News for the Middle of June 2002

Dear Friends,

This news is coming out earlier than usual because Angela Merridale who is responsible for distributing it will be visiting me from 12th to 28th June! She will be accompanied by Annie Lawson of MAF in Tanzania.

I am still awaiting a positive response on my recent application for a work permit. Pray that this will be forthcoming. If it does not come then I may have to go to Nairobi myself to meet the people in the immigration offices next week.

Please pray for Pudo who is the pastor to a church nighbouring my home and who is currently very unwell. Also for the family of Nick Oduor, a pastor friend in his mid 30s who we buried yesterday.

I have invited some pastors from Yala to come and give lectures on their African-initiated churches here at KIST over the next 10 days. Pray that they will come and that this will work out. Give thanks for ongoing positive experiences in teaching here at KIST. I am learning more of the dependence of local postors on dreams and visions. I was able to record a radio message in Swahili last week for broadcasting over Southern and Eastern Africa by TWR in early August. Give thanks also for an American couple we have here at KIST called the Gregories. Natalie is the KIST nurse, and Danny is working very hard and effectively on 'beautifying' the KIST campus.

Give thanks that the 'mad-man' who chased us away from our home in Sagam 2 years ago, appears now to have regained his sanity, and has joined one of our Bible classes in Yala! Give thanks also that I am now back on full cycling-strength. For my first month or so back I found that cycling long distances was tiring me excessively, but that now seems to have passed.

I have finally received the official acceptance letter from Birmingham University with a confirmed offer of a place on an MPhil in Theology, which may develop into a PhD in Theology. This confirms my plan to be in the UK for the first three months of next year.

Please pray for my relationships with churches in the Yala region. I have many pastor friends in many different churches. This enables us to promote the teaching of YTC far and wide. The drawback of this is that suspicions between competing denominations makes it difficult to develop deep relationships and trust in any one church!

Jim Harries

PS - Give thanks: I have now succeeded in acquiring a work permit for Kenya for another three years!