One of the first nights we were here a group came down from Kalacha – another mission station about 3-4 hours from here – to learn more about the literacy program Nick & Lynne started in Korr. Lynne figured that there’s no one better to hear from about how the literacy program can bring people to Christ than from someone who actually accepted Christ through the literacy program, so we trekked to a goob just outside of Korr to visit Nariyo.
Nariyo is a woman here in Korr that LOVES the Lord. I say that in capital letters because I have never met anyone who exemplifies Christ in every single one of her actions like Nariyo does. She is a passionate, humble, ardent follower of Jesus – she spends her time trekking out to many of the goobs surrounding Korr with other Rendille believers to share the Gospel and try to explain to the Rendille just how knowing Christ has completely changed her life.
We came upon Nariyo’s goob in Grant & Loki’s Land Rover at dusk – 9-10 people packed in to a 7 seat vehicle (you know, the African way). We parked the van and trekked across the lugga (a dried riverbed) to enter the goob so the Kalacha people could meet Nariyo. A group of wazungu can attract quite a crowd, so we decided to move outside the goob to talk to Nariyo; it was quickly decided that the lugga would be the best place to talk.
As the sun set, the stars came out in the sky and with a cool breeze at our backs, we listened to Nariyo speak with such passion and conviction of how the literacy program had led her to know the Lord and how much of a difference it made in her life. I couldn’t understand a WORD she was saying in Rendille – Nick was translating for the rest of us - but I clearly understood the message she was conveying to Nick.
Jesus saves.
Being here with the Rendille makes me feel like I’m back in the Old Testament. The Rendille still make sacrifices to their god; they refuse to eat many animals because they are ‘unclean.’ Many Rendille Christians are shunned by members of their families because they refuse to participate in these ritual sacrifices after they are saved. How do you explain to all of these lost people that Christ is the ultimate sacrifice?
Nariyo and I may not speak the same verbal language, but we most definitely speak the same heart language. It is a language that speaks of this understanding – that Jesus died for us so that we may truly live.
We came back to visit Nariyo a few nights ago. Her brother is very, very sick – just like many of the people are here. The drought in Kenya has completely devastated many of the Rendille – they have no food and many of their animals are dying. (The Rendille are herders – camels, goats, donkeys, etc.) To make matters worse, sickness is running rampant in Korr. A cholera epidemic came through northern Kenya earlier this year (but not Korr, praise the Lord. A HUGE answer to prayer) – one of our new students at school lost both parents and his sister to cholera this past summer.
Nariyo's brother is a new Christian. He is a Rendille warrior, and his job is to herd and keep his animals safe and fed. The Rendille are one of the only tribes in northern Kenya whose land does not cross international borders - many of the tribes have "their" land in Ethiopia. It is much easier to get weapons in Ethiopia too. As a result many of these neighboring tribes use AK-47s as weapons while the Rendille only have their spears.
The Turkana raided Nariyo's brother and his fellow warriors one day when he was out in the bush. He was the only survivor. He came home and told Nariyo that he felt the bullets flying by all around him, but none hit him. Nariyo told him that it was because she prayed for his safety. Her brother was so perplexed and confused by this statement that he went out into the bush and sat for two days. Two days! At the end of the second day he came back and said to Nariyo, "You must tell me more about your God."
It is this same brother who is now very, very sick. Out here, being sick is not a good thing at all. There is no hospital in Korr – just a small dispensary run by the Catholics. Nick & Lynne have been sending their car on medical runs nearly every day these past week – people here are desperate for medical attention and they have almost no access to it. We heard the dispensary has seen over 150 people this past week- that is an enormous amount of people to be seen when there is not much medicine that can be given to them.
Please pray for the Rendille. There are tentative plans in the works to build a hospital in Korr, but it will take years before it is possible – if funding even comes through. It is heartbreaking to see so many people sick with diseases and ailments that are treatable – that is, if they had adequate medical attention. Fuel costs are sky high up here and Nick & Lynne cannot afford to pay out of their own pockets the cost it takes to get these people adequate medical attention, but they do it anyway because if they don’t these people will die. There is essentially no government up here in the north – minimal funding ever makes it to these tribes. The people here are more scared of the police and the government – the ones who are supposed to be protecting them – than they are of neighboring tribes they are feuding with. There is no one up here to offer care to the Rendille…no one except the church.
How do we deny health care to people? What makes us “worthy” of medical attention? We complain about sky high health care costs in the States…at least we have access to doctors, even if it is expensive. At least we have hospitals that have qualified, trained doctors and nurses who can take care of their patients. I can’t even begin to share the atrocities I’ve heard about that occur in many “reputable” African hospitals. The entire situation is completely overwhelming.
Please pray for the Rendille.
