Prisons, Nursing Homes & Mission Conferences

March 1, 2011

According to the dictionary:  furlough is a temporary leave from duty, however, furlough as applied to foreign missionaries is far more complex than just a temporary leave from duty.

Granted while on furlough we are removed from the country and culture where God has called us to serve, but our duty as missionaries and Christians continue as we strive to glorify God at home and abroad.   

From our perspective, furlough might be better defined as follows.

 A.  Rest: 

It has been vital for Terry and I to rest from the rigors of serving in Kenya. 

At the end of two years of deputation and two years of service we felt like we had taken a severe beating both physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Terry and I both have had to deal with health issues while home that are directly attributed to our field of ministry,  Terry's landed her in the hospital last month for emergency surgery.  

It is as if our tanks ran dry the last few months in Kenya and it is as if God is recharging our batteries and healing our bodies for our next term. 

B.  Reconnect:

During furlough we have had the opportunity to reconnect with our family. We have enjoyed spending quality time with our children and grandchildren as well as our extended family.  The time we spend away from them is invested in the kingdom of God and is well spent but is never to be regained.  So we cherish every moment with them during our furlough.  Modern communications like email and phone service help us stay in touch but is no substitute for sitting down at a meal and sharing each other’s lives together. This time of furlough has also given us the opportunity to reconnect with our sending church.

Our sending church is also our home church and it is at Ft. Cooper Baptist Church that we have made almost every major spiritual decision in our lives. 

                         Pastor Marne Palmani, Ft. Cooper Baptist

C.  Revival:

It is our prayer that God will not only give us personal revival while home on furlough but that we may be used of God as a vessel to help revive our Churches here in America especially when it comes to missions and missions giving.   To that end we have preached in seven different churches,

                   First Baptist Church....Eastbay

attended three mission conferences, preached in prisons and nursing homes.

While the prisons and nursing homes are not churches they are a labor of love as I have preached in both frequently over the last ten years.

My heart goes out to both parties who seem to be in captivity, one by poor choices and the other by health issues. 

D. Resupply: 

Unfortunately it is also necessary to continue our efforts to raise funds for the work in Kenya. Through God’s help we have purchased five plots and now have three sanctuaries nearing completion.   That still leaves us two more sanctuaries that need to be constructed which we do not currently have funds for. In addition to building my hearts prayer is that God will provide one hundred more solar powered audio bibles  for the Pokot tribe we have been working with in the Kerio Valley.

Finally, we have to continually make efforts to seek new churches that will partner with us on monthly basis to replace those lost over the last year due to the economic downturn. 

We thank God for his provision and by faith we believe he will continue to provide for His work.

E.  Relinquish: 

The works we have started and the people God has united us together with to fulfill the great commission need time to stand on their own faith. 

While we have played an important role in the salvation of hundreds, planting churches and discipleship we must remember that they are God’s people and it is God’s work. 

It seems that the longer we are there the more that they depend on us and I believe God will use this time to grow them spiritually. 

Our hearts desire is to come alongside of them rather than 'lord over' them and to help them grow into mature Christians that will reproduce their faith in the lives of others. 

The delicate balancing act may best be described as helping and encouraging their faith without hurting them by creating dependence.  

Please continue to pray for the people of Kenya and us as we will be traveling to Oklahoma and Arkansas to preach two revivals as well as visiting supporting Churches. 

Thank you for your prayerful support.

Chuck and Terry Fernandez
Kenya, Currently on furlough

Phil. 4:13

“Is There Not A Cause?”     

                                 Pastor Tim Myers & Wife, Shelia



January 2011 Furlough and Family

We have been back in the states for one month now and it seems  like yesterday we were landing at the Orlando Airport to spend the holidays with our family.   The pace of life in our great country is unreal and it often leaves us holding on for dear life just to keep up.    While time is flying we are enjoying and cherishing every moment with our family and friends.     Terry and I just returned back from a trip to Puerto Rico with my father, our daughter and her husband.    We had an amazing week of snorkeling and touring the Island as well as visiting Uncles, Aunts and Cousins who live there. 

This upcoming weekend we are traveling to Georgia to visit a church that is interested in supporting our work in Kenya.  It marks the beginning of some traveling we will be doing while home on furlough which includes: three mission conferences, three revivals and many meetings on a weekly basis.  We ask for continued prayers with regard to these upcoming meeting and for traveling mercies.  This week I received pictures of the work at the Landmark Baptist Church of Kipsigon on Mt. Elgon from Pastor Peter.

It does our heart’s good to see God’s people continuing to build on the foundation we laid before we left.

Thank you for tuning in to our journal blog.   I will try to update the blog from time to time to stay in touch. 

May God Keep You and Bless You,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Kenya

Phil. 4:13

December 29, 2010 Home for the Holidays

It has been a long journey but we are back in Florida for the holidays.  It is always fun to be met at the airport by our children and grandchildren. We are blessed. Thank you for all your prayers as we narrowly escaped London's snow. As always God is good to us and we were one of the few flights that made it in and out before the snow came again. 

Have A Blessed New Year,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez

Currently In Florida on Furlough

2010 Year End Review

As 2010 comes to an end we are able to look back and see what God has done in our lives as well as in the lives of others. Our hearts desire is to see people come to know Christ as Lord and Savior by the way of salvation. Through numerous evangelistic campaigns and many outreach efforts we have seen over five hundred people make professions of faith in Christ during 2010. This has been accomplished through the power of God one person at a time and house to house. While we praise God for these new converts we also praise him that most of these precious souls are connected with one of the five Churches we have planted while in country. There is not enough room in this report to share with you the testimonies of those newly saved but we have seen hundreds of transformed lives that are now disciples of the Lord Jesus. Numbers are somewhat impersonal but this number represents people that we know, people that we love and people that we are continuing to teach the Word of God.
These are people Terry and I have personally witnessed to and have names like: Ben, Mganda, Rafael, Ouma and Teresa. To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
With new churches planted we prefer our national Pastors to baptize their new converts, however, from time to time they do ask me to baptize which I am honored to do. While there were hundreds baptized through the local churches I personally baptized one hundred and five. We praise God that these new converts have followed the Lord in scriptural baptism as they start their new walk with the Lord Jesus.
Matt. 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.

We have organized two new testament churches on Mt. Elgon this year with new converts that have coveted together to keep the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. One is located on top of the mountain and one is located at the base. It has been exciting to see these New Testament churches follow the pattern established in the book of Acts as they come to life with people that we have led to Christ and have a desire to follow Jesus.

1. They gladly received the word,

2. They were baptized,

3. They continued in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread & prayers.

These two new mission points which are located in North Pokot at a village called Chepsabei and Lake Victoria at a village called Wichlum, are some of the most exciting new works we started in 2010. After multiple evangelism campaigns into these villages there are now large groups of believers that are meeting on a weekly basis to study the word of God. We are in the process of teaching and training leaders to continue the growth of these new believers.

2010 brought us into the building phase as we have built two permanent sanctuaries with a third currently under construction. In addition to preaching the gospel and discipling new converts, we have provided humanitarian aid to the people of Kenya in various forms. While this is an area that we do not report a lot on, it is an area of ministry that we feel is very necessary. The type of aid we rendered in 2010 included: clothing, pillow case dresses, reading glasses, safety glasses, food, water and witness dolls for children. Medical aide includes: treatment for malaria, skin diseases, broken bones and burns. Throughout Jesus ministry he would look on the multitudes with compassion and would often met their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs. Thank you to all who have partnered with us during 2010 in prayer and finances to preach the good news in Kenya. Through your faithful support we have also distributed hundreds of hardback & solar powered audio Bibles.

Final Approach....December 2010

This week we traveled to Turkana to drop off the Land Rover for a group to use during our absence and then flew back to Eldoret to finalize our departure.   This was our first trip back to Turkana  since that door was closed last year.   We thank God he has called us to Mt. Elgon and the Kerio Valley to work as we have not missed the 8 hour drive. 

We spent the night with my hunting buddy Chad Harris and his family and then caught a 45 minute flight back down country.           Chad, Kera and The Harris Family

Two more flights and we will be reunited with our children and grandchildren.   We can’t wait!  We also had the opportunity to visit Pastor Shadrach and his wife Mama Mary who just delivered their new baby boy, named Carlos. 

Terry and I now have 7 baby Teresa’s and 7 Baby Carlos’s scattered throughout Western Kenya and Mt. Elgon.   This is a great honor that we are truly humbled by.  
                             Terry & Baby Carlos

Please keep us in your prayers as we still have a bus ride to Nairobi and two more flights to get us home before Christmas.  

May God Keep You and Bless You,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez

Kenya

Phil. 4:13

The Close of a Season & A Man Without a Country

As this season of ministry concludes we are saying goodbye in preparation for furlough.   This week we visited our last two mission points which happened to be our newest works.   We had a great day of teaching and fellowship in the Kerio Valley with the new believers at Chepsabei. 

I finally remembered to mark Chepsabei on my GPS for future reference, the coordinates are  N01’30.623’-E034’59.110. These wonderful people continue to grow in their new walk with the Lord and they have such a hunger for God’s Word that they are willing to sit for hours in the 100 degree heat and listen intently to the teachings.    To facilitate the growing numbers we took time to construct some benches for the people to use during the services while Terry gave out water, oranges and mango’s. 

 Being a semi-arid region they are unable to grow fruits or vegetables and they have to walk over four kilometers to the nearest river for water.  

 God is truly moving and blessing the work at Chepsabei as not only are we seeing many new converts but God is also raising the future leaders to sustain this work for many years to come. 

                           Children of Chepsabei

For example: we are finding men who have a heart for God, who are not ashamed of their faith and who have the ability to teach are stepping forward to take on small leadership roles.   We are also finding women who are willing to lead singing as well as organize and teach the youth. 

It is awesome to see the power of God manifested in the lives of these new believers at Chepsabei.    Keep in mind that this work is less than six month’s old.  However, during that time not only have we been teaching and training the people of Chepsabei but we have also introduced six young preachers to the work there who will sustain it while we are on furlough.    The people have grown to love these men of God and the men have grown to love them.  With both the preachers and the people eager to go further and deeper in their faith it was mutually agreed upon that starting in January we would send a team of two preachers to Pokot on a weekly basis.    There were cheers of joy when we made this announcement to the people. 

                                   Congregation of Chepsabei

While this will take some transportation scheduling the blessing far outweighs any logistical trials that will be part and parcel to this outreach.    One of the young Pokot men who we have watched absolutely explode in his faith is Peter.     

He is the one who was able to travel to Western Kenya for two weeks of schooling and is the only one that has been baptized at this point.   He is standing before his people with a growing confidence as he translates the teachings into their mother tongue and his testimony of a transformed life through Christ will bring tears to your eyes.   In any case we ask you to remember these new young Christians as well as the preachers who will be traveling to Chepsabei each week.

Yesterday we had great services at the Landmark Baptist Church of Mayanja which is located at the base of Mt. Elgon. 

I always enjoy worshipping under the tent in the shadow of Mt. Elgon because as I look upward my heart and mind is on our Churches who are worshipping on top of the Mountain at the same time.  

                               Parting Gift of Love

The spirit at Mayanja was sweet and we had the privilege to worship with Pastor Peter’s brother John who is a missionary to southern Sudan.   John pioneered the work in Turkana and is now doing the same thing in Sudan.   The tent was full of people and passion for Christ and it was a blessed day.   It has been said that foreign missionaries are men without a country.    As we say goodbye and as the time of our departure draws near I can really see how true this is. 

Over the last two years our hearts have had a continual yearning for home and our family.   But now that which we have longed for is becoming a reality we are already thinking of our brethren here that we will miss as well.    While we are torn between two countries we trust God with both.   We covet your continued prayers for us and the work during this transition.

May God Keep You and Bless,

Chuck & Terry Fernandez

Kenya

Phil. 4:13

Blog: missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com

Mt. Elgon Express, Survey & Saying Goodbye

       It was back up the mountain again this week to deliver windows, doors and the sign for the Church at Kipsigon.   

      We are thanking God for the break in the rain because while even though the road is horrible it is at least passable.   With the Mt. Elgon express (Land Rover) fully loaded, we beat and bounced our way up the mountain by the grace of God. The difficulty of this climb cannot be overstated but is one that we are rewarded each time we make it to the top with a hero’s welcome. 

      It was a blessing to sit back and listen to the conversation of the Pastors and members as they describe how great God is and how thankful they are for His provision of these building materials. 

      Make no mistake about it, they have hundreds of hours of hard laborious work ahead of them but they are willing to do their part to build the house of God.   They also took great pride in their new sign.   While they are currently meeting in a temporary tent it is as if they are saying we are here to stay and this is who we are.    After the delivery we were able to spend some quality fellowship time with Pastor David and Pastor Alex.  

     We see poverty everyday but our hearts are touched by their housing situation as they currently live in make sift temporary houses the size of a walk in closet in the States.   Their permanent homes were burned to the ground in 2008 during tribal clashes but you would not know it by the joy they have in their hearts as they serve the Lord.   While they struggle to provide for large families without any source of income other than farming they have never asked for anything.   After a time of fellowship we visited the new plot on the other side of the mountain where the Church at Cheptabrubru will be built.  

     We had to hike a considerable distance as it is not assessable by road.    This small hike was no easy feat but is one that we have learned to accept as part of our work on Mt. Elgon.  Sometimes it is easy to overlook the fact that we are hiking at almost 13,000 ft. above sea level.  To put into perspective, the U.S. Marine Corps does their week of survival school training in the Sierra Mountains of California at around 8,800 ft., Semper Fidelis.   Terry is the one who has excelled in adapting to our mission field on the mountain or in the desert.  She is always there beside me and I thank the Lord for such a remarkable woman. Pied Piper Terry

      As we surveyed the plot it was apparent that it was large enough at almost an acre but it is located on a steep incline like everything else and is going to require an enormous amount of excavation to level it for a building which will all be done by hand and hoe.   God bless them. 

      We are also making our rounds saying goodbyes and making sure that everyone that is a member in the six churches we are currently working with have Bibles & basic discipleship materials before we leave.

      It is hard to believe we will be reunited with our children, grandchildren, family and friends in just a few weeks but we know ourselves well enough to know that we are reaching a point where we need an extended break.Terry & Friends

      Not only has these last two years pushed us physically but there are pressures and demands that we need relief from that associated with living in a third world country.    These pressures and demands drain us emotionally and spiritually.  

      The goodbyes are hard because we have grown to love our brethren in Kenya many of whom  we have led to Christ and are our children in faith but there is a comfort in the fact that we know we will see them again soon to resume our work together for God’s honor and glory.  

       Please pray for us as we are both a little under the weather and have a lot of preparations to do before we start our furlough.   Thank you for being a part of our lives.

      Pressing toward the Mark,

      Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

      Kenya

      Phil. 4:13                   

Triumphant Return, Conquering Mountains & Sanctuary Dedication

(***Please scroll to bottom of post to view all pictures:)

      After two weeks of teaching, training and Christian mentoring, our two Pokot brothers Peter and Solomon from Chepsabei returned home to their families and friends to start what we believe is going to be a very powerful extension of our ministry.   The early Church in the book of Acts has left us a clear pattern to follow as we see disciples making disciples.   That is our hope and our prayer with Peter and Solomon.  Not only were their families anxiously awaiting their return but so was much of the village.   They came bearing gifts from our brethren in Western Kenya which included:  bananas, avocados (which they had never seen), beans, clothing and candy.    The people were amazed that they made it back in one piece and by the fact that they have people that care about their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs.    We used the occasion as another opportunity to teach them about the life of Christ through the word of God.   The more we go, the more we teach, the more we invest in their lives, the more they are growing to know and love us.    Mt. Elgon Chief's

      After a day of recovery from traveling to Pokot we were finally able to successfully climb Mt. Elgon to deliver roofing materials for the Church at Kipsigon. 

                               Mt. Elgon Pastors

      It is a minor victory in itself to be able to get to the top of the mountain given the condition of the road.   Men from LBC Kipsigon, LBC Cheptabrubru and LBC Mawe Tatu have already cut and processed wood to start building as soon as the wood is cured.        Building Pews

      Next week we will attempt to deliver windows, doors and the sign so that the eagerly awaiting Pastors can continue to move forward with the work.  Terry Giving Biscuits

      Pastor Alex and Pastor David really support each other’s efforts on their respective side of the mountain.   It is a great blessing to see God’s people working in unity and harmony for the cause of Christ.    The highlight of our week was definitely the dedication service for the new sanctuary at Landmark Baptist Church at Namarambi. 

     There were over two hundred that attended the service. 

   The building was built primarily by the members of the church who took great pride in every aspect of their work.   What started with four people meeting in a home has grown into a strong New Testament Church that is now a lighthouse for Christ in their village.    I realize that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit but it sure is a blessing to see this group of believers who have coveted together to keep the commands of the Lord Jesus have a nice building to meet in.   They have faithfully met in a small house and then a tent for the last two years and I believe God has blessed their faithfulness with a new building.    As we dedicated the building for God’s honor and glory it was clear that this church was going to be a house of praise, prayer and power for many years to come.  Praising Jesus

I praise God for our brethren in the USA who have partnered with us through special offerings and sacrificial giving to make much of this work possible.   We covet your continued prayers as we minister on Mt. Elgon, the surrounding area and in the Kerio Valley. 

      Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

      Titus 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

      May God Keep You and Bless You,

      Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

      Kenya, East Africa

      Phil. 4:13

      Blog:  missionarieschuckterryfernandez.blogspot.com

                                               Assembling

                                           Kitchen Crew

                                             People Waiting