“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
One of the reasons Cumberland is partnered with Glory Outreach Assembly is because of their conviction and action to take Gospel to all nations. We may talk about it, but they are actually doing it. They looked at the list of unreached people groups and asked us if we wanted to partner in reaching one of them, and we were so glad we could say yes!
When GOA first came into Nabwelpus, they spoke with the chief of an unreached group, Chief Phillip. With his permission they preached the Gospel to his whole tribe, and he came to Christ along with most of his tribe. They discussed with Chief Phillip what would help his people, and he said a bore hole for water, and a school for the children. GOA got the bore hole, and those nomads became stationary. GOA worked with the government on a partnership school. They worked together building classrooms and providing teachers. A church grew under the tree where the Gospel was first preached and now there is a church building to support these incredible people.
Today we had the privilege of seeing where it all started. We stood in the river bed under the tree and thanked God for the confessions of faith 12 years ago. We thanked God that the Holy Spirit moved so powerfully among the people.
We saw Nabwelpus school and helped dedicated the new classroom to the Lord, thanking Him for His provision from Spendless 2 Give More. We saw all 5 classrooms and met 3 of the 5 teachers who work there, 2 funded by GOA and 3 funded by the government. We saw the children, many in their uniforms, ready to greet us. We danced in the line to the new classroom and celebrated together. We planted trees and Rev. Joyce commissioned the children to care for them, one grade per tree.
It’s hard to describe how different their way of life is from ours. The heat is almost oppressive, even from 9am. It’s like July in Atlanta with no air conditioning to be found. We are all covered in hats and sunscreen and they have neither. We are drinking water constantly and they seem to need none. When planting the trees, the ground was hot, and the water we poured on the trees was hot, and pressing the wet dirt around the tree was almost like burning your hands. Everyone is sweating and smart people packed a small cloth for mopping your brow. In the school they left all the windows open and the breeze was delightful. This is a sandy desert with rocks everywhere. The few trees are crucial shade spots for surviving in this climate, and they are used well by the community. They even have termite mounds taller than me!
GOA put in two water stations at Nabwelpus: one by the school and one a short distance away for the community. This concrete structure has a low wall with 2 faucets on it, and a concrete catch basin underneath where the livestock could drink water. We saw women washing their faces and their children’s heads and faces at the faucet. A handful to drink, and handful for washing. Some of the people raise livestock for their income. Many goat herds could be seen and even a herd of camels! They know of the nearby town of Lodwar and go there occasionally to buy food, but they still live without electricity. The school did have solar panels though….. I wonder what they use that electricity for!
The ladies wore their beautiful bead necklaces and we learned that husbands give them to wives as we would a wedding band. These women are hard workers in their community. It is the women who travel great distances to get building materials for their homes, and then the women do all the construction. The homes are bell shaped structures, and they put mud on the walls to keep out the elements. They had one structure without a roof for evenings when it’s too hot inside the main house.
So, all the differences: culture, climate, language…. And we still serve the same God. We praised Him together. We prayed together. We remembered the faithfulness of God together. Our team would get help from interpreters to interact with the mothers, and they were so kind. The teachers we spoke with were so hopeful and excited to be teaching these students. It was such an encouraging visit!
We ended the day with a group of 18 pastors from the Turkana region. Some came as far as 200km for this meeting. They were men and women, all working hard to teach the people in their community about Jesus. 5 were still having church under a tree. The ones with buildings usually have a one room structure. They lit up when Rob spoke to them. He uses his gift of encouragement so well. They were sent home with a small love gift for them and some money to buy food for their church members. This way each pastor can buy local and not have to pay shipping costs or struggle to get a large amount home. Being a pastor is hard work in any culture. But I cannot imagine being a pastor of a hungry congregation. Not just spiritually hungry, but physically hungry. By meeting one type of hunger the people are able to listen and hear how Jesus can meet the other type of hunger.
Pray for the pastors of Turkana. Pray for the Nabwelpus school children changing their lives and their families lives by going to school. Pray for GOA as they consider adding a Junior High School and High School to this site someday so the children can go past Grade 6 without having to travel to find another school. Thank you for loving our Turkanan brothers and sisters so well!
Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
One of the reasons Cumberland is partnered with Glory Outreach Assembly is because of their conviction and action to take Gospel to all nations. We may talk about it, but they are actually doing it. They looked at the list of unreached people groups and asked us if we wanted to partner in reaching one of them, and we were so glad we could say yes!
When GOA first came into Nabwelpus, they spoke with the chief of an unreached group, Chief Phillip. With his permission they preached the Gospel to his whole tribe, and he came to Christ along with most of his tribe. They discussed with Chief Phillip what would help his people, and he said a bore hole for water, and a school for the children. GOA got the bore hole, and those nomads became stationary. GOA worked with the government on a partnership school. They worked together building classrooms and providing teachers. A church grew under the tree where the Gospel was first preached and now there is a church building to support these incredible people.
Today we had the privilege of seeing where it all started. We stood in the river bed under the tree and thanked God for the confessions of faith 12 years ago. We thanked God that the Holy Spirit moved so powerfully among the people.
We saw Nabwelpus school and helped dedicated the new classroom to the Lord, thanking Him for His provision from Spendless 2 Give More. We saw all 5 classrooms and met 3 of the 5 teachers who work there, 2 funded by GOA and 3 funded by the government. We saw the children, many in their uniforms, ready to greet us. We danced in the line to the new classroom and celebrated together. We planted trees and Rev. Joyce commissioned the children to care for them, one grade per tree.
It’s hard to describe how different their way of life is from ours. The heat is almost oppressive, even from 9am. It’s like July in Atlanta with no air conditioning to be found. We are all covered in hats and sunscreen and they have neither. We are drinking water constantly and they seem to need none. When planting the trees, the ground was hot, and the water we poured on the trees was hot, and pressing the wet dirt around the tree was almost like burning your hands. Everyone is sweating and smart people packed a small cloth for mopping your brow. In the school they left all the windows open and the breeze was delightful. This is a sandy desert with rocks everywhere. The few trees are crucial shade spots for surviving in this climate, and they are used well by the community. They even have termite mounds taller than me!
GOA put in two water stations at Nabwelpus: one by the school and one a short distance away for the community. This concrete structure has a low wall with 2 faucets on it, and a concrete catch basin underneath where the livestock could drink water. We saw women washing their faces and their children’s heads and faces at the faucet. A handful to drink, and handful for washing. Some of the people raise livestock for their income. Many goat herds could be seen and even a herd of camels! They know of the nearby town of Lodwar and go there occasionally to buy food, but they still live without electricity. The school did have solar panels though….. I wonder what they use that electricity for!
The ladies wore their beautiful bead necklaces and we learned that husbands give them to wives as we would a wedding band. These women are hard workers in their community. It is the women who travel great distances to get building materials for their homes, and then the women do all the construction. The homes are bell shaped structures, and they put mud on the walls to keep out the elements. They had one structure without a roof for evenings when it’s too hot inside the main house.
So, all the differences: culture, climate, language…. And we still serve the same God. We praised Him together. We prayed together. We remembered the faithfulness of God together. Our team would get help from interpreters to interact with the mothers, and they were so kind. The teachers we spoke with were so hopeful and excited to be teaching these students. It was such an encouraging visit!
We ended the day with a group of 18 pastors from the Turkana region. Some came as far as 200km for this meeting. They were men and women, all working hard to teach the people in their community about Jesus. 5 were still having church under a tree. The ones with buildings usually have a one room structure. They lit up when Rob spoke to them. He uses his gift of encouragement so well. They were sent home with a small love gift for them and some money to buy food for their church members. This way each pastor can buy local and not have to pay shipping costs or struggle to get a large amount home. Being a pastor is hard work in any culture. But I cannot imagine being a pastor of a hungry congregation. Not just spiritually hungry, but physically hungry. By meeting one type of hunger the people are able to listen and hear how Jesus can meet the other type of hunger.
Pray for the pastors of Turkana. Pray for the Nabwelpus school children changing their lives and their families lives by going to school. Pray for GOA as they consider adding a Junior High School and High School to this site someday so the children can go past Grade 6 without having to travel to find another school. Thank you for loving our Turkanan brothers and sisters so well!