The team is: Canon David Oliver, from St Thomas Montreal, Laurie-Ann from St Paul's Kanata, Pat and Dudley Baker and Kay Forsyth from St. Paul's Edmonton. All have been to Kenya before except for Kay. They will be teaching, facilitating Bible study, preaching,doing healing ministry, encouragement, and evangelism "Kenyan style"
in the Marsabit region (a extinct volcanic hill 'oasis' in the middle of the North Kenyan desert frontier). The area surrounding Marsabit is predominantly Muslim, and Laurie-Ann found that her past experience with Somalis was further preparation for working in Marsabit.
On July 17 the team will 4-wheel drive north to Sololo on the Etheopian border and conduct a mission there.
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During the 2001 mission, Laurie-Ann was asked again and again when she would teach (they needed practical teaching and they liked her style). She discovered that they could benefit from Alpha materials, so she plans to bring some with her as a gift to St. Stephen's Training Centre, the place where the team will be living and teaching.
Some specific prayer items include:
-health (water issues, getting enough sleep)
-safety (travel advisories in effect for Westerners)
-blessed relationships with the Kenyans
-open receiving hearts among the people
-for God to do something special in their midst
-travelling mercies (by air, train, bus, van and taxi)
-stretching of financial resources
-for patience (cultural differences and communication)
-for Laurie-Ann's multi-leg journey by air that will take her through Canada, the UK, Ethiopia, Kenya and Germany (concern about wayward luggage).
-for Tony while Laurie-Ann is away, and that provisions are made for Laurie-Ann's absence in Alpha, CKCU, and Anglican Renewal Ministries.
If you feel called to pray, please contact Lorna Brule at brule@igs.net, or e-mail Laurie-Ann at arm@cyberus.ca. Please pray for the list above and anything else the Lord lays on your heart. Thank you for being a part of this mission - Laurie-Ann looks forward to blessing the parish of Marsabit and the northern Kenyan Christian community.
Laurie-Ann Copple, 61 Highmont Court
Kanata ON K2T 1B2
home (613) 591-3903 / work (613) 225-4999
Report on last Marsabit trip:
http://gcuc.ncf.ca/marsabit.html
home page: www.ncf.ca/~eh202
lcopple@igs.net (office e-mail arm@cyberus.ca)
(travel e-mail - kenya_annie@hotmail.com)
SOMA's address is:
SOMA Canada, 395 Queensway St W., Simcoe ON., N3Y 2N4.
Toll free (877) 339-7662. E-mail soma@nornet.on.ca
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Kenya is 8 hours ahead
of Ottawa time (EST)
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Messages received (don't expect many!)
6 July: Phone message from Heathrow, prior to boarding Kenya flight.
8 July: From: Laurie-Ann Copple[SMTP:kenya_annie@hotmail.com]
Sent: July 8, 2003 3:35 AM
To: Copple, Tony; brule@igs.net; carolzachar@hotmail.com
Subject: having trouble sending e-mail from Nairobi - only message
Hi Tony
I have spent 45 minutes just trying to get this message out. I can't get
the list to work - the computer keeps crashing Please pass on message to St. Pauls and to SOMA (and Roger/Morris).
So far, so good. I haven't seen Tom yet, but I have met with Pat, Dudley
and Kay. One of the priests that we worked with last time is now a bishop!
That is William, Naomi's husband. He needs to raise funds to buy a flat in
Nairobi so the rent can be used to help clergy up north. There is no money to pay them and people are even poorer than before up there - its not good.
They haven't been able to reach David Oliver - they had to ask me when the mission is starting - good thing I had that info on hand Much prayer is
needed (Lorna, you know what to do. Please contact Pat Horsey for me too.)
Tony I forgot to bring your picture, but I can say I do clearly remember the
last look on your face as you were walking away from me at the airport.
Also the Air Canada agent in Ottawa mistakenly threw out my flight coupon for London - Addis Ababa. That was a close call. I was nearly stuck.
I don't know if I will be online again since this is the slowest it has ever
been. Please tell Jeannine that her melatonin is helping although I am
still really tired.
I'm off to visit Alpha Kenya now if I can find it. Otherwise I have enough
materials. Pray hard!
I love you Tony. Mum says hi. Mom sorry I couldn't send you your own
message. Lorna, here's a big hug.
Love,
Laurie-Ann
July 8, 2003 3:35 AM
Dear Tony,
I tried to e-mail you earlier but had trouble with the isp at one of the cyber cafes. Dee kindly offered to send you an e-mail on my behalf.
I had a good visit with Alpha Kenya, although Gathoni is still in London. Alpha is especially doing well in prisons here and I was told 250 people have come to the Lord in the past few months.
I haven't seen Tom Otieno yet, but I did see William, Naomi's husband .... he is here in Nairobi and is now an assistant bishop over the Marsabit region.
I hope to find a better internet cafe (have been told Wimpy is faster).
Much love -
Laurie-Ann
July 23
Hi Tony, Mom and Lorna
The mission was a success although we did not go to Sololo - there is a war
up there - landmines, grenades and the like. I am now in Nairobi and David
has left for Mauritius. I leave today.
Tony could you reconfirm my Air Canada flight from Frankfurt to Toronto - its
on July 24, at 10:50 am - Flight 877 - its a charter and I can't reach them
from here. The number for Air Canada is 1-888-247-2262.
Alpha Kenya had a meeting with me, and Gathoni met Sally at the International
week in London. They now have approval for the KiSwahili manuals and Questions
of Life. Apparently everyone in that office is volunteer, and the space is
loaned by a private business.
My talks went well, and on my birthday I was asked to give a talk on the second
coming of Jesus to the women. Since we didn't go to Sololo, we did extra mission
and had rest in Marsabit and got to know the people better. I only was ill
one day - something like the flu, and I'm not reacting well to the malaria medication.
It makes me see fireflies at night.
I may try to telephone you if I can figure out how to work the Canada Direct
system here - not sure if they have touch tone. You may be quite happy Tony,
I did not buy any drums... just tea, and macadamia nuts.... and a small gift
for you.
I also got to lead a man to the Lord who didn't speak English. I asked the
local priest to follow that one up.
Well, I should go for now... I need to be back up at the guest house so they
can take me to the airport.
Lorna, please pass on my thanks to our group. I will see if I am awake enough
for our meeting on Friday!
Love to you all
Laurie-Ann
July 27 - from back home in Ottawa
Hello everyone
Thank you so much for praying. I tried to e-mail you all while in Nairobi,
but Jambonet was horribly slow and crashed the computer I was using.
The mission was different than we expected, but that isn't unusual.
I had some travelling hiccups - the Air Canada person who took my flight
coupons took the one for London - Addis Ababa as well. That caused a stir
in London! Air Ethiopia was interesting, but they were friendly enough.
We were in for a treat in Nairobi - they have renovated the ACK guesthouse
and it was really nice, each room had its own shower and toilet instead of
having to walk down the hall. There was a house of bishops when we arrived
and the head honcho priest of Marsabit became an assistant bishop (and
more).
We arrived in Marsabit to find some changes - they are almost finished
building their new church (the old one was built in 1931), they have a new
dining hall, and there were some pretty eager priests, Church Army, other
evangelists and Mother's Union to take part in the sessions and discussions.
Everyone did very well with their talks. Originally Tom Otieno, the youth
pastor at All Saints Cathedral Nairobi wanted to join us, but there was no
room on the MAF flights, so we had to work just a little bit harder... and
David had most of the preaching sessions (I had one, but I'm more of a
teacher).
We had a fair amount of healing prayer ministry, although it was not intense
like last time. This mission was much more gentle, with more time for
relationship building with the leaders like local deacon Elizabeth,
Archdeacon Abraham, etc.
The part of our mission that was to go to Sololo was cancelled. I was
advised by a friend that something was going on up there that wasn't safe.
We found out it had to do with landmines, grenades, rooting out sympathizers
of the OLA, etc. David didn't like this at all, for safety's sake. Sololo
parish was extremely disappointed, but they understood this caution. So the
mission changed.
On the 17th I was invited to speak at the women's group on the return of
Jesus (it went well), on the 19th, we went to a girl's school and we all
spoke as a team. We had intended to go to schools in the Segonte area on
the 18th, but this was the day that Archdeacon Abraham's wife Naomi lost her
baby - it was a stillborn delivery. Please keep them in prayer - this has
happened three times, and is not easy for them.
On the 20th, we drove north into the desert to Bubisa parish - with the
Gabbra people. Matthew (Mateo), a priest with a great big smile, amazing
percussion ability and a big heart is the pastor of this parish. We were
made welcome and the children's choir melted our hearts.
We were half invited to come back to do Sololo and Moyale at the border on
another mission - but the idea also came up of a cross-Africa misison of
Marsabit leaders with SOMA Canada to an area of the Congo... We will see
what doors God will open up.
Meanwhile I gave Alpha materials to the Marsabit and Moyale parishes, and
connected with Alpha Kenya. Alpha is doing well in their prisons but the
course hadn't pushed out of Nairobi yet, until I took those materials up
north ... so they were pretty happy that I was called to come alongside them
to push this...
Now that I'm back, I'm doing catchup work in the Anglican Renewal Ministries
office, and then I'm off as an Alpha advisor and the prayer team for the
Toronto Alpha conference. Please pray that this goes well. Tony (my
husband) has been incredibly busy with the Ottawa Alpha initiative... and it
is going forward, but also needs prayer.
Love to you all
Laurie-Ann
PS The Marsabit people think I look Somali in my African clothes. Since I
used to work with Somalis, I had no trouble with this...
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