are wondering why they came by helicopter, it is because until recently, there has been no road to this place. You may remember that when Charlie first went there, he would park where the road ended and then he would walk approximately an hour to reach the village. Eventually, they cut a road so we are now able to drive. I wish I could explain the feeling of hospitality we have enjoyed in this place. They didn’t have to cut the road for Charlie, but they did. They knew we would never be able to visit and stay with our family unless we had a road. The hour long walk would be too much for mama and the baby. When Charlie went alone and stayed overnite, he stayed with Ndege. To make things comfortable for mama and the children to come and stay, they built a house. They also built a primitive (very) outhouse for mama. Basically, it is a hole in the ground, screened in with gunnysacks wrapped around four posts and a flap in the front. Primitive, but functional. When we come, they bring wood and water for me, and one of the women comes to “assist” me. This is the type of community they live in and it is clearly a place which God has opened up for us. Pray for the preparations God is making in the hearts of the people here. Ndege says he knows that God has sent Charlie and he believes there is a purpose for his life.
In the children’s storying ministry, we have talked with another woman who is praying about teaching the stories at the primary school near her home. If she does, we will have 3 women teaching in 4 schools. Please pray with us that we will hear and obey God’s plan for this ministry. As it unfolds so easily, I know it is His work. I also know I am capable of rushing ahead or making my own decisions and messing up the whole thing. Pray for discernment for all of us as we seek to do this Gods’ way. One thing pressing on my mind right now is how to meet with these women for training and support. I cannot go to each one individually every week as I have been doing with E., who first started this work. Women have big responsibilities in the homes here and they have no transportation other than walking, so it is a challenge to gather them for a meeting. Pray for us to hear God’s design for this particular need.
BUSINESS AS USUAL?
As I write this, most of you are probably sleeping and many of you will soon be heading off to church. You’ll greet your friends, as usual. You’ll stand, sit and sing, as usual. Open your Bibles and listen to the preacher, as usual. But maybe this time won’t be “as usual.” I pray that you will listen to the songs and preaching with new ears and a heart like clay. I pray that you will greet your friends as if you would not see them next week. Praise God for your church that relates to you in your language, your culture and your customs. Ask God to provide the same thing for the people of Samburu. Listen to the words of the hymns you are singing and offer them as a gift of praise to the Lord. If I could teleport myself to be with you, I would gladly do it, just for that moment. I miss our worship times together; there is much joy in the company of the saints and I pray you will find it today.
PRAYER NEEDS
- For language studies to continue to be effective. For us to be able to fight discouragement and manmade agendas in this and other endeavors.
- For God to speak to our man of peace (“Ndege”) in Sononi. For him to have a strong desire for and understanding of the Word of God as Charlie begins to unfold the message through stories.
- For mama Naomi to hear and obey God concerning teaching bible stories to the school children.
- Praise that E. and mama Marko were able to hold a holiday bible club while school was out and teach dozens of children each day. Pray that the Word of God which was taught will hold fast, take root and make a difference in the hearts of all who heard.
- Pray for us to be able to hear and obey God’s perfect plan for the ministry opportunities He is creating. Pray that we will strictly follow His agenda in everything we do.
- Pray for Sam (and mom) as we begin a new, more difficult school year. That we will be diligent in tackling the work and kind, patient and understanding of one another. Pray that mom will have an understanding of the best way to help Sam learn.
- Pray that Sam will be seeking and hearing God’s will concerning life after Kenya.
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DANIEL'S DIARIES MAY 2005
DAILY LIFE
Sorry, I seem to have skipped the month of April in writing. We continue to be well and are enjoying life in Maralal.
We had friends visit us for a few days in April and had a great time relaxing and chatting. We took the opportunity to go visit the home of our night guard who is also a blacksmith.
We watched and learned as he fashioned metal into a spear. It reminded me (as blacksmithing always does) of visits to my aunt’s home when I was small. My uncle had a huge barn with all these wonderful tools, but the best one was the anvil that stood (on a tree stump?) in the middle. It was supposed to be off limits, which made it all the more tempting to grab a hammer and bang away. Here in Maralal, however, the blacksmith and his wife worked inside a small makeshift tent while sitting on the floor. She worked the bellows by hand, keeping the coals just right while he worked the metal. Woosh, woosh, clang, clang and eventually, a spear was produced. We have found it quite handy having a blacksmith so close at hand and he has fashioned everything from hanging plant baskets to replicas of swords from Lord of the Rings.
Also during April, we had a crew of about 12 or so men camped out on our lawn working on house repairs and a new schoolroom. The house looks much better after a new paint job, needed repairs and Sam is definitely enjoying a quite place of his own to do his schoolwork.
MINISTRY NEWS
Ministry continues to take a highly relational form. The Samburu are all about relationships and as we develop friendships, we see more and more that this is an important part of what we are doing here. As friendship deepens, so does trust and also the level of discipleship. We are experiencing more trust and openness than we ever have with the Samburu. We are learning more about the culture, their way of life, the way they think, etc. All of this will help us as we work to develop a strategy for the best way to communicate the Message of God to the Samburu. What we are trying to guard against is imposing our western idea of church culture. We want the Samburu to receive God’s Word and let His Holy Spirit speak to them and develop His church among them.
Because of the drought, we have been trying to help with food and water where we can. There is lots of hunger, but also sickness and even death. We have heard of lots of animals dying, none are giving milk and some people have died from starvation as well. This week at the monthly seminar for pastors and leaders, we asked them to identify the most desperate areas so that we can bring help. Please pray that God will take the little help we can bring and multiply it for the most good. One of our friends told us this is the worst drought he has ever seen. We are very thankful for the rain this past week. We’ve heard it will take about 3 months after good rains (4 weeks worth or so) for the cows to begin giving milk again
PRAYER PETITIONS
Pray for Charlie as he has begun in earnest with language classes 3 days per week. Samburu is a difficult language. The old men who heard him practicing this week were very happy about his efforts and very encouraging.
Pray for the rain to continue for the month of May. The grass is still short in many places and with animals being so hungry, I wonder if it will have any chance of growing. Pray for wisdom in managing the livestock. Pray that animals will be able to return to the homes soon and begin giving milk.
Pray that our leaders will allow Samburu churches to be Samburu and leave the idea that western is better. Doing westernized church here is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The people love the stories, but some leaders experience peer pressure by pastors from other denominations to be like the western church. Pray that they will experience true freedom in Christ to worship and teach in a culturally relevant way.
E., who is teaching Bible stories each Friday at a large school in town asks for prayer that we will be able to expand to teach the stories in other schools. She has spoken to some other women about what she is doing and we will go and visit them soon to see if they are interested. Pray for the headmasters of schools to agree and that God will use this to reach children for His kingdom and glory.
Most of the animals are still away from the homes and it will be awhile after good rains before they are strong enough to return and begin giving milk. Pray for the Samburu to have adequate food and water during this time, especially children and old people, who are naturally more vulnerable.
We have done a small feeding project in a few areas and ask that you pray for us to have wisdom to know where we need to continue this. Pray that God would bring the people to us (or news of them) that we need to help. Pray also that other groups working in Samburu will be able to help and will be fair and honest in their distribution of foo
FINALLY...
Can I think of a new way to tell you an old truth we were recently talking about? Seize the day. I had a teacher in Jr. High School who used to correct us whenever we would say something like, “I can’t wait until this weekend”, or “I wish Christmas vacation would hurry up and get here.”
“Quit wishing your life away,” she would say. We thought she was annoying and boring. Now I know what she meant. You can miss a lot of today while you are planning for tomorrow. Some things must be decided and taken care of, like dinner and retirement. But excessive thinking, planning and dwelling on ideas or thoughts for the future can rob you of a joy you could experience right now. There is always a choice to slow down and enjoy the moment. When Joseph comes to me with a car and says, “brrrrrrm, brrrrrmmm”, I can choose to play with him or I can say “not now Joseph, mommy is cooking dinner.” How many times do we stop what we are doing to give someone (children, spouse, co-worker, friend) our undivided attention? Magazines urge us to “sort through junk mail while you return phone calls, pay bills while you wait at the doctor’s office.” But who are you ignoring while you do? Your sick child that you brought to the doctor? Your neighbor who is also waiting and could use some friendly conversation? People are the probably the most overlooked opportunity in the world and they are the only thing around us that is eternal.
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DANIEL'S DIARIES - APRIL 2005
Wednesday, we went to visit an old man in a village where we have been working. We brought a gift of tea and sugar, staples of the Samburu diet.The tea is always prepared for guests with lots of milk and sugar. Today, however, the tea was served to us with no milk. No milk for us as guests(who are always given preference) told me there was no milk for anyone in the family; mother, father or children. The reason? Drought means thatthe animals have been moved from the home to an area where they can get grass and water. We have been praying for and expecting rain for a while.A month later than expected, it seems to have finally arrived in some areas. Many people were struggling and some have already moved because ofdrought. We all depend on water for survival, but the Samburu must plan their life according to its availability. Praise God with us and our friendshere for the rain. Pray that it will bring life and health. Pray that it will rain in every area of Samburu.
Continue to pray for qualified men to take positions of leadership. We still have groups of Samburu who are waiting for someone to come and teach them the Word of God. We are slowly seeing 1 or 2 come forward and we pray these new leaders will be faithful. It is very easy for young leadersto become easily discouraged, so pray for them to be able to fight against this attack from the enemy.
As we still seek to overcome physical and cultural barriers, we must continue to ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers. The best means for a Samburu to hear the gospel and understand is not from the missionary, but from another Samburu. It is the only way that all will have the opportunity to hear. Pray that Samburu believers will take the message to every person they know and every place that they travel, so that all will be able to receive the "news of God" in their heart language.
DANIEL'S DIARIES - FEBRUARY 2005
DAILY LIFE
I decided to write (at least begin) this newsletter outside and hopefully give you a taste of the beauty we experience every day. Most people, even Kenyans, describe Samburu as a “harsh” place. But, to us, it is a place of spectacular natural beauty. In front of me, far in the distance, is Mt. Kenya, although I cannot see it today. But as sure as I am breathing, it is there even though I cannot see it like God. The wind is rustling through the trees and if you listen, these are the sounds you will hear: birds ‘ku-ku-ku-ku’, children laughing and yelling outside school, sheep braying, cows mooing, and a broom going ‘woosh woosh’ on the pavement nearby. The sun is coming and going behind the clouds and the temperature is a pleasant 70 degrees or so. If you could transport yourself here for just a moment, I’m sure whatever troubles you have, would seem as remote as the furthest village in the distance. There is a peace here that is indescribable. Even now, a small blue bird comes to have a drink not 3 feet from where I sit.
But in the midst of such beauty and peace, we know there are many who have troubles. They struggle to meet the daily needs of food and water, clothing and health. The inner struggle, however, is the greater one. So many here have still not heard the message of the gospel. They continue to plead with God to come and dwell with them, but they have not heard that He has provided A Way. The name of Jesus does not mean Savior and Lord to them. And so, we press on. We continue to pray for a way to reach the thousands. We continue to pray that Samburu believers will understand the burden of reaching their brothers and sisters in all corners of their land with
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the Good News that God has paid the price and repaired the rope from earth to Heaven that was cut (Samburu legend). The name of the rope is Jesus. Pray that all Samburu will have the opportunity to hear this message before it is too late.
MINISTRY NEWS
Many of you will remember our requests for prayer on behalf of the displaced peoples of the forest. We rejoice to tell you that prayers have been answered. We have been praying for years that we would be able to reconnect with them and also that they would remain faithful during our absence. Last week wesaw the answers to both these requests.
Charlie was able to go visit the place where some of the people have relocated. They have been in this new village since 2003. Prior to our leaving Maralal at the end of 2003, we had not been able to visit. But God has been with them. We heard the story of how the women have continued to meet every week, with no pastor or teacher. None of them can read, so they simply met together for singing, to worship God and to pray to Him to send a leader to teach them His Word. Other denominations came, but they refused to allow them to build or take over the group. They continued to assert, as in the past, “we are Baptist. We will not sell the Word of God for a cup of unga.” (flour or meal) And so they waited and prayed. They also sent for a man they know to come and teach them about “sadaka” (offering). And so, they gave. After 2 years of saving, they had enough to build a building. They used trees for posts and flattened cans to make the metal roof. God has answered our prayers. And now, he has answered their prayers, too. A young man has volunteered to teach them, but he needs help. Charlie will begin working with this young man so that he can begin to learn the stories of the Bible and teach them to the group. The old men have said they will work to build the road to make it easier to reach them. (last week the trip was 1-1/2 hours by car and then another hour by foot.) Join us in celebrating God’s marvelous work in the lives of these believers. We appreciate so much the things many of you do to share the story. We hear how you print the newsletter and share it with your family, friends, co-workers, etc. We also receive word from them (or you) how it encourages them in their daily life, or how it motivates them to pray.
Those of you who have been following with us know the story of the Samburu and may have seen our pictures while we were in the States.
But if you are sharing with someone new and you need more information for them, please let us know.
is working on the website
and photos and information will be available there soon. Meanwhile, please feel free to ask questions or request information.
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“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10
YAY! We received our crates a few weeks ago and have unpacked our “stuff”. Most of it arrived without any problems and we thank God for that. We are comfortable and enjoy relaxing in our “new” home. Well, it’s our old place, but it feels new!
You may still give to support overseas missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
On the web at: http://imb.org/giving or by calling (800)999-3113.
Thank you for your giving and your prayer support.
PRAYER NEEDS
Sandra is continuing to work with “E” to reach the children of Samburu. We want to implement Bible Clubs to do Chronological Bible Storying at the schools. Pray that schools will agree and that God will provide the workers needed.
Pray also for us to find a way to reach the children who do not attend school because they are shepherding the family flock. Maybe “shepherd schools”?
Pray for important strategy meetings the week of Feb. 21st.
Pray for men whom Charlie will begin meeting with to teach them the Stories. Pray they will be faithful in meeting, studying, praying and teaching.
PRAISE REPORTS
God is faithful and and we thank Him for allowing Charlie to return to work with some people from the forest. Praise God for their hunger for the Word and their persistence in prayer and faith.
Praise God for and blessings to David S. for answering the call to develop the Samburu website! We really needed someone like this to help us with this important part of our ministry. This will allow us to share with thousands of people about the Samburu people and what God is doing here. Pray that God will use this to encourage believers to pray.
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Comments or questions?
Quick Links for archived Daniel's Family Newsletters in PDF:
Daniels Newsletter - August 2007 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - February 2007 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - November 2006 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - October 2006 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - May 2006 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - April 2006 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - March 2006 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - February 2005 PDF
Daniels Newsletter - November 2005 PDF
Daniels Newsletter September 2005 PDF
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