Update from Africa Nazarene University

 Happy Friday!

 

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2)

 

A DAY LONG AWAITED

We have been excitedly looking forward to today because this is the day that our son, Rick, flies in to spend a couple of weeks with us.  He will be our special speaker and musician for our Holiness Week Celebration, which begins on September 15th.  We look forward to showing off Kenya to him and showing him off to Kenya.  Hopefully, it will be a win-win experience for all.

 

FRESHERS ABOUND

The new freshman class, or “Freshers” have arrived.  They have been registering all week and going through orientation exercises.  They seem to be a nice group, though I don’t have an official count yet.  I have been meeting with them each morning and evening for devotional times and that helps them get to know me a little bit and me them some.  A new group always means a lot more new names to try and remember - and that’s one department I really struggle with.  It wouldn’t be so hard if they were names like “Joe,” “Bob,” or “Betty,” but when by the hundreds they are names like “Katanga,” “Adagi,” “Mwaniki,” and “Njiri,” it becomes a bit more difficult.  Still, they are usually kind and patient with the Wzungu (white folks) who can’t seem to get it all together.

 

FAREWELL TO FRIENDS

We met on Wednesday evening to say goodbye to Dr. Russell and Donna Lovett, who are returning to the US for their four months of home assignment.  We usually meet and eat together (that night it was Chinese) when someone is coming or going.  I don’t know how much support it provides for those traveling, but we look for every chance we can get to party.  Seriously though, we alway bath our departing friends with prayer for we never know who will end up not returning for whatever reason.  We become a family here and each one is missed while they are away.

 

BLESSED RAIN

We finally had some rain on Monday.  It wasn’t enough to make a big difference, but it rained hard for quite a while and because we have hardly hard any moisture at all here this calendar year it was really a blessing.  It’s getting dry enough that the animals start wandering farther and farther from the game park in search of food.  In recent days a giraffe, some zebras, and even one lion has been spotted close to the campus.  It’s always neat to see our wild friends, but we don’t want to be surprised by them.

 

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

On Monday of next week we will begin the trimester in earnest.  My first class is at 8:00 on Monday morning so I guess I will be getting into things as quickly as anyone.  I have noticed some regular students making their way back to campus already, so I guess the dorms will be filling throughout the weekend.  The days of the “Africa Ablaze” conference and the Annual Meeting of Friends are now behind us and the school will soon be alive with all the sights, sounds, and smells of students full of life.

 

2008-2009 SCHOLARSHIP TOUR

Here is the schedule we have for our upcoming journey.  It’s a little ways off, but we hope to see many friends and make many new ones along the path.

 

December 4 LEAVE KENYA FOR USA

December 7 (am) Clearwater, Florida First Church of the Nazarene

December 7 (pm) Clearwater, Florida Central Church of the Nazarene

December 8 Visit with friends and supporters at Fort Myers, Florida First Church of the Nazarene

December 10 Archer, Florida Church of the Nazarene

December 14 (am) Live Oak, Florida Church of the Nazarene

December 14 (pm) Dublin, Georgia First Church of the Nazarene

December 16 Albany, Georgia Grace Church of the Nazarene

December 17 Gainesville, Georgia First Church of the Nazarene

December 21 (am) Middletown, Indiana Church of the Nazarene

December 21 (pm) Dunkirk, Indiana Church of the Nazarene

December 28 (am) New Albany, Indiana Christ Community Church of the Nazarene

December 28 (pm) Mackey, Indiana Church of the Nazarene

January 4 (am) Muncie, Indiana Southside Church of the Nazarene

January 4 (pm) Anderson, Indiana Southdale Church of the Nazarene

January 5 LEAVE FOR NAIROBI, KENYA

 

Well, that’s about all for now.  Have a great weekend!  Blessings on you all!

 

Randy and Mary Jane James

Africa Nazarene University

Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Good morning!

“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago” (Psalm 25:1).

Greetings from equatorial east Africa!

AFRICA ABLAZE SUMMARY
The four-day conference held over last weekend was a smashing success.  The plenary sessions were inspirational, the workshops were instructive and well attended, the music was outstanding, and all the events seemed to come together in such a way that everyone wanted the conference to be repeated as soon as possible.  We are still trying to decide whether we want this to be an annual event or do it every two years, but we are grateful to God and to all those who worked so hard to make this event what it was.  The participants are now back home, all over the continent of Africa, spreading the flame that was started here.  Only heaven knows how far the fire will go.

“TWEEN” WEEK
This is the only week we have between the conference and students returning.  In fact, about forty of them will return today to prepare to be mentors to first-year students, who will be arriving next week.  That means there hasn’t been much of a break between the semesters.  I did take Wednesday off, but it looks like this weekend is going to be full and then we jump back into it next week.  Whatever I have to do to get ready for the next trimester I had better do in a hurry.

QUAKERS AMONG US
The Society of Friends have been meeting here on campus for a conference since Tuesday and will be here through Sunday.  They come from all over Kenya and kind of fill the gap we would normally have with our students being gone.  They remind us of the many groups who are trying to accomplish the task of spreading the gospel all over the world.  I will be speaking in their service tonight and look forward to making a few more Kenyan friends.  Though we often hear of the woes of the world, the Church is a large family with many branches and styles.  It’s comforting to know that denominationalism doesn’t have to be a divisive thing, but merely a display of different parts of the body of Christ, each fulfilling the Great Commission in a different way.  Family is a wonderful thing and God’s family is no different.

BIG MEAL
Today Mary Jane and I hosted about thirty workers, who did the construction on our house, for lunch.  She was busy in the kitchen preparing the sloppy joes (which will probably be a new thing for these guys), carrot strips, and cookies, which was be served along with chips and American Koolaid (of which, by the way, has been donated and mailed to us in greeting cards and has been a real blessing).  Most of these workers never get to eat lunch, so it is a highlight for them.  It’s just our little way of saying “thanks” and trying to build a stronger bridge with them.  They are an easy bunch to love, as they continually are trying to please us and we are the better for getting to work with such kind people.

By the way, Mary Jane is doing much better these days.  Thanks for all the prayers on her behalf.  I went to the cardiologist today and everything looks good.  I just need to get back into shape and lose a little weight. 

NEW BOOK
I finally got my first book off to the printer and should have it back in a couple of week.  It is entitled, “Unraveling the Revelation: Devotional Readings from the Apocalypse, written from an A-millennial Perspective.”  It has been in the works for a long time, but I look forward to having it out and getting reaction from students and colleagues as well.  It is written for laymen, but hopefully will pass the test of academic reviewers as well.  We shall see.  If you are interested in a copy, let me know and I’ll bring some home when I come to the states in December.  I have a couple more projects in the works right now, a Bible study on Daniel and a textbook for my preaching class, but we will see how this book does before I try to publish anything else.

OUR BOY IS COMING!
By this time next week we will be counting down the minutes until our son, Rick, arrives from the states.  He will be with us for about two weeks, preaching in our chapels for holiness week and doing concerts and special music in the area.  We are excited about “showing him off,” but really excited about just having him with us again.  If you want to know more about his music and preaching ministry, just go to: rickjamesmusic.net.  He is always looking for new places to share the Good News via his talents.  Please pray with us for a safe flight for him as he comes our way.  We look forward to showing off Africa to him as well.

Well, that’s about it for now.  Blessings on you all.  Have a good weekend and a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Habari yako (How is it going)?

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).

AFRICA ABLAZE
We are now in the midst of “Africa Ablaze,” a conference for college-aged youth who are focused on Christian leadership.  Students are here from Malawi, Madagascar, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Uganda, Congo, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, and from all over Kenya.  I was priviledged to preach to this group yesterday morning and observe how God is moving among these dedicated young people as the altars were lined as they accepted the challenge to be “Plugged into the Source.”

Each day starts in the prayer room and I wish I could accurately describe the scene to you.  We are scheduled to begin our prayer time at 8:00 a.m., but even when I arrive early I can hear the students praying while I am outside the building and still fifty meters away.  Entering the room one hears these young people praying in a multitude of languages, with some singing, some crying, some shouting, some standing, some walking, and some kneeling.  Their voices are loud and their faith is strong.  God is honoring the conference with His presence as a result of such fervent prayers.  The conference will go on until Monday morning and we look forward to a wonderful weekend ahead.

CU RETREAT
Last Saturday I took a bus trip to Shalom Gardens in the Ngong Hills, about an hour’s journey from campus.  The event was a retreat with eighteen Christian Union leaders from ANU.  Christian Union is the organizing hub that all other spiritual activities and events spin out from.  It was a lovely place and we had a great time together as we prayed, sang, discussed business and schedules, played soccer, and had a picnic lunch.  It was about a twelve-hour day, but I think our planning efforts together with our student leaders will pay off in the coming days.

A NEW ADDITION
We moved into our new addition on our home this past Monday evening.  Pictures will be posted on our weblongas soon as I can get time to put them there.  It’s a very nice new bedroom, bathroom, and laundry area - all on the ground floor.  It’s so nice not to have to be climbing those stairs all the time.  We will now make our former bedroom upstairs into a guest room.

It may take some time to get used to the differences this change brings.  Last night some of our forty-three guard dogs decided to take up residence on our patio and bark their news to all the campus.  It’s hard to scare off German Shepherd dogs at 4:00 a.m. when they have been trained to do what they do.  We will make sure that the gates to the area next to our bedroom are closed from now on.

STATE OF OUR BEING
Our health issues continue to have their ups and downs.  Mary Jane continually fights the parasite battle and I still have occasional double-vision spells.  My events seem to pass in a few minutes but hers hang on a lot longer.  She has been plagued with these parasites since we have been here more than she has been free of them.  Please keep her in your prayers for this matter.  It seems like anything she eats and anywhere she eats it causes her problems.  It does get very frustrating for her since this pretty much ties her to the house.  It’s fortunate she is not teaching classes these days.

UPCOMING TOUR
We praise the Lord that our year-end scholarship tour slate seems to be pretty-well filled up.  It looks like this:
December 4 - Fly out of Nairobi to Florida
December 7 (am) - Clearwater, Florida First Church of the Nazarene
December 7 (pm) - Clearwater, Florida Central Church of the Nazarene
December 10 - Archer, Florida Church of the Nazarene
December 14 (am) Live Oak, Florida Church of the Nazarene
December 14 (pm) Dublin, Georgia First Church of the Nazarene
December 16 - Albany, Georgia Grace Church of the Nazarene
December 17 - Gainesville, Georgia First Church of the Nazarene
December 21 (am) - Middletown, Indiana Church of the Nazarene
December 21 (pm) - Dunkirk, Indiana Church of the Nazarene
December 28 (am - New Albany, Indiana Christ Community Church of the Nazarene
December 28 (pm) - Mackey, Indiana Church of the Nazarene
January 4 (am) Muncie, Indiana Southside Church of the Nazarene
January 4 (pm) Anderson, Indiana Southdale Church of the Nazarene
January 5 - Fly back to Nairobi

Well, that’s about all the news for now.  Thanks again for your prayers, cards, e-notes, and gifts that you have sent on our behalf during our recent birthday times.  God is good and we are blessed.  We hope you have a wonderful weekend and a very special Lord’s Day!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya
Weblog: http://randyandmaryjane.wordpress.com

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Jambo! (Hello)

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)

ZEBRAS IN THE MIDST
Last Saturday morning the phone rang just a little before 7:00 and one of the security officers at the gate was on the line.  He told us that there were zebras on the soccer field and we should come if we wanted to see them.  So we quickly grabbed our camera and off we went.  Sure enough, nine of the beautiful horse-like animals (including one baby) had ventured into our domain and then had a hard time finding their way out.  We got some great shots, which I have posted on our weblog site.

In the evening we had to go to the airport to pick up a visitor and decided because of the heavy traffic on the main road to take the dirt road that borders the national park.  This time we didn’t have a camera with us, but we saw one giraffe and hundreds of zebras.  The more we drove the more herds we saw.  It was truly an amazing vision as we gazed upon the open plains covered with zebra as far as we could see.  It just makes us want to get back to the park again.

LAST DAYS AND NEW GUESTS
We are now at the last day for our regular students here on campus as they wrap up their exams.  Though most of them are gone, we do have a new group of school teachers who have come for a three-week intensive program, which will lead to them getting a degree.  Many teachers in Kenya have only diplomas and not university degrees and we are doing our part to try and change that.  We are starting small with 21 on our main campus, 21 on the Machakos campus, and 27 doing environment development and protection training on our town campus.  Teachers and people working with land reclamation are in great demand here and we are happy to be able to offer classes in these areas.

GOODBYE TO THE MELLINGERS AND BAKERS
We met this week for a farewell dinner for Jon Mellinger and Don and Ilean Baker.  Jon, Sally, Adrian, Michael, and Sam Mellinger have been a part of our mission family here in Africa for a number of years and will not be returning to service here due to personal family situations.  We have loved getting to know them and appreciate what fine dedicated servants of the Lord they are.  Jon was back to pack and get things ready to move back to the States (all in a week) while Sally took care of the family already situation in Ohio.  We will certainly miss their ministry and their friendship.

 

We also say goodbye this weekend to the Bakers.  These Mission Corps volunteers have provided greatly needed services in ANU’s financial department and in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s office.  The three months have passed quickly.  As they return to Michigan they leave behind many friends who wish them well and appreciate their labors and love for the people of Kenya and love for the Lord.

 

A BABY CHURCH IS COMING

Just yesterday I was privileged to meet with District Superintendent Geraphas Oure and a staff of supporters in my office to unofficially launch plans for the new University Church of the Nazarene.  Rev. Oure is appointing Rev. Gift Mtukwa to serve as the initial pastor of the church and the launch date for this new congregation will be the 100th anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene, October 5th.  This project will begin at that time as a preaching point, but we envision the congregation to grow rapidly as efforts go forth to reach out into this growing community.  As Pastor Mtukwa makes plans and gathers his co-laborers around him I know he would appreciate the prayers of God’s people from around the world.  It is really going to be exciting to watch what God is going to do as this church takes its place as a vital support and harvesting partner with Africa Nazarene University.  We will keep you posted as to how things develop in the coming days.

 

THANKS

I want to say thank you to all who have written letters, cards, and e-mails to help me celebrate my 54th birthday today.  I am thankful for such a great family around the world and appreciate the prayers, concern, and support of our ministry here.  I’m even got out today to try eighteen holes of Kenyan golf.  I won’t tell you how bad the score was. I had a couple of chapels to do first and a meeting at the school afterwards, but I had a lot of fun  Hopefully, I didn’t hit any baboons and do them bodily harm.

 

UPCOMING TOUR

We are excited about returning to the States in December and our slate continues to grow.  At present we are

scheduled to be at the following churches:

December 5 - arrive in USA

December 7 - Clearwater, Florida First Nazarene (am)

December 10 - Archer, Florida Nazarene

December 14 - Live Oak, Florida Nazarene (am)

December 14 - Dublin, Georgia First Nazarene (pm)

December 17 - Gainesville, Georgia First Nazarene

December 21 - Middletown, Indiana Nazarene (am)

December 21 - Dunkirk, Indiana Nazarene (pm)

December 28 - New Albany, Indiana (am)

January 4 - Muncie, Indiana Southside Nazarene (am)

January 5 - fly back to Kenya

Have a blessed weekend and a great Lord’s Day!  Be blessed and be a blessing!

 

Randy and Mary Jane James

Africa Nazarene University

Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Greetings from Kenya!

 

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!” (Psalm 47:1-2)

 

I hope all is well in your part of the world.  Things are quiet for the most part right now.  There is just one week of final exams to go and most students are hitting the books except for an occasional break for some exercise.  It’s good for folks to blow off some steam with soccer or basketball - or the really adventurous ones, like me, play frisbee golf.  My Homiletics class and Mary Jane’s English class are now behind us.  This next week I will test my students over Church History and she will test hers over Basic Study Skills.  By noon next Thursday we will be officially done with it all.

 

My health has been much better this week.  The medicine I am on makes me drag a bit, but overall I feel pretty good.  I’ve only had one brief “double-vision” episode since I came home from the hospital, so I think I am fully on the mend.  Mary Jane continues to fight the parasite battle.  It seems like she has them more than she is free of them.  I don’t know why she is so susceptible to them and I am not.  I guess she is just sweeter than I am.

 

We are enjoying our new campus visitors, Jonathan and Jessica Duranceau.  They are a young couple from Tennessee that are here as volunteers until December.  Jessica is working with Student Services in organizing dorm supervision and Jonathan is helping with our sports program.  He has pretty much taken over coaching the basketball team and the students seem to take to them both real well.  We have also been blessed to have Don and Aileen Baker from Michigan.  They have been here about three months as volunteers.  Don has been working in the finance department and Aileen has been helping in the Deputy Vice Chancellor’s Office. They will be leaving in about a week.  They have been a joy to have around.

 

So many people have come here as Mission Corps volunteers over the years and have made such a difference in the life of this campus.  Most of these people will be unidentified to many, but their contributions have certainly been noticed by the Lord and I know He rewards those who are faithful to them.  There are many names in our Court of Honor (Work and Witness teams) here who have truly been instrumental in transforming the face and spirit of this campus and we will always be grateful for them.

 

We are having several international visitors these days.  Some are just taking brief tours of the campus and some are staying for a few weeks.  This is a great place to meet people from all over the world.  ANU is a magnet that attracts a lot of different nations.

Our new addition on our house is really coming along.  Lights and plumbing are now in place.  The wall connecting the old part of the house and the new has been opened and we are hoping to be able to move into the new part over the trimester break.  We will send some pictures when we get all moved in.  It is really beautiful!

 

Our trip home is coming together nicely.  Our tentative schedule is as follows:

 

December 7th (am) Clearwater, Florida
December 14th (am) Live Oak, Florida
December 14th (pm) Dublin, Georgia
December 21st (am) Middletown, Indiana
December 28th (am) New Albany, Indiana

 

We have some other places that are still pending, but we will wait until they are confirmed before we post them.  I hope we can make contact with several who read this newsletter as we travel in the USA. 

 

Have a blessed weekend and a wonderful Lord’s Day!  Be blessed and be a blessing!

 

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Greetings from Africa!

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).

HOME AT LAST
What a joy it is to be home from the hospital.  It’s a nice place to visit, but the old saying is true, “There’s no place like home.”  Before I give you the lowdown on my condition let me share with you about hospital life here. 

In many ways it is like being in the hospitals in the US, but there are some differences.  First of all, the power goes off 20-25 times a day.  Even more noticeable, there is no seat on the toilet in my bathroom.  Most noticeable of all there seemed to be something in my bed eating on my ankles.  I’ve got bites all over.  I never could see anything, but I’ve got the sores to prove it.

I had a battery of tests at Karen Hospital, the place I stayed, but I had to leave to take two of them.  The EEG was done at Nairobi Hospital and the MRI was done in Westland.  That means I got to see Nairobi in my pajamas.  I got into a van with another patient and we toured the town.  The whole trip lasted about five hours.

Still, all in all, it was a good experience - for a hospital stay.  The staff was very professional, very courteous, and very efficient.  Kenyans are an easy people to love.

As to my condition there is good news.  The incident had nothing to do with my previous mini-stroke, or any kind of tumor, or even an detacted retina - as some have suggested.  What the MRI determined was an inflamed occular nerve and a sinus infection that seemed to react in coordination with my heartbeat.  That accounts for the “flashing” experience.  When the incidents happen one eye becomes paralyzed and then I have double-vision.  It is somehow connected to my recurring atrial fibrillation, but we are not exactly sure how.  The end result is that I now take antibiotics for ten days and all should be well.  Pretty neat, huh?  Isn’t God good!  Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern.  We sense your love a continent away.

BAD NEWS
Back at ANU I received word while I was in the hospital that two workers had fallen while working on the new Helstrom building and one died.  I don’t know any details at this point beyond that, but it is the first fatality we have experienced among the construction crews since ANU began.  Please keep this situation in your prayers are well.

EXAMS UNDERWAY
I missed the last two days of my two classes, but I trust I have prepared my students well enough for the coming tests.  The next two weeks will be tough for the students - and then we get to grade everything.  It’s a normal part of the routine here, but its a very serious time in the life of the student body.

HOME FOR A PARTY
I got home from the hospital just in time for our appreciation party for our praise and worship team.  We had twenty-two of our kids in for an evening of food, laughter, and games.  They stayed until late, but it was nice to be around them again.  As a result, I slept in until 7:00 a.m. this morning.  That’s the latest I have done that in a long time.  It is good to be home.

SCHOLARSHIP TOUR
At present we are scheduled to be at Clearwater, Florida First Church of the Nazarene on December 7th (a.m.), Live Oak, Florida on December 14th (a.m.) and Middletown, Indiana on December 21st (a.m.).  If you are near and could join us for one of these services, please come by.  We will be driving north, so if you are somewhere along our path and would like to host us for a service on a Sunday night or Wednesday, please let me know.

Well, that’s about it for now.  If you are reading this it means the Internet connection here has finally come alive for us.  We’ve been having some problems.

Have a blessed Sunday.  Thanks so much for your prayers and the gifts we have received for our birthdays and anniversary.  You are loved and appreciated by the the James Gang.

The adventure continues…

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Jambo! (Hello!)

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.  Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:2-3).

COUNTDOWN
Hope your week has gone well.  The countdown is on here as students now have one week to go before their final exams begin.  I have two more chapels and two more classes to teach.  Everyone here senses the mounting pressure.

Because US schools don’t put such a huge price (60% of the total grade) on the last test it’s hard no doubt to understand why this one exam is such a big deal.  A student can work for the whole semester and have one bad day and all that they have worked for is lost. There is a strong temptation to find a way to cheat as a result of this situation.  People like me have a responsibility to see that they don’t.  Still, there are often those who try - and then they really lose everything.

SHOWERS OF BLESSING
We had a little bit of rain yesterday.  That too may not seem like a big deal, but when things are as dry as they are here, we appreciate every drop we can get.

BATTER UP!
Softball is quickly becoming  a favorite among the students here.  Guys and gals play coed games and are having the time of their lives.  Most have never had a ball glove on before or swung a bat.  Many have never even seen such a thing, but they are catching on fast.  It’s a joy to hear them laugh and cheer each other on - even though our field would make most sandlots look great.  I think that in days ahead there will be even more interest in this “All American” sport.  Who knows?  Maybe someday it will be “All African” as well.

DAILY BUZZ
We have had a couple of good chapel services this week and our Christian Union group had their last meeting for the trimester.  Nobody sings like Africans and they put their all into their effort.  To be honest, I just don’t have the energy to keep up with them.   I will be preaching the final chapel next Thursday and it will be the last time for a while.  Most students will be headed home as soon as their tests are over.  I will preach at the Sunday services here on campus until they are all gone.  Then we will have at least a couple of weeks to visit around a little bit on Sunday.  That’s always a nice change.

Though there is only about three weeks between trimesters we don’t really have that much down time.  The first week after exams is fairly free, but then we have a major youth conference called “Africa Ablaze” which will last five days and then a faculty retreat in Mombasa.  I don’t think there will be much grass growing under our feet during the break.

ONE MORE YEAR
This Sunday Mary Jane and I will celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary.  It’s seem impossible to think that much time has rolled by.  Who would have even thought that we would be celebrating it in Africa.  The Lord certainly does work in mysterious ways.  Mary Jane will not be teaching in the classroom this next trimester, but instead she is going to commit herself to teaching piano to as many students are possible.  There are only two pianos on the campus so scheduling practice time is going to be a bit tricky, but we will work it out.  This should be a great blessing to many students since there is a great love for music here and very little formal training available.

Well, it’s time for me to get ready to go to work.  I’ve got a town campus chapel in a couple of hours.  We always look forward to hearing from you, so keep those notes coming.

SCHOLARSHIP TOUR
We are now scheduled to be in Florida, and Indiana for our upcoming scholarship tour in December.  If you would like us to come your way just drop us a line and we will get if worked out.

Be blessed and be a blessing…Kwa herini (Goodbye)!

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

 

Habari Yako? (How are you doing?)

 

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).  I can picture the reality of this scripture more easily the more I travel.

 

Greetings to all our family and friends around the globe! I hope this has been a good week for you. Well, it’s Friday again so that means it’s time for me to make contact with you and let you know what has been happening on this side of the world. The weeks seem to go by like a blur, although there really isn’t a lot of change in our daily schedules as time passes. We have classes to teach and office appointments and paper work to do like many other universities, but I guess what sets us apart is where we do it.

 

KESHA

Tonight is the Kesha that our Christian Union group has been planning for several weeks. A kesha is basically an all-night spiritual based party. There is lots of music, lots of preaching, lots of prayer, lots of fellowship, and lots of emotion mixed in with some food breaks in the course of the night. It will begin at 8:00 p.m. and last until 6:00 a.m. I will hang with them for a while, but before the dogs come out at midnight I plan to head for home. Once the dogs come out no one leaves until 5:15 a.m., when they are put back in the pen. I have a number of events planned for Saturday and there is just no way I can stay up like the young folks do anymore after a full day of work on Friday. There’s lots of enthusiasm heading into this event however, as it seems to be a spiritual staple of Kenyan young people. This will be the first time we have held such an event in our new Helstrom Student Center. It should provide a much larger venue for the crowd.

 

WELCOME TO THE DURANCEAUS

At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Mary Jane and I will be at the airport to meet and transport Jonathan and Jessica Duranceau to their new temporary home at ANU. This young couple from Nashville, Tennessee will be with us for the next five months as they volunteer their time here to help us with some much needed projects. Both are graduates of Trevecca Nazarene University, Jonathan with an MBA and Jessica with a Master’s in counseling. Jonathan will be working with our new athletic director to organize a full intramural sports program for our students and Jessica will be developing a Resident Assistant program for our dorms. Currently there are neither of these programs in place so it is a big change for the school and for our students. We look forward to working with them and sharing Africa with them. Volunteer Mission Corp work like this is an opportunity of a lifetime for them and a great blessing for us. They join Don and Ailene Baker, who also are Mission Corp volunteers. The Bakers will have been here for a total of three months by the time they leave in August.

 

ON THE COUNTDOWN

We now have just four class sessions left before our final exams. Two of those will be teaching sessions for me and two will be review tests to help my students get ready for the big event. There is really no way to explain the pressure than most of these students feel about their exams. They know that 60% of their grade will be determined by this one event and if they don’t do well the whole semester will have been wasted. They also know that they can’t take their exams unless all their school fees have been paid so that puts extra pressure on them. Each day as I meet with students at 6:30 a.m. for our “Morning Glory” prayer and devotional time, I hear continued prayer requests for God to provide a way for them to pay their fees and to help them with their exams. The tension will build even more as these last two weeks of classes come to a close.

 

HOUSE CHANGES

This has been a busy week of construction at our house. The new rooms continue to develop, but this week we have had several workers making modifications inside our current house. Over the past few weeks, the kitchen window has been moved, the dining room wall opened up for a door, and this week we have seen the rehanging of cabinets in the kitchen, new counter tops, and the moving of the washer and dryer to a new location. I would imagine that by next week the guys will be bringing back their hammers and knocking out the stone wall that separates the old part of the house to the new. These walls, even the interior ones are made of eight inches of solid rock.  It’s pretty amazing to see them take them up and down the way we would change drywall.  There are still no panes in any of the windows or fixtures in the new bathroom, but we are told that they will be the last things installed. It’s not quite the way I would do it, but then I’ve never built anything in Africa. It’s an interesting process to watch develop - and kind of a puzzle to try to imagine what will happen next. There doesn’t seem to be a set plan, although I am sure there is one. It just kind of develops as it goes. I guess we will see what it will be at the end of the journey.

 

SORRY

There have been some folks who have written to me over the last couple of weeks that I have tried repeatedly to respond to, but sometimes this Internet set-up here just doesn’t cooperate. I will keep trying, but please be patient. Because of very tight security here some e-mail addresses get blocked to the point that even when I just hit “reply” to your e-mail it doesn’t go through. I’m not computer-savy enough to explain it. I just know it doesn’t always work. My own office computer crashed just yesterday so I am thankful for this laptop that we brought from home. It’s always good to have a backup plan for things we do here. The continual power outages and surges make life interesting to say the least.

 

2008 ANU SCHOLARSHIP TOUR

Plans are starting to come together as churches are extending invitations for us to come and join them at the end of the year for our scholarship tour. It looks like we will be leaving here on December 5th and having our first service on December 7th. We currently plan to be in the states until January 5th and we are sure that the one month will pass quickly. As we work out logistics as to where we will be and when, I will post it in this newsletter and on our weblog page. Hopefully, we will get an opportunity to meet some of our readers and supporters even if we are not at your home church. Please do come by and say hello to us if we are in your area.

 

We still have open dates to seek out 12 people in 12 churches that will pledge $12 for 12 months to provide funds to students who have no other way to get an education but through outside help. If your church would be willing to host us we would love to come your way. Just drop us a line and let us know and we will do our best to work it out.

 

Well, that’s about it for another week. Drop us a line and let us know what is happening where you are. If there are questions we can answer about our work here that I have not covered, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible - when the Internet service here cooperates.

 

Be blessed and be a blessing…Kwa herini! (Goodbye!)

 

Randy and Mary Jane James

Africa Nazarene University

Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Habari asibuhi! Habari gani? (Good morning! What’s the news?)

“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:17-18).

I hope today is as beautiful where you are as is where I am. The air is clear and crisp and the sun is shining brightly. It will be warm before the day is over, but this morning it was cool enough for me to see my breath as I walked. Such are the extremes of living at 5700 feet altitude and on the equator.

WONDERFUL WEEKEND
We had a great time with our missionary brothers and sisters last weekend as we celebrated the 4th of July on the 5th of July. We had planned to have the event at our house, but since construction is still going on there we opted to go next door to the home of Mark and Nancy Pitts. We ate (too much), talked, visited our 43 guard dogs, toured the new staff housing building (which is also under construction), and just generally kicked back and relaxed. It was a nice time. I hope your celebration was as enjoyable.

STRAIGHTING OUT THE DATES
We have received some e-mails telling us that there is some confusion as to our birthdays and wedding anniversary. Some have three different dates for Mary Jane’s birthday - and she really doesn’t want to have three birthdays in a year. So just to set the record straight, Mary Jane’s birthday is August 3, my birthday is August 15, and our wedding anniversary is July 27. It’s hard to believe that we are just a couple of weeks away from being married for thirty-four years. Mary Jane has to be a saint to have put up with me for that long. There will no doubt be many stars in her crown.

VISITORS
On Tuesday of this week we enjoyed some visitors from the USA. A Work and Witness team from Indianapolis Westside Church of the Nazarene has been working at a church in a suburb of Nairobi and they came to share chapel and lunch with us and tour the campus. It is always a pleasure to have friends from abroad stop by and we try to make them feel as welcome as possible. This group was especially nice for us because they were able to bring some needed items and gifts from our family in Indiana - for which we were very grateful.

Just a thought while I am on this topic. If you know of a Work and Witness team that is going to any foreign field, why not check with them to see if the missionaries there have any special needs that the team could take to them. Many places, like here, have postal systems that really don’t function very well and it is many times cheaper and more helpful to have a team bring small items with them when they travel abroad. I know that those on the receiving end will really appreciate it.

A TALE OF TWO CAMPUSES
I talk a lot about our main campus here at Ongata Rongai, just south of Nairobi, but we also have a campus in the heart of the capital city on Ngong Road where we have another three hundred students. I meet with the morning group for chapel once a week and then with the evening group every other week. This is, of course, in addition to the two chapels and other relgious meetings and activities on the main campus with the seven hundred - plus students we have here. As time goes on we hope to spread our influence even farther across Kenya and we are focusing that the message of holiness will travel along with our educational endeavors.

WEEKEND TRAVELS
Last weekend my team from ANU and I traveled to Kitisuru Boys High School and held a worship service with about 200 teenagers. Services here are hard to describe. Most Americans wouldn’t recognize a resemblence to the services that are common in at a lot of our churches. The services are long and they are full of energy. No one stays in on place very long. I’m not sure we would call it dancing, but the young and old sure get with the program. Most of the music is in a language that I can’t understand, but I do what I can and at least clap and smile. Sometimes I just whistle the tune, but usually the volume of the P.A. is so loud my whistling can’t be heard anyway.

This Sunday I will be leaving at 6:00 a.m. to travel with a different team to Kagumo High School. It’s about a three hour drive each way, but hopefully the way there will be free from traffic at that hour on Sunday morning. It’s a good way to see the Kenyan landscape and encounter the culture outside the “big city.”

SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE
I received a note this week from our financial manager here letting me know that over $36,000 has now come in from last year’s scholarship drive in the USA. Our heartfelt thanks to all who have made this possible. You are being a blessing far beyond what you will ever know. The plan is to wait and receive the remainder of the pledges till the end of the year and hold this money in escrow until the beginning of the school year in fall 2009. That way we can capitalize on the interest that the money is drawing and provide even more for our students over the long haul.

We are still planning to repeat our effort from last year in our upcoming scholarship drive. No offering will be taken, but we are looking for 12 churches with 12 people willing to give $12 per month for 12 months to provide an amount equal to 4 students each getting one year paid in full, or one student getting a full university education. Are you interested in having us come to your church and tell you about it and ANU in detail in December or early January? Just let us know and we will be happy to work something out.

Well, I guess it’s time to go once again. Thanks so much for all your prayers, notes, and concern. It’s great to have this connection and I trust that God will give you a wonderful weekend and a blessed Lord’s Day!

Till next week, Kwa herini (Goodbye)!

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya

Update from Africa Nazarene University

Habari asibuhi! Sikikuu ya furaha! (Good morning! Happy holiday!)

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (Psalm 84:11-12).

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
Though we are far from home and the nation around us pays little attention to our US holiday, we are planning to celebrate the 4th of July - American style! We are hosting the missionaries from the area and a couple of neighbors to our place to put burgers and hot dogs on the grill, eat apple pie and ice cream, and spend the day playing games. The only differences will be in the fact that there will be no fireworks, public or personal, and we will be celebrating on Saturday. This is a work day here in Kenya and at ANU it is no exception.

WINDING DOWN
We now have four weeks of classes left before we start the two-week final exam period. In the first chapel of the trimester I reminded the students that they had 168 hours a week and 83 days until exam time and challenged them to make the best of the opportunities. They still have 168 hours a week, but are now down to 30 days to get ready. We are hoping they will.

I am blessed with some good students. In my Church History class everyone has at least a B and in Homiletics everyone is pulling at least a B-. These classes are not large, but that gives me a opportunity to work more directly with them - and it doesn’t take very long to grade papers. Next trimester I could have as many as 150 in the New Testament class that I will be teaching. I’d better enjoy the small class while I can.

SICKNESS ON CAMPUS
The bug is going around. Everywhere I turn people are coughing, sneezing, and just generally feeling bad. It has hit the faculty, administrators, students, and grounds workers. I had my share a couple of weeks ago and lost my voice for about a week. Tuesday night Mary Jane came to bed with chills, fever, aches, headache, and an unset stomach. By today she is doing much better and thankful to be on this end of it. I guess these things just have to run their course. I am told that the sicknesses become acute because of the constant dust. We haven’t had rain in months and don’ expect any more until October or November so everything is so dry. Living with the dust that results from the dry conditions is just a way of life. We are far enough off the road that we have it better than most. Those that live along Maasai Lodge Road must choke all the time.

FELLOW LABORERS
In Kenya everyone seems to have a uniform. The job is known by the kind of clothes one wears. For example, our guards were a uniform that is black with red trim. The gardeners wear green and housekeeping workers wear tan. Let me say just a word about the gardeners. We have some of the most talented men with green thumbs that I have ever seen. Headed by Jehoshaphat and Samuel, our team has transformed a barren plain into a Garden of Eden. Where once there was just dirt and dried grass now there are gorgeous red, yellow, and white flowers of all shapes and sizes. We have huge cactus plants, tree-sized poinsettias, and roses everywhere. Many of the varieties are unknown to me (I have never been big into flowers), but they sure add color and beauty to the campus. We have our own nursery here so seeds are collected and potted for future use as the campus continues to expand.

PRAYER REQUEST
One great need that we have here at ANU is for a college church. We are probably the only Nazarene University in the world that doesn’t have a support church near the grounds to help us in our mission. Please pray with us that God will open a way, provide the correct leadership, and help us to access facilities to bring this new congregation to pass. Since we are out in the country most people have to catch public transport (matatus) to attend services in Ongata Rongi or Nairobi. Even though we have worship services on the campus each Sunday, there is no way to conserve the fruit of our labors and make plans for further discipleship and outreach without an organized church. Wouldn’t it be great to get it off the ground in time for our denomination’s 100th anniversary (Oct. 5). We will work to see what can be done here and we count on your prayers where you are to see this endeavor come to pass.

THANKS
As I look out my office window I see the clocktower and court of honor. On the spokes that go out from the tower their are plaques with the names of every person who has been here to the campus to help out with a building project since the university began - and some even before the school opened. We don’t say thank you enough for the many who have sacrificed time, money, and labors to bring our school to the point it is today. This is just to let you know that we are very grateful and appreciate so much those who keep us here in your hearts, minds, and prayers. ANU is a very special place and it is special because so many from so many areas have given so much to make it so.

REAL-TIME CONNECTION
If you ever have an interest in talking with us live during a church service or missionary meeting, check with us as how it can be done. There are some options that are free through the Internet and then, of course, there is the phone route at a varied rate. If you think that some “live moments from the field” would be of benefit, drop us a line and we will see how we can set it up.

SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE
No offering will be taken, but we are looking for 12 churches with 12 people willing to give $12 per month for 12 months to provide an amount equal to 4 students each getting one year paid in full, or one student getting a full university education. Are you interested in having us come to your church and tell you about it in December or early January? Just let us know.

Well, it’s time to go. We truly wish you a happy and safe Independence Day weekend! Till next week, be blessed and be a blessing…

Wape salamu zangu jamaa zako! (Give my regards to your family!)

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya