Summer in Kenya 2010

It`s been a while since I posted something new on this blog and many of you have been asking why I have not done so. School just started which means I`m trying to keep up with all the readings and classes... but I also have to admit that blogging is a new concept to me and I`ll have to get used to it. I need to discipline myself and maybe do a post once a week. Many of you have been asking about the CRC and if we are making any progress. I am glad to report that, in some way I am making progress; but it is also going slow due to school work and the fact that I`m establishing CRC in Kenya while I`m in the US. It is not the easiest thing to do. Nairobi has been changing drastically in the last two or so decades and if you`re absent from the city for just a month, you`ll notice a huge difference. Just this summer, I was able to go to Kenya, thanks to my Church- Covenant Presbyterian Church, and the changes I saw will affect some of the decisions I had made concerning the location of the CRC. I`m still thinking of Ngong road as an ideal location, but it is slowly becoming congested, that also means housing is becoming more expensive as more and more people are moving in. One other change that made me think of other locations was the fact that most people are moving out of the CBD (Central Business District) areas, or what we`d call 'downtown'. The CBD is becoming more congested as well and more businesses, schools and other service providers are considering setting up their businesses outside of Nairobi CBD. This is just to show you how difficult it is making some decisions while I`m not on the ground. But I trust that God will provide for a good location for the CRC. I was able to drive around and see some of the locations I was advised to look into. The location will still remain along Ngong road but we will be moving further away from the CBD. Other options include Mombasa road, and Thika Road.

I was also able to visit Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology- NEGST, and see their library. I was really impressed with what they have; they had a good collection of books. Many of their titles were on African issues in Christianity. I spoke to some of the professors about the CRC and they were all very encouraging about the idea. They thought this would be a much needed resource for pastors and bible students in Kenya. While in Kenya I also received communication from my good friend Chris Gatihi, who is planning on doing church planting in Kenya in 2011. He would like to see the CRC work or partner with "Desiring God" who have been distributing books in Kenya already. Chris`s friends, Chris and Wavinya, have been involved with DG for a while now. This was very encouraging news to me and I know that the Lord will continue to bring in more like-minded organizations and individuals to partner with the CRC. I can`t wait...

Pray that God would provide for a good location so that we can begin to ship the books that people are generously giving. Pray that I would be able to raise funds for the CRC to rent or lease the space. Pray also that the CRC would be able to work with churches in Kenya, and the rest of the world who would want to see pastors trained and equipped for God`s work.