Shaws on Safari: 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Back to school once again for the first time

Doesn't it seem like the whole world goes back to school in September? It is a familiar and reassuring rhythm for most of us. All polished up for first day. The school bus jitters. End of summer. New friends to make. Old friends to see. That's how I feel about the start of our academic year here in Nairobi. A lot of the old familiar rhythms are there. After all I've done this school gig for most of my sixty plus years on the planet.

But there are some new things that make this school year stand out. This is the first year, for instance, that we start the school year as Africa International University. Yes, NEGST is still there but it has been joined by sister schools in professional studies and African realities respectively. All three make up AIU. This is also the first year of our new PhD in Intercultural studies. This is a joint effort between the missions department at NEGST and the Centre for World Christianity, which I direct. I beleive God will prepare key members of the emerging Christian leaders here in Africa through this programme, helping the African church get ready for its new global role. This year also we launch a new academic position, Research Professor of World Christianity. It is our honor that Professor Andrew Walls who has held similar positions in the past at Edinburgh, Princeton and Harvard will be our first occupant. So back to school again in 2011. But back to school for the first time, in so many ways.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter in Ngong Hills

This morning we celebrated Easter in the Ngong Hills, not far from the university. As the fog rolled in around us, we watched the ghostly shapes of Masai women moving by us, headed towards the water supply, who like women since biblical times must start their day before the sun in order to meet the demands of family and home. We sang, read, prayed and testified to one another, our little group of four, as we watched the gray dawn. But it was the Masai women who bore witness to Easter for me. Because he lives we do not just sing. There is new work to be done. As the father sent him, so sends he us. This is a day of miracle and wonder but it is not only that. Easter is God's recruitment video.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Day 7 Summit

A few minutes after 5pm GMT +3, thirteen exhausted hikers stood on uhuru peak, Africa's highest point. We were all emotional in our own way but the tears in Lois's eyes captured the wonder we all felt. Her first words to me as we approached the peak said it all: "we did it darling, we did it. I can't believe we did." And so we did with the help of hidden hands that had crafted this mountain ages past and now lifted 13 determined hikers to it's glorious summit.