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Christmas
greetings from Kenya! Fortunately, once the regular teaching term is done
the rest of our work – marking papers, preparing next term’s courses,
developing new ministry opportunities – is fairly portable. So Bill and I
(Stephanie) are about to take our work on the road and spend the month of
December in the US. If we travel early enough in December it costs about half
as much, so we’re leaving tomorrow night. Yes, we’ll be that middle-aged couple
lugging computers, books, and stacks of student papers all the way from Africa
via London to America through endless rounds of airport security. But
oh-so-worth-it to spend Christmas with family! First we’ll be with Linnea and
William in their home in Fairfax, VA, then with friends in Charlottesville, VA
(and a quick check on our house there), then in Athens, GA, with Bill’s sister,
and finally Hilton Head, SC, with Bill’s parents and Caroline, Linnea and
William for a real family Christmas. The last time we spent Christmas in the US
was 2009, and before that, 2003 – it’s a rare treat. I have to confess, I’m not
sure whether I’m more excited about the holiday food, or the post-Christmas
sales!
Bill’s teaching term at St Paul’s
University ended last week and mine at the Nairobi Graduate School of
Theology (NEGST, part of Africa International University) ended the
week before. Which is why those exam papers and final projects are flooding in
at the moment. Bill’s new position at St Paul’s has been one of the biggest
blessings for us in 2012. Not only is he teaching in both the Church History
and Theology departments, but he’s also been given responsibility for the new
PhD programs St Paul’s wants to develop. This past month Bill’s been busy
brainstorming curriculum for the PhD’s in Systematic Theology and Church
History and trying to get all his colleagues and department heads moving
forward together. (Is this why they say working with academicians is like
herding cats?!) And he’s found he really enjoys the St Paul’s students. Here’s
a bit about one of them that Bill wrote for The Antioch Partners’ Facebook
page:
Isaac is a student in my Masters-level
class on Theology and Religious Traditions that I teach at St Paul’s
University’s downtown Nairobi campus. But Isaac is much more than just a
student. Isaac comes from northern Malawi. He’s a husband and a father. And he
is a Presbyterian minister serving Christ in the Presbyterian Church of Malawi.
In order to get the education he needs, Isaac had to leave his family behind in
Malawi and come here to St. Paul’s. Getting a credible theological education is
costly for Isaac, but not nearly as much as if he had to travel to the US or
the UK to do so. That’s why I am here. I’ve got a PhD from the University of
Cambridge and I’m a senior lecturer in Theology and Church History, but I’ve
come to Kenya to help my colleagues boost the academic credibility of this
nascent university so that the best African Christian leaders stay in Africa
and give their lives to serve Christ and his people here. Many of the African
students who have their ways paid at great expense to study for the ministry in
the US never go back home, or if they do, they discover that their education is
irrelevant to the cultural context from which they came. I am part of a growing
group of people committed to provide credible theological education for African
church leaders that’s relevant for our African context. We still have a ways to
go on many levels. But when I see students like Isaac in my class, hope grows
that we will see a new generation of African Church leaders equipped in Africa
to be engaged and relevant in the service of a gospel that touches the real
issues and needs of people who live on this continent rather than having to
make do with an ill-fitting imported brand.
However on a sad note, I’ve been grieving
this month the deep and unexpected loss of one of my key African colleagues.
Dr. Douglas Carew, the Vice-Chancellor (= president) of Africa International
University died suddenly in his sleep on 9 Nov. He was 56. I first met Douglas
before we moved to Kenya, in his role as chairman of the Accrediting Council
for Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA), my other ministry focus. I was
so impressed with his giftedness as an organizational leader and with his
personal thoughtfulness and integrity that I wanted to work for him. When this
teaching position opened up at NEGST, the school Douglas was head of, I jumped
at it. Since then I’ve appreciated Douglas’s leadership at NEGST/AIU, but even
more especially and personally in ACTEA. I told you last month that the ACTEA
leadership had agreed to move forward with some long anticipated restructuring,
and that they asked me to return to my accreditation officer role, and that
assuming all the new plans were in place I’d agreed to do that in September
2013. Well, Douglas was the key driver and implementer in that restructuring.
It’s an open question who can or will step into his shoes, both at NEGST/AIU
and in ACTEA. So in both of my ministry areas, I’ve felt the ground shifting
under my feet this month.
In spite of this loss, 2012 has ended
well for Bill and me in terms of the many opportunities we continue to have to
serve God’s kingdom in Africa. What an incredible life we’re privileged to
lead, in an incredible place! And we’re so grateful for those of you who share
with us the great feeling of being involved in this Kingdom work. Thank you
from our hearts for all you do to help.
But I hope the rest of you don’t mind if
I remind you that this past fiscal year is the first time in all our years
in Africa that we’ve finished the year underfunded. We’re in the process of
asking God who the new partners he’s bringing onto this team will be. Our
current list of partnership opportunities are in the bar to the left for
any of you who in tough economic times might enjoy the ‘affordable luxury’ of
having a direct impact in the lives of the next generation of African Christian
leaders.
As Bill and I anticipate the joy of
traveling to the US to celebrate Christmas with family, may you also be blessed
with joyous holidays and the knowledge of God’s love in Jesus Christ given to
each of us as the greatest gift of the season.
Looking
back at 2012 – Highlights
We
loved having Caroline with us during her semester break in January and making
the rounds together of our favorite Nairobi tourist spots
Sheldrick
Trust to visit the baby elephants rescued when their mothers are killed by
poachers or human-wildlife conflict…
...and
the Giraffe Centre, where you get to feed and pet the giraffes – if you’re not
too nervous!
We
also took the opportunity to explore some new-to-us territory – remote Lake
Baringo in the Rift Valley…
…
and appreciated Caroline’s patience when her parents made the inevitable wrong
turn and two-hour unintended detour en route (Yes, this is a traditional part
of each trip we drag our last-born daughter along on)
In
March Bill was ‘tonsured’ as a reader in the Orthodox Church in Kenya, which
means he helps with the liturgy in the services…
…
and is part of the choir at the Orthodox cathedral – here on a trip to sing at
somebody’s wedding (not entirely sure whose)
March
also brought Bill’s parents and sister to visit us in Kenya for the first time
– a treat for us to show them our beautiful surroundings
Back
to work – here’s Bill presenting a paper in April at a conference in Nairobi
sponsored by the Dictionary of African Christian Biography
May’s
highlight was Caroline’s ‘faux-mencement’ at the University of Virginia,
celebrating the end of four years of undergraduate study
We
couldn’t be there for that one, but we’re looking forward to the real thing in
May 2013, when she receives her BA and her Master of Teaching degree
simultaneously
In
June Stephanie made her first ever trip to Israel, accompanying PhD students
from NEGST/AIU
 |
| Masada |
 |
| Jordan River baptism site |
 |
| Camels are just as uncomfortable and smelly to ride as you might think |
In
July Linnea and William celebrated their first anniversary – in Jamaica, poor
things!
We
feel so blessed to see them enjoying married life, following the Lord, working
hard, and settling into a fruitful life in the Washington, DC, area
Meanwhile,
Caroline (back left in this photo) spent the summer in Colorado, helping to
lead Cru’s cross-cultural orientation for kids moving to new countries with
their families
In
August Stephanie traveled to western Kenya to teach New Testament
Greek at AIU’s extension site
And
in September, Bill’s faculty position at St Paul’s University became official
and full-time
Since
then we’ve just been teaching our hearts out – Stephanie at NEGST/AIU, Bill at
St Paul’s, and Caroline doing her student teaching (practice teaching) at
Walker Middle School in Virginia. I think all three of us are more than ready
for the Christmas break!
