NEWS MID OCTOBER 2010

Dear All,

The month began with time in UK. I joined in some family events celebrating my mother's and my sister-in-law's birthdays. It was great to belong! Then I could take mum out on her very birthday, and later in the week have a good loooong walk through Hampshire countryside with dad. I had opportunity to meet with John and Janet Butt again at the end of this trip. Please pray for John, my pastoral coordinator for about two decades, recently diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Eventually, on Saturday 9th my sister took me to Heathrow and I went into another world.

In between I had two days at Redcliffe Missionary Training college in Gloucester. My third visit in about as many years. It was a privilege to be able to present a lecture at this UK college that has students from all over the world and that specialises in inter-cultural missionary training. Redcliffe has recently developed a cluster of MA courses dealing in various aspects of mission, in which I was able to share in a very small way.

Emerging from addressing perhaps the most high-powered audience I will meet on this trip including a handful of professors plus over a dozen PhD students - I can say that my presentation at the Toronto School of Theology (14th October) has gone well! It was a pity that the question time, according to one colleague the best time of all, did not go on longer. That was when we really got down to the nitty gritty of 'what is vulnerable mission'. It was my explaining of vulnerable mission on the basis of personal experience that went down much better than my theoretical articulations of linguistic theory, according to another colleague. Many did pick up articles though, and are wanting to receive the AVM Bulletin. It has been a privilege to get to know Stan Chu Ilo - my host who is a Catholic Priest cum theologian / academic, during my time here in Canada.

On Saturday I am to move on to Eastern University in St. Davids, PA in the USA. They have a full programme for me, and it is getting fuller with every email. From there I am to go on to Ambridge Episcopal college, also in Pennsylvania, before moving on to Church of God headquarters in Anderson Indiana at the end of the month.

Please pray also for some of my children at home in Kenya who are facing school exams.

Best wishes,

Jim