12/9/2001
Dear Friends,
Sorry I haven’t written in some time, we’ve had lots of things happen since our last letter in September.
I believe in our last “mass e-mail” I wrote a little about Southern Sudan. Just to follow-up on that, you folks in the States will probably hear as soon as I do when or if the US begins military action against suspected terrorist sites in Sudan. We have heard that the US Military will be using an airstrip somewhere in Turkana to carry out strikes in Sudan and Somalia. We have also heard that the special envoy to Sudan, John Danforth, has given an ULTIMATUM to the Khartoum government and the SPLA, to cease fire by the end of January, 2002. Also, the UN refugee camp at Kakuma, in Turkana, has ceased giving out food supplies to the Sudanese refugees, effectively forcing them to go back to Sudan. It seems that the US and UN will be forcing changes on Sudan in the near future. I suspect that somehow they will establish a DMZ dividing the Islamic north from the Christian/animist south. If this comes about it will throw the door wide open to working in southern Sudan. The only problem is I’m spread pretty thin as it is, pray the Lord to send more laborers into his harvest!
Our building projects are going along well in Turkana, we have three projects underway. Two churches have poles/posts set awaiting trusses and tin. Our Bible Institute project has 1000 cement blocks ready and as soon as we get back home I’ll line out some workers to dig for foundations and start laying block. Any assistance on these projects would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is anyone who knows how to weld and would like to spend their “vacation” in a very “exotic” environment, please contact me.
Last month Ericka came down with Malaria and some kind of GI tract infection. We went to a decent clinic in Lodwar and Ericka began recovering right away, but it being her first time with malaria it really hit her hard. She seems to have recovered fully and I’d like to give a big THANK YOU to all our friends who sent her get-well e-mails.
Our church planting ministry is moving on well. We have three new areas we are concentrating on. The most recent place we started working in is Lokwee. There are lots of people in Lokwee who come in from the “bush/interior” to trade or get relief food. This is a great opportunity to minister to folks we could never track down otherwise. Pray for Pastors Aregae, Areng and Gitao who are working to plant these new churches.
When we came from Turkana down to Eldoret this last time for supplies and cooling off, some of our missionary friends had just left the field. They had some difficulties and needed help, so we spent the last two weeks packing up and moving their things for them. This bit of extra work has set back things in Turkana, but it was necessary and I know the Lord had us here to help.
This next week we are going to Nairobi to work at getting our Alien Registration Cards(ARC). Since the Sept 11, ordeal the government has cracked down on all foreigners living in Kenya, mainly Somalis, but it has forced all of us to get these ARCs. Pray that we have a safe trip to Nairobi and don’t have any difficulties with the bureaucrats there.
I have a special prayer request. Ericka and I have made friends with several British folks working around Eldoret. They told us that they were surprised we would be their friends because most of the other missionaries stay to themselves, but the Lord opened the doors of friendship and who are we to refuse. We have had great opportunities to share Jesus with them and work at dispelling their cynicism toward what they knew of Christianity in the UK. Most of us Americans don’t realize how embittered many Europeans are toward churches. Their coldness comes from centuries of “religion” and complete lack of faith in Jesus. Pray that we will be good witnesses and that the Lord would soften their hearts.
An added prayer need is for possibly getting a “bush-mobile.” I am always overloading our Mitsubishi truck and we have often talked of getting a Toyota Land Cruiser or Land Rover. If you know anything about these vehicles you’ll know they’re not cheap, but we’re not looking at getting the typical US suburbia version. The one’s we are looking at are 80′s models, don’t look great, but still have plenty of kilometers left in them.
Thank you for praying for us. I want to encourage each of you to follow God’s leading in your life, it probably won’t take you to Turkana, but I know it will bring you a peace you’ll never know otherwise. I’ll be praying for all of you that you won’t be deceived by temptations and will come to know the joy of trusting Jesus for everything.
In Christ, Bob Clark