By the grace and help of God, the missionary work of our Church in Kisumu, Western Kenya, is progressing. Despite all the protective measures taken against the great ordeal that all of humanity has been going through, we were able to continue our sacred services of the Great and Holy Week and all the feasts behind closed doors with very few attendees from our diocese, following the guidelines of the State of Kenya for the protection of the faithful.
We adorned our humble Epitaph canopy with roses and visited the houses of people who had ailing family members and relatives at home or in hospital.
We visited two orphanages in remote areas of our bishopric territory and talked to the children. In fact, in one orphanage, the children sat on the grass in the area of the still unfinished church building, which stays in that condition until the right materials are found for the construction of a decent church. These children are hosted by the parish priest Fr. Theodoros and his wife presbytera).
We performed the ordinations of two Priests who will now take on their own parish so that the faithful Orthodox Christians will have their own place to attend the Divine Liturgy. Quite a few of these churches also still need a lot of work to be completed, and some of them are made of mud and zinc.
Thanks to the generous contribution of donors and benefactors, we were able to pay the salaries of our priests so that they can take care of their families themselves.
The aforementioned are only a few of the problems our Mission Church in Kisumu, Western Kenya, has to deal with. Without your continued support, things would be far more difficult.
We are striving to move forward but we never lose faith in God. We have the confidence that our prayers will not be wasted but that the blessed seeds we sow today in this far-flung land of Africa will bear fruit a hundredfold. Also, we hope in the love and interest of faithful people who truly love missionary work, so that the poor children of this corner of the world will have a better tomorrow.
Photos can only show a little part of what it means to be a part of Mission. However, by watching the lives of these fellow human beings from even closer, let alone by living close to them, one can easily understand the daily needs and concerns that a mother and a father have for their children in order to help them survive and manage to get through today and every day.
† Markos of Kisumu
