Today James Naakwa came to the house. I recognized him immediately, he was one of the vo tec students I helped teach electrical theory to back in 2011.
He’s done well at a Diguna mission run school near Eldoret for the last year. He hopes to start working towards an electrical technicians degree this year.
I can totally see the joy teachers must feel when students come back with bright futures and high appreciation.
For his last exam they had to wire a house. When the examiner checked it, everything worked. His next exam will be over winding motors among other things. “I’m understanding all of these things. It’s not like when you first found me and I was so much in darkness!”
I smiled thinking of how I struggled to explain AC to these guys who had never seen a sine wave, and only dealt with flashlights and radios all their lives.
James said “You know, we don’t have a choice, at Diguna they told us we must take a computer class. So I learned, but now at home there is no way for me to practice. I’m forgetting everything!”
I laughed and asked him if his mother even knew what a computer was.
James smiled, then slowly said “You know … My mother doesn’t even know Swahili.”
I asked him if he would help the church when he finishes this training. One of the things he liked about the Diguna training was the teaching they give them on the Bible. I encouraged him to get together with another missionary here who is training guys in small groups as disciples.
Tomorrow he hopefully starts an attachment (internship) with Kenya Power and Light! When he figures out his schedule, he’s eager to start the discipleship classes.
I’m eager to see how God will use him.
On another note, one of the local pastors in the village of Locherikal (there’s about 6 Turkana villages inside Loki) was put on church discipline today for 3 years. He married his wife years ago in the church.
Turkana culture, however, does not recognize that because he did not slaughter a bull and invite the family to a wedding ceremony. By custom, they don’t recognize his children as truly his, and instead belong to his inlaws.
Unfortunately, the inlaws want the kids to herd their animals, but pastor Francis wants them to go to school. So he performed the traditional ceremony to keep his kids. And now he’s been removed as a pastor here for the next 3 years.
Frustration abounds in the clash of cultures. Keep Francis and his family in your prayers.
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