No End In Sight, Evangelism, Plot Purchase & Lemons

We currently have two sanctuaries under construction which are nearing completion. While the members of the Landmark Baptist Church of Kipsigon and LBC of Mawe Tatu have carried the load during the building process we have been behind the scenes constructing windows, doors, pews etc... This week we completed the pews for the LBC of Three Stones minus one board which we lost during the trip on the rough and rocky roads. I can’t imagine how that happened?

While the physical work of building the sanctuary of the Landmark Baptist Church of Mawe Tatu (3 Stones) comes to an end, I look on the horizon as we prepare to start two new sanctuaries on Mt. Elgon and believe there is no end in sight, at least in the foreseeable near future. We also realize that Church planting does not end with the building of the sanctuary, and we will invest many more hours, days and weeks of coming along Pastor Shadrach and his congregation to encourage, to teach and to enjoy the sweet fellowship that started almost three years ago while serving our Lord and Savior together.  

This week we also did evangelism with the members of the Landmark Baptist Church at Mayanja. 

Before we did evangelism we surveyed the new plot which we help them purchase this week by faith believing that God’s people who believe in the great commission will continue to support this young church.     Group Church Plot

The plot is approximately a ½ acre and is located right smack dab in the middle of the village which has a population of over one thousand. We stood on the crest of the hill where the plot is located and looked out over kilometers of the sprawling village with mud houses and thatch roofs and thanked God for Pastor Nixon and the New Testament church that is growing spiritually and physically each week. We have experienced the grace of God in this latest church plant as there have been many trials in just arriving at the exact location the Lord wanted these people to meet.
                                If my memory serves me correctly, this will be the forth meeting place this young church has had in one year and a half but we praise God that this is the right place and they will no longer have to rent or borrow a plot to assemble themselves to worship the Lord. They will still meet under a tent during the meantime, but we thank God He has provided a plot that can never be taken away from them. There are many things that impress me so much about this Church.
Number one: they have stayed together in unity during the trials of moving from place to place.
Number two; this is one of the only Churches we have where the men actually outnumber women.
This is definitely the exception to the rule here in Kenya as the women seem to be the ones who make up most of these churches in these early infant stages. However, Mayanja has strong men who are the leaders of this work.
Men like: Moses, Fred, Chester and Dismes have stepped forward to proclaim God’s word in their village.  
                             Pastor Pete & Chester Moore 

This was clearly evident as they led our evangelism efforts alongside their young Pastor this weekend. As we went house to house my heart was beating a mile a minute from the joy of seeing these men unashamed to be called Christians and introducing their neighbors to us and the Lord through the gospel. We realize that one of the most important parts of our personal work is teaching these folks to share God’s plan of salvation so they can do the work in their village and abroad long after we are gone. You can tell they were listening intently as we shared God’s love with their friends and neighbors and preached God’ word. We are committed to this mentoring and training process until they become “fishers of men”. This is all part of the process Jesus used to train men that would turn the world upside down with the soul winning, life transforming gospel.

New Testament Christianity is alive and well today as the baton is passing from believer to believer until Jesus returns. As we travel this journey of faith, God continues to do a great work in our lives through his infinite grace and mercy.
                         Happy Servants.....of Christ!

In closing, I have to let you know how tough my wife Terry is. The last two weeks she has experienced the same symptoms that landed her in the emergency room during our furlough to remove a urinary tract blockage. She has been in a lot of pain from what we believed to be more kidney stones which also makes her violently sick.
After several sleepless nights of pain and sickness and after much prayer we found an online home remedy which said straight lemon juice actually dissolves kidneys stones. Needless to say, we went out and bought every lemon at the local market and began juicing. Even though the straight lemon juice made her sick, it appears after three days that it may have worked and has passed those painful stones.
In addition to this bout of kidney stones she took a hard fall while crossing a creek during Saturday’s evangelism. She is one tough cookie and there were around twenty who professed Christ on Saturday because she loves the Lord and gives of herself sacrificial. 
                                        Terry & Carlitos  

Thank you for praying for us daily!

In His Service,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez

Kenya                                   Got Chickens

Phil. 4:13