Overcoming Obstacles & Circuit Riding Preachers ...Lake Victoria Area

Boat Makers in Lake Victoria Area

Finished Product of the above boat.....

Our travels this week returned us to Lake Victoria to meet with the believers of Wichlum and Got. Drying Minnows

 

It seemed like there were obstacles at every corner and it was a trip that almost never happened.
Obstacle #1... after the truck was fueled and loaded with the new tent and benches for the believers at Wichlum to worship under late Friday evening, it stopped running.
We had a friend tow the Land Rover to the shop where I have mechanics I trust because they attend our weekly Eldoret Bible Study.  
                          My 'trusty'  Eldoret Mechanics

Fortunately it was only a loose wire to the fuel solenoid.
With the rugged territory we cover each week it is a wonder that anything on the truck stays together.
Obstacle #2... About 50 km’s into the trip we arrived at the scene of a terrible accident where two semi trucks collided head on blocking the Uganda Highway.
                                   Roadblock

This is something we face almost every week we travel to the Mt. Elgon region due to the steep and slick roads, combine these conditions with overloaded trucks and you have a recipe for accidents.
After sitting for about an hour, I decided to cut a muddy path on the side of the road to go around the accident.
Thank God for four wheel drive and some good off road experience. We were the only vehicle to safely pass.
Obstacle #3... the trip to Lake Victoria is around 250 km’s.  (approx. 120 miles)
About 50 km’s from the Lake, without warning the idler pulley locked up with a screaming belt.
To make a long story short, after the engine cooled down I was able to pack the bearing with new grease and limp along the entire weekend as well as the 250 km trip back to Eldoret. It made a long trip longer but once again it a story of God’s grace and traveling mercies.  
The two villages at Lake Victoria have grown into a strong fellowship of believers as they are both led by Pastor Jackson, the fisherman we brought to Christ in Wichlum.
We also delivered Bible Institute Studies and a new bike as he has been walking 10 km’s from Got to Wichlum three times per week. He is effectively Pastoring two groups of believers.     Circuit Riding, Pastor Jackson's new bike....

I call him our “circuit riding preacher”.

During our last Pastor’s/Preachers seminar I introduced this concept to the men of God we are teaching and mentoring.
As a young Pastor I remember studying the life and ministry of B.R. Lakin who during the 1920’s served as circuit-riding preacher, riding a mule from church to church through the mountains and foothills of rural West Virginia and Kentucky.
In sparsely populated areas of the United States it was common for clergy to serve more than one congregation at a time and it worked especially well in the service of rural villages and unorganized settlements.
Because of the distance between churches, these preachers would also ride on horseback. They were popularly called circuit riders or saddlebag preachers.
These frontier clergy traveled with few possessions, carrying only what could fit in their saddlebags.
They traveled through wilderness and villages, they preached every day at any place available (people’s cabins, courthouses, fields, meeting houses, later even basements and street corners).   
Thank God for these men who were willing to sacrifice to give others the Word of God.
In addition to delivering what I classify as ministry tools to help facilitate continued growth, we were able to visit many of our recent converts to exhort them to continue in their faith.            Pastor Peter & Missionary Chuck

 

In particular, there are three old Mamas’ that have such a great faith and a longing for God that they really encouraged us. They are the first ones to arrive for the teachings and the last one’s to leave.    Continuing Faith....

This kind of dedication provides stability and consistency for this young Church that other will see and follow.
We were also happy to see the young back slidden preacher named James attend the meetings, that is an answer to prayers as he makes his way back to God.
                        James and Missionary Chuck

In closing, we want to give special thanks to Pastor Tim Johnson and the members of Dean Springs Missionary Baptist Church in Alma, Arkansas for purchasing the new tent & pews for the believers of Wichlum to meet under. 

For those of you who tune into our weekly journal, don’t be alarmed if you do not receive one for several weeks as Terry and I are returning to Florida this week to attend the wedding of our last born son (Vinny). We also continue to experience problems getting email’s out so we apologize for this issue, however, I am still posting weekly on our journal blog: missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com.
May God continue to keep you and bless you.
Thank you for your prayers and support.

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

                                      Cleaning Nets at Lake Victoria

Phil. 4:13