Nina langu ni Samweli”. (Introducing myself at this morning’s session. Everyone laughed at me)
Today (Tuesday) we began the West Busia Pastors’ Fellowship Conference 2022. Pretty much we are doing the same thing as last week, but about 40km north. It has already been so much fun! Everyone welcomed us into the church with singing and dancing, and have made a real effort to get to know us.
We had a great weekend climbing the prayer mountain and eating more peanuts. On Sunday we spoke at a couple of local churches again and shared meals and fellowshipped afterwards. Kenyan church really is the best.
Since being here, I’ve realised the average Bible literacy amongst church members in Kenya is very high. Even though we have access to more resources in Aus, I feel they have a really rich understanding of the stories in the gospel. I wonder if part of the reason may be that their lifestyle and culture is very similar to that of Jesus’ time. And so many of his teachings and parables may relate to them in more familiar ways than perhaps the West. For example, this area is full of impoverished fishermen, hand-sowing farmers, yoked oxen, shepherds, cripples and the demon-possessed. Of course, we have this in Australia, but it is rare for a great number of them to all be in the same place, “living to survive”, under the corrupt leadership of the ‘Romans’. We drove past a market yesterday and literally saw a lady separating the chaff from the grain. Anyway, just a thought.
Today’s sessions went really well. Jeremy’s style of teaching works really well to inspire and encourage the church leaders to consider a vision for themselves and change the perhaps colonial mindset that Mzungu (white man) are here to provide all the solutions. God is into empowering the poor and downtrodden. They have been very interactive seminars – see pics – and it is so encouraging to hear testimonies from those God is ministering to. Bwana Asifiwe.
Jeremy called pastor Nelson a vegetable.
Restaurant food always comes glad-wrapped.
Hope everyone is enjoying winter. It was 26 today, quite pleasant actually. The trip is going very smoothly, thank you for all your prayers and support. Please pray that if there are things about this culture (and ours too) that God is wanting to change, that people will be open to accepting the truth bombs Jeremy is dropping all over the region.
Blessings.
‘Then he [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed…”’ Matthew 13:3.
