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[l-r, Pastor Claude Houge, fulltime LCMS Missionary in Nairobi; Kevin Pieper, Paul Althoff, Bishop Obare] Global Missions more information.

Kenya Advance Trip- March 2008

[Report by Kevin Pieper, Minister of Missions and Outreach] We have just completed the advance trip for the spring 2008 mission to Kenya. We were supposed to have made this trip a month ago, but were unable to travel here on account of the post-election violence.

Peace Accord Reached

  • Thanks to the United Nations and Kofi Annan in particular, a peace accord has been reached among the two parties which has re-united Kenya.
  • We are told that, on the night the accord was reached, Kenyans danced in the streets, celebrating the end of a conflict which was highly unusual for this nation, long considered an island of peace in East Africa.
  • New bumper stickers appear on vehicles proclaiming messages of peace, and the people we talk with are relieved and hopeful.
  • They also expressed heartfelt thanks to us for not giving up on them, and following through on our commitment to bring another mission to Kenya this spring. We feel that this step of integrity was important, and will go a long way in deepening the trust with our partner churches.
  • The compromise which was reached balances the power in the new government by creating the brand new position of prime minister, and the opposing candidate occupies that position. The widespread violence is over, though some vestiges of it remain in the western part of the country. It is there that the strongest resentment exists against the Kikuyu tribe, the dominant landowners and holders of authority.

But in Nairobi and central Kenya, we felt free to drive and walk through crowded marketplaces without ever feeling ill at ease. Common sense still applies: travel in a group, watch where you go at night, keep money and documents in your front packet, etc. A person would have to keep those same things in mind while walking through Houston. In fact, we often wonder that if a person were to list all the crimes that happen in the Houston area in the course of a day, no one would want to travel here – yet we travel across our city freely.

Salem’s Commitment to Meru

During this advance trip, we picked up the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK), Reverend Walter Obare, and drove to the Meru region of central Kenya. Salem Lutheran Church has made a commitment to this region, upon the request of Bishop Obare. Many consider Meru to be the Sodom of the five-country region, with drugs coming into the country from Somalia along with the lifestyle all that brings. The other dominant influence in the area is from the Middle East, and beautiful mosques are in virtually every town.

  • Our pledge is to bring missions to the region – twice per year for the next five years – and strategically grow the Lutheran Church. Every six months, these Lutheran pastors (there are five in the Meru region) will enjoy a “bump” in their ministry calendar – Salem brings teams (like eyeglass teams) which draw a crowd so that the pastor’s evangelism team can share the gospel. Over time, an even stronger partnership is formed and the church will grow. That is our hope, our prayer, and our purpose.

We like to say it this way: we use the Great Commandment (“love one another”) to accomplish the Great Commission (“go and make disciples”) in these local Kenya Lutheran congregations. We saw this happen over and over again through our ministry in Honduras, and we look forward to seeing God work again.

April Mission Plan

The April mission looks like this:

  • One group returns to Kariti and conducts five days of eyeglass clinics;
  • The other group works in the Meru region; working for two days in the village of Mitunguu, and the remaining three days in the area in Gatembe.
  • Both eyeglass teams will have evangelists from the local Lutheran church. These teams will initiate faith conversations with each of the people who attend the clinics, leading them through the conversation using the Evangel-Cube.

This process was well received during the November mission. Pastor Phenius, from Meru, reported that thirty people received Christ as a result of these encounters and that at least ten of them have been regularly attending the church in Mitunguu (the remainder are reportedly attending another church nearer their home).

Advance Team Received with Enthusiasm and Hope

On the advance trip we also traveled to Gatembe to get a look at the facilities and meet the pastor there, Pastor Alfred. What we didn’t expect was that the entire community welcomed our group in the local church. They had obviously put a lot of preparation into our visit, and we ended up spending an hour and a half there. We gathered in the church, as “distinguished guests” seated up front, and we heard the pastor say that the group assembled there had never been so honored as they were that day.

The pastor went on to explain that to welcome white people from the States and Bishop Obare was something that they never would have envisioned. We each introduced ourselves to the group, and Paul and I were given an opportunity to say why we were there.

I was extremely touched when, after I informed them that our congregation had made a five-year commitment to the Meru region and that we would return twice per year for five years, the group broke out in spontaneous applause. The women began their high-pitched “Yi yi yi yi”, and the heartfelt appreciation was stirring.

Following the introductions, several groups got up to sing for us – first the children, then the women. And then out came the food – they had prepared a meal for us to eat, consisting of: “ara” root (tastes like yams), fresh bananas, and fresh hard-boiled eggs.

When we finally got on the road it was like we had truly been welcomed and honored by these humble people.

Growing the Meru Church

Another part of our agenda was to begin the hunt for land. Bishop Obare has asked Salem to help him build a significant ministry presence in Meru, from which ministry would flow out into the region. We could see the bishop get excited as we showed him an initial plan for the building that we had drawn up before we left Tomball. This is his dream come true for this region and his denomination. God willing, we can see Christianity’s influence grow in Meru over the next five years with the two-fold focus there:

  • Bringing evangelistic missions to the region every six months, each one ministering to at least five thousand people
  • Building a significant Lutheran presence in the region, from which would flow more pastors, evangelists, health clinics, and other ministries