Bwanabob

8/31/99

Dear Friends,

We returned from Turkana yesterday and what a fruitful trip we had! I’ll have to start from the beginning so as not to leave out anything. We left Eldoret last Wednesday at 5 AM in an attempt to make most of the trip before it became too hot in Turkana. On the way we picked up 14 Kenyan pastors, assistant pastors and Bible Institute students. Needless to say in collecting everyone we lost our early start and traveled through the hot part of the day.

We arrived at Lorogumu with only one flat tire on the way and no other difficulties. Our purpose in going with the large group was to hold a crusade and youth camp with the church at Lorogum. In the morning we had lessons for the youth or visited people in the village. We held the crusade just before dinner and then we had classes for the youth after dinner. After dark we had singing and preaching at the church grounds.

During our stay there were 107 professions of faith in Christ and on Sunday we had 18 baptized! Jonathan baptized 13 in a hole that was dug in a laggah (dry river bed).

I traveled about an hour away to Kalamenyang taking the youth and church members that had walked from there. The church there had a Sunday School time and a preaching time. Afterward we went to the Turkwell River and I baptized 5 young people!

It’s also great to know that pastor Moses Areng of Lorogum took down all the names of those who accepted Christ and will be following up on them in the coming weeks.

Please pray for pastor Areng, he is an encouragement and example to the other pastors we work with in Turkana.

Another exciting part of our trip was to see God work in our three other Turkana pastors. Before we went we had discussed asking those pastors to have a crusade and youth camp, but had decided it would be best to wait for them to decide they wanted to hold one. Well, lo and behold we had a little pow-wow and they informed me that they wanted to have a crusade and youth camp for their people! We set a tentative date in December, so please be praying for them. I’ve agreed to bring all of the crusade equipment, teachers for the youth camp, evangelists and feed everyone I bring. The pastors will provide food for their youth during the camp and some meat for the guests. It was such an encouragement to see those three pastors take initiative and show concern for the growth of their churches! Please pray for pastors Daniel Apeot, Moses Larot and William Areagae as they make plans and prepare.

Another area of encouragement is our young Kenyan Missionary Julius Gitao. He is not a Turkana but has surrendered to plant churches and evangelize among the Turkana people. Julias feels the Lord leading him to start a Church in Lodwar which is the hub of Turkana district. There are several other churches there, but none from our group. Many of our Kenyan pastors believe we need a church there because most have church members that have been transferred to work in Lodwar town. Julias is there this month meeting the church members from up country and seeking the Lords direction. Pleas pray for Julias.

I’ll try to explain a little of what the area is like. VERY HOT! Most activity occurs very early in the morning or after dark. The Turkana people are well known for being tough and fierce fighters. They are completely surrounded by hostile tribes. Raiding and counter raiding has been a way of life for them and still continues. One man who came to the crusade claimed he had killed many men, he had the appearance of one who would. I’m not sure if he accepted Christ. One night as we were singing some men began to fight behind where we were gathered. In the dim light you could see them slashing at one another with their wrist knives, the pastor went near and spoke to them so they took their fight elsewhere.

While at Lorogum a Samoli boy died, his father came to us and asked to borrow a jembe for digging the grave. I loaned him my shovel and used my truck to carry the body to the grave. The family were Moslem, but our assistance gave an open door to witness. Who knows how the Lord will use those circumstances.

I need to be closer to the churches we work with so I am planning to move to Lodwar before the end of the year. I am also considering the purchase of a motorcycle. Pastor Areng has told me if we had one we could get to manyattas (villages) that have never heard the gospel or seen a missionary of any kind.

Please pray for a house in Lodwar, a motorcycle and for my language studies in Swahili and Turkana. I thank all of you for your prayers and encouraging e-mail. There are many blessings in the ministry here, but there are many hardships and pitfalls as well. Thank you for remembering me.

In Christ

Bob Clark

8/24/99

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

We are all packed up and will be leaving to Turkana in the morning. We’re going to visit one of our churches there to hold a crusade, then have a short Bible camp for the kids and also visit people who live around the area.

Please pray for us as we travel, one of the areas we are going through has had a little unrest lately. It’s nothing serious, but we are just going to be cautious. Our traveling group is mostly Kenyan pastors and Bible Institute students. It’s exciting to see the nationals active in evangelism and missions in their own country. Our job is just to help facilitate and push further into areas that have never heard the gospel.

I’m trying to get to bed early this evening. Last night I awoke around 4 AM with a rat in the house. Finally killed it around 5:30. Just another adventure in Kenya.

Will try to post some pictures when we return next week. Remember to pray for our little group and that the Lord would bless as we seek to do His work.

Sincerely In Christ,

Bob Clark

8/9/99

Dear Friends,

Am doing fine here in Kenya, staying very busy and always trying to focus on the Lord’s work rather than “good projects.” The devil is really slick in presenting us with innumerable projects that are worthy of our time, yet they pull us away from what the Lord has called us to. This in turn makes us so busy that we are no earthly good. That’s the way I see things.

Went to visit a young pastor in Busia District this last Sunday. The pastor is Joseph and what a fine job he is doing. He has taken a troubled church from 4 to over 40 in about three months. We were there to encourage him and find out how we could assist, just letting him know that he isn’t out there all alone in the ministry. We were blessed to baptized 7 that Sunday!

Am preparing for teaching lessons next month at the Bible Institute here in Eldoret. Am teaching a series on Temptations Men Face. Please be praying for the Holy Spirit to lead as I prepare the notes. The first lesson went very well and I pray the lessons are a blessing and help to the pastors here.

Our next trip into Turkana is just over two weeks away. We’re planning a two day youth camp and then crusade. Have quite a list of supplies to take and am trying to start early. Let me tell you of Kenyan crusades. Just about any group here in Kenya that has enough money for a cheap sound system will travel about holding crusades. The only problem is that most of these groups have little or no follow up. They blast in and blast out. Our crusades are only held to assist a local church or plant a new church. Those who accept Christ will be called on by the pastor and if we are working to plant a church then those who are saved become the beginnings of that new church. It’s Bible procedure and it works.

A few notes on life in Kenya. I’ve found my favorite shopping place in all of Kenya, no not the malls in Nairobi, it’s the Jua Kali district of Eldoret. There you can buy just about any handy item for the price of a coke. For instance; gas cans, bungies, tire shoes, drums, truck parts, flats fixed, you can even have your vehicle custom painted there. The only place more fun to shop is Bass Pro, that is if your using someone else’s credit card.

Thank you all for praying for me. Here are a few everyday things that need prayer.

* Safety from buses and matatu’s while driving and also safety from those who want to be hit by a white man so they can sue you.
* Wisdom in dealing with street boys high on glue, gasoline, paint or any other toxic substance. By the way, there is a new missionary here in Eldoret specifically working with the street boys, I’ve heard he’s doing a fine job.
* I also need prayer for directing my efforts to what God has called me to and also the strength to accomplish them.
* Pray for my walk with the Lord, this is paramount.

God bless each of you and sorry if it takes some time to send you a personal E-mail.

In Christ,
Bob Clark
MARK 10:44

8/1/99

Dear Friends,

This last week has been filled with much traveling and new experiences. I’ve met some of the best Kenyan pastors and workers and also some of the most immature. Turkana was quite unlike any part of Kenya I had seen. Many people who live there say they are going to Kenya when they leave Turkana district. I had to become accustomed to herders carrying automatic weapons, extreme heat and constantly seeing malnourished children. We even met an old man sitting in the desert who told us he was waiting there to die. Thank God He directed our steps, we were able to give the man some food and lead him to Christ!

I’ve written a little in more detail about Turkana earlier, if you didn’t get a copy it should be posted on my web page at www.bwanabob.org .

This Sunday I traveled to Makutano Bible Baptist Church. After tribal clashes 4 years ago their attendance fell from 400 to 25. Now they have an attendance of over 400 again. I was given the privilege of preaching and four accepted Christ! Another 15 came forward to commit their lives to serving the Lord in the Church or in missions! After the church service we went to the river and I was given the privilege of baptizing 31! The pastor and I were in the water for over an hour and I know the water had to have been from an underground spring as cold as it was. Of those baptized about 10 were grown men and one was a man 49 years old! The ladies ranged in age from 15 to about 60, the oldest being a Turkanan woman. It was truly a blessing to be there and gave me quite a lift after a tiring week. I was able to spend some time with the pastor and was so much encouraged by his desire for Kenyan churches to be as missions minded as my sending churches.

Please continue praying for my language studies, I believe that they are going well, but I have to really work at it. Also pray for Julias Gitao, he is the young man who spent six weeks walking and preaching all over Turkana, into Sudan and even to the East Side of Lake Turkana. He has a zeal for spreading the Gospel to the unreached and I plan to work hand in hand with this great Kenyan pastor.

Thank you all for your prayers and E-mail. God bless each of you.

In Christ, Bob Clark