courtney michael linda 1985 kenya

8/12/2019 Courtney Michael Linda 1985 Kenya

1/6

7b Reach a Hidden People

CourtneyChr i s t i an

M i s s i o nFORWARDING GENTS Rich Mary Ann Jenks/ P.O. Box 2053 / Saiem, OR 97308 / 5 0 3 ) 5 8 5 - 0 3 9 4FIELD DDRESS Mike LindaCourtney / P.O. Box900 / Kitale, Kenya

Vo 1 . 7 , N o . 1 Ma y 1985

1984 was a poor y e a r a ? t r i c u l t u r a l 1 y f o r KaraP o k o t , I n t h e p r e y i o u s v e a r , 1 9 8 3 t h e r a i n sw e r e l o n g and h e a v y, c r e a t i n g a b u m p e r c r o p o fm a i z e i n o u r m o u n t a i n o u s a r e a o f K a s e i . F o llowing h a r v e s t in th e f a l l o f 1983 many o f o u rp e o p l e s o l d p a r t o f t h e i r a b u n d a n c e t o p e o p l ei n t h e l o w l a n d s o f K a r a P o k o t . a l e s s p r o du c t i v e a r e a . On t h e m o u n t a i n s , t h e p e o p l e b u i l tl a r g e g r a m s t o r e s o f c e d a r . U n f o r t u n a t e l y ,many o f t h e s e l a r g e s t o r e s were b u r n e d d u r i n gt h e Army o p e r a t i o n i n Kara P o k o t i n t h e S p r i n go f 1 9 8 4 . T h i s p r o b l e m w as compounded by t h el a c k o f a d e q u a t e r a m l a s t s p r i n g an d su mmercre t ing a c r i s i s s i t u t i o n b y t h e f l l o f t h ev e a r wh e n t h e 1 9 8 3 c r o p f i n a l l y w a s d e p l e t e d .

While n o t as s e v e r e a s t h e famine we e x p e r ie n c e d i n 1 9 8 0 i t w as o b v i o u s t h a t many p e o p l ewere f a c e d w i t h e x t r e m e h u n g e r an d p o s s i b l es t a r v a t i o n . I n te rn a t i o n a l D i s a s t e r EmergencyS e r v i c e s , F ood f o r t h e H u n g r y , a n d many c h u rc h e s a n d i n d i v i d u a l s r e s p o n d e d w i t h h e l p .

What an e m o t i o n a l s i g h t i t w as on t h e day whent h e f i r s t t r u c k l o a d o f f o o d a r r i v e d . As t h eb a g s o f m a i z e w e r e b e i n g u n l o a d e d f rom t h et r u c k , h u n g r y c h i l d r e n c r a w l e d b e n e a t h t h et a i l g a t e t o c a t c h an y k e r n e l s t h a t h a p p e n e d t of a l l t o t h e g ro u n d . On e o ld woman k e p t d a s h in gi n an d o u t o f t h e s t o re r o om , g e t t i n g i n t h e wa yo f t h e men t r y i n g t o s t a c k t h e b a g s . S he wouldq u i c k l y s w e e p up f a l l e n k e r n e l s f r o m t h e f l o o rw i t h h e r h a n d s , r u s h b a c k o u t s i d e w h i l e t h e mens h o u t e d a t h e r , t h e n m e t i c u l o u s l y s i f t t h e d i r tan d r t d r o p p i n g s f rom t h e m a i z e .

We w e r e a b l e t o s t r t a F o o d - F o r - W o r k p r og r a m i n o u r a r e a . O v e r t h e n e x t s e v e r a lw e e k s w e s o m e t i m e s h a d a s m a n v a s 8 0 0p e o p l e p e r d a y c o m i n g f o r w o r k . Many b e ne f i c i a l p r o j e c t s were c o m p l e t e d d u r i n gth is t i m e . T h e r o a d w as r e p a i r e d , a n ewro d f r o m th e c h u r c h t o o n e o f t h e b o r e

h o l e s w as c o m p l e t e d . An a r e a f o r a s c h o o lg a r d e n w as c l e a r e d a n d p r e p a r e d f o r p l a nt ing F o u r n ew s c h o o l c l a s s r o o m s w e r e c o ns t ruc ted b y t h e p e o p l e f r o m p o l e s , mu da n d t h a t c h . As p a y m e n t f o r t h e w o r k , e a c hp e r s o n w o u l d r e c e i v e e n o u g h m a i z e , b e a n s ,o r p o w d e r e d m i l k f o r t h e i r f a m i l y .


2/6

C O U RT N E Y C H R I S T I A N M I S SI O N

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clearing g a r d e n s p o t- w o r k i n g on t h e r o a d- b u i l d i n g new s c h o o l r o o m s

I n t h e m i d s t o f t h e f e e d i n g p r o g r a mc a m e C h r i s t m a s , w h e n we h a d a b i gc e l e b r a t i o n a n d w e r e a b l e t o s h a r e

w i t h l i t e r a l l y h u n d r e d s o f p e o p l et h e s t o r y o f t h e b i r t h o f One wh oc a m e to o f f e r e t e r n a l f r e e d o m f r o m

sp i r i tual h u n g e r .

I n M a r c h t h e r a i n s r e t u r n e d o n c ea g a i n - - i n a b u n d a n c e . G r a s s i s g r o wi n g , t h e c o w s a r e a g a i n g i v i n g m i l k ,w i l d f r u i t s a nd v e g e t a b l e s h a v e app e a r e d , a n d t h e t e r m i t e s h a v e s w a rm ed A l l o f t h e s e s o u r c e s w i l l p r ov ide f o o d fo r t h e P o k o t f o r s e v e r a lmonths

I n A p r i l we w e r e a b l e t o o b t a i n 3Ht o n s o f m a i z e s e e d , s o th e f i e l d sh a v e b e e n p l a n t e d a n d w e a s k t h e

L o r d f o r co n t in u e d r a i n a n d a n a b u nd a n t h a r v e s t

T h a n k yo u f o r s h o w i n g G o d s l o v e t ot h e s e p e o p l e d u r i n g thei r t i m e o fn e e d , a n d t h e r e b y g i v i n g u s m o r eo p p o r t u n i t i e s t o s h a r e t h e B r e a d o fL i ^ e .

^ L i n d a t e l l s t h e s t o r y o f t h e b i r t hof C h r i s t

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U . S . P O S TA G E PA I DP e r m i t 5 0 5

S a l e m , O r e g o n

l ^ e s e a rc h H o r i z o n s0 Box 2^27

Knoxville Tenn 379

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED


3/6

FORWARDING AGENTS; Rich MaryAnnJenks/ P.O. Box2053 /Salem OR 97308FIELD ADDRESS Mike Linda Courtney / P.O. Box900 / Kitale Kenya

Vo l . 7 , N o . 2

To Reach a Hidden People

Cour tneyChr i s t i an

Miss ion

J u l y 1985

N v J U N

My s t o r y b e g i n s on S a t u r d a y e v e n i n g , June 8, 1985. We had J u s ta r r i v e d at K a s e i a f t e r a n u n e v e n t f u l f o u r h o u r d r i v e f r o m Ki ta le . O u r

f i r s t hou r a f t e r a r r i v i n g a t K a s e i i s a lw ay s busy w ith u n pa c k ing t h ec a r , u n l o a d i n g t h e t r a i l e r , making b e d s , s t a r t i n g t h e g as r e f r i g e ra t o r , and c l e a n i n g u p . We a r e u s u a l l y o n l y g o n e from K a s e i f o r a b o u ta week a t a t i m e t o g e t s u p p l i e s , p i c k up m a i l , and p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h emo n t h l y F i e l d Team m e e t i n g . I t i s u n b e l i e v a b l e w hat h a v o c i s wr o u g h ti n t h e h o u s e d u r i n g o u r a b se n ce by t h e w i n d , l i z a r d s , an d a p l e t h o r ao f i n s e c t s o f a l l d e s c r i p t i o n s .

I w as i n v o l v e d i n t h e g r a n d s h o v e l i n g o u t on t h e 8 t h when somep e o p l e came t o t h e d o o r , a s k i n g i f I would come down t o t h e c h u r c h t os e e a p a t i e n t .

Camped n e x t t o t h e c h u r c h b u i l d i n g w as a v e r y s i c k o l d man, h i s s e n i o r w i f e , a b r o t h e r w i t h h i s w i f e , an d a h a l f b r o t h e r . B e f o r e Ie v e n sa w t h e man , I knew ho w s i c k h e w as I c o u l d h e a r h i s p a i n f u l,l a b o r e d b r e a t h i n g a l l t h e way up a t t h e h o u s e . When i n n u r s e s ' t r a i ni n g , I o n c e was a s s i g n e d a p a t i e n t who w as i n t h e f i n a l , a g o n i z i n gs t a g e s o f emphysema . T h i s m a n s symptoms were t h e same, b u t he dirdn t rhave t h e b e n e f i t o f a h o s p i t a l , r e s p i r a t o r , p r o p e r m e d i c i n e s , a goodl a b t o d e t e r m i n e b l o o d g a s e s , o r d o c t o r s and i n h a l a t i o n t h e r a p i s t s .

He had come from an a r e a c a l l e d K a r p o r. To reach K a s e i , h i s fami l y c a r r i e d hi m by homemade s t r e t c h e r up th e s o u t h e a s t s lo p e o fKarakogh Mount a i n , a c ro s s th e broad top o f t h e mo u n ta in , and down th eo t h e r s i d e t o Kasei .

I d i d w h a t I c o u l d f o r t h e o l d man. H i s f a m i l y b e l i e v e d h e w a sd y i n g . He had been s i c k f o r f i v e y e a r s . They had a l r e a d y t r i e d manyf o r m s o f t r adi t iona l m e d i c i n e a n d c o n s u l t e d s e v e r a l w i t c h d o c t o r s - - Iw a s a l a s t d i t c h e ffo r t . I s t a r t e d h im o n m e d i c a t i o n S a t u r d a y n i g h t .By Sunday n i g h t , he was much wo rse . I c o u l d n ' t s l e e p , and e v e r y t i m e Ig o t up I c o u ld h ea r him gasp ing and moaning with th e pa in o f h i sb r e a t h i n g . F i n a l l y , a t ] a . m . , I t o o k a f l a s h l i g h t and went down t o mym e d i c i n e room i n t h e b a c k o f t h e c h u r c h t o p r e p a r e an i n j e c t i o n t h a tI hoped would make h is b re at h in g e a s i e r . I d o n ' t know i f i t r e a l l yh e l p e d p h y s i o l o g i c a l l y , b u t p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y i t worked w o n d ers . I n j e ct i o n s a r e a l w a y s c o n s i d e r e d p o w e r f u l m e d i c i n e h e r e .

I s a t b y t h e s m a l 1 c a m p f i r e w i t h t h e ma nh i s w i f e u n t i l h i s b r e a t h i n g b e c a m en d

e a s i e r a n d h e d r o p p e d o f f t o s l e e p .

I t w a s a b e a u t i f u l , warm n i g h t . O u rt r o p i c a l n i g h t sk y was f i l l e d w i t h m i l l i o n so f s t a r s . I t h o u g h t a b o u t many t h i n g s a s Is a t by t h e f i r e , w a t c h i n g t h e s t a r s andc o u n t i n g my p a t i e n t ' s p u l s e an d r e s p i r a t i o n s .I t h o u g h t a b o u t a s k i n n y t e n y e a r o l d g i r l

a i s l e o f L i b e r t y C h u r c h o fa l m o s t 2 5 y e a r s a g o t o a n -

w a n t e d t o be a p a r t o f H i m .w h e r e He h a s b r o u g h t h e r

h o l d s a h u m a n l i f e i n h e r

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C h r i s t in S a l e m

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And J u s t l o o kO c c a s i o n a l l y s h eh a n d s . B u t i t s n o t a l w a y s g r a t i f y i n g o rr e w a r d i n g . L o r d , u s u a l l y i t s t e r r i b l y , t e rr ib ly f r ightening.

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5/6

/ 6

To Reach a Hidden People

CourtneyChr i s t i an

Miss ionFORWARDING AGENTS Rich Mary Ann Jenks / P.O. Box 2053 / Salem, OR 97308 / (503) 394-3958FIELD ADDRESS Mike Linda Courtney / P.O. Box 900 / Kitale, Kenya

O c t o b e r 1 9 5

P r u s t . i r a t . i o n s o f W a i - t i n . s

By n a t u r e , I am n o t a p e r s o n who e n j o y s s i t t i n g a ro u n d d o i n g n o t h i n g .O f c o u r s e , I c a n s i t a n d w a t c h t h e o c e a n f o r h o u r s a n d d o l i t t l e o rn o t h i n g e l s e . B u t th a t s d u r i n g v a c a t i o n . Th e t i m e t h a t i s f r u s t r at i n g f o r me i s when I h a v e a b s o l u t e l y n o t h i n g t o do b e c a u s e e v e r y t h i n gt h a t I c a n t h i n k o f d o i n g i s d o n e a n d t h e t h i n g s t h a t n e e d t o b e d o n ea r e o u t o f my c o n t r o l .

F o r o v e r a w e e k a n d a h a l f n o w I

h a v e b e e n i n a h o l d i n g p a t t e r n .A l l my p l a n s h a v e g o n e a w r y . I tb e g a n when I w as p r e p a r i n g t or e t u r n t o K a s e i . I n o t i c e d o n e

s p r i n g s i n K i t a l e b u t t h e s p r i n g

me some in two d a y s . No p r o b l e m . T h e s p r i n g s c a m e i n tw o d a y s b u tw e r e t h e w r o n g o n e s , o f c o u r s e .S e n d i n g my o l d s p r i n g s a s a s a m p l e t o t h e f a c t o r y w asT h r e e d a y s l a t e r a n o t h e r s e t o f w r o n g s p r i n g s a r r i v e ,d i s t a n c e p h o n e c a l l s an d e l e v e n d a y s l a t e r t h e n e x t s ew hich w ere s e n t t h r e e d a y s a g o , h a v e s t i l l n o t a r r i v e d ,v e h i c l e th a t s c o m p l e t e l y i m m o b i l i z e d .

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So w h a t d i d I d o ? I g o t d e p r e s s e d . Somep e o p l e s a i d , E n j o y y o u r t i m e o f f . T hefrustrations k e p t me f r o m d o i n g a n y t h i n gt h o u g h . I c o u l d o n l y r e a d f o r a b o u t t e nm i n u t e s b e f o r e w a n d e r i n g a r o u n d l o o k i n gf o r s o m e t h i n g e l s e t o d o . O t h e r f r i e n d si n t o w n w e r e b u s y w i t h thei r own p r o j e c t san d d i d n t seem t o n e e d a n y h e l p . S o Id i d a l o t o f t h i n k i n g .

I th ou gh t ab ou t th e ne w C h r i s t i a n s a t K a s e i . They a r e so young in th efa i th . E v e n t h e o l d e r C h r i s t i a n s h a v e s o m u c h t o l e a r n a n d I h a v e s ol i t t l e t i m e l e f t h e r e . I ve b e e n d e s p a r a t e t o t e a c h t h e m a l l I c a n .T h e c h u r c h a t K a s e i w i l l h a v e t o s t a n d o n i t s o w n w h e n w e l eave . A r et h e y r e a d y ? A re t h e y s t r o n g e n o u g h ? W i l l t h e B i b l i c a l k n o w l e d g e o ft h e s e i l l i t e r a t e p e o p l e b e e n o u g h ? I s my J o b c o m p l e t e ? Ha v e I d o n ea l l t h a t I c o u l d ? Th e s e t h o u g h t s and many o t h e r s go t h r o u g h my mind .


6/6

S l o w l y i t d a w n s on me t h a t t h e L o rdi s t r y i n g t o t e a c h me s o m e t h i n g . I r ea l i z e t h a t t h e s e e d o f t r u t h h a s b e e np l a n t e d . The Holy S p i r i t l i v e s i n t h el i v e s o f o v e r a h u n d r e d p e o p l e i n t h eK a s e i a r e a . T h e r e i s p o w er a n d s t r e ng t h t h e r e t h a t I w i l l p r o b a b l y n e v e rs e e . I r e a l i z e t h a t I am Ju s t a s m a l lp a r t o f a p o t e n t i a l l y t r e m e n d o u s

g r o w t h o f t h e c h u r c h . I r e a l i z e t h a t Im u s t t r u s t t h e L o r d f or t h e f u r t h e rg u i d a n c e o f H i s p e o p l e .

I m s o r r y , L o r d . When I h a d t h e o p p o rt u n i t y t o s p e n d o v e r a week co mmu n i n gw i t h Yo u w i t h o u t an y i n t e r r u p t i o n s , Ih ad t o be u p s e t an d a n g r y . H e lp me t on o t f o r g e t t h i s l e s s o n . 1 w i l l p r o ba b l y b e s u r p r i s e d t o l e a r n ho w w e l l

J o s h u a b a p t i z e d t h e man h e wont o t h e L o r d .

B a p t i z i n g t h e m e n .

t h e p e o p l e a t K a s e i g o ta l o n g w i t h o u t m e . Am Is t i l l f r u s t r a t e d ? We l l ,

y e s , a l i t t l e . Am I s t i l la n g r y w i t h t h e d e l a y ? N oI f e e l m o r e p ea c e b ec a u seo f i t . Am I s o r r y t o b ew o r k i n g i n K e n y a ? No i tw i l l b e d i f f i c u l t t o l e a v ea n d I know p a r t o f me w i l la l w a y s r e m a i n h e r e . As i su s u a l i n my c a s e , t h e L o r dh a s t o u se s o m e t h i n g f a i rl y d r a s t i c t o g e t my a tt e n t i o n . B u t l i s t e n Iw i l l . I n H i m l i f e i s

w o r t h t h e l i v i n g , i n c l u di n g t h e f r u s t r a t i o n s .

Thank Go d t h a t p e r i o d s o f f r u st r a t i o n a r e b a l a n c e d by p e r i o d s ^of g r e a t Joy. Almost t h r e e gyears ago w decided to concen- mIBjtrate on winning a limited num- .Wgyb e r o f o l d , r e s p e c t e d men t oJesus . knew t ha t i f the ^l e a d e r s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y b e -longed to the Lord the rest of I kt h e p e o p l e w o u l d f o l l o w m o r ee a s i l y . One o l d m a n J o s h u a ,became a believer last year. It i ^ was a special day when Locheli I y \ Va l s o a c c e p t e d t h e L o r d . We i n -v i t e d t h e o t h e r C h r i s t i a n s t o iwitness h is baptism. When we Ma r r i v e d a t t h e b o r e h o le , th e r ewas q u i t e a c r o wd . When I a s k e d M ik e J o s h u a , and L o c h e l i .w h a t w as h a p p e n i n g , I f o u n dt h a t s i x men an d s e v e n s c h o o l b o y s h a d a c ce p te d t h e L o r d . E a c h manh ad b r o u g h t h i s f r i e n d w i t h h i m . When I a s k e d wh y o n e o f t h e mens a i d , I s n t t h a t w h a t C h r i s t i a n s a r e s u p p o s e d t o d o ? P l e a s e p r a yw i t h u s t h a t e a c h o f t h e s e men w i l l c o n t i n u e t o grow s t r o n g i n t h e- o r d . Th e f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e chur ch w i l l r e s t upon them.

COURTNEY CHRISTIAN MISSIONP . 0 . B o x 2 0 5 3S a l e r a , OR 9 7 3 0 8

Ke se a r c i i / Ho r i z o n s0 . Box 2L27

Knoxville Term 37901

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

NO N P R O F I T O R G .

U . S . P OS TAGE PA I DP e r m i t 5 0 5

S a l e m , O r e g o n

courtney michael linda 1985 kenya

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