November 1994

His Work Among the Luo People Of Kenya Go ... and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19
November 1, 1994

Elizabeth Kasuku was remarried this month to a young single Christian man from the Mariwa congregation! You may remember that Elizabeth was the wife of Klement Kasuku who died earlier this year. She faced a bleak future. Klement's father is a traditionalist at heart. He gave Elizabeth three choices that fit into his traditional mind set. She could become second wife to Klement's brother, she could become second wife to a neighboring family who were willing to pay a price for her (Klement's father felt he was being very broad minded in securing this choice for her) , or she was free to go back to her own family who would force her into prostitution in order to gain back the wealth they would lose in returning Elizabeth's bride price to Klement's family. Elizabeth had already moved herself and her children to Sindo town and was living in near destitution in order to escape from the unbearable situation. The area sub chief had already warned her father in law more than once to refrain from beating her. Barry appealed to the network of Christians throughout South Nyanza. Was there not one Luo Christian willing to put tradition and fear aside, putting God's will first, and take Elizabeth as his first and only wife? There was! This month, Elizabeth and her new husband stood before the church and pledged themselves to each other. This marriage was so unprecedented that they also stood before the chief to make a public statement and receive tribal approval. And three congregations in South Nyanza stood with the young pair and witnessed the celebration. Even yet we do not breathe easy for Elizabeth. Defying tradition is not taken lightly here, but we rejoice in their courage and desire to do His will. Please pray with us.

We are struggling with yet another Christian who lives in that death grip of fear called tradition. Oguda and his family are dear friends of ours. They live just down the road from us. We see each other just about every day and often enjoy fellowship in each others homes. Oguda's youngest child is named after me. Barry and I have revelled in the relationship that has developed between out two families, finally feeling that we had an opportunity to develop a close brothership (this is a rare relationship between a Kenyan national and a missionary, because of vast cultural differences) and ground them thoroughly into Christ. Oguda's brother died in the first week of January. Today, Oguda is living with his own wife and his brothers wife. Oguda has a lovely Christian wife . I don't think desire has overcome him. Instead, he fears the "chira" (a strong curse visited on one because the spirit of a dead relative is displeased) dictated by his tradition. When Oguda showed up at worship today, my pulse rate went sky high. I was so ready to rejoice at his change of heart. Instead he could not even look at me as he left the worship without greeting anyone. Please pray with us.

Saria's mother (who is a Christian)was intent on fulfilling the tradition required of a widow some monthsafter she loses her mate. The wife must go back to her home of birth, visit with her family, who supply her with a sizeable piece of dead meat (part of a cow, or a sheep or goat). She must carry the meat back to her husbands home (a real traditional widow will insist on carrying the meat on foot, no matter how far). Her eldest son is to meet her part way, help his mother carry the meat home, the meat is then prepared and the family feasts. In this way the spirit of the dead husband is appeased and his wife and inlaws do their duty to the dead husband. Saria's mother is an old widow (I would guess at least 80 if her age can be guessed) and she made careful plans to fulfill this tradition. She didn't take her eldest son, Saria, into careful consideration. He's a Christian who is more than skin deep. She went home, visited with her family, received the meat and carried it home. Her son, however, was not en route to meet her. She left the meat in the road (I for one, am amazed that it was not stolen), trudged the rest of the way home and devised her plan on the way. She showed up at Saria's door. "Son.", she said. "I am an old women. I bought some meat at the market and now my back is hurting too much for me to carry it home. Come and help me. "

"Mother.", was Saria's reply. "I love you and I would do anything to help you, but I am not carrying that dead meat to this home. My father was a Christian. He cannot hurt you and he does not need us to appease his spirit. Jesus is doing that."

Saria's mother was frightened and furious at her son. For a long time we did not see her in worship and no amount of encouragement could change her mind. But she's back, stronger in the faith than ever. Last week I heard her lead prayer in a ladies class. Even her daughters in law commented that they had never heard her pray before. Please pray with us for Saria's mother.

Two nights ago I was awakened at midnight to the strains of disco music blaring through my closed windows. Funny, I thought, we live in the bush now. The nearest town is four kilometers away (too far for that kind of volume). And besides it wasn't even a holiday. The music continued till dawn. The next morning I commented to a neighbor. "Oh that.", she replied without surprise or emotion. "That was a funeral." A funeral! I had much difficulty masking my contempt. Was she teasing me. Apparently not. "Did one of our neighbors die?", I asked, for I had heard no wailing. "He died six years ago.", she said calmly. Well, "I" learn something new everyday. I could be here a hundred years and I'll still learn something new every day. In this case, I learned that a good Luo must attend a family funeral at least twice and in some cases three times in order to keep that dead spirit happy. Our neighbors are seventh day adventist. The traditional way to appease the dead spirit on the second visit to the funeral requires the family to stay up all night long and sing the praises of the dead person. Something along the lines of a eulogy. The SDA church though, had been teaching it's members that this is wrong so this neighboring family to us decided to do it Christ's way and stay up all night by blaring disco music. They missed the point in more ways than one. Still clinging to tradition, this family had to perform the traditional rite of appeasing the dead by staying up all night. Switching from a eulogy to disco music was a simple enough adjustment to make. Please pray with us.

Today, I am unable to remember the name of the man who said these words. We were sharing a table for lunch with him at a missionary guest house in Nairobi. The missionary guest houses in Nairobi are a real blessing to us. Run by a variety of churches and mission boards, they provide for a very reasonable price (considering missionaries' tight budgets), lodging , food , and a myriad of other services, to missionaries who need to come to the capital city for business or rest and relaxation.. Without the missionary guest houses we would be unable to afford to go to Nairobi even for business purposes . But the greatest blessing of all , is the fellowship shared over a meal with other missionaries. At times one feels as if he's visiting the missionary hall of fame when he sits in the dining room of one of these guest houses. Just last month, we had the honor of sharing breakfast with a single woman who was retiring after 59 years of service on the mission field and returning home. Often times, one shares a table with missionaries from four or five different home countries and four or five different countries where they labour. Often times, one will share a meal with a missionary who has served in two, or more different countries. These lunches shared with other missionaries (who also share the same difficulties as we do) are often a source of deep encouragement and provide much food for thought to a missionary who feels isolated, lonely, and maybe a bit unsure of the effectiveness of the work he is doing. The man who made the statement above, has been a missionary with the African Inland Mission for 45 years and when he made the statement, he was referring to Christians in Africa. He had 45 years experience to my 9. I figured I had better listen to what he had to say.

"There are a million Christians in Africa, and their faith only an inch deep." Sounds a bit bitter, doesn't it? Or maybe it sounds as if he was commenting on how the denominational world has carved up Africa into tiny pieces, none of them accomplishing enough the keep the church flourishing. Actually, he was grappling with the same problem as we are. How to mature the African Christians so that they can carry on without missionaries. That's a tough problem indeed. For it's true. There are a million Christians in Africa, and their faith only an inch deep. They are easily converted but not easily changed, for tradition holds them in a death grip. We are trying to dredge out a few of these "rivers" so the living water can run clear and deep.