Gaining Insight. Experiencing God. Growing in Understanding.
Nancy and I decided where to go for “Date Night,” closed our apartment, and began walking along the Kenyan road. Every once in a while we paused to greet those in our community, to share a word and a smile. The distant sounds of roosters were obscured by the immediate laughter of children swaying to [...]
Posted on May 31st, 2009 by Shelvis
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Sometimes it pays to follow the crowd Catching a matatu (public transportation) can be crazy – a bit like boxing-out to get a rebound in basketball. One day I was waiting with a large crowd to catch the 48 (which technically holds 14 people). Several other matatus passed for other routes, while the people waiting [...]
Posted on May 31st, 2009 by Nancy
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Streets of Bukavu My colleagues and I swerved into the gates of Panzi Hospital after traversing the rock powdered, red clay roads of Bukavu. Toting notebooks, pens and a mixture of emotions, we approached the iconic facility. Panzi Hospital has been a refuge of nurture and healing for thousands of women and children. The hospital [...]
Posted on April 30th, 2009 by Shelvis
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Youth Peace Summit Participants. Can you find Shelvis? (photo by Henry Coates) An amazing interfaith Youth Peace Summit took place in Nairobi in April. The Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC), in partnership with others, coordinated the week-long event. About 180 youth attended, many live in the areas hardest hit by the post-election violence of January [...]
Posted on April 30th, 2009 by Nancy
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Shelvis, the Double Dutch King (photo by Henry Coates) April was the month of homesickness. Perhaps April, because it was the 8th month of an eleven month journey, but whatever the reason, in April I began to dream of home. I was feeling particularly low the Saturday morning we woke up early to go visit [...]
Posted on April 30th, 2009 by Nancy
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This month has provided us with several memories which have enriched our experience in Kenya. Here are a few…. “Kiswahili Lessons Continue” Our first 12 week-term of Kiswahili lessons ended and we can confidently speak Kiswahili at a 4th grade level. So if you would like a Kiswahili tutor for your 8 year old, you [...]
Posted on March 31st, 2009 by Shelvis
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(A Disclaimer: to my friends writing to me that their lives are “predictable” and my life seems exciting, please realize stories like this one are the exception for me. My normal day is spent in an office cubicle. Consequently, my relationships with co-workers in the office have the greatest impact on me, and those are the [...]
Posted on March 31st, 2009 by Nancy
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Our February update includes videos created by Nancy and I for Presbyterian Church (USA) Bible study curriculum. The Bible studies will be released this summer by Congregational Ministries Publishing, but we want to offer you a sneak preview of our “Introduction Videos” because they shed light on our work in East Africa. We also added pages (located on [...]
Posted on February 28th, 2009 by Shelvis
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A passage in Luke recounts the story of a woman entering the synagogue while Jesus was teaching (Luke 13:10-17). “She was bent over and could not straighten up at all” the text states. “When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then He [...]
Posted on February 28th, 2009 by Nancy
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Please take one moment to view Shelvis’ “Introduction Video” of his time in Kenya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF0C7WShydQ Each week, FECCLAHA’s staff participates in a Bible Study on the book of Nehemiah. The scripture offers considerable wisdom about overcoming conflict and rebuilding our communities. Within the narrative, the reader encounters characters who have suffered years of ethnic genocide, political [...]
Posted on February 28th, 2009 by Shelvis
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