October, 2026
Greetings in the Name of the Lord. As I always appreciate your concerns and prayers in Christ, I would like to share with you some of my experiences on the mission field of Kenya.
To begin with, at the Bible College of East Africa campus, there is a Ladies’ Prayer Chamber. It was built for BCEA ladies to be able to come in and pray anytime, freely. The building is unique in the sense that it has a big window just under a high ceiling. While I sit on a bench in the prayer chamber, I can lift up my eyes and see the sky and Jacaranda flowers through the window. They were adorable.
“Two Days”
It was December of 2023 when the schedule for VBS for the Maasai children was moved forward by two days to fit the church schedule where the VBS would be held. I also moved up my own schedule by two days earlier to visit my mother, who had been all alone since my father had passed away in February 2023. Soon after VBS was completed, I flew home to Korea. I arrived at almost midnight. The following day I was so tired that I just rested at home. Only on the second day after my arrival could I take my mother out for lunch. There, in the restaurant, she received a call from her neighbor. During those years, in the village where my mother resided, the city project of taking over the village had been discussed. According to the call, the villagers had to evacuate their houses, and compensation would be given to them. The phone call was about her allotment. To make the story short, the neighbor (a relative) advised her to share it with her children, or someone else, due to the tax burden she would have. At that moment, I was just next to her having lunch. My mother looked at me and said, “I share it with you. Go and build your house on the mission field; it is good for a missionary to have a place to relax comfortably in.” Well, I had all documents they required, such as my identification, and even my bank account numbers, because I had not unpacked my bags yet from the journey. We took a photo of them and submitted them right away. It happened in the matter of a few minutes, at that restaurant! Had not my schedule been moved up two days earlier, would I have been there then? God alone knows.
Building Project
I discussed the matter of mother’s sharing for a house with the senior missionary in BCEA. The building project began about April 2024. I preferred the style of my house after the pattern of the prayer chamber. A house where I can see the sky through the window under a high ceiling. Well, as is typical on the mission field (or third-world countries), the process went slowly. When I left BCEA in November of 2024 to care for my mother, the foundation was not laid yet. While I was taking care of my mother in the hospital, the project went on with help of the missionaries. And yes, there were problems that came up, one after the other. Problems such as the workers’ requiring more money for materials, the supervisors’ quitting, the construction stopping for some months, and miscommunications that happened. I was helpless, being far away, and my mind was so occupied with therapy to help my mother. So, I left all in His hands. Anyway, it would come to completion with help of my co-missionaries, sometime in October of 2025. The money exceeded the original budget and the time took far more than planned. I ask myself, if this is the case, what would be the quality of the work they have done?
My New Place
I arrived in Kenya on October 6, 2026. I entered the new house, which was very different from the original blue print. Many parts were done poorly and even remained incomplete. I was sad, thinking of my sick mother who wanted a house for her daughter. Regardless, the house is a beautiful, spacious and unique place where I see the high sky while sitting in it. How to clean and adjust to this new house will be on me. Since my arrival, I began working on cleaning, arranging, and finishing the unfinished parts as far as I could. Only then could I concentrate on teaching as well as preparation for the upcoming VBS.
Taking this opportunity to share this letter, I do so especially for those who helped with this building project. I pray that it will be used meaningfully for His glory, even after I am gone. And of course, I welcome you to drop by this place as you visit this mission field. A cup of coffee, with some small chat around the table, will be ready. Who knows, one day even my mother can visit and appreciate how the Jacaranda flowers fall and make a flower carpet just next to the house. It is quite interesting to see that they made a cemented walkway to the house hard and wide enough for a wheelchair to pass smoothly!
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” Proverbs 16:33
In closing, may I request that in your prayers, this new house will be used meaningfully, for His glory, now and in the future, and for my effective service at the BCEA during my stay until December.
In Christ,
Bai, Eun Young