Visiting Preachers, Women’s Seminar and Missing Members

                                           Ugali Together....

We hosted two visiting Preachers from the Turkana district this week that had traveled down to get medical treatment at one of the private hospitals here in Eldoret. Pastor Moses who is from a village called Nagolipus has lived with an inner ear problem for four years now that causes headaches, earaches and dizziness. While he received treatment in Turkana during that time, there was no ear doctor there for him to get a proper diagnosis.

The ear doctor here in Eldoret diagnosed him with a rare inner ear disease, treated him and sent him home to heal.

The Turkana have a special place in our hearts as they are the first tribe Terry and I worked with here in Kenya.

Please pray that God will continue to heal Pastor Moses.

While we enjoyed hosting these men of God, the highlight of our week was a women’s seminar that Terry was invited to teach at the LBC Namarambi.   

There were over fifty women who attended the seminar in which Terry used a newly donated oven to teach on the recipe of a successful Christian home as well as learning to be faithful to: God, their family and their Church.  

Now let me pause here and be reminded just how blessed I am to have a wife that loves the Lord, loves me and God’s women in such a way that she is willing to do what Bible says to do in

Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  

Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Titus 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Terry is an excellent teacher who has years of training and experience in living out her faith while being completely dedicated to her Lord and Saviour. Her personal ministry is making a great difference in the lives of these women as well as the Churches.

It has been said that the Church is only a strong as the weakest family, so if Terry helps these women grow in their faith through sound Biblical teaching she is in turn helping strengthen the Church. Through this lesson series they are also learning to cook banana bread and corn bread which has never been introduced to their culture, so she will leave behind a spiritual legacy through her teachings and example as well as a physical legacy through baking. (see picture below with poem)

The ladies will use the oven to bake their new found recipes of bread and sell them to fund their ladies ministry within the church which creates great fellowship.    

The most humbling part of the seminar is when the ladies march forward one by one to give their teacher gifts of appreciation for doing what nobody else has ever done for them before, by giving them something that more valuable than silver and gold. Terry received eggs, live chickens, avocados and a pineapple as a love offering which is of great price for people who survive day to day on very little.  

                                Gift of Eggs 

Gift of Chicken

Gift of Pineapple

Love Their Teacher

Lunch Break

While the ladies were attending the seminar, the men gathered together to do village evangelism where two people made professions in Christ. My visitation partner was Pastor Daniel. We made follow up visits with Church members that have been saved and baptized over the last few years but have not been in Church in some time.  

                      Pastor Peter & Missionary Chuck

This confirmation process of following up with absentee members is something that every Pastor worldwide must do from time to time. We had a great day together and I believe we were able to encourage a handful of back slidden members to return to the Lord.

                                 Missing Members

There are times when I get the impression that people think our ministry here in Africa is guaranteed with successful Christian converts who are automatically programmed to be faithful. Anyone who believes that needs to sue their brain for non-support as Satan is continually buffeting God’s people worldwide. So this is the harder part of the work that maybe does not get reported on as much but nevertheless, encouraging the saints of God to remain steadfast and immovable is a reality on the African mission field as well.

In closing, please find the below poem which will touch your heart regarding the unsung hero of the mission field.  

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Kenya

The unsung Heroine of the Mission Field

She follows two true loves most of her life

Often alone during great stress and strife:

Leaving loved ones for homes far away,

Not knowing just how long she will stay.

Some have to learn a new way to cook and eat,

Sometimes can't even talk to the people they meet.

Their families move from place to place

Completely dependent on God for His grace.

She is the one who keeps him in prayer

And mends his socks and pants when they tear.

She stretches the food like you’ve never seen.

You wouldn't believe what she does with sardines.

She is his cheerleader as he tries to win the world

And he never has doubts that she is his girl.

She keeps things going when he is away

And teaches her children to go not Astray

She helps wherever she can with his ministry

Trying to assist him in any way she can see.

Her life she has given to God and this man,

Praise from others was never in her plan.

She's her children's schoolteacher, tailor, and cook,

Trying to keep them in control with that look.

Teaching them to try to fit in where they live,

Yet holding morals that will not give.

She's given her life helping and serving others,

Leaving behind her sisters and brothers,

The unsung heroine of the mission field,

The missionaries wife, whose life we have revealed. 

Janet Aligood 1999

A Band of Brothers and The End Times

Pastor Jackson & Missionary Chuck

The highlight of this week was the Prophecy Seminar we held for the Pastors and Preachers we are currently working with. Demographically, there were thirty two men of God gathered from four different regions representing four different tribes, fifteen different villages and eight different Landmark Baptist Churches here in Kenya.

These quarterly seminars give us the opportunity to bring the entire team together to reinforce the teachings and training they are receiving on an individual basis. As our work continues to expand by God’s grace through new converts, new Churches and new outreaches, we have a great responsibility to give these Preachers and Pastors the best Bible based education possible so they can in turn feed their flocks a steady diet of God’s Word to insure their continued growth.

There is a great bond that is forming among these men of God as we serve the Lord together.

It is a bond that is hard to describe but one that might be compared to a Band of Brothers who are serving their Lord and Savior by fighting the good fight of faith and fulfilling their calling. Not only has this team grown tenfold since 2009, but they are also growing closer to each other.

It is a great joy for me to step back and watch the more experienced and mature preachers help encourage the younger preachers in God’s work during these seminars.
As a foreign missionary, God has equipped me to give them a solid Bible education along with Pastoral experience, however, there are so many areas, culturally speaking, that I will never be able to fully understand no matter how long I am here.

This adds another valuable dimension to these quarterly seminars where this band of brothers is able to help and encourage one another in their ministry as well. It also is encouraging to be able to see the depth of each Church and each outreach having three and four young men being trained to do God’s work.

Eschatology is one of my favorite subjects to teach and is a reminder of the investment that great men of God have made in my life over the years.   Eschatology Teaching

Many of our preachers have been through the surveys of the Old and New Testament but are now desiring to learn more about Prophecy.

The teachings this week included: the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Judgment seat of Christ, the Marriage of the Lamb, the Battle of Armageddon, the 1000 year Millennium, the Great White Throne and the New Heaven and New Earth.

My voice is still hoarse but we had a great time studying God’s Word together. 

                            Break Time  

The feedback I received was that while they had studied many of these topics individually, it was the first time for most them to have a comprehensive study that tied everything together.

Finally, each Preacher in attendance was given a copy of the entire study with scripture references for their personal library.

We believe that leaving a quality Christian legacy behind involves more than just the number of Churches that we leave behind.

Our legacy will also ultimately be judged on the maturity of these saints whom God has allowed us the honor and privilege to teach and who will glorify God by living the Christian life through both faith and practice.

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Kenya

Phil. 4:13

Second Generation Outreaches & Missionary Moments

Terry's Evangelistic Team

Allocation of time and resources is something that every ministry has to consider in order to utilize these most precious resources in the most efficient manner possible while bringing God maximum honor and glory. The theme of time is mentioned extensively in the book of Ecclesiastes 3, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: And the theme of redeeming the time is mentioned in the books of Ephesians and Colossians as a reminder that we are to be good stewards by making good use of our time as we are only given a limited amount. With that said we try to focus our resources where they are most needed and will produce the most fruit. Such was the case with our follow up visit to the village of Soysambu this week. Soysambu is what I would refer to as a second generation outreach that has been spawned from the first Church we planted here in Kenya in 2009, the Landmark Baptist Church of Mawe Tatu/Nzoia or as we affectionately call “3 Stones”. It is these second generation works that we are emphasizing by putting our time and resources into, thus encouraging them to grow in the Lord.             Gospel Preachers 

We are currently working with ten of these second generation outreaches which Lord willing will someday be organized into autonomous self sustaining Churches. Soysambu is located in the region between the LBC Mawe Tatu and the LBC Namarambi and we are very much in the crucial early stages of watering the seeds so they will continue to grow. Pastors and members from both of these Churches met us at Soysambu to do evangelism and discipleship training. We were greatly encouraged to see fifteen more people trust Christ as personal Lord and Savior this week, one of which was a ninety two year old lady whom Terry led to Christ.             Terry's Evangelistic Team

We are also encouraged by the fact that there is now a weekly Bible Study taking place every Thursday and starting next month, the Assistant Pastor from LBC Mawe Tatu will be traveling there each Sunday afternoon to meet with these new believers. There is a great deal of patience exhibited by these preachers as they know that this is a long term commitment they have made which is going to take years to bring these young converts to a place of maturity. Sometimes I think our fast paced Western mentality is one of the greatest hindrances to God’s work. We have a tendency to want to see the fruit in the immediate here and now and if we do not see the fruit growing before our eyes we will quickly abandon the crop before it has a chance to grow. The years of the commitment and effort Jesus put into His apostles was much more than I am afraid most Christians are willing to invest into another persons life and Christian growth in this day and age. This is definitely something that Africa has taught me and has been deeply etched into my heart and mind.
    Please pray for this young outreach at Soysambu.

                            Nelson......Precious Children

This week we have also had our trials or what I like to call “missionary moments”. These are not complaints; I am merely recording the experience for us to remember in our old age and for others to share this experience on the foreign field. For example, the truck continues to be a source of problems with the front end needing extensive work on bushings and the trailing arms. I also had to rivet the back windows in so they would not fall out. We have been without water for four days now and have experienced what our people do every day in village life. Bringing water in from an outside source has reminded us of the difficulties of village life. At least we did not have to walk to the river or dig it out of a dry river bed and then carry it on our heads for five kilometers. The electricity and internet has been on and off all week as well. In closing, I want to thank the many folks that support this ministry through their faithful prayers and finances. Additionally, I want to thank F.I.S.H. ministries for their continued support by keeping us supplied with Swahili John & Romans so that every new believer has the opportunity to read the Word of God.

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya

Phil. 4:13

Village Evangelism & A Heart of Worship

Children's Shelter

There are two items of business I need to clear up before I enter our weekly journal blog. #1: As you can see, I have used a new venue to post our weekly journal in the form of a Picasa photo album. My hope is that we will be able to share more photos along with the blog entry by using the Picasa slideshow format.
  (NOTE: Any feedback with regard to this new method of sharing our ministry would be deeply appreciated.)
  Kindly drop me a reply at your earliest convenience with your feedback, good or bad.
#2: Somebody has hacked Terry’s Yahoo account and is using our ministry mailing list to send out money making emails without our permission. We are not here to make money but rather to do God’s work so please disregard. However, if you have made millions on line and want to give to God’s work, feel free to do as God leads you. LOL. Terry is going to close her Yahoo account for this reason. Sorry for any inconvenience.

This week we traveled to the Kerio Valley to minister to the Pokot tribe in the villages of Katuperot and Cheposabei. The village of Katuperot is the neighboring village to Cheposabei where we have planted our first Pokot Church. Many of the members of the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheposabei along with their Pastor Timothy Loquardo participated in the evangelism efforts. Make no mistake about it, Terry and I share God’s Word but we have much joy in watching our children in the faith growing up and sharing God’s Word with their neighboring villages. We believe that good Disciples of Christ make other disciples through one on one evangelism.
        Bible in Hand....

Our leader for this week’s evangelism was Solomon. In the pictures you will recognize a young preacher who is physically impaired with a deformed foot from birth. You probably have to see Solomon walking first hand through the desert heat on crutches to appreciate the effort he is putting forth but take my word; he is determined to deliver the gospel. The average Christian will not walk across the street with two good legs to share God’s word and here is a man with make shift crutches walking many miles to be a witness for Christ. It is very humbling to walk behind him as he struggles with each step and I often think to myself just how much he loves the Lord and how obedient of a servant he is. His testimony is much like many of those in Cheposabei where he was a drunkard and actually avoided us our first two visits in 2010. It would be our third visit that God would speak to his heart and told him to go and hear what we had to say. During this visit he would accept Christ by faith and a year later surrender to preach the gospel. He is now the Assistant Pastor and a key leader in the church. After house to house evangelism we gathered everyone together at the water hole for afternoon teachings. The folks of Katuperot are definitely getting more comfortable with us and it does our hearts good that they now call Terry by the name, “Mama Teresa” and of course I am known by the name of “Carlos”.  
                           New Solar Audio Bible 

Teaching

Village Evangelism

They love to see us come for teachings and we are building strong relationships with these folks as we move from planting seeds to watering them. There were twelve more that accepted Christ this week and are now birthed into the family of God through salvation.   
                               Evangelism Team 

This makes dozens who have professed Christ over the last month and we are now strategically aiming the teachings at basic discipleship. Terry takes the ladies to one side of the river while I take the men to the other side and we taught them about what is means to be a Christian, the early Church and this week I also taught on lessons from the Sermon on the Mount. The words of Jesus are still the bread of life that every man needs to live by. What an honor! 
                                     Terry and Watoto

This trip also afforded us the opportunity to survey the new plot which we will start building on at the end of the month. We had great worship services on the Lord’s Day with the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheposabei and judging from the singing and testimonies the people really have a heart to worship. Their testimonies will bring tears to your eyes, about how God is not only transforming lives but also the entire village.
                                           Prayers.....

They recall the days before we brought the love of Christ to their village as days of darkness and without peace. We know what a difference the Lord has made in our lives and every time we visit Cheposebei we see firsthand the difference God is making in this desert village. On our trip back to Eldoret Terry and I had a good laugh as we wondered how many of our brethren in America have the opportunity to set up the tent to worship under, or how many of our brethren had camels surround the sanctuary and interrupt the service by eating loudly or how many people are blessed to eat MRE’s on the way home from Church on the Lord’s Day?
All I can say is that we are blessed!

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya
Phil. 4:13

Hunters Special:Walk & Stalk Antelope & Gazelle

Bow Hunting

For those of you who are hunters, let me preface this blog entry by saying that I am

 #1 a fisher of men and

 #2 an inshore angler from Florida who has little experience with bow hunting.

 So please keep that in mind as I pass through your court of hunting judgment.

Also, keep in mind that we are using traditional bows hand made by the Pokot tribe and that this hunt was as much about the fellowship with my hunting buddy, Chad Harris, who I am only able to go hunting with one time per year.

He has become a good friend and is the only friend I have here in Kenya that is willing to spend this type of time doing something we thoroughly enjoy together.

Day One: The first area we hunted was very rocky with steep hills covered with scrub brush. We probably violated every rule of effectively walking and stalking on this first day as we were just learning how and where to hunt for the animals. For example, we must have had 8 men and a dozen curious children following us as we made our way to the top of the mountain to glass for antelope and gazelle.  

Glassing

In addition to the large hunting party, we had the wind at our backs the entire time. Needless to say, we saw nothing other than a stray calf that I almost accidently shot after climbing and trekking many miles through this rocky and rough terrain. Remember, this is the first time we have ever hunted in this area and we were learning,
............... even if it was what not to do!

I think the only thing we had correct was that we hunted in the late evening until it was dark. With that said we did not fully understand how difficult it would be climbing down the steep rocky paths in the dark, but once again this is something we figured out the hard way. 

Day 2: Started before dawn and we decided to change strategies by looking for a water source to hunt and by going out alone without all the observers. We had a local guide take us to the closest watering hole since it had not rained in several months and the land was parched.   Hiking

Once we arrived at the water hole we found it is was not atypical as it was a man made reservoir with 8ft. high banks that did not lend access to what we hoped would be herds of animals. We stalked around the water hole for about an hour only to see two small gazelles and one rabbit running away from us at break neck speed.

This was definitely not what we expected.

After another hour I told Chad that we needed to move to a different area as this is the only experience I have from inshore fishing.

If I am not catching fish, I am moving to a place where I am.

The move was mid way up the mountain we had climbed the day before but this time we found a huge valley that was full of green vegetation. With the wind in our faces we found what we had been looking for, both antelope and gazelle.

They were not in herds but individual animals hiding amongst the scrubs in this valley that we would flush out and then stalk to get a shot.

My opportunity came when my guide flushed out a nice gazelle that surprised me by walking into the area I was waiting with a 30 yd. broadside shot.

 

I am not sure what I was waiting for but I was not ready in such a short notice and by the time I decided to draw my bow, he moved on.

Little did I know that would be my only real opportunity to take a shot at a gazelle.

For me, it was just exciting to be in God’s creation with a friend and having the opportunity of life time to bow hunt gazelle and antelope in wild Africa.

We stalked several more nice Antelope on this day but could not get close enough for another shot.

 Day 3: This last hunt we returned to the same valley where we had seen the animals in the morning but they were nowhere to be found. Desperate to shot something we stalked monkeys and guinea fowls for several hours to no avail. We learned a lot on this hunt, although unsuccessful, but rest assured that this for me was as much about the fellowship with a friend as it was the hunt.  Overlook

 

It was also an opportunity to come apart from the Work as I learned a long time ago the hard way that if you do not come apart from God’s work from time to time, you will fall apart. 

          MRE'S......Military Ready to Eat

Thank you for allowing us to share this unique experience with you.

In closing, if any of you are real hunters, you are more than welcome to visit Kenya and show me how to do it. 

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck Fernandez

Kenya

Lake Victoria Outreach, Home Grown Preachers & Bow Hunting

                                  This week we traveled to Lake Victoria to continue to encourage the two works we started there at the fishing villages of Wichlum and Got.

The Church at Got has been organized and is being led by their young Pastor named, Jackson, whom we brought to Christ two and half years ago. In addition to ministry, this trip was also our annual hunting trip which I take with my hunting buddy Chad Harris who is from Ohio.

    Hunting Buddies and Fellow Missionaries

For three days we held daily teachings for these young preachers as well as the young believers who have been saved through this outreach.

      Solar Bible For Believers

 

Given the long distance from Eldoret we are only able to visit these works on a quarterly basis but it is awesome to see the spiritual growth that is taking place between visits. It has been said that, “sometimes you cannot see the trees because of the forest”, however, I can assure you that is not the case with these works since we do not see them on a weekly basis. We are so happy to see the seeds we have planted over the last few years continuing to grow and bear much fruit. There are now five young preachers between these two villages who have surrendered to the gospel ministry and who we are currently in the process of teaching and training.

Pastor Jackson & Wife & Family  

One of the benefits of this trip was to drop off Bibles as well as Bible Institute materials for these young men to continue their education while serving the Lord.   

It does my heart good to hear them ask for their next set of study materials ie: The Life of Christ Part II, Pnuematololgy or Eschatology. Keep in mind that these men are bi-vocational fisherman and herdsman whom we are encouraging and equipping to do God’s work. 

      Preachers With Bible Institute Material

           Kennedy Teaching Children

Their personalities are magnetic and their love for the Lord is contagious. I thank God for bringing us together. One of the benefits and blessings in training these men is that they are like our Timothy’s to the Apostle Paul. These are men whom we have brought to Christ and men who have been called by God to preach His Word. This blesses our heart as they are truly “home grown” preachers.  

                  Pastor Shadrach Preaching

We are not building on another man’s foundation but rather building on the foundation which we have laid with God’s help. During our three day campaign we saw six more receive Christ and we baptized four of them.

Peter Baptized

In addition to the aforementioned ministry work we took to the woods and hills to bow hunt gazelle and antelope. We must have hiked ten miles of rocky hilly terrain to get to the animals. The Luo tribe hunts with dogs and spears and they have never seen anyone stalk hunt with bow and arrow. I will send out a separate “hunters special” report to let you know the results. For now, know that I had a 30 yard broadside shot at a gazelle. But as Dr. Jimmy Williams, our Prophecy teacher at Ft. Cooper Baptist Church used to say to Terry and I; you’ll have to tune in next time to see where this goes. Please keep us in your prayers and I kindly request that you add my Father to your prayer list with an unspoken need.  

God Speed,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya

Phil. 4:13