Middle of May 2002
Almost all our students having
returned means we are now in full swing at KIST. It is good to see the
new Dean (Vice-Principal) functioning proficiently. Pray for her (Tammie
Tregellas) especially in her planning of the big annual event, our graduation
ceremony in July. I have 10 first year BA students on one of my courses,
on Biblical Interpretation. I have 8 final year BA students doing interview
based research looking at how local pastors get their direction/vision/guidance
in their work.
The running of YTC (Yala Theological Centre) seems to have been very slack
in my absence. This shows again how little faith people here have in a
theological education programme that is not either oriented to chasing
away evil forces (demons) or closely backed by a white man.
The good news at YTC is that one of our teachers who resigned 17 months
ago has now come back to work with us again. David Asembo is a wise and
amicable single man in his late 30s. Pray that he have the motivation
and drive to invest himself fully into his classes. He is to begin teaching
a new class today as I write this.
Meanwhile I am finding that cycling in this altitude is tiring me more
than usual. Pray that my body strength build up again, after having suffered
from cycling-deficiency-syndrome while in the UK!
I have discovered again that being prosperous and successful in Africa
in an environment where many are poor is hazardous. The second of five
of the sons of my 'landlady' having been killed here in a vehicle accident,
and a third one having had an accident but survived, was enough to convince
her that she had been bewitched by jealous neighbours. We continue to
suffer from various ramifications of this witchcraft accusation having
been made publically.
Esther, one of the girls living with me in my house was made pregnant
by her boyfriend in November last year. She is currently with her aunt,
but we are calling her back in the hope that we can encourage her and
the boy to marry. Please pray for them (and us) in this.
We have been asked to vacate our current accommodation by the end of August.
The widow who this house belongs to had it built on the death of her husband
in 1982. She has never lived in it as she has been in Nairobi. Now Luo
traditional law requires her to live in her house for a while before the
man who has inherited her builds her own place for her somewhere else.
This being the house of the eldest son, other sons cannot move out until
she has done so. Please pray that we find suitable alternative accommodation.
EMAIL - please note that I will NOT be using my hotmail address from now
on. Please use new email address.
Jim Harries