Article from Cross Keys magazine, Winter 2006
During October Revd Mary Garbutt travelled with a group to visit our link Diocese of Bungoma in Kenya. Here she gives a taste of their great adventure:
What a privilege! To celebrate with Bishop Eliud and the Diocese of Bungoma the 10th anniversary both of being a diocese and of his consecration as bishop. The venue for the celebrations changed at the last minute from the Wycliffe Centre to the football stadium where security for the the Vice-President of Kenya and his government officials could be more easily managed.
It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day and the air was filled with excitement and celebration. Colourfully dressed choirs sang, wonderful African rhythms were played on traditional instruments, people danced and the chorus of Anipenda Mwokozi Jesu, Anipenda Mimi rang out across the stadium as we sang and worshipped God on that great occasion.
When my husband and I first planned to make another visit to Bungoma we had anticipated that we would go alone, but as word spread we were joined by six others. We didn’t know each other to begin with, but as we shared the experience of life in Bungoma together we soon became a team.
We visited over fifty churches, schools, clinics and projects. We listened to reports about the difference a link makes in churches, schools and communities, and we learned that although financial support of their projects is important, so too is the encouragement they receive from their link through letter writing and prayer. They take prayer very seriously, praying for link partners in the UK and for the Diocese of Peterborough regularly.
It was wonderful to see the progress being made in places that have a link, but sad to see that so many places are still without a link. Progress there is often painfully slow and they lack the encouragement that a link can bring.
For more information contact the Revd Mary Garbutt.
Back to Bungoma Diocese Link page. |
