January - April, 2008

April News from Eldoret, Kenya

    The last one-month has been calm after violence that saw destruction of life and properties in our country with thousands of people displaced since the last years disputed election results.

    The Radio crew here has been using most of their time and resources in restoring peace and bringing hope to the victims. Our radio Programs are targeting the victims and all the people affected by the violence with the aim of making peace and harmony among the communities. The Rays of Hope program in Kiswahili languages which is a national language started this year with a vision to restore lost glory in families, communities and bring hope to most African who are hopeless due to poverty ignorance and other calamities facing the continent. The program has been popular among the audience as the many calls and messages received from them have witnessed an increase in church attendance and hope in the families.

    Oneal Tankersley who was pioneering in establishment of churches in North Rift Valley region in Kenya had opportunity to speak to thousands of people over the radio while visiting us and many of our Christians were encouraged by his messages.

    The Government has now agreed to share power with the ODM party, which has majority of members of parliament and local authority, and this has really cool things here despite the fact that many internally displaced people are still at the camps. Many of these are really homeless and facing many problem like diseases and basic needs like food and shelter. Now that the rain is bounding most parts of our country is an indication that they will sever from the cold and related problems brought by the big rain. The flood in the camps and poor sanitation has been sighted as the main challenges also when we visited the camp to pray with the victims.

    We thank God for using the many of our friends and partners in the USA to assist during those difficult times, their prayers and substance brought relief to many souls.

    The church in Kenya is now faced with challenges of preaching peace and reuniting the people and there is a need for more resources towards this effort. Many of our people are still staying at makeshift in camps and suffering due to cold and lack of basic needs. Pray for us so that God can open way for us to reach out with love of Christ, which is for all nations.

Please find the attached reports

Charles Cheruiyot

March 2008 Radio Report

Christopher Otsieno

    We really praise the Lord for the prayers answered to our beloved country Kenya.  I take this chance to thank all the radio speakers, the sponsors and staff for their endless prayers for our country.  Much of these goes to the donors who sponsor world radio programs because these programs aired have really contributed a lot to peace in these areas.  It reached a time when people wanted to hear the word of God and yet there was no way to reach to the church.  The only place to hear the word of God was through the radio or television which air Christian messages like Sayare Radio and TV.

    Although there have been a lot of problems, I have seen many souls come to Christ.  When I was invited last month in one of the churches on the boarder of two communities, I was so blessed to see 10 (ten) souls get to Christ through baptism.

    One family, which had some domestic problem, one of them heard the program of love peace and forgiveness on the radio; she said that was the first time to hear radio Sayare Luhya (local station).  She felt like she needed Jesus to come to their home.  For she had run away from home she called home and wanted to meet with her parents.  She informed them about a visitor whom she intended him to visit the family.  When the parents gave in she invited me quickly to visit the family.  She was working out the plan even before calling me to know if I was available.

    When I visited the family, near our former vice president’s home, I was so shocked to find a well off family and despite of their riches they had a problem.  I was so blessed to have a silent bible study with three people, father, mother & daughter.  This brought back family reunion which each person shade tears as they confessed to each other.  Praise the Lord.

Joseph Maiyo

    Receive New Year Greetings in Jesus Name.  Here in Kenya, this is the time we are sending messages of New Year.  When the actual New Year came it was never realized here in Kenya because the country was facing tribal crisis that have never been experience in the history of this country.  Many people lost loved ones and property destroyed.  The spirit of death and hatred was poured in this great nation by the devil who is a liar. I thank God because He has protected me to this very hour with a divine purpose and cannot take this for granted.  At least peace has been restored.

    I thank God because He has taken away all our pain, bitterness and wiped our tears.  We are now a new nation speaking one voice.  Continue praying for us that we continue preaching the gospel and encouraging those who were directly affected by the crisis.  The work ahead is enormous and requires God’s wisdom and grace. 

    We have started visiting our listener from the village preaching reconciliation and oneness.  We are also visiting with those who have fail to attend church service claiming that even in the church there is no security.  Remember us in your daily prayers.  We now need prayers than never before.

    In February we had a cluster meeting on family life and the turn up was good.  About 20 couples were in attendance and five people gave their life to Christ.  Irrespective of what our country have gone though we are still on our way to heaven and feel more strengthen than before. May the peace of God dwell in this Nation.  Shalom! 

Ezekiel Ngososei

    May I thank God for having sustained us up-to this year of chaos and skirmishes, which resulted from the end of elections in our country after December 30^th 2007.  Pray for our province since it was most affected with violence since it is mostly inhabited by almost all tribes.

    Our town was also affected and we could not travel to record and air the programme, we had remained calm praying for the skirmishes to end for which God intervened to break the war through external mediators lead by Koffi Annan who really made a great change in Kenya to have peace through the prayer from all over the world.

    I am taking this chance to request for prayers from all brothers and sisters to pray for the Christians who were affected and need spiritual and material goods after they were evicted, houses burnt down, goods stolen and others killed.  Pray for those who left the church and joined the pagans by doing the wrong things in the eyes of God. If God had come on that day, very few could enter into the home heaven of which God still waits the church to repent and change.

    I am afraid the rich to defend their properties were using most of youths and God does not allow this to occur.  Let me say though this occurred, I never stopped preaching, this was the time the church was very keen to differentiate from the Christian and earthen.  I win for the Lord to baptize four souls added to the church in the beginning of the year January 2008.  They church now is growing towards the denominations and the un-reached being assisted by the radio programme aired and many new areas have confirmed churches of Christ to be planted.  I need your prayers this year so that the Lord can establish several new congregations and restore those churches they have backslide and needs guidance and counseling.

Charles Cheruiyot

Relief Project in Kisii, Kenya

April 24, 2008

Brother Don,

Yesterday (on Wed April 23), I distributed 30 80kg sacks of maize to 120 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Nyamue community. I had targeted 50 in my plan but the number doubled and I had to give them food anyway. I involved the local administrator, area sub-location assistant chief Mrs Jane Onsase in the efforts. Jane is the one who assisted me with the list of the displaced in Bomonyara sub-location.

I fed the IDPs spiritual food before giving them physical food! I choose the venue for the food distribution to be at the same place where we assemble for worship services at Nyamue so I could extend an invitation to the IDPs to consider coming to worship with us. 30 raised up their hands pledging to come to our church starting this coming Sunday! I set up study appointment with 8 of them... Hopefully some of those we gave food will end up becoming Christians as a result of the relief efforts and Glory goes to God!

Many at the IDPs camps and those who are at their homes have been heard praising God as a result of the food distribution that I did. I made them know that the food did not come from me but from God through some American brothers and sisters whose compassion for the IDPs in Kenya caused them to give. "Tell those' wazungu' (white men) that God will reward them in a special way. This is an answer to our prayers. May God be glorified" said Grace Kemunto, one of the IDPs that I talked to as we distributed food at Nyamue yesterday.

In a special way I want to thank Whites Ferry Rd and all those who donated funds so we could buy food for the IDPs.

Relief efforts continue. Will keep you posted.

In Christ's service,

David Marube.

David Maurbe's sponsoring church in the U. S.:

    Leesburg, VA Church of Christ