% Courtney Christian Mission is a "cross-cultural evangeli-V stic arm" of the West Salem Christian Church, and as such

receives non-profit status through the church, and is responsible to the church board and to the boards of its other supporting churches. Courtney Christian Mission has an Executive Board of five members andan Advisory Board of two members which assist in making decisions regardingthe work on the field and which are responsible for evaluating the work on asemi-annual basis.

In Kenya, Courtney Christian Mission is a part of the Associated ChristianChurches of Kenya, a fellowship of independent Christian Church/Church ofChrist missionaries. Other members are Dick and Jane Hamilton of southernOregon and Diane and Justin Sylvestre of Canton, Ohio.

OUR WORK

Although we have churches in two other areas, one in Nairobi, and a group ofChristians belonging to the Kisii tribe in western Kenya which has recentlyjoined us, our primary work is in West Pokot, along the Ugandstn border, with atribe known as the Pokot, We currently have 13 congregations meeting at various locations throughout West Pokot (in addition to the Kisii and Nairobichurches), six of which have church buildings. There are 29 African pastorsand Christian workers who work with A.C.C.K,, and three Bible College studentswho are currently completing their training for the ministry. Average Sundayattendance at all the churches is about 600-700, It is impossible for us topersonally visit each church on a weekly basis, but we help with LeadershipConferences, Youth Camps, Women's Work, Sunday School Workshops, and other activities which benefit all the churches,

THE OUTREACH

The bulk of our time, energy, and finances are spent in the area of KaraPokot, the "lowland" of West Pokot, with the very primitive Pokot tribe. Thework in Kara Pokot is currently being carried on at six locations.

Kiwawa: Currently our main thrust of outreach in Kenya and the base for ourwork in Kara Pokot, We have an elementary school, Sunday School, Worship Service, two full-time African pastors and their families, Work-For-Food Programfor drought victims, Christian adult literacy program, full time clinic staffed by an African and an American nurse, child care program for 42 orphans,evangelism by older Christian school children and pastors into outlying villages, leadership training program, women's work, daily discipleship classes,

Kamugeto; Two full-time pastors, elementary school, Christian school teachers,mobile clinic, Sunday School, worship service. One of the African pastors andhis wife, who recently had their eighth child, also care for several orphans.

To Reach a Hidden People'

Courtney Christian MissionP.O. Box 2053 P C. Box 900

Salem, OR 97308 Kitale, Kenya

WHO VE ARE

Kasel; Elementary School, Christian school teacher, Sunday School, WorshipService, mobile clinic. We recently repaired two boreholes (wells and pumps),promoting the settling of people in this area which is far from the Ugandanborder and relatively safe from cattle raids.

Kamelia, Kasess, and Lochobi; Three outlying preaching points visited by thepastors. Two of these locations have church buildings.

STATEMENT OF INCOME AND EXPENSE

for twelve month period endingDecember 31» 1980

TOTAL INCOME:

Expenses:Field

Vehicle - Petrol ($3.20 per gallon) $1^12,59Vehicle - Misc. (includes $1000 for used 2311.75

motorcycle)Development 409^,75Staff Salary 685.69Medical 320.^Schools 53.76Special Projects 3^2.44Office, Postage, Customs 416.14Promotion (film developing, curios, etc.) 366.94Miscellaneous 259.11Personal

Housing 3065.80Salary 3286.98

Total Expenses - FieldHome

Postage, Newsletter, Promotion 987.1?Land Cruiser Payment 2512.50Salary (Jan. & Feb. salary, plus 1909.10

nursing license fees, etc.)Shipping 2905.39Miscellaneous (primarily airline tickets) 3377.96Furlough Savings 700.00Total Expenses - Home

TOTAL EXPENSES

Two months in U.S.

Ten months in KenyaExchange rate: U.S. $1.00 = KSh 7.44

$32,380.46

$16,616.35

$12.392.12

$29.008.47

SOURCES OF INCOME

,In 1980 Courtney Christian Mission received $32,380.46. All income was fromdonations from churches and individuals in the western United States,

" -Breakdown of income by source;• '^6^ Individuals" ' '"'"44^ Churches.C. 4.'."

jSaf: -

: oaj.o

by area:64^ Willamette Valley area, Oregon

6% other areas of Oregon15.*?^ Washington•7.5^ Montana5*1^ California1.7^ Arizona

April 1981 Vol. 3» No. 1

'To Reach a Hidden People"

CourtneyChristian

MissionP.O. Box 20.S3 p.O Box 900Salem. OR 97,308 Kitalo. Kenya

:'or the past several months the cattle raids from across theUganda border have been very bad, with raiders bringing acrossgrenades, automatic weapons, and rocket launchers (all stolenfrom the armories once belonging "to" the regime" of Idi Amin) tomatch against the spears, bows, and arrows of the Pokot. Mikehas continued to make regular trips to Kara Pokot, but because

of our fear for their safety, we have not felt free to take Trevor and Laura.Recently, however, the number of raids has decreased as the rains approach andpeople on both sides of the border become more interested in planting theirfields. ®

In March, Trevor, Laura, and I made a trip to Kara Pokot with Mike. Part of our reason forthis trip was to take pictures and gather biographical information about the children wholive around us at Kiwawa. I would like to share with you some excerpts from my diary aboutour experiences during this time at Kiwawa.

Sunday Afternoon March 15. 1901Last night John's (our African pastor) chickens were making a racket and this morning we found that two of themwere dead. The people said that the animal that killedthem was similar to a jackal. This all happened about 20feet from where we were sleeping.

They axe going to put a cement floor in our house. It isdirt now and was never levelled. It has quite a slope toit, which I suppose isn't too bad. If you lose anything,all you have to do is look on the "downhill" side and itis usually there (l find that it always helps to look onthe "positive" side of any bad situation). They are alsogoing to plaster the insides of the walls with cement andbuild a shade shelter that will go all the way over thetent trailer. The canvas on the trailer is beginning torot from sitting in the sun. Last night when it startedto rain I had to move the kids and their sleeping bagsonto the floor because it leaks over their bed. We arealso going to have two genuine, real, honest-to-goodnesswindows in the safari house. They will have to knock out part of the mud and stick wallsto do it, but it shouldn't be a difficult job. VJhat we have right now are two windows thatjust have shutters to close—no glass—sort of like in a barn. And they are small and highso we don't get much breeze. However, with the windows being six feet from the ground, wedon't have many snakes crawling in them, which, of course, is a positive point.

We had a good church service this morning. There are so many people now that we have tomeet in the biggest shade shelter that is used for the feeding program.

Laopalal sure is growing, His father died of cholera when it first broke out last Spring.We wrote home in a newsletter about him sitting on DickHamilton's lap and crying when he heard the news. It ishard to imagine him sitting on anyone's lap now. I thinkhe must be taller than I am. He was one of the first tobe baptized. He is a big help with the younger kids and agood example for them.

Monday March I6, 1981^ Information about one of the Pokot girls: "I have only one

sister. My mother died last year in a cholera epidemic.My father is_very poor. All of his cattle are gone. During school time I live at the mission. I am in the firstgrade." Chewareny Domo

A person who reads this information still won't know thesechildren as we do. The person who reads about little Chep-turu won't know that her name means "tapeworm," The individual who meets one of Counselor Timothy's children probably won't be told that Timothy has sixteen wives, havinginherited several of them on the death of his brother.

Tuesday Maxch 17. 1981Mike has gone to Kamageto and taken everyone with him. The kids and I are here bv ourse1vP<5--except for a few hundred Pokot! ^ ourberves

It rained last night and we got drenched. The water just poured in through the canvas onthe tent trailer. Trevor was soaked from his head to his waist before he awakened and saidwater was dripping on^him. I have all the sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and cushi^sout drying this morning. Trevor's shirt that he had on has been hanging up for three hoursnow and still isn t dry. He was really soaked.

Some more Information I have gathered: "I was horn in Uganda, but came to Kenya with myfather. My mother has remained in Uganda and is very sick. Last year my father died inthe cholera epidemic. I have no brothers or sisters. I now live at the mission all thetime and I am in the second grade." Lotolim Serinyong

Another child: I have only two sisters. Both of my parents have died,of my sisters and my grandmother, who is blind. I am eight years old."

COURTNEY CHRISTIAN MISSIONP.O. Box 2053Salem, OR 97308

I help take care

Wednesday March 18, 1981 •The Pokot are basically a very happy group who appreciatejokes and like to enjoy themselves. Even in the face ofthe most adverse conditions, they always have a smile forus and a warm greeting. This week as we have been interviewing the children around our mission station, some ofthe most heartbreaking stories have surfaced. One littleboy had been the youngest member of his family. As theywere traveling from Uganda to Kenya to escape the famineand lawlessness, both of his parents died. Shortly afterthat, this small boy was left in the bush to die by hisolder brother because there was not enough food. Fortunately, John found him, and he is now a part of our enormous family at Kiwawa.

I wish that some of you could be here with us and experience these things, I don't know how a person can visitKara Pokot and not be moved and changed by what one sees.These people have experienced heartbreak after heartbreak,Many of our children have seen their parents killed by

K^amojong raiders from Uganda. Many of them sat by and watched as members of their families suffered agonizing deaths from cholera when it swept through our area last Spring.One old man sa±—ard wppt-in front of us - as he-told-ns about his son - who-had-d^een-killedin the last cattle raid and how he had traveled more than 50 miles on foot searching forhis wife who had hidden herself in the bush to wail and mourn the death of her son. I wishthat you could be here with us to agonize over some of these people, to cry with them, tolaugh with them, to see their hunger for a better life for themselves and their children,to see the despair in the eyes of loving parents who have no food to give their cryingchildren, and their joy when we axe able to provide work for them so that they can earnfood for the ones they love.

++++++++++++

We are desperately in need of more people to helpwith the work in Kara Pokot, The growth that weare experiencing could almost be called an explosion, It is much more than the six members of ourteam can keep up with. We have urgent requestsfrom people in neighboring areas of Kara' Pokot tocome and start churches. At one place Mike visited this week, the people had already cleared aplot for a church and brought the building materials. They just wanted him to tell them how bigto build the building and how soon we could starthaving services. God has given us a most abundantand overflowing harvest. If we only had more workers to help us gather in that harvest.

Editorial Office

P. 0. Box 5077Kokomo, IN ^6901

Mene enAMMcien. jn , AupyBON

We have a new slide presentation—"The Children of Kara Pokot." Ifyou or your church would like toview it, please contact our forwarding agents. Cliff & Carole Bowen inSalem at 581-9055, or P. 0. Box 2053Salem, OR 97308.

NON PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDPermit #505

Salem, Oregon

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

—b'</«

June 1981

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;

Because the Lord hath anointed me

to preach good tidings unto the meek,.,to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives..,to comfort all that mourn,,.

To give thembeauty for ashes,the oil of joy for mourning,the garment of praise for the

spirit of heaviness;

That they might be calledtrees of righteousness,the planting of the Lord,

THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED-

Isaiah 61:1-3

ever was driving was obviously in a big hurry,was," Because we were loaied heavy and were ontrip on to Kiwawa took an hour and a half.

To Reach a Hidden People''

CourtneyChristian

MissionP.O. Box 2053 P.O. Box 900

Salem, OR 97308 Kitale, Kenya

Vol. 3 No. 2

As I awoke the sun was just beginning tolight the sky. It looked like there wouldprobably-not be any rain, for which Iirasthankful. Ahead of me lay a hard three-hour drive, with the uncertainty of whether the river at Kunyao would be crossablewhen I got there. But I still consideredthe drive to be "just another" trip to Po-kot. Leaving Kitale early to meet Dick aswe had prearranged, the first two hours ofthe trip were normal. The roads had beenwashed badly in many places by recentrains—nothing unnegotiable, just rough.

At Kunyao, Dick and I arrived from opposite directions at the same time. We beganloading building supplies into our trailers, These supplies had been left thereearlier when the river was up and uncross-able. As we were loading, a Red Crosspickup passed us heading for Kit^e, Who-

At the time we wondered "where the fire

the roughest part of the road, the 25-mile

When we arrived, we learned that there had been a raid that morning at Alale, a locationan hour's drive north of us. The Red Gross clinic about three miles north of there had

also been raided. The doctor and nurses had barricaded themselves in a back room while

the raiders broke down the doors, broke out the windows, and stole food and clothing. Assoon as the raiders left, the Red Cross personnel, understandably frightened, had jumped in their pickup and left for safer countrypassing us on the way.

Unfortunately, the more serious raiding hadtaken place earlier at Alale, Just at dawn,automatic weapon fire and grenades had sentthe Pokot people running for safety. The menwere able to jump and run fast enough to escape , The mothers with their babies and youngchildren could not run fast enough. Neithercould the old, blind women who were trappedin their huts.

And that's the way we found them. Lying wherethey had been shot. After a quick conferenceat Kiwawa we had decided to go to Alale tosee if we could be of any help. Dick and I inmy Cruiser and Diane and Justin in the pickup,with the medical boxes and helpers, X don'tthink any of us were prepared for what wewere to find.

For hundreds of years the Pokot and the Kara-mojong have raided each other, stealing cattle. It has almost been a game, to see whocan "own" the most cattle. Fighting withspears and bow and arrows, occasionally a manor two would be killed. But now that the Kar-

amojong have the modern weaponry that oncebelonged to Idi Amin's army, these "friendly"skirmishes have turned into full scale war—

except that what we see is worse than war. No longer are the men behind the weapons men.They are animals, cold-blooded killers. Killing for the sake of killing—women and children no exception.

A mother comes to us, not because part of her upper arm has been blown away by a bullet,but because that bullet had traveled first ttoough her baby. The baby, still alive andalert, was breathing through holes in her front and back. An old blind woman was stilltrapped in her hut, her leg broken by a bullet. As Dick carried her out to the pickup,her expression was not of agony, but of wonderment as she felt his beard. Another womaji,her hip and legs torn and shattered by a machine gun burst, still tried to be modestwhile we splinted and bandaged what was left of her legs. I was amazed that she was stillalive. Yet another mother lay waiting patiently. The same bullet which broke her pelvishad also pierced the hand of her baby.

The anger and frustration! had been trying to keep inside broke, though, when I found another mother and her baby. The mother, her arms still wrapped around her baby, was lyingin the bushes where she had been trying to hide. Both of them were dead. Seven wounded,three dead—all women or children.

It was well after dark as we gathered for prayer at Kiwawa. The woimded were in the backof the pickup and had been made as comfortable as possible. Justin had to drive slowly ashe transported them to the hospital in Kitale. The long ride, rough on a healthy person,must have been sheer agony on those who were already close to death. Somehow they allsurvived the trip and a day later they are still alive in the hospital. All we can do nowis pray.

When will the killing end? Or will it ever? I know what will happen next. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, or maybe not even next week, but sometime soon the Pokot warriorswill go back. Not with guns, but with spears and arrows. They will once again retaliatefor the loss of their wives and children, and their cattle and camels.

What is the answer? I know what the answer is. It is Jesus. But there are so many ofthem, and so few of us. It is frustrating. I know that many more of the Pokot will bekilled before they have the opportunity to hear of Jesus. And what of the Karamojong?They need Him too.

No, it was not a normal trip, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. This is not thefirst time that something like this has happened. I have never made a trip to Pokot whenthe need of Jesus was not apparent, nor when the need of more help was not felt".

COURTNEY CHRISTIAN MISSION

P. 0. Box 2053Salem, OR 97308

I.

"And they shall beat

their swords into

plowshares, and their

spears into pruninghooks:

Nation shall not lift

up a sword against

nation, neither shall

they learn war anymore."

Micah ^:3

NON mOFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit #505Salem, Oregon

Dick aM Jane Hamilton will be on furlough October thru December of thisyear. fS'S'

Mike and Linda Courtney will be on furlough March thru December of 1982.

" ^"p " 11981^ie had a total ofJlQ^aptisms in three congregations in July,": and three

weddings in our congregation at Kiwawa--the first Christian weddings to^ ever be held in this primitive area, August 24 I98I

Greetings from the Courtneys in Kenya,

The last month has gone by so quickly that it is hard to believe thatit is almost time for school to start again in the States. Wethoroughly enjoyed having Linda's mother visit us. We were able toshovr her some of the work that we do and were also able to take off fora few days of vacation. The month that she was here was far too shortand we were sorry to see her leave.

We have ^so had another visitor with us for the summer, ll^got Frameis a student at Puget Sound College of the Bible and is working with usas a missionary intern. VJe have enjoyed having her here and she hasbeen a great help.

Last week Linda, Jane, and Margot hold a conference for the women.of .the Kapenguria area. They were expecting about 30 women and werepleased, and surprised, when 80 attended. A few women from Kara Pokotwere able to attend, but their husbands were afraid to let them travelso far away from homo (they thought that their wives might run away).Two of the men came along to watch and they enjoyed the meetings atleast as much as the women.

The rain has come back again. We thought that the rainy season had ended when wo had no rain for several weeks. During that dry time most ofthe crops in Kara Pokot failed. This latest season of rain came too latefor most of our area. The Pokot people are harvesting some sorghum, whichwill give them two or three months of food, but most of the maize cropwas lost. The latest rain has really made the vegetation grow. ThePokot area is almost unrecognizable with all the tall grass and groontrees. The people are able to eat some of the wild plants that grow sothe food situation is much better at the present time. We have beenable to almost stop our feeding program, but we are preparing to startagain as the food supplies dwindle. Many people think that this nextyear vTill be worse than the last. We pray that it will not be so.

Of course, with the continuing rains the roads have deteriorated. Justlast week on a trip to Kiwawa we came upon a washout that had to bedetoured. The hole was 20 feet deep and about 30 feet across. Yesterday, while returning from Pokot on our motorcycles, Dick and I worecaught in a rainstorm, VJe rode for about 30 miles in mud that was so ~slick it was difficult to even walk in.

The station at Kiwawa continues to expand as our central location inKara Pokot. A new hostel for the school children and orphans is almostcompleted. We now have several small staff houses as our work forcecontinues to grow. A church building is now in the planning stage andwe hope to have it completed by the end of the year.

'̂ We are looking forward our furlough next year and the time that wewill be able to spend with you. We are setting speaking dates from Aprilthrough November of I982. We would appreciate hearing from you now ifyou have a specific date you vrould like us to meet with you. Also, itwould be a good idea if no more items were sent to us by surface mail.Some things come in six weeks, but others take six monthsi

Yours in Christ Jesus,

\

To RfVif/i ci Hidden f^eople"

CourtneyChristian

MissionP O Box 2053 P() BoxOiMi

Salem. OR 9730H Kit.ilo, Konv.i

October 1981 Vol. 3 No. 3

Time—that illusive substance which is so hard tograsp. It is always too slow or too fast. Tineis so often easy to complain about. And yet timehas been good to us. As I look back over the timethat we have been in Kenya, I can only be satisfied. Not that I have accomplished everything Ihave wanted to do, but that time has brought goodchanges, both physical and spiritual.

Louie, Nayopay, and hundreds of other childrenare still alive. Faced with starvation, disease,and death a year ago, they now have a chance toexperience the future. Many of these children arenow in school and for the first tiiiie in theirlives have sufficient food and a warm, dry placeto sleep.

The Fearsome Foursome.

from left.Louie, second

Kiwawa has changed. From just a name to areal community center. Hundreds of people,including the chief, have moved closer toKiwawa just to be a part of the community

Last month the girls' hostel was completed—our first permanent block building.

During July ajid August 48 people were buried with their Lord in baptism.

Time has given us the opportunity to present the Gospel, and the joy of seeingrhrist enter lives. The new girls' hostel

"srij

Dear Contributor, Today I huggeC a°l*ofcot child?" You arethe one who made it possible. Just one short year agoNayopay was near death--I honestly did not expect her tosurvive. Her tiny six-year-old body had been pummeled bystarvation, repeated bouts of dysentary, and then by theepidemic waves of measles and whooping cough which sweptthrough our area, taking the lives of many young childrenand infants. Nayopay was reduced to a skeleton. She no

longer had the energy to walk and could only stand for a few seconds at atime.

I wanted to cry—mostly in anger and frustration. Anger at the Kara-mojo: j iribe in Uganda and the remnants of dictator Idi Amin's army who were repeatedlyraiding in this area, killing men, women, and children; and stealing cattle—the verylife of the Pokot people. Frustration, because Nayopay's story has happened so often,to so many children. But then you intervened.

I would like to tell you what you have meant, very personally, in the life of Nayopay. First of all, you provided food and medicine for her—immediately. All we did wasask, and you responded. In the past year you have provided Nayopay with clean schooluniforms—the first clothing she has owned in her entire seven years, aside from scanty,worn goatskins. You provided a warm hostel for Nayopay and the other school children.She used to sleep on the ground at night. Sometimes it rained, often it was very cold.The children huddled together to keep warm, accelerating the spread of diseases from onechild to another. Now Nayopay has warm blankets, a clean sleeping mat, and a healthy,draft-free building in which to sleep.

a-

In the past year you have provided a constant supply of clean, disease-free water.Formerly, the Pokot had to dig down into the dry, sandy riverbeds in search of water»The water supply was always meager, never in quantities sufficient for even simple hygiene,. Now the two boreholes at Kiwawa are receiving constant "daylight-to-dark" use.Occasionally a minor mechanical part on the hand pump may wear out, but the water hasnever run out. Nayopay and her friends go to the borehole at dawn to wash and get waterfor use in the school kitchen—which you also provided.

You have given Nayopay food,clothing, and shelter. Butyou have also helped provideher with some other importantnecessities. You make it possible for local Christians

to work with all of our Pokotchildren. These dedicated

people provide love, Christian nurture, and disciplinefor the children entrusted to

their care. They are helpingNayopay and over 300 otherchildren become what God

wants them to be.

Today I hugged Nayopay—Ihugged her real good, and Ijust wanted you to know whatit meant to me to be able to

do that,

You mean everything to Nayopay.You have been the difference

between life and death, betweendespair and a big seven-year-old toothless grin.

Nayopay's parents have died. She has no other family. She has known starvation.She has been near death. But now she lives, and she loves the Lord. She is one of thechildren who is constantly turning up on our doorstep for some Love and Attention. Loveand Attention—a necessity not easy to find in Kara Pokot where so many children havebeen orphaned or abandoned by parents who can no longer provide food for them. So Loveand Attention are freely disbursed from our doorstep in Kiwawa, Kara Pokot, Kenya. Thankyou for helping Nayopay live so that we can love her.

FURLOUGH SCHEDULED

It hardly seems possible that it is already time to begin preparing for our firstfurlough. We are currently planning to leave Kenya late in February, arriving in Oregonearly in March. We are now scheduling speaking dates for April through November, and planto return to Kenya after Christmas with our families. If you wish to schedule a speakingdate, please write to us airmail here in Kenya as soon as possible.

HAMILTONS ON FURLOUGH

Dick and Jane Hamilton, our co-workers here in Kenya are currently on furlough inthe States and will be returning to the field in mid-January, 1982. One of their primaryaims is recruitment of additional personnel for our work here in Kenya. If you or anyoneyou know is interested, -pleaso contact them at P.- 0. Box l6l2 Medford, OR 9^7501- - - -

Nayopay, September 1980

COURTNEY CHRISTIAN MISSIONP. 0. Box 2053Salem, OR 97308

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Nayopay, September I98I

NON PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDPermit #505

Salem, Oregon