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