News for Mid February 2005

KIST Website up!

Surfing fans please be informed that KIST (Kima International School of Theology) now has a website!!

Get all the latest info. From www.kimainternational.com

Corrupt or What?

The British High Commissioner recently emphatically and vocally pointed out the great amount of corruption in Kenya. The Kenyan government responded by saying that sorting out the corruption was a matter for internal attention, and did not require comment from outsiders. A few days later the head of the anti-corruption body who was in London checking out for illegal foreign bank accounts, suddenly resigned. Now the US has withdrawn funding it had offered to help the anti-corruption commission, which has clearly become corrupt.

Pray for this country, as many others in Africa, who have been raised on a diet known by the West as 'corruption' (the latter word does not appear in African languages).

Home News

One of my children has now begun secondary schooling. Very impressive he looks too wearing secondary school uniform! Two more are having to spend long hours at primary school (up to 12 hours per day) in preparation for their final exams in November.

I do struggle with knowing what is the best course of action given the national situation. So called corruption, which includes not accepting the West's charity in the spirit intended, is all over and at all levels. I do not see it disappearing overnight, as that is all that we know here. This does not only apply to Kenya, but it seems also to much of the Continent. This means that sending children to secondary school, is like teaching them how to abuse the charity of the White man, i.e. me ('us', if I include my Western readers)!

This is often my experience. A primary school graduate is a good and helpful person who I can work with. A secondary school graduate however has been taught that the system is there to be milked. Such drawing of funds from the unsuspecting West is so widespread, as to cause secondary education to be highly valued.

KIST

Pray for us at KIST as we find ourselves under a financial crunch. We have also just received the resignation with immediate effect of a key faculty member on Monday this week. Otherwise the term is going well. Because a third of our students are on internship so we have had enough teachers this term and so instead of teaching at KIST I have been released to spend more time in Yala / Siaya. I continue at KIST for two days per week.

Please pray for our programme of visiting internship students. I plan to make some visits in early March. I am encouraged by the opportunity one class is taking to visit indigenous churches in my home area this weekend.

Pray that such experience will help them to understand how to 'inculturate' the Gospel.

Yala / Siaya

Teaching at these two locations under Yala Theological Centre and Siaya Theological Centre continues well. Student numbers are relatively buoyant and it continues to be a privilege to be able to teach people in their own language and own environment.

Best wishes,

Jim