Theology on Safari: 11 June 2012

Greetings from… Jerusalem! I (Stephanie) am here for the month of June, accompanying a group of seven of our PhD students in biblical studies and Bible translation from Africa International University (AIU, of which the Nairobi Graduate School of Theology is now a part). My first visit to Israel, and I’m fascinated by all the layers of Israelite/Jewish/Israeli history and culture. Plus it’s lovely to be with these African students – most of whom have never traveled beyond East Africa, and a few of whom had never been on a plane before – as they discover a whole new world, both ancient and modern. I almost hate to tell you how spoiled I am on this trip. The students are doing a short course affiliated with Hebrew University and we’re being hosted and taken lavish care of by the staff of the Home for Bible Translators (www.bibletranslators.org). So all I do is tag along and enjoy the sights, with a few words of help for the students here and there. But it came down to the wire whether we would get to come at all, as the Israeli government has been quite picky about giving visas to our African students. This trip was cancelled at the last minute last October because of the visa issue, and this time it was the Tuesday before our Friday flight when we finally found out for sure we’d be going. That is, all except our student from the new country of South Sudan—sadly, no visa for him.

These are some of the same students I taught a course on the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) to in April-May. Quite a learning curve for all of us—and a constant scramble for me to prepare lectures—since I’d never done a subject like that before. But it had the unintended extra benefit of introducing the students to the historical and literary environment of Judaism just before and during the time of Jesus, in perfect timing for this trip. At least once a day (usually over breakfast) one of the students in the group says, “That class really opened our eyes!” As a teacher, gotta love that sort of reaction! I was scrambling also because I had to double-schedule my MA/MDiv Greek exegesis class in April and May to get all the lectures in before leaving for this trip in the middle of the term. I have a stack of papers to mark that I’ve lugged along with me to Israel (and we all know how I feel about marking papers…), but oh yes, it’s worth it to be here.

Meanwhile Bill spent most of April and May negotiating the complexities of (a) his immigration status about to run out, (b) potential membership in a new mission organization, and (c) the possibility of a full-time teaching position at St Paul’s University where he’s been serving as an adjunct lecturer this year (www.spu.ac.ke) – any one of which would have been enough to test the faith of the most saintly of us. Some of you have followed his story on facebook, but for the rest of you, here’s a sample of a recent day in the life of Bill…

Off to immigration office again this afternoon. This time, after waiting in a long queue... Yes! After four weeks and two previous visits, the paperwork has been completed (i.e., 4 blanks have been filled in on a 4x6 piece of paper). Now to get it endorsed... long queue... not moving... finally at the window… shuffle papers... flip through passport...

Immigration guy behind window: OK, yes I can endorse your dependent's pass (put it in your passport), but I can't give you your entry/exit permit.

Bill: Why?

IGBW: I need to see your wife's passport.

Bill: She's in Jerusalem until the end of the month, and her passport is with her.

IGBW: Why can't you get her passport?

Bill: Um, she's not in the country, she's in Jerusalem.

IGBW: Then she needs to come back for a short visit.

Bill: Um, she's a university professor with a group of PhD students on a study tour of Israel. She can't come back. We can't afford the airfare.

IGBW: Then give me her work permit.

Bill: I don't have her work permit, it's back in Karen where I live. Besides, your colleagues on the 5th floor already confiscated my copy of her work permit and they put it in my file. You people actually already have a copy of her work permit.

IGBW: I cannot give you an entry exit pass until I see a copy of your wife's work permit.

Bill: But you already endorsed my dependent's pass in my passport without her work permit. What does her work permit have to do with my entry/exit pass?

IGBW: Bring the work permit.

Bill: Yes sir. (so close... sigh)

As Bill pointed out, evidently Purgatory has opened a local branch office. But Bill resolutely persevered, and not only has he been given the immigration status he needs for the immediate future, but he also has an informal agreement with a new mission agency and a possible invitation from St Paul’s regarding his longer-term status – detailed confirmation and paperwork still to come. All of which is a great relief, and potentially a great answer to prayer. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement during this difficult year of transition.

In family news, Caroline just finished the fourth year of her five-year BA in English/Masters in education at the University of Virginia and enjoyed celebrating with her graduating friends – which she cheerfully referred to as her ‘fauxmencement’ since she won’t get her actual degree until next year. She’s spending most of this summer in Colorado helping to staff the orientation and training program for new Campus Crusade (now ‘Cru’) families about to move into overseas assignments. She’ll help prepare the children and teenagers for their first experiences in new countries and cultures – a perfect match for Caroline’s interest in ‘third culture kid’ (TCK) education. (If TCK is a new term to you, take a look at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid). Linnea and her husband William just moved to a beautiful new apartment in Fairfax, Virginia, a welcome level of stability for them after the rollercoaster past year of finishing studies, graduation, wedding planning, looking for jobs, and several short-term moves. Since Israel’s internet speed allows video skype – which we can’t usually do from Kenya – Linnea got to show me all around their new home. Love that technology!

PhD students (+ 1 intrepid faculty member) do Israel

Amazing to finally see these beautiful sites for myself

I spent part of Thursday morning last week at the Western Wall, watching one bar mitzvah after another

One of the purposes of the trip is for the AIU students to make use of Hebrew University’s resources for their research. Here they are on HU’s hilltop campus – with a Palestinian settlement, the Judean desert, and a sliver of the Dead Sea in the background.