Mission Update || Kenya
The month of November saw the welcome onset of rains in most places. People have come to the end of a drought, and have seen their animals begin to fatten as the green grass emerges. They can now think about planning food to see them through the next season.
However, for some, unbelievably, they have still received no rain! Some areas are still like a desert, and as we head out of the normal rainy season, the hope of getting rain is dwindling. It must be heart breaking to watch their neighbours being blessed with rain, while they look longingly heavenward every day. Fortunately, there is still some funding for emergency food relief available from the Irish government, so we will be distributing this urgently before the end of the year.
November saw a flurry of activity here, as we received visitors from the Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry (TKA) in the west of Ireland, led by Bishop Patrick Rooke. This mixed group of clergy and lay people brought and received many blessings during their time
here. They held their own diocesan retreat in the tranquility of Oltiasika.
Bishop Patrick also joined our own Bishop Gaddiel from Kajiado Diocese, to dedicate the water catchment project at MRTC Oltiasika. We had a wonderful day of thanksgiving and celebration, with much singing, dancing and praising God. TKA Diocese has been very
generous in supporting this project, and it will change the lives of many people in Oltiasika in terms of quantity and quality of water available to them.
On Sunday 26th November, parishioners from the whole Diocese and the TKA team, travelled to the Bishop’s home for a day of celebration. Over 2000 people
attended, but not without difficulty, as it had rained heavily the previous day and all the rivers were full. We had to cross two of them, which we managed in our vehicles, but we towed 12 other vehicles from the river bank, which was very steep and had become a mud
bath! However, no-one complained, as we had prayed so hard for this rain and we were so happy to see it!
As the TKA team departed, we were delighted to welcome Gillian Maganda, CMSI’s Personnel Manager. She came to familiarize herself with our work and the conditions here in Kajiado, so that she can better support us in our roles within the Diocese.
As the year draws to a close, we look back on it with thanksgiving, but tinged with sadness, as we recently lost a close friend and colleague. Tom Matianyi was well known to many people from Ireland, as he was involved with numerous teams who came to visit. When we first came to Kenya in 1980, he was the person who helped us so much to find a home,
and make it ready to live in, so we could settle here. He supported us and mentored us in so many ways and was such a blessing in our lives. Tom’s recent funeral, attended by over 1000 people, was testimony to the way he had affected the lives of so many people, and we joined with them in celebrating the life of a real Christian, well and truly lived. He will be deeply missed.
As we look forward to 2018, it will be an important year for Maasai Rural Training Centre (MRTC), as we plan to compile a strategic plan to take us through the next five years. We will attempt to rebrand it, and make it relevant to the communities we aim to serve.
Above all, we will try to make it sustainable so that it can stand by itself and earn enough income without any outside help. That in itself, will keep us busy for the rest of the year!
We would like to thank you for all your support throughout the year - both physical and spiritual – and we earnestly pray that God will bless you all during Christmas and the year ahead. Thank God that His Son was a real, living, breathing person, and as a result He could claim to have experienced everything we do as ordinary people.
Blessings! Ronnie & Maggie