Remembering Fallen Hero’s, Pieces of the Puzzle & Nairobi

Flanders Field

Waregem, Belgium

In Flanders Fields
by:John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.Waregem, Belgium

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Living abroad produces a strange paradox in the life of a Missionary.

On one hand, you do all you can do to assimilate with the land and people God has called you to, while on the other hand you are constantly trying to keep your personal identity of the country and culture where you were birthed and raise by the grace of God. Even though we are 8000 miles away, Memorial Day still has a profound effect on those of us that live abroad as a special day of remembrance for those who have died in our nations service. There are several things that are very personal about this day of remembrance for us. Both Terry and I were raised in military families who have fathers who served our country with long distinguished and decorated careers which included combat in Viet Nam.  

Terry’s father, Jesus Delgado Borja served three tours of combat as a Green Beret in the jungles of Viet Nam and was a war hero in the truest sense of the word.

While Jesse, as we affectionately called him has gone home to be with the Lord, we remember his service and the many men who gave their lives while serving with him.

My father, Carlos Manuel Fernandez Sr. who is a retired Lt. Colonel and a real war hero also served two tours of duty in the jungles of Viet Nam and was highly decorated for his service in the U.S. Army.

During his two tours of duty I know my father lost many friends who were part of the band of brothers as well.

I record this piece of family heritage to let you know that we have a deep personal and family connection to many who have given their lives for our country so that we have the freedom to do what we are doing today by preaching the gospel at home and abroad. From the earliest days of courtship, as a teenager, I can remember Terry serving at the Veteran’s Hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina and the visor of her car being covered with Poppy flowers.

Memorial Day is even more special when you live in a country that does not have a rich history of having soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their life for other people. Only within the last year has Kenya started to identify with this type of sacrifice by sending their troops into Somalia to combat the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, but only long after American troops where giving their very lives in the streets of Mogadishu.

Fallen but not forgotten by this Missionary and his wife.

This week was spent getting all the pieces to the puzzle together for the construction at the Landmark Baptist Church of Mayanja which is located at the base of Mt. Elgon.

                                    Chris & Missionary Chuck

New Doors

                                           Loading Doors                                    

Posts

I am thankful that the men who fabricate the steel posts, trusses, doors and windows are all men who we have discipled through our Eldoret Bible Study, however, with that said they are still Kenyan’s who work at a snail’s pace.  

                                             Sebastain

Given the fact that every piece is handmade I give them a lot of grace and have also used this as yet another opportunity to teach the preachers we work with the value in planning projects and scheduling well in advance.  

Organizational skills and stewardship are somewhat lacking in African culture but nevertheless it is a topic that Jesus taught His disciples on as well.

Luke 14:28..." For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"

In addition to the assembling construction materials, we have traveled to the capitol city of Nairobi this week to pick up supplies.

We thank you for your prayers and support and asked you to continue to pray for us as we seek to do God’s will in all that we do.

                                                New Sign Lake Victoria

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya

Milestones & Visitors

Scott & Missy

From time to time God graciously allows us to reach tangible milestones in our ministry and this week was no exception. Both milestones were related to two buildings we currently have under construction, one in the Kerio Valley and the other on Mt. Elgon. We traveled back to the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheposabei for the fifth week in a row to complete the roof on that sanctuary.    Turnbuckles

Finishing Touches

Completed Roof

While my team was in the Kerio valley roofing, Pastor Peter and his team were on Mt. Elgon completing the walls on the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheptabrubru.  

                                                      Completed Siding

These two structures are the same size and both have iron sheet roofs but as you can see from the pictures, the frame work is quite different. Both Church families have been faithfully meeting under tents for almost two years now and the members are very excited to have a permanent structure over their heads. The construction process has been very much a partnership with the Church family committing to do most of the labor. The LBC at Cheptabrubru is what I might refer to as in Phase II where the walls were enclosed with iron sheets.
We used iron sheets for the walls due to heavy rains daily on Mt. Elgon for around nine months of the year which simply washes the mud walls away.   
Esthetically, it does not blend in as nicely with the countryside but is much more practical and will endure for many years. While we completed phase one at the LBC of Cheposabei the church members surprised me by telling me they are going to start making bricks for the siding. They tell me the soil is good for bricks and they make a lot of charcoal which they can use to bake the bricks. So they have two out of three key ingredients and they are willing to put forth the effort through labor in making bricks. We will partner with them by providing a water tank for them to use in this process and eventually the cement to actually start constructing the walls.

Once we start bricking the walls at Cheposabei we will have built the walls of five different sanctuaries out of: bricks, iron sheets, rocks and mud. The mud walls have obviously been the least expensive but given the fact that these church plants are totally autonomous and self governing we want to give the Pastors and congregation the opportunity to be involved in the decision making process as we work together.
While we are somewhat weary from all the traveling and construction we are elated to see the work in these village churches reaching milestones which are both spiritual and physical in nature. We are truly experiencing God’s grace and blessings in a great way and we also know that we can do nothing without Him, but with Him all things are possible.  
This week we also had a visit from Bro. Scott Bourland, who is the newest Missionary in our associated work and his wife Missy.

We had several days of great fellowship and we were thankful for the opportunity to share what God is doing in our lives and ministry.  
                                               Terry, Missy and Sporta

We covet and thank for your continued prayers and support.

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya

Construction Consultant, Tension and Mother’s Day

                                     Hunting Guide

Construction continues to dominate this season of ministry as we have multiple sanctuaries currently under construction. While the task seems daunting it is also reflective of the progress of our ministry in that we have made hundreds of converts over the last few years that have now grown in numbers as well as faith and need a permanent meeting place. The move from timber to steel has been somewhat stressful for me due to the fact that I have had to be more personally involved in the construction process because the sanctuary at Cheposbei, North Pokot is our first ever steel structure.
Some of the stress and lack of peace has come from the fact that there are certain areas that I feel we 'under built', especially with regard to the trusses.  
With this as the back drop for the week, the Lord knew that I could use some help which would come in the form of a phone call from my hunting buddy, Chad, who said he was passing through Eldoret with a new Missionary named Taylor who happened to be a certified licensed contractor from Texas.  
Chad said they needed a place to stay for a couple of days and that Taylor had heard about our hunts and wanted to go. 

Needless to say. I used this merciful provision from God to see what advice a real contractor could give me. 
So this was the deal, I would take them on a morning Pokot hunt for Dik-Dik (smallest antelope) in Kenya if Taylor (an avid hunter) would be my construction consultant for a day.                                        Taylor

They really had to twist my arm to make that deal!

                                           Helpers

The result of the Taylor's consultation were some recommendations on using wire and turn buckles to give the trusses more lateral stability, upgrading the bolts and a new design for attaching braces for the walls.           Wire

Under Taylor’s direction we installed a few of the tension wires so I would have an idea what needed to be done in the future.            Tension

Nothing beats practical application taught by an expert.

                                           Progress

The next morning we would get up at day break with the Chief and a hunting guide who was a fourteen year old shepherd boy from the village to try our hand at hunting Dik-Dik with traditional long bows.

                                        Hunting Guide

We were definitely hunting in a target rich environment as there were literally hundreds of animals, but the Dik-Dik is a formidable game because they are so small and fast.  

The short end of a long hunting story is that arrows were flying and we all had our opportunities, however, none of our arrows found the mark. 

Before the hunting critics come out of the wood works it is important to realize that this could be one of the toughest hunts in the world.

                                       Hunting Party

It might be compared to trying to hit a grey hound dog who is sprinting at full speed through thorn thickets and briar patches. For me, given the limited contact we have with friends who are from your country and culture, these type of experiences are all about the fellowship and not the hunt.

After seeing our guest off we headed to the Landmark Baptist Church of Ndivisi for Sunday service. They do not recognize Mother’s Day here in Kenya but we (especially Terry) were keenly aware that it was Mother’s Day and while she got messages and phones calls from all three of her children there was a definite void in her day. These types of special days remain the hardest part of doing mission work on the foreign field. The only consolation was that we had the opportunity to be with God’s people whom we have grown to love so dearly.

During the service we also dedicated five newborn babies.  

The dedication service included recognizing that children are the heritage of the Lord, the family dedicating themselves to raise the children in the admonitions of the Lord and the Church family making a commitment to encourage and pray for these young children and families. I think before the service was over Terry had the opportunity to hold all of the newborn babies which did her heart good.

                                Terry & Ladies Choir

Thank you for your prayers, love and support.

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Women’s Seminar at Lake Victoria & Bearing Much Fruit

We spent three days this week teaching God’s people at a fishing village called Wichlum which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria. We also preached the gospel house to house through very rough neighborhoods. This was Terry’s first time to visit the work at Lake Victoria and she was not disappointed by the welcome that she received as the Momma’s have been anxiously awaiting her teachings for several years now. She has not come on previous trips because is it a very long trip and we have to sleep in tents or in village houses which creates great hardship for a woman.

 Like always she endured with great dignity as we slept in a mud hut for our hotel. 

The theme verse we used for the both the women and men was:

John 15:8 "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples." 

 Most of the members of this new Church are also new Christians but after receiving basic discipleship teaching for the last several years we felt it is time to encourage them to go further in their faith and walk with God by teaching them how to start bearing fruit so that our heavenly Father will be glorified.

The topics included personal sanctification, separation and service.
Make no mistake about it, the teachings were not vague or ambiguous but rather pointed and specific in order to encourage them to become mature Christians that will produce fruit by living a surrendered life to Christ.  
                                  Evangelism Students

Serious Study

Our students describe the teachings as “hard medicine” but appreciated each lesson in the end. God’s Spirit really led both Terry and I in our preparation as we were able to blend the men and women’s teachings together in way that provided great continuity and unity. Producing strong Christian families is one of our hearts desires as we know that strong families produce a strong Church. I am very proud of Terry as she taught the ladies with much compassion as well as confidence in God’s word.

She has really blossomed into a very good speaker and mentor to ladies who have never had another women teach them topics specifically related to being a Godly woman and raising a Christian family. What a blessing! 

Terry & Children

Terry Planting Tree

We have done evangelism on many occasions in what I should probably describe more as a town instead of village of around three thousand souls. These commercial type towns draw people from many different tribes and even other countries to the fishing industry. With this diverse population comes an atmosphere that also brings drunkenness, drugs and prostitution. So we are especially sensitive to the fact that the answer to sins of mankind is still a personal relationship with God almighty through His Son Jesus. The song writer who wrote Jesus is the answer had it right when he wrote: “Jesus is the answer for the world today, above Him there is no other, Jesus is the way”. This week’s evangelism was different as I knew there were many new men from the Church who had never participated before.  

Sunday School

Prayer Time

After teaching one on one evangelism, the Roman Road and prayer, we made our way through the town sharing the love of Christ through the gospel. We praise the Lord for the nine who made professions of faith and for another opportunity to make more fishers of men. In closing, our ministry team was in full stride this weekend as Pastor Peter was heading an evangelism team on Mt. Elgon where they also saw nine profess Christ. Pastor Shadrach and Japheth traveled to the Kerio Valley to continue the sanctuary construction at the Landmark Baptist Church of Cheposabei. It does our hearts good to see the team fully functioning and serving the Lord without having to be by each others side.

Thank you for allowing us the privilege of sharing our ministry with you as we press towards the mark!    Sunrise in Kenya

God Speed,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya
Phil. 4:13