PAGE TWO- KENNETH KOOME NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

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1 November2013 Dear Friends, Receive Christian greetings from my family and I, and also from your brothers and sisters in Christ in East Angola Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. My name is Kenneth Koome, your missionary serving as Mission Finance Officer in East Angola Conference. Many thanks to the various churches, conferences and individuals whose contributions, both financially, through prayers and volunteer work, have been instrumental in carrying out the work of Jesus Christ in East Angola Annual Conference. I am from Kenya and commissioned as a missionary in I was posted to Nigeria where I served with my family for 4 years. In 2011, I was reassigned to Kenya to take up the role as a regional auditor for East Africa; and then in 2012 I was reassigned to Eastern Angola Annual Conference. Your faithful support of the United Methodist Church s mission sending agency, The General Board of Global Ministries, enabled me respond to the call the Lord placed in my heart to serve wherever my skills and expertise can make a difference in improving the lives of God s people. I am humbled and thankful for the opportunity to serve. Angola has enjoyed peace during the last ten years after three decades of Civil war that resulted into massive destruction of lives, properties and displacement of people. Some of the people who survived the onslaught have continued living in IDP Camps (Internally displaced Persons), under very inhuman conditions. Others moved to towns and cities where there was security, provision of food and shelter from NGO s (non-governmental organizations) and other humanitarian agencies. Fear, trauma and stigma prevailed during the civil unrest period, which caused a majority of these people refuse to go back to their homes to start up their lives again. Children born in those camps, and other who moved with their parents or guardians when they were young, do not know anywhere else to call home. This has made life of a typical Angolan full of misery and tribulations. Mothers and young girls have ended up in the streets to fend for themselves and their families, by hawking fruits, second hand clothes and prostitution among other vices. Young men and their fathers are lost in beer dens, brothels and have become a source of insecurity in the communities. It is unfortunate there are no incentives from the Government to a majority of the citizens to be encouraged to be engaged in meaningful means of earning for their living like farming, opening up small businesses and vocational training for those who are not able to go for formal education In the midst of uncertainty and hopelessness, The United Methodist Church, East Angola Annual Conference provides hope for those Angolans who desire to improve their lives. The church is involved in the following ministries, Evangelization Ministry. This program is involved in rehabilitation of post-war churches. Massive destruction of churches took place during the war, where equipments and church records were destroyed. As one drives to the country side, you see ruins of what once used to be beautiful churches standing in the bushes in a deplorable state. Mission partners have been sending in work teams who have joined hands with Angolan church members to help reconstruct some of the churches and also

2 PAGE TWO- KENNETH KOOME NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER help in opening up new ones closer to the people, hence drawing more to Christ. This has helped in fostering peace and tranquility amongst the communities that could not see eye to eye during the war. Quessua Mission. Prior to the war, Quessua Mission was a center of excellence in the region. It had the best Agricultural demonstration farms, where apart from growing food crops, poultry and livestock breeding was also taught and practiced. Also found in Quessua was a hospital which served as a referral center prior to the war. The Mission helped the Conference in provision of infrastructure in agriculture, health, nutrition and equipping the surrounding communities. The mission center was not spared during the war. The entire infrastructure was destroyed and left in a desolate state. A big thank you to the Mission partners who have joined hands with the Angolan church to help rehabilitate the center back to what it used to be. Few classrooms have been reconstructed to accommodate the growing need for education. However the facility is constrained as the available classrooms are not able to cater for large number of students attending (as well as those who desire to attend) school in Quessua. Re-opening of the school alone has enabled the community s children access education developing leaders who are taking up leadership positions both in the Church and the public sector. Agricultural program is yet to get started, as well as the health program. People from the surrounding communities are currently trekking for about 25km which is the nearest health care facility. Quessua Mission Boarding School: During the war, many lives were lost resulting to too many children being orphaned. The Conference found it necessary to start up a mission boarding house to house, guide, and nurture orphans; as well as equip them with vocational training skills for those who could not find place in the formal school program. Glory be to God for the mission teams who have helped in expansion of the boarding house to accommodate more orphans. The existing vocational training center is yet to be rehabilitated to enhance acquisition of skills. However the few orphans who have passed through the boarding house have had total transformation. They have received spiritual nourishment, education and skills on how to face the challenges ahead once they are out of the boarding school. Some of them are now senior civil servants in with the Government of Angola, Church leaders and prominent businessmen/women, who have continued to improve the lives of the communities where they came from. Quessua Women s Training Centre: East Angola Annual Conference embarked on a mission to equip women by giving them education in literacy and Christian teachings. The purpose was to prepare women to also take up leadership responsibilities within the Church and the communities they come from. The reading skills will also enable the women know how to read the bible within and outside the Church, and instill biblical discipline to their families, hence strengthening their walk with Christ. Other skills offered at the center is tailoring and dress making, knitting, embroidery, nutrition and hygiene care for the family. There are plans to start up entrepreneurship training to equip the women with basic start up knowledge for those who may want to venture into small scale business ventures once they graduate from the Center. Presently there are 15 students enrolled in the program. Included in the enrollment are widowed mothers and girls who have either dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancies or have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS pandemic, or those who lost their parents during the war. This

3 PAGE THREE- KENNETH KOOME NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER ministry has enabled mothers to practice better home care for their families. With improved hygiene standards in their homes, good nutritional diets for the family, families are able to read the word of God together. Living standards are improved because the mothers have been able to engage in meaningful businesses due to the skills gained at the center. Theological School at Quessua Mission. The school has continued to offer scholarships in theological education in furtherance of pastoral work with a focus to development of rural community. The institution is helping in training of pastors, evangelists and church lay leaders who are instrumental in church planting, congregational growth and reaching out to those who haven t been reached. A major impact has been felt as a result of this school because the trainees have been able to help in spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are also helping the Conference in taking care of Churches that are being opened newly. However, there is still great need to train more pastors to cope up with increasing number of Christians. Pastor training is also needed to replace to those pastors who either retire or go home to the Lord. There is also a shortage of educators in the country to equip the students getting into the school. A big thank you to the partners and GBGM who are sending volunteers and missionaries to teach in the institution. Some of the granduates have taken up teaching roles in the theological institution and other schools in the community, leading to an enlightened and informed society. Majority of the students cannot afford to pay school fees and the conference is not able to offer them scholarships due financial constraints, impacting negatively on church growth. Supplement Salary for Pastors in East Angola. East Angola Annual Conference is spread out in the rural area of Angola, with meager economic activities. Due to rural urban migration that took place during the war, the farming land has been left unused which would have earned income to the rural communities. The few people found in the rural areas are mainly peasant farmers living from hand to mouth. With no means of livelihood, it became very difficult for the folks to support the Conference with funds for the pastors salary. To sustain the pastors, increase the number and improve their living conditions, it was necessary to start the supplementary program for the clergy s salary support. Thank you to the partner Conferences from the US who tirelessly continued to send donations in support of this endeavor. Many pastors have been encouraged to serve because their financial needs are promptly met. More people are joining ministry because the pastors already serving are no longer complaining due lack of salaries. This assistance has also reduced the financial burden from the congregations and the little resources from the church members are channeled into putting up permanent worship structures and other development activities in the church and the communities where the churches are located. Personal Testimony Since my arrival in East Angola, my mission journey has not been a bed of roses or a walk in the park! My faith and tenacity has been on trial as I try to be faithful to prudent stewardship for the resources that God has put under my care. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Sometimes, when the needs are so overwhelming, there is a tendency to compromise Christian ethics. However, in the midst of all this, I have not only seen the hand of God in my ministry, but have seen Him in totality. I have had a series of challenges both work and visa related which dragged on for many months! Despite the many

4 PAGE FOUR- KENNETH KOOME NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER questions that lingered in my mind and the frustrations that I went through, it never came a time when I thought of giving up even when I was advised to surrender! As I continued to hang on prayerfully and chasing against time that was fast running out, little did I know my Lord was with me and was setting His angels ready to come to my rescue just in time. While visiting with a team from Florida who were running a leadership training program for pastors in Quessua, a son to a former Missionary in East Angola, who grew up in Quessua, also arrived some minutes later with his wife to visit with guests, and found me sharing my story and soliciting for prayers. After I was through with my story, he remembered some of his classmates in Quessua who are highly placed in the Government.He immediately made contacts with his friends who advised I send another application for resident visa to him. Fortunately he was known to one of the members in Florida team that I was visiting with. Since they were leaving for the states the following day, they were kind enough to deliver my visa application papers to the said person. A matter that had taken over 6 months to conclude was dealt within 2 weeks. He paid the full cost of the visa and to my greatest joy and surprise, he personally delivered my passport to me in Malanje, sacrificing his demanding Government duties for my sake and the ministry before me. This incident strengthened and deepened my relationship more with Christi. I came to realize God s plans are not man s plans. He has a mission for me in this Conference that he wants me to accomplish. I see myself as an instrument to be used to restore Church projects and programs to a better place and order than they are presently. I am slowly settling down to my duties. I feel encouraged and strengthened by your continued prayers. I am expecting two teams from Florida and Yellowstone in February, It is my prayer and trust that their travel plans will go as planned. Florida Annual Conference has been rehabilitating a boys boarding house in Quessua Mission to accommodate more boys in the orphanage. They will be coming to finalize with the remaining works. Yellowstone has been involved with roofing and rehabitation of churches that were destroyed during the war and also with supplemental salary for the pastors. Despite the challenges faced by the work teams in trying to get visas to come to Angola, this has not deterred them from giving up on coming to assist the Angolan church. Great love for the Angolan people has inspired them to come, as well as building bridges with the Angolan brothers and sisters and the desire to help in rehabilitating the infrastructure after the war. The devastating effects of the war damaged the ego and self-esteem of the Angolan people. Therefore the coming of the teams gives them a sense of belonging as they get to understand that they have brothers and sisters far away who cares and ready to identify with them despite the conditions in which they are in. The volunteers have had their lives changed after working and listening to stories told by the Angolan people as they work. Some of them breakdown into tears after hearing hollowing stories and are inspired to see a very determined lot ready to conquer all odds despite what they have or their parents have gone through in the past. The sight of ruins in Quessua and bullet punched holes in the abandoned buildings reminds them and us also once there lived people in those houses who are either living or dead and you re left wondering what has gone wrong with mankind. Some volunteers have vowed to dedicate their lives and resources to Mission work in Angola after visiting and interacting with the Angolan people.

5 PAGE FOUR- KENNETH KOOME NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER PARTNER WITH ME I invite you to pray for me so that I may have wisdom to develop and strengthen the ministries that I am called to work with. Pray for my physical and spiritual health. I am thankful for prayers that enable me remain focused and healthy. I invite you to assist with my salary support so that I can remain faithful to the call the Lord made on my life. You may support me through 1. Utilizing the Global Ministries website: to send a donation for my salary support. At the bottom of the page, click on Missionaries. Scroll to my name on the missionaries page and my profile will appear. At the bottom of my profile is a link to make an online donation. 2. Through mailing a check. Make your check payable to ADVANCE GCFA.Write For support of Missionary Kenneth Koome Nkando.Advance #-15148Z. Send your check to. ADVANCE-GCFA, BOX 9068, NEW YORK,NY Through your Conference office indicating for Kenneth Koome Nkando, Advance #15148Z I am excited and pleased to inform you that I will be visiting the United States April, 2014 to share about our ministries in Angola and the impact your faithful support is making in the lives of everyday Angolans! I hope to visit all of you. Please don t hesitate to contact me should you desire my visit to your church. You may contact Global Ministries Executive for Itineration, Rev.Richard Pusateri.. rpusateri@umcmission.org. Thank you and every blessing. Kenneth Koome Nkando Rua Cmdt.Dangereux 46-C.P.No.9-Malanje, Angola