June 1995

His Work Among the Luo People Of Kenya Go ... and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19
June 1, 1995

To begin with we would like to say thank you to those who recently sent gifts to us. These individuals and congregations are: Jimmy Allen; Dr. J. Paul Pollard, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Trent; Downtown Church of Christ and Gibson Merchandise Group Inc.. These gifts were separate from our monthly salary, and came at a very opportune time in our lives. We had just finished making out the order for Kits' third grade school books which came to almost $600.00 and were staggered by this amount. These gifts came to almost the same amount as the school books. We thank you again for this added help and pray that the Lord will bless your lives as he has blessed our lives. If there are others that contributed recently, that we are presently unaware of, we also thank you.

Living here in South Nyanza, we see that the Luo people greatly need our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. While traveling out in the bush to teach about Jesus, we see walking "skeletons" that are awaiting a burial place. Deaths from AIDS are so common these days that the Luo community is saying that they are "burying bones". The hospitals are filled with people that are dying from AIDS (90% - 95%). It is not uncommon to hear that 4 or 5 funerals are taking place at the same time in the same home. Many of the people that we greet daily we will never see again in this life.

Just last Sunday we went to worship at the Ruga Gem congregation where there are now three orphaned children. Their father died from AIDS back in 1988 and this last month the mother also died from AIDS. It also looks like the youngest child (18 months) will soon be going to live with our Master up in heaven.

Two Sundays ago we worshipped at the Soko congregation where Mama Teresa told us of three deaths in one month at the home of her birth. We greeted one of Teresa's own daughters who may have come home to visit for the last time. She is now very skinny, we almost did not recognize her as one of the family even though we have seen her many times before.

Rebeka Ngoje (our Luo "mom") lives just one and a half miles down the road from us. She buried her sister last week. Rebeka's sister died of AIDS. While she was in the hospital, the Christians of several congregations prayed that she might leave the hospital alive and have the opportunity to put on Christ as her Saviour. The Lord answered their prayer and Rebeka was able to be present at the baptism of her earthly sister shortly before she died! The same day that Rebeka's sister was buried, the mother in law of Rebeka's sister passed away. She also died of AIDS. Burying one individual only to have another die on the day of the funeral (or even before the funeral) is becoming commonplace in South Nyanza.

South Nyanza is the second most densely populated area in Kenya. This, however, is quickly changing. The Luo neighbor who lives to the left of us has buried her husband, her co-wife, two of her children and her sister, all since January, and all without Christ. Another Christian family, just down the road from us buried 3 infants since the beginning of 1995. It is not uncommon to find whole homes that are no longer inhabited. The problems of overpopulation and not enough land to farm, are pushed aside due to another problem. There is not enough time or money to bury all the dead!

It is true that AIDS is running rampant in South Nyanza. One American medical authority who recently visited Kenya states that there are two countries in Africa that can expect to have an infant death rate that is 2 times greater than the world average. Kenya, however, is not one of the two countries. Rather, the projected infant death rate in Kenya will reach 5 times the world average by the year 2010, with close to fifty percent of the newborn dying from AIDS. And another doctor in Kenya reports that deaths caused by AIDS in Kenya, are the highest in South Nyanza among the Luo people with about 30 % of the Luo population dying from the AIDS virus.

We know it is not because of a lack of medicines to treat the disease (for there is no known cure), rather it is a lack of morality on the part of people to follow the guidelines that God has set forth in the Bible. There are many Luo customs that have to be eradicated before there can be any signs of change in the area of deaths that are caused by this killer disease. Polygamy, fornication, taking of the brothers wives upon his death, and giving of a younger daughter that is not yet married to "replace" a married daughter that has died are only the tip of the iceberg.

Please pray that the Luo Christians can boldly teach and follow what God sets forth for us. Mankind needs to realize that one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24) is a marriage relationship that is truly sent from, and blessed by our heavenly Father. Also, pray that we might have the proper words for this need in South Nyanza. Much teaching needs to be accomplished. We ask for strength and guidance as we minister to those in need, both Christian and non Christian.