Omusu Magero into the priesthood. (Notice the use of three names. That is
because the third name means “son of …,” whereas what we think of as the last
name is found in the second place. This is why they will sometimes use one
or the other depending upon circumstances. It’s very confusing for our data
base!)
They had been trained by our Bryn Athyn College Theological School,
both by distance learning and by the Revs. Lou Synnestvedt and Grant Odhner
making several trips there.
Fred continues to teach in their elementary school. Emanuel and George
also teach in the school, in addition to preaching responsibilities. Samson told
me that he had prepared a few people by instruction for baptism during the
service. I was a bit taken aback when 30 people came forward, most of whom
were adults!
Also during the service I recognized Nehemiah Manyara Gwonda as a lay
leader in the congregation. Nehemiah is a wise old gentleman who provides
tremendous support for Samson and the congregation. (Samson enjoys
quoting: “Where there are old men, there will be no trouble.”) Needless to say,
it was a rather lengthy service!
There are now three congregations in Kenya: Etora with Samson as pastor;
Kiagware, about a 45-minute drive away, with George as pastor; and the Masaai
group which Emanuel visits regularly. Fred is working with a small group in
Kuria in the far southwest corner of the country near Lake Victoria. He is
helping it develop and hopes to move there as resident pastor in the future.
When I first visited in 2009, the Etora school had about 80 students
and went up to the fourth grade. It was meeting in a fragile mud-and-stick
building. Now, there are more than 240 students. (Those in classes any day
vary because children periodically need to work on the family farms.) After
graduating from the eighth grade students move on to resident high schools
in the surrounding area.
There were celebrations in the school because the most recent standardized
student test scores had again placed them at the top of the 60 elementary
schools in the area. This is especially amazing considering the number of
orphans enrolled with very limited education background, and their physical
facility.
The school building is under construction, with only half of it under roof.
The students are crowded into four classrooms with challenging noise levels.
(When the roof is completed Samson expects more students to enroll.) But the
teachers are dedicated, starting classes with worship at 7 a.m. daily. They even
volunteer several hours on the weekends to help students catch up, who had
no previous formal education.
A number of the teachers have joined the New Church and they want
to use all the New Church curriculum that General Church Education can
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