2/4/2001
Hello friends and loved ones,
Sorry we have not been able to write sooner. We had some difficulties with our e-mail, but all is well now and we have a ton to tell you about. I, Ericka, will start it out with all of the experiences, experiences of a lifetime, that have come at me within the last three weeks.
Ahhh! Now I must sit back and decide on where I should begin to tell you how life has been here in Kenya, Africa…Starting out from the beginning always works best.
We arrived safely the 13th of January. All five of our bags arrived with us, made it through immigration and customs without a problem, and our ride was there waiting for us. Praise God, He certainly knows how to take care of His children. We spent the rest of the day in Nairobi buying a refrigerator and a few other supplies. We left for Eldoret the following morning. It was promising when Bob left that the roads would be repaired, but they haven’t been and they were worse than before. So much so that a shock blew out and a leafspring broke. In Eldoret we finished buying supplies and groceries, had the truck fixed and had a wonderful fellowship time with missionaries of our group.
Lodwar
The trip to Lodwar was a usual bumpy one but nothing to complain about. After arriving and unloading, begins the process of cleaning a house that has not been lived in in four months. Creatures love to live in places that are not inhabited by people. Well, it was our job to convince the cockroaches (size of your thumb), mice, scorpions, Hunter spiders and mosquitoes that we are living in this house now. We are not chasing all of the creatures out, we are keeping the lizards and some smaller spiders to take care of the insects that come in. It is a daily (and nightly) battle, but after two weeks I believe that we have the upper hand!
We were both concerned on how the drastic temperature changes would affect us. Within the first few days of being here it rained four times. Praise God! This brought the temperature down to high 80s. Since then it has warmed up to between high 90s and some 100s. God again has provided and taken care of us and we have adjusted well!
After cleaning and setting up house, I had been having fun baking and cooking with our gas range, but there was a leak from the transfer of the gas tank (size of a propane tank for a grill) to the range. So during the second week the tank was completely empty. Now to refill the gas tank one has to go to Eldoret, seven hours south. So, I have been using the Kenyan stove, a jiko, which is a charcoal cooker. It has been quite interesting learning how to start it up first thing in the morning for tea and keep it going throughout the day. I have learned it and have been able to make a pot roast with carrots and potatoes, griddle cake (johnny cakes), strong tea, chai, coffee, along with many other things.
Then come Sundays, the Lord’s day, a day I always love no matter where I am. It is amazing to hear all of the beautiful music that the Turkana can make with just their voices a drum and their clapping hands. After the service our first Sunday, the pastor came up and asked if I would attend the ladies meeting on Wednesday morning and share a “word of encouragement” with them. “I am sure, I’d be glad to!” Little did I know what I said yes to. I was thinking a “word of encouragement” to be like in the states. You get up say a few words of how great it is that they are meeting together and share a testimony of God’s work in your life. When Wednesday came I was excited to see what would be taught and who would be there. The meeting was held in a hut about eight feet in diameter filled with about 20 ladies. Let’s say it was a little cramped! We all sang for a while, said a prayer and then my translator says, “It is now time for the teaching.” I looked at him wide-eyed and repeated “time for teaching?” “Yes.” And they were all looking at me expectantly. So, I gave them my testimony and tried to quickly make up a lesson from the Scriptures I had picked to share. It lasted for about 15 minutes, they are used to about 40 minutes to an hour.
Later, I learned from the pastor that the ladies had said that all I had given an introduction. The following Wednesday morning I was talking with the pastor and he said that it is customary for the visitor to teach the lesson, or with Bob, preach the sermon. Then the pastor asked if I was going to the meeting that day, I was, then he asked if I was ready to teach. I was wide-eyed again. He said a person can be a visitor up to ten times. While on deputation, Bob and I visited some missionaries and the lady had given me some story lessons that she had used. Praise God that she had given those to me because I was able to use one to prepare for a lesson quickly. I could not have done this meeting by my own power, it was only through God’s direction that He led me to the lesson, which the ladies enjoyed, but He also gave me the words to speak and the length that they liked, 45 minutes.
Right now I am learning Swahili. I know that we said I would start with Turkana but we had no way of getting a hold of the teacher when we first arrived. I needed something so I could talk with our workers and soon be able to get around on my own. I have already learned about 150 words in Swahili and am doing well with talking primitively. Maybe in July Bob and I will take lessons together in the Turkana language.
I will now sign it over to Bob:
Ajok! All is good!
Thanks all of you for praying for us. As Ericka has said we arrived safely and have found things intact. The Turkana pastors finished last years Bible institute and persevered through some difficulties. I was very encouraged by their faithfulness and dedication to the Lord’s work. We held our Bible Institute this last week, there were the classes for our second-year students and then classes for our new first-year students. We lost two of our students while I was away, one moved down-country, the other took a woman by “shacking up.” We ask the students when they begin the Bible Institute that when or if they take a wife they do it before the church in a way that sets an example. Not for them to become good “American Christians,” but to be examples in their churches that marriage is to be taken seriously and not a matter of deciding to begin living with a woman only to one day decide not to live with her. We hate to loose any students for any reason, please pray for our remaining 8 second year students and for our 3 new first year students.
The churches in Turkana are doing well. The small church at Juluk is already wanting to begin putting up concrete block walls. I had a block form made and took it along with some cement to the pastors house for them to begin making the blocks. The churches are eager for me to schedule times to be having crusades, youth camps, ladies meetings and pastors seminars. I’m starting with a pastors seminar in March and moving on from there. I want the pastors to be fired up before we being working to uplift the church members. I’ve also began talking very seriously with the churches and Pastors about Missions. Pray they will have a burden for their own people and not see it entirely as my job to reach the rest of Turkana.
Matters to Pray for:
* We’ll be going to Nairobi tomorrow to work on getting Ericka’s dependants visa. Pray that the Lord goes before us and makes a way.
* We are seeking to buy a plot of ground in Lodwar to build the Bible Institute on. Pray for the Lords guidance.
* Pray for Ericka and I as we adjust here in Kenya and also grow together.
* Pray that we will be effective in living the Love of Jesus Christ and telling others about Him. Jesus changes peoples lives!
Thank you all for your prayers and we hope to be hearing from you now that we have E-mail.
E-mail: We have an account where we pay for the amount of time it takes us to download and send e-mail. We are charged right down to the second by the server along with having to pay for a long distance connection. Could you help us by sending fresh e-mails each time you write instead of Replies, if you send us a picture make sure its as small of a file as possible. We like receiving forwards and updates, just try not to send us things that are big or junky.
Love and miss you all, Bob and Ericka Clark