World Missions Ministry Spotlight: Kindred Pastors in Kenya
Written by the Rev. Dr. Patrick Gahan, Rector of Christ Church in San Antonio
“I love the way Kenyans look you in the eye,” she said. “And it does not matter whether they live in the country or the city.” The twenty-something lady, who worked for an NGO serving various African countries, was sitting next to us on the third leg of our flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi. We nodded in agreement and in anticipation of this second visit to Kenya. The land is expansive and covered with wildlife that Americans only see in zoos, and the people are open, enthusiastic, and exceedingly warm toward visitors. Kenya can be quite a shock for those of us accustomed to being ignored by those passing us on the sidewalk or shopping next to us in a supermarket.
The beauty of the people and the land make Kenya a wonderful country to visit. Getting there is the hard part. Unless you own a Leer jet, the round-trip journey will take no less than sixty hours. My prescription is to choose two books that you are eager to read and immerse yourself in them. Sandwiched between the teeming horde of snoring souls in coach, you will need a good book, for you will quickly hit video saturation.
Kay and I have now traveled the length of Kenya, having served with Marthe Curry in Marsabit in the far north during our last visit, which is less than a day’s drive to Ethiopia and Somalia. This visit we headed south to Mombasa in the south, which is knocking on the door of Tanzania. We spent several days in the capital city, Nairobi, and several more in Isiolo in central Kenya.
Isiolo, a small city of 250,000, is becoming a hub for the Diocese of West Texas mission in Kenya. The city serves as a crossroads for Christians from the south of Kenya and from Ethiopia and Muslims streaming in from Somalia. The Rev. Getachew Teshome, the very able Anglican priest who founded 11th Hour Ministries, has made Isiolo the nexus for congregations covering the northern region of Kenya. Furthermore, through the partnerships with the Diocese of West Texas along with other churches in the U.S., 11th Hour has built and is operating a remarkable health clinic in the poorest neighborhood I have ever visited on any continent. Amid mud streets, open sewers, crowded dirt huts the Oasis of Hope Health Clinic stands as a lighthouse of grace for those living in the squalor of dashed dreams. No qualifying questions are asked of those seeking help, and every person is served for a mere fifty cent fee, which includes their examination, lab work, and pharmaceuticals, and all are provided on site. In this Muslim community, a local elder shared Getachew that without the clinic two of every ten children born into the community would die. To that end, the clinic’s grounds are so verdant with native plants, grasses, and fruit trees that one imagines he has stumbled upon Eden when entering the gates.
While the medical mission is important – and we aspire to bring ophthalmologists, pediatricians, dentists, and other healing professionals to serve at the clinic as early as next year – 11th Hour’s main work is the education, placement, and support of pastors in the north. Representing a variety of denominations, these stalwart, sacrificial pastors and their families hail from the Samburu tribes. All honor their tribal origins and culture, but to a person their primary devotion is to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are more zealous for the Lord than any persons Kay and I have met. Therefore, the Diocese of West Texas and Christ Church, San Antonio strive to fund and participate in an annual retreat with these hardworking pastors and their spouses – most who work for no more than $15-$25 per month and depend on a small motorcycle for their transportation.
During Kay’s and my first visit, just before the onslaught of Covid, we held the retreat in Marsabit. This year, we were more ambitious and arranged to bring the pastors and spouses to a retreat center in Mombasa, some twelve hours or more from their homes. The center is situated right on the coast of the crystal-clear blue water of the Indian Ocean, and we had no idea that almost none of the 74 attendees had ever seen the ocean before. Most had not even set their eyes on an expansive lake. And few had ever submerged their entire body in water, as they customarily bathe from a bucket. To see all seventy four of them bobbing up and down in the warm equatorial waters gave me a vision of John-the-Baptist preparing the multitude for Christ’s coming. But it was not those immersed in the water who were receiving Christ anew, it was the 68-year-old Texas preacher who watched them from the shore and whose faith was restored by their witness.
The Rev. Dr. William Patrick Gahan III
Rector, Christ Church, San Antonio
March Missions Café: Kindred Pastors in Kenya with the Rev. Dr. Patrick and Kay Gahan
To learn more about diocesan ministry partners in Kenya, register for the next World Missions Café, on Thursday, March 2. This month, the World Missions Department will welcome the Rev. Dr. Patrick and Kay Gahan as the featured speaker to share more about this remarkable ministry partnership.
Click here to register for the free, hour-long webinar.
