Friends from the OLD Days

One of the great things about going back to Kenya was to see old friends. When you work in country for as long as we did you don’t just work, you develop relationships…lifelong relationships. Almost everyone made comment on how old I had become, but what do they expect after seventeen years? Three of the first five guys baptized in those early days of our work we were able to see while on this trip.

David Gagula was not much more than a teenager when he came to Christ. David crossed the border into Makutano to find work in the mid-70's, walked into our newly established church in Makutano, heard the Good News and became a believer. After we left the country in 1989 he returned to Uganda where he is a pastor of a church and has established a Bible study-training program.


Dedokias Ochieng, another early convert, worked for our family for ten years. Dedokias, his wife ,Lucia, and three boys came over to our house for tea. It was grat to hear how they are still faithfully serving Christ in their local church in Kitale.


Of course Pastor Paul Gichuki has been a friend since 1977. His wife, Jecentia passed away in April of last year. The family structure of Kenyans are different than Americans and for Paul not to have a wife is almost against culture. Paul will soon be married toWinfredia, a godly woman, which the church and Paul’s children are very happy about.


We were fortunate enough to visit one of our bush churches in Pokot, in a town called Kacheliba. The four men in this picture are some of the early converts and who are still faithful members of the church. From left to right, Thomas, who is the present pastor;Magala, who was the first convert; Joel, who is an elder in the church; Rotich, who was once pastor of the church but is now a chief in the area, but still a member of the congregation.



There wasn’t nearly enough time to see everyone, but it was great to see those we met…though I couldn't get over how old they all look!