David Silcox, director of Ministerial Services in the United Kingdom, and his wife, Nancy, visited Dubai, Kenya and Uganda Nov. 23 to Dec. 2. The following is a report of their trip.
By David and Nancy Silcox
We arrived in Dubai Nov. 23 during a spectacular thunderstorm. The rains came in the night, and by morning the streets were flooded.
That evening we met in our apartment with the WCG group in Dubai. About a dozen people, mostly Filipinos, conduct a regular weekly service with a taped sermon. They sing hymns to guitar accompaniment and take turns to open and close in prayer.
In Filipino fashion their meetings include a meal, so we had a takeaway meal delivered to our apartment to precede the service.
They are reading books on small groups for ideas of what to incorporate into their meetings to make them more meaningful, helpful and worshipful.
We then flew to Nairobi, Kenya. After touring Nairobi and seeing the church office, we enjoyed an American-style Thanksgiving at the home of James and Shirley Henderson.
James and Shirley have three children, Simone, Gavin and Fraser. James is superintendent of African missions and travels all over Africa, helping to guide WCG congregations.
On Friday, Nov. 27, we set out early through western Kenya en route to Tororo, Uganda. We crossed the equator to spend that night near the Ugandan border.
We crossed into Uganda in the morning to find the school where the church was to meet. When we arrived only a few brethren were there, but they kept coming as long as we were there.
These zealous people had traveled many miles, with their small children, often on foot, to meet with us. About 69 were present when services ended.
None of the Ugandan members have electricity or running water. What they would appreciate most is Bibles, some in Swahili for parts of Kenya and Tanzania.
Afterward the women prepared a meal. We left sadly, wishing we could spend more time sharing with these exemplary brethren.
The next morning, in Kitale, Kenya, we picked up John Amadala, the pastor for western Kenya, and his wife, Jennifer.
We went to a farm in the Cherangani Hills where a number of people, including the leaders of other church groups, met us.
These groups want to affiliate with us and meet for instruction and fellowship. We learned that many groups in Africa grew from receiving the magazine, booklets and Bible correspondence course, which they used in their meetings.
When these were no longer available, they began to look for the source, the WCG, and greatly desire instruction and material to use in their services.
We conducted worship services, with a lengthy question and answer session after the sermon.
We spent only five days in Kenya and Uganda, and we are eager to return to help them in their quest to serve God by guiding more and more people to him.
It was a rewarding experience in a country where the harvest is truly plenteous but the laborers few.
Jan. 27, 1998, WN, page 9
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