Kenyan Diary - Day 5
Monday, January 10
Pastor Nate Davidson and I are on day 5 of our Kenyan trip. Yesterday was a long but rich day (Lord's Day) here at Trinity Baptist Church in Greenfield Donholms district of East Nairobi. If you look at a map of Nairobi, you will realize that we are only three miles from Nairobi National Park, where lions, zebras, impalas, cape buffalo, giraffes, etc., roam freely in the only national park to border a major urban area.
Worship: Yesterday was eye-opening. Sunday school at 9:00 AM (till 10:00), one hour break until 11:00, first worship service from 11:00 until 12:50, lunch with visitors (lintel stew on rice with greens), followed by a Communion Service (2:00 to 3:00), followed by an afternoon service from 3:00 to 4:30. Nate preached a wonderfully rich sermon from Ruth 1 in the first service; Pastor Murungi preached from Micah 2, though I had tapped out due to jet lag. I appreciate the seriousness of our African brothers and sisters here in Nairobi; they are not flippant about gathering together for corporate worship.
Jet Lag: Speaking of jet lag, though I have traveled a lot internationally in the last nine years, jet lag is still the real deal that requires some navigation. I can count on getting very tired in the afternoons as well as waking up in the 3:30 or 4:00 AM range and seeking to stay asleep for several more hours. Some combination of coffee/tea, showers, walks, etc., work for me.
Accommodation: Nate and I are staying in a very adequate 550 SF 2-bedroom second-floor apartment on the church grounds. It is furnished with a two-burner gas stove, small refrigerator, mosquito netting over the beds, but with no air/heat or ceiling fans. The temperatures are pleasant, as equatorial Nairobi is over a mile high at around 5,900' in elevation. High temperatures are around 80 degrees with mornings in the upper 50's. Comfortable but like several steps above camping. Still, totally sufficient. Urban Nairobi is loud, so all night we hear people talking, trucks, dogs, birds, and after 4:30 - a crowing cacophony of the local roosters!
Our work at Trinity Pastor's College or TPC: On Wednesday we will teach (we are called instructors or lecturers :) a course in Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) to a group of Kenyan men, some who are currently pastors and others who are preparing for pastoral ministry. They are now finishing their coursework for the last quarterly class (or perhaps five per year). The textbooks, readings, course outline, and homework is provided for Nate and me. We will flesh the material out, and seek to also point out other authors and resources. For example, I will reference the work of Grant R. Osborne and The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, as well as How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Doug Stuart and Gordon D. Fee. Nate will teach some of the principles, practices, and study tools (like arcing, phrasing, etc.) he learned from Bethlehem College and Seminary and teaches at Biblearc.com. We aim for a mixture of instruction, encouragement, dialogue (question and answer) by also taking the Scriptures and wrestling with interpretation issues concerning real passages in the Bible. An important caveat: we also come as fellow learners, and not as "experts." We too need the Spirit's illuminating work, humility, and diligence in this enterprise. FWIW, the teaching format is six (6) hours per day over six days. Nate and I will alternate teaching in two-hour blocks punctuated by tea breaks (after all, Kenya was a British colony) and lunch.
Bonus: When Cheryl arrives on the 19th, she will also use the book by Fee & Stuart - "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth." I'll aim for an update about every other day from this point on. Thank you for your prayers and support for this trip for our fellow saints over here in East Africa!
"Pray for us!!" - 1 Thessalonians 5:25
In His Bonds,
Pastor Mark
Trinity Baptist Church
Greenfield Donholms,
Nairobi, Kenya
A giraffe in Nairobi National Park, with Nairobi's skyline in the background.
