|
Hello dear friends and family, it’s been a while and I wanted to celebrate with you this special time of the year, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! As we see another year coming to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continued support of the work that Paulette and I started in Kenya, as well as to provide an overview of the ministry that continues. God is still moving and doing wonderful things through incredible people, and I wanted to introduce you to them. Bukuria Bible College (BBC)Bukuria Bible College was founded in 1993, and has grown to now include two campuses: the original one on the mission at Taranganya and the other at Karatu in Tanzania. Both campuses offer training for people already in ministry or those who are feeling the call into ministry. We have two full-time teachers in Kenya and one in Tanzania, and an Administrator who oversees both. We have reached students from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Several of our graduates have now gone on to start other Bible Schools including one in Uganda. Others have gone on to become leaders in their communities. Let me Introduce Our Team Iranda Jackson Matiko Jackson joined BBC in the first year of the school in 1993. After graduating, he stayed on to become part of our staff. He began working as a translator for us, and is now running our correspondence department, and is full-time administrator for both campuses. As well, he is also a full-time pastor of a growing church and serves as Manager of Bukuria Mission. He also has 5 kids!  Sammy Chacha Nyangaga Sammy was a young Sunday school teacher when we first got to Kenya, then became a night watchman at the Mission before attending Bible school in Nairobi. When we started our school, he joined us as an interpreter before stepping in to teach classes on his own. He is now the Principal in my place at BBC as well as a full-time pastor. Sammy also has 5 children. Joshua Nyakioma When Sammy stepped into his teaching role, Joshua joined our team as a translator, believing he didn’t have teaching ability of his own. However, when the need arose for another teacher, he stepped up saw his God-given gift flourish; he has really become the Pastor of the school, providing counsel and guidance to the students. Joshua also pastors a church and overseer of a district of about 15 congregations. He’s also a father to 8. Missionaries From our school we have sent out several missionaries to various parts of East Africa. They have started churches, denominations, and Bible Schools. We will single out a few for you at this time.  Nicholas Otieno Nick attended BBC, and after graduation decided he hadn’t had enough so he wanted to stay around. At the time, I was teaching carpentry to the students so that they could help to support themselves. Nick had taken to it quickly and became a great furniture maker, he said he would help to instruct the students if we would let him stay with us. He became a very dedicated disciple. After ten years we saw that he was ready, so we sent him out to Tanzania to work as a pastor in a private primary/secondary school. He is now building a shop and hotel (café) to help to support his family.  Banam Gweya Banam grew up beside the mission, playing with our children. As an adult, he wanted to come to Bible School but couldn’t afford it, so he became our watchman to support his education. I used to be called out all hours of the day/night to pray for people for healing or deliverance, and Banam would go with me to translate for me. God really anointed him and after a while I would send him to do the ministry himself. He became a pastor, but that was not enough for him, so he would go on to plant another. Soon he had churches across several regions in Kenya, and has continued in this ministry while also growing his family. Others who we’ve walked with through the year  Gladys Chacha In the early years, Gladys assisted Paulette with managing our household, as well as leading a women’s Bible study. Gladys would go with Paulette when she started doing seminars and teaching in churches as an interpreter. Although she had never completed schooling, Gladys has an affinity for language, and is fluent in 7, making her an amazing translator. Gladys is a dear friend, a valuable part of our family and ministry, and we are blessed to still be able to support her. In 2005 a young girl came to our gate asking us to help her deaf sister who was trying to end her own life. Obviously, we couldn’t let that happen! We discovered the two girls were orphaned and were in the care of an older woman who mistreated them and intended to sell them into marriage at a very young age. Through a long story, the courts gave us the guardianship of the two girls, Praise the Lord! With your support, Paulette and I were able to cover the girls’ expenses and see them through school, and Gladys stepped in to provide a home and raise the girls as her own, as her own children were grown up and out of the house. Those girls were Susan and Veronica. Susan Susan was the girl that came to our house that morning. We were able to find a great school for her that allowed her to be close to her little sister. She finished school and is married now with two beautiful children, and a nice husband with whom she owns a bookstore. Veronica Veronica is the little sister who needed a school specialized for the deaf in order to receive an education. We were able to find one close by that allowed her to stay in her familiar surroundings near her sister. After school we found a place that would train her in hair dressing. She now, with the help of good friends, has her own salon. She also recently got married. Muhindi After we took in Susan and Veronica a friend in our neighborhood came and told us about a boy that lived close by who was also deaf and was being mistreated by his family and kept out of school. So, we also became his guardians. We got him into the same schools as Veronica. During school breaks he would come to work with us on the mission to learn some trade skills. I was able to teach him some carpentry and masonry and found out he was had a natural gift. We were able to find him placement at a carpentry school for the deaf, where he excelled. He graduated and with help has set up his own shop making furniture. There are so many stories, and so many people I want to share with you, and I hope to do so in the coming year. People in the community who continue to be blessed by your support and prayers. Until then, enjoy your festivities and families in the presence and love of God. To remember the ministry financially
0 Comments
|