I just heard that CCC has begun a church plant in Mai Mahiu (“Hot Springs” in Kikuyu).  Last Sunday was there 2nd worship there.

Mai Mahiu is at the base of the Escarpment on the way to Narok at the junction of the Narok and Lower Road to Naivasha. It is on the border between Maasai and Kikuyu areas, and there are other tribes there as well.  It is also a “truck stop town,” which tends to bring several sorts of unwholesome activity, so another church there to shine the light of Jesus brighter is wonderful.  Mai Mahiu was also a centre of violence during the post-election crisis in 2008.

(Thanks to our teammate Lynn Cazier for sharing this news.)

Joshua’s “Church History” class at Turkana Bible Training Institute in Lodwar, 15 May 2012

The Turkana Bible Training Institute meets in Lodwar to train Turkana church leaders.  Joshua taught “Church History” and “Missions & Evangelism” for TBTI in October 2011.  In May 2012, he taught “Church History” to a new group of students:  17 men and 2 women from the CCC congregations.  Most class sessions begin with a worship song and with prayer.  This is a short clip of the worship from 15 May 2012.

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In 2011, there were 38 new churches planted in the CCC.

There were 23 congregations planted in Maasai land (including two, I believe, in a tribally mixed area).
There were 13 congregations in Turkana land.
There was 1 new congregation planted in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.
There was 1 new congregation planted in Samburu land.

The growth in Turkana land is particularly encouraging.  In addition to the 13 new churches, there were baptisms of 1,026 new Turkana believers.

Meisisi Olaitoriani!  Kuperoi Ekapolon!  Bwana Safiwe!
(“May the Lord be praised / Praise the Lord” in Maa, Nga Turkana, Kiswahili)

One of thirteen baptisms in March 2011, part of a new church plant in Changamwe, just outside Mombasa on the coast; pictured are pastor Moses, new believer Rana, and our teammate Joe Cluff

I recently enjoyed a full hour having a conference with a close Maasai friend and co-worker (in Maa) … via instant messaging on the computer.  It’s not as nice as face-to-face, of course, but it beats either a static-y phone connection or a nine hour drive (three hours on pavement, and then bush driving).

A Maasai warrior ("moran" or "olmurrani") in the heavy rains

The rains, in the Loita Hills of Maasailand.

(With thanks to Kashu ole Parit for the photo.)

He is risen, indeed!

When “chewing the news” among the Maasai, you first say that everything is wonderful, and then list any evidence in favor of that claim, move on to share any happenings that might prove that things aren’t so well after all, and finally conclude by stating that things are great.  Neaku taa lelo.  “And that’s the way things are.”

It’s always wonderful when you can report “kinoto enchan” (we got rain) when chewing the news.  We are glad to share that we have indeed been getting rain this week.  This is the season for the “long rains.”  Expected to begin by mid-March, they were a couple of weeks late here in the northern part of Kajiado District.  Back in February, there were clouds of white isampurumpur (butterflies) migrating south.  The Maasai consider them harbingers of the rains.  When the butterflies are all heading southward, can the rains be far behind?  Well, the rains were further behind than we expected, but they have arrived.

Those of you who pray for rain for Kenya:  Thank you.  Please also pray that these will be the long rains.  (Drought years often begin by either the short rains failing or the long rains being short rains instead of long.)

At our altitude (around 6500 ft), cloudy or rainy days are cool days.  While my office window is opened just now (as it’s overcast, but not raining), I’m wearing a wool cardigan while I work.  The children have also acclimated to the equatorial warmth we have during the dry seasons.  Yesterday morning Alitzah decided pretty quickly that it was a day for a long sleeved dress and leggings.  While rubbing her arms to keep warm and shivering a little, she told me, “I don’t mind the cold so much, Daddy, because the cold brought rain.”

When I was little, I thought that water was free.  After all, it just fell from the sky as God’s gift, flowed in the streams near our house, and it was what Dad always had us order at restaurants.  So, in a youthful attempt to study the geological processes of erosion, I left the spigot on the side of my parents’ house on for a few hours, watching the water carve a canyon while I built cities beside my river.  I was oblivious to the growing delta of mud spreading across the driveway.  When Dad came home from work the first time I did that, well, he wasn’t the happiest.  But it was probably the third or fourth time that really got his goat.

Since then I’ve learned that while water should be a right it is too often a privilege and I’ve become more of a conservationist.  So this morning (like many other mornings), I made several trips carrying the water from the bathtub (inside) in a bucket and dumping it in the washing machine (outside).  When the washing machine is finished with it, it drains into a tub.  I then use that twice-grey water to water the garden or the flowers.  We also often collect the rinse water and use it for the next wash load.

But ultimately, it’s not about my paltry human efforts.  “Elijah was a man just like us, and he prayed, and it didn’t rain for three years.  Then he prayed again, and it rained.”  It is God who can overcome patterns of drought, send rain in its season, and cause springs to well up in the land.

Lord, water the lands you have made,
and give water to thirsty ground and thirsty throats,
living water to thirsty hearts.
Te nkarna e Yesu, atoomono.

The rough draft of the Swahili adaptation / translation of our Enkinosata Ororei le Nkai (“Eating the Word of God”) curriculum has been finished.  On February 16th, I went to Narok to meet with our editorial committee.  We were able to work through a number of important issues.  I am particularly excited because the adaptation of this project was begun at the initiative of the leaders of our CCC congregation in Narok town.  It is also wonderful that my five christian brothers working on this with me represent four different tribes (Maasai, Kisii, Kamba, Meru).

L-R: Joshua, David Kamunyu (Meru), Matthew Ngomo (Kamba), Daniel ole Denkel (Maasai), Samson ole Dikirr (Maasai). Not pictured (taking the picture): Elijah Ombati (Kisii)

This curriculum has not yet been taught in the Narok congregation because, being a multi-tribal congregation, Swahili is usually used rather than Maa.  But as they have gone through the material, this group of leaders has been greatly encouraged by it and are excited about the potential it has to make a great impact on the maturity and growth of the church.  This is especially true as the CCC is expanding across tribal boundaries.  So, let’s eat!  (Mainosa – “let’s eat” in Maa; Tunakula – “we eat” in Swahili)

Speaking of eating, Alitzah and Hannah Gail really wanted to come with me on this trip.  While I was in this meeting, they were at the Ombatis’ house playing with their two daughters.  After the meeting, they ran errands around town with me.  (One of those errands involved making arrangements with a brand new christian bookshop to distribute our Maa language materials.)  At the end of a long day, they were very hungry and happy for me to take them out for a Daddy-Daughters date at their favorite “hoteli” – Kim’s Dishes – for some traditional Kenyan fare.

from all trouble,

and I triumph over my enemies.

(Psalm 54.7, NET)