Update from Africa Nazarene University

Hello from Kenya!

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

FRIDAY AGAIN
Our classes are over for the week and now the weekend is upon us. Tomorrow is “Open Day,” a day when high school students visit the campus and we do our best to put our best foot forward. There will be chapel, special speakers, soccer, rugby, and basketball tournaments and a time to mix with new faces. It’s a big deal for ANU because often many of our students are recruited from such days.

I also got to meet this week with the director of Kenya Student Christian Fellowship. This young man is the director of Christian groups in over 3000 high schools here in Kenya. We are working to colaborate on some upcoming events and we hope to gain access to new areas for student recruitment as well. Marketing is just as important as anything else in the university and we all try to do our part.

We just got back from doing chapel at our town campus. We have about 300 students (mostly older) there and we have the responsibility of trying to be a chaplain to them as well. The atmosphere is a bit different than it is at the main campus, but they are a great bunch to work with also.

SOMETIMES NO POWER IS BETTER
We were in chapel on Tuesday this week and in the midst of our praise and worship time the power went off. The keyboard and bass guitar went silent and the drummer soon followed their lead. The praise and worship team kept singing however, as did the students throughout the auditorium. We were suddenly surrounded with hundreds of voices singing, “Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns! Holy, are you Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb; worthy is the Lamb! Amen!” I didn’t even want to sing myself, but just listen. I had to remind myself of where I was and that this is just a little piece of what heaven will be like. I look forward to hearing the heavenly African voices on the other side.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Our two boarders, Corey and Joe, are getting acclimated to Kenyan living. The are both taking a class in “Bee keeping” and are really enjoying it. Today they have been out among the hives for eight hours and will do the same next Friday as they work on their projects. They will have so many stories to tell about their experiences here and I know they will have tons of pictures as well. They have done everything from going to class, hanging out in the cafeteria, to riding matatus, and even hiking to a local swimming pool with the students. Of course, Mary Jane’s cooking is a lot more like home than the dining hall, but I don’t think they are complaining too much about that.

I would encourage every university student to consider spending at least one semester in a school outside their native land. It will be the adventure of a lifetime – and if it’s like ANU it will be a whole lot cheaper too.

MAMA COOKIE
Mary Jane has been at it again. The Peer Counselors group wanted her to help them bake things for a fund-raiser so she baked about twenty dozen cookies and four batches of brownies. It made the house smell nice, but since she sent them all away we didn’t get to enjoy them much – like I really needed them.

CONTINUED GROWTH
Our athletic field is progressing as work on our soccer pitch is continuing. We also have a new running track around the outside of it. It isn’t quite level and still is pretty rough, but so much better than running on the roads. Our basketball court is playing host to tournaments more and more, so ANU is getting to be more of a household name.

Our Hostel Assistant program is off to a good start also. There are some adjustments to make, like with any new program, but overall we are seeing some good things happen. Our thanks again to all the work Jonathan and Jessica Duranceau did in helping get these programs off the ground.

PRAYER REQUESTS
There are always needs in all parts of the world, but here are some that are very close to our hearts right now.

1. Joseph and Tabitha Chacha – Tabitha has been diagnosed with a maligant brain tumor. She and Joseph have already gone past their insurance coverage and now she is facing surgery. They are the parents of a five year old child and a four month old child. Joseph works in our registrars office. We are praying that God will raise Tabitha to health once again.
2. One of our mature students named “Silas” just lost his eight-year-old son this week to pneumonia. Silas holds a 4.0 GPA as he pursues his education degree and teaches full-time. Pray for God’s strength to be given to them during this time.
3. Pray that our passport and visa process will be finished on time for our school music group to travel to the US in May and June. Pray also that our students will be able to raise the money needed for their plane tickets.

PREACHING IN TOWN
I preached through a “interupter” again last week and I am trying to get the rhythm down to do it more effectively. It is definitely a challenge, but an interesting way to get a message out. I’m not sure I will ever be as good at it as I would like to be, but it beats me trying to speak in Kiswahili. I think that is going to be a long time coming.

Well, it’s getting late and it’s been a long day. Have a wonderful weekend!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Randy and Mary Jane James
Africa Nazarene University
Nairobi, Kenya