A Few Good Men

Hang on ladies…. In a future post I promise I will talk about the women too. But this blog is devoted to the African men here at KIST.

The road trip

I recently had the opportunity to take an interesting road trip: me and 11 men (fortunately Rod was one of them) in a van to Nairobi -- 8 hours each way. The KIST faculty went to a three-day conference for theological schools. There are women on the KIST staff as well, but it just so happened that I was the only one who could attend this conference.

Jeremiah -- my language coach

I have never traveled with a van full of men before. After doing so I would like to dispel one prominent myth:  women do NOT talk more than men! You should have heard the chitter-chatter all the way there and all the way back!  And… all in Swahili. I took advantage of the situation to practice my very bare-bones Swahili. Jeremiah, our vice-principal at KIST,  was my main teacher. Since I was the only woman, I got to sit in the front while Jeremiah drove, so I practiced Swahili with him. I needed the Swahili practice to distract me from his terrifying driving. The phrase I learned most well that day was: Ninaomba (I am praying). I learned it well because I said it over and over again as he drove. He just laughed, and we made it home fine. Bwana asifiwe! (Bwah-nah ah-see-fee-way: Praise the Lord!)

During the conference in Nairobi something special happened for me: I was able to “see” the hearts and desires of these men, and I was touched. The odds are stacked against development and growth in Africa. And yet these men have hearts for the Lord, and committed themselves to growth at the end of the conference.  A veteran professor said “I realize now that we have not been making sure our courses reflect our vision and mission statements.” A younger man said, “I need to make sure that my life reflects my teaching; I need to be a model.”  These are good hearts. As I sat in the van with 11 men, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel between that group, and a similar group that changed the world 2,000 years ago. To what extent could a few good men here at KIST change Africa? I have lots of faith. Bwana asifiwe!

The KIST kwaya (choir). There really are lots of men in the back.

Another group of men that has gotten my attention is those in my choir! In the last few weeks I have become the KIST choir director – something I LOVE! My first move was to take away all the extra chairs in the choir section during practice, so that only those who had actually practiced could sit in (and sing with) the choir during the service. Evidently this was a revolutionary idea, and I quickly became known for bringing discipline to the choir. But back to the men… it was the tenors and basses who showed up most punctually and learned their parts best. In my choirs in Brazil and Indonesia this was never the case, so I am thrilled! (More on possible cultural reasons why the women are less engaged in a future blog.) At the chapel to celebrate communion we were able to sing “Let us Break Bread Together on our Knees” with all the parts, and even with dynamics. It was special. Bwana asifiwe!

Daniel recording sermons in Swahili

For the past three days we hosted a special guest in our home: Dr. Daniel Mdobi, who prefers the title “Pastor”.  He taught for many years at KIST, and now has returned to his native Tanzania, where he teaches and pastors. When we visited his church in Tanzania, Rod invited him to come and record some Swahili sermons in the CBH studio here at KIST. This visit just took place, and we are richer for having spent more time with this good man. Bwana asifiwe!

Rwandan attic cleaners!

As I write this blog, there are two more good men up in my attic, making a ruckus. Okay, this requires some explanation. These are two students from Rwanda who don’t have the money to travel back home after the term ends this coming week. So, we are providing a job for them: cleaning out the dirt, bird droppings, and  dust in our attic. I have had lots of allergies since coming here, and we think cleaning our attic might help. So now these men will be able to go home. The man in the glasses, Theodoli, has asked me to teach him to read music. Actually, many of the students want this, so that will be a fun class to teach next year! Bwana asifiwe!

As I conclude this blog I have a confession to make. God actually laid this topic on my heart a week ago, but I resisted writing it. You see, these good men also happen to be fallible men, and I got a little irritated with a few of them. For awhile there I lost sight of the “good” amidst the “imperfect”.  Has that ever happened to you? Fortunately God was patient with me even as I was impatient with others, and he reminded me of a couple of things. First, Africa is harsh and hard and unrelenting. It is not easy to persevere in receiving God’s light and passing it on to others amidst superstition, fear, malaria, drought, poverty, corruption, inadequate education, and a host of other conspiracies against God’s goodness and light. And the second will come as no surprise, especially to my husband: I too am imperfect. Please continue to pray for us all, as we seek to build on the GOOD at KIST, even through our imperfections. Bwana asifiwe!

Challenge: Surprise someone today by greeting them with Bwana asifiwe! Who knows what interesting discussion may ensue!.