Foundation of the House of the Lord and Pastors Seminar

Building construction continues to occupy much of our week and is something that we thoroughly enjoy as we work together with our Kenyan brethren.    With each passing building project, evangelism campaign or seminar our team grows in number and in strength.   With the sanctuary, kitchen and classrooms completed on our first church construction project we worked on installing a water system.   Typically the women of the church would have to go to the nearest well or river to carry five gallon buckets of water to the church on their heads for cleaning or cooking.   This week we installed a gutter system with a water tank to capture and contain rain water for the church.   All of our churches located near Mt. Elgon receive large amount of rain fall on a regular basis.   The tank will be filled in one or two days and will be sustained by rainwater alone.  

                                        Water Tank 

 God is good to provide the rain water; the church just needed the ability to collect and to store it.    In addition to installing the water system we laid out the foundation of the sanctuary for our second building project.   It was a beautiful day as we measured, planned and plotted the foundation of the sanctuary.   One of great things about working on or around Mt. Elgon is the view.  If we are working at the two churches on top of the mountain we have a spectacular view of Western Kenya and if we are working at the three churches located at the base of the mountain we have a great view of the mountain itself.   Now keep in mind there are no building plans or blueprints, just a simple set of dimensions to start with.    After the four corners were determined it was just a matter of plotting main support beams, windows and doors.  

One the interesting thing is that the ground is not leveled until after the main beams are in place.    The reasoning behind this is that the walls are constructed from the floor during the leveling process so they will not have to move the ground twice by hand.   

There are many thoughts and emotions we experience each time we put up a tent, purchase a plot or lay a foundation.   I realize these are all physical acts, but spiritually speaking my hearts prayer and desire is that Jesus will always be the chief cornerstone of each church. 

Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.  

Without Jesus having pre-eminence the church building becomes nothing more than a meeting place for a social club.   There is also a great joy that takes place knowing what God is doing and what God is going to do at this place.    While I know the foundation of the House of God that was laid in the book of Ezra was a rebuilding of the temple, we also experience a joy that is similar to what Israel felt in that day.  A joy that comes from erecting a sanctuary where Jesus will be exalted and praised.  

 Ezr 3:11  And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 

May these sanctuaries always be places where God is glorified through the salvation of souls and through lives that are transformed by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

In addition to construction this week, we held our first Pastors/Preachers seminar for the Men of God that we are working with.

These men have been receiving various forms of training over the last two years but it was the first time we have been able to assemble them all together at the same time to teach them.

There were a total of twenty-one Men of God that attended the seminar.

Five of them are the Pastors from Mt. Elgon and the surrounding area but equally important were sixteen other preachers who are currently connected with these churches. 

Many of these men never knew each other before Terry and I came to Kenya and many have surrendered to the ministry during our first term here.   I say that to say that God has assembled an awesome ministry team that has one of the finest groups of men I have ever worked with.  Not only has God given us five great Pastors to work with but He has given us a team of great depth with young men that are coming up behind these Pastors and are in the process of being trained.  The majority of the teaching was doctrinal but having been a Pastor myself I was able to share many life experiences that seem to be common no matter what area of the world you live in. 

While the majority of these men are tillers of the ground (farmers) there is also one very successful business man among them. 

They are all very intelligent and eager

 to be taught how

 to be a Man of God. 

Most of them are continuing their education through an extended personal study program and we have committed to bring them together for quarterly seminars.    Generally each week our evangelism team will visit one of the Pastors villages to help them with evangelism.  In addition to evangelism, Terry and I rotate among the Churches to teach and to worship with them.    These men love each other and all work together with good unity for God’s honor and glory.

On a final note:  Terry and I celebrated twenty-nine years of marriage today.

I thank God He has given me a help met that loves the Lord, loves God’s people and loves me. 

        Sarah, Esther & Terry

We ask you for your continued prayers as we serve the Lord here in Western Kenya and the Kerio Valley. 

     

      May God Keep you and bless you,

      Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

      Kenya, East Africa

      Phil. 4:13 

      Blog:  missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com

Under Construction and the Eternal Gift

With three churches under construction and no sawmill around we are having to cut large amounts of timbers from local trees.   We spent three days this week processing lumber to be used for building sanctuaries.    This type of work is very demanding but is also very rewarding when we see God’s people coming together to build the house of God.  We may be shortchanging our brethren in the United States who give to a building project but never have the opportunity to get their hands dirty.   In any case there is such a great level of pride on the part of these church members who sacrifice time and energy to see the work of the Lord progress. 

    1st Tree Down

One such member of Landmark Baptist Church of Mawe Tatu is a man called “Japheth”.   You have seen Japheth in most of our photos over the last year and half doing evangelism, teaching, preaching and construction.   God really knew we would need him to do all this construction.   He is a master builder with over 25 years of experience in almost every area of Kenya as well as Sudan and Uganda. 

I stand amazed at his skill with a chainsaw as he is able to cut some of the finest 2x3’s and 2x4’s possible.    As a young man he obtained the nickname of “Smasher” because he was able to cut down as many as 900 trees in a day.   He has built bridges, buildings, walls and now in his semi-retirement God has made him an intricate part of our ministry team.  

His spiritual growth has been incredible and he is currently serving as a teacher, secretary and right hand man to his Pastor Shadrach at the Landmark Baptist Church of Mawe Tatu (3 Stones). 

Dueling Saws....Japheth on left...

Guava Break

His testimony of salvation is as follows:  During the early days of the work at Mawe Tatu he said he saw Pastor Peter and I as we were in the village doing evangelism.   He said that when we got close to his house he purposely left so he would not have to listen to us.    However, on our second visit to his village God got a hold of him and we caught him at home.   No longer running from God he trusted Christ by faith and was immediately baptized.   

Since that day he has been instrumental in the Church leadership and has become a great soul winner with the testimony of an alcoholic who has been totally transformed by his faith in Christ. 

SKILLED OPERATOR JAPHETH

He participates along with Pastor Shadrach in evangelism on Mt. Elgon and has helped pioneer the Pokot Tribe Outreach.                Loading Wood

Japheth has been a blessing to our work and we thank God that He brought the right people to the right place at the right time that His will may be accomplished.  

 Not only did we work with Pastor Shadrach and Japheth during the week cutting wood but we also worshipped with them on the Lord’s Day.    The mud was thick from the overnight rain but we had a great day of singing, praying, teaching and preaching with the folks at LBC of Mawe Tatu.  

 

After the service we gave out fifteen new Bibles which were given by Rose Lawn Missionary Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

One of the many ministries of RLMBC is to get Bibles in the hands of missionaries. 

God uses many different Churches and individuals in the work here.  We thank Pastor Rick McVigh and the members for giving an eternal gift to the members at LBC of Mawe Tatu. 

They were extremely happy to receive something that would cost them around a week’s pay but more importantly they honor the Word of God in such a way that it is one of their most precious possessions. 

It is the eternal gift they will cherish for many years to come.  

Little Lamb 

God Keep You and Bless You,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya, East Africa

Phil. 4:13

missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com

North Pokot Evangelism & The Landmark Baptist of Mayanja is Organized

As mission work goes, this week has been one that we will not soon forget and one that we want to give our Lord and Savior all the praise, all the honor and all the glory for what he has accomplished. We truly feel privileged and humbled by the fact that almighty God would call us and allow us to do His work here in Kenya. This week the work included our second trip to a village called “Chepsibei” which is located in the Kerio Valley of Northern Pokot. The Pokot tribe has been on my heart since the first time we passed through their land on our first mission trip to Kenya in 2006. After months of prayer, God led us to this specific village where the people had never heard the gospel before. Our first visit was a short one as we had spent three days seeking where God would have us work and it was also surrounded with a tone of suspicion and reluctance on the part of many of the villagers. From what we have been told they have never had a preacher or missionary ever bring God’s Word to their village. However this second visit we were greeted with much more enthusiasum as they were anxiously anticipating our return.

They reported the solar powered audio Bible we left with the Village on our last trip was listened to by different groups each day.

Needless to say, they were very happy to see us and very happy when they found out that we had brought more audio Bibles for them to listen to in between our visits. One of the several things I observed during this visit is that the Mama’s seemed to be much more open and free to express their selves when they saw that we brought Terry, Mary and Lynette to share God’s Word.
                                          TERRY'S TEAM

I am sure it is very much a cultural thing as men and women rarely mix but you could sense a change in their countenance when they saw that we brought women to minister to them. The second thing that was evident is that older men are very rare to find in the village. It is not that they were away but because their average life expectancy is very low they are few.
So we found ourselves surrounded with many young men who look like they were in their twenties and thirties that make up the leadership of the village.

They are so young that it is hard for me to call them village elders but in reality that is who they are.

STORAGE

The last observation I want to share about Chepsibei is the sheer size of the village. From our first visit we could not see it from the road we were on. If it had not been for a young girl named Teresa whom we met tending camels we would have driven right past it. Now that we have started working in the interior of the village it has become apparent that it is a huge. It covers an area of over four square kilometers with hundreds of people and thousands of camels, goats and sheep.

 We spent the day learning our way around, doing evangelism and had a good group that attended the afternoon Bible study.

This Pokot outreach ministry is in its infantile stage but we are all excited to be able to build relationships with people who have never heard about Jesus and want to know Him as Lord and Savior. We need your continued prayers for the work at Chepsibei because we are not only ministering to people who have never heard the gospel but also to people who have been involved in witchcraft and various forms of idolatry for many generations.
By faith and through the preaching of the His word we believe that God is able to break down any stronghold that Satan has had on this village.
Jesus explained this as He called the Apostle Paul to preach the good news.
Act 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Sunday we travelled to a village located at the base of Mt. Elgon called Mayanja to baptize and organize this work.

It had rained all night and it was so muddy we could barely make it to the sight of the tent. What a stark contrast between the fertile muddy soils of Western Kenya and the semi~arid desert region of North Pokot. Regardless of the terrain, one thing is sure, people need the Lord.

After spending several hours teaching on Church history, Church structure and Church administration we proceeded to a lake to baptize the first twenty seven new members into the Landmark Baptist Church of Mayanja.
There was perfect unity among the new members as they called Nixon to be their Pastor and also voted on the church secretary and treasurer.                      CHURCH VOTE

We thank God for this new church where

 God’s Word will be preached each week. 

      

My heart is truly touched by the love that this young God called Pastor has for these people as well as the love that the people have for him. I know there will be many trials ahead of them over the years but for now they are thankful God has sent Nixon to be their Pastor and they love him dearly.

FRESH TERMITES

God Keep You and Bless You,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez
Kenya, East Africa









Phil. 4:13
Blog: missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com
                          TERRY  LEAVING MAYANJA

Mudding the Sanctuary & Ordination Service

***CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE FOR BETTER VIEWING

With framing complete and what I call the stingers or ribs in place it was time to construct the walls of the new sanctuary which are made of mud. Like most events here in Kenya, mudding the Church is a huge project but is also a huge social event.

Not only did Church members turn out to help construct the walls but neighbors and friends assembled themselves to mix mud by foot and place it on the walls layer upon layer. The mixing process might best be compared to the making of grape juice in the biblical days of the wine press.

There is no concrete truck that you can call to bring concrete to pour footers or walls but there are God’s people who were so excited about building the house of the Lord. While step one of the mudding process was completed with a foundational layer there are still three more layers made of different textures to be applied.

If finances allow we will put a thin layer of cement over the mud for longevity. There was definitely an aire of excitement and pride as we gathered ourselves in the newly constructed sanctuary for a solemn

             and holy occasion on Sunday.

We met to ordain a special young man named Nixon into the Gospel ministry. Ordination continues to be a great tradition that began two thousand years ago with our Lord’s Apostles.
After the presbytery met to question the candidate, the charge was preached and we gathered around and laid our hands on our Christian brother, a man called of God to carry His Word to a lost and dying generation. In doing so, we publicly acknowledged our own confidence in Brother Nixon; in his calling into the ministry and in his ability to carry out that ministry, with the help of the Holy Ghost. For over a year now we have worked with Nixon as he has taught the people in a village called Mayanja.

We have watched him seek God ‘s will and then follow God’s leading as he has proven himself to be a man of God that loves the Lord and the people of Mayanja.
The apostle Paul told young Timothy:
2Ti 3:10 " But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose & faith."
We can say this same thing with confidence about Nixon.

We know his doctrine, we have observed his manner of life, his purpose and his faith.

Following the ordination service we presented Nixon with a lamp and a Bible to equip him to study God’s Word.

Terry also gave his wife Gladys a new Bible as we know the importance of the wife’s role in the ministry.

Please pray for this young couple as they strive to serve the Lord in Mayanja. We continue to be encouraged by what God is doing as each new week seems to bring blessing after blessing.

We also count it a privilege that God would allow us to be a small part of this great work.

May God Keep You and Bless You,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez
Kenya, East Africa

Phil. 4:13