Batting 1000, Faithful Men & Empty Pews

This week of ministry brought some unexpected changes while some things remained on course. I have heard it said, "The more things change, the more things stay the same".   Not sure if that makes perfect sense but it does have some truth to it. We lost a member of our Mission Team this week as Deacon Phil Shemwell returned to the USA without us. I am thankful for a friend and Brother in Christ who uses his personal finances and vacation time to travel around the world to be a blessing to this Missionary and our people. Additionally, we were forced to cancel our trip to Uganda this week due to time constraints as well as vehicle issues.   That's right; we have not had a week go by that we have not had some type of breakdown or repair.  

It has been so bad that Pastor Tim said he will not know what to do when he returns home and is on his way to church and does not have to stop to get under the hood of his truck. So with regard to breakdowns, I guess you can say we are batting 1000.   One of the major events this week was the Pastors seminar we held here in Eldoret.   We had all sixteen Pastors from the Churches we have been involved in planting as well as four Associate Pastors and five outreach preaching point leaders.   Pastor Tim did an excellent job of expository teaching through First and Second Timothy while I taught on Eschatology and Fasting.

Seminary Teaching

The evening sessions would be led and taught by the National Pastors who taught on; tithing/stewardship, missions, evangelism and our doctrine.   It is fair to say that the Men of God left with plenty of food to feed the sheep of their respective congregations. We will continue to sponsor and lead these quarterly seminars as the importance of training these Men of God to be able to rightly divide the word of truth cannot be overstated.   Strong Pastors = Strong Christian disciples = Strong Churches.   God has graciously allowed us to connect these Men of God who are from four different tribes located in three different regions as well as two Men from Uganda.   While each and every Church is totally autonomous and independent, these men have grown to know and love one another in Christ Jesus. They will talk and discuss problems that I could never fully relate too and will be able to encourage and exhort one another in their faith long after the Missionary is gone. Finally, the dry season is here and we managed to climb Mt. Elgon to deliver the new sign for the Landmark Baptist Church at Kipsigon and for Sunday worship service with the Landmark Baptist Church at Cheptabrubru. The sign was important and personal to me because they have started a new Primary School at the Church and named it after our Granddaughter Kelbee.

It does my heart to see them know our family and also the honor of naming the school after one of them. We had a great service of singing praise, prayer, teaching and preaching.   This particular Church led by Pastor Alex Kimtii is always packed each and every service, however while I was teaching I noticed a few empty pews in the back. It was then, the Holy Spirit reminded me that this Church has sent out six young preachers and their families to plant five more Churches and one outreach on Mt. Elgon. 

Congregation

Prayer

LBC Cheptabrubru is a second generation Church that is birthing many third generation Churches. Now that is what we call a powerful Missionary Baptist Sending Church!   Will close for now but know that we need your continued prayers as we serve the Lord and seek His guidance and direction for this great work he has done.   Thank you for our many ministry partners who hold the rope while we do God's work.

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya/Uganda                  Pastor Alex Kimtii and Family 

Another Namesake for Terry.  We Miss U!

Finishing Touches, Challenges & Building Dedication

We have been so busy over the last week that I am not sure I can fit all of what happened into my normal short summary and I am not quit sure where to start, but here we go. Our short term Mission team started this week processing wood and then loading a truck full of pews and windows bound for the two Churches at Lake Victoria.

We would send them one day ahead of us as we wanted to try to assemble them there during our visit. These are the finishing touches with regard to our investment in these particular sanctuaries. Make no mistake about it, we will continue to teach, train and encourage the Pastors and leaders at these two Churches but there is a definite end to what we consider to be our part in construction. They have a great foundation with what is by Kenyan standards a very nice building that they are proud of, however whatever happens from here moving forward is their responsibility, ie: flooring, installing windows, etc...

                                                                 Benches

Lake Victoria Church....

While visiting the Lake Victoria we would also do evangelism at a neighboring fishing village called Misory. This is our third visit there and not only are we training these young Pastors (George and Jackson) by teaching them to be fishers of fishermen but we are also sharing our burden and vision to reach the lost. We are also beginning to sense that the converts we have made over the last year are starting to desire a work there.

                                                                Pastor Tim

Praise the Lord!
During our visit to the Lake, I also received word that one of the men I have been encouraging in the Lord died of Malaria when I returned to the USA with Terry.
It is not too often that I get personally involved in too many of the individual lives of members because that is the National Pastors work, but God put James on my heart in a big way.
When I met him in 2010 during evangelism at Wichlum he was a backslidden drunken disgraced Pastor who was living the life of a Prodigal.
I will never forget His words during that first meeting, "Missionary, will you help me find the path back to God?"
From that time forward I took an interest in His life praying for him, encouraging him to come for our teachings at the Lake, giving him study material and a New KJV Bible. Over the last four years I saw his countenance change and as he become an active Christian again.
So while on one hand we are sad to see him go home to be with the Lord, on the other hand we praise the Lord for the opportunity to help him be restored to fellowship with God and the Church before his death.
Can I get an AMEN, God is good!
On our way back from three long days at Lake Victoria we would continue to be challenged with vehicle issues.
Two week summary: Broken drive shaft, shock mount, water pump housing, alternator and cut wires going to sending unit and temperature gauge.

God has protected us and blessed us and while we have had to stop a lot we have yet to be stranded. The conclusion to this week was the building dedication at Landmark Baptist Church of Ndivisi. There were around six hundred people in attendance and it was a great day of singing, praising, teaching and preaching.
                                                Deacon Phil Shemwell Teaching

                                       Pastor Tim Johnson Preaching God's Word

Around ten Churches where represented at the service and there was a moment in time that I want to share and record. During the service as I listened and watched the Men of God speak that I have poured my life into over the last six years I started to see them in a different light. While I have always treated them with the utmost respect and have been honored to work with them and teach them, up to this point our relationship has been much like a parent child relationship even though they are grown men.
However, God clearly spoke to my heart Sunday and gently reminded me that they are mature Men of God who are leading God's people as if they have been in the ministry for many years. It may not sound like much but if you are a Pastor and or Missionary and you start to see your people in this light there is a certain amount of validation God gives you by His grace that is very rewarding. The Word of God is far more able to express this than I am:
3 John 1:4
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
Will close for now as we have another crazy busy week ahead of us with a three day seminar and a trip to Uganda.
We covet your continued prayers as we cannot accomplish all that we are doing without His power.

God Bless,
Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya/Uganda

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Greetings Brethren, Family and Friends,

Our small team of servants have arrived in Kenya safe and sound after three days and five flights.  Praise the Lord all of our luggage arrived on schedule! 

            Missionary Chuck, Pastor Tim Johnson  and long time friend, Phil

I  knew at the outset that returning to Kenya without Terry for the first time since our initial survey trip together in 2006 was going to be tough, but the reality is that I had no idea just how tough.   It seemed that each flight was a reminder of the severity of Terry’s plight and how serious her condition was.   Her three week ordeal still haunts my memory and reminds me that I never want to see her suffering like that again.    The house here in Eldoret has her touch everywhere and I almost lost it when I closed the door to our room and saw a scarf  that she would wear to every village and service. 

For sure a large part of me is missing right now but praise God that He literally saved her life and is currently restoring her health.    Additionally, every person I have talked to without exception asks how she is doing and when she is coming back.   I am not sure I have ever known anyone who has touched so many lives in American and Kenya.    People love her because she loves people, but isn’t that the type of Christ like love we are supposed to have?   Our first trip this week would take us deep into the Kerio Valley to teach new believers at the village of Moreweris and to worship with the Landmark Baptist Church at Chepsabei on this Lord’s day.   However, our plans were suddenly altered on Saturday when I got a call that one of our faithful members of LBC Chepsabei named Rose had died and that Pastor needed our assistance to bury her.   Did I mention that it is very rare for things in East Africa to go exactly as you plan and that flexibility is one of the greatest traits a foreign Missionary can have?  So to make a long story short, we ran to the nearest trading town to collect a coffin so that Pastor could transport her body down into the valley.

Descending into the valley for the funeral was very much a picture of our sinking hearts due to the crying and waling coming from Rose’s eight young children who were crying out loud for their Mama.  I preached from I Cor. 15 about the hope we have in Christ and how His death, burial and resurrection comforts us at such a time as this. 

We rejoice that Terry led Rose to Christ several years ago and that she followed salvation with scriptural Baptism and faithful Church membership but it was hard to get over seeing and hearing those precious children with broken hearts. 

 Please pray for this family.

While children of God do not mourn as those who have no hope we still mourn the loss of those who go on before us.   This Lord ’s Day would take us from the valley of the shadow of death to the Mountain top of worshiping God with His people on His day.

In addition to regular worship service, over forty people walked dozens of kilometers from the village of Morweris to be Baptized under the authority of the Landmark Baptist Church at Chepsabei. 

Team

 Morweris is a second generation outreach preaching point that will be organized into a New Testament Church this year.   As they trickled in we took them down to the river Swam and baptized them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, buried in the likeness of Jesus death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection. 

Baptism

This would be Pastor Tim Johnson, From Dean Springs MBC first opportunity to preach while using two translators from English to Swahili and from Swahili to Pokot.   He would also baptize over thirty people from Morweris.   

We are beat from all the travel and we will spend the next couple of days repairing the truck as we experienced several issues from the rough roads that left us limping back into Eldoret on a wing and a prayer as they say. The last few days have been A typical of the mission work Terry and I have done over the last six years and our hearts continue to be blessed to see the investment we have made in these villages through the lives of people one person at a time continue to grow.

Our prayer is that the work we have help facilitate by the grace of God will someday produce over one hundred New Testament Churches within our life time where the name of Jesus will be proclaimed and His people will honor Him with their lives.

We beg you for your continued prayers and ask you to continue to remember Terry as it is as hard for her to be in the USA with me here as it is for me to be here in Kenya without her.

God Bless,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez Kenya/Uganda