Settling in at BCEA

At morning chapel service, Rev. Kiagiri preaches on Esau despising his birthright. He makes a passing reference to an incident that took place when Rev. Hawkes was at the college. Rev. Hawkes once pastored the Edmonton Bible Presbyterian Church; his daughter Phyllis lives in Calgary and she and her husband attend our church whenever they are in Edmonton.

After chapel I meet Dr. Howard Carlson on his way to teach his Hebrew class. We chat for quite a while. He hopes to be able to get me over to the Faith College of the Bible campus in the next week or so.

I return to my apartment to put the finishing touches on my class notes. Lots of organizing still to be done. Most of this day is spent in front of my computer.

At about noon, Jacklin, the Kim’s house help, comes to my apartment to inform me that I am to go to the Kim’s for lunch and then to Safari Park Hotel. Rev. Kim has been asked to dedicate a building to the Lord there. So we have a wonderful lunch of fish and rice, and head over to the hotel. Richard Tiu comes also. There are cameras and camcorders rolling as we come to the building. Pastor Kim prays and there is ribbon cutting. We go inside and Pastor Kim gives a Bible study on Acts 5, on Ananias and Sapphira. Then there are a couple of speeches about the two new buildings that have been constructed, the other one just like the one we are in. There are newly developed grounds and they are specially for outdoor functions which are becoming more popular in Nairobi recently: wedding receptions, corporate receptions, etc. After the service, we are invited to go to a buffet out on the lawn! If we would have known, we wouldn’t have had any lunch! But we do our best to be good guests. We sample the sushi, shish kebabs, chicken wings, fish sticks, tempura prawns, and all sorts of good things for dessert. I don’t know if I’ve ever eaten at a five-star hotel before. It is quite delightful. The Kim’s are impressed when they see me eat with chopsticks. After the buffet we tour the grounds – about 65 acres of tennis courts, gym, several restaurants, swimming pools, and, of course, hotel rooms.

So this is much more enjoyable than trying to get my class notes done, but I return and get them pretty much tidied up and ready for printing. I feel a bit upset in my stomach, so I decline a dinner invitation to let it rest a bit.