Pocket of Beauty, Bucket of Provision

It’s been much too long since I’ve posted, I know, and I’m not sure how many of y’all are still visiting our blog. I know you’ve missed me, however, so I’m giving y’all a small update as my graduation date draws nigh.

We have decided to remain in Ambridge for the next year as we prepare to leave for Uganda. The four needs that have been most immediately before us are:

• A group of people committed to pray for us.


• Choosing a missions agency with whom to partner.


• Finding a home in Ambridge.


• Finding a job in Ambridge.

We are so thankful for the ways in which God is continuing to take care of us:

• Pocket of Beauty. Through a fellow student at school we have found a rental house in a space of surprising beauty right here in Ambridge. It sits on a bluff overlooking a creek and has a lovely view of the surrounding hills. Quite rare for this area, we have space on all sides of our home, space filled with grass and trees. Our landlords are Christians committed to using their property as ministry, and the rent they’re charging us is truly a gift. We look forward to our relationship with them.


• Bucket of Provision. I have been offered and have accepted a year-long position at my school, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. In fact, I’ll be stepping back into my role as Coordinator of Online Education, the job I held on a part-time basis my first two years at Trinity. Katharine Frey, my wonderful past and future boss, is allowing me to work only 35 hours per week so we can continue to prepare for Uganda.

Graduation is indeed eminent. May 6 I’ll be done with classes, and May 14 I’ll receive my degree. Although I still love studying, we’re looking forward to ending this chapter of our lives.

More on the prayer group and missions agency in my next posting.

Heart, Mission, and Calling

Since our decision to go to Uganda, these are some of the responses we’ve heard: “God bless your heart for Africa…. So you’re off to the mission field…? Sounds like your calling has been clarified….”

Although we haven’t been thinking in these terms specifically, heart, mission, and calling are all a part of the reason we feel God is saying a clear ‘yes’ in response to the question of Africa. Here’s more of what’s behind the ‘yes’ we’re hearing from God:

• The flow of our lives. We never planned this, but looking over our shoulders we can see fairly clearly how God has been guiding us to this point.


• The current circumstances of our lives. Our past preparation, future opportunities, and current family situation all have us in a good space for such a move.


• The excitement we feel. Nothing else we’ve considered excites, interests, and challenges us like this opportunity does.


• Our unity. Leslie and I both feel confident that this is our next step. We’ve listened together to God in a way different and more focused than with previous decisions.


• The reality. Going to Africa cut down the romantic trees, so we see the forest clearly. There are some hard and scary things in there. As we have considered these things, however, we see how they have potential to shape us to be more like Jesus.


• The people in our lives. Most people have been very excited about this next step in our lives, and no one has said they feel we are wrong to move forward.

We’re praying and seeking God about the many next steps on our way to Africa from Ambridge. There’s more to come!

Keep Checking Back...

Please keep checking back. I'm beginning the slow slide into the burial of studies, but I'm committed to keeping my few loyal blog-fans updated.

Coming soon:

-Revisiting why we're going to Uganda.
-How God has confirmed the call.
-Excitements, Fears, and Prayer Requests

Heck, I might even throw in a few tidbits from my studies just for fun!

We're going to Kabale!

Leslie and I agree that this is the direction God is taking us. Here's a snippet of the email I sent to the principal and deputy-principal of Bishop Barham University College. (For a refresher on the school, look at the second paragraph of my "Thursday in Uganda" posting and the entirety of "The Swiss Alps of Africa." You can also go to Bishop Barham on the Web for more details.)

---snip---
Hello again George and Jovahn,

The past couple of days were set aside by Leslie and me to fast and pray about our decision concerning coming to Africa. We talked and prayed at length tonight, and we both feel strongly that God is saying a firm 'yes' to committing to come to Bishop Barham. We are both humbled and excited by your willingness to invite us into your community, and even rather scared by all that such a move entails. We know, however, from both our experience and from Scripture that God will be beyond faithful to support us and provide for us in ways that will not only strengthen our family, but bring blessing to those with whom we serve.

We will need to talk in greater detail in the future, I'm sure, but I wanted to let y'all know as soon as possible about our decision, and to begin afresh our conversation with you. To begin with, one thing I would like to put before you for your consideration is our length of stay. Originally, before I visited Uganda, we were thinking that we would only come for one year. After my visit, however, it seems to us that one year is too short of a time to accomplish much lasting work. We are now thinking that we should commit to a minimum of two years, providing that time frame seems good to you and to the Lord. One immediate implication arising from this choice is the challenge of raising financial support. To raise the funds necessary to bring us to Kabale for an extended time is going to take a lot of work on our end. As a result, we are now thinking that we will probably need to spend one year after my graduation this May raising funds, which means we would not arrive until summer of 2006 at Bishop Barham. This possibly poses several challenges for you and for us, including postponing the opportunity to serve y'all directly. Among the advantages, however, are the extra time to prepare for our departure, time for me to prepare to teach whatever classes y'all decide I should teach, and possibly even opportunities for me to research and pursue funds for the technology needs of Bishop Barham. Please let me know what thoughts you have about these ideas.
---snip---

And here are some snippets from the deputy principal's reply:

---snip---
Dear Travis,
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are very happy to know that you feel the Lord is saying to you "go to Bishop Barham". What a joy!! This comes as good news to us all at Bishop Barham.
...
We look forward to receiving you at Bishop Barham either may this year or next year. I think our Principal will respond to the idea of either coming this year or next year.

Extend our appreciation to your dear wife for joining you to accept the all to come to Uganda and to Kabale in particular.

God bless you.

Jovahn Turyamureeba
Deputy Principal
---snip---

Please continue praying for us as we move forward. I'll give more details on our next steps in a few days time.

Decision Time!

This Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 7th and 8th), Leslie and I are fasting (yes, even on Mardi Gras), praying, and listening. We are going to talk and make a decision on Tuesday evening. Would y’all please join us in prayer over these two days?

By the way, not only are we praying for discernment as to whether God is calling us to Africa, but we’re also needing to decide whether we will enter the Anglican communion and pursue ordination within that tradition.

Please do pray for us, and feel free to share with us anything you feel God is communicating to you.

Was it all a dream...?

Being in the snowy cold of Ambridge and sweet warmth of family makes Africa seem far, far away. Heck...it is far, far away! The reality of Africa, however, is pressing on my heart, and we need to make a decision soon. Leslie and I have decided that we need to set a definite decision deadline, and set aside some specific time for talking, praying, and listening. When we do so, I will let y'all know so you can be praying with us.

One of the great parts about coming home has been a very tender time with my family. There is a different kind of joy in being with my wife and kids again after a time of separation, and the past several days have been filled with the simple pleasure of being together.

I missed a week of school, so things are already moving along on the academic side. I'm struggling slightly to get into a groove, but that happens every semester. I just happen to be a bit more sleepy this time. Actually, this semester is also different for a few other reasons: 1) Visiting Africa has shifted some of my priorities, which has me looking at my studies with different eyes; 2) I'm in love my wife and kids in a different way, so in one sense I don't care as much about the academics; 3) It's my last semester!

It is a bit strange being back. Lots of brief exchanges in which I try to compact my experiences into a 2 minute sounbyte. Also, Africa does seem somewhat like a dream. Talking to Leslie and looking at photos and video footage helps, but sometimes it already feels like things are slipping away. Then I remember a face, a voice, an experience, and I know that life continues on in Africa in a very real and beckoning way.

I'll continue to post at least once a week. So keep checking back. The adventure isn't over yet!

Best Laid Plans…

Apologies for the sudden spurt of posts. I haven’t had Internet access for several days.

It’s Wednesday, and I’m sitting in Heathrow again, writing this post. I shouldn’t be sitting Heathrow; I should be on an airplane headed for D.C. My flight from Nairobi was delayed by 1.5 hours. Thankfully, flights leave fairly frequently from Heathrow for D.C., so I’m booked to leave at noon, arriving in PA about 6:30pm.

I am so looking forward to being with my family!

Please keep praying...now the talking, listening, discerning begins in earnest. We need to make decisions soon. I'll keep posting. I'll give a general overview of my trip, and then hopefully before long an update on what Leslie and I are thinking.

Thank you for loving us and praying for us!

African Roots, British Humour

Kampala Evangelical School of Theology is one of the few theological institutions established and run by Ugandans. It’s currently a smaller school, with about 50 students, 7 full-time faculty, and 15 part-time faculty. Amazingly, due to what I imagine to be Herculean effort on the part of the lecturers, they offer 7 different diplomas. The physical location is in one of the suburbs of Kampala; it is a small campus, but the buildings are nicer than many I’ve visited and the library is surprisingly strong.

Based on my travels, KEST is uniquely strong in two areas. First, it is utterly non-denominational and utterly evangelical. This brings in faculty and students from a variety of traditions, and it unites them on the ground of Scripture. I like their resulting vision:

• To see the Church reflect biblical vitality, understanding and joy, living out the gospel in the realities of contemporary Africa.


• To see a Society that is increasingly renewed and transformed to reflect biblical values (personally and spiritually, socially and politically, materially and economically) as the result of the gospel’s impact through the activity of Christians and the Church.

The other unique feature of KEST is their teaching method. Teaching in East Africa largely follows the old British method of a lot of lecture and a lot of memorization with little critical thinking on the part of the students. KEST, however, consciously bucks the norm, recognizing the need to form students, not merely inform them. They have a keen awareness of the need to train Ugandan pastors and ministers for holistic ministry, and so they pursue a dedication to excellence in “academic matters, spiritual formation, and skills development.”

In fairness to the other colleges I’ve visited, I must say that most share this commitment. KEST, however, seems to have a greater willingness to use a variety of teaching methods and student evaluation, with an eye to the gradual formation process rather than an emphasis on end of term exams. This is due in large part to their academic dean, Mark Meynell.

Mark is a Brit with the humour and wit that easily enamors us Americans, and one who has a warmth about him that defies the stereotype of British reserve. Through him I have gained a new angle on the current condition of both theological education and the church in Uganda. Although an Anglican himself, he has a broad view of the church in Uganda, and our conversations have brought clarity to some of my fuzzier impressions. He has also given me a clearer picture into some of the challenges of living in Kampala. I hope to write more on these things later.

Extra Thoughts

• One of the highlights of my trip was my dinner with the provost of Mukono cathedral. I knew I was in a special place when one of the women welcomed Frederick and me with a joyful ululation and a short dance. It is a household of about 15 people, and all were very kind in their reception of me. One thing I noticed in particular, however, was how the provost (Stephen) served his family. Ugandans often wash their hands before dinner by having the wife or one of the children pour hot water over your hands into a basin. Stephen was the one to wash most of our hands, and he did several other small acts of service throughout the meal.
  
  The discussion over dinner concerned the nature of authority, and I learned why Stephen serves the way he does – it is how he understands authority. Authority is given to one in order to raise others up, to serve and equip them, and never to dominate.
  
  Our time together ended with singing and prayer. Oh, the singing! It was what an American always wants to hear – the alternating leading and echoing, the intricate harmonies, the rhythms created with hands and voices. What was particularly sweet was watching their faces; almost all of them had their eyes closed as they worshipped God. It wasn’t music for the sake of music; it was worship.
  
  The men of the home walked Frederick and me halfway home through a moonlit night, laughing and speaking words of encouragement.


• I had some very helpful conversations with several western missionaries at UCU. They gave me insight not only into life lived in Uganda, but also helped me think through some of the questions that I’ve been pondering concerning ordination.


• Today (Monday, January 24), I said goodbye at last to Frederick. One of the greatest gifts of this time has been the renewal and deepening of our friendship. His help, his hospitality, his words to me have been more than African; they have been expressions of a love that touches me deeply. I will miss him.


• I am not sure when I will post these three entries to my blog. I am currently sitting in the home of Mark and Rachel Meynell, British missionaries to Uganda. Mark is the academic dean of Kampala Evangelical School of Theology, my final stop on my tour of African colleges. The Meynells have graciously received me into their home, even though they weren’t expecting me due to a miscommunication. Tuesday morning I will spend with Mark at KEST, and then I begin my journey home. Please pray for me as I spend the next couple of days flying on no less than 4 airplanes.

The Seed of the Church

Tertullian, I believe, stated, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” For supporting evidence, visit the shrine of the Ugandan Martyrs just outside Kampala. In the 1800’s, missionaries came to Buganda, the most powerful kingdom in what is now Uganda. The reigning king welcomed them, and Christianity gained a sure foothold in East Africa. The king’s son, however, realized the implications of his people giving their allegiance to King Jesus, and when he came into power he systematically began persecuting and brutally executing Christians, demanding that they recant their faith. On June 3rd, 1886, one large group of Ugandan boys and young men were mercilessly tortured, then bound together to be burned alive slowly, beginning with their feet. Not one of them recanted; in fact, they all sang praises to Jesus until they died. This powerful witness convinced many of the Ugandans that the God of the Christians was more powerful than any of the gods they worshipped, and the place of Christianity in Uganda was secured. Many Ugandans point to this time as the source of transformation for their country.

Uganda Martyrs University sits on the historical land of the above events. It is a struggling school with close ties to UCU, and it has produced some of the finest pastors in Uganda, my friend Frederick being one of them. There are a little over 100 students and 5 full time faculty. The facilities are a bit primitive, but no more so than in some of the other places I’ve visited. They’re a few months away from completing a new 4 bedroom guesthouse, the home where we would stay were God to bring us there.

The principal of the school continued the pattern I’ve experienced of giving me a warm welcome. He talked of the great needs of the school for teachers and for resources for their library. He described the relationships at the school as a family, and said that the students are dedicated and eager learners, most of them making significant sacrifices to be there.

Being close to Kampala, Uganda Martyrs has fairly easy access to schools, hospitals, and other things to warm a westerner’s heart (ex. movie theatres, a supermarket, a hamburger joint). It is also close to UCU, an advantage because of the friendships that would be available there.

The Swiss Alps of Africa

On Friday, January 21, Frederick, our driver Jacob, and I made a grueling 6.5 hour journey to Kabale to visit Bishop Barham University College. The roads were hot and dusty and the traffic was terrible, but the company was great. It was good to get so much time with Frederick to renew and deepen our friendship, and Jacob added humor and insight into our conversations as well.

I have to say that traveling by car in Africa is at times terrifying. “Might makes right” on the roads, and buses and vans doubling as taxis barrel down the road, expecting you to move out of the way. This includes if they are coming the opposite direction and decide to pass a vehicle that is driving merely 70 mph. If you enjoy life, you’re required to swerve out of the way, making sure you don’t sideswipe any of the multitudinous pedestrians, bicyclists, and boda-boda (motorcycle) drivers. As I said of the matatus in Mombasa, I now say of any driver in Africa – you must either be surprisingly skilled or ludicrously lucky to drive along these roads.

That said, it’s time for some reflections on Bishop Barham in Kabale:

• There is a reason they call Kabale “the Swiss Alps of Africa.” The green hills curve invitingly into the sky, then dip back down into often lushly cultivated farm lands. There are many forests surrounding the area, some of which farther on are home to silverback gorillas. Coming into Kabale you cross the equator, so you have entered into the southern hemisphere. Because of the altitude, however, the air is famously cool year round. About 20 minutes drive from the school is a lake where people from the school often take a retreat, and I know that the staff took me there in order to increase the woo factor.


• The principal of the school, the Rev. Dr. George Tibeesigwa, was beyond gracious. If you remember from a previous posting, I actually met him in Kampala. He called us several times on the round to and from Kabale to mark our progress, and his staff was ready to greet us with immense warmth. One thing is very evident about this school – the leaders are committed to team ministry, and their community with each other seems to be deep and genuine. George is a man of vision and influence, but he exercises his authority by loving and supporting those who are under him.


• The school is larger and more significant than I had realized. They have about 600 registered students, 20 full time faculty, and another 10 or so part-time faculty. The school has grown with surprising speed in the past several years, and is closely connected with Uganda Christian University in Kampala. Their theological college is only one part of the university.


• Another significant aspect of the school is its historical ties to the East African Revival. I’ll give a sketch of this important movement another time, but for now it’s important to know that the revival began in Kabale and spread outward from there. At least one result that I sensed at the school is that the faculty consider the spiritual life to be more significant than the academic one. A clear example came when I asked their academic dean what he looks for in the faculty he hires. “Two things first of all: the quality of his spiritual life, and his commitment to teaching.”


• Another plus: our very own avocado tree. The house we where we would live is the principal’s current home – he is about to vacate that one and move into a newly constructed one.


• Kabale is quite remote. There are many western luxuries available in Kampala that are not accessible in Kabale. There is the potential to feel isolated and lonely out there, although there is supposed to be an ex-patriot community of some size. The only other westerners currently on the school staff are two German couples, one older and one younger.


• The teaching load would be rather heavy, although the principal said that he gives first-timers a lighter load. The resources are again limited, but their librarian is doing an excellent job with what she has. There is also an expectation that I would help out with the technology of the place. (Frederick let slip the secret I’ve been trying to keep hid, namely, that I know anything about computers.)

Prayer Request

A simple one, but very much needed at this time.

I'm beginning to feel a bit weary, and my motivation is flagging. I want to be able to remain engaged with my final few meetings: the provost of Mukono cathedral, Uganda Martyrs, services on the campus of UCU, and Mark Meynell and Kampal Evangelical School of Theology.

Please pray for my ability to focus, for my ability to listen well and to ask good questions, and for energy.

It sounds like things are well at home, but Leslie, my mom, and the kids are beginning to feel a bit of cabin fever due to the cold and snow. Continue to pray for them as well.

Bladders and Tongues

This story is actually from my time in Kenya, but I think it’s worth sharing.

Maruti and I had driven almost 3 hours on a hot, dusty road into Kenya’s interior. I had drunk about 2 liters of water for the sake of survival, and now sat with my friend waiting for the arrival of the vice principal. It’s always a bit of an embarrassing thing to excuse oneself to meet bodily needs, but I knew that such a moment had come and was becoming increasingly necessary.

“Maruti, do you know where the bathroom is?” He looked at me blankly, and I realized I had chosen the wrong euphemism. “I need to use the restroom.” He still didn’t understand, and discomfort was shifting into pain. “The restroom? The lieu? The W.C.? The water closet?” He was not following me, and pain was making me willing to be more graphic. “I need to pee!” Nothing. “I need to pass water.” Nada. Finally, illustrating my words with hand gestures: “There is water in my body here, and it needs to come out!”

“Ah! You need to use the toilet!” Toilet. Right. Why the heck did I not think of that one?

One other bit of miscommunication was cleared up, and one of a bit more serious nature. Frederick has been hearing me tell the story of our conversation from several years ago, which climaxes with my quoting him as saying, “You must come to Africa. We do not need you; you need us.” He graciously explained to me that he felt his words were taken out of context, and were misrepresenting his thoughts. A clearer explanation of his thinking is this: Africa does need us, and we need Africa. His invitation to come was an invitation into partnership, to come ready to give, but also ready to receive. There is much that we must learn from each other, and we will grow to be more like Christ as we grow together.

Thursday in Uganda

Ironically, I haven’t been able to post to my blog as often since I’ve arrived in Uganda. It’s ironic because, as I sit in the wonderful home of Mark and Abby Bartels, I have access to a wireless network! That network, however, has been down ever since I arrived.

The other reason I haven’t been able to post is that my schedule here is much more full than it was in Kenya. Frederick has been such a gift to me! The people I’ve already seen and the places I’ve visited have all happened as a result of his care for me. Thursday afternoon I had an excellent meeting with George Tibeesigwa, principal of Bishop Barham University in Kabale. I am supremely impressed by this man; he is a unique integration of the gifts of pastoring, teaching, and administration, and crowns them all with a wonderful sense of humor. Through him I learned that I have severely underestimated Bishop Barham, and I’ll write more about that later when I tell of my trip to Kabale.

Thursday evening I had the pleasure of having dinner with Stephen Noll and his family. Dr. Noll is Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, a fast growing and increasingly influential university situated in a suburb of Kampala. Through Dr. Noll, his wife Peggy, his daughter and son-in-law Abby and Mark, and the school’s basketball coach Jason, I learned a lot both about life in Uganda as well as the status of education here. Three insights in particular were helpful: 1) I should not expect to be mentored here in any formal sense. Shaping will occur as I work alongside people. 2) My fears about whether Leslie would have the freedom to choose simply to be a wife and mother were somewhat quieted. Not only are expectations of western women different, but the reality is that many African women would choose the same if they could afford to do so. 3) It will be the challenging for Leslie to connect with women since they are so busy.

The UCU campus where I am staying is beautiful, but it is rather western in its environment. People are very busy, the students are quite stylish, and white people (both staff and students) not uncommon. It is an exciting place, but one in which there aren’t many needs for more teachers of theology. They do have strong connections with other schools, however, and I’ll introduce them to you in upcoming posts.

“New speech from the depths…”

Believe it or not, I’ve been able to squeeze in a little bit of my upcoming semester’s assigned reading. Here a couple of snippets from Out of the Depths by Bernhard W. Anderson, a book on how “the psalms speak for us today.”

• The psalms of the Bible are not individualistic poems such as a modern person might compose to express personal thoughts and feelings. Rather, the psalms show that the individual finds his or her identity and vocation in the community that God has created, “The Israel of God.” Within the community of faith one has access to God in worship, and within that community one participates in a great historical pilgrimage. (p. 6)
  
• The Bible as a whole is not only the story of God’s dealings with a particular people, but also this people’s response in thanksgiving and adoration, in lament and petition, along the way of its historical pilgrimage. (p. 8)
  
• The poets of Israel invite us into a world, quite different from the world of ordinary daily life, in which God is taken seriously as sovereign, judge, and redeemer. … The deep within them calls out to the deep within us. They articulate the human cry of every person “out of the depths.” (pp. 18, 19)
  

And, to close, here is a psalm of Jesse, son of Travis and Leslie, accompanied by guitar, as recorded by his mother a few nights ago:

• I bow down and worship him, He tells me not to worry. And I pray to God in heaven for mercy on everyone today. Yes, he is Christ the Lord. Jeeeeeeee-sus!
  

Teaching in Kenya

Here are some of the academic realities of teaching at these schools in Kenya:

• Teachers must have a degree at least one level higher than the level at which they teach. In other, words, with a Masters I can only teach diploma and bachelor level students.
  
• Bishop Hannington’s in Mombasa and St. Andrew’s in Kabare are diploma level schools, and their diplomas are monitored and awarded by St. Paul’s Limuru. In other words, Limuru provides a detailed syllabus of what the students are to learn for each class, and they are the ones who mark the exams at the end of the semester.
  
• All three schools follow a semester format, with 17 weeks per semester. (St. Paul’s actually has 16 weeks.) St. Paul’s and St. Andrew’s average about 40-50 students per class, which means a heckuva lot of preparation and marking. The former has a little over 200 students enrolled, and the latter has about 130. Bishop Hannington’s is smaller, but I forget how many students they have.
  
• Students normally only have 1 to 2 assignments per class per semester, which I understand take the form of fairly extensive research papers. They have intense final exams in the form of essay questions, exams which are given and marked by Limuru.
  
• Instructors are expected to provide fairly detailed notes/outlines for the students. When the resources aren’t easily available to the students, the instructor reads the books, then outlines them and gives the notes to the students.
  
• Instructors at all three schools carry heavy loads, a minimum of three courses per semester. There is also the expectation to participate in daily life at the school, as well as moderate small groups.Because of my strengths, I would most likely be teaching New Testament courses, with the possibility in some places of teaching or assisting in Biblical Greek. I should be prepared to teach just about anything, however.

St. Andrew’s Kabare

I’m tired after a long day of hot, dusty driving, but the day has been a very good one. John Maruti, a Kenyan who has become a friend and a brother, drove me 2.5 hours into the interior of Kenya to visit St. Andrew’s. Maruti is a gentle man, a committed follower of Jesus. The drive to and from St. Andrew’s did not feel long because of how much we enjoyed each other’s company. He shared with me much of his life story, and he listened appreciatively as I shared mine. There is much love in this man, and much strength. I like many things about him, but I especially enjoy watching the way he smiles when he talks about his wife Daisy – they have been just a little over a year.

Kabare is hotter and dustier than Limuru, but there is beauty there as well. Close by the school runs a lovely river, and the grounds of the school itself are well kept and attractive. St. Andrew’s is an exciting place to be: the school is growing rapidly, there are building projects in progress, and they have a faculty who “carry two sticks” – academic excellence and spiritual formation. Much of what I have said concerning the work-load at other schools applies here. Canon Moses, the principal, emphasized to me that their lecturers work very hard, and I must come ready to devote myself to extensive preparation. He is extremely dedicated to his students, and is not one who will let just anyone stand before them. Nevertheless, he is very excited about the possibility of my coming, and he is ready to talk business.

The living conditions are similar to Limuru. We would live in a rather large home (4 bedrooms) within the compound, but here we are even farther removed from Nairobi. There are no other white people on staff. In fact, I realized that I really was deep in Kenya by the fact that people actually stared at me. A white person in other parts of Kenya is nothing new; here s/he is a bit of an oddity. So in Kabare we would be immersed in African culture as well, but in a way significantly different from that of Mombasa.

I must also mention the library. The resources are quite decent, but the real treasure is their wooden doors. Four of the doors have carved into them scenes from the life of Jesus: the feeding of the five-thousand, the sharing of the cup, the crucifixion of Jesus, and the empty tomb. On a wall in the stairwell is a long carving depicting 12 Kenyans, six on either side of Mt. Kenya, each group facing the other. In the middle of Mt. Kenya is a cross. All of Kenya, united together through salvation in Christ. Above this piece is a circular stained glass window quartered by a cross. All of these pieces are powerful and distinctly African, and they are the first artwork I have seen.

A Meeting of Wizards

I don’t remember the exact words, but in The Lord of the Rings Gandalf the Grey observes that a meeting between wizards is never a coincidence. When wizards’ paths “happen” to cross, something significant must be drawing them together, even if the purpose is hidden at the time. I have begun to think that the same thing is true of the unforeseen meeting of followers of Jesus.

This evening I was debating about whether to go to dinner here at the guest house where I am staying. The promise of chicken curry and chapate (a yummy flour tortilla-like bread) lured me away from my room and into the dining hall. At the buffet, I hesitantly picked up a chicken-like substance with the tongs when a fellow muzungo (white person) voiced my thoughts and identified it as a nicely cooked piece of fat. A friendly conversation quickly followed, and I invited myself to sit at his table. It turned out that I had joined the company of Athletes in Action. (Those of you familiar with my…er…’passion’ for sports can appreciate the irony of the situation.) AIA is a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ, and this particular group had come to Kenya from Canada. If their accents didn’t give away their nationality, the comment by one that the “”Steelers might win the Cup this year” certainly did. Come on! Even I know that it’s only in golf that you win a ‘cup’! ;-)

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed myself with these Canadian studs. There was much laughter, swapping of stories, and friendly ribbing. After dinner two of the guys stayed at the table with me a little longer, one an elderly farmer hailing from Montana who shared an amazing testimony of how God intervened in his life. (Okay, he was only in his 50’s, but I had to put the ‘elderly’ comment in there in case he reads my blog.) The other fellow was a guy named Jace who bears a remarkable physical resemblance to Leslie’s older brother Rob.

Jace and I continued talking for a long time after the others had left, and it was indeed a meeting of wizards. The stories and struggles we shared were shaped and recast as we encouraged each other from Scripture and personal experience. Jace has an enviable sincerity about him that he carries with humor and humility, as well as a genuine and unaffected openness to God. Our time of prayer together before we parted had my spine tingling and my gut churning, a sensation I rarely experience and one that normally comes when I sense the Spirit at work. A friendship was sparked this evening, and it would be a gift were it to ever have the opportunity to grow.

Rocky Mountain High in Limuru

What a beautiful place! St. Paul’s United Theological Collegesits several thousand feet above Nairobi, and is surrounded by tea farms and much greenery. The climate up there right now is comparable to a summer day in the Rockies – not quite hot in the sun, and quite cool in the shade. Winter (August-September), they insist, is very cold, the temperature even dropping to almost 45 degrees! (Oi, the pain that only my enemy should know!) The grounds are very nicely kept, and the homes where the staff live are quite lovely, and each one sits alone on a sizeable piece of hedge-enclosed land.

The school, being ecumenical, is staffed by faculty from several different theological and ethnic backgrounds, and it has one of the best theological libraries in East Africa. I was received very warmly by Dr. Esther Mombo, the academic dean, but not before I had already had the chance to talk at length with several of the lecturers. Three of them came from the UK, and each had been in Africa for many years. My conversations with them gave me a clear idea of what life there would be like. Of particular note was the time I got to spend with Joseph, a quiet yet brilliant Kenyan lecturer, and one whom Grant LeMarquand respects highly. Through Joseph I received an even clearer picture of the strengths and challenges that characterize the school, and another taste of the kind of relationship I hope to enjoy in Africa.

Living and working in Limuru would be much easier than Mombasa. The setting is more peaceful and has more beauty, and the living arrangements would be simultaneously simpler and more spacious. A significant disadvantage, however, is how far it could remove us from African life. Mombasa would be total cultural immersion; Limuru has the potential simply to skim the surface. Even as I write this, however, I am checked by the knowledge that it is here that Grant and his family were shaped by African culture. Perhaps it would be fairer to say we would have to work harder in Limuru than Mombasa to cultivate relationships with Africans. Another consideration is that the need in Limuru is not as great as that in Mombasa.

I must include mention of my lunch with Dr. Mombo. What a wonderful, gracious woman she is! She confirmed much of what I learned from the other staff, and listened carefully to my concerns for my family. It would be a unique privilege to serve under her.

It is a total, utter bummer not to have Leslie with me on this trip. I am missing her deeply, and I am finding it difficult to see things from her perspective. It is easy to envision myself working at any of these places I’ve visited, but it is much harder for me to see how we would live an integrated family life here. So much of it will depend on how we are willing to reshape our family life, and I don’t have Leslie’s wisdom and insight to help me process this part of my thinking. She is often the one with greater clarity on how our family could and should change in response to what God has given us to do in each season, but she will only have a blog, sporadic email, a bit of video footage, and my stories as the source for her insights. All helpful, I know, but hardly equivalent to the real thing. That’s an area needing a lot of prayer.

Wednesday I’m off to St. Andrew’s near Mt. Kenya, then a meeting back in Nairobi with Canon Moses, the principal of that school.

Kenya Itinerary

• Monday, January 17 – Get sunburned while mechanics work on car on the side of the road.
  -Wander the streets of Nairobi with a questionable guide.
  -Spend more time than intended on responding to email and writing a blog.
  -Wash underwear in the sink.
  -Go to bed before 11pm for the first time since leaving home.
  
• Tuesday, January 18 – Drive to Limuru to visit Dr. Esther Mombo and St. Pauls United Theological College. This is where Grant LeMarquand, one of my professors, taught for several years.
  
• Wednesday, January 19 – Drive to Keruguya to visit St. Andrew’s.
  -Return to Nairobi to meet with the principal of St. Andrew’s.
  
• Thursday, January 20 – If things work out, I’ll get to visit a giraffe preserve before boarding my plane for Uganda.

Traveling Vignettes

Here are a few of the more memorable moments from traveling in Kenya:

• Being helped by a friendly airport policeman. When my ride did not show up, he guided me to a phone which didn’t accept my Kenya-purchased calling card; then he took me to a local shop which helped me successfully place the call, and then interrupted when the owner attempted to con me out of my card; then he stayed with me until my ride arrived. He had a quick exchange in Kiswahili with my driver, who then gave the officer some money – apparently the policeman thought his services to me helped preserve the honor of my friend, and my friend agreed.
  
• Kenyan cars. On the way to the guest house from the airport, my friend’s car broke down on a busy street. He went walking to make some phone calls, and returned with some street mechanics. We pushed the car down a side road, where these two guys used rocks and a makeshift jack to lift the car. They then proceeded to wield bent screwdrivers and ill-fitting wrenches to remove tires, axles, and other items I’ve never seen before. After they successfully (yes, successfully!) fixed the problem, my friend forced me into the car while he haggled with them over the price of the repairs. A surprisingly subdued conversation ensued, interspersed with smiles, laughter, angry words, heads shaking in disbelief, occasional gesticulation, and input from another mechanic. Eventually they settled on 1000 Kenyan shillings for repairing the clutch and everyone shook hands and moved on. 1000 Kenyan shillings is roughly $12. The haggling saved us $6. The whole affair took about two hours, during which I made friends with a local soda vendor and turned painfully red from the sun.
  
• The corruption of the uncorrupt. I was walking through a government building trying to find my way to the street to go exchange some money. Signs were posted all around the building saying, “This is a corruption free area.” While I was asking a guard for directions, one of the civil servants came up and offered to “escort” me to my destination. After a long a walk and a couple of sudden quick turns, we ended up in the stall of a woodcarver in a busy market, where I caved in to pressure and exchanged money “locally” (i.e. on the black market). I felt bamboozled, angry, and ashamed.
  
  (I wrote the above yesterday. I had asked my 'escort' to guide me to a cyber cafe as well. The one he took me to yesterday was fine, but run-down, slow, and a long ways from the guest house. This morning I found one at the government building where I originally met this guy...in fact, we were standing right outside it when we met. Grrrr.)
  
• Fresh fruit. For dinner one night, I bought a mango from a woman on the street, and messily devoured it in my hotel room. The only thing I lacked was a good slice of lime.

Mombasa Reflections

I wish I had allowed for more time in Mombasa. My weekend with Festus, his family, and his colleagues and friends was much too short. Nevertheless, I do feel that I was able to get a fairly clear idea about what life in Mombasa would be like. Here are a few thoughts:

• The friendship with Festus, Grace, and their children is a significant draw to Mombasa. There is an ease of relationship with them that would make living in a culture so different from our own much easier. Not only would they be able to help us navigate the confusing currents of daily life, but their home would be a place of rest and refuge because of who they are. Leslie, I think, would really enjoy Grace, and Jesse and Georgia would be quickly embraced by the other children. Relationship with African Christians is the main reason for coming to Africa, and the Kiseu family and friends would provide that in abundance.
  
• Teaching at Bishop Hannington Theological Institute would be challenging, but very exciting and rewarding. Though it is a small provincial school (meaning they offer only diplomas), they train all the Anglican pastors in the area. They are struggling financially, and their resources on every level are extremely limited. As an example, I would not be able to assign them reading in the required texts; instead, I would have to make detailed notes of the books the students are to have read, and give those notes to them for them to study. There is much prep. work involved.
  
• Another challenge, and one I think will exist everywhere in Kenya and Uganda, is the work schedule. Africans work very, very, very hard, and possibly none as hard as those who are in ministry. Husband and wife both work 6 days a week in order to make ends meet, and the children are either cared for by a helper at home or are in school. Also, it would be very easy to get overwhelmed by opportunities and needs. Observing the sacrifice of the Christians in this context is challenging my concepts of both family and rest. Leslie and I have been working hard to establish a pattern of family life that keeps us fully connected and provides space for rest. I wonder whether that is possible here, or whether our idea of being family needs to be reshaped.
  
• One final thought on Mombasa: The preaching at the cathedral went well. Thank you for your prayers. In order to keep this entry reasonably short, I won’t describe the two services I attended (one in Kiswahili, and one in English), but it was an integration of traditional Anglican and traditional Kenyan elements. I particularly appreciate the sub-dean of the cathedral, Josphat. He is a man with a pastor’s heart who is sensitive to the needs of his congregation, and who is working hard to meet those needs through biblical discipleship. He joined us for dinner on Saturday night, an evening interspersed with much laughter and clear talk on the realities of the church in Mombasa.
  
  Oh yeah…the sermon. It seemed to be received well by the congregation (500+ in attendance?), and both Festus and Josphat felt it was a clear word from God for the people. I spoke on Mark 1.14-20, teaching on the Kingdom of God and wrestling with the question of how there can be suffering and injustice in the life of one who is supposedly submitted to the King of the universe. Even if no one else got anything out of it, God spoke to me on several points as I prepared and preached the sermon.

Mombasa!

(I emailed in a post yesterday, but apparently it did not come through. I'll try to retrieve it later.)

I’m in Mombasa at an Internet Café. I had intended to write this up on the plane from Nairobi to Mombasa, but I got into an interesting conversation with a Kenyan. It was the first conversation with a non-Christian I’ve had since arriving, and I enjoyed our interaction immensely. When the conversation turned personal, I discovered what all of us all know – culture and individuals are all different, but at the heart level the same problems and struggles exist. I was able to pray with him before the plane landed, and he asked me to keep in touch, giving me his business card and saying he needed someone to help him get back to God, but someone who would not try to be his God.

Mombasa, as many Kenyans told me, is much more laid back than Nairobi. It’s hot and humid, but I feel more at ease here. I know that much of that has to do with my friend Festus and his family. How wonderful to see the face of a known brother, be welcomed by his hug and brought into his home. Grace, his wife, carries her name well, and their children have filled up some of my longing for Jesse and Georgia.

I preach tomorrow at the third of three services at the cathedral in the diocese of Mombasa. Please keep praying for me. I have not been able to phone Leslie or receive email from her, so I don’t know how things are at home. Continue to pray for them as well.

Planes, Pains, and Materialism

I just have to say that my flight from Pittsburgh to D.C. was a bit nerve-wracking. I have never been on such a small airplane. It was a ‘shuttle flight’ on a Saab 340. Translation – a twin-prop with room for maybe 30 passengers. You feel every dip and turn and bump. Being one with the air was…er…prayer-inspiring.

The flight from D.C. to London was, of course, on the other end of the spectrum. A double-decker holding I don’t know how many people flying through utter darkness. It reminded me of the fantasies I had as a kid where I imagined that air travel was just an illusion. They put you on a plane, make it move around like a carnival ride, change the scenery, and out you come only having moved from one room to another. The only exciting thing that happened was spilling water on the keyboard of my laptop. I was able to remove the keyboard and clean everything up before any damage was done. Computer surgery mid-flight! I arrived in London with a sore back and sleepy head and a regret for having packed my jacket in my checked luggage.

Heathrow is nicer than most malls I’ve been sucked into, a materialistic marshland filled with sirens singing plaintively all along the path. Fortunately there is also an oasis (I know I’m mixing my environmental metaphors). At the end of Terminal Four is the “Quiet Seating Area,” three rooms full of chairs, snoozing travelers, and blank walls. It’s not a beautiful space, but it is a peaceful one.

Jew and Gentile against the Wall

So there I was at the Washington-Dulles International airport, threading my way through hundreds of delayed passengers, looking for an outlet in order to recharge my iBook before the long flight across the pond. Finally finding one outside the men’s restroom, I plopped down, plugged in my computer, leaned my back against the wall, and pulled out my bible. I sat there feeling mildly self-conscious, reading through Mark and occasionally glancing up for brief spurts of people-watching, when I noticed a young orthodox Jew walking by carrying a guitar and a few bags.

As he passed by me, I thought about how his attire significantly set him apart from the rest of the crowd. At work in the back of my mind was an article I had read earlier entitled “The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience” by Ronald J. Sider. In this article Sider sharply critiques Western evangelical Christianity, showing how “our very lifestyle as evangelicals is a ringing practical denial of the miraculous in our lives.” Sider cites statistic after indicting statistic of how evangelicals largely conform to society rather than participate in its transformation. Very little in our behavior sets us apart from the rest of our culture.

As I wondered whether my own life looked any different from any other American, I glimpsed in the passing Jew the significance of how outward attire could reflect an inward reality Colossians 3.1-17 came to mind, especially these verses: "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience...."

A few moments later the same guy returned, set his belongings by the wall, and pulled out his prayer book. There, for the next 10 minutes, passersby glanced our way, raising eyebrows as they hurried past an orthodox evangelical Christian sitting against a wall reading his bible and silently praying for the orthodox Jew who was bowing and murmuring and quietly singing his prayers to his God. I felt a kinship with this fellow exile, and I was emboldened by his shameless devotion to God. At the same time, the sad irony of the situation was brought into sharp relief as I read of the Messiah for whom Nathan (as his name turned out to be) was waiting. I knew that the very thing that had the potential to unite us – faith in God – was the very thing that kept us separated as Jew and Gentile.

God's People at Work!

I leave for the airport in just a couple of hours! I'm feeling a little excited, but mostly sad. The sadness has surprised me, but it has not taken me long to understand its source. I'm sad to go on this adventure without Leslie, and I'm sad for the two weeks of Jesse's and Georgia's lives that I'll be missing.

I am also quite encouraged. Many of you have responded to my blog, and several of you have offered contacts in Nairobi. My Aunt Alita has a new friend and co-worker from Kenya who is in Nairobi on vacation, and our good friends the Hoskins have put us in touch with a kind missionary couple in Nairobi. God is way ahead of me and already at work through his people.

Please be praying for traveling issues (safety, security, customs, making flights, etc.) and for the first couple of days in which my family will be without me. Thankfully, right now Leslie has her parents keeping her and the kids company. Also, please pray for me as I prepare to preach in Mombasa this upcoming Sunday. The text will probably be Mark 1:14-20. (Yes, dear students of Grant's Bib. Interp. class, I will be making use of all that I learned from you as I marked your papers this past semester!)

More to come....

Uganda Itinerary

Here is the program Frederick has set up for me:

Thursday 20/01/05
1:15PM - Arrival at Entebbe Airport (picked by Frederick)
5:00Pm - Meet and have Dinner with Prof. and Mrs. Noll.
- Spend the night with Bartel’s family.

Friday 21/01/2005
10.00 am - Meet the Archbishop
11:00 a.m - Meet Dr. George Tebasigwa.
12:00 Pm - Travel to Kabale
- Spend the night at Kabale

Saturday 22/01/05
9:00a.m - Meet Deputy principle and surveying the Campus
12.00 Noon - Travel back to Uganda Christian University.
- Spend the night with the Bartel’s family.

Sunday 23/01/05
8:30am – Attend the service at St. Philip and Andrew’s Cathedral, Mukono.
10:30 – 6:30 pm – Stay with Frederick family.
7:00pm – Meet the Provost / Supper
- Spend the night with the Bartel’s family.

Monday 24/01/05
9:00am – Meet the Principal Uganda Martyr’s Seminary.
12:00 Noon – Attend community worship at Uganda Christian University
1:00 pm – Lunch with Frederick.
2:30 pm – To Mr. Mark Meynell’s Family (At KEST)
– Spend the night with Mark Meynell’s family.

Tuesday 25/01/05
- Visit KEST
- Visit Namirembe Cathedral?
7:55 pm – Departure to USA.

General Itinerary

Here is my itinerary:

January 12 – 14: I’ll be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, with a brief layover in D.C. and an 8 hour layover in London. I’ll arrive bleary eyed and excited in Nairobi early on the morning of the 15th, but with no-one to greet me. I have been unable to connect with my contact in Nairobi. I’m looking for a good hotel.

January 15 – 16: I’ll fly to Mombasa to spend the weekend with Festus Kiseu, a friend from Trinity and now vice-principal of a theological school in Mombasa. I’ll also be preaching at the cathedral that Sunday.

January 17 – 19: I return to Nairobi, where I had intended to visit 2 or 3 other schools. All this is up in the air right now since I have not heard from my Nairobi contact.

January 20 – 24: I fly to Kampala, Uganda, where my friend Frederick Baalwa will meet me. Frederick has arranged an amazing agenda for me as you’ll see below.

January 25 – 26: I return home to the States.

Prayer Requests

We need prayer for:

-Peace, patience, and protection for Leslie and the kids in Travis’ absence.
-Safe travel for Travis.
-Clear communication with the various schools and people Travis will visit.
-Discernment as to which place is the best fit for our family.

Travis is off to Africa. Why?

I had intended to begin this blog with witty and wise words about my trip to Africa, but I’ll set that intention alongside the other best laid plans of mice and men.

I leave Wednesday, January 12 for Africa. If you don’t know why I’m going, here’s a snippet from our family newsletter:

--snip--
What comes as a surprise to us is that it seems as though our next step forward will carry us across the ocean to Africa. Two years ago Leslie and I sat across the table from two godly African ministers who had become our friends. Frederick, from Uganda, said to us in his slow rumbling voice, “You must come to Africa. We do not need you; you need us.” Festus, from Kenya, agreed, and they spoke of how time spent serving with them would shape our family for ministry in the United States.

That conversation captured our hearts and imaginations, and the seeds planted that evening have begun to sprout. Festus has since returned to Kenya as the Vice Principal of a small provincial school of theology, and he has invited me to come join their faculty for a year as a guest lecturer. Additionally, I have been invited to explore opportunities at four other theological colleges in Kenya and Uganda. The result is that in January of 2005 I am planning to spend two weeks in Africa to meet with these schools and discern whether this is indeed the next step for the Hines family.

Our African brothers and sisters have much that they can give us in terms of how they see the world, how they live the Christian life, and how they understand and love God. Leslie and I want to learn from them, and we find ourselves with the unique opportunity to do that very thing. Teaching in Africa would also enable me to absorb and apply what I have learned at Trinity, and living in Africa would mold all of us as we engage a culture so different from our own.
--snip--

If I can get access to the Internet during my travels, I hope to add to my blog as the trip progresses. Check back here for updates, prayer requests, and some pretty darn witty and wise words. Maybe.