African Mission

Several key people are essential in the success of the Bismarck African Mission that serves more than 400 orphans and vulnerable children.
 
Rogers Osoro, the assistant administrator and long-time employee, states that a priority for him is to make Bismarck Mission a home for the orphans and vulnerable children we serve.
 
We have taken steps in this direction with the purchase of our shamba (cultivated plot of land), and the construction of a house for the missionaries, a barn for our animals, a gathering hall with offices and space for a library and a house for the caretaker. Rogers has been instrumental in this process from his assistance with the purchase of the land to his diligent work in overseeing the construction and the procuring of building material (from cement and sand to rebar and nails and lumber). Rogers is also responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles—with the condition of many roads in the area there is wear and tear on the vehicles.
 
Rogers, himself an orphan raised by the Bismarck Mission, supported a past missionary, Evan Beauchamp, in establishing and organizing the orphan education program. He thoroughly knows the ins and outs of the program and affords insight and advice when people come to enroll children in our program. He continually looks for ways to improve this program and other programs and services offered by the Bismarck Mission.
 
Sr. Mary Teresa Auma is a member of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose motherhouse is located at Tabaka in Kisii County. She has been a long-term employee of Bismarck Mission with the responsibilities of bursar who manages our financial affairs. Members of her religious congregation state that she tracks down the last penny of every transaction. Sister Teresa is faithful and diligent in budget preparation, disbursement of funds and accountability for the use of them, reconciling bank statements and preparing fiscal statements. 
 
Like me, Sr. Teresa was raised in the era of pencil and paper for the recording of fiscal transactions. This past year has presented challenges to our staff as we have started internet banking for payroll services and the payment of health insurance premiums and retirement benefits in the month of September. Eventually, we will also be able to pay school fees with this service from the bank. She continues to learn about and use the computer and spreadsheets and the other services offered with internet banking. 
 
Lilian Kwamboka started employment with Bismarck Mission in October of 2019 to work with the Water with Blessings program (WWB) providing water filters to ensure clean water for anyone in need. She has excelled in her work and now is the coordinator of the program. She manages all aspects of the program which means the scheduling of training sessions, follow-up meetings with each group of women trained, organizing home visits, as well as procuring materials. Through the gift of the water filters, Lilian assists women in improving their quality of life by giving them access to pure, clean water.  A cornerstone of WWB is that we receive a blessing, and, therefore, we share a blessing. We receive everything as a gift from God. We receive filters as a blessing from the people of the Bismarck Diocese. We ask the women to share the gift of pure, clean water with three other families for six months. In 2024, Lilian oversaw the training of 331 women who received a water filter and 317 who received a 210-liter water storage drum.
 
Lilian also serves as the assistant bursar. She has studied computer programming and has nearly completed her accreditation as CPAK (certified public accountant in Kenya). Her experience and expertise with computers and spreadsheets has been a blessing for us. Lilian enjoys collecting, organizing, recording and analyzing fiscal information. She has been working with Sr. Teresa to learn the various aspects of fiscal operations and has been able to share knowledge and wisdom of her schooling.
 
Emma Bosibori coordinates our wellness seminars and ensures that children and youth who need medical services receive appropriate care. In November, the Bismarck Mission completed a wellness seminar that served just over 200 who are enrolled in our orphan education program. A great joy at this seminar was to see a doctor, Kevin, and a nurse, Mellowdee, who were sponsored by Bismarck in their post-secondary studies, return to serve their fellow orphans. 
 
Through Emma’s work and the work of other personnel of the Bismarck Mission and the medical community, we have witnessed the blind regain sight, the deaf hear and the mute speak. Mohammed, a high school student who was born with eyesight that limited him to distinguish light and darkness, now can see well enough to read after surgeries he underwent. Paul, an eighth grader, has been deaf from birth. It was discovered through the work of the Bismarck Mission and medical specialists that he has some ability to hear. He was fitted with a hearing aid and can hear out of one ear. Joyce, a girl in kindergarten, has been mute since birth. Through the work of the Bismarck Mission and extended family members, she has obtained the services of a speech therapist and is now beginning to speak.
 
Emma continually expresses gratitude for the Bismarck Mission which has been a pillar for her and her family (one brother and two sisters). She states, “It has given us a brighter future.”
 
Robert Nyache is the manager of our shamba. He oversees the care of the chickens and cows and tends the crops at the shamba, assists with our housing and heifer programs and ensures the proper working of our water and electrical systems. One of his accomplishments has been establishing a flock of laying hens so that we are able to give each child a boiled egg on Mission Saturdays. Currently, we have 60 laying hens; Robert is in the process of raising 30 chicks from eggs hatched. He also assists at mashauri every Wednesday. Mashauri is a time when we are available to serve the needs of our population and others who come seeking assistance. He lives in a house in our compound, right next door to the barn. He is gentle and kind in dealing with youth and adults alike.
 
Robert enjoys driving “the beast,” the nickname of our 2014 Toyota Landcruiser, to obtain feed for the animals and supplies for the shamba. He also makes regular visits to families who have received a bred heifer to ensure proper care of the animal and to address any concerns the family may have in raising the heifer. We have two heifers at the shamba being raised to maturation for breeding, and there are six heifers with families.
 
Wes and Kathy Pepple finished their three-year commitment of service at the mission in December 2024. Kathy left earlier in the year for medical attention, and Wes departed the first week of December. I am grateful for their service. Part of their ministry was to assist Lilian, Emma and Robert in their respective responsibilities. Wes and Kathy both worked with Lilian in the Water with Blessing program to help her organize the program, to show her how to order material and keep records, to use new technology in sending reports on WWB activities and to encourage Lilian in her abilities and skills. Kathy, with her background as a medical laboratory technician, assisted Emma in organizing and evaluating the wellness seminars, especially in the follow-up medical services that are needed. Wes, a retired vocational agriculture teacher, worked with Robert to familiarize him with the water and electrical systems at our new compound and helped with the animals we raise.
 
Wes and I also worked with Lilian, Emma and Robert on driving skills. Once they completed driving school, we took them to practice driving on various types of roads and various weather conditions—country roads, tarmacked roads, roads with potholes and ruts. Here in Kenya, during the rainy season, one must drive on muddy, slippery roads. They learned how to drive vehicles with an automatic transmission and a manual transmission. I know this much—I would not make it as a driver education teacher…my hand was always on the emergency brake during the initial days of practicing driving. All three have made excellent progress with their driving skills; I am proud of them. I have found driving in Kenya, especially the cities, is more challenging than any place I have driven in the United States because on all roads one must be attentive to other vehicles, pedestrians, piki-piki (motorcycles), animals—cows and goats, speed bumps, etc. Lane discipline is not a forte of drivers in Kenya—drivers like to use the whole road and generally are in a hurry.
 
Each weekday, I have a 20-minute drive to Gekano to celebrate the Mass at 6:30 a.m. Two days a week, Mass is celebrated in English and Swahili is used on the other days. On Sundays, I continue to assist the two priests of the parish with Sunday Masses. Currently, there are 25 centers (mission parishes as we would call them). Each of us normally celebrates three Masses—I leave at 6:30 a.m. and return by 1:30 p.m. Sunday Masses are celebrated in the mother tongue of Ekegusii (Kikisii) and the homily is preached in Swahili. One of the great joys of Sundays is visiting with our orphans at the various centers. At the end of the day, I find myself grateful and fortunate. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
 
Short-term missionary
 
The short-term missionary program will begin this year giving people an opportunity to come and experience the Bismarck Mission. Bob Finken, a semi-retired farmer from Douglas, N.D., arrived on February 10 and will be staying until the end of April. A group of four from the Church of Corpus Christi in Bismarck is planning to come for the month of June.
 
The Bismarck Mission welcomes people who have a desire to “come and see” the Mission and to share in its life on a short-term basis. For those interested in coming, it is necessary to be aware of one’s intentions and motives. First and foremost, the Mission is an outreach of the Bismarck Diocese, serving our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Kisii, Kenya, East Africa. It is not an opportunity for a vacation.
 
It is recommended that a minimum of three to four weeks be dedicated because of the distances and time involved in international travel. People may stay up to three months, the time limit on a visitor’s visa, and the visa may be renewed once for another three months.
 
We can accommodate up to five people at one time. Visitors would be expected to participate in the activities of the Mission, such as Mission Saturdays, Water with Blessings, domestic chores and other programs and services.
 
For more information, contact Chuck Reichert, Diocesan Director of the African Mission at 701-220–0373, email at [email protected] or by mail at Africa Missions, PO Box 1137, Bismarck, ND 58502-1137.