BMH Editor's Blog

Pastor Tom Hocking of the Grace Brethren church in Bellflower, California, has updated us on the story of his brother, who experienced a brain aneurysm while at work on Thursday in Colorado Springs. Here is a portion of Tom's note to his congregation:

Dear Family in Jesus,

My brother is with Jesus as of 5:15 this evening. Tami said he’s a tough guy and fought to live to the end. I am so glad, though, that he now knows far better than I of the reality of Christ’s promise: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Sweet rest in Jesus—there is nothing better.

David’s memorial service will be held at the Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs (5075 Flintridge Drive, 80918; 719-598-6688) on Sunday, November 22nd, 4 PM. My brother, Jim, will have just returned from Africa so hopefully both my brothers and I, our wives, and our parents will be able to be together for the service. There will be no viewing or graveside service. Thanks so much for praying and caring.

Glenn Stauffer of Winona Lake, Indiana, a longtime Grace College and Seminary staff member and local building contractor, went to be with the Lord about 11:20 a.m. today, Friday, November 6.

He and his wife, Phyllis, who survives, were faithful members of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church (Bruce Barlow, lead pastor). In recent years Glenn had been in declining health as a result of a construction-site accident many years ago. Details on memorial service will be posted as they become available.

Here is the preliminary death notice from the funeral home:

Glenn H. Stauffer, of 1431 Sunset Drive, Winona Lake, Indiana passed away on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. at Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, Indiana at the age of 77.

Funeral arrangements are pending with Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, Warsaw, Indiana.

Priests, prophets, outlaws, giants, and kings are all part of the exciting story of the kingdom period in ancient Israel. The captivating history of this important era in Israel’s history includes major military conflicts, family feuds, and spiritual failures and successes. Official historians of the period, especially in Egypt, tended to color royal history so that the king was presented in a favorable light. Seldom does one read about the military, political, and spiritual failures of a king.

The texts of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Kings 1-11 are different. Not only do they record the rise and development of the united monarchy, they have the personal touch of a historian who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Birth of a Kingdom by John J. Davis looks at this fascinating era of history as recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Kings 1-11. You’ll find this informative text to be intellectually stimulating and practicably valuable. As with most BMH books, you’ll want to have your Bible close by when you read.

The Birth of a Kingdom is now available at bmhbooks.com for just $8.90 (normally priced at $10.99). (Click here to order.) Or call 1-800-348-2756 and ask for the Friday Feature. Tell John that you saw it on the Editor's Blog! Order now! This price is only good through Friday, November 13, 2009.

Article and photo from the Yakima, WA Herald-Republic. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here. Paul Guay and Juan Marenco pastor the Mabton church.

Old-timey tunes fill the air at Mabton Grace Brethren Church

by Ross A. Courtney
Yakima Herald-Republic

MABTON, Wash. -- Sooner or later, somebody had to break out "Amazing Grace."

This time it was Pat Wandling on his violin.

The 86-year-old's slow, weepy rendition of the classic hymn filled the sanctuary.

The parade of musicians at Mabton Grace Brethren Church's Gospel Jamboree plucked, strummed and sung all the other favorites: "Rock of Ages," "I'll Fly Away" and "I Saw the Light."

But the 100 or more people crammed into the church had to know somebody would eventually play "Amazing Grace" at the monthly open microphone festival of gospel music.

Wandling dug out his violin after 60 years of dust-collecting for the occasion to play for the first time at the jamboree and solicited Carl Smotherman to accompany on the guitar.

"I just got the urge to," said the retired Horse Heaven Hills farmer.

The Gospel Jamboree, started 11 years ago by a retired church couple, welcomes all musicians. Some are rusty, some are professional, but all are there to blur the lines between entertainment and evangelism, song and sermon, fun and fervor.

"It's good heartfelt music and it does send a message about our God," said Gwen Lawson of Heartstrings, a trio of three Lower Valley sisters who sing and play.

All the songs are Christian-based, most are renditions of hymns. Performers give testimony and sermonettes between songs. And the whole festival begins and ends with prayers.

David Hocking, the brother of Jim Hocking (ICDI) and Pastor Tom Hocking (Bellflower, GBC) is in need of prayers. This message came late Thursday afternoon from Pastor Tom Hocking:

"Please pray for my brother, David who suffered a brain aneurysm at work today in Colorado Springs. He was life-flighted to Denver but is not expected to survive. My wife and Von Cashman (who has been dating David) will be leaving LAX in a couple of hours to be with David and his kids (who lost their mom to cancer almost exactly a year ago)."

David, Jim, and Tom are sons of Donald Hocking, longtime missionary to Africa, and nephews of the former Grace Brethren pastor David Hocking.

The Ohio District of the Grace Brethren Boys (GBB) ministry is planning a leadership conference for all men participating in Grace Brethren Boys. It will be held Saturday, November 14, 2009, at the Millersburg Grace Brethren Church, 4960 T.R. 305, Millersburg, Ohio.

Word has been received of the homegoing of Dr. Nickolas Kurtaneck, father of CE National’s TK, on November 3.

According to a recent blogposting by CE National, Dr. Kurtaneck taught Bible at Biola University for thirty-nine years and he especially loved the book of Romans. He offered an automatic 'A' to any student in his class who would memorize and quote the entire book.

Dr. K was famous for saying that if somehow the entire Scriptures were lost, yet you still had the book of Romans—you still had the divine plan of God in written form.

Patty Morris, missionary to France with Grace Brethren International Missions, recalls, “He served as pastor at the Norwalk, California, Grace Brethren Church when I was a high school student. I can’t remember how long it took him to preach/teach through Romans, his favorite book. He was also Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology Emeritus, 1959-1997, at Biola University."

A memorial service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at the Grace Brethren Church in Norwalk. More details will be posted as they become available.

The following additional information was disseminated by Grace College and Seminary:

DR. NICKOLAS KURTANECK of Buena Park, Cal., who served on the Grace Board of Trustees for 18 years, went to be with the Lord on November 3. Dr. Kurtaneck was a graduate of Grace College and Seminary (BA 57, BD 57, ThM 58, ThD 61), and taught Bible at Biola University for 39 years. He also served in pulpit supply for many churches, with his longest tenure at the Grace Brethren Church of Norwalk, Cal., for 17 years. A memorial service will be held at the Norwalk church on November 9 at 11 a.m. Please pray for Dr. Kurtaneck's family, which includes his son, TK, of Warsaw, Ind. TK directs the youth ministry program at Grace College, in cooperation with CE National.

Post-game quotes by Grace Lancer head coach Jim Kessler:

Opening Statement:

"First of all, let me thank Coach Crean and his staff for giving us the opportunity to come in here and play. For our young men to get a chance to play against IU on this court, in this shrine in my opinion, we feel thrilled and thankful for the opportunity to play.

"We came with the expectation to do the very best we could. I think we ran out of people a little bit. We got hurt on the boards obviously. We had turnovers in patterns, which create loss of momentum and create momentum for the opponent. We said on the bus, if you don't believe that you can do this then just sit on the bus. When you believe you can, if you determine you're ready to do it, then let's get off the bus and go play. I couldn't be more proud of my men. We're playing part of the game with walk-on guys and I couldn't be more proud of them.

"Obviously we need to execute better for us to be the kind of team we can be. Coach Crean and his men were able to take advantage of the some of the things we didn't do very well. We didn't do a good job fronting in the post, and they took advantage of that. Again, turnovers hurt us. I thought we were able to run the basketball fairly well. We hurt from lack of second-chance baskets. This is a practice game, and it's where we need to be. We wanted to play good teams early on and I think we learned a lot of things from this game, in terms of spacing and those kinds of things. It was a great game, and it was a great opportunity for us, and I wish IU the very best."

On what the team did early to stay with Indiana:

"We shot the ball well early. That always helps. If you shoot the ball well, you can play with anybody. That's really the only thing to keep track of, is how many shots are going in. When they'd get a lead, we would knock a three or two."

Overall impressions of Indiana:

"I think they are as young as a team can be. You look at some of the strength of their talent is in some of those young players. I don't care how talented you are, and they are talented team and they are well coached. Youth has to mature and has to grow. You don't grow until you get on the court. You can talk all you want at practice and show videotape until you are blue in the face, but you have to get on the court and play, and learn how to win together. That just takes time.

"For us to play them was a good experience for them I think. It gave them a little bit of freedom where they could begin to learn these things together. I think they'll be a good team; it's just going to take some time for them to grow and mature. It's just a matter of time. They're well coached and he's got a lot of experience."

See the box score of the game by clicking here.

To read a wrapup story from the Grace athletic website, click here.

The newly-published Third Edition Revised of Dr. John Whitcomb's classic The World That Perished is now in the warehouse and available for shipping. A revised version of its companion volume, The Early Earth, is scheduled for publication next year.

The World That Perished is subtitled "An Introduction to Biblical Catastrophism" and is a forceful sequel to the highly-regarded The Genesis Flood, co-authored by Whitcomb with the late Dr. Henry Morris.

The 178-page larger format paperback is organized into four sections. The first, "God Destroyed the World Supernaturally," discusses the design of Noah's Ark, the uplift of oceanic waters, the formation of present ocean basins and mountain ranges and more. The second section, "The Flood Destroyed the Entire World," discusses the depth and duration of the flood, the total destruction of the human race, and the problem of universal terms.

The third section, "The Effects of the Flood are Visible Today" presents graphic evidence of the destructive power of moving water, the stratigraphic effects of the flood, the formation of fossil beds, and more. And finally, "The Basic Issue: Is the Bible Truly God's Word?" discusses biblical catastrophism versus uniformitarianism, geology as it relates to scripture, a discussion of theologians and scientists, and more.

The book is richly illustrated with photographs, and it contains both a name and subject index and a scripture index. The author, Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Th.D., taught theology and Old Testament from 1951 to 1990 at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana. More on his ministry is available at www.whitcombministries.org.

Available at www.bmhbooks.com and from Christian booksellers everywhere, the book retail for $18. The ISBN number is 978-0-88469-266-9.

Jim Brown, pastor of Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Goshen, Ind., with his daughter, Hannah, and others, is in Cambodia and Thailand visiting the Asia's Hope orphanages that are sponsored by the church. Below is today's entry on his blog, the Brown Bytes.

We made it to Thailand this morning and greeted our Thai kids. They came dressed in their tribal clothing. It was so good to see them in the airport. It was so good to see Tutu the National Director of Asia's Hope in Thailand. Tonight we are celebrating Hannah's 16th birthday with all the kids. Imagine being 16 and celebrating your birthday in another country with orphan kids that have been rescued. I love my daughter and this trip with her has been priceless. We are enjoying the moments alone in the evening and mornings talking about what God is doing.

To read more entries and follow his trip, click here.

From Fox28 News, South Bend, IN:

Wednesday, Indiana University basketball will open its preseason schedule against Grace College.

That's right, the little school in Winona Lake will travel to fabled Assembly Hall for the opportunity of a lifetime.

"This is what every Indiana boy dreams of," Grace Sophomore Duke Johnson said.

"Assembly Hall is so rich historically, the great coaches and games that have been played there; it's a real honor for us to be a part of it," Grace head coach Jim Kessler said.

Grace has six local players on its roster from right here in Michiana, with players from South Bend Riley, Northridge, Jimtown and Plymouth. In fact the majority of the team was raised in Indiana.

"We have footage of me as a kid playing in the driveway, dreaming of playing for Bobby Knight," Grace senior Kyle Plumlee said. He added "I used to pretend I was Damon Bailey."

So how does a small school like Grace get an opportunity like this? They put the phrase 'it's not what you know, but who you know' to perfect use. The Athletic Director at Grace, Chad Briscoe, used to work under current IU assistant Tim Buckley. But the connections don't end there.

Former player and coach Chet Kammerer works for the Miami Heat. He spoke with NBA player Dwayne Wade, who played for IU coach Tom Crean when they were both at Marquette University. Kammerer and Wade made a call to Crean to help facilitate the game.

"It's amazing to see how so many people came together to make this happen," Briscoe said.

It's a rebuilding year for the team, so they're not banking on pulling off the upset... but who knows.

"We don't have any pressure on us," Plumlee said.

For a video link, click here.

From today's Warsaw (IN) Times-Union:

New Season, New Faces For Grace Men

Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor

WINONA LAKE - Grace College's men's basketball team will begin its season Wednesday in Bloomington, playing the Indiana Hoosiers in an exhibition game for the first time in school history.

Whether or not the Lancers finish their season in Branson, Mo., for the third-straight year in the NAIA Division II National Tournament will be determined by a team that returns three starters but has 10 new players.

"We knew going in it was going to be a developmental year," said long-time Grace head coach Jim Kessler (pictured), who enters his 34th season with the Lancers. "We've got to replace two three-year starters, and we've got a number of new faces on the roster this year. Sometimes coaches say it's a rebuilding year, but this really is a rebuilding year for us. It's a developmental year. We're going to have to grow up fast."

The Lancers and Hoosiers are scheduled to square off at 7 p.m. Wednesday in an exhibition game at Assembly Hall. The game will be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Grace will open its regular season by hosting Ohio-Eastern for homecoming Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Orthopaedic Capital Center.

"It's an honor to be able to play at Assembly Hall," said Kessler. "It's something these guys will always remember. The place is a shrine to basketball, all the history, the national championship banners, the teams that have played there."

The Lancers finished the 2008-2009 season with a second-straight elite eight finish in the national tournament. Grace posted an overall record of 22-11 and a Mid-Central Conference mark of 11-5.

Gone from last year's team are three-year starters Eric Gaff and Michael Wienhorst.

Gaff was a first-team All-America selection. He led Grace in scoring with 21 points per game and led the nation in rebounds with 12 boards per game.

Wienhorst averaged nearly 14 points, four rebounds and two assists per game.

Gone is the dominating inside play of the 6-foot-10 Gaff. And gone is the clutch shooting of the 6-3 Wienhorst.

"Eric made so much progress in his time at Grace and ended up being an All-American," said Kessler, whose teams have won 71 games over the past three seasons. "Michael had a number of games where he scored in the 20s and made clutch shots. He was the X factor. We're going to miss those guys."

Returning starters from last year's team include David Swanson, David Henry and Kyle Plumlee.

Swanson, a 6-6 senior, was Gaff's running mate in the post. Benefitting from teams double-teaming Gaff, Swanson averaged nearly 14 points and nine rebounds per game last season.

This season, the Lancers' frontcourt will feature Swanson and 6-11 sophomore Duke Johnson.

"I think David and Duke will play well together," said Kessler. "If teams focus on Duke like they did Eric last year, David could have another really good year. I think they'll play really well together."

Johnson averaged six points and three rebounds per contest last year as a sophomore playing in a backup role to Gaff. Johnson figures to play a bigger role this season, as do Plumlee and Henry.

Henry averaged nearly nine points and four assists per game, while Plumlee averaged six points and four assists per contest.

The two of them, as well as some of the Lancers' younger players, will be responsible for filling the void left by Wienhorst.

Others returning with experience include junior guard Jacob Peattie and sophomore forward Dayton Merrell, both of whom are out with back injuries.

Both averaged nearly four points and two rebounds per game last year.

Merrell could be out 4-6 weeks, while Peattie may be out 6-8 weeks.

"Some younger players are going to have to step up and play a big role," said Kessler. "We're going to have to grow up fast."

Newcomers include Warsaw product Taylor Long, Lee Ross (S.B. Riley), Daniel Goins (Cincinnati Winton Woods), Elliot Smith (Northridge), Nick Achille (S.B. Riley), Jay Hinkle (Lawton, Mich), Tannan Peters (Hunt. North), Nathan VanDuyne (Northfield), Josh Arnold (Hamilton S.E.) and Jordan Hoffman (Northridge).

To advance to the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the third-straight year, the Lancers will have to either win the MCC Tournament or receive an at-large bid.

Kessler calls the Lancers' 2009-2010 schedule the toughest in his tenure at Grace.

Four MCC teams are in the preseason top 30 - No. 3 Bethel, No. 9 Indiana Wesleayn, No. 23. St. Francis and No. 30 Huntington.

The Lancers were picked to finish sixth in the MCC.

In late December, the Lancers will play in the Hampton Inn Classic in Montana, a tournament that will also include the NAIA Division I champion and runner-up from last season.

"Our schedule is very tough, the toughest it's been while I've been here," said Kessler. "We've got a lot of new faces around here, I'm going to remind myself to be patient."

The Lancers open conference play at Bethel on Nov. 24.

Also gone from last year's Lancer roster is assistant coach Matt Moore, who took the head coaching position at Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Jon Yeh, who coached under Kessler from 2001-2005, returns to Lancer bench after a head-coaching stint at Eastern Nazarene College.

Also on the Grace staff is former Whitko High School coach Don Zawlocki, who enters his sixth season with the Lancers, and Mark Delaney.

Delaney, a graduate of Ashland University, was a graduate-assistant at Northern State University before coming to Grace.

Ryan Eakins, who played on the varsity team for the Lancers for three years, will coach the Grace JV team this season.

From the Grace College LAB Blog. To see the original, with live links, click here.

The Big Ten Network announced that the men’s basketball exhibition game between Grace College and Indiana University will stream live online at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Dave Leno and former Indiana Hoosier men’s basketball player Errek Suhr will announce the game for the Big Ten. Those interested in watching the game live online can visit www.bigtennetwork.com to access the game for a small fee of $2.99. According to the Big Ten Network’s website, the game will be televised (tape-delay) on the Big Ten Network at 3 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Thursday in HD.

The first-ever basketball matchup between the Lancers and the Hoosiers will also be streamed on Stretch Internet’s radio broadcast and on Willie 103.5 FM.

You can follow the Lancers down to Bloomington right here. Mike Deak and Mark Howe of The Papers will travel with the team and follow them 24/7. You can find their up-to-the-minute updates on the paper’s real-time follow tab on this blog. Don’t forget to check out Grace’s official athletic website (www.grace.edu/athletics) for the game story and stats after the game.

Participants in the Women's Leadership Summit, being held this weekend at the Hampton Inn in Hilliard, Ohio, make notes in their journals as the opening session begins. It was the first in a weekend that looks at women in leadership in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

Chery Boehm, below, is coordinating the event. She is guiding the discussion on leadership and encouraging women to consider their leadership styles.


Teressa Pierce (below) finished the opening session as the spoke about the recent journey God had brought their family through. Her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Pierce, was diagnosed with brain tumor shortly after giving birth to her first child in early 2007. Teressa shared principles God had taught her throughout the process.

Now available through November 6, 2009 at a discounted rate!

Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction by Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D.

Looking for a relevant, in-depth theology of biblical counseling? Soul Physicians is just that! As medical students examine the anatomy of the human body, so soul physicians need to understand the anatomy of the human soul. In this book, you’ll find a theological foundation for the ministry of biblical counseling, soul care, and spiritual direction, equipping the counselor to make Christian counseling truly Christian

To read a review of Soul Physicians, click here.

Now available at bmhbooks.com for just $32 (normally priced at $39.99). Or call 1-800-348-2756 and ask for the Friday Feature. Tell John that you saw it on the Editor's Blog!

The following message is from Chris and Carolyn Nord, who served with Grace Brethren International Missions for about ten years in Chalon, France. The Nords are from the Bellflower, California, Grace Brethren Church (Tom Hocking, pastor). Jonathan Nord was engaged and planning to be married next June.

“We wanted to let you know that our son, Jonathan, left for heaven at 11:36 pm Thursday night. He fought his liver cancer until the end, but his weakened body finally wore out. He died peacefully in our home with my wife and I, and our French friend Jacqueline Dormont, at his bedside. Our daughters, Sarah and Stephanie, our son-in-law Jake, and Jonathan’s fiancée, Dawn, soon joined us.

“We sat together at Jonathan’s bedside sharing memories, crying and waiting for the funeral home to come and take care of formalities. Afterwards, we all stood in a circle and prayed, thanking God for allowing us to know Jonathan for 29 years. We are deeply grieving the loss of our son, but are happy that he was released from his frail body and is now in a much better place, where there is no pain, or sorrow, or suffering.

“Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers over the last several weeks. We will keep you informed of plans for a memorial service when we have finalized them with pastor Tom.”

With love and appreciation,

Chris and Carolyn Nord

The First Grace Brethren Church of Altoona, Pennsylvania (John Townsend, pastor)will host a special evening with illusionist Toby Travis tonight, Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m.

Dates: October 30, 2009
Time: 7:00 pm
Target Audience: Kid Friendly, General Audience
Location: First Grace Brethren Church of Altoona
2932 Maple Avenue
Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 942-7642
Contact Info: Phone: (814) 942-7642
Web: Visit web site
Please log in to contact event poster. - Log In

Ticket Info: Price: FREE (Love Offering will be collected)

Event Details:
Prepare to be Amazed!! Toby Travis comes to Altoona, PA

With special guest: Dennis Keith (From America's Got Talent)

The Illusion & Beyond® World Tour featuring award winning entertainer Toby Travis is coming to First Grace Brethren Church on Friday October 30th.

Illusion & Beyond® featuring Toby Travis is a magical blend of humor, mind-boggling illusions, and a refreshing, even enlightening look at the supernatural and the pseudosupernatural. In an extremely entertaining fashion, Toby Travis helps his audience discern between genuine and fraudulent supernatural claims.

More information:
http://www.fgbca.org
or
http://www.tobytravis.com

Rich and Reida Bartley of the Village Grace Mission Center in Cleveland, Ohio, send along the following report of an incident and request for prayer:

I feel that I need to share the information about an incident that occurred at Village Grace Monday night. An unidentified male kicked in both of our steel doors and broke a few windows in the mission house. We have it on tape from our security cameras but it is a little too grainy to identify the person.

The person kicked in the back door first (broke the door but the locks held). Then you can see him breaking the window of the food pantry then going to the side door and kicking it in. The light goes on in the food pantry--then a few minutes later the person exits the side door carrying something.

Tuesday morning after the Cleveland Police were done we searched the house but the only thing missing was some food. $800 dollars in damage and only a few food items were taken. I took it very personal because we would have given the person food if they would have come to us. I expect things like this to happen from time to time but it is still hard to accept especially since we do not budget for "repairs".

Unfortunately with the economy the way it is, peoples' situations are getting to the point where they are doing desperate things. Compassion ministries are needed more than ever - help us to make a difference!

Pray for this unidentified person - Pray for our nation and its leaders - Pray for Village Grace to continue to change lives for Jesus Christ.

The Focus Retreat for Grace Brethren pastors in the eastern region of the U.S. concluded yesterday (October 28) at Ocean City, Md. The morning began with breakfast, then Tom Hocking, moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches for 2009-2011, taught on Loving Christ's Body. (Tom is also pastor of Bellflower Brethren Church in California.)

The morning concluded as the men spent time in listening and reflecting, dividing into twos to celebrate the spiritual discipline of foot washing. Some chose to walk the beach, as the two pastors below did, while others found other locations around the Holiday Inn, where the retreat was held, to wash one another's feet. As they returned to the meeting area, they spent time in prayer and commissioning, before returning to their respective ministries.

Jim Hocking, director of ICDI, sends along the following article and photos of a well just drilled in the village where Grace Brethren African missions began in the 1920s.

This mission station on the hill behind the village of Bassai, Central African Republic, was established by James Gribble back in 1921. He started the work in Central Africa there which has now grown to a huge church and many many believers. Since that time a dispensary was started and then later a church built down in the village off the hill.

The first church building was built up near the mission station. As more and more people came for different reasons the town of Bassai has grown. Now the dispensary is run by another French NGO but is still there and functioning. There is also a government school there.

The Brethren church there, built from bricks from the earlier church up on the hill, is still standing and used every Sunday.

This year ICDI partnered with LWI to drill a well there and place a vergnet pump in the town of Bassai. This is a very good opportunity for us to be able to minister to a village where there have been no missionaries for many, many years.

This is also the location of a fort built high on a granite mountain about a 1.5 hour walk from Bassai. When slave traders would come to this part of the country the people would flee there in order to be safe. The biggest problem for them was surviving till the traders left. They had caves where they kept food stores but they did not have water on the mountain. This meant they had to either sneak down at night to get water or go without.

This fort was built out of rocks stacked on top of each other which could be used if the slave traders tried to climb the very steep mountain to get to the villagers hiding there. There were two main entrances which were walled up and then one very dangerous secret passage down the back of the mountain. Villagers can take anyone who would like on a hike out there. It is much easier to see in the dry season than in the rainy season.