David Odawa
Rageng'ni Church of Christ
Rageng'ni, Kenya

Rod met David in 2017 on his first visit to Kenya. He was a student at the Kenya School of Preaching in Kisumu. They had been corresponding before that meeting and had made a connection. David was a leader on campus, even being appointed as the Campus Preacher for the school. Before attending the preaching school, David attended a school of theology in Nairobi from 2016-17.

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David grew up in the Bungasi Church of Christ, northwest of Kisumu. This church was planted in 1987 with a membership of 120. From this congregation, the Rageng'ni church was planted. As of this writing, the church has 28 members. David would often travel about 1 ½ hours southeast to serve this church.

 

In 2021David married Mercy. (Wouldn’t we all like to be married to “mercy?”) As this is written, they expect their first child in a few days. David decided to move to Rageng'ni, a small village, so that he and Mercy could grow this church. The church already has property and a small iron-sheet building. The goal is to build an adequate building in the future. There are also plans to drill a well (borehole) because the water quality in this area is not very good.

 

David is working on a business plan that will enable him to become self-supporting. He is looking into opening a motorbike parts store with an estimated cost of $2500.

 

David is a very compassionate man. Unfortunately, a few months ago, his brother became ill and could not care for himself. His wife was also unable to bear the burden of his care, which fell on David. For weeks, David cared for his brother, who eventually died, leaving a little girl. David and Mercy are preparing to receive this child into their home. Serving such faithful and genuine Christians who live under extreme conditions is an honor.