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Eric, Melodie, & Megan Peny

MINISTRY WITH THE NAROK CHURCH and

LITERACY WORK AMONG THE
MAASAI TRIBE OF KENYA

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Box 110 Narok, Kenya EastAirica

E-mail: Emelperiy@maf.org

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THE PERRY POST

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April 1998

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A WEEK IN THE LIFE ...

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We often receive requests from our supporters to

"tell us what an average week is like...." This is not
an easy task! We have learned to expect delays and
detours in everyday life here. We rarely experience
a completely average week, but there are some
ministry activities that happen fairly regularly! As
our prayer partners, we wanted to give you a

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clearer idea of what we do day-to-day. We hope

this will serve as a guide and reminder as you pray
for us. You can even use it to pray for activities as
they are taking place (or, if you prefer to do your
praying in waking hours, just before or near to

when they happen! Remember, we are 11 hours

ahead of Pacific Standard time!).

SUNDAY (in YAsw2k\\\,Jumapilt)

MONDAY ijumatatti)

It is just after noon, and the children are getting

restless... many of them have been at the church for
well over an hour already. Thirty wiggly little bodies

are waiting for the word from the worship teadeils

After the flurr)' ol activit)' on Sunday, the Perrys are

all ver)' ready for a down time (which is a 90's way
of saying sabbath). Whenever we can, we try to
make Monday our sabbath. We usually don't go

that it is time for the "children to go up the hill to

into Narok or do any big tasks on this day. We use

Sunday School." It is a virtual stampede when tlie

the time for reading, catching up on correspond

ence. praying, and spending time as a family. Some
times you'll find Eric and Megan down at the

announcement comes. As we in the congrcgatioii

stand and sing a chorus in Swahili, children rangjing

in ages from two to 12 climb the rocky hill to the
two-room Sunday School wing.

basketball court, where Dad patiently teaches the

finer points ofshooting hoops. Monday usually

goes by much too quickly!

After the children are gone, the adults move up!

toward the front of the building. We take
advantage of the relative quiet to share commurt-

ion and hear a sermon (sometimes only in Swaliili,

sometimes translated from English). We pray for

those who are sick, need encouragement, and fa|ce

tough decisions. We worship the Lord in song.
Once you have been here for a while, you don't ,

notice that the service consistently runs three hoijrs

Please pray that we can oftenfind a sabbath rest

on Mondays. Pray that ourfamily rvill have time
to rest and relax together as we anticipate a busy
week. Please also prayfor Eric and me as parents,
that we ivill have patience, wisdom, and much
laughter as we spend time with Megan.

TUESDAY(Jumanne)
We are both around home on Tuesday mornings, so

or that three languages are often used. You don't

we take turns watching Megan and doing some of the

even notice when the Islamic muezin from the |

household and office chores. On Tuesday afternoons,

nearby mosque begins his call to prayer over a

loudspeaker at 1 p.m.: "there in no God but

Megan grabs her cup of water and her ball, says a

loud "bye-bye," and runs straight to Josephine, our

Allah...." You are too busy worshiping the One True

houseworker.

Ok Sundays,please pray with usfor the Body of

Christ that meets in Narok fi-om the children

I spend the afternoon in the office: doing finances,

writing business letters, working on Maasai literacy
materials, sketching out notes for a women's Bible
study. For Eric, the time is used for study and

God with His people.

who wriggle in worship to the adults who struggle

to grow. Prayfor the leadership to grow in wisdom,
example, and enthusiasm.

strategy: talks with teammates about ministry

plans, writing out notes for a village teaching visit,

doing a grammar lesson in Swahili, or catching up
on ministry reading.
Ow Tuesdays,please prayfor the crucial(but
not-always-excitingl) office work that needs to be
done. Many ofthese tasks are those that help keep
us in touch with and accountable to our team and

supporters. Pray alsofor the preparation that takes

placefor teaching and outreach, that the Lord will

give us the words and direction neededfor weekly
ministry. And,prayfor the literacy student testing
I will be doing throtighout the year.

Some ofthe many wriggly bodies in Maasailand.\

WEDNESDAY (Jumatano)

THURSDAY(Alhamisi)

Narok is much like a bustling frontier town of the

Lillian (wife ofJohn Saitei, the Narok church's

Old West filled with dusty travelers, traders, and

minister) and I both try to huddle under the same

umbrella while walking along a narrow, muddy
path. "Don'tget too close to that bush,"she warns
me, and I glance down to see a thriving stinging
nettle plant! The rains have been extraordinary this
year, and the Narok River is running swift and

quite a few "watering" holes. Cows and goats often

block traffic, and public transport vehicles crowd
the streets.

Eric navigates his piki (motorcycle) through Narok

town and up a steep hill to the church most
Wednesday afternoons. There, in a shack made of

off-cut boards, Eric meets with one of the young

muddy near the trail. Lillian holds our Bibles and

songbooks safe from the rain in a green plastic bag.

Picking our way among the rocks and puddles, our

men from the Narok church, Charles Odhiambo.

progress to Mar)''s house is slow. Fortunately, we

Together, they investigate everything from the role

ofspiritual gifts in the church to exactly how

are on "Africa time," which means that tea and a

warm welcome will be waiting whenever we arrive.

"... through the church, the manifold wisdom ofGod

should be made known to the rulers and authorities

in heavenly realms.... "Epheslans 3:10(They are

willing to take suggestions on this one!) They pray
for each other and for the church. As they look

Mary is glad to see us, amazed that we have come

to her place in the rain. We settle on benches

around her heater and cooking fire a small metal

over Narok and into their own hearts, there is

jiko. Lillian pulls out the songbooks, and we sing

together with nguvu (gusto), our voices praising

much to pray about! Pray that Eric and CharUs

God over the sound of rain on the tin roof. We

can encourage and strengthen each other, and that

drink tea and Lillian gives a short devotion. Most

Charles will continue in God's energy and

of the conversation is in Maasai, for which I am

direction.

thankful. As we prepare to head back to town, we

ask Mary for her prayer requests and praises. The
list is long and comes from her heart. Sickness,
financial needs, answer to prayers, her children,
and grandchildren.... We spend a long while in
prayer with her. God hears, God cares, God loves
you, God is faithful ... the pattern of the rain on

Wednesday at 5 p.m. is fellowship time. People

from the Narok church gather to sing, hear
Scripture, pray, and in short to renew strength
in the middle of a typically strenuous week.
Recently, the prayer time has been centered on the

needs of the youth of the church. Pray that God

will build up the Body ofChrist in Narok during
thefellowship aridprayer on Wednesdays. Pray

abo that God will call and equip peoplefrom our

congregation to encourage and teach our youth.

the roof echoes our words.

A few minutes later we are back on the trail,

accompanied by Mary (it is Kenyan tradition to

walk part of the way back with visitors). I am

reluctant to leave Mary's simple home, because it is

warm, because it is a shelter, and because we met
with the Lord there.

On Thursdays,please prayforJohn Saitet and

Eric, Lillian and me as we vbit different people
from the Narok congregation. Prayfor the healing
encouraging, challenging, and blessing work ofGod
in His people. Prayfor those in Narok who do not

yet know Jesus in their lives, andfor those who are

striving tofollow Him.

Eric becomes "Piki Man"on Wednesdays!

SATURDAY Oumamosi)

FRIDAY(Jumaa)
There are over 20 small CMF congregations strewn
along the Mau escarpment, a strip of land that rises
over 4,000 feet above the plains of Narok. Many
Fridays, Eric can be found among the Ildamat
Maasai who live in this cool, fertile area of cedar
trees and wheat fields.

Lillian's daughter Grace runs to greet us as our

truck pulls up to the gate. People from the nearby

slum gather around a standpipe, filling plastic
water containers. Several youth talk and laugh on
the steps to the Sunday School building, waiting
for choir practice. John and Eric head to the
church office to discuss sermon plans. Down the

One recent Friday, Eric and John Saitet traveled

over four hours to meet with elders in a remote

hill a little, at the entrance to the church building,

I see the colorful headscarves and hear singing as

church. The actual building stood at the end of a

the women gather to clean the church and have a

rutted track in the middle of a field. Eric now '

fellowship over tea. This is a Saturday at the Narok

church a time of planned meetings and casual
conversations, a time of laughter and prayer, a
reminder of God's presence with those who love

states that he has been to the end of the earth! ,

"Can a widow remarry?" "Teach us more about

giving.""How can we share the Gospel with young
people?""We need help to put a roofon our church
building." "People in our church are angry with each
Sometimes it is just as difficult to find peace
and understanding over church issues as it is to ,
travel to the buildings where they meet.

Please prayfor the believers among the Ildamat i

Maasai. Prayfor maturity and unity among church

leaders. Prayfor Eric as he teaches, confronts, and

Him.

Give thanks with usfor the people ofthe

Narok church! Our time ofservice with the church

at Narok will end early in 7999. Ph>/t<f pmynutU

us that God will make Hispeople ip N/trnk rp/idy

ofthis year. Over the coming months,pray par

ticularlyforJohn and Lillian Saitet and the
church leadership.

encourages these churches.

Thank you for praying!

E'UC, iTlelecU'^
Eric, Melodic, and Megan Perry

r
Eric andJohn Saitet teaching leadership lessons at
Oletukat, one ofthe churches among the Ildamat
Maasai.

Every day includesfun time with Megan!

Eric,Melodic,& Megan Perry

MINISTRY WITH THE NAROK CHURCH and
LITERACY WORK AMONG THE
MAASAI TRIBE OF KENYA

P.O. Box 501020

Indianapolis,IN 46250-6020

E-mail: Emeiperry@maf.org

THE PERRY POST

CMF INTERNATIONAL Prayer Newsletter

August 1998

Ministry "Vital Signs" Everywhere!

Each Tuesday afternoon, several young women
close the doors to their places of work or homes and
gather together at the Narok Church. This fellowship
group was organized by the women themselves when
they recognized their need for growth in God's
Word, prayer, and encouragement in their lives ...
Recently, when Eric had to be away for other
responsibilities, the elders and minister of the Narok
Church went ahead with their regular meeting
without him. They have made plans for the growth
of the church and use of the property on their own ...
In remote villages, Maasai men and women continue
to struggle through the difficult task of learning to
read and write in their heart language. Committed
literacy teachers are encouraging and training

As we look around at the changes taking

place within our ministries, we have a
mixture of responses: joy at how the Lord is
answering prayers for strong believers and a
mature church ... a sense of completion as
we see our specific tasks within the Narok
Church and Maasai literacy being taken on
by nationals ... and an increased need for
prayer as our hands-on work becomes less
and we encourage our Kenyan brothers and
sisters in leadership and in their walks of
faith. Please praise God and pray with us
in ministry!

Megan to Receive Competition!

readers in their own communities so that local

Maasai churches can grow in God's Word.

The signs say that the things we have been working
and praying towardfor the pastfour years are

happening! God's people in Narok and in

Maasailand are taking on the work of His Church;
they are growing, maturing, and reaching out. We
are no longer central to the work in literacy or to the
role of the Narok Church in its community. Though
it is sometimes an unsettling feeling to find we are
working ourselves out of a job, this is what all of us
have been asking of the Lord, and He has been

Changes are everywhere these days; not only in

ministry, but in our family life as well. We recently

found out that we are going to be a family of four!
Lord willing, Megan will be joined by a baby
brother or sister in early March 1999! Melodie is
doing fine and recently had the first ultrasound (a
routine practice here) with her doctor in Nairobi.
Megan has not made it clear whether she prefers a
boy or girl, but is pretty excited about "baby." We
are all filled with praise for this blessing from the
Lord! Please praise God and pray with usfor this
new baby!

abundantly faithful to answer us!

z/. -. lima

The Perryfamily is always on the move!

Megan sings in Swahili with herfriend Grace.

Margaret Wangui is an active part of the youth

group at the Narok Church and a growing Christian.

Changes Everywhere

She comes from a difficult home situation, and has

So what do all these signs and changes mean to the

worked hard to pursue an education. For the past

three years, we have been helping Margaret with her
schooling. She has just completed her second term in
a girl's boarding high school near Nairobi. Please
praise God and pray with usfor Margaret.

Perry family? Two words sum up our thoughts and

energy right now: FURLOUGH and FUTURE.
We'll be home for Christmas!
Because the new Perry baby is due in early March,
we need to return to the States by mid-December.
This will give us a chance to get settled in our
furlough housing and establish a routine before the
baby arrives. We have booked tickets and hope to
arrive home in Oregon on December 11 (a mere 14
shopping days until Christmas!). We are so excited
to see family and friends and to share the holidays
together!

?;-

We look forward to seeing many of our supporting

congregations and individuals in the new year. We
will be putting together a reporting schedule in the
next few months, so many of you will hear from us
soon. Please praise God andpray with us for the
opportunity and challenges offurlough.

Margaret writes a story on our computer.

Jackson Meing'ati, John Saitet, and Walter

We're in a time of waiting ... As we finish our

current ministry commitments in Kenya, we find
ourselves seeking God's direction for our future. We
have set aside this year to pray and seek the Lord's
specific ministry calling for our family. Please
praise the Lord with us for the opportunities we

Mwamboki are three of the men with whom we

minister. Jackson and Walter share the

administrative, logistic, and pastoral responsibilities

at the Ewaso Ng'iro Training Center where we live.
There is also a congregation of believers that meets
at the center. John is the minister at the town church

in Narok where Eric has worked for the past four

years. Please praise God andpray with us for these

servant leaders who are eager to reach their

communities for Jesus and to help Christians grow.

have had to serve at the Narok Church and in

literacy here. Praise Him for the tremendous love

and support He has provided! Please pray with us
for God's specific ministry call to be clear to us
within the next few months.

i^ach of you remains a wonderful blessing to us, and

we are so thankful for you. Thank you for praying
for us.

Eric, Melodie, and Megan

Jackson, John, and Walter take a break during a recent

youth camp at the center.

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