FAQ's for Kenya Missionaries

April 6, 2011

FAQ's for missionaries Steve & Alene Burgert

What are "FAQ's"? Those are the "Frequently Asked Questions" that are often posted on business websites. Let us share a few FAQ's that our friends and family have asked us, including some posed by members of our recent work team from USA.

But before the FAQ's we do want to share praises with answers to prayers:

A. Great work, fellowship, and ministry time with the 12 members of our home church in Loveland, CO these past two weeks. They served on a work team project at a nearby village to help with church office and water tank construction.

Work team at church office

Team members at a church member's home

Water tank under construction

Water tank nearly complete

B. Graduation of the 8 chaplain school students on April 2nd and over 500 joined in the graduation celebration.

Alene & Steve washed the chaplain graduate's hands as a symbol of their call to serve as they have been served.

C. Baptism of Peter, the former prisoner mentioned in the prior newsletter on April 3rd. He will start studies at the pastor's college in May.

Peter's baptism

Please join us in prayers for:

A. Our World Gospel Mission retreat at Malindi, Kenya (on the India Ocean north of Mombasa from April 7th to 11th. We will share time with the WGM Kenya missionaries and a pastor from USA. May it be a time of refreshment of body and spirit and great fellowship.

B. The Lord's direction for the next group of chaplaincy students to begin classes later this year.

OK, here are the FAQ's:

1. Do you have electricity in your home? We do have electricity in our apartment most of the time, but in February with a significant drought there was insufficient water-flow for the hydroelectric plant at Tenwek. There were frequent gaps in the electrical power provided by Kenya Power & Light and the Tenwek diesel generator power for our home (up to 12 hours at a time), but only extremely brief interruptions in power for the patient care areas at the hospital. Romantic candlelight dinners were frequent as a necessity. We are thankful for a propane gas stove and battery-operated electronics like our computer. We are thankful for recent rains here in this area of Kenya to allow the crops to grow well and prevent famine, but also for the electrical power.

2. Do you watch TV? We do not have a TV, but we do frequently watch a DVD episode from a TV series, such as "Monk," "All Creatures Great & Small," or "West Wing" on our computer monitor. For local, national and international news we keep up via the internet. We also enjoy using a satellite radio given to us by a retired missionary to listen to NPR (National Public Radio) from USA or the BBC from UK.

3. Are you threatened by wild animals where you live? Frequently we do have to watch out for cows and donkeys on the road as we walk to and from the hospital, but there are no wild animals of concern in our area. Most nights we can hear the interesting sounds of the frogs, which remind us of pop bottles clinking against each other. We give thanks for our safety.

4. Do you dream in Swahili? We had three intense months of Swahili training when we first arrived in Kenya and that has served as a great foundation for our interactions with others here. Although we do dream about our lives here in Kenya, (including struggling to say something in Swahili!), we cannot really say that we dream in Swahili.

Around Tenwek, most young and middle aged (50 and below) Kenyans speak 3 languages - their mother tongue (Kipsigis), Swahili, and English - although very few speak any of them with good grammar or according to the rules we have learned. So we have learned to do what most of them do, which is mix all three until you get your point across. There is also usually someone standing close by who knows the word that we forgot or who can translate into one of the other languages. Fortunately, everyone here is also eager to help us learn, even if they are laughing the whole time we are trying to pronounce the word we just learned. Actually we have learned that they are not so much laughing AT us as they are just so excited that a white person is trying to speak in their language that they just can't help themselves. They are truly happy when we try, and it's kind of fun to surprise them with a few bits of conversation. I have learned to say "I am trying to learn Swahili" or "...Kipsigis" and the nicest response is when they smile and say "You already KNOW!" I find I am recognizing more and more in each language, even though I don't have the time I would like to review my grammar. It wouldn't usually help anyway, because their concept of grammar is very utilitarian. Language is a tool - just grab it and use it whatever way gets the job done! When you live in a survival culture, I guess that makes sense.

5. Do you need to file income tax returns? Yes, even from Kenya, Uncle Sam wants us to file our income tax returns. In addition, we get to pay income tax here in Kenya as well!!

6. How hot does it get with your living so close to the equator? Even though we live within a couple of hundred miles of the equator the temperatures at Tenwek are very mild. The elevation of about 7,000 feet keeps the temperatures between the 50's and 80's most all the time throughout the year.

7. What do you miss most from home? Truly, Kenya has become "home" for us, but we do miss family and friends and certain foods like tossed salad. However, the thing Alene misses absolutely the most is being able to go out by herself for a walk or sit under a tree or climb one of the local hills and hide for awhile without being noticed.

Thanks for asking about our daily lives. The first year here was "finding our place" and now we struggle to "find our balance" as we have become aware of what is possible and what still needs to be done. We have been reading the mission field director's recommended book "When Helping Hurts" and praying for wisdom in how to help in ways that lead to self-sufficiency as well as wholeness (physical, emotional, spiritual). I (Alene) have experienced so much joy as "mom" and encourager to chaplain students and increasing numbers of ex-prisoners who are surfacing and are SOOO happy to have an advocate for reconciliation back to their homes and communities in a culture that has not been ready to accommodate those who have been to prison - even if they were not guilty in the first place, which is up to 50 percent of those in prison in Kenya! The churches are only just starting to agree that the mandates of Jesus apply in these cases. But it has been exciting to see Kenyan churches and pastors lay hold of this ministry and start to mobilize their members for visitation to the prisons and help for these men and women after release. To me, it clearly indicates the presence of God's Holy Spirit when you see people respond so positively to this conviction. They have expressed a sense of shame (their words, not mine) that God had to bring someone from another country or culture to make them aware of their neglect for those who are locked up and then ignored (at best) or completely rejected (sometimes with violence) when they try to come home. These are really tough situations in a culture that is so land- and community-based. Kenyans cannot just pack up and move to another town, because no one will accept you in the new place unless you are from their clan or related to one of the local village families. And certainly no one will give you or sell you any of their land for a home or farm! With education, things are slowly changing, and the youth are more mobile and globally-aware, but traditions die hard in third-world countries. I see these issues of forgiveness, healing, and peace-making as the heart of the Gospel, and in a region that has been well-evangelized, this ministry brings the reality of Christian discipleship to a deeper level.

Sometimes it is very wearing to always be the foreigner, but then I see how much joy it gives them to have you acknowledge their presence or visit their home or pray over their children or speak at their churches or attempt to speak their language or offer to help in some small way - and that it literally speaks God's presence and His remembrance to them, and I have to repent of my selfishness to want to hide from them sometimes. The feeling is natural, I know, and I don't live with any great guilt about it, but I try to focus on the blessings and overall sense of deep joy, satisfaction and yes, even "being at home" (in spite of being the foreigner) that I (we) have in being here. I can give a recent example of the way God blesses me through these times. I was driving 4 young men (ex-prisoners) and one of their moms back to their various villages after taking them all to a Bible study afternoon in Mugango, feeling a little sorry for myself as they all happily chatted in their mother-tongue oblivious to my sense of being left out and ignored as "just a driver" for the outing. As I stopped to let one of my passengers and his mom out, they noticed that one of my tires was hissing madly and quickly deflating. Suddenly my four "sons" jumped into action, one even running to the nearest town to get the correct size spanner to remove the tire nuts (somehow had been left out of the tools for our car) while the other three jacked up the car, kept local kids from climbing in and stealing my purse, and dealt with the aggressive passersby who were eager to make some money by helping the stranded white lady. I felt so protected, loved, respected, and blessed - I was so grateful and proud of them that my heart nearly burst. Those are the times when the Lord reminds me that my times of discomfort are well-compensated, and that my willingness to be the outsider is also part of what witnesses to them and leads them to love and welcome us.

Otherwise, small things like foods we miss or small inconveniences of water supply or power outages seem to be fading in importance as we settle into our "new normal" and I am thankful for this sign of truly "entering in" to our new culture and home. If anything, I am becoming more and more surprised by Kenyans' staring or curiosity - somehow I feel like I must be turning brown like them as I get to know their language and their customs and many of their villages around here, but their reactions tell me that I am still as white as ever, and now I am the one who is surprised and a little disappointed that my skin still gives me away as an outsider. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but that is what has come out, so I will leave it.

8. What has surprised you the most in caring for patients? Steve expected to see many patients with infectious disease, including those with HIV infections, and he has, but he has been very surprised to see an average of one or two patients admitted to Tenwek Hospital daily, because of ingesting poison as a suicide attempt/suicide gesture. This recurrent pattern of behavior clearly demonstrates the need for many people to know a deeper meaning to life.

9. When will you take your furlough time in USA? World Gospel Mission uses the term "Home Ministry Assignment" rather than "Furlough" to appropriately describe the time back in USA as a continuation of ministry there, re-connecting with family and friends, and further developing the support-base needed for a return to service in the mission field. We plan to return to USA in March 2012 and we pray that pledges for financial support will allow us to return to Kenya in 6 to 9 months. Typically, one year out of five is committed to Home Ministry Assignment.

10. Does World Gospel Mission send me envelopes for my on-going contributions to support your ministry? World Gospel Mission does not send out envelopes for each donation and they request that donors send their contributions directly to World Gospel Mission either by US Mail:

World Gospel Mission

PO Box 948

Marion, IN 46952

[indicate: "Acct #02273-Burgert"]

or via the internet:

www.wgm.org/burgert

and click on "Contributions"

The third option is to set up an automatic transfer of funds (electronic funds transfer) as from your checking or credit card account. Please contact us at wgm@wgm.org and on the subject line indicate: "Burgert EFT" Steve and Alene are so very grateful for your support!

11. How can I be involved in your mission service? There are many ways to partner with us in Kenya. It is great that you are taking time to read our email or paper mail updates and we greatly cherish your prayers on our behalf. Financial support has been a crucial ministry involvement making our service here possible.

Regardless of your occupation, we also encourage you to consider ways that you may want to serve in missions by checking out other opportunities through World Gospel Mission's short-term mission possibilities:

http://www.wgm.org/page.aspx?pid=1004

We are excited that the work team was able to come from Colorado to work with us here at Tenwek in March 2011 and we encourage others to let us know if they would like to visit us or serve with us here in Kenya.

All of us are called to the mission field - to share the love of Christ worldwide, including in our own backyard. Please let us know how you are answering this call, so that we can mutually encourage one another in our unique areas of service.

Loveland work team is on its way!

The Loveland, Colorado work team is on the road and soon will be in the air on their way to Kenya. Our prayers are with them on this journey and we look forward to sharing big hugs with them very soon!

Loveland, Colorado Work Team coming to Tenwek

Please share in the adventures of 12 members of our home church in Loveland, Colorado as they travel to Kenya on March 18th and 19th to join us for service, fellowship and fun! You can participate in their experiences via their blogsite with the weblink on the right column for the Loveland Work Team -

http://tenwekteam.blogspot.com/

Their 20+ bags of donated items (over 3/4 ton!) will be a huge blessing to many here in Kenya.

The villagers in Mugango are looking forward to the team's assistance in the work projects at their church.

We pray for special blessings on their travels and their service here in Kenya.

Safari njema! ( Swahili for "Bon voyage!")

December 2010 Newsletter

Steve & Alene Burgert - Missionaries with Tenwek Hospital in Kenya

Psalm 121:8 -Coming & Going Newsletter - December 2010

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners” Isaiah 61:1

Pokee Salamu Katika Jina La Yesu! Swahili for: Receive greetings in Jesus’ name!

We pray a rich and blessed Christmas season for each of you and your families. Thank you for your love and support for us. We cherish your prayers, emails, packages, and partnership more than we could ever express. You have helped make our time in Kenya a true joy.

Visiting Jerusalem, Israel & Egypt

We joined ten others, including Rev. Jane & Brian Riecke, from our home church in Colorado (First United Methodist Church of Loveland) for a tour of the Holy Land in October. It was truly a blessing to experience the land of the Bible - to see and walk around these real places of the Old and New Testaments. It was especially moving to sing and share devotions while boating on a smooth Sea of Galilee as we remembered the stories of Jesus and His disciples on that same lake. We were also blessed to share communion near the site of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem in celebration of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins, as well as His resurrection! In addition to the sightseeing, it was wonderful to share time with our pastors and others from our home congregation. The extension of the trip into Egypt gave us a great appreciation for the rugged and desolate desert that the Israelites crossed during the exodus. (After viewing this wasteland, Steve said, “I’m sure I would have been one of those who complained to Moses!”) The Egyptian ruins of temples, tombs, and pyramids are a testimony to history measured in thousands of years and to a people searching for meaning in this life and the after-life. We give thanks for our Christian faith, and knowing the God of our past, present, and future.

Partnering with Donations On-Line

Thank you for considering partnering with us. One-time gifts or on-going support are needed for our ministry services and can now also be arranged via the internet at: http://www.wgm.org/burgert

Celebrating Our First Year in Kenya

We happily mark the completion of our first full year of service in Kenya. The reappearance of the purple blossoms of the jacaranda trees proves to us that the cycle of a year has passed. We give thanks for the Lord’s guidance and protection evidenced in so many ways. He has enabled Steve to have a great team to provide endoscopy patient care, research and physician training. Alene has used her prison chaplain background to teach and mentor chaplaincy students, as well as participate in ministry to those inside prisons and those being released. We both have felt welcomed into the community and have had opportunities to encourage and be encouraged by the faith of many Kenyans. We are amazed to look back at the many gifts of this past year and can hardly wait to see what the Lord will unveil for us in the year to come!

Esophageal Cancer Research Begins

The high incidence of cancer of the esophagus in this area is a major reason why Tenwek Hospital has such an active Endoscopy Unit. Our endoscopy team has prayed for the opportunity to help prevent this cancer, and our research project which started this month may play a key role in answering that prayer. It has been a blessing to work with a Kenyan physician, Dr. Mike Mwachiro, in performing special, detailed examinations of the esophagus to seek out early, pre-cancerous abnormalities. Subjects also complete a detailed questionnaire to help track possible causes. We also give thanks for three team members from the National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic in USA who visited Tenwek this month and greatly assisted in getting the research protocol underway.

Please pray with us:

• For the Lord’s wisdom as we start our 2nd year of service in Kenya

• For ministry opportunities for each of the eight Chaplaincy students graduating April 2011

• For preparations for the Work Team coming to Tenwek from our home church in Loveland, CO in March 2011

• For continued faithful prayer and financial support for our mission service

Please thank the Lord with us:

• For peaceful referendum in Kenya in August

• For our Colorado home sale in September

• For Steve’s good visit with his parents in Minnesota in October

• For our refreshing Holy Land trip with our Colorado church family in October

• For Dr. Tom Kettler from USA covering for the Endoscopy Unit during Steve’s absence

• For the Lord’s gracious guidance throughout our first year of service in Kenya

• For faithful partners in prayer and finances

• For safety during our many recent roadtrips

For a joyous and blessed Christmas Season!

Contributions: World Gospel Mission, 3783 East State Road 18, PO Box 948, Marion IN 46952 (account 02273-Burgert)

Ministry to Ex-Prisoner - Peter's Story

Peter Kipngeno was a very dangerous guy, and the whole village knew it.

Even the radio station was warning everyone in Bomet, Kenya to watch out for him. The local police were so eager to catch him that they even jailed his mother for 2 months, insisting that she must have had some part in his criminal activity, and hoping to flush Peter out of hiding. As a strong Christian, she believed that God had a different plan for her son’s life, and committed herself to pray every day for his change of heart. When Peter was finally caught and sentenced, he survived inside the walls with more illegal activities – smuggling cigarettes and other contraband into the prison and then selling them to other inmates.

But committed prayer changes things, and one day Peter’s world was turned upside down.

We had come to Peter’s prison with a group of chaplains-in-training from Tenwek Hospital near Bomet, and we were sharing with the men and about God’s love shown through His son, Jesus. Suddenly, this tall inmate shot up from the plastic barrel on which he was sitting and declared loudly, “I NEED TO REPENT!” He proceeded to confess some of his crimes, including the theft of a significant sum of money from a church in Bomet. Our team prayed over him and others who had asked God to change their hearts that day, and we departed with hope that this man’s transformation was genuine and that he would be mentored in his new faith.

Four weeks later the chaplain from Peter’s prison called us to let us know that the man who had come forward so eagerly during our visit was being released the next day and asked if we could assist him in returning to his village home in Bomet. With the help of some local pastors who knew Peter’s family, we drove him to his home where his mother, siblings, and neighbors were waiting for him after almost 8 years. The homecoming proceeded under the shade of a tree near their mud-walled home, with formal greetings by elders from the community, as well as inebriated cheers from several of Peter’s old friends who had come to join the celebration.

Peter's emotional reunion with his mother

Sharing his story with family & friends

After sitting quietly through all the speeches and emotional welcomes, Peter stood and addressed us. “I have changed” he said in his quiet Kipsigis language, “and I am never going back. I have repented and given my life to Jesus Christ.” Peter shared that the day we had visited the prison, the barrel on which he had been sitting began to burn so hotly that he thought it was literally on fire, making him jump from his seat. He said that “in a flash” the Lord had shown him all the terrible mistakes of his past and his need for forgiveness, and he had been moved to respond. Peter now turned to his intoxicated buddies and spoke frankly: “And to my friends who are here today – when you are drunk, don’t come to my house. I am finished with that life.” Standing there with a brand new baseball cap in his hand, Peter closed his eyes and sang his thanks and praise to God, his once-broken-but-now-healed heart pouring itself out in the kind of grateful freedom that only a liberated prisoner could express.

Community support has continued for Peter and his family through visits, mentoring by local pastors, and more practical help for his new life from friends, neighbors, and church members. Prison training in carpentry has enabled him to build his own modest 2-room house, with help from others to get lumber for the walls and iron sheets for the roof. The first Sunday after his release, he returned to the Bomet church from which he had stolen money and asked their forgiveness, sharing the story of how God’s mercy had changed him and bringing many to tears. That church is now preparing him as a baptism candidate. Additional evidence of Peter’s conversion came through a visit to his father to confess a long-held bitterness and seek the father’s forgiveness, opening the door for their reconciliation.

Peter's house under construction

Peter with his Bible and a new suit

Peter also joined the same team of chaplains for a return visit to his astonished former prisonmates. He speaks their language as only an ex-prisoner can, and gives them real hope that another life is possible. He has stated that his goal is to become a pastor. “I just want to teach God’s Word,” he tells us, and he shares his firsthand experience of its power to change a life with anyone who will listen. He comes from a poor family and has no money of his own, but he is trusting God and working hard to save for Bible college and a future family.

The life-changing effect of Christ’s love and forgiveness in Peter’s life would be hard to believe without the witnesses who can verify his criminal history. We, too, have been changed and encouraged by knowing him and watching his story unfold. Whether our prisons have been literal or spiritual, Peter is walking proof of the Jesus who came “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (Isaiah 61:1)

If you have already been set free by this Jesus, sing a song of freedom to someone still in chains. Reach out to someone who needs a welcome into your community or assistance for a fresh start. If you don’t know Jesus the chain-breaker yet, let Peter’s rescue encourage you. Peter would gladly tell you the Good News himself if he could.

Submitted by Alene Burgert, WGM Missionary to Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya, November 2010.

Comings & Goings - Minnesota, Holy Land, Budget in the Millions, Post-prison ministry

October 11, 2010

Burgert's Coming & Going - We are excited to share much with you:

Steve had a safe journey to Minnesota with frequent flyer miles to share time with his parents. It was a great opportunity for him to see how they are doing and for them to see that all is well with Steve. Steve was able to share an update on our mission service at his parents retirement apartment complex as well as at the First Presbyterian Church in Rochester, which is the church of Steve's first 26 years. Thanks to a fellow missionary family, the Byers', who loaned Steve a car to use. We talked about the things we have - they are "God owned - personally operated!" Yes, Steve was able to switch back to driving on the "right" side of the road while in the USA!

We both leave for Israel on October 12, 2010. We are delighted to join ten others from our home church in Loveland, Colorado, First United Methodist Church, including our pastors, Rev. Jane and Rev. Brian Riecke, on this Holy Land Tour of Israel and Egypt. We are looking forward to this investment of personal funds to be an inspiration in our faith journeys and also an opportunity to reflect as we conclude our first full year of missionary service in Kenya and look toward the year to come. Thank you for your prayers for a safe and blessed journey.

Alene has been pleased to assist two men recently released from prison as they have been welcomed back into their communities and look forward to sharing the love of Christ with others. The photo shows Peter (the tallest one) as he literally is building his home. Alene will share more details about the Lord's miraculous design in the lives of these men.

Steve has proposed a budget in the millions....well, millions of Kenya Shillings! The Tenwek Endoscopy Unit budget has been previously included in the Surgery Department budget and this is the first time it is being submitted as a separate budget. Steve has new appreciation for all of those who have developed budgets in the past. We pray for wisdom in future planning and for available funds and for each area of service.

We rejoice as we look back on this first year and look toward the year to come!

Please note: The blog is updated with photos from our August safari.

http://picasaweb.google.com/slburgert

We remember Psalm 121:8 - "The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

SHALOM!

Our House is SOLD! PRAISE GOD!

September 10, 2010

PRAISE GOD - OUR HOUSE IS SOLD!

We give thanks to the Lord as expressed in Psalm 100: 4-5

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

We are delighted to share the great news that our house sale was finalized with the closing today! It truly is an answer to the prayers of many and we thank all for their faithful prayers for the house sale. We also want to acknowledge and thank all who helped in other ways to make this possible. The service of many has helped to make our mission service in Kenya possible.

Specifically, we thank: our neighbors, Bob and Chris Sprague and their family, who have faithfully cared for our home during our time away and have already served as great ambassadors to the new homeowners; Steve's brother, Mark Burgert, who diligently attended to the closing transaction details long-distance; our neighbors, Chuck and Inge Bentz, who have been storing some of our remaining belongings; our real estate agent from Group, Kim Summitt, and others involved in the house-closing details; and the many members of our home church First United Methodist Church - Loveland, who helped us pack up, move, and prepare our home for sale.

Previously in our blog on October 25, 2009 we shared how we had many signs that our transition to being missionaries was "getting real." Today's home sale adds a new level of reality to our calling as missionaries. We again praise the Lord for His goodness and we thank all of you who have partnered with us. --Steve & Alene