Greetings in the Wonderful Name or our Lord, Jesus the Christ!
The Gafner family wishes each and every one of you a Wonderful New Year J We look forward to meeting with many of you when we are on furlough in 2004. We do ask for your prayers for us over the next 3 months as we have several decisions to make here in Kenya as we prepare to come to USA for 9 months. Please pray for us to hear the Lord’s guidance and wisdom.
PRAISE THE LORD! I have finally gotten my work permit from the government. So, I am good to stay in Kenya until May 21, 2006! Pray for Grace now, as the first of February we will go to Nairobi and get her American visa. It would be a shame to come to America without her!
I was visiting with Yusuf Shimoli when he mentioned that now the chief said that if you even cut a tree in your own yard you are to tell them first and you’ll be required to plant 10 more. For years people have reduced the trees in Kenya until it has reached a crisis situation. There is a major theme of replanting though out Kenya just now. So, as we sat there after lunch, I asked, " what are we going to do about burying people, are we going to sell a cow for buying the wooden casket alone?" I got some amazing answers.
When we talked about this over supper, Kirsten added, make big baskets and bury them in the basket! It is exciting to have Kirsten be part of discussions and even have ideas of her own!
The government has really come down hard on cutting trees. Our neighbor has been waiting for 4 weeks to get timber to put a roof on a new house. She has now decided to see about using steel instead. I have attended two meetings with several brothers recently. The subjects dealt with agriculture and utilizing what we have already. One man was selling paper briquettes that he makes from trash. He wanted to sell me a machine that makes them for about $93. I put my head together with another friend and can make a simple one for $13. We have the first two prototypes done. The man who welds for me has now gotten excited about it as well. He has his own thoughts for the next model! I want to make it affordable for people in the rural area to purchase and be able to cook or use instead of charcoal or firewood.
Grace this last two months has been very busy attending two seminars on sweets and bar soap making. We invited some people in the rural area to join. They are supposed to start small- scale businesses manufacturing these. Grace and others have been perfecting the art. I am the guinea pig. Each time that I bath, I find new soap in the bath. We have several colors, smells and shapes. That pink one took the hair off my legs, maybe a bit too much lye! The sweets have been a big success as far as we can tell. They can buy liquid glucose, color and flavoring. Then wrap in colorful paper. By the way, just kidding about the pink soap.
According to the newspaper, 56% of Kenya’s population of about 33 million live below the poverty line. Where people in the rural area make less than $15.38 per month ($185 per year) and in the urban area $25.64 per month ($308 per year).
The Tendwo cluster of churches hosted the first ever Sunday School meeting for very young people ages 4 to 12. We were able to go there on Sunday, the final day of a four-day meeting. It was wonderful to hear what they had learned. We also attended the final day of the Area Wide Youth meeting in the Cheran’gani Hills. They had over 400 in attendance. It was a long day, 2 hours to drive there and 2 hours back.
We have been informed that by Good News Production International that after they cover some of the brand names of products used in the Bread Oven video that we produced here in Eldoret, it will be shown on Metro TV in Nairobi. Praise the Lord!
Pray with us on January 4th. The Navillus Church of Christ will meet at a plot that has been purchased in the Sergoit swamp. We will pray for the plot and the future church in that area. Several families walk/ride bikes as far as 3 miles (one way) to attend Sunday and Wednesday worship services. Pray specifically for leadership to be developed to take over responsibilities of this new church plant.
Don’t miss this issue of, "KIRSTEN AND RUTH KORNER"
We attended a Christmas pageant that a local school hosted. Things did not go as smoothly as planned. During a long pause in the action, Ruth who was sitting on my lap looked up at me and said, "Dad go up there and preach!" The other morning after reading the Bible with them, it was decided that each should give a scripture verse. They both stood and gave a verse. You can tell what is going on in their hearts since neither can read yet! Then they said they were going to go outside to praise Jesus while swinging. Which they usually do very loudly! In fact, we left the girls two nights with Dan and Beverly Bell in Kisumu. The first morning we got a very concerned phone call after breakfast from Beverly. We heard on the phone the girls in their living room singing to Jesus at the top of their lungs! We had forgotten to warn them that this was their morning routine. Is America ready for these two gals?! Psalms 8:2a "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise…" + Matthew 12:34b "…For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."
In Service to Christ,
Keith, Grace, Kirsten & Ruth
JUST FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
THE DEVIL AND THE DUCK...
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged; he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Thought for the day and every day thereafter: Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done -- and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face, (lying, doubt, fear, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.) whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets - It is by God's Grace and Mercy that we are forgiven.
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