November, 2022
Greetings in the Name of the Lord,
After the presidential election in Kenya, life here has returned to the routine. If I try to mention any positive changes brought by the new government, well, so far we have not seen very many. We just bought a portrait of the new president and exchanged it with the picture of the previous president that was located in the main office in the college. However, we continue to experience the economic struggles in Kenya. The prices of fuel, food stuffs, and other commodities have gone up very high. We know that that is a worldwide problem for now, yet it is a strain here.
Graduations
By the end of this November, I will have attended three graduations. Two in the kindergartens affiliated with the Bible College of East Africa, and the last one in the college. This time around, we can celebrate indoors because the government restrictions on COVID regulations have been lifted. The parents who attend the kindergarten graduation will be very excited to see their children’s performance on that occasion. Interestingly, many Kenyans are nominal Christians, and it can be seen in how they attend to their daily duties and make decisions. Mostly they are good and friendly people. However, who said good people and friendly people are necessary spiritual people? Regardless, many do admit the existence of God; yet the God that they admit exists is not necessarily the God of the Bible. The reluctant attitude of the children in the morning kindergarten chapel is a reflection on their family’s spiritual life. Yet, by the grace of God, and by the time they graduate from kindergarten, we do observe noticeable changes. They can memorize many Bible verses, sing Christian songs, and pray. Yet I pray for something more. On the occasion of their graduation, when parents will happily attend, we share about the love of the God of the Bible, and pray that God will bless His Word to the parents’ hearts also.
Vacation Bible School
Before COVID, I used to organize VBS for children in different mission stations under Glory Bible Missions. Now we can resume our ministry and the VBS will be held at three churches in Maasai land and one in the Bible College in Arusha, Tanzania. Immediately after the November graduations, four BCEA students, and me, will be a team and leave for two weeks of VBS. The children of the churches in such remote areas used to be very welcoming and obedient. Now we will need to minster to them with an awareness of the changes brought to these areas after COVID. Beside young children, this time around we will also try to reach out to young adolescents. It has been a request from Pastor “O” for many years now. He even mentioned a desirable topic: moral purity. Since he has been serving there for almost 20 years now, there has been no wedding celebrated in the church for Maasai girls (due to premarital pregnancies). So heart breaking to their lives! During our visit, we plan to teach children in the morning and young adolescents in the afternoon. This task needs much effort and prayer.
A New Way to Reach Out
Last midterm break (October), I visited a BCEA graduate, Obadiah, in Kiptagichi. By public transportation, his place was about six hours away from Nairobi. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I used to stay in BCEA in Nairobi, except for visiting churches for ministry under the Glory Bible Missions. I also a had few chances to visit other areas of Kenya. In fact, my purpose to visit Kiptagichi was to check if I can organize a camp for the Junior Youth. During my stay I was shown the famous tea plantation and tea factory.
Obadiah also took me to his church where he serves as pastor. Since it was Friday, there was no service. Instead, I was invited to a nearby house where church members slowly came in, one by one, for fellowship. Just before the fellowship, Obadiah told me that a guest should share in the fellowship. Whoops! Who was the guest he was speaking of? So, I had to share my morning devotion to about 15 people in the fellowship, far from BCEA. It was never planned at all! I tried with Kiswahili and used many gestures to compensate for my lack in Kiswahili. By God’s grace, though it was not perfect, it was understandable. I was also able to introduce the ministry of BCEA. Well, with that experience, I can now think of a way to recruit students to BCEA. Visiting graduates from different areas will work not only to encourage them in ministry, but also to be able to meet people and introduce them to our ministry.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
In His service,
Bai, Eun Young