Yet Another Change

We received news this morning that we will be leaving as scheduled for Nairobi tomorrow (New Years Day). It is believed that this is a narrow window of opportunity for us to get into the country before an expected increase in violence on January 3rd (when the opposition leader who lost the election will declare himself the winner).

We will be taken to the guarded/fenced missionary compound in Nairobi to wait out the disturbances.

Last night when we attended the Methodist Church in downtown Dublin they did a traditional Wesley Covenant Service. The prayer of John Wesley below is especially poignant and applicable at this time....
"Lord, make me what you will.
I put myself fully into your hands:
put me to doing, put me to suffering,
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and with a willing heart give it all to your pleasure and disposal."

Amen! THAT is true freedom and peace.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
Nan & Mark

Challenging News from Kenya and Change of Plans

First a little background: When we were in Kenya in October, political campaigns were in full swing. We saw two different large rallies for the incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki, and his key rival Raila Odinga. A week or so ago, the elections were held, and the early returns showed the rival Odinga ahead. After some delays, new reports showed the incumbent ahead and President Kibaki's party declared themselves the winners. Obviously, this made the rivals unhappy and suspicious and there is some unrest in the country. One missionary wife in Kenya reports that there has been some violence and some looting, although there have been no election-related deaths reported.

As a result of the unhappiness about the elections, the situation is challenging for ordinary Kenyans and for Nazarene Kenyans and missionaries. The missionaries are staying inside their compound in Nairobi. They report that their street is uncommonly quiet with no sounds of traffic outside.

The picture to the right was taken just outside the Central Church of the Nazarene in Nairobi. We'd ask you to pray for Kenya in general, but especially for the Kenyan Nazarenes and others who live in the slums of Nairobi. Because they don't have refrigerators, they need to shop for groceries every day. With the shops closed because of the unrest, the poor are unable to buy fruit, meat or eggs. Please pray for all of Kenya, for a safe resolution to the election turmoil, and especially for the students and staff of ANU and for the Nazarene missionaries.

Change of plans: We have been monitoring the events in Kenya from our comfortable situation in Ireland. We have felt no waivering of our love for and sense of commitment to Africa Nazarene University or the work of the Lord in Africa. Even so, we received word from our field director, Don Gardener, and from the University Vice Chancellor Leah Marangu that they want us to delay our flight to Nairobi until the unrest stabalizes. Right now we're making alternative plans for a week to ten days. Worse things could happen than being "stranded" temporarily in Europe, but we choose to believe that the creative and redemptive Lord we serve will guide us in turning this surprise into something that benefits the Kingdom. We are safe and warm and dry, but we covet your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Kenya. We'll keep you posted.

Dublin Visit

Well so far we've had a wonderful time in Dublin. Since our arrival on Thursday, December 28th we've done a Dublin city tour; seen a wonderful concert by the Irish folk band "The Dubliners" with 2000 singing, clapping Irish; attended the Fowcett Family Circus (good acrobats--bad clowns); attended an evening service at a Catholic Church (pictured) last night and an evening service at an urban Dublin Methodist church this evening. Our hotel is very nice with good amenities even though it's a 45 minute ride on a state of the art tram to the downtown area. We'd spend more time talking about that, but we have more important news to share on the next post.

Personal Update 12-3-7

As we head into the Christmas season, we wanted to make sure to thank you for your prayers and support and to give you one last update, in case the rush of activites keeps us from posting before we leave for Africa December 27.

• We’re finishing “crunch time” for handing in projects and papers at NTS. (We’re pretty old to be studying so hard!) Mark just handed in his last paper and Nan will hand in her last one later today. One more online exam after that and then we're done. Kansas City has been a good experience. We've made some new friends and expanded our world.
• We did our last deputation service in Chariton Iowa (on the right) on Sunday. The Lord protected us from some icy roads and gave us a good service there. Thanks to Pastor Greg Neer and NMI President Geneva Jessip and to the people in Chariton for their kindness and support. We are not sorry that our time of deputation is over, but we have genuinely enjoyed getting to visit so many churches and see the work the Lord is doing among his people.
  
• Many of you already know, but the “money’s in the bank” on the sale of our house. Thanks again to Arlen Gingrich our realtor and friend and to Eric Forseth another friend who sent the buyer our way! We'd also like to thank each of you who made this request a matter of your own prayer. Once again we're reminded that God is seldom early but he's never late. Praise the Lord! For those of you who wonder, we loved our house while we were there. It was a comfortable and pleasant gift from God, but it has not been hard to trade a piece of property for a new level of adventure with the Lord. We praise Him for the privilege of serving the Kingdom.
  
• While we were in California in mid-November, we got to spend some additional time with our kids. Mark and Ben went to see the Ronald Regan Presidential Library and Museum in the Simi Valley (and to tour a retired "Air Force One" jet that had served five presidents). Nancy got to say a “long goodbye” to Andrew and Birge, who will not be with us for Christmas.
  
• A special thanks to Mary Winkle and Dan Edgar and Bob and Kim Cantrell at our "home church", Nampa First, for helping us get our shipment on its way to Kenya. We had HOPED to have it shipped by the beginning of November, but we're learning to live with fairly lengthy decision-making processes and the shipment should be picked up in Idaho this week for 8-10 weeks on a ship getting to Kenya's port city of Mombassa.
  
• We continue to be amazed at the richness of our lives and the opportunities our journey with the Lord allows us to have. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support! We’re looking forward to Christmas in Indiana with several of our kids there. Just after Christmas, we’ll head for a few days in Dublin (pray for us as we celebrate New Years with the Irish!) before flying to Nairobi January 2. Blessings on each of you and your families as we head into this holy season. We love and appreciate you all!

Unexpected Support

Just recently we were in King Chef—a “not too bad” Chinese restaurant across the street from World Headquarters—when we struck up a conversation with an African-American man in his 60’s. He first commented on Mark’s small computer, and then on how hard it was to stay up with technology. We talked briefly and then started to eat. He apologized for interrupting and asked us if we were Jewish (not sure why—you get to guess!). In explaining that we were not, we told him a bit about our plans to go to Kenya as missionaries. We discovered then that he is the founder and senior pastor of a 1000+ member Pentecostal church just outside of Kansas City. As we were preparing to go, he said he wanted to contribute to our ministry. We said we’d appreciate his prayers and any advice, but he insisted on writing us a check. When we got back to Headquarters we discovered this black pastor had contributed $200 to our deputation fund! We love the idea that there are common hopes in the Kingdom that are larger than our denominational or ethnic differences!

Introductions #3: Rev Mashangu Maluleka

As we’ve said other times, one of the reasons our blog is called “Africonnection” is because we want to introduce Africans and Americans to each other. In this post, we’d like to tell the story of another new African Nazarene friend, Rev. Mashangu Maluleka, whose journey took him from an infamous African slum to a position of leadership in the church and community.

At the time Mashangu Maluleka was born in 1959, the South African system of apartheid and so-called “pass laws” were severely limiting the freedom of black African and mixed race residents. His earliest memories are of living with his widowed mother in the house of his uncle in Soweto. It is a notorious slum township southwest of Johannesburg South Africa which also features the homes of Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu on a single street.

Because only male workers could apply for identity papers allowing them to live in Soweto, Mashangu and his mother lived a fugitive life. She earned a little money as a “hawker”, selling small items on the street, but the lack of acceptable identity papers meant the police regularly harassed her and confiscated her merchandise. At night, she had to sleep in a cubbyhole between the top of the toilet and the roof, hidden by baskets and boxes from the police who spoke roughly and shined flashlights during late-night raids. Even though her life was hard, Mashangu's mother encouraged him to read the Bible and pray.

When it was time for him to begin school, his mother sent him to live with his grandmother in Hammanskraal, a rural area less accessible to government control. Even so, as the government imposed still more sanctions, he continued to hear from his family in Soweto.

Although Mashangu was away from his mother’s religious influence, other people continued to point him toward God. One of his teachers at Sekitla High School read the Bible and encouraged him to buy a Bible of his own. A Nazarene uncle invited him to visit and helped him buy school uniforms and his first bicycle. Even so, the turmoil in the country and in his life increased.

In 1976, the government proposed what he described as the “last straw”: that all instruction must be done in Afrikaans, the mixed Dutch and African language of the white minority. As the struggle continued for a number of years, concerned high school students in Soweto began to meet at Orlando High School. Troops broke up meetings and fired on a march, killing a 13-year old student. Many of Mashangu’s friends and acquaintances died as the government attempted to stop the protests. He and other students were spiritually searching but troubled—where was the God of justice in these difficult times?

In the middle of these challenges and questions, his Nazarene uncle invited him for a visit and he discovered to his dismay that the church was having a revival featuring Rev. Nelson Ngobaeni, an elderly but very passionate evangelist. Out of respect for his uncle he attended even though the crowds were small and it seemed the evangelist had received detailed information about his sinful life. Out of desperation, he lied to his uncle about needing to go back to school. On his way out of his uncle’s gate he met the evangelist who asked to speak to him for five minutes.

When he reluctantly agreed, the evangelist invited him to the church that was opposite the uncle's house. He then handed him the Bible open to Galatians 5:19-20 and asked Mashangu to slowly out loud: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Mashangu was amazed to find how specific and personal the Scripture was. When the preacher asked him to read the Scripture again, he started to do so, but then, in frustration, threw the Bible at the evangelist and asked, “What do you want me to do?”

The evangelist asked him to turn to 1 John 1:9-10: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ...” The preacher led him in a prayer of repentance and asked him to write his sins on a piece of paper. As Mashangu completed his list, the preacher took the paper from him and symbolically set it on fire. In spite of the political challenges in his country, Mashangu left that meeting with a new direction in his life.

He enrolled in Bible school in 1978, and in rapid succession became the youngest Bible school graduate, the youngest pastor (1982) and the youngest District Superintendent (1990) in the country. Today he is the principal of the Nazarene Theological College in Muldersdrift, South Africa (see picture, right), a few miles outside of Johannesburg, leading the preparation of young people for the ministry. The frightened and oppressed Soweto boy has become a respected and influential Nazarene leader through the impact of a godly mother, high school teacher, Nazarene uncle and through the prevenient grace of a loving and persistent God.

Prayer request: NTC Muldersdrift is launching a new distance learning undergraduate degree, the first ever authorized by the South African Department of Education. Please pray that God will use this new degree to prepare men and women for the growing pastoral needs in Africa. Also that God will make the hearts of the African Nazarenes to be generous as the school raises the 2.5 million South African rand they need to provide scholarships to under-privileged students. If you get a minute, please send a note of encouragement to this South African brother in Christ at the e-mail address below.

Contact information: Rev. Mashangu Maluleka, malulekamashangu@gmail.com

Thanks Hemet, Vincennes and Princeton!

From Hemet California to Vincennes and Princeton Indiana, thanks to the churches and pastors who have hosted us in the last couple of weeks. Hemet, about an hour and a half east of LA, is a desert retirement community originally promoted by TV host Art Linkletter. Vincennes and Princeton –right now—are leafy communities in Southern Indiana ablaze with fall color. Thanks to Pastor Mike Hull of the Hemet Church, Pastor Dr. Mike Taylor of the Vincennes Church, and Pastor Gary Arnold of the Princeton Church for your hospitality and kindness during our visit.

Back from Africa

Wow--where to start? For one thing, it felt like our missionary books had come to life:

• we had several meals with Ted Esselstyn who with Mark Moore was instrumental in the starting of ANU;
  
• we met NTC Muldersdrift Principal Mashangu Maluleka (pictured left), and we'll share his story of life as a child in Soweto in a later Africonnection post;
• we sat next to Dr. Richard Zanner who was the regional director of Africa during most of the growth that has occurred there.
  
• we had a visit with Dr. Hynd(pictured right), the 83-year old Scottish Nazarene doctor who delivered the current Swazi king and queen;
• We also got to meet Eugenio Duarte, and to spend several days with Fili Chambo, the current Africa region education coordinator. These are wonderful men of God. We've already profiled Eugenio Duarte, and we'll introduce Fili Chambo to you in a later post as well.

Highlights:

• visiting Soweto, including Mandala's home, a Catholic church where students met and were fired on by South African troops, and the Soweto museum;
• attending the dedication of the new Helstrom Student Center at ANU;
• walking within a hundred feet of a herd of zebras a couple of miles from the ANU campus;
• having a meal with fellow-missionaries Randy and Mary Jane James at the Masai Lodge, near the ANU campus;
• attending the launching ceremony for the new Swazi Nazarene Higher Education Consortium (see attached video--sorry about the sound); and
  
• attending a morning worship service with 800 other worshipers at the historic Sharpe Memorial Church of the Nazarene on the campus of the Nazarene compound in Manzini, Swaziland;
• waiting at the Manzini airport while a prince and lots of troops prepared for the arrival of the Swazi Queen Mother from a trip away from the country.

Southside and Southport--Thanks for your hospitality!

We had a genuinely wonderful time in Indianapolis the weekend of October 7, and we're sorry it's taken us so long to post our appreciation! Sunday morning, we spoke at Southport Church of the Nazarene in suburban Indianapolis. The church has a beautifully remodeled auditorium and we enjoyed our time in Hal Hutton's Sunday school class and in the morning worship service very much. Thanks to Pastor Brewer and Hal for your kindness and hospitality.

After lunch at Jonathan Byrd's, which advertises itself as the world's largest cafeteria, and an abbreviated Nazarene nap, we were part of the evening service at Southside Church of the Nazarene. This service was special both because of the high energy music, because of the extra effort that Phyllis Richards and her team made to assure that the media was working right, and because we had lots of family with us. In addition to Phyllis and Pastor J.D. Bailey, we want to thank our "sister" Mary Mercer, Uncle Phil and Aunt Mary, Chris and Tom, and Carol and her daughter and son-in-law for making the trip to visit us--it was wonderful!

Finally, we got to meet the legendary Martha Bean. She is working with two missionary intern couples for the Indianapolis District right now (Us and Steven and Dana Porter), and we all agree that she is a model deputation coordinator. SOOoooooo--thanks to everyone at both of these churches! We have wonderful memories of our time with you and look forward to being with you again!

Thank You Anaheim, Long Beach, and Rancho Cucamonga

We had a wonderful time in California last weekend, both because of the warm welcome on the Anaheim District and because of a chance to be with our kids.

On Saturday morning we did two presentations at the Anaheim District "Power UP"--a kind of fall focusing rally for pastors, NMI and NYI directors. Heard a powerful message from Gene Tanner, lead pastor at Valparaiso, Indiana Church of the Nazarene. He does podcasts of his sermons and on the basis of the one we heard, we'd really encourage you to check him out (put "Valparaiso Nazarene Church" in iTunes).

On Sunday, we presented in two services at (one of our favorite church names to pronounce) "Rancho Cucamonga Highland Avenue"--about an hour east of LA. The church is attracting a wide range of people, had a strong worship band, has a very successful pre-school and does a restored car rally every year that has become a community-wide event.

Sunday evening, we spoke to a district-wide missionary service at the Long Beach church. The planning team had decorated the tables with African artifacts, had Ladysmith Black Mambazo on the PA, and prepared refreshments. Many veterans of African Work and Witness trips were in attendance. It was a wonderful time of inspiration and celebration.

Monday was a family day. Nan went out with Nathan and Andrew and Mark went out to breakfast with Ben and then on a "photo shoot" of craftsman-style houses east of Hollywood and then to a coffee shop where the picture at left was taken. For lunch we all went down to Koreatown for some Korean barbecue--yum!

Thanks to Karen Benlein, Anaheim NMI President; Pastor John Watkin at Highland Avenue; Pastor Jerry Cordell at Long Beach; and sll of the other wonderful people who helped with logistics, gave words of encouragement, shared their OWN "Africonnections" and otherwise helped to strengthen the bonds between the American church and the African church.

Late-breaking news: October in Africa

The Nazarene International Board of Education and World Missions surprised us yesterday with the offer of a trip to several education-related events in Africa October 12-23. Needless to say, we are excited about the opportunity. The planned itinerary is:

• October 12-13: Kansas City to Amsterdam
• October 14: Amsterdam to Nairobi
• October 15: ANU Helstrom Student Center Dedication, Ordination Service, ANU Board Meeting
  
• October 16: Further ANU Board Meetings
  
• October 17: Nairobi to Johannesburg
• October 18: Regional Office Meetings
• October 19: Johannesburg to Manzini, Swaziland (Nazarene Fitkin hospital to right)
• October 20-21: Worship and Signing of New Cooperative Agreement
  
• October 22: Manzini, Swaziland to Johannesburg, South Africa
• October 23: Johannesburg, South Africa to Indianapolis (for Mark to be with his folks) and to LAX (for Nan to attend a family reunion).

We're very pleased by the opportunity to go and meet many of the people we'll be working with. We'd ask you to pray--not because we're worried, but because it's important--that we begin or continue to establish relationships with Jerry Lambert (current IBOE director), Leah Marangu (ANU Vice-Chancellor), Filimao Chambo (regional director), and the other educators at the nursing, religion and teacher schools in Swaziland. Thank you in advance! We feel and appreciate your prayers.

Things We Like in Kansas City Area

OK, Kansas City disrespecters--prepare for a sermonette!! Sure, if you just drive from the airport to World Headquarters you're not getting the BEST picture of Kansas City. That said, there's lots to like. Here's a list:

• BBQ. Best pulled pork sandwich and fries in the world are at Oklahoma Joe's barbecue in half of a converted Sinclair Oil station at 3200 West 47th street. (If you need trendy, attractive surroundings, your commitment to great barbecue is already subject to question.) We love the barbecue at Eagle Rib Shack and Goodwood's in Boise area, and we love the barbecue and especially the beans at Jackstacks in the Kansas City area, but you have not lived until you've had a super-moist and smoky pulled pork sandwich and a bag of crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside french fries. We also like Gates and a couple of others, but this is the best for pork barbecue. Amazingly good.
  
• The drive from Shawnee to NTS on 63rd via Mission Hills and Brookside. With much respect: this drive puts Warm Springs in Boise and Queen Anne in Seattle to shame. There are perhaps five square miles of beautiful, 1920-1940's era houses that look like a movie set: manicured lawns, mature trees creating a leafy tunnel for each street, interesting shops. It has been aesthetically healing to drive by these houses on the way to school. It's hard to imagine, but they will probably be even more attractive as the leaves begin to turn and Christmas decorations go up. Highly recommended.
• Craftsman-style houses. Perhaps it has a TINY bit to do with being "homeless", but we're finding ourselves drawn to the many craftsman-style homes in the area. They're much smaller than the houses above- they are a reaction to the perceived fanciness of the Victorian houses that preceded them. They are characterized by 1 or 1 1/2 story homes with a straight or bowed gable in the front, a porch, a fireplace, often built-in book cases. The homes we're looking at (many on The Paseo as you walk away from the NTS campus) are often poorly maintained and sad-looking, but you can still see the character underneath (it's a metaphor).
• The Jazz District. Remember the song "I'm going to Kansas City, Twelfth Street and Vine..."? Well the Jazz District hasn't preserved the WHOLE original section, but six blocks away, at 18th and Vine is a street that preserves the flavor of the original area. It has not only the Peach Tree restaurant, which serves the classiest "soul food" we've ever had, but the Blue Room, which features KC's best jazz (Ellis Marsalis was there last week); the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum--all worth a visit.

Soooo--just a suggestion: if you feel yourself being dragged to Kansas City for a denominational meeting, consider an afternoon away from The Paseo or Troost exploring some of the interesting things to do in Kansas City. We're aware of the Plaza, the Royals (bless their hearts) and the Chiefs, but if YOU have suggestions for other things we should check out or want to arm wrestle about the best BBQ we'd love to hear from you.

Thanks to Summit View and Tonganoxie Churches

Our thanks to Pastor Dan and Teresa Eller and NMI President Trula Smith at the Tonganoxie Church of the Nazarene and to Pastor Dale and Kathy Jones and NMI President Gail Philip at the Summit View Church of the Nazarene for being our hosts the last two weeks. We continue to enjoy meeting and hearing the stories of Nazarene pastors and laypeople, and experiencing the WIDE variety of people, worship styles and missions of Nazarene churches.

Pastor Dan and Teresa of the Tonganoxie Church have an amazing story of God's patience and redemption in their lives. In his weekday job, Pastor Dale of the Summit View Church is the Director of the Office of Research for the Church of the Nazarene. It was fascinating to hear him talk about some of the information that is available, and some of the studies his office is doing to provide monitoring and decision-making information to the global church.

Thanks again to both of these churches, NMI Presidents and pastoral couples for their kindness and hospitality to us in the last two weeks. We appreciate your commitment to missions.

Personal Stuff

We're trying to keep this blog focused on the ministry and on Africa, but lots of you (bless your hearts) are asking how we're doing, progress on sale of the house, etc. What follows is a brief update on some of those things:

• Our moods are very good. We've gone from being people with huge "to do" lists and lots of responsibilities to being students who do presentations on weekends. We have lots of time to work on assignments, do our devotions and generally "regroup." It's really been a wonderful experience so far.


• It looks like we are near agreement on the sale of our house. We're in a very tough market, as you all know, and buyers can pretty well dictate their own terms. Even so, Arlen Gingrich has been not just a realtor but a wonderful friend and brother in Christ, it looks like we will break even on the sale, and we would be looking at other, much less attractive options if Eric Forseth had not pointed a buyer in our direction. Thanks to both of these good men for their help! There are still two couples in the cadre who have not yet had offers on their houses, so we'd appreciate your continued prayer for our situation, but also for the Burnells and the Porters.



• As everyone told us, the Ketchums have been great. We have had 3-4 meals with them, gone to an outdoor performance of the Kansas City Symphony together and are enjoying our time with them. Our 1-bedroom apartment has become our comfortable and peaceful home. The picture to the right is of Carol Ketchum (who has an amazing work ethic and a wonderful sense of humor) at the Kansas City Symphony concert. If you'd like to look at some pictures Nan took of the apartment, you can check out this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/nanpitts/KansasCityChapter



• Nancy says her thinking is being stretched in the interaction with the good minds in the classes and it's lots of fun to be a fulltime students. Mark wants you to know that he's using some of the extra time to (finally) get some exercise. He's bought a pedometer and is on a "10,000 steps a day" plan, that he's been sticking to faithfully for the last two weeks. For the math-minded, 10,000 steps with a 32 inch stride works out to about 5 miles a day or 35 miles a week--lots of good exercise!



• We're enjoying the (mainly younger) missionary couples with whom we're doing the training: Steve and Dana Porter have been at Fairview Village Church in Pennsylvania and are going to Angola. Spencer and April Baggott have been pastoring in Florida and will also be in Angola. Gavin and Jill Fothergill have been in Kansas City (Jill working for World Mission office) and will be part of the Nazarene cross-cultural work in El Paso Texas. Scott and Cindy Meadors were part of the two-week intensive and have already left for Romania. Judy Burnell (who has been associate pastoring in Maryland) and her husband Barry will be in the Eurasia office in Switzerland. Tim and Danielle Whetstone have been Nazarene volunteers in Italy and working with Compassionate Mission in Louisiana and have not yet been assigned. Very good folk. There are also several sweet young children who will be going with their parents on this trip. They range in age from Lucas Baggott who is 5 to Macy Fothergill who was just born on Thursday. When you pray, I'm sure these families would appreciate your prayers.
• Our instructor for the two-week intensive has been David Wesley, who with his wife Glynda were Nazarene missionaries in South America for 17 years. David served as translator and regional director for Bruno Rotti. He is now a faculty member at NTS and Glynda is the training coordinator and "mom" for the missionary interns. We are very impressed with both of them: their love for the Lord, their passion for missions and their care for us as the "newbies."

Thank You Wichita Eastridge and Emporia!

We had a great time with the folks at Wichita Eastridge and Emporia on Sunday. Pastor Will Haworth and his wife Diana took us out to dinner on Saturday evening and were great hosts on Sunday morning. They spent three years as missionaries in Montevideo Uruguay and remember former South America Regional Director Bruno Radi as a young, up and coming pastor. The Eastridge church has a wonderful ethnic and cultural mix that would do many more urban churches proud. (The picture on the right shows Pastor Will getting a toy missionary plane to fly for some of the children in the church.)

Gloria and Daniel, a Nazarene pastoral couple originally from Columbia, are ministering to the Spanish-speaking community, and the church is also reaching the African-American and Asian populations. Even more impressive, it was clear that the older members of the church are literally and figuratively embracing the newer members. Wichita Eastridge makes it clear that they have a local as well as global commitment to missions. Thanks to Pastor Gloria for her warmth and morning solo in Spanish, to Cheryl for help with our media and to Pastor Will and Diana for their hospitality!

We were also impressed with the work going on at the Emporia, Kansas church under the leadership of Pastor Mark Hensen. Dr. Sheryl Lidzy, a professor of communications at Emporia State University, is the newly-appointed NMI President for the Emporia church and clearly has a vision for the work of the NMI at Emporia. Dennis and Sonia Irwin, the primary leaders for the new Celebrate Recovery ministry at the church, spent some time talking with Nancy about her experience with the ministry at Nampa First. After the service, we had a good meal and time of fellowship in the church activity center. Thanks to Pastor Hensen for his help with the media and for his prayer after the service, and thanks to Sheryl and Rusty Lidzy for their hospitality.

We continue to be blessed by the fact that at each church we visit people are attempting to hear the Lord's voice and to establish or strengthen ministries that will meet needs in the community and bring people to the Lord. Thanks to everyone at Wichita Eastridge and Emporia for your time with us this weekend, and for your faithfulness to the Kingdom!

Introductions #2

In this entry, we'd like to introduce the Vice-Chancellor (President) of Africa Nazarene University and a recent graduate. Both Nazarenes, both passionate in their relationship to the Lord, and both working for the Kingdom.

Professor Leah Marangu grew up in a poor, hard-working family on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Her father, a Methodist minister with a 3rd grade education, was the best-educated person in the village and wanted his daughter to go to school. Over her mother's objections, Professor Marangu worked as a housekeeper to pay her way through elementary and secondary school in the Meru District. Later, she followed her husband John to Olivet Nazarene University where she earned her bachelors degree, followed by a masters degree and Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

She is the first woman in Kenya to become the head of a university and is well-respected and well-known all over the country. In 1969, she was the recipient of The International Award from Iowa State University for outstanding leadership qualities, character and personality. In 1983, Kenyan President Moi appointed her the chairperson of the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation. She helped develop and prepare school syllabus and textbooks suitable for Kenya’s education system. In 1987 the president honoured her with the Silver Star of Kenya for her contribution to the development of education. In 1989 she received the Maggie Sloan Crawford Award from her Alma Mater, Olivet Nazarene University. It was given to women whose lives and accomplishments mark them as outstanding role models.

An appreciative article in the East Africa Standard newspaper quotes Professor Marangu pointing to the central influence in her life: "I accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour at the age of 13 years ...Whenever things took a turn for the worse I would cry to God and ask Him to help me, and He was and continues to be faithful." For the Church of the Nazarene to have one of the very few doctorally prepared Ph.D's in all of Africa as the head of its denominational university is evidence of God's blessing on the church and on ANU. More on Professor Marangu later.

Phillip Friday. OK, please take this test: Pastor Friday is the youth pastor and interim senior pastor of the Nazarene Church in: a) Kikuru, Kenya; b) Los Angeles, CA Eastbrooke Church; c) Labourna, Uganda d) Lamoure, North Dakota--read on for the answer. Phillip Friday is the son of Rev. Ganda Friday, a Nazarene pastor, district superintendent in Kenya and now global missionary in Sudan. At the age of 10, Phillip was invited to a Nazarene service in the Lake Victoria District to honor and exhibit the calling of God on the lives of children. Some children who felt a call to Christian music sang or played instruments. Some who felt a call to Christian art displayed their work. Phillip was given an opportunity to demonstrate his call to preaching by delivering a sermon on the 23rd Psalm before the audience of 400 people. He says it was an event which shaped the direction of his life til now.

Later, as a student at Africa Nazarene University, he got a chance to develop his preaching and pastoral skills as the assistant to then ANU chaplain, Michael VanZant. While Phillip was at ANU, his parents were doing missionary deputation work in the United States. As they spoke in churches, they showed pictures of and told about their children, including Phillip who was studying for the ministry and about to graduate as a religion major at ANU.

The following year, the Church of the Nazarene in Lamoure, North Dakota remembered about Phillip as they looked for a youth pastor. At the same time, Phillip was trying to figure out how to get to Nazarene Theological Seminary to complete a masters degree. When the Lamoure church called Phillip with an offer of the youth pastor, he saw an opportunity to serve the church AND to begin his graduate education. He accepted the position and made the trip to North Dakota. The people have always been warm, Phillip reported, but the weather was not. The first winter, the low temperature was 45 degrees BELOW zero! Nevertheless, Phillip has persevered and the youth group has grown. Today, the group regularly has more than 25 teens at activities, and since the senior pastor took another position, Phillip has been filling in.

We had lunch with Phillip in the Headquarters cafeteria last week, and were so impressed with Phillip's warmth, his intelligence, and his deep commitment to God. We are so lucky to have people like him as members and pastors. Oh, by the way, you can help us pray for one of Phillip's challenges: as much as he (genuinely) enjoys his work in North Dakota, he feels a calling to return to Africa to do pastoral and leadership training. Before he can do that, he needs to pay off his NTS debt. We know the Lord has a way to take care of this need, but we'd invite you to join us in praying for financial assistance as he completes his studies at NTS.

What We're Reading #2

We both like to read and are (usually) enjoying being students again. We thought you might be interested in one quick idea each from several books we're assigned to read or that we've picked up in our "obsessive collecting of books we can't possibly all take on the plane with us":

• From The Psychology of Culture Shock by Ward, Bochner and Furnham, we learned that the ability to balance the conflicting demands of head office versus local office is a key skill for expatriate managers.



• From Cultures and Organizations by Geert and Gert Jan Hofstede we learned that the distance between bosses and employees is greater in countries who speak a Romance language (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish) than in countries which speak a Germanic language (Danish, Dutch, English, German, Swedish).



• From the wonderful, classic African novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, we are learning the very delicate balance between traditional African culture and the Christian faith.

Thank you Greencastle and Cloverdale!

This past Sunday, we spent the day with some wonderful folks from the Greencastle and Cloverdale Indiana Nazarene churches. In the morning, we were with Pastor Bob Muncie and his wife Jane at the Greencastle church. The Muncies spent many years as evangelists with the Church and Pastor Bob is a wonderful pianist and songwriter (http://www.bobandjanemuncie.com/ ). After church, we had a tasty deer roast with all the fixings at the Muncie's house and got to spend time with some folks from the church, hearing more about Wes and Laura Sampson's experiences in Malawi and an amazing story about rare stamps in the church children's department from Julian Jarvis.

After the obligatory Nazarene nap, we spent Sunday evening with Rev. and Mrs. Ross Kirkman and the other folks at the Cloverdale Church of the Nazarene. The Cloverdale service was lively and fun. Ryan gets the "most attentive and responsive listener ever" award and Tony played a great offeratory on the piano. They were both scheduled to be baptized after the service with a couple of other folks. Hope that went well. Thank you to BOTH churches for making us feel so welcome and providing more evidence that the Church of the Nazarene is alive and well and serving the Kingdom in Southwest Indiana.

Introductions #1 and #2

We're in a bind: at the top of our web page we say we want to connect Africans and Americans, but during this training and deputation time we know many more Americans than Africans. For now, the solution is just to acknowledge that and to make the introductions we can. They're important ones, because the former mission fields are maturing and national leaders are taking their rightful place. There are many examples. Korea is sending out its own missionaries. Brazil is starting its own Nazarene university. The African region and African churches are led by impressive national leaders. We'd like to introduce two of them to you.

The first two of these are the Director of the Africa Region, Eugenio Duarte, and Mulonda Batubula, pastor of an embattled Nazarene Church in the Congo.

Rev. Duarte faced a challenging dilemma as a young man: the new national government of Cape Verde, his home country, was so impressed by his work as assistant to the former Portuguese governor that they offered him a "full ride" scholarship to an engineering school. It would have been the answer to many young men's prayers, but it was not the answer to Eugenio's. The Lord led him to the Nazarene Seminary in Cape Verde where he prepared for the ministry. After completing his education, Rev. Duarte continued to distinguish himself--first as a Nazarene pastor, then as a Nazarene field director and finally, in this new appointment as director of the Africa Region of the Church of the Nazarene.

Rev. Duarte deals with the on-going challenges of a Nazarene leader and pastor, as indicated in the regional priorities: Helping children, youth and adults become disciples; Education and training for clergy and laypeople; Developing new generations of leadership; Establishing the church in new African countries; and Practicing Compassionate Ministry. Each of these is worthy of passionate prayer: eternities are at stake.

Beyond the regional priorities of discipling, educating clergy and laypeople, raising up leaders and churches and practicing compassionate ministry, Rev. Duarte must deal with the unique, heart-wrenching challenges of the African continent. Last year, for example, the Nazarene Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was caught up in what has been called "The Silent War." Eight Nazarene churches and Nazarene 2 schools were destroyed. Four lay Nazarenes and 2 pastors from the South Kivu district were killed and 18 injured. Over 2,600 Nazarenes fled into the bush looking for a place to hide.

Byonga Nazarene Church is located in a village that has been attacked 98 times since the war began eight years ago. Pastor Mulonda Batubula has lost 3 children in that time, one by gunshot and two to malaria as they hid in the bush during some of the worst fighting. A faithful member of the Nazarene church since 1993, Pastor Batubula has been arrested 3 times in recent years. Twice the rebels took him because he refused to send young people from the church to fight, and once the government accused him of consorting with the rebels. The district superintendent said of the pastor, “Pastor Batubula says these people need the message of holiness the most. He would choose to die rather than leave the area. He is preaching holiness as the only hope, and trusting the Lord for a better future here or everlasting life."

We are humbled and challenged by this fierce commitment to the gospel. Our own concerns about our new assignment grow small and unimportant when placed in the context of the challenges and concerns of our world-wide Nazarene brothers and sisters. Imagine how these conditions grieve the heart of God. This context makes it even more impressive that at key times as we were trying to make our decision about coming to ANU, Eugenio Duarte sent us e-mails of encouragement and affirmation. Can you see why, as much as we are braced for the culture shock of our own transition, we would ask you to pray for Rev. Duarte and Pastor Batubula and the work God has called them to do? Thank you for partnering with us, and thank you for helping us begin to make the Africonnection: between North American Nazarenes, and their courageous brothers and sisters in Africa. If you'd like to read more about:

• Rev. Duarte's work, go to--http://www.africanazarene.org/wmafrica/Region/OutOfAfrica/News/tabid/122/Default.aspx



• Pastor Batubula and the Silent War, go to--http://www.ncm.org/news_pr060331.aspx

Next in the "Introductions" series: Professor Leah Marangu, Vice Chancellor (President) of Africa Nazarene University.

Don't forget, if you want to share your comments with other readers of our blog, you can do so at www.africonnection.org.

Notes from the Road #2

We're in our fourth day at Mark's folk's house in Brazil Indiana--about 60 miles west of Indianapolis and 15 miles east of Terre Haute where we did our most recent deputation. Mark's dad is a wonderful steward of the two city lots the Lord has given them on the north side of town. He plants half a lot in garden and about half a lot in fruit trees, with generous sprinklings of flowers and other landscaping all over the property. We are loading up on fresh corn, tomatoes, onions, peaches, strawberries and other good things from the garden and fruit trees. It's wonderful to be eating healthy again after the "imposed grease/starch/sugar" diet of the road trip.

Thanks to ALL of you who have asked how Mark's mom Charlotte is doing. The answer is, she's doing remarkably well--her energy level is up and her pain level is down. She is still struggling, as always, to keep her diabetes "count" stable, but she has been cheerful and engaged and active! Some of you who are this age (82) or have parents this age may recognize the "Sundowner effect" which brings sadness or loneliness as the evening unfolds. When that happens, Mom's multiple decades as a church pianist are an amazing resource of hope and joy and reassurance as she plays "My hope is built on nothing less..." and "Nothing thrills my soul like Jesus..." and "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood..." Thanks for your prayers. They're working wonders.

We are trying to get ahead of the reading assignments for the classes we'll be taking later this fall. Nancy is reading Philip Jenkins "The Next Christendom", which Mark reviewed in the blog a couple of weeks ago. Mark is reading "The Gods of Management" which explains four different styles of leadership to prepare us further for those roles on the mission field.

We are making plans to visit Indianapolis Colts spring training which is being held at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an engineering and sciences school, 12 miles away. We're also making plans to visit our old stomping grounds, French Lick, Indiana--early home of ISU and Boston Celtic standout Larry Bird, and also home to a circa 1920's hot spring and spa which has recently undergone a stunning multi-million dollar renovation.

We'll be in Indiana through August 22 and then drive back to Kansas City on the 23rd to be ready for classes the following Monday. Thanks for your love and your prayers as we venture out!

Thanks Terre Haute First!

We had a great Faith Promise weekend with the folks at Terre Haute First, Pastor Mark Fleschner and his family, Youth Pastor Jason and his wife and precious baby boy, Phil "The Pirate" Kruger and HIS family, Tom who did all the preparations for the Saturday evening dinner, and lots of others. This is a vibrant church which is retaining the good from the past, but being sensitive to new ways it can serve the Kingdom and its community.

In some respects, the weekend was a model of how God is at work in the hearts of his people and how missionaries like us get to be a tiny part of facilitating that work--kind of divine sub-contractors! For example (and we'll disguise these a little just to respect confidences): one young lady told her mother she wanted to come and spend a year at ANU; a proud Mom introduced us to her daughter who acknowledged a call to missions at NYC in St. Louis just a couple of weeks ago and had been awarded a denominational mission trip; a concerned woman came to us asking how she could help provide a scholarship to a young woman at ANU; a young dad had just acknowledged a call to ministry and asked to stay in touch in case his call might someday include missions. Praise the Lord for how he works in the hearts of his people! We're in the process of following up with each of these good people to help them discover God's will as it unfolds in their lives. Thank you Terre Haute First for making a number of Africonnections this past weekend!

Swahili Lesson #1

Nearly everyone in Kenya speaks English, but nearly everyone also speaks Swahili, which combines Arabic, African tribal languages and a few European words. To get you ready for a visit to ANU you need to believe that, first, you already know some Swahili words. See how you do on this quick quiz (answers at the end--don't peek!):

1. Simba= a) Hello; b) Lion; c) Welcome

2. Safari= a) Journey; b) Goodbye; c) Thank you

3. Hakuna matata= a) How are you? b) What's your name? c) No problems

Second, here are some words and phrases to add to your Swahili vocabulary:
Ndiyo (n'DEE-yo) = Yes
Hapana (ha-PAN-uh) = No
Asante sana (aSANteh SAnuh) = Thank You
Karibu (Cariboo) = Welcome

Kwaheri (Qwa-HAIR-uh) = Goodbye

Jambo (JAHM-bo)= Hello

Quiz answers: 1-b; 2-a; 3-c

Nan and Mark Road Trip--Utah-Wyoming

For the first time in several years, we're operating without a looooooong list of appointments and tasks and we are enjoying it ALOT! On Monday we got back from our deputations at Portland First and Beaverton, hopped in the pickup and started toward Utah.

Monday night we stayed in a KOA cabin just outside of Brigham City. Charming, with a swing on the front porch, but "facilities" a hundred yards away! Tuesday morning after a low carb breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we drove on into Salt Lake to tour Temple Square (the temple is MUCH smaller than Nampa First), the Tabernacle and the fascinating geneological library (Mark saw the census information about his grandfather's family and Nancy about her grandmother's and grandfather's family on both sides.)

Tuesday afternoon, we drove through Park City then on into Wyoming. Miles and miles and miles of beautiful mountains and prairies. It's a fooler because it's flatness makes it look like it's near sea level, but much of it is at 6-7000 feet. Tuesday evening, relative luxury--free wireless internet and plumbing in the room! Tomorrow, we head through Cheyenne and on into Nebraska.

Thanks Beaverton and Portland First!

Sunday we had the pleasure of being in services at Portland First and Beaverton. At Portland First, we thanked Les Hoyle, the district and church work and witness coordinator for the TWENTY-ONE member work and witness team Portland First sent to Africa Nazarene University at a critical time in the institution's history. Thanks to Brent Weiss, the worship pastor, and Karen Garrison, the church administrator, for their graciousness and help. At Beaverton, Youth Pastor Joel and his family met us at the door, Judy Henske arranged a barbecue with African decorations on the tables, Pastor Doug came back from a FISHING TRIP to be in the evening service and we met so many wonderful people. Thanks to each of you for your thoughtfulness and support for us in this new direction in our professional and personal lives!

Christianity Moves South

As part of our "homework" for our missionary training, we're reading a book by Philip Jenkins called The Next Christendom. Wait! Don't leave. It's really interesting! Jenkins says the energy and enthusiasm for Christianity has moved, especially from Europe, to the Southern Hemisphere--Africa, South America and parts of Asia. He says that far from dying, Christianity is growing and gaining momentum in the South. That's certainly true in the Church of the Nazarene. In 1984, Africans represented 6% of all Nazarenes. Today, Africans represent 20% of all Nazarenes.

Jenkins also says it's wrong to think that Europeans and Americans "imposed" Christianity on the Southern Hemisphere. He points to the Ethiopian Church which is almost as old as Christianity itself, and to the Christians in India who trace their faith to the evangelical efforts of "Doubting Thomas." When I was in India several years ago, I asked a young Christian husband and father how long his family had been Christians, thinking they might have been converted in the efforts of missionaries. He drew himself up proudly and said, "My family can trace its Christianity to the second century AD." That puts Christianity in India long before it was in either Northern Europe or America!

Jenkins visualizes a day when the Southern Hemisphere is sending missionaries to the Northern Hemisphere, and in fact that is already happening. Brazil, Korea and South Africa have each sent missionaries to Europe and America. Jenkins says that much of the commitment to faith in Europe is coming from immigrants. For example, he writes that on any given Sunday in London, half of the worshipers in Christian churches were born in the Southern Hemisphere.

Just as American Christians had to develop churches and styles of worship that fit America, churches in Africa, Asia and South America are having to develop churches and styles of worship that fit who they are. There is both opportunity and danger in this designing process. We'd ask you to be in prayer for Eugenio Duarte (Africa), Vern Ward (Asia), and Christian Sarmiento (South America) as they try to strike the balance between previous denominational practices and emerging regional needs. God is doing a great work in the Southern Hemisphere, and your prayers can help Nazarene leadership as it serves the church and the Kingdom.

Thanks Nampa First and Early Church!

Sunday, July 22, was a wonderful day that reminded Nan and me why we love First Church! We spoke in both Sunday morning services, had a great and relaxing lunch with Pastor Kent (pictured at right) and Kay Conrad and were the guests at a reception after the evening service. Thanks to the Conrads for your warmth and hospitality and affirmation. Thanks to Mary Winkle, the Nampa First NMI President and the NMI Council for organizing the reception and presenting us with the globe clock. Thanks to Dan Edgar, Doug Ward, and Ray Burwick for helping build and pack the shipping crates. Thanks to Bev Verner, Erroll and Rhonda Carrim, Chris and Cara Werlinger for bringing food or helping with moving tasks. And to the folks in both services and all the ministries at Nampa First Church, thank you for your warmth and kind words and your promises of on-going prayers. We love you!

Our New Home

When we visited the ANU campus in February, we took this picture of one side of the duplex which will be our home beginning this coming January. It was built in the early 1990's and has housed a variety of American faculty, short-term visitors, and church dignitaries. We love its distinctive style--tile roof, bay window on each side, surrounded by tropical plants and literally "solid as a rock." More on that later.

Our neighbors, already in their half of the duplex, will be Rev. Randy and Mary Jane James, the new ANU chaplain and his wife.

Since we returned to the States, workmen have begun working on an addition to our home. Each morning the men working on our house and on the new student center arrive on flatbed trucks from off campus. The work on our house is relatively short term, but some of the workmen involved in the student center process build small wooden cabins where they live until the project is completed. Their lives are not easy, but we were told in February that ANU pays above the going local rate, and because jobs are scarce, anyone who is employed feels lucky. Even so, we'll be praying for these men and the extended families their wages support.

The material they use for all the buildings on campus is grayish-red rock dug out of a nearby quarry. When we were there I asked more than once about what kind of rock it was, but people didn't seem to have a special term (granite, limestone, etc) for it. As the grandson of an Indian stonecutter, I'll want to investigate further after we arrive! The rock comes to the site in large chunks where the workmen chisel it by hand into building blocks.

These are the first pictures we have had of the remodeling, so we're excited to see (and try to guess exactly) what is being done. It LOOKS like an additional room on a lower level. We didn't know there was a basement when we were there, but our time on campus was short. Stay tuned!

Thank you Kirkland!

For the last 3 years we lived in the Seattle area, we attended Kirkland Church of the Nazarene. It was, without doubt, one of the most fulfilling church experiences of our lives. For one thing, the Kirkland Church was doing "Africonnections" long before we thought of the word. The church, under the leadership of then pastor Randy Craker and with the logistical expertise of Debra and Charlie Voelker, made multiple trips to Mozambique to do building, lead Bible school, teach pastors, and perform other tasks to assist the Church of the Nazarene in Mozambique.

On Sunday evening, July 8, the church held a barbecue leading into our presentations. So many people came--even people no longer attending the Kirkland church and members of a WAPAC Work and Witness team--to be a part of the evening. Thank you Kirkland FIRST for your longtime commitment to Africa and also for your ongoing support and love!

Thanks Westside!

Nancy and I spent a very pleasant evening with the members of Westside Church of the Nazarene in Spokane, Washington on Sunday evening, June 10--our first official deputation service! This church has a history of commitment to mission and a reputation for loving hurting people in the community. Thank you Lee, who conducted the service; Gary, who was there early to open up the building; Randy, who brought his projector and laptop when "Plan A" did not work; and Sue who told her inspiring story to us after the service. Thanks to each of the people who stopped by after the service to say they'd be praying for us. We value that more than you know. We enjoyed our time with you and look forward to following up on your interest in Work and Witness teams and scholarships to help Africa Nazarene University. God is doing great things at ANU, and many of them are happening because of the commitment of people like you!