At home worldwide: Between joy and sorrow!

Baringo is a war zone

Alarming news has reached us from Baringo in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Rival nomadic communities are attacking each other, stealing cattle, killing villagers, and setting houses on fire. Many people are affected, also our members. Many people have fled their villages, among them 4,500 of our brothers and sisters.

There are 47 New Apostolic congregations in the area. Divine services have either been cancelled or take place only sporadically. Several villages have been completely abandoned. “Two of our congregations, Kasiela and Sinoni, have been closed, because our members have fled the area,” the responsible Apostle Zacharia Kinyanjui says. Many people have been reported missing. Attempts are being made to trace them with the help of relatives. “Children, women, the elderly, and the sick are most affected by the conflicts in terms of displacement, trauma of loss, and human rights violations,” the Apostle says. Children can no longer go to school, many don’t have enough to eat, and there is a danger of malnutrition. In the areas that are most severely affected, all the health facilities have been closed as well as all shops. Most of the displaced people have sought refuge in the bush, where they have to deal with rain, cold, mosquitoes, and snake bites.

Much effort has been put into finding a lasting solution, spearheaded by the government. Apostle Kinyanjui is currently concentrating his work among the youth. He is engaging the youth in many church activities, and teaching them so that they can be included in aid efforts by the government.

District Apostle visits Kalimantan

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The island in the Malayan Archipelago in South-East Asia is divided between three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The New Apostolic Church there has about 300 members. District Elder Yustinus Tukiman and his assistant, District Evangelist Aris Kusnandar, travel enormous distances to care for the small flock of about 300 members. They gather mostly in small congregations and missions.

At the beginning of July, District Apostle Urs Hebeisen, the responsible Apostle Samuel Hadiwidagdo, and Bishop Dwi Sulistyo Utomo conducted divine services there. The District Apostle conducted services in Palangkaraya and in Samboja. The service in Samboja was attended by members of a neighbouring denomination, the Gereja Persekutuan Misi Injil Indonesia. District Apostle Hebeisen greeted them and assured them of good neighbourly relations and friendship.