This week we began our discipleship school in Engikaret called
Taa Ya Mbali, A Distant Light, and
almost everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Both of our cars broke down this month so we
used a motorcycle to get out to the neighboring villages to meet with students
and their pastors. A couple of students showed
up without their school fees. Two young
women arrived and stayed for a day only to inform us after the first day they
were in the wrong place. They thought
they were coming to computer school and would be leaving that afternoon. Two women arrived after walking over 8 hours
on foot with their luggage. However, in
the distance we noticed more than just their luggage, but also their children
in tow. Quite a bit of the week was
spent maneuvering our sleeping quarters to accommodate small children. Some of the women were forbidden by their husbands
to come to class, so we had meetings over tea with the men requesting
opportunities for their wives to come. Lots
of things were difficulties that needed to be overcome, but none of them were
so terrible as to overshadow the incredible fruit that is growing in the hearts
of the people in class. I just wanted to
quote a few things that the students shared this week from what they
learned. We had a teacher from Tanzania
named Immanuel this week teaching about Sin,
Repentance, and Forgiveness and this is what they learned.
“I now know what Repentance is.” Can you imagine the value of knowing
repentance? Can you imagine the
difference in life between knowing and not knowing the freedom that comes from
repentance?
“Other teachers will come and go, but now have laid for us a
foundation for others to build on.”
“We thank God for the words He has brought us. We are few here in class, but we are grateful
that you teach us anyway because even though we are few, we will go out and
change the rest of our people.”
“We’ve learned so much this week already. By the end, we see that we will have been built
up enough to be different.”
“The reason we are here is because of God. We have learned things we did not know. I am amazed God has given us as women a chance
to come and learn when we would never have been able to have left. I am full of the fear of God.”
“It is not my teacher that taught me, but my God has taught
me.”
And my personal favorite from this week that has been worth
any number of problems.
“I cannot read, but the Word of God has come into my life
and filled my heart.”
