A Return Trip

   When I left Kenya in 2007, the brethren made me promise that I would return for more classes, if it was the Lord’s will. I was able to work a trip into this year’s schedule. We planned classes for several of the same areas where we had worked before, but we also added some new locations.

Travel Companions

   I invited Rob & Cheryl Buchanan, from South Africa, to accompany me on this trip. We have worked together on many different occasions, in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and on my last trip into Kenya. They know many of the brethren and are aware of some of the needs and some of the problems in Kenya. Rob assisted with the teaching for the adults, plus the preacher-training classes. Cheryl assisted with classes for the women and children.

   I also invited Jeremy Jones, a college student from Indiana, to travel with us. Jeremy is a graduate of Florida College, having studied speech, liberal arts, and Bible. He has worked in three different preacher-training programs in recent years, to help prepare him to work as a gospel preacher. He will be moving to Sioux St. Marie, Michigan, in January to begin working with the church there. Jeremy is a good student, well disciplined in his studies, and shows a great interest in brethren.

Our Arrival

   We all arrived into Kenya on different flights, so we met up at the airport in Nairobi. Henry Ogutu arrived on a bus from western Kenya. Wilson Njagua and Jack Muchemi drove the van we rented from Nyeri. We were able to receive all of our luggage, load into the van, and start the journey from Nairobi to Nyeri. The temperatures had dropped in recent days, due to the rains every night. The jacaranda trees were dropping their purple blooms on the city streets, making a lovely carpet for us to drive on.

   The drive from Nairobi to Nyeri was about three hours. We drove to the Green Edges Apartments, where we had reserved a two-bedroom unit. It was equipped with a stove, refrigerator and microwave, so we were able to prepare our own meals.  As soon as we unloaded the van, we drove to the store to do our shopping. We then came back to the apartment and prepared our first meal together. Cheryl and I had volunteered to do kitchen duties. After eating, all of us confessed to being tired. The pitter-patter of the rain on the roof helped to put us to sleep rather quickly.

Visiting Karatina

   During the ’07 trip, I was able to visit the church in Karatina (about 45 minutes from Nyeri) for one Sunday. Rob was not able to meet these brethren, because we had split up on that Lord’s day and he preached in another location. I was really impressed with this church and told Rob that I wanted him to meet these good brethren. They had asked that we schedule two days with them for this year’s trip.

   The church in Karatina rents a small building behind some shops. This allows them to use the building nearly every day of the week for numerous Bible classes. This church has a very interesting history. The church was started in 1991, by some American missionaries. They worked together for almost ten years. During the early years, the missionaries did some good teaching and emphasized the need to have Bible authority for all that you do in religion. The brethren in Karatina became good students and developed a strong respect for Bible authority. As the American missionaries would return to the U.S. and then return to Kenya in a couple of years, the Karatina brethren started questioning some of the new and different actions and teachings they were seeing among the foreigners (dancing while singing, hand-clapping during worship, women taking a leading role in worship, denominational language, etc.). When the Americans were approached about this, they would not change. The brethren in Karatina made the decision to break away from the foreigners and meet as an independent, autonomous congregation. Today, seven of the men take turns in the preaching. Duncan Wanjeru answers all of the e-mails for the church, but he is quick to let you know that he has no power to make any decisions for the church. Nothing is done until it is discussed and agreed upon by all members of the congregation. The men have two meetings a month to discuss church matters. They have kept a list of every sermon that has ever been preached and every Bible class that has ever been taught. This helps them to see what needs to be taught in the future. They have also carefully recorded every baptism and the attendance of all members.  If one is not at services on Sunday, then men will visit you to find out why you were absent.  They do a great job in caring for each other and encouraging each other to faithfulness.  These brethren don’t want any error brought into the congregation.  I had taken several books to distribute among the seven men who preach. They asked me to put them in a box and they would be reviewed at the next business meeting.  They feared that I would be offended in this action. I explained that I rejoice to see them being so careful about what is being presented to them.

   On Saturday, we had classes from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Rob taught classes from the book of Ephesians.  Jeremy taught classes from Jonah and 1 Peter. I taught classes on the prison epistles. In the afternoon, we divided the men and women. Cheryl went with the ladies to Duncan’s home, where his wife had volunteered to translate for Cheryl. She taught classes on husband/wife relationships and child rearing.

   On Sunday, I taught a class on “Three Men Described in Third John.” Jeremy taught a class on “Elijah vs. Baal.” Rob continued his studies in Ephesians. One of the things that greatly impressed us on Sunday was a 98-year-old lady that walked about 6 miles to get to the worship services. She arrived a bit late and apologized to the congregation for her delay. She has to leave her home at 7:00 a.m. in order to get to the building. Because of the evening rains, the road was muddy and slippery, so she couldn’t walk as fast. I wonder how many folks in America would do that.

   The brethren at Karatina were a real encouragement to us. They asked if we could not make it a week’s worth of teaching on the next trip.

Leadership-Development

    We scheduled four days for classes in Nyeri for preacher-training and/or leadership-development classes. Brethren came from many different congregations. We rented a large tent and erected it in the yard of our apartment complex. We had about 36 students for these classes.  We had several sessions, where everyone was together under the tent.  We then had several classes, where we kept the men at the tent and Cheryl took the ladies to the apartment for classes.

   I taught the first class on Bible Geography in the morning and multiple topics in the afternoon. Rob taught on Hebrews in the morning and Hosea in the afternoon.  Jeremy taught the book of Galatians in the morning and varied subjects in the afternoon. The attendance was pretty consistent for all days, with the exception of a larger number on Tuesday since this was a national holiday. On our second day, we had a special visitor for the classes, Samuel. He lived in the neighborhood and did some work for Esther, the owner of the apartments. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, but was really desirous of learning the Bible stories. He asked many good questions and stated that he wanted to continue studying with Wilson and Jack after we would leave.

God’s Providence At Work

   We were scheduled to visit the church in Nyahururu (about 60 miles north of Nyeri, just slightly above the equator) for classes on Friday. Jack received a call from one of the members on Thursday to state that these classes were canceled. We tried to find out why the classes were first scheduled and then canceled. We learned that it goes back to a nasty division that took place in Nyeri in 2000. The Nyeri Church had withdrawn from their preacher, after Jack, Henry, Wilson, and others had charged him with immorality and later deserting his wife. He was then accused of taking up with several other women, while he was still married. The preacher charged these men of lying and the unity among the brethren was destroyed, as churches took sides on whether or not this brother was faithful. The preacher has since remarried and has a child by this woman. Many of the brethren have questioned as to whether or not he was even divorced from his first wife, but even if he was divorced they then questioned on what grounds he thought he could remarry. Many of the brethren charge that he took his wife back to her father and said he didn’t want her any more. Rob & I met with the wife and later with her father. The wife argues that she was never charged with any sin and was never given any divorce papers. She asked the court to either force him to bring her back to her home or to divorce her so she could receive alimony from him. He wanted to do neither of these. All of this has greatly harmed the Lord’s work in Kenya and destroyed the unity that once existed. It seems that this preacher has tried to force churches to take sides. Nyahururu sided with him and canceled our classes.

   We were very saddened by the cancelation of the classes, but we learned that it may have been God’s providence at work. After the classes were canceled, Jack received a phone call from another one of the members and asked what this was all about. He said he wanted classes to be held. Since the church would not welcome us, he said he and his family were inviting us to his house. It proved to be an exciting day. He invited many of his neighbors to his home for several hours of classes. There were about 22 who showed up for the classes. One of these men is a “pastor” of a Pentecostal church. Rob, Jeremy and I all taught classes. Rob taught a lesson called, “Ask For the Old Paths.” I taught on “Divisions in the Church.” I’ve had few classes where I thought the students were any more attentive or honest. The men had many questions about biblical authority, the plan of salvation, and worship. They said they wanted to leave the denominations and help restore the Lord’s church. They asked for more classes, so Jack volunteered to follow up with them in future classes. The men had many more questions, but we had to cut the classes short as they had to go to a funeral in the area. Jack received a phone call later on from this preacher telling him they continued discussing what they had learned that morning and they will continue studying together. We were also impressed with one of the women who wrote down just about everything we said in the class. She must have written 20 or more pages of notes. I pray that much good will come from this effort.

   We left Nyahururu and drove south of the equator and back to Nyeri. We went to Jack’s house for classes that he had arranged with some friends and neighbors. We filled up his living room, plus had some sitting outside the front door. One man asked a number of questions and seemed to go back to the same subject time and again. I tried to answer all of his questions and he eventually seemed satisfied and then left. We were about to leave when another neighbor arrived and apologized for being late. Her name is Ann and she is a member of the Anglican Church. She asked a number of good questions and in the end said she had not had this type of teaching before. I tried to explain the difference in reforming the church and restoring the church. She said she had never understood how we could restore the church as we read it in the Bible. She promised that she would be at services the following Sunday. Jack is excited at these new prospects.

North of the Equator Again

   On Saturday, we drove north of the equator again to Marura. When we visited with this congregation two years ago it only consisted of one man, Joseph, and his wife. Joseph supports himself by selling used jackets and sports coats on the streets. He had asked us in ’07 for help to erect a church building, but we told him he needed to concentrate on preaching the gospel, making new converts, and then see what would happen. Well, he did just that and there have been several new converts. They are now renting a building for their services and attendance averages about 8 each week. We were impressed with the growth of this congregation. I preached a lesson on “Why Should I Obey God?” Rob had a lesson on “By What Authority Do You Do This?” Jeremy had a lesson on “Lessons from the Rich Young Ruler.”

   When we ended our classes in Marura, we then drove to Nanyuki and met with the brethren who meet at a school in the area. This congregation is made up of 15 members. Rob did a lesson on “Eli Being Soft on Sin.” Jeremy did a lesson on “Righteousness, Self-Control and Judgment.” I did a lesson on “The Inspiration of God.” The brethren were interested in more studies, so they invited us to return and stay with them longer the next time. On our way back to Nyeri, we stopped at a shop owned by one of the brethren. She told us more about the congregation in Nanyuki. She said her son helps in the preaching, but another preacher comes a time or two just before some of the American preachers are planning a trip to Kenya. She was concerned about outside influences in their local congregation.

A Busy Sunday  

   On Sunday morning, we split into several teams. Wilson drove to preach at the Mukerwe-ini congregation. Rob, Cheryl, and Jeremy went to worship with the Nyeri congregation and I went with Jack to the Gatitu congregation. There were 31 in attendance at Nyeri. The brethren had arranged for Cheryl to teach a class for the children, while the men could raise questions for Rob and Jeremy to answer. Many of the men’s questions dealt with God’s plan for marriage. In Africa, there is what they call a “traditional” marriage that can lead to fornication if the dowry is not completely paid. If part of the dowry is paid, the couple will be allowed to live together but not as man and wife. Rob explained that this was not a marriage in God’s sight and not even accepted as marriage in their villages. Rob told them that Christians must do what is right in the sight of God and the laws of the country they live in. The men agreed that this is what should be taught to everyone. Cheryl’s class for the children was on “The Tower of Babel.” Jeremy taught a Bible class on “Jesus’ Triumphant Entry.” Rob preached a sermon on “How To Ruin Your Influence.”

   As Wilson was on his way to the Mukerwe-ini congregation, he dropped me off at the building for the Gatitu church. My visit with this congregation was a wonderful period of study and worship. We had about 25 in attendance, including Samuel and Ann, our two new contacts from the week. I taught a lesson on “The Three Dispensations” and tried to give a quick overview of the whole Bible. When it came time for us to partake of the Lord’s Supper, the young man that was going to help serve said he first wanted to apologize to the church for being late in arriving at services. He asked the brethren to forgive him and offer a prayer for him that he would do better in the future. At the end of services, after the final song and prayer, there was the opportunity for anyone to say anything they wanted to. Our two visitors were the first to speak. Samuel said he wanted to express his thanks for the lesson and the help in showing him the differences in the denominational teachings and the true Word of God. Ann said it is now her prayer that she can help to restore the Lord’s church in Kenya and break away from denominational doctrines. Lucy, a member of the Baptist Church, explained that she was simply walking down the road and met one of the sisters in the church, who invited her to join her for worship. She explained that she had never visited a church of Christ before, but was happy that God had led her here today. She said, “I’ve never learned many of these things before. I will come again. I can see that you love the Truth. I never want to sing again with the beating of the drums. I want to be taught more.” Jack promised that he would gladly set up many studies with her. It was truly a wonderful period of study and worship.

   After our services at Gatitu, Wilson came back by the building and drove me and Jack back to the apartment to meet Rob, Cheryl, and Jeremy. We were able to have our lunch together at the apartment and then drove out to Kagonya, about 12 miles out of town, where Elijah Mutuguti preaches. These brethren had assembled for their worship in the morning, but we had about 45 people present for the afternoon classes. Rob taught on “The Book of Jude” and I did a lesson on “The Gods of Egypt vs. Jehovah.”

A Visit in Mwea

   Mwea is about 50 miles from Nyeri. When we visited with them in 2007, there were only about eight members. The brethren have worked hard in teaching their neighbors and have witnessed several converts. Their congregation now has about twenty members. They meet in a corner building next to some shops. We set up the PowerPoint projector and had about sixty people for the classes. I did a lesson on “Genesis 1:1.” Rob did a lesson on “Selling Our Birthright.” Jeremy did a lesson on “Joy in Philippians.” The local deputy chief and his helper, along with his wife, were in attendance and were interested in asking many questions about the lessons. Many others stood outside the building to listen to the lessons. Elijah visits these brethren twice a month to teach in this area and it is bearing fruit. We were scheduled to have a late afternoon open-air meeting in the street, but it started raining towards the end of the last lesson. We said our good-byes and headed on back to Nyeri after the last lesson.

A Visit in Mukerwe-ini

   Mukurwe-ini is only about twelve miles south of Nyeri, but the dirt roads make it very slow in travel. When we visited with these brethren in 2007, there were only three women as members. One of the sweet sisters, in her late nineties, died shortly after our visit in ‘07. Wilson has been able to have many classes on the mountaintop, resulting in several new converts. The membership has now grown to eight, with two men attending faithfully and taking a leadership role. They have now rented a small building next to a school. As we were waiting for the brethren to arrive, I walked over to the fence and started talking with several of the students, who were on a ten-minute break. They asked if I would be willing to come to the classroom and meet their teachers. I was taken to the office to meet the equivalent of our school principal. She asked if I would be willing to teach their Christian Education Instruction class. She wanted me to teach “The Beatitudes.” This was an opportunity that I never get here in the States. After I had been teaching for about thirty minutes, the principal sent a student back to the fence to get Rob, Cheryl and Jeremy. I continued teaching the 7^th & 8^th grade students. They took Rob & Cheryl into the 6^th grade class. Rob taught on the creation and Cain and Abel. Once that the principal learned that Cheryl teaches students  in a Saturday class at a rural school in South Africa on how to read, write and speak in English, she was asked to give them a quick English lesson, using the Bible as their textbook. All of us enjoyed the time with these students and accepted their invitation to come again in the future. We then walked back over to the church building and met the brethren who had arrived by this time. I taught a class on “The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom.” We had a good class, answered several of their questions and then ate lunch with these brethren.

   After lunch, we then went to a home, where several members of the Gatitu congregation had assembled for a Bible class. Helen, a teenager who lives with Jack and his wife during the week in order to attend school in the city, and her mother invited about 18of their neighbors to listen to the lessons. Jeremy gave a lesson on “Acts 17.” Rob then gave a lesson on “Doctrines of Men.” One lady wanted to study further, explaining that she was a Roman Catholic and could see that part of her doctrine was from men. Jack and Wilson agreed to set up a class with her and we are hopeful that she will be responsive to the truth. We were very impressed with the zeal that these brethren have for the teaching their friends the gospel.

Our Final Day of Classes

   On Wednesday, we drove to the home of Stephen, Wilson’s father. He was not a Christian on our ’07 trip. As a new convert, he is really interested in trying to teach all of his friends and neighbors. He invited about 12 people to his home for these classes. There were many good questions after the classes. Some interest was shown for future classes, so we are hopeful that Wilson will be able to set up more classes with them in the future.

   For our final dinner in Kenya, Esther asked if she could prepare us some authentic Kenyan dishes. We enjoyed her hospitality and got to know her a bit better. She is a devout Roman Catholic and invites ladies to her home each afternoon for prayer. We are hoping that our new friendship with her will lead to future classes to show her the gospel.

Departure From Kenya

   On Thursday, Wilson and Jack drove us back to the Nairobi airport to catch our respective flights. Rob and Cheryl flew back to South Africa and Jeremy & I flew to Cairo, Egypt, where we would be studying with a young man that I had been studying with on the internet.