NEWS END OF NOVEMBER 2014

Dear Friends,

On 20th November I had an appointment with a member of Trans-World Radio in the UK to do an interview related to vulnerable mission to promote our conferences. Unfortunately the quality of the phone and/or my recording was too poor, so we had to postpone the interview! I am hoping we may somehow still be able to do it.

I was encouraged to find that a friend, who visited me at home here in Yala a few years ago, is now working with one of the big mission agencies here in Kenya, and has been assigned to encourage language learning. Her brief is to try to make sure that all missionaries in that agency continue with learning one or more African languages, even if in their ministries they use English. Perhaps in a small way the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission was able to contribute to the adoption of that policy!

7th to 8th December, a Ugandan friend (and KIST graduate) is due to visit me to discuss prospects for the development of a theological education programme for his church. Pray that in our discussions we will be very alert to the leading of God’s Spirit as we consider this critical concern.

Give thanks for another friend, who I taught in his college days and who lived with me in my home for a year plus 15 or so years ago, who is to be ordained as an Anglican minister on 14th December in my home county of Siaya.

“The magnificent, extraordinary and miraculous in the every-day”. That’s what I thought about so many of the opportunities that the Lord opens for me to share God’s word with people. As a few days ago, when about 20 women gathered, and I was able to explain aspects of the Holy Trinity and how relationship within the Godhead facilitates God’s love for us, and gives us an example to emulate.

There has recently been considerable furore in Kenya following the release of a video of the investigative reporting of journalists of a Pentecostal church in Nairobi city: Here. It has caused the government to try to clamp down on rogue churches and pastors. Pray that the outcome of all this will be positive.

You may have heard of the recent incident in which 28 Kenyan school teachers were killed near the Somali border. The passengers in the bus were apparently asked who was Muslim, then all non-Muslims were shot in cold blood. This happened at the opposite end of Kenya to where I am living with a bus travelling from a location near the Somali border.

Our language encouragement day for Kisumu missionaries on 22nd November went well. I had 6 students for Swahili for three hours in the morning, and then 5 for Luo in the afternoon (one person came for both). I think, and trust, that it was a fun time for all, as well as challenging to get more depth in language. As before, we had a group of men who are already very accomplished in the Luo language, thus enabling us to do some significant exploring including into some critical implications of the language for use in the church and theologically. We are planning another such event on the 20th December.

There was an ugly incident on our way home from the above event. Our driver accidentally backed into a rickshaw. Initially, it looked like a gathered mob was going to beat our driver. Somehow the tables turned. We drove off leaving a mob beating somebody else, presumed to be the rickshaw driver. I don’t know what happened subsequently or how badly he was beaten. The incident happened near one of Kisumu city’s housing/slum areas.

Christmas shopping suggestion: please consider buying copies of this book for use as a Christmas present for your friends.

Best wishes,

Jim