Milestones & Visitors

Scott & Missy

From time to time God graciously allows us to reach tangible milestones in our ministry and this week was no exception. Both milestones were related to two buildings we currently have under construction, one in the Kerio Valley and the other on Mt. Elgon. We traveled back to the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheposabei for the fifth week in a row to complete the roof on that sanctuary.    Turnbuckles

Finishing Touches

Completed Roof

While my team was in the Kerio valley roofing, Pastor Peter and his team were on Mt. Elgon completing the walls on the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheptabrubru.  

                                                      Completed Siding

These two structures are the same size and both have iron sheet roofs but as you can see from the pictures, the frame work is quite different. Both Church families have been faithfully meeting under tents for almost two years now and the members are very excited to have a permanent structure over their heads. The construction process has been very much a partnership with the Church family committing to do most of the labor. The LBC at Cheptabrubru is what I might refer to as in Phase II where the walls were enclosed with iron sheets.
We used iron sheets for the walls due to heavy rains daily on Mt. Elgon for around nine months of the year which simply washes the mud walls away.   
Esthetically, it does not blend in as nicely with the countryside but is much more practical and will endure for many years. While we completed phase one at the LBC of Cheposabei the church members surprised me by telling me they are going to start making bricks for the siding. They tell me the soil is good for bricks and they make a lot of charcoal which they can use to bake the bricks. So they have two out of three key ingredients and they are willing to put forth the effort through labor in making bricks. We will partner with them by providing a water tank for them to use in this process and eventually the cement to actually start constructing the walls.

Once we start bricking the walls at Cheposabei we will have built the walls of five different sanctuaries out of: bricks, iron sheets, rocks and mud. The mud walls have obviously been the least expensive but given the fact that these church plants are totally autonomous and self governing we want to give the Pastors and congregation the opportunity to be involved in the decision making process as we work together.
While we are somewhat weary from all the traveling and construction we are elated to see the work in these village churches reaching milestones which are both spiritual and physical in nature. We are truly experiencing God’s grace and blessings in a great way and we also know that we can do nothing without Him, but with Him all things are possible.  
This week we also had a visit from Bro. Scott Bourland, who is the newest Missionary in our associated work and his wife Missy.

We had several days of great fellowship and we were thankful for the opportunity to share what God is doing in our lives and ministry.  
                                               Terry, Missy and Sporta

We covet and thank for your continued prayers and support.

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya