GOOD BYE BISHOP AND MAMA SUE
Good bye Jevon and Kim
(part 2)

What was Kim's job? Oh my! She was Mama Sue’s right hand helper. Always cleaning, always cooking, always ironing…….babysitting and planning youth activities. We all love her contagious giggle and she has many friends. Kim ran errands and visited people. She is one of the few ladies that braved driving left-hand shift on these horrendous Kenyan roads.

Jevon, like his father, wore many hats. He could do most anything he lay his hands on. He was involved in building church and school structures. He did many Agape food deliveries. He helped in maintaining the vehicles and the compound facilities. There were small carpentry jobs. In a country where quality is poor and things bend, break easily or fall apart, there’s always a list of repairs and improvements. Perhaps one of Jevon's favorite projects was tapping into a mountain spring and piping the water into a holding tank down below. This made good, clean water accessible to natives (and not only baboons). He also kept things quite interesting with many a compound prank. Jevon was a good leader for the compound youth. He will be missed in the youth volley ball games.

The current youth group in Kisumu. Girls-left to right- Kim Beachy, Kathryn Hostetler, Abigail Peachey, Rosalie Beiler, Monica Kauffman, Martina Kauffman
Boys-left to right- Matthias Peachey, Jason Peachey, Jevon Beachy, Daniel Kauffman

Lord willing, January 3rd will find the family flying back to their former home. Boots, the dog, is now old, half blind and decrepit. He has protected the family well, but will be going the way of all old dogs. The compound will miss him but hardly the natives. Boots never did accept anyone with black skin.

Since the board is still working on a replacement bishop, Merle and Sue will return in 6 weeks and stay on a few months until final plans can be arranged. Merles have invested much time and energy into these people of Kenya. It tugs at their hearts to leave their brothers and sisters in the Lord behind.

Pray for the work here that it can continue in a courageous way even though the leader the people have known so well has gone. Pray that the native pastors can remain strong and lean on God and His word. Pray that since God’s Word is spreading that willing workers can be found to go on the field.

Mattie Kauffman

GOOD BYE BISHOP AND MAMA SUE

Goodbye Kim and Jevon


The time has come to say good bye. They served their time well. God is calling them to another phase in life. But changes are difficult……it takes us out of our comfort zone.

Merle and Sue Beachy first came to serve in the Kenyan Kisumu mission in 2000. Back then their family was complete with their 4 children, Kim, Gene, Geneva and Jevon. Those early days were rugged with the Christians Believers Fellowship being fairly new in the area. The natives were suspicious and called them bloodsuckers, kidnappers, devil worshipers....... (ignorant natives still do.) For a time Merles lived outside what we know as a compound setting. When a house became available inside the compound they moved back. They depended heavily on “Boots”, the fierce German shepherd mix dog. Many of you remember when Gene was beaten along with two others by an outraged mob. Times were trying and frightening. Thieves struck occasionally.

Things started changing for the family since they had grown children falling in love. The Linford and Kay Bontrager family also served here and Gene started a relationship with Kristina. Paul, son of Eli and Verda Glick came to visit from El Salvador, and Geneva caught his eye. The Beachy family returned home for most of 2006 and prepared two weddings. Gene went to live in IN and Geneva moved to El Salvador. Gene and Kim had stayed at home after furlough in 2004 and after furlough in 2006, Kim returned to Kenya with her parents and younger brother Jevon. They again lived inside the hedged walls of the former Kenyan Breweries compound with 6-7 others families serving under the AMA mission.

A decade has come and gone and the family is returning to their VA home. Merle has done much work serving as bishop. The work has grown significantly. Merle also served as bishop of the Nakuru churches for the first several years until the work load became too heavy to do justice to both Kisumu and Nakuru. It was a great advantage when Nakuru was able to have their own bishop. Jonas Beiler is the current bishop. There are now 8 churches scattered around rural Kisumu . Fourteen native ordained or commissioned pastors help with the work. The membership has grown to 546 people. (Total with Nakuru there are 701 members.) Merle has baptized many, married many and also excommunicated many. Besides the busy church work, He has been involved in the Agape work, the required Kenyan legalities…....the list goes on. He will be missed by many and the pastors are sad.

Mama Sue did many things behind the scene so typical of bishop’s wives. Besides her family, she was in charge of the clothing room details, the clothing sale arrangements, the sewing classes, helping to organize the orphan’s clothing and many of the scraps and loose ends fell back to her. Occasionally Sue called together a compound sister's meeting and we shared our woes and concerns.There were many questions that would come back to her from missionaries’ wives and native women alike. We depended on her answer. Now we are wondering what we will do without Mama “Shue”.

AARON'S AND ESTHER'S VISIT TO KENYA
(part 2 of 2 )

On the way home, we came to this..... someone must have lost control.....cabbage here and cabbage there....

Chicken butchering dawned the day Aaron's were sheduled to leave. We were glad for Esther's past expertise in helping to dress the 200 birds. Aaron, Sam and Merle bagged the chicken in preparation for the freezers.

Esther is holding little Sarah, daughter of Pastor Peter and Irene Otieno at the Kasongo youth seminar. Aaron and Esther also had the opportunity to eat in a native's home for Sunday dinner, to tour Kisumu town and attend Bible Study at yet another home. On December 16, Esther celebrated her 60th birthday.

In Lancaster, PA, Sam's uncle Aaron King passed away on Christmas morning at age 100. Mary, his wife of nearly 74 years, passed away just 6 weeks earlier.

Our thoughts are also with the Allen Hostetler family from LaMonte, MO Esther, age 50, wife and mother died suddenly last Wednesday evening. She will be sorely missed by her family and the small congregation. Earlier this year, Sonya, wife of Jesse Miller passed away in the same church. May we be prepared when God calls our name.

Our family wishes you a blessed holiday season. We were 'dreaming' of a white Christmas, but mowed grass instead. Snow in Kenya would probably start a riot.....

Sam and Mattie Kauffman family

AARON'S AND ESTHER'S VISIT TO KENYA
(part 1 of 2 )

Our home church of Weavertown in Lancaster, PA periodically sends one of it's pastors to visit their members on the mission field. This time is was Aaron and Esther Lapp to go to far away Africa to visit us. Since we were recipients of such generosity we are most grateful. Sam was especially glad to have a break from teaching and preaching.

Even though Aaron has been widowed from Sam's sister, Marian, and has since remarried, we still consider him family; brother and uncle. Aaron and Esther arrived the beginning of December and stayed almost 3 weeks. Their trip went well to Nairobi and we came "blutzing" back the 6 hours to our home. Whew! Aaron and Esther were glad it's possible to fly out of Kisumu.

When visitors come, the children are always happy for a reason to go on an excursion. This time we headed for Nakuru Game Reserve. We had prepared a special chicken pattie sandwich lunch once we arrived at the gate but were not prepared for the onslaught of curious monkeys. Since picnic sites are non-existent in Kenya, we perched ourselves on some stumps and logs not far from the van and spread out our lunch. The monkeys came out of.......where DID they all come from? Big and little, half-grown, mothers with babies......as I was distributing the goodies, I lay my sandwich on a stump and told Myrna to watch it......the words were hardly out of my mouth.....a monkey whisked it right from under her nose! Daniel left his sandwich to retrieve mine when another made off with his! We were all watching dumbfounded at the brazen nerve of this thieving when another snatched David's sandwich right out of his hand. It was infuriating! It made you want to spank their little....you know what! But catch them if you can.....

We saw some very interesting animals. This big daddy wasn't too happy we were so close. After snorting and shaking his head, for a minute, we thought he may charge and rend a hole into the side of the van.

We came upon a field of giraffes....27 of them. What graceful beauty! What an interesting physique; God must had fun creating these. We watched them for a good while and they curiously watched us.