First 100 Days

Presidents are often critically evaluated after their first 100 days in office to get a measure for how they act. It seems those one hundred days allow sufficient time to learn the ropes and push through the most important items on their agenda. Well, my First 100 Days have come and gone (last week). And while I'd love to present a list of majestic accomplishments, I'll share instead some of the challenges that I've encountered. My first one hundred days were a bit overwhelming - I could use your prayers.

February

• I take over responsibility for the East Africa Field Office in Nairobi, Kenya, an office that has been in place for at least ten years
• I am informed indirectly that one of our three church partners in my area has democratically voted on an issue of theology and church practice that has implications for the nature of our partnership - the scramble begins to see exactly what they did and exactly what that means for our relationship
• I am made aware that another one of our three church partners in my area is on the verge of splitting and in the process of excommunicating one of their bishops to prevent a wider schism - an LCMS-affiliated (but not LCMS-employed) missionary is involved in the conflict
• I am informed by our landlord that the rent on the compound our mission has rented for six years (which comprises our home and our office building) will "substantially" increase when the lease is up in October, that our lease does not allow subletting of office space (which we are currently doing), and that the new lease will be a year-to-year lease instead of long-term - househunting and the search for office space begin while we wait to hear what "substantially" means

March

• Our mission's registration with the Kenyan government to operate in Kenya as a Non-Government Organization (NGO) is revoked without explanation, the implications of which are unknown - we continue to operate in the meantime under a non-profit business license
• Our landlord indicates they will bring in an appraiser to value the property - still no word on the exact amount of increase - househunting and the search for office space continue
• We have a "security incident" at our property late on a rainy night - our excellent night guard performs admirably despite a non-functioning mobile panic button (turns out the mobile panic buttons they've been carrying for six years are not even connected to an alarm system) and the security response company that our guard called on his phone executes on-the-spot justice to the one suspect they manage to apprehend - we immediately replace the mobile panic buttons and have the security company give us a quote for a complete system replacement

April

• Our property is appraised, the results are presented, and we are informed that our rent will almost double in October - the search for new housing and office space continues but costs show to be on par with the rent increase we've been quoted

May

• Our landlord appears flustered that we are pursuing other property and requests we submit a counter-offer to be considered when their board sits in June - I promptly do so
• Six days into a fourteen day deadline, our office receives a demand to pay an income-tax-in-arrears bill of US $178,000 from an audit completed in 2007 - we immediately schedule an appointment and begin negotiations with the Kenya Revenue Authority
• My First One Hundred Days is complete

Now don't get me wrong. These are just the challenges that have come in my First One Hundred Days. I've also enjoyed the actual work I'm here to do - teaching, visiting, preaching, and working with short-term teams. But these are some of the distractions (mostly still unresolved) that are taking up substantial chunks of my time. Fortunately, God is at work, even in the distractions. Please keep us in your prayers!  -Shauen

Got a leak? Get a bucket.

A few months ago we had some water damage in the ceiling in our bedroom. It was getting worse so I called the landlord to take a look at it while we were out of town. It was all nice looking and repainted when we got back. Just last week I asked him what he found. Here's how it went:

Landlord: There was a leak in the roof, so someone put a bucket up there to collect the water.

Me: A bucket? In the attic space?

Landlord: A bucket. It was full. Overflowing.

Me: A bucket? In the attic space? To catch a leak?

Landlord: When it overflowed it dripped onto the ceiling.

Me: Was I supposed to be emptying a bucket in the attic after it rains?

Landlord: We emptied it. Then we painted.

Me: Um. Okay.

I'm still not clear if they actually fixed the leak or if I'm supposed to find a ladder, crawl up there, and empty some bucket every time it rains. I think I'm just going to forget about it. I got enough buckets to worry about already.

-Shauen

Network Supported Missionaries

We are Network Supported Missionaries with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Our work does not receive funding from the budget of the Synod or the budget of LCMS World Mission. Instead, we are supported directly (although funds are tracked and managed by LCMS World Mission) through family, friends, and supporters just like you.  You are the people who commit to pray for us, encourage us, and financially support the work God has put before us here in Kenya and Tanzania.  We have always served under this model, so it's not new to us or to our supporters.

One great thing about serving in this way is the very direct connection we have to so many people and congregations across the United States - people who pray for us regularly and encourage us with letters, cards, and care packages, people we have relationships with who know and recognize us when we are able to visit them. The direct connection is one of the most powerful aspects of this model. Some of our congregation partners list me as an "Associate Pastor" and we do feel that a significant part of this ministry is sharing with those in the United States the good news and amazing accounts of what God is doing here in East Africa. Finally, under this model there is no limit to how many missionaries can be sent! Anyone who feels that call and is qualified can be sent as a missionary - God raises up their own network of support that isn't limited by any organization's budget.

We are thrilled to be YOUR missionaries to this part of the world. Below is a statement recently issued by LCMS World Mission to describe the network-supported model.

-Shauen

"What is the network-supported model?

"Missionaries that are serving through the network-supported are sent by the LCMS with the backing of many faithful prayer and financial partners. They walk together with the staff of LCMS World Mission, who train the missionaries in stewardship, process and maintain all donor gifts, make logistical arrangements, consult with the missionaries on their communication with their network, and help the missionaries form more connections, strengthening the ministry network. These various networks send missionaries to the field to which God has called them and sustain them throughout their ministry.

"Career missionaries employing the network-supported model may fill a variety of roles. They may supervise, disciple, and mentor GEO missionaries, train indigenous evangelists and pastors for mission and ministry, oversee human care initiatives to share the Gospel in word and deed, plan theological education programs, or serve in other ways.

"As they begin their service with LCMS World Mission, these new missionaries spend time in the United States connecting with supporters and building a network of partners who will walk alongside them as they answer God’s specific call to a new ministry. When missionaries begin serving under this model, they also receive training and guidance from LCMS World Mission. This time is a valuable period of getting to know members of the body of Christ who will support God’s work through the specific ministries of missionaries.

"Once they are on a mission field, missionaries maintain regular communication with their network, so they can continue to pray for the specific needs of their missionary family’s ministry and celebrate with them when they see God working in people’s lives."   

-LCMS World Mission

Househunting

When we heard that our rent would increase substantially, we began looking at houses and office space here in Nairobi. Most LCMS missionaries in Africa work out of their homes but here in Nairobi we have a larger mission team, a national worker who needs an office, and an historic (6 years) presence where our mission partners know we can be found.

Our family has been on the road since April of 2010, so to hear only months after we arrived in Nairobi that we may have to move within a few months was barely short of devastating news. Immediately we stopped unpacking and quit decorating our new home. We had spent a few hours looking at homes in Nairobi last year when we came through the area just to get a feel for what's available. There wasn't much in what we considered to be a "reasonable" price range.

With a very active toddler and the expectation that part of our job is to host the many visitors who come through Nairobi, this time instead of focusing on price we focused on features and figured we'd get a feel for the price as we saw homes. We need at least 4 bedrooms (two are often used by guests), a yard, and a good kitchen (rather a rarity since most people, ourselves excluded, have a cook who makes due with whatever kitchen is available), and security included. Doesn't seem too unreasonable. In days and days of looking at houses we found only ONE that came in at less than $2,000 per month - and that's at today's very good exchange rate.

Nairobi, you see, is rather like the capital of Africa. There are other countries more developed, like South Africa, but to get anywhere in Africa you have to fly through Nairobi. There are wonderful conveniences to living here - shopping malls, movie theaters, and a few American-style restaurants. A lot of aid agencies and mission agencies are based in Nairobi. Relatively speaking, it's an easy place to live. There's a huge United Nations Office here and Embassies for just about any country you could think of. Consequently, there are a lot of foreign workers living in Nairobi. Housing prices reflect that high demand. And, as you can imagine, office space is also at a premium.

Office space downtown is around $1.40 per square foot. That doesn't include electricity or internet access or housekeeping or partitions or anything like that. It's $1.40 per square foot for an empty space. All the way out in our suburb of Karen, office space goes for a more reasonable price - $1 per square foot.

So what's the solution? We have the privilege of living in Nairobi - we must live here to work with the national church and the teams and visitors that come through. We want to live here because of the conveniences and access to Western goods. But if we accept the cheapest house we found and factor in the cost of renting office space in Karen the monthly expense is beyond belief! In fact, it's even beyond the rent of our current home and office after the increase in October.

When our currently landlord heard we were shopping around they suggested we provide a counter-offer. I penned a very nice counter-offer and submitted it. I hope they accept it. Their Board of Directors is supposed to consider it in the next couple weeks. Hopefully we'll get word soon and we can begin unpacking again, begin decorating our home, and feel settled for the first time in a year. The only thing we can't recover is all the time we've spent looking at housing. We'll let you know how things work out - in the meantime, please keep our housing situation in your prayers. Thanks!  -Shauen

Update on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 9:20AM by Shauen & Krista

~ The East Africa Field Office compound with our house on the left and the office on the right ~ Our landlord has come back with a counter-offer to our counter-offer. We've only seen a draft of the lease at this point so nothing is signed yet but I don't think we'll be forced out.  It's only a 3-year lease but that's better than they had originally proposed. With a few changes in the way we do things we think it'll work. It's still a substantial increase in cost but not as high as originally feared. We'll need to rent out a full floor of our office building to offset the price increase. Of course, that will also bring additional costs as we'll need to hire an additional guard for normal office hours and we'll need to divide the compound so our house is more isolated from the office to protect us from the increase in pedestrian and automotive traffic. But it could work. We'll let you know when we've signed and are finally able to call this house a home (for at least the next three years)!  -Shauen