We frequently receive questions from students who are working on class assignments that include contacting missionaries. These are our answers to questions we just received from a student in North Carolina:
What is life like in the country you serve in? My family and I live in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Nairobi is a big city of about 3 million people. Nairobi is the most developed city in this part of the continent and is home to many embassies, non government organization headquarters, and the United Nations headquarters for Africa. A lot of expatriates live in Nairobi and grocery stores and markets cater to us so we can get things like ketchup, mayonnaise, hot dogs, and even occasionally tortillas and tortilla chips. Unfortunately, though, there are many people in Nairobi out of work and desperate so there is also a lot of crime. Every home has to protect itself from robbery. Our house, for example, has bars on the windows and metal gates over the doors with panic buttons throughout the house. We have bright security lights at night that light up our whole yard and an electric fence and a thorn-bush fence. We also have a guard 24-hours and two security dogs. We usually aren't out after dark. But despite these precautions, we feel privileged to live in Nairobi. We have a few movie theaters here and even a few shopping malls where you can use credit cards. Our son Josiah goes to a good Christian school that uses the American curriculum and the American school calendar. We are reasonably close to an airport that serves most countries in Africa and has many connections to Europe. We have fairly reliable electricity and clean water. Fuel shortages are rare. We have a nice home with a big yard and trees that keep things a little cooler in the hot months.
What missions organization are you a part of? I am a missionary of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, serving the Office of International Mission as the Area Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
What is unique about being a missionary in your country or in the speciļ¬c area of the country where you minister? The relationships we have with the national Lutheran churches in this part of Africa set us apart from most other missionary assignments. Here in Kenya we work with a church that is in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with the LCMS. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya has about 80,000 members in 600 congregations. To the south we have the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, a church body of over 5 million members. To the north we have the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus, a Lutheran church body of over 6 million members. To the east we have the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda, a small and young church body of just 20,000 members. And just off the coast of Africa we have the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar, a church body of over 4 million members. All of these partners in mission have very different needs and approaches to partnership with the LCMS. Kenya in particular is very popular with the LCMS so we receive a lot of visitors to Kenya and there are a lot of projects here that are supported by the LCMS and its congregations and individuals. This means a lot of my work is in facilitating these partnerships, acting as a cultural interpreter for each side, and helping our visitors get the most out of their experience in Kenya. I spend a lot of time communicating, on the phone, by email, and in person to keep all the relationships together and keep the projects moving forward in healthy ways. My favorite thing to do, though, is to travel up-country into the bush to remote places where small congregations don't receive many visitors. It is a joy to be with the hospitable and welcoming people who are eager to spend time together and joyfully share their lives as we gather around God's Word. On those trips into the bush we rely on God to help us safely navigate the "roads" and get us to our destination where we are often cut off completely from the rest of the world - no cell phone service, no TV, no newspapers or magazines. We are simply Christians gathered around the fellowship we share in Christ and eager to share His Gospel message with others in the community who may not have heard it.
What are some of your prayer needs? Every time we publish a newsletter, we add prayer requests. These are our requests from our most recent newsletter: For wisdom and discernment for Shauen as he walks alongside friends and partners in Eastern and Southern Africa. / For Krista as she bears the burden of night feedings for Isaiah. / For peace in Kenya and this part of the world. / For the battle against ebola in West Africa. / In praise for Carlotta, our dear friend who is spending six months with us between high school and college. / In praise for Shauen’s visits to Ethiopia and Madagascar.