March 9, 2007

Dear Special Friends and Family,

We have had many problems with our former server, (Multitechweb) here in Kitale, as well as the phone lines. It is very frustrating to send out E-mails, and they get lost in cyber space, as well as not to be able to receive E-mails. So, we have changed our server, and our new address is mpanderson@africaonline.co.ke. We will still be accessing our yahoo account at mpandersonkenya@yahoo.com, but the manderson@multitechweb.com is no longer working. So, please use mpanderson@africaonline.co.ke from now on. Also, let us know if you are getting this E-mail, so that we check to make sure that this address is working. Thanks so much.

Our computer crashed last month, so it is taking us awhile to get back on track. We had not done a good job of backing up what we had, so we have learned our lesson. So, if you have not heard from us for awhile, this is the reason. Hopefully, we are back on track now.

We are finishing a literacy school today. We have been told that 45% of the people in Kenya are illiterate, so they cannot read the Bible. Our Bible Institute students have been asking us for a long time if they could be taught how to teach literacy. They encounter so many people when they are visiting, as well as those who are attending our churches, who cannot read. So, we invited a teacher from Literacy and Evangelism in Nairobi to teach them this week, and they are really learning a lot. Lord willing, we hope to incorporate this new ministry into our community outreach programs.

Pam will be leaving tomorrow to attend a nursing conference in Nairobi for a week. There are a group of universities in Texas who work with the Southern Baptists to send out professors every other year to Kenya to teach courses in nursing to nurses and medical people who live in the continent of Africa, and even in the Middle East. These courses are very practical, as the nurses who attend learn about malaria, AIDS, how to suture, better ways of diagnosing problems, since doctors here are few, etc. The courses are so helpful for those working in third world countries. Pam enjoys meeting nurses working all over Africa, and the Middle East, where nursing is different due to the Muslim influence. Of course, nursing in Africa is also very different if one lives in a Muslim culture. She needs the continuing education units that she acquires for her registration here, as well as in West Virginia, where she is registered as a nurse, too.

Next Saturday, the 17th, we will welcome a team coming from North Carolina. There will be seven of them, and we will begin their trip here by going to the remote tribal areas of the bush for three days to do medical clinics. Some of the visitors coming are medical, so they can be of great assistance in the bush. Others will preach and teach while the clinics are going on. Pam and I are really looking forward to returning to the bush, as we have not had the opportunity to go back since last June. The helicopter ministry is closing down, as the funding stopped, and the pilot has been reassigned to Indonesia. So, we are going by a rented plane that Samaritans Purse also uses to do their remote ministries. We are praying about having a regular ministry in the bush again, as we have been asked by some missionaries who are working there to come regularly and do medical clinics. African Inland Mission (A.I.M.) is a huge organization here, and they are the ones who have an aviation part of their ministry where they fly medical and evangelism teams to remote areas to help the people spiritually and physically. We would like to go up from time to time if we could do evangelism as part of the ministry, and can find local people who receive Christ that we can disciple and train, so that the work would carry on in our absence. We plan to take one of our Bible Institute students with us, so that he can help us to disciple, and in the future, start local Baptist churches there. This is our goal, but it will take much time and training. However, we are praying about this, and desire to be used.

Thanks so much for those of you who correspond with us, and pray for us. We have had some trials lately, especially with a former church leader, but are continuing on. Thanks so much for your encouragement and support. God is working here, and we are excited about new opportunities to reach people for Christ. Please do let us hear from you if you get this E-mail, so that we will know that our messages are getting through. May our Lord richly bless each of you, and your labors for Him. We deeply appreciate your support and interest, and want you to know how privileged we are to be your representatives here in this part of God’s harvest field. We love you. Until next time…

Blessings,

Mike and Pam