NEWS MID SEPTEMBER 2015

Dear Friends,

A detailed report/reflections on my recent trip is available here. The same may be repeated in my next Jim’s Journal. Note that I did not take a camera, so the report does not include any pictures. (My not carrying a camera was intentional, as a White missionary’s taking pictures implies that he should be making financial donations.)

Give thanks for the ministry progress being made by an American colleague of mine who is working with the Coptic Orthodox Church, called Joseph. Visiting him was just one of many stops in Tanzania on the recent trip. It was the only stop where I specifically visited a Westerner. It is wonderful to find a young disciple like Joseph looking to give himself more and more in God’s service. Pray for many more like him!

My publishing continues to go apace. I have reached a landmark with academia.edu, of having had now 5,000 views of my various article and books through just that one media. This despite my only recently having joined academia.edu. This kind of attention to my writing means that a lot of hearts are being changed, of which I can remain totally unaware! Here is the latest article I have had published, through academia.edu on their website here, and through the original publishers here.

Some will know that the housemother at my home in Yala recently went down with very serious malaria (it was almost certainly malaria, although there was no clear professional diagnosis) resulting in 5 nights in the hospital. This has not been the only case. Many other people seem recently to have suffered from very serious malaria. Pray that appropriate solutions be found to such.

A ‘first’ occurred at an African church I visited with an American missionary colleague on 4th September. As worship continued, my colleague indicated that I should look up. Hanging on the rafters of the building, almost directly above us, was a snake, most likely a black mamba. Noting us looking up, others in the church also saw the snake. They collected some sticks as we continued to worship, drums banging furiously. Then myself and my colleague moved aside as one man struck at the snake with a long pole. It dropped, and thank-fully enough people had sticks at hand by that point so that they could beat it to death. (Black Mamba’s are a particularly dangerous snake.)

We are all hearing a lot about thousands of ‘refugees’ flooding into Europe. It seems globalisation is having some not-so-far-much-anticipated effects. These events seem to say something of the lack of success at efforts to date of enabling people outside of Europe to have comparable lifestyles. I am in prayer for Christian believers in Europe, that the refugees will come to meet a thriving living body of the church, and not bland confused secularisms. Especially for many Muslims, hitherto locked into an oppressive system that offers almost no escape, moving away from oppressive ties of family and kin could offer possibilities of new life.

A missionary group in Kisumu has asked me to provide some orientation to some of their new missionaries starting next week. I hope to spend a week or two with a new couple from America, walking with them, taking them to churches, and teaching them language and culture. After that, another couple may be looking for the same orientation.

Note that unless someone offers me $6400 for that purpose in the next 3 weeks, I will cancel my provisionally-proposed 2016 USA trip.

Best wishes,

Jim

For information on my latest book see: here.