Tag Archives: Pokot North

Pokot North (26th. June–3rd. July)

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My fellow pastor, Murungi Igweta, had his first extended trip to North Pokot. 3 of the young people accompanied him. Just recently public transport has been introduced into the area making it possible to more easily go the last 100 kms. There was a ‘Weekend’ ministry with the 200+ boys at the Kasei Secondary School that we sponsor. What an opportunity to minister to all these boys from all over Pokot North and beyond for more than 2 full days!

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The above photo is of boys of Kasei Secondary School listening to the ministry of the Word. There continue to be great opportunities in educational establishments we have had a hand in starting.

Pokot North

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Yet again I have to thank the Lord for a blessed time of ministry in Pokot North, 24th. March to 3rd. April. Johan and I were able to visit and minister the Word in 10 of the 13 places where there are churches and schools.

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We walked up for almost 2 hours from Apur to Tarakit, at over 2,000 metres. What a breath-taking view west into Uganda! There are 3 churches and schools on this high ridge where the Pokot people plant maize and beans – Kapkoghun, Tarakit and Kapyomot.

The secondary school at Kasei is well established with over 200 students in 4 classes (Forms 1-4). It reminds me of the time I first came to Kenya in 1968 to teach in a secondary school in Miathene (Meru), which also had 4 classes but only about 150 boys. Kasei has 11 teachers, one for each subject they study, but only a few of them are provided by the Government. We as a church provide 2, and fees help to pay for the rest. I joked with them that we were only 8 teachers in Miathene, so in the old days we worked much harder! The Principal (Head Teacher) is very co-operative and has started some studies in theology with us.

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Being able to freely preach to the boys in the unfinished laboratory building was a highlight for me. First they stood and sang beautifully, without accompaniment or hand clapping, a song in Swahili saying, ‘The grace of the Lord is sufficient’. This was my opportunity to tell them that grace in Christ is the way of salvation, and it is totally sufficient to save us (Ephesians 2:8-9). You could have heard a pin drop as I started by telling them of my experience as a teacher so long ago.

We have definite plans to start a second secondary school, this time for girls and in Kamketo, about 10 kms. away. We have been given the go ahead by the community and the authorities because of the success of the school in Kasei. It will start at the beginning of 2015 using some of the facilities of the primary school, but we will build one permanent classroom, and then the Government should come in to assist.

Of the 11 primary schools, 4 have all 8 classes, and 2 more will reach there this year. There are a few thousand boys and girls registered, not to mention the Early Childhood Development (ECD) classes with the youngest ones. The Government is not able to supply all the teachers needed so we continue to support more than 30 on a monthly basis! We are encouraged that finally many of the Head Teachers either attend the TBC churches or are genuinely sympathetic. This is also true of many of the teachers. Such ones we can supply with good Christian literature so we can bring the true Christian faith to them.

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imageKapterema teachers & pupils

imageTarakit school buildings

imageBoys at home in Kamketo

Polygamy continues to be very prevalent in the area and causes problems in the churches. The pressure for Christians to conform is very strong. In the photo below:

(1) One man had 2 wives, married a third who subsequently left him for another man. When that husband died she wanted to return to the first and he agreed for a while but then the Lord convicted him of the sin.

(2) One woman lost her husband and came to live in the area. She found it very difficult to be single in the society but there were no men of mature age to marry (i.e. widowers). In a polygamous society if one wife dies there is always another. So finally she gave in and became a 3rd. wife. She told me she knows she has done wrong, and I told her to cut the relationship, which may have serious consequences for her.

Please pray for the leaders who have so many responsibilities to perform, as there are only 3 trained men, and 2 Kenyan missionaries. For the first time I have seen some strains between them emerge over finances. There are 2 men we are hoping to train in the PTC in Nairobi in the future, and the brethren are planning to set up a Bible School in Kamketo to train those who are not proficient enough in English.

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There has been a perennial leadership problem in Kapterema/Korokou so that the church membership has never been more than 10. David Nasia, 4th. right, is now leading and these are the people presently connected with the church. It is the most densely populated area with intensive cultivation of beans and maize.

There were many opportunities to preach, to small and medium sized groups. I preached on such themes as The Life of Faith (Hebrews 11:8-16), Affliction (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7,3:2-4), Love (John 13:34-35), Prayer (Matthew 6:5-13), 3 things that make a Christian (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10), the Work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, John 3:3-5), Spiritual Growth (Acts 20:32 and Ephesians 4:11-16), Sin (Mark 7:14-23), Christ as All (Luke 14:25-27), Blessing of Peace (John 16:33). We use the church buildings and homes, and go where people are under a tree.

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Sunday we spent at Kamketo where there is the largest church and the only permanent church building. Some of the brethren at the nearby church of Kasepa joined us and there were 120 present in the service (less in the afternoon meeting). They have this lovely custom of forming a circle after the service so that everyone greets everyone else.

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This is the large church building that is going up in Kasei which is designed to hold up to 250. The lintel is complete. The roof is next which will cost 400,000 shillings. Kasei is a main centre which is set to develop; there is the boarding secondary school, and also boarders in the upper primary. Since all secondary boys are required to be in church on Sundays a large building will be useful.

I trust this report has been an encouragement to you. The Lord is at work through His word, but there is much opposition. Please keep praying.

Keith Underhill

POKOT NORTH

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At the end of October I returned from a 12 day visit to encourage the ministry in Pokot North. It has been difficult to write this as there is too much! I hope to put more details on the website sometime. Cliff Barton, a Deacon from Belvidere Road Baptist in Liverpool, England, and Johan Mortensen from Denmark, accompanied me. Once again it was a very full time as we were able to visit 10 of the 12 places where there is a church and this involved some quite lengthy walks through the beautiful Kenyan bush. We continue to be thankful to God for devotion of the 5 trained leaders and their continuing unity. This has been one area of ministry where the work has progressed without any great problem since we officially got involved in 2000.

Every day there were many opportunities to minister the word of God, amongst the churches and the schools, both publicly and privately.

MINISTRY IN THE CHURCHES

I did all the preaching in the churches (22 times). It is all done through translation, something I have become very accustomed to. I take very basic themes, Imitating Christ, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, Salvation by Grace. Because of the prevalent false teaching about the Holy Spirit I was asked to preach to help counter the errors – Being Filled with the Spirit, Work of the Spirit (Rm. 8:1-14), Fruit of the Spirit. There were some special evangelistic times – Prodigal Son, Call of Levi, Jn. 3:16. The last Sunday I was bold enough to seek to preach through the Sermon on the Mount in 3 messages, one chapter each time. The Lord was so gracious in helping me, giving me good health throughout, and receiving much appreciation from the hearers.

Although this is a remote area of Kenya the competition among churches is great. For example, we were the first to go to Wasat a few years ago. Now 4 other groups have come, and not content to put their building nearby, they also speak openly against Trinity. We are often a target of attack that we ‘do not have the Spirit’ because of our reverent worship style, something rare in Kenya today. I trust it is because of the solid teaching we give that none of the 30+ Wasat members have so far defected, yet they are all young Christians.

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     Kasepa ‘circle’ after preaching

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         Kasei church new building

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      Kapkewa joint Sunday service 

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                 Preaching at Kwirir

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Joshua Sitet, Samuel Ng’etich & Isaiah Juma

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      Wazee (older men) at Wasat            

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    Mzee at Chepkinagh      Traditional Ladies at Kwirir

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Apur church building and nursery school

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             Preaching at Kwirir

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Andrew Chemolok’s house at Chepkinagh

There are 12 churches but only 3 trained church leaders and 2 others who have particular responsibilities in the Schools. Lord willing, we hope there will be 2 more who can be trained here in the Nairobi PTC beginning 2015. The brethren there also have the plan to start a training based on the Kamketo church. This can cater for those who do not have enough English facility to be in the Nairobi course. The church at Kasepa does not have a leader at all, as all the men eligible are polygamists. A new church has started at Kwirir near Wasat. We heard from the men at Kwirir that they have seen the change the gospel has brought to people in Wasat, and they would like to be brought such a good message. So the gospel is slowly penetrating and changing lives. There are yet more places that are calling our brethren to go with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A church building project is underway at Kasei. The foundation has been laid and the walls are beginning to rise. A larger and more permanent building is needed, seating up to 300 because this is where we sponsor a Primary School and Secondary School. All the boarders attend the service. The Pokot brethren have pledged to provide about one-quarter of the cost and are praying that well-wishers will help them with the rest.

MINISTRY IN THE SCHOOLS

There are thousands of children registered in the Schools started by Trinity Baptist Church and we have a wonderful opportunity of ministering to them. The Kenya Government is unable to provide enough teachers so it is left to us to make up the shortfall. As a result we support over 30 teachers and in addition other staff.

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    New school buildings at Kasepa 

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       Chepkinagh Primary School

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            Kasei Primary School      

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      Kasei Boys’ Secondary School

Cliff & Johan spoke to the children in the 6 Primary Schools we were able to visit. 4 of these Schools have reached class 8, the final year of Primary education, when a very important exam is taken. All over the country a special time of prayer is arranged for these exam candidates and parents are expected to be present. It is of course a prostitution of true Biblical prayer. I asked the students what they wanted me to pray for – success was the obvious reply! I told them that I cannot do that as success also depends on how they have worked over the years, and what native ability God has given them. When you ask them what they want to grow up to be, for most it is a doctor, a lawyer, and engineer, because they know these are the professions with the money. I sought to warn them against the love of money.

The Government, through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is slowly putting up some permanent classrooms, but this is way behind the needs. The school at Kapterema has the full 8 classes but only 2 permanent classrooms, and another 3 of mud and iron sheets. Above everything else what is needed are the teachers, even if they have to teach under a tree. This is why we seek to make sure each class has a teacher.

We were encouraged in our visit to the Secondary School in Kasei although the boys were on half-term break. We were met and shown round by the Principal who is a very co-operative man who seems so interested in the school. There are more than 100 boys, and with the addition of the final class intake in 2014 it is reckoned there will be around 200, as the school is becoming popular. A dormitory is now complete, and a science laboratory nearing completion. But the best thing was to go into the ICT room and see 10 computers and all the equipment needed to use them! And this is a place that has no access to electricity, and the network is only a few years old. Isaiah Juma has a special responsibility to minister to these students. We suggested that we organize a special weekend of ministry for the students next year, and the Principal was encouraging for that.