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A letter from Marta Bennett serving in Kenya

November 13, 2014 - The Best & Worst of Times

Is it Charles Dickens or Solomon who most aptly described this past year of our lives here in Nairobi?   It has in many ways been the best of times and also some of the worst of times; but then again, for everything there is a season…

The year 2014 has once again been stretching, one in which I have held onto Lamentations 3:22-23, in which the prophet declares, Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: Great is your faithfulness.  God’s mercies are new every morning, no matter what the circumstances seem to be.  He is there, and he walks with us, just as he has promised.

Some of the best of times this past year for me and my family have been:

  • The Academic Block at ILU

     

    ILU Chapel service: Biliny Brown from South Sudan is taking the DVD to the government leaders (3rd row left); a student from Ghana (front row) and Sebastian, our student body chairperson (2nd row) attended as well

     

    From left to right:  Prof. David Ngaruiya (DVC-FAP), Mr. David Kithakye (ILU Gov. Council), Mr. James Wainaina (ILU Board of Trustees), Prof. Henry Thairu (Chairman of Commission for University Education); Prof. David Some (back row - CEO of Commission of University Education) ; Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi, (Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education);  Dr. Belio Kipsang, (Principal Secretary, Ministry of Education);, Dr. Edith Gitau (ILU Board of Trustees), Prof. Eric Aseka (ILU Vice Chancellor), Prof. Marta Bennett (DVCAA), Mr. Benedict Omolo (Chair, ILU Governing Council).

     

    Marta and Justin riding donkeys back down from a mountaintop church and monastery in Lalibela

     

    An Orthodox priest in a rock-hewn church in Lalibela

    Students:  As always, the joy and the purpose of both administration and teaching at the university are the growth in the minds, hearts and lives of students. We wrestle together with the content and what that content means for their wide variety of situations and roles.  Besides teaching courses such as Biblical and Theological Paradigm for Transformational Leadership (Ph.D. level), Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation Processes (Ph.D. and M.A.), Personal Leadership Development (M.A.) and Leading Change (M.A.), I also advise students on their master's theses and undergraduate senior projects, engaging with the academic research, contextual realities and students’ lives, work, and ministries.  One example of impact comes from the conflict transformation class.  In preparation for a unit on ethnic conflict, the students watched the DVD “Sometimes in April,” a poignant film on the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the resultant Arusha trials 10 years later.  After class one of the South Sudanese students who had worked closely with the late John Garang came up to me at tea break and intensely asked how he could get a copy.  In the midst of the current political stand-off in South Sudan, he is determined to have the top leaders watch the video, to ask them if this is really the direction they want to take the country and for discussion.  I gave him my copy. 

 

  • Ethiopia:  While my daughter, Imani, chose to stay at home with a longtime family friend and continue in school, my son, Justin, and I had a fabulous trip up north to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June, to visit the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology where I will be teaching once or twice a year, and then on to a six-day pilgrimage through the northern region of the country.  We were able to taste a bit of the remarkable history from both the Old and New Testament eras, as well as the millennia of the Christian faith in this part of the world.  From the ruins of Queen of Sheba’s palace, the tomb of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), the alleged site of the lost Ark of the Covenant in Aksum, and the 1,000-year-old rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to the castles of Gonder and the island monasteries and churches of Lake Tana near Bahir Dar, it was an incredible journey to share together.

 

  • ILU progress:  In August, after a year of intensive work, International Leadership University (ILU) was granted the Letter of Interim Authority by Kenya’s Commission for University Education.  Though the school has been registered with the government for over 30 years, registered universities were discontinued as a category of accredited institutions by the new Universities Act, which took effect in December 2013.  We therefore celebrate being firmly back on the road toward a fully chartered status, which hopefully will be achieved within the next four years.

 

  • Successful exams:  On the family front, Justin’s years at the school where he had been since before age 3 culminated with the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams in May, which he successfully passed.  These exams are taken at the end of 10th grade (called Year 11 in the British system), and then normally students continue on for two more years to graduate with their “A Level exams.”  The IGCSE  “O Levels” are a major threshold to cross, so this was a proud achievement.  He has now transferred to a new school to complete 11th and 12th grades in the American school system. Imani, in 9th grade, also transferred this year to an American system school for her high school years, and both have settled in and have already made good friends, for which I, for one, am so grateful!  Steven, who evolved into our family about 10 years ago, will be doing his final exams for his undergraduate degree in IT in December this year; we are poised to celebrate with him this next month.

 

As for the worst of times?  First, let me amend “worst.”  No one in our close circle of family or friends has been lost (though several dear friends are seriously ill), and we still have wonderful friends, a good place to live, food on the table, purposeful ministry, and more.  It is just that there have been too many incidences of violence in the region (though we have remained quite safe), travel warnings that have hit sectors of the Kenyan economy quite hard, projects collapsing, and so many aborted efforts to find the way forward under financial and recruitment challenges at the school.  But let me assure you that we are almost a continent away from any Ebola, and each day there is new hope for progress and seeing the Lord at work in new and unexpected ways, day by day.

As we all approach Christmas, the word for this season is gratitude.  Thus far has the Lord brought us; we look forward to the next season ahead.

Joy to you, and peace,
Marta

Note: I am so grateful for all the support in prayers, correspondence, and finances from each and every one who has contributed in these various ways toward this ministry.  Your support and giving make possible the training of these many leaders, who in turn are being used by God to bring training, hope and transformation to many communities.  To give financially, you may contribute through my PC(USA) mission account E200312 for individuals (see the link on my main webpage or below), or account D506057 for congregations. Every contribution makes a difference as we partner together.  

The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 135
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 145

Read more about Marta Bennett's ministry

Write to Marta Bennett
Individuals: Give online to E200312 forMarta Bennett 's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D506057 for Marta Bennett 's sending and support

Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).

Double Your Impact!
A group of committed donors has pledged to match all gifts sent by individuals for mission personnel support now through December 31, 2014, up to $137,480.  This means your gift today will be matched by a gift to support mission personnel around the world, wherever the need is greatest. We invite you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Thank you!

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