Dan & Debbie Bader

P.O. Box 381

Lodwar, Kenya
East Africa
Compuserve # 73671,2330
Turkana Tribesman
Gre^y Debbie, Dan, and Hannah
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter
Leaders
A New Phase!
Last termwas a term of preparations. We spent it
learning theTurkana language and participating in their
very unique culture. We spent a lot of time praying and
searching for just the right method to reach theTurkana
so that the gospel would makesense in the context of
their unique culture. God, in His wisdom, led us to
fourteen seemingly ordinary mento trainas His
disciples.
Debbie and I spent a lot of time developing relationships
with those fourteenguys and their families. Manytimes
we felt that maybe our time should bespent doingother
things that brought quicker, morevisible results; but, we
always felt God telling us to just keep plugging away.
By the time wewent on furlough, we were calling them
leaders because theywere all leading at least their
families. Many of them were actively leading other
villages, too. We felt prettygood about leaving them on
their own for a year; althoughit was an anxious time,
always wondering howtheywere doing. Were they
leading? Weretheyeven hanging on to their faith?
Word came from one of our co-workers that they were
continuingto meet together as a group; and that they
had not faltered in gathering people for church. We
were reassured ... and excited about the future.
Today, we're bearing the fruit of that long first term of
preparation. Those original fourteen leaders are now
beginning the process of training twenty new leaders
from five totally new areas. They've arranged themselves
together in groups of three, eachgroup responsible for
teachingfour men from each of the five newareas.
We've been amazed to see their incredible enthusiasm
over this big responsibility.
Forty-two leaders gatheredfor thefirst time everfromall ofour
CMF Turkana reports.
Would you pray for these guys?
Leader's
Namo
Ekapiton
Logulume
Pele
Lojore
Eregai
Lore
Ngichilia
Lodelya
Eriamone
Aati
Ebungun
Lorenye
Nanok
Church/Area
Nome
Kangarisal
Kangarisai
Kangarisal
Kangarisai
Kangarisal
Kangarisai
Kangarisal
Averoge Church
attendanco
eangole
eangole
eangole
eangole
eangole
Lodoket-'
Lodeket-'
Lodoket-(
Lodoket-<
Lodeket-i
Nakaale
Nakaaie
2 Bader Turkana Prayer Newsletter
Churches
Five New Churches!
Today we're also bearing fruit ofthat long preparation
timein terms of new churches. The twenty new men
being trained for leadership represent five new areas
where Turkana elders have committed tostarting a
church.
Each new leader has made a commitment tobegin anew
church in his area within six months; but, they're all so
excited about it that most
have already startedcalling
people to worship on their
own! In everyarea, the
people are really supporting
their new leaders, too.
Lorenye, Nanok, and Ekadeli
enjoy a Leaders' Course.
Ekadeliisa leaderfrom CMF
co-workers Bob and Karon
Chapman's re^on.
All this is going on with very
little input from us. It's
mostly being driven,
discussed, and taught by the
original, seeminglyordinary
disciples whom God led us
to several years ago!
The table on page one lists
the original leaders and the
three churches they
represent. These are the
statistics we came back to
furlough. Bythe end
of the year there should be
eight churches, thirty-four
leaders, and at least double. lers, and at least double.
average attendance. Do you see why we're so excited?
Myfather Eriamone (picturedhere)gave mea camelthat should
begivingbirth any day.
Our courses aren'/ all work!
Women's Ministiy
A New Angle!
When Michele Zincz came back with us
this last year to teach Hannah and Greg,
we knew it would free Debbie to spend
more time with the Turkana women.
We knew that if the women would get
on board, the church would really begin
to blossom.
Reality doesn't generally meet
expectations, but this time it did, and more. After a lot
of prayer, Debbie felt God leading her tostarta weekly
Bible studyand prayer timewith the women around
Kangarisai. Even though this isn't what she came to
Kenya to do, and even though the thought of doing it
scared herto death, she followed God's leading and
jumped right in.
Now, every Wednesday morning, eighty to a hundred
women, young girls, and kids join her under a thorn tree
(it's a pretty bigthorn tree) for teaching and prayer.
She's teaching themwhat it means to be a Christianand,
especially, what a Christian woman should be like. The
response has been terrific, and it's showing up in church
attendance where manyweeks in the past we've actually
had more men than women!
By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have
finished a Large Area Women's Course that grew out of
that weekly Bible study. At that course, weexpect to
pinpoint several Turkana women who'll beginsome sort
of discipleship program and will begin leading in some
way. WE ARE EXCITED!
Bader Turkana Prayer Newsletter 3
Family
One Year Down!
After being backalmost a full year, everyone's doinggreat.
Michele Zintz has been a big help teaching Hannaii and Greg.
It's obvious they'velearned a lot. Greg is nowreading and
writingvery well. Hannah is devouringevery bookshe can get
her hands on, including ours! Thanks, Michele, for a job well
done! Michele has decided to come back next year to teach Tim
and Marcia Ross's kids, CMF co-workers with the Maasai tribe
in Kenya.
The big news is that Hannah has chosen to enroll in the RVA
boarding school in Kenya. It's been a traumatic year trying to
Hannah and Gregget crazy withDrew Williams whowasvisiting
decide what to do. We're all scared byit, but Hannah made the us at Kangarisai along withparents Clayton andJulieand
decision on her own. She'sbeen in a Home Schooling Program brother RusselL They will beworking closely with CMFin
for acouple years that has given her a chance to spend aweek Turkana soon!
there three times a year to seehowshe likes it and to get to
knowsomeother kids there. She'smet a few kidswhom shelikes; that helped her make the decision.
Probably the bluest factor in her decision, though, was whenCarrie Brock (daughter of teammates Garryand Linda Brock)
toldher that fifth grade was probably the perfect year tostart. Hannah really looks up to Carrie, andshe's agreed to be
Hannah's bigsisteron campus. That means a lot to Hannah, knowing that someone else she knows and trusts will be
around. Pleasepray for us all as we try this verydifficult route.
Prayer
We Need Your Prayers!
In our last newsletter we asked you to fill out a card and send it in toCMF ifyou would be willing to pray for usand the
Turkana ministry regularly. We were also hoping toset up another chain ofpeople who have fax machines or Compuserve
accounts that wecould communicate with immediately for thepurposes of prayer.
Very few people responded, so we're goingto tryagain. Perhaps sending it out around Christmastime was a bad idea? Also,
unfortunately, theemphasis in that newsletter was onour p.-.-...--.
financial situation instead ofthe need for prayer. That was I yES! Dan and Debbie
not theIntention. We desperately sense the needfir prayer . '
support at this Satan is rising up in anger at the growing I |;we want tobeo prayer partner with you in your
church among the 1urkana. We see it already in many ways. , rninistry tothe Turkono.
Please send in this card, even if you prayfor us regularly
already. We needto knowwhoyou areso that wecan send
out regular updates. If you, your church, or someone in your
Sunday School has access to a fax machine or is on
Compuserve andwould bewilling to bring the prayer
requests before your class or church, please send that
information, too. Please don't assume that wehave you on
any list already! Thanks.
Dan and Debbie Bader
I/We want to receive updates by:
Mall
Fax, #
Compuserve #
Name
Address
[ City, State, ZIP
] Please mailto: Christian Missionary Fellowship,
j P.O. Box 501020, Indianapolis, IN 46250-6020.
I