Korr: The Stories

This is a collection of some of the encouraging stories we heard or encountered during our time in Northern Kenya.

Indubayo and her cutie son Emmanuel

Indubayo

This woman became a Christian through the literacy program that is in effect for the mamas from villages surrounding the Korr area. Many of these women do not know how to read or write in their own language (Rendille) so these classes were put in place in order for them to gain this basic education. The gospel is also shared with them at these classes held under the trees in their villages. Indubayo sincerely understood the meaning of Christ's death on her behalf and this caused her to make a radical life change. 

The Evangelists!

In Rendille culture, their traditional religion is monotheistic and is similar in many ways to Judaism. One important aspect of their religion is the act of performing sacrifices in order to be cleansed from sin. They would slaughter a goat and bathe in its blood to be purified. This practice no longer sat right with Indubayo and she asked her husband if she could stop participating in it. She explained to him that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and that all of her sins have been paid for my Christ's death on the cross. Seeing a change in his wife, her husband agreed. The people in her village threatened to beat her for this, but her husband was very supportive of her decision and protected her. Indubayo has now brought her husband to church and he is learning about the Bible and Christ's love. She is so rich in faith and is now one of the women who share about Christ at the literacy classes. She and three other women are known as the "evangelists" and they rock.

Literacy Class

Indubayos's Mom

Circumcision of women is a practice in Rendille culture that occurs the night before a girl's wedding. A missionary staying in Korr really felt the Spirit lead her to hold a conference with the woman about this tradition. With many of the Rendille women in attendance, this missionary spoke, giving medical and biblical reasons against this practice. The next day of the conference Indubayo's mom shared with the rest of the group. She explained how furious she was after hearing this woman speak, how this had been a part of their culture for hundreds of years. This mom would hold down the girls are they were being circumcised, so she was very involved and for this. She went on to share that in her anger, the Holy Spirit touched her and left her feeling convicted about her part in this tradition. She realized how the lives of there girls were being harmed and no longer wished to participate. She also told the group that she would speak out against the ritual.

Ndoto

This man named Ndoto is one of the pastors at the Africa Inland Church in Korr and the missionaries that we stayed with shared his story with us.

At age 11, Ndoto and his brother were sent away from home to herd livestock because their family could no longer provide for them. One night, while they were out with the warriors tending to the animals, a lion jumped the thorn fence that was set up and instead of grabbing one of the goats, it snatched Ndoto by the torso and ran off with him! The warriors chased the lion for 2km trying to spear the creature, but all of their attempts failed. Fortunately the small dog that they kept back at their camp chased the lion as well, running inbetween its legs and barking wildly. The lion was eventually so fed up that is dropped Ndoto, took the dog, and sprinted away. Talk about man's best friend! The warriors quickly picked up and carried the bleeding boy back to their camp, desperately trying to figure out what they would do. Trucks were rarely seen in the region they were in. They had not seen a vehicle for months, yet by God's grace a truck passed by that very moment. It was able to transport Ndoto to the nearest hospital (still 7 hours away) and he lived to tell the tale. It took him months to recover and his journey back home was very difficult, but he survived the jaws of the king of the jungle! So incredible! This proves that life is a serious gift.

School Buses!

Trucks and buses

Samaritan's Purse raised money for trucks and school buses and presented them to the missionaries in Korr to use for their ministry. The school buses were a real blessing for the children and the teachers. There have been Christian schools put in place (started by these missionaries I believe) for nursery kids all the way up to secondary. A lot of the Muslim community in Korr send their children to the Christian schools since that would be their only option. When the school buses were announced to be arriving, the Muslim mamas were REJOICING! They were praising God and had such thankful hearts. 

A Giving Culture

So when my mom, three of the four evangelist women, and I were walking through the town centre (really just a middle section of a goob with families selling certain goods like sugar, flour, and pop) a Muslim women saw us and called us other. She talked with one of the evangelists and then she translated for us. The Muslim mama was saying how grateful they were for Samaritan's Purse (SP) and how now they didn't have to fear for their kids in the early morning walk to school since hyenas were out then. She and her mother gave us HUGE bear hugs and were so sweet. She then walked inside her little shop and handed us two cans of Sprite. Coming from a family with very little, I was really honoured. Who would've thought that a can of pop would mean so much. Judy (the evangelist who spoke English) told us that gifts are a big deal in Rendille culture. You never refuse a gift. 

An outdoor classroom under the shade of a tree

Their kindness was astounding. And the Christian schools here are such a good ministry to these families, as well as the work that SP, a Christian organization, is doing. 

Our time in Korr was short, but the experiences felt like they had years of depth added to them. While I was there I could barely remember what we had done the day before because each moment was jam-packed with places to go and people to meet. Every moment was an encouragement and a blessing. I'm certain that my fam can vouch for that statement. The people we met inspired us to reevaluate how we view life, love, and our faith; this is why I tell you their stories. And when lines as cheesy as that make it in my blog (I'm not a huge fan of the cheese), you've got to know that they're true! :)

Rolling across the dessert with some incredible women!