The Church Plant at Lokabekebeke, Turkana Land, Kenya

The hot wind blows dust across the African plain, picking up branches and other debris as we look on in the now dry river bed. Our Wayland Mission Center Kenya Team has traveled thousands of miles to this seemingly abandoned venue in far northwestern Kenya, among the Turkana people. The team, although weakened at times by illness and exhaustion, is complete as we spend the night at Lokabekebeke, Kenya, in a traditional Turkana boma. Rising out of the dusty soil created by years long drought, this humble dwelling shakes its fist at the horrific conditions which seek to crush it, and its people.

We are here at the invitation of Pastor James Esinyen Ikimat, a Wayland Kenya graduate, who serves as the leader of Baptists in this corner of East Africa. James, an indigenous Turkana, is a jovial though conscientious leader. James has a vision for his people, and we seek, as a missions-sending university, to work alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in all places of the world. James has asked that we worship and lead in this first, inaugural worship service of the Lokabekebeke Baptist Church.

The residents of this place have never seen white people before. Hastings, one of James' fellow workers, translates for our team members as we greet the Turkana, and bear witness to our faith in Jesus Christ. Monique Lucio, one of our delightful team members (who will be a sophomore at Plainview High School in a few weeks) stands, dressed in the traditional Turkana shuka over her Western clothing, and tells of her life in Christ. Monique has blessed all of us with her sweet and gentle spirit, her passionate and contagious faith, and her powerful and compelling testimony.

I preach from the New Testament text of the Syro-Phoenician woman. A mother desperate for the healing of her little daughter, this Gentile sought out Jesus for salvation, for healing, and for restoration. Jesus, always looking for faith among those who sought him out, at first ignores her, and then, upon her insistence, responds to her repeated pleas with an ancient proverb, "It is not fair to throw the children's food to the dogs." The woman, undaunted by Jesus' apparent obstinance, answers Jesus with a statement of faith and acceptance of His lordship, sovereignty, and grace.

After the invitation I offer, we ask the LORD to consecrate this group of 89 persons as the first Christian church that Lokabekebeke has ever seen. There is no pastor, but there are leaders of the congregation who have accepted Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. James will itinerate here from time to time, as he does in many other places in Turkana Land, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

As a gift to Wayland Mission Center, one of the Turkana women hands me a basket and tray, formed in the traditional style of weaving natural grasses. I will carry these back to Plainview in a few days, and display them proudly in the Wayland Mission Center display casea.

Our team has evangelized many of these people; many have openly prayed to receive Jesus Christ, and have joined us in standing as the first Christian believers in this place. I am thankful and challenged to continue proclaiming the good news of Jesus on every continent, among people who have never heard.

As we travel away from Lokabekebeke, heading toward the easternmost point of our journey, Eliye Springs on the shore of Lake Turkana (formerly called Lake Rudolph), I am moved beyond emotion for what has just happened. God's grace and mercy are beyond expression. We continue to join God in God's mission throughout the world.