The Recovering Patient, The Widow Woman & Baptism Permit???

Thank you Lord, for your healing power and for all of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who united in prayer for my dear sick wife. For those that have experienced severe food poisoning you know that not only does it make you extremely sick to your stomach but it also makes you extremely weak. We spent much of this past week allowing Terry adequate time to recover and I am happy to report that after almost five days she had enough strength to travel to Western with me again.

James 5:15 says, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up."
Saturday we traveled to a village called Namarambi to do evangelism with Pastor Daniel.
This is one of the four new churches that God has allowed us to work together with in order to plant a New Testament Church. We praise the Lord for the team that God has formed in order to accomplish His will of evangelism and church planting.
Each week there are as many as eighteen members of our team that come together to carry out the great commission on Mt. Elgon and Western.
It does not matter whether it is on top of Mt. Elgon, on the side or at the base, there are more than a dozen people who feel led to share the Love of Christ through the preaching of the Gospel.

And in case you are wondering, these folks are so surrendered, so burdened and so committed to being a witness for the Lord that they go even when Terry and I are not able to accompany them!

We thank God for allowing us to work together and we love them dearly.
There were a couple of visits we made in the village that were absolutely phenomenal in the sense that we knew that God sent us and God gave us a great blessing for going.

It is a given that our primary goal in weekly village evangelism is the proclaiming of the good news but there are so many other great blessings that come from caring about the souls of men and the sharing God’s Love. As with almost all of our village evangelism efforts, we were led by a local resident.
This week our guide was a young man named, George, whom I led to Christ several months ago in this same village and also baptized. This is one of the great benefits and blessing of forming strong relationships with our new converts as they want to share this great salvation with their friends, neighbors and family.
It is so reminiscent of John 1 and it is both encouraging and comforting to see faith in Christ before our very eyes just like in the days when Jesus was walking on the shores of Galilee, a faith that has been repeated throughout the centuries of time by millions of believers.
John 1:41 says "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."  John 1:42 "And he brought him to Jesus."

Yesterday the first house we visited was George’s older brother Ben and his wife Mary.
Neither of them had ever heard the wonderful story about the Life, the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus but both of them gladly received the word and trusted Christ as Lord and Savior.
Each opportunity to share the Word of God is special but so much more when a burdened and praying family member has brought them to Jesus.
Can someone say, Amen!
The very next visit we made was equally as precious as seeing the young couple come to Christ and form a Christian home.
We approached a rundown home with what seemed like dozens of children running around which is nothing unusual. There was an old momma wearing a ragged dress outside with a hoe in her hands weeding a small garden. After the normal cultural greetings and a small bible study with her she told us that she was a born again believer and began to pour out her heart to us with tears running down her face. She also said that she was a widow and was taking care of her grandchildren and many orphans all alone because of the death of the children’s parents.
While she was in somewhat dire straits with caring for so many without any means I could not help but to think of the widow woman in 1 Kings 17.
With all of our hearts broken we pleaded with the Lord to provide and bless this widow lady with a great blessing and measure of grace. Before we departed the widow woman said that our visit was of God and that her faith had been greatly strengthened and encouraged by our time together. She made a statement of true faith when she said that God had given her something more valuable than money this day and that is hope in the Lord.
What a great demonstration of faith.
Now before you get critical and say, why didn’t you help her, it is important that to know that we are absolute inundated and surrounded with hundreds of these types of situations on a daily basis and while our hearts go out to these folks it is impossible for us to provide assistance for all we meet. It is also important to remember that God gave her something that will last longer than a day, a week or a month of food. That being Faith, Hope and Love. As with Elijah and the widow woman, we believe that God is able to provide and bless this woman’s great faith in a way that she will know it is of God.
1Ki 17:16 says " And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Eli."

In closing, this Lord’s day we delivered children’s teaching materials for the Church at Mawe Tatu which were sent by Temple Missionary Baptist in Bald Knob, Arkansas.

These folks have been a great blessing to us and the people of Kenya. Thank you ,Pastor Clayton Hall and your dear members, for you have been a blessing to children that are so in need of teaching material.
We concluded the Lords day with a baptism service down by the river. As we prepared to leave two men who were forestry officers rode up on a motorcycle with handcuffs and automatic machine guns. I listened and prayed intently as they questioned Pastor Shadrach.

They threatened to arrest him for not having a permit to baptize in the river (no such law) but in the end they simply wanted a bribe which we did not pay.
Pastor Shadrach took the opportunity to witness to them and I explained that we were doing the Work of God. They got a little frustrated and let us go without incident.
It is just another sad example of the rampant corruption here in Kenya and also a reminder that there are forces that oppose the work of God. We ask you to please continue to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Chuck & Terry Fernandez                     Nelson Mandela

Mt. Elgon and Western Kenya

Happy Father's Day, Pulpits and Kapkateny Evangelism

While Kenya does not recognize Father’s Day we certainly cannot forget the impact our fathers have had on our lives. We are thankful for our Fathers and pray they had a great day.

Looking back at the week in review we can see that we were extremely busy. But more importantly than being busy we pray we have honored the Lord as another week of our lives has passed never to be regained. With three days of language classes, two weekly Bible studies as well as (2) trips to Western Kenya and a trip to Mt. Elgon, we are definitely ready and in need of a couple of days of down time. Unfortunately for my wonderful wife, she is going to spend them recovering from what looks to be another hard bout of food poisoning. While I write this journal entry she is violently sick from what I believe came from the village we visited on Saturday. My heart and prayers go out to her because she is in terrible shape. If she does not improve tomorrow I will take her to the clinic to get heavy doses of antibiotics. Within the last year and a half she has had to contend with food poisoning four times while I have yet to experience it. Please pray for her.

One of the trips we took this week was to buy and deliver a bale of youth clothes which was given by the Wednesday night Challengers Children’s Class from our Home/Sending Church, Ft. Cooper BC.
The bale was divided between the Churches we are currently working with. God’s people were truly touched by the generosity and the fact that children across the world would care so much about them.

In addition to delivering the bale of cloths we also made and delivered four wooden pulpits for each of the Churches.
The book of Nehemiah says in Chapter 8:4
"And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose".

The knowledge that God’s Word will be preached from behind these humble pulpits not only gives me purpose and passion for the work God has called us to but also reminds us of our primary mission here in Kenya.
While we help with basic humanitarian and medical aide our primary focus must continue to be the preaching of the Gospel to bring honor and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus through transformed lives.
The picture painted in Nehemiah of God’s people worshiping the Lord God is both awesome and precious. It says: Neh 8:5
...."And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:" Neh 8:6 ..."And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground..."

The true end result of missions is eternal.

Saturday we traveled to a new village which was supposed to be at the base of Mt. Elgon called Kapkateny. One thing I have learned about our Kenyan brethren is they cannot judge distances and they are not a good judge of drivable terrain because they do not drive.

The village turned out to be on the side of one of the steepest parts of the Mountain.
I had to unload the truck to make it to a place where we could hike up the mountain to the evangelism area. We were met and welcomed by a man named Mafredi.
I made the mistake of calling him 'Fred' which he did not care for. The story of Mafredi is very compelling. He is a convert of Pastor Peter who led him to Christ last year while climbing through this rocky area to get to the top of the Mountain. It is hard for me to believe when I climbed to the top and look out over God’s beautiful creation that we are working in one of the bloodiest areas of the 2007/08 tribal clashes where over six hundred people were killed.

Mafredi is a highly respected and honored warrior as it is known by the villagers that he single handedly defended his home with a shield made from a steel drum and a machete.
He says that hundreds of his family and friends were slaughtered like chickens.
Now he is a born again believer leading evangelists through his village house to house. If there is ever a place that serves as a reminder of the total depravity of man and the need for the Gospel it is Mt. Elgon.

I, also, gained a whole new level of respect for Pastor Peter who climbs Mt. Elgon weekly by foot which takes him three hours one way.
Now I am not sure what the definition of technical climbing is but I know we climbed steep rocky areas where we had to stop every fifty yards or so to catch our breath. That is technical enough for a novice climber and his wife who are grandparents.

There were eleven precious souls who trusted Christ on Saturday. With hundreds of village evangelism trips behind us it is getting easier to evaluate and discern God’s leading in all this.
Above all things we want to be working in the center of God’s will.

Kapkateny is one of the places that I believe is truly in need of a gospel witness.

Not only were we welcomed by the Village Chief and the Administrative Police but it is a place where there are no scriptural churches and it is a place where you can sense a true hunger for God and righteousness. Thank you for allowing us to share this journey of faith. We covet your continued prayers.

Chuck & Terry Fernandez
Mt. Elgon and Western Kenya

Spending Time with the Master, Building Plans & Future Preacher?

As the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into months words can hardly describe the sheer joy Terry and I are experiencing as we serve God on Mt. Elgon and Western Kenya. Our passion for the Lord, the people and the work seems to grow stronger with each passing day.
For several months the women have been asking Terry to teach them separately and this week she had a great opportunity while the men got together to make future building plans and to work on a new restroom. Currently I am teaching three times per week but this week it was a huge blessing to have Terry take responsibility to teach the Momma’s we have been working with.
While I spent considerable time praying for her as she prepared for her lessons, I have to admit that it was a relief not to be the one spending hours studying and translating. God has given me a great wife who loves the Lord and the people God has called us to minister to.

Not sure what I did if anything to deserve her but I am extremely thankful and proud to have her as my wife and ministry partner. God knew what he was doing when he put us together twenty nine years ago. As Terry taught the ladies about spending time with the Master through having personal quiet time in order to grow their faith I worked with the men who were building the new restroom.

Obviously before we can build the sanctuary there needs to be a public restroom which is a necessity in any culture. As we mixed concrete and laid bricks the sounds of a hundred women singing some of the most beautiful songs of praise radiated out of their meeting place.
In between songs of praise were cheers of laughter and joy. It was a beautiful thing to hear those ladies enjoying fellowship, praising their God and being fed from the Word of God.

This week we received great news that two of our supporting Churches as well as our sending Church has taken special offerings to start the process of moving the four new Churches out of the temporary tents and into buildings.
God truly provides for His work and His people. We have waited patiently on the Lord’s provision as God’s people met faithfully under tents for almost a year now.
With resources committed to build the “shell”, we started making material lists for building ie: the number of trees we need to purchase as well as other building materials. Our plans are to build indigenous sanctuaries made from timbers we cut from local trees and made of mud with tin roofs. Needless to say we are all excited to enter this new phase of Church planting. This Lord’s Day we worshipped with Pastor Shadrach and the members at Mawe Tatu. For a church that is only one year old it was very full. Not only were people under the tent but there were those who had to sit outside the tent. We brought a young man named Simon from Eldoret who has been participating in our Bible Studies.

 Simon wanted to see what Church planting was like in the interior as he feels God is calling him to preach. It was good for him to spend time with Pastor Shadrach to get advice and to help confirm what he believes God is calling him to do. We had not traveled more than a kilometer off the tarmac and into the interior when we came across a truck that was stuck in the mud blocking the road.
 In order for us to pass we had to get out a cable and pull the truck from the road. Simon was funny because he got out in pin stripes, vest and cool shoes but was quickly covered with mud. Even though he is Kenyan he is a city slicker now heading into the interior where you need four wheel drive almost every day. We give him credit for wearing his best but I am certain his next trip to the interior he will be wearing khaki’s and a collared shirt. Please pray for Simon as he seeks God will and confirms his calling. God keep you and bless you.

Chuck and Terry Fernandez
Mt. Elgon & Western Kenya

Praying In Swahili, Police Evangelism & Muddy Mess on Mt. Elgon

As part of our commitment to be an effective witness for Christ, Terry and I are closing out our second year of language studies. As we look back we can see how far we have come in achieving a greater level of understanding and fluency of speech. It has taken hundreds of hours of study and repetition but we have arrived at a place where we are starting to feel more comfortable using Swahili to communicate on a daily basis. This is both reflected in prayers and also preaching. It thrills my heart to listen to Terry communicate with those she is witnessing to or to hear her talk with the Momma’s who cannot speak English.
We still have much more to learn but our vocabulary is growing at a swift pace by the grace of God. Yesterday we traveled to Mt. Elgon for our weekly evangelism.

The road up the mountain has deteriorated from the rains to the point that we had to walk the last couple of kilometers to the village of Kispigon where we planted the first Church. The work on Mt. Elgon is far from easy and each drive up is very dangerous and stressful from the slippery, rocky conditions. The window of opportunity is small because you can set your watch by the daily rains which come around 2pm. If it rains while we are on the Mountain then we are stranded there until the next day.
The mud cakes on our shoes as we walk sideways on slippery slopes but with all that said, there is such a peace and presence of God on that Mountain and it is so real and powerful that we don’t want to come down. It is no wonder why Jesus spent much time alone on the mountain.

I am reminded of Peter’s statement on the mountain to Jesus in Matthew 17:4 when he said, “Lord it is good for us to be here”.
Currently we have two churches meeting under tents and looking ahead I can see the great challenge of building on the mountain but we know that all things possible with God’s help and we can do all things through Christ which strengthen us.

Last year a young Policeman named Fred was saved on Mt. Elgon during our evangelism in the village of Kipsigon.

He has been asking us for a year to come to his post and share God’s Word with his fellow officers; however, we just have not had the time with our primary efforts going towards supporting the two new Churches there.

While Terry and the women went to visit and encourage the Mommas of the Churches, I took the Pastor’s to bring God’s Word to Fred and his fellow officers. Kenyan Police officers have quite a reputation of brutality and corruption. And particularly this group who have seen the slaughter of over 600 of their fellow countrymen in 2008 at this very place. With that as their background most Policemen do not believe they can be saved because of their sinfulness. For almost an hour they sat listening intently to what I can best describe as a message prepared by the Lord. Words such as guilt, conviction, advocate, mediator, judge as well as love & grace all came to mind while sharing the Gospel with these Policemen.

I reminded the officers that if a guilty thief could be forgiven by Jesus while dying on the cross then surely God could save them by His grace through faith. There were nine Police officers that trusted Christ on the mountain.

We made a vow to scripturally baptize them through the Landmark Baptist Church of Kisipgon as well as to continue to teach them the Word of God. Kenya really needs Christian Police Officers that will serve the Lord and the people. I also reminded Pastor Peter that God has provided him with additional protection should anything break out while he is teaching or preaching on Mt. Elgon.

Psa 57:9" I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations."

The Lord through his infinite grace and tender mercies has given us another great week of blessings.
Thank you for allowing us to share this awesome journey of faith and for your continued prayers.

God Keep You and Bless You,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez
Mt. Elgon & Western Kenya