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”.