Needle in a Haystack, Construction Zone & The Texans Are Coming!

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray". If there is ever a saying that applies to living in Africa, this would be it. No matter how well you plan and no matter how well you prep rarely do things turn out the way you intend for them to go. This week we had planned to stay local to prepare for a group of visitors who will be coming next week. However, the one injector on the Toyota Land Cruiser which has been giving us trouble over the last few weeks finally decided to go out and the truck stop running.

Needless to say, priorities change quickly when you lose your primary source of transportation. We had to make an unscheduled trip to Nairobi which ended up costing us three days in time and $800.00 for one injector plus traveling and lodging costs. There is no Napa, Discount Auto Parts or AutoZone located here to run down to the corner, and the injector turned out to be like finding a needle in a haystack. The truck is old enough to need an injector but new enough to where there are not many parts in country yet for the model we have. After much praying and searching, the part was located and we were able to return to Eldoret. The truck is up and running again! Of course, one of the benefits of traveling to the Capitol of Kenya is that we got to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken, and let me tell you that Colonel Sanders Chicken never tasted so good! It is not exactly like what you get in the USA but it is close enough to take your taste buds and heart back home. While we have been able to get two roofs completed over the last couple of months we are starting to feel like we live in a construction zone.

As you can see from the picture, we have been fabricating posts, trusses and signs in preparation for starting the construction of two more sanctuaries, all of it is stacked on the side of our house here in Eldoret. The next two Churches due for construction are the Landmark Baptist Church of Wichlum and the Landmark Baptist Church of GOT, both are located at Lake Victoria. As soon as we set the posts and trusses we will be up to four sanctuaries under construction. Sunday we worshiped under the new roof of Landmark Baptist Church of Soysambu.

                   What a milestone for this group of believers.

                            Serious Worshipers in Christ

                                                     Building In Progress  

LBC Soysambu is our youngest Church plant (2 years old) and while we have been spending a considerable time with them during the building process, this was our first opportunity to worship with them since we returned from furlough/deputation. They are small in number but Jesus said where two or three are gathered in His name, he would be in the midst.

  We were truly blessed as we worshiped the Lord together. It is hard to explain from the Missionary's perspective what it is like to worship with a group of believers whom you have largely brought to Christ. But I will say that the kindred spirit and bonds found in Christ goes far beyond anything this world has to offer. We worshiped the Lord in spirit and in truth as I taught from Titus 2 and Pastor Shadrach who visited with us from the neighboring LBC Mawe Tatu preached from Philippians. Pastor Japheth read and expounded on a short but powerful verse from Colossians. Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Even as I close this journal entry, this verse continues to speak to my heart. Please continue to pray that Terry and I will hide our lives with Christ in God so that others may know Him. Also pray for traveling mercy for our visitors from Texas who will be with us next week. Pastor Don Moore from Providence MBC in Center,Texas and Pastor Jamie Hogan from Oakland MBC in Rusk, Texas are bringing a small group to serve with us over the next two weeks.

It has been fun to try to teach our National Pastors the history of "cowboys".


God Bless,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez
Kenya

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad