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March started with gala celebrations at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) for the awarding of the long-awaited university charter, the culmination of twenty years’ work by those who came before us at NEGST. We are now African International University (AIU), a private university chartered by the Kenyan government, and NEGST becomes the school of theology within the university. Much African-style pomp and circumstance accompanied the President of Kenya’s visit to the campus on March 4th to award the charter. In fact, our living room sofas had the rather unusual honor of being selected by the committee-in-charge-of-such-things as worthy for the President to sit on during his coffee break. They came and hauled away our living room furniture, set it up in the faculty building, and then hauled it all back the next day. If you ask nicely we’ll let you sit on the presidential sofa when you come to visit us! Then in the few days following the charter ceremony I finished teaching my NEGST classes for the term and oversaw an ACTEA faculty training event. As soon as I got the ACTEA participants situated at the conference venue in Nairobi I told the visiting facilitators, “Hope it goes well, turn off the lights when you leave,” and flew out that evening for five months in the US.
In God’s perfect timing I was able to fly first to Georgia and briefly visit Bill’s mother, Donna, before driving to Virginia. I’m so glad I did because she died just a week later, on 15 March. As you may remember, Bill travelled to the US in January to be with her and say his good-byes, so he didn’t expect to be able to go to the funeral. But missing a parent’s funeral is incomprehensible to our friends in Africa. On Thursday morning of that week our AIU Vice-Chancellor (= president) came to Bill’s office to tell him that colleagues and friends from the university were giving him a ticket to the US for the funeral. By Thursday evening Bill was on a plane to Georgia, and he preached a beautiful eulogy at his mother’s funeral on Saturday. We were overwhelmed by the love and generosity of those who made this possible. Just so amazing and wonderful. As a corollary he was able to come to Virginia with me for a couple of days after the funeral, see Linnea and Caroline, and help me make a final choice from my short list of houses to buy.
Bill’s now back in Nairobi teaching an intensive course in Systematic Theology—five hours of lecture a day, not sure how he’s managing that—as well finishing up an evening extension course he’s teaching on Contemporary Theology. Plus he’s acting Head of the Theology Department. Poor man! He’ll be in Kenya through Easter, then spend a week or so in the UK in Cambridge visiting friends and supporters before joining me in the US the first week of May
When friends hear about our new house, many have been asking if we’re moving back to the US. The answer is no, definitely not! I can’t tell you how much we love teaching in Africa and we hope the Lord lets us stay there for the rest of our working life. But here’s the story: Our regular biannual ‘home assignment’ (missionary furlough) is May-June-July this year to coincide with Linnea’s university graduation in May and wedding in July. I’ve come early to search for ‘our’ house while Bill carries on at NEGST a bit longer. For a number of years my parents served as our home base in the US, but now that they’re with the Lord we’ve been looking for a place of our own to provide some longer term stability and continuity for us and our young adult children. Since my parents’ house has finally been sold after the four-year saga involving my dad’s death in 2007, my brother’s decline and his death in 2009, and the worst housing market in decades (thank you again to the many of you who have been praying us through all of that!), we’re now able to do it. Such a gift from the Lord! It feels like a celebration of all God has done in carrying us through a dark season and into the light again.. If you’d like to see house photos, check https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=382167&id=781694907&l=0f72e70307.
Our plan is to enjoy this house during furloughs and short summer visits, then to rent it out furnished the rest of the year. The house is in Crozet, a small town a ten-minute drive west of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lots of people associated with the University of Virginia live in Crozet so we hope to rent to short-term visitors to the university and/or missionaries like us needing a furlough base for a few months at a time. However, according to our hardworking real estate agent, we’d better not say ‘missionaries in Africa’ when we advertise it. Evidently there’s a huge scam involving people who advertise online that they’re missionaries ‘suddenly moving to Africa’ and they ‘just want someone to take care of their house’, so if you just send them money for the deposit (to a bank account in Africa, of course) they’ll let you rent the house for cheap. Who knew?! Our poor agent had to assure the lawyer handling our house that we’re real missionaries in Africa and she really does know us personally, before he agreed to do the legal work. Anyway, if you know anyone who might be interested in a short-term furnished rental in Virginia, let us know. (We won’t make them send the deposit to Kenya!) And we’ll be here till the beginning of August, so all American friends and wandering missionaries, please do stop by.
But we won’t actually be in Charlottesville that entire time, since a big part of missionary home assignment involves visiting friends and supporting churches. We’re looking forward to seeing as many of you up and down the East Coast as possible, mostly in June and the second half of July. This year presents a bit of a challenge for us since it will be our first home assignment since Bill became Orthodox and we’re not entirely sure what all the implications will be in terms of our missionary support and church relationships. Please do pray that that all goes smoothly and that the Lord provides everything we need to continue teaching in Africa. Bill is also waiting to hear feedback from SIM International, who are evaluating their Orthodox-related ministries in countries such as Ethiopia, which has ramifications for Bill’s status as an Orthodox member of SIM, and from NEGST/AIU, who need to work through the issue of having a non-Protestant teaching theology at the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA)’s flagship institution. So, much is in flux for us this summer and we appreciate your prayers.
On the home front, Linnea (22) is managing beautifully—but understandably feeling rather stressed by—finishing her last semester at university at the same time that she’s looking for a job and planning a wedding for July 10th. Our son-in-law-to-be William also graduates in May and has a nice job offer with an engineering consulting firm in Rockville, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. Grateful for at least one stable income in the family! Linnea is hoping to find an internship in the DC area that will give her experience in global public health for a couple of years before going to grad school. Lots of transitions for two young people to absorb; please do pray for them. Caroline (20) is finishing her third year at UVA, involved in various leadership roles with Campus Crusade, and is looking forward to staying in Charlottesville this summer to work. She just got a part-time job at a new Ten Thousand Villages shop opening nearby. When I asked her how the interview went (because she’s been looking for a job for a long time), she said they asked her why she wanted to work there and she answered, “Well, um, I lived in Ethiopia, and I’m interested in fair trade and…” They said, “You’re the first person who’s even mentioned ‘fair trade’. We’ll take you!” Score one for missionary kids.
Charter Day at Africa International University
The faculty building all dressed up for the President of Kenya. Our sofas are in there somewhere.
Bill hangs out with the Student Council chairman and other faculty members while we wait for the President’s arrival.
Presidential motorcade approaching! AIU leaders ready to welcome President Kibaki.
The Presidential military band
President Mwai Kibaki greets AIU trustees and board members
Signing the charter
Finally, time for the academic procession to the presentation ceremony
The procession was led by AIU women from various African countries dancing and singing.
President Kibaki presents the new charter to the Chair of the Trustees
Faces in the crowd – there’s Bill in the left center, and me way off to the right
It’s official! AIU Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor raise the new university mace
Happy faculty members. These are some of the people who worked for many years to make this happen
Most of these photos are from AIU’s facebook page. Find Africa International University on facebook to see more photos and info.
