Well, if you didn’t believe in the resurrection before, you should now! My apologies for the length of time since my last post, but I am here and alive, in east Africa. Though time has brought some adjustments and a bit of delay, I’m on track with the original plan as defined last spring and summer. In Ethiopia for February and March, the US for April into early May, I am now back in east Africa. The April US trip was to be present and participate in the Lyrica Sacra programs, which I have been heavily involved with in the past. Though only planning to stay for the two weeks needed for that, I extended to five weeks to be part of some congregational processing about new leadership.

What’s happened? The February and March stint in Ethiopia had two activities of note. My classes in Systematic Theology (God and Creation) and early Islam were very good and have gone well, but have taken a lot of time that I was not nearly as free as in the fall to “gad about.” Study is going a bit slow to maximize absorption and interaction, I’m not the fastest reader (but am improving), and I’m being careful not to miss things since I don’t have previous theological training. Full three credit classes are time-compressed – they are scheduled for seven week turn-arounds, which adds to the pressure. Apparently quite a few other students are having trouble meeting that deadline, that I’ll be using a 15-week option that the university has extended. Grades for a final test and two 15 page term papers have yet to be given (they are 35% of the final grades), but are otherwise very good. 

A prayer concern: I’m approaching a fork in the road concerning which degree to focus on – Apologetics, or Polemics & Apologetics to Islam – and am needing clear guidance by Sept. 1 (the possibility of doing both has crossed my mind, but there is not a lot of overlap so would be a long process). Both are interesting, and both have real merit. People in Ethiopia tell me the Apologetics degree is a guaranteed, long term work visa, but that the interface with Islamics is what is uniquely and profoundly needed here. However, the Islamics degree will not support a work visa, as immigration would see this as someone coming to incite religious wars, and Ethiopia is already concertedly about trying to lower such concerns.

The upcoming classes are Deen & Iman (Islam’s beliefs and practices) and Assessment of Muhammad – all valuable information when dealing with Islam (there were no Apologetics classes available for this term, that the choices were straightforward). Hussein, the Somali Christian I am working with, is “jealous,” saying I will know more about Islam than he does, in spite of his Muslim upbringing and heritage! Which brings us to the other main, and more important event of the February—March stint. But that is for the next blog post, which I have ready to go but will post after this one has had a chance to circulate.

God’s best to all until the next time! I should have the second post up in a week or so.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Eph. 1:3–10

A hymn: It Is Well With My Soul