Today’s Update is my GIFT to mission lovers and “Lottie” supporters! As I prepared our bit to answer “Are We There Yet” (2010 International Missions Emphasis for Southern Baptists), I knew I had to share what God has done in the last 20 years among the Samburu People Group of northern Kenya. Today’s update is long – but I promise that if you read to the end you will be praising God and will have learned new ways your Lottie dollars and prayers are put to work! Enough said, now I’ll let the first IMB missionaries to the Samburu begin this awesome story, followed by the Daniels, who now work among the Samburu. BERT
PS: Next week we will send a report of the “gift” that Jack received last week!
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CAMEL DERBY - When we were assigned to work with the Samburu in the northern frontier of Kenya, we tried to figure out “how do we get there?” Going into an unreached people group where most people don’t know about Christ and certainly didn’t know about Baptists made us realize that we had to use every opportunity to make Christ and Baptists known in the area. One of the first activities we participated in was the first Maralal International Camel Derby. We were living on the Maralal High School campus and I was teaching English and working in the headmaster’s office when we were asked if we could help with the derby. We didn’t have any churches and very few contacts so we were glad to do something to help make ourselves known in the area. The first year Don did a radio relay and Mary Alice did the registration of entrants.
When the race was over everyone there knew who our J’men were. Baptists were commended by the Kenya minister of tourism for helping with the derby, and as a result we were given a letter from the regional commissioner permitting us to go into any Samburu village to plant a church. But the best part came later. We had arranged to have the J’men lead the worship service on the high school campus the next day. At the end of that service one young man followed us to our house saying that when he prayed to receive Jesus something happened to him inside and he needed to know more. Less than a year later this young man recorded the Jesus Film into the Samburu language, and we were able to show it to thousands of people in their heart language. Many came to know Christ and it all started with a camel derby and some adventurous journeymen who were willing to step out and do the unusual in order to bring others to Christ.
MULE PROJECT - One of the problems we faced was getting into the areas where many people lived but travel by vehicle was impossible. Because of an earlier knee injury, walking up and down hills for long distances was not an option for me. A Lutheran missionary to the north of us was retiring and offered to sell us four mules and one horse. Mules are much more sure-footed than horses and would be ideal for the terrain in Samburu District. When I asked the mission for $500 for an evangelism project using mules, laughter broke out, but they finally approved the request when they realized it wasn’t a joke. One of our Samburu evangelists and I would haul the mules out in a horse trailer as far as the trails go, and then we would ride down into the canyons and valleys to take the Good News to people who had never heard of Christ (and many had never seen a white man before). As those people began to accept Christ, other places along the main trails began to open up. As the work developed, my role shifted to leadership training and the mules were no longer needed, but they did serve as a way to open up the harder-to-reach places to the Gospel.--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
SAMBURU SOJOURNER on FACEBOOK – Posts added in the last 10 weeks by Charlie and Sandra Daniels:
October 6, 2010 - PRAY for Samburu efforts to evangelize the Pokot, which are their enemies and have been the source of inter-tribal theft and fighting. One group will go Friday to an area and another plan to go to a different place next week. These men are seeking to share the Gospel with their arch enemies. Pray for their safety.October 9, 2010 - Seven Samburu Men walked 5hrs. down the mountain and across the valley to take the Gospel of Jesus to their bitter enemy the Pokot. These men are truly walking in the steps of Jesus as they reach and touch the unreachable with the love of Christ.
October 29, 2010 - Wow! 10 Pokot and 8 Samburu said "yes" to Jesus yesterday as Charlie and crew went to talk about how they can work together to start a church. There were over 30 in attendance. One of the Pokot has declared "it is now time for us to take this news to our women and children” .. God is at work!
November 8, 2010 - Three Pokot will travel on Tuesday with Charlie and 4 Samburu to take the Gospel to their (Pokot) family who live in Laikipia District. Four years ago, God gave us a vision that Samburu believers could/should reach out to neighboring tribes with the News of God. Most believed it to be impossible. "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14November 12, 2010 - Samburu worker agreed with Pokot chief to return in December to begin new preaching points and help them start a church. A day later, the chief phones and wants to know why they must wait until December. Can they not come now? How great is our God?
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If you are “hungry” for more or want to find the Daniels on Facebook so that you can continue seeing how God works among the Samburu, go to: http://www.samburuofkenya.org/
And if you want a past “Lottie” view of the Samburu work with lots of colourful pictures, go to The Samburu – Responding to the Gospel at http://samburuomba4kenya.blogspot.com/
AND… Don’t forget to check the new photos added daily to Lottie Moon 2010/Are We There Yet Daily Prayer Nudge Photo Album from Kenya:
https://lottiemoon2010kenya.wordpress.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=333830&id=685050129&l=146c063c0c
AND the special “JE! TUMEFIKA? Lottie Moon 2010” at: http://lottiemoon2010-kenya.blogspot.com/
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