Every day, with exception of Sundays and travel days, we would go house to house sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I guess a better description would be hut to hut; there are only 3 houses (as Americans may understand them) in the village of Amaya.
This place is practically unreached. While there are some Christians and a witness to the Living God, many of the people in this farming community have heard very little about Jesus Christ. (Could that be from a lack of the people possessing God's Word? From a total lack of Biblically illiterate elders and leaders?)
But where darkness resides is a greater opportunity to shine Christ's light! In many places we had ample opportunity to share Christ with people for the first time! Under trees, in huts, on walking paths, anywhere there is a group of people - there is a pulpit!
Although you do not see them in this picture, there are about 10-15 people sitting under this tree. It is a man with his 3 wives and about 10 children.
Now, concerning the title of this blog post... One day while going hut to hut, we met a woman on the road. At first we thought she was drunk; she was making all kinds of noises and hitting the ground with her walking stick. But as we walked by, she called out "pastor!" So the five of us (2 pastors, Leah and I, and our friend Jeremy) went to see what was going on.
Then we heard the story. This woman's son had been murdered in cold blood about 1 or 2 weeks prior in Nairobi. In the Pokot culture, if a family member dies, you are considered unclean until the body has been buried and a goat is slaughtered and the blood sprinkled upon you. While someone is unclean, the extended family does not let that person into their house and they are culturally bound to not help them until they have been made clean.
We talked with her for about an hour and then parted ways. But God's Spirit cannot let His people hear such things without moving them to action. So, the next day we drove to the nearest "shopping center" to buy some food and simple supplies for her and her family (it was about 50 kilometers away... and just an idea of how big this place was, they didn't even have a loaf of bread to sell).
We came to her hut to deliver the surprise. She was wondering why we would come to her hut and bring things to help her. We said simply, God knows your hurts, He knows your pain, and He sent us to help you and show you that He loves you. Even though you do not know Him He loves you! Then we sat under a tree and shared the Gospel with her for a couple hours.
We shared with her that God sent Jesus to die for the sins of people, that the Bible says He is the Lamb which was slain. His blood is sprinkled upon those who believe in Him, and His blood is what makes us clean! And He was sacrificed once for all, there are no more sacrifices necessary after Him!
After this, one of the team members helped to dress some of her wounds:
Then after praying, she told us that she needs to know this God who loves her and makes her clean and that she needs to follow Him. So we rejoiced with her and connected her with a local church.
(She is the one directly bellow me in the picture.)
There a so many people in this nation that have never heard the name of Jesus, they don't know that He died to save them from their sins and reconcile them to God! We know that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how will they call on the name of one whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without someone preaching to them? And how will they preach unless they are sent?
This place is practically unreached. While there are some Christians and a witness to the Living God, many of the people in this farming community have heard very little about Jesus Christ. (Could that be from a lack of the people possessing God's Word? From a total lack of Biblically illiterate elders and leaders?)
But where darkness resides is a greater opportunity to shine Christ's light! In many places we had ample opportunity to share Christ with people for the first time! Under trees, in huts, on walking paths, anywhere there is a group of people - there is a pulpit!
Although you do not see them in this picture, there are about 10-15 people sitting under this tree. It is a man with his 3 wives and about 10 children.
Now, concerning the title of this blog post... One day while going hut to hut, we met a woman on the road. At first we thought she was drunk; she was making all kinds of noises and hitting the ground with her walking stick. But as we walked by, she called out "pastor!" So the five of us (2 pastors, Leah and I, and our friend Jeremy) went to see what was going on.
Then we heard the story. This woman's son had been murdered in cold blood about 1 or 2 weeks prior in Nairobi. In the Pokot culture, if a family member dies, you are considered unclean until the body has been buried and a goat is slaughtered and the blood sprinkled upon you. While someone is unclean, the extended family does not let that person into their house and they are culturally bound to not help them until they have been made clean.
We talked with her for about an hour and then parted ways. But God's Spirit cannot let His people hear such things without moving them to action. So, the next day we drove to the nearest "shopping center" to buy some food and simple supplies for her and her family (it was about 50 kilometers away... and just an idea of how big this place was, they didn't even have a loaf of bread to sell).
We came to her hut to deliver the surprise. She was wondering why we would come to her hut and bring things to help her. We said simply, God knows your hurts, He knows your pain, and He sent us to help you and show you that He loves you. Even though you do not know Him He loves you! Then we sat under a tree and shared the Gospel with her for a couple hours.
We shared with her that God sent Jesus to die for the sins of people, that the Bible says He is the Lamb which was slain. His blood is sprinkled upon those who believe in Him, and His blood is what makes us clean! And He was sacrificed once for all, there are no more sacrifices necessary after Him!
After this, one of the team members helped to dress some of her wounds:
Then after praying, she told us that she needs to know this God who loves her and makes her clean and that she needs to follow Him. So we rejoiced with her and connected her with a local church.
(She is the one directly bellow me in the picture.)
There a so many people in this nation that have never heard the name of Jesus, they don't know that He died to save them from their sins and reconcile them to God! We know that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how will they call on the name of one whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without someone preaching to them? And how will they preach unless they are sent?
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