Tato stránka není aktuálne dostupná v Čeština.
Suba people live in the islands and shores of the northeastern side of Lake Victoria in Kenya, Homabay county. Fishing and boat building have been their traditional occupations. They are hippo hunters, a practice that was later prohibited due to the law against killing wild animals.
Suba (Abasuba) community are descendants of the Abakunta people (family) who escaped from Uganda in the mid-1700s. They became dissatisfied with the Kabaka 1 king of the Buganda Kingdom in Uganda and killed him. They were wanted people by the Kabaka warriors, they escaped through Lake Victoria and hid on the Mfangano Island where they settled and began their new life.
Later they were joined by the Kaware and the Busaki people groups who also settled on the Island. With the different people groups speaking different dialects, their languages mixed and became the Suba language they all speak today. their inter-marriage with the Luos people group contributes to the Dholuo being their second language.
The Suba language splits into three dialects depending on which tribe they interact and live with;
- Olusuba (Widely spoken in the Mfangano Island)
- Ekisuva (Spoken widely in Kaksingri and Gwasi areas)
- Ekisuba (Spoken in Migori and Kuria areas)
Today, the Suba people has a population more than 200,000 (according to research done within the Mfangano and Rusinga Islands by a group of church organizations).
What Are Their Beliefs?
Christianity was taken to Mfangano Island by the Luo people. Suba Scriptures significantly strengthen the existing church by making Bible messages available to the Suba people in the language that they understand best. Christianity is the largest faith in the region over 75% (Evangelicals 10%) with Muslims 3% and Non-Religious 20%.
The GRN Kenya team, prepared a mission outreach to the Mfangano Island to reach the Suba language community. This was the best and dramatic outreach trip. Mfangano Island has no roads, instead they have foot paths and scattered settlements. The team arrived in Mfangano on the 22nd March. Travelling by the foot paths and hills' slopes, they took 3 hours to cover about 17km along the shore of Lake Victoria to arrive at the settlement called Nyahera village where they stayed and met with the Suba people. The three-hour journey and the distribution was completed by God's grace.
On the 23rd March, the team were welcomed in Bethel Church where they met 33 people including the church leaders, Pastors and Sunday school leaders and missionaries working on the Island. Suba people are very loving.
GRN Kenya distributed, 200 Look, Listen & Live 1-8 flipcharts and mp3 players. These materials will boost the evangelism in the Suba speaking churches by creating opportunities for bible study classes with the youth groups, mothers, men and children. Sunday school classes will use them as teaching aids.
The team expect that the church denominations that were met (Pentecostal fellowship Assembly, Africa Inland Church, New Apostolic church, Full Gospel Church, Anglican church, Good News Church, Disciples of Jesus Church, First Hill Bethel church, Maranatha church, SDA church, FMCK, Regeneration of House church, BTL team) and received the materials:
- will be able to help their congregations to start the bible study classes,
- the missionaries will be able to use these materials for teaching the story of Jesus in Suba language for salvation,
- through their Sunday school teachers, these Sunday schools in these churches will be able to learn and listen more about the Jesus story and the Bible in their heart language,
- will use the materials effectively to reach out to the old people in their churches so that they will understand and learn more about the stories of Jesus Christ and the Bible in Suba language for salvation and redemption,
- will help many of these churches touch many hearts to accept the Salvation of Christ,
- will be able to help their churches not only in the evangelism field but also will support their discipleship program.
With an average church congregation of 32 people, the team hope the materials distributed would touch at least more than 384 people in Suba community in the land of Rusinga and Mfangano.
During the distribution and from the Pastors' reactions, it was clear that the Suba people received their evangelism materials from GRN with enthusiasm. A Pastor said that they have always prayed for such simple materials in the Suba language which could be used for easier understanding. Many Suba people don't go to school, with literacy levels at 23% (as per the pastors' statistics from their churches). The Look, Listen & Live materials were seen to be useful for the region and to the Suba people group as evangelism materials.
Prayer Items
- Pray for revival fire to consume Suba churches and communities.
- Pray that many missionaries will be called and sent to the Mfangano and Rusinga Island.
- Pray that the materials will be used effectively in the Suba churches.
- Pray for Suba people need: Spiritual men/ladies of God, Schools, Hospitals and resources.
A Bishop comments, "GRN, may the Lord God give you more grace and resources to reach out and equip many other churches with these materials, in many years we have been patiently waiting and praying for simple gospel materials that would help our people. Today, just like Paul introduced his ministry to the church in Rome and obtained their support for future missionary work, you have done the same to us - Suba pastors." He said, "Walter and your team, our God is a record taker, he has taken the record today. We shall do our best for the sake of the Salvation of Jesus Christ to our people. On behalf of everyone else here and the church in Suba, I thank you so much and may the GRN ministry and all its workers and financial support team who gave for our sake receive be blessed. We appreciate so much, ask your team to always pray for us for many fronts for God's work in this Island."