His Work Among the Luo People Of Kenya Go ... and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19
February 6, 1990

Fraley's Chapel Church of Christ
c/o Jeff Young
Rt. #2 Box 421
Corinth, Mississippi  38834

Dear friends and family in Christ,

 Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant
 land.   Proverbs 25:25.

     Greetings from Kisii, Kenya!  And do we have good news for you!  January has been an excellent month for starting off a new year in Christ's work here in Luo land.  It's been full of teaching and praying together, loving each other, fellowshipping, encouraging and holding each other up.  I want to tell you particularly about this last weekend which we spent in the Gwassi area (a very remote area of South Nyanza) visiting and sharing with several of the churches there.  Bi-monthly we spend weekends out with established churches and I would like to share this one with you.
     It started on Friday morning with our preparations to go and spend three days out in bush
country.  Physically, these weekends wipe us out and this one was no different.  It took all morning to pack the car with necessary supplies.  I am always amazed to see Luo's show up to these weekend meetings with just the clothes on their backs and only a Bible in their hands.  For four years now I have been slowly trying to pare down the amount of supplies we take out to these weekends in an attempt to be more like the Luo's.  And yet, we still struggle to fit everything in the back of our pickup.  We start with tents, two of them because Mom and Dad Rosie are with us, and all the tent gear. ropes, stakes, ground cloths. etc. that go with them.  Next comes bedding (mattresses. sheets, blankets), followed by towels, washcloths, a stove for heating wash water, basins, soap and necessary cleaning supplies, and all the water we will need for washing so that I will not have to spend time walking to the river to haul water back to camp.  Several suitcases hold clothes for the weekend and extras for just such an emergency that may arise.  Our Bibles and songbooks go along with a box of extra songbooks and Bibles to sell to anyone who wish to purchase them.  Oh! We mustn't forget tools to fix our rapidly dying vehicle and anchors to help get us out of the mud if we happen to get stuck.  And at the very last, I throw in some food for Kit just in case meals happen to be late which is the norm rather than the exception.  At noon we climb wearily into the truck and look forward to a three hour drive over the worst roads in Kenya, and which at this time of the year happen to be full of choking dust.  3 pm arrives and we reverse the process, emptying the truck and setting up camp.  The Luo's must think a circus is in town because they gather round to watch the proceedings; soft, white people building houses just to spend a few nights.  Tea is served at four and I gratefully collapse onto a hard, rickety stool which will be my only chair for the weekend.  We got lucky this time.  Beans and rice were served with the tea.  At five, teaching begins and Barry goes into action again after an exhausting day of just getting there.  Dad was a real blessing.  He did the teaching after supper.  Barry only had to translate.  Not as hard as doing the teaching, but almost as hard.  Mom and I share the responsibility of trying to keep Kit corralled and quiet.  At midnight, after seven hours of sitting on less than comfortable chairs and swatting mosquitoes, we finally get to retire to tents that are built on a hillside and mattresses that cover tremendous lumps.  It's up at seven, tea at eight and back to the teaching which started at nine and lasted till one, Barry being the only teacher.  This time I translate and try to keep Kit quiet and still all at once.  After a quick lunch we all need a break but Barry doesn't get that luxury.
     It's a two hour trip to the lake and back and three want to be baptized not to mention the need for fish for dinner, so Barry is on the go again.  Dad goes along to capture the event on video and Mom and I get to watch Kit again and try to keep him out of the sweltering sun.  The crew arrives back from the lake at four and teaching begins immediately.  Again, Barry doesn't get a break.  Teaching ends at six, supper at seven.  Well it was supposed to be seven but it took till nine to get It on the table.  Right after supper, Barry and Kit collapse in bed.  The rest of us have an evening session with a national brother teaching this time.  Blessing of blessings, Barry gets to rest on Sunday.
     Dad does the preaching and a national brother is there who can interpret.  Barry has the rare
opportunity of sitting through the three and one half hour worship service without being asked to
do anything.  He needed that!  Sunday is truly a day of rest for him,  He only has to take down the tents, pack the car and drive home over the dusty roads, praying the whole time that the car will hold together and he will not have to do any emergency repair jobs in the middle of nowhere.
     Arrival at the Rosie residence is at six and all we have to do is unpack the car, wash the inch thick layer of dust off of everything, put it away, take much needed baths and fall into our own beds at eight.  I don't think Barry actually knew just exactly when his head hit the pillow.  Are you getting the picture?  Physically, this is not easy, but let me tell you the wonderful part now.
     Spiritually the weekend is a huge success.  Five churches were represented at the meeting.
Many of the brethren arrived before we did, which is unusual because they have to walk, some of them more than ten kilometers (almost seven miles).  And they are raring to go.  Klement Kasuku, one of our promising national preachers walked five kilometers and back for three days in a row in order to get more teaching.  He had to work all night long for the three days but he walked back and forth so he wouldn't miss a thing.  A Bible teacher for the whole weekend is a rare commodity.
     They too sit on rickety stools and they take lots of notes during the teaching.  Most of the men are in desperate need of new preaching material and they take advantage of the teaching and sharing sessions.  Many neighborhood people drop in to hear the Word and they too take advantage by asking lots of questions.  All sit and soak in the Word for just as long as Barry is willing to teach.  Most of the women are busy cooking for the guests but they too sit down every chance they get to hear the Word,  And at night, when the cooking is finished, they come and sit with babies sleeping in their arms and older children sleeping across their legs.  One woman, the mother of the home where we were meeting was very sick.  She could hardly walk she felt so bad, but she didn't miss one of the teaching times.  Three were baptized which gave opportunity for a joyful celebration, and many more have had the seed implanted.  The singing was very uplifting and the sharing just filled our hearts to their fullest.
     We will probably not get out to that village again for several months, after the heavy rains have come and gone. but this weekend will remain in our hearts and minds, and in theirs, for much longer than a few months,  Look to the verse at the top of this letter and dwell for a few minutes on the Good News that was preached to the village in Gwassi this weekend, and when you do, send up a prayer for all who heard the Good News there,  And pray for us, that we may continue for a long time in the future to live here and share that Good News with these people who are so ready to hear.

For Our Saviour,
 
 

Barry, Stacy & Kit