Dr. Chester and Dolores Wood Retirement

Vice-Chancellor’s Reflections: Paying true homage to Dr. & Mrs Chester Wood is a daunting task. One cannot attempt to do so without a lump in the throat or avoid being teary eyed! I first met Dr Wood almost 28 years ago. I was to meet his better half and boss –Dolora, as he would fondly call her- some time later. At the time he was a handsome and bushy-haired red head. Handsome he still is. Bushy red-head?? Thank God for the powers of creative imagination!

The legend of the Woods will be told and re-told at AIU for a long time to come. More importantly it will live on in the lives of the many whose good fortune it was to cross their paths and drink from their cisterns. This is because the significance, impact and influence of the Woods was not simply because of what they did at NEGST/AIU, but also because of who they were. Dr. Wood was teacher and Mentor to many. Such was his reputation for working students to the bone –all the time assuring them that he believed in the resurrection!- that a few students would not touch him with a barge pole. For those who had the good sense to sit at his feet, his classes were a treat and life-changing experience. He poured his life into his students and formed deep and meaningful relationships in the classroom, outside of the classroom and in many cases, continuing, life-long relationships. A scholar per excellence, a gifted even if reluctant academic administrator who was respected by his peers, and an astute and effective resource mobilizer are other facets of this brilliant diamond.

But if one were to peel through all of these amazing layers, one will find that the reality at the core of Dr. and Mrs Chester and Dolores Wood was the fact that they were captives of the Kingdom of God. They both believed the gospel is not just a faith to be believed but a life to be lived as disciples of Jesus and the Kingdom.

Mrs Dolores Wood, or Mama Deborah as she was fondly known, was and is the embodiment of commitment to and love of family. It was not just that she would repeatedly refer to “My husband,” “our daughters,” and “my family,” it was also the integrity and Italian passion with which she said it that captured one’s admiration.

So as the Woods retire, all of us at thank God for and wish them God’s blessings and presence and all the best in the years ahead. Thank you to Elizabeth, Rebecca, Ruth, and Deborah who allowed them to live among and with us. Please count us as members of the Wood extended family. Thank you Dr. Wood. Thank you Mama Deborah. As we honor you today, I am pleased and privileged to appoint you Ambassadors at large to the AIU Vice-Chancellor. Now get to work and get that book finished and published!

M. Douglas Carew

Safari Salama

We made it home
and all is well,
God was faithful,
I can tell.





















We walked with giants
of the faith,
and felt His presence
in this exotic space.




(Pastor Kilel and Dr. Jarrett at Tenwek Hospital & Kenduiwo Orphanage)










Halfway across the planet to deliver food,
a gift to orphans who understood.
Delivery people come once or twice.
The Source of it is Jesus Christ.









In the garden near Karen
Where the full moon arose
Over banana trees and palm leaves
Departing there was difficult to go.

We ate with locals despite advice
And never fell ill on beans and rice.
Although I confess to being a bit on edge,
At Dulles airport after burgers and fries.


The plane has landed
safely down from the air.
It’s good to be home,
But we felt His presence over there.

Our Last Day in Kenya

God's Highest Will from "Mornings with Tozer"

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. Hebrews10:9

Let us consider three simple things reinforced in the Word of God for those who would discern God's highest will.

First, be willing to put away known sin!

Second, separate yourself from allof the attractions of the world, the flesh and the devil!

Finally, offer yourself to your God and Savior in believing faith!

God has never yet turned away an honest, sincere person who has come to know the eternal value of the atonement and the peace that is promised through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The only person who will never be cleansed and made whole is the one who insists he or she needs no remedy. The person who comes in faith to God and confesses, "I am unclean; I am sin sick; I am blind," will find mercy and righteousness and life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is theSavior, the Cleanser. He is the Purifier, the Healer. He is the Sight Giver and the Life Giver. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Today is our last day in Kenya. I started the day having breakfast with my good friend Scott MacCloy who arrived late last night. Scott was my manager with I was the Director for the Government and Education Sector at Qwest Communications for the Mid-Atlantic States. It was great catching up with him. He is part of a group that is climbing Mt Kilimanjaro as a fundraiser for the Leah Ngini Center at AIU.

Then it was off to church at Nairobi Chapel. After church I traveled with my friend David Waweru to see the newest addition to their family, a boy named Ian, born yesterday at 3:30 PM. It was fun watching his sister Shana welcome him to the family. She is so cute. When she saw me at church, she came running and jumped into my arms. She is such a delight.

Then it was back to AIU for my last two meetings before we head home later tonight.

Stay tuned to this blog as we plan to post regularly through the year.

AIU Governing Council Meeting

Today was a very exciting day for the AIU Governing Council. The meeting was opened in prayer by Ed Fischer, CLA Executive Director.

Minutes from the July 5-6, 2011 meeting and financial reports were approved. During a special Chapel, Board Chair, Gideon Muriuki introduced the new Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Professor Samuel K Katia who joins AIU after a distinguished career at Day Star University and serving the Kenyan Government in the development of their new constitution. Dr. Muriuki also announced the appointments of Dr. John Jesu of Serra Leone, Dean of the School of Professional Studies and Dr. James Nkansak of Ghana, Dean of NEGST.

After Chapel, the Board visited the proposed site of the Leah Ngini Centre led by teams from eMi and Triad. After receiving the tour of the proposed site, we paused to thank God for His blessings in allowing the proposed student and faculty community center to progress to this point. After stopping in front of the library for pictures, we returned to the CLMC conference center to received a detailed report of the plans for this facility which will be at the centerpoint and focus of the new entrance planned for the campus.

Dr. Joe Mwangi, Director of Finance and Administration presented a summary report of the AIU finances reflecting a positive trend in debt reduction and improved cash flows. Thanks to conservative debt management and God's Blessings, the financial position of AIU has improved significantly over previous reporting periods. A special acknowledgement of gratitude was given to Vice Chancellor Douglas Carew and Dr. Joe Mwangi for the successful improvement in the AIU finances. A special prayer was offered by Mrs. Rose Simani in thanks for God's Blessings that made all this possible. Jim Rogers, Chair of the Finance Committee meeting held on Monday, February 13th gave a report to the board on the outcomes and action items from that meeting.

Dr. Carew provided an encouraging update on the CLMC land purchase expecting resolution on this pending transaction in the very near future.

Ed Fischer provided an update on the CLA staffing plan for 2012-2015, the 2011 Building on a Firm Foundation and 2012 Fund Raising Plans. He reported the main focus in 2012 will be centered around the "Transforming Hope" capital campaign. With assistance from JD Levy & Associates, the goal of CLA is to increase financial support to AIU from the current level of $500,000 per year to $2,000,000 to meet the growing needs for PhD, Master, and Undergraduate Scholarships, Faculty Endowments, and Capital Campaign Projects. As Executive Director, Ed is working on a pro bono basis in 2012 during this leadership transition period. The Governing Council suggested that special recognition be given to Paul Heidebrecht for his faithful leadership and stewardship of CLA during their first 9 years.

A special luncheon hosted by the AIU Trustees is planned for Saturday afternoon to include the Governing Council Board members and their spouses.

The meeting was closed in prayer prior to adjourning to Kijiji for a late lunch.

Stories from the McDonald's trip to Tenwek

We start today's blog post with an excerpt from "Mornings with Tozer"

We See God's Purpose

That... he might gather together in one all things in Christ... in heaven, and... on earth. Ephesians1:10

We trust the Word of God—and the inspired revelation makes it plain to the believing Christian that all things in the universe have derived their form from Christ, the eternal Son!

We are assured that even as an architect builder gathers the necessary materials needed to fashion the structure he has designed, so God will ultimately gather all things together under one head, even Christ (see Ephesians 1:9-10).

Everything in the universe has received its meaning by the power of His Word; each has maintained its place and order through Him.

Jesus Christ is God creating!

Jesus Christ is God redeeming!

Jesus Christ is God completing and harmonizing!

Jesus Christ is God bringing together all things after the counsel of His own will!

I can only hope that as we grow and mature and delight in our faith, we are beginning to gain a new appreciation of God's great eternal purpose!

Stories from Tenwek by Mike McDonald

We had an amazing and humbling day (Feb 14) at the Kenduiwo Orphanage near Tenwek. We are staying at a guest house at Tenwek hospital, and have been meeting many doctors and medical staff that are volunteers from the U.S. What a fantastic group of people that come here and work tirelessly to provide medical care at this missionary hospital! There motto posted on the signs here "We Treat, Jesus Heals."

After all of the email exchanges, we finally got to meet Dr. Paul Jarrett, a humble man that works all day at the hospital and then goes throughout the community providing care and spiritual help to the community. He often works alongside the pastor here - Pastor David Kilel who we learned about at AIU (more on that below). They are humble spiritual giants for Christ. Daily there are many converts to Christ as a result of the missionary work here at Tenwek and the spiritual and physical help that is provided here.

After a dusty, bumpy ride through some lush, beautiful mountainsides, we arrived at the Children's Home, high atop a mountain. What a fantastic view they have from there. When we first arrived, the children were still at school, so we met with Pastor David. He and his wife, Sarah, are the caregivers at the Children's Home. They were very glad to see us and were so happy that Heritage is continuing in supporting the home. Living conditions here are primitive with cement floors and spartan buildings with only basic furnishings, but much better than many other orphans. It's hard to explain how you feel when seeing the things that they are so thankful for and we would throw out as trash. The girls dormitory has beds for about 16 girls but they have several more, so many of them are sleeping together. Pastor David wants to get enough beds for all of the children because there are 5 children at the home that have HIV/AIDS and isn't good that they are sleeping together. The mattresses were breaking apart on many of the beds but they all had blankets and sheets.

Pastor David and the Director of the Home were saying that just over the weekend they were discussing what they were going to do about the food supply as they were running low on maize and rice, the basic staples of food. We arrive today with a bag of maize that was nearly 100 pounds, along with sugar, flour, 100 lbs. rice, and much oil. They were so very thankful as it supplied their needs. We had a local driver along with our driver and he stopped along the way at stores he knew would carry bulk items at a lower cost. Glad we didn't buy these ahead of time at Nakumatt, as they were much cheaper and it supported the local economy (plus we didn't have a bit of extra room in our vehicle)! Big lesson learned...don't buy items like toothpaste in the U.S. and haul it all the way here...when you can buy it off the shelves locally at much better prices (and not pay baggage fees)!

Valentine's Day is known here as the Day for Lovers and we passed out suckers, pencils, erasers, and some small toys to celebrate the day. They also received toothbrushes and floss. Twenty three of the children received shoes too. These were the the children that did not receive shoes when the last visit was made from staff at Heritage. The biggest hit were the soccer balls we had picked up at Nakumatt, as the boys said "AHHH!" and began to clap. We unloaded five suitcases full of items for the children and they were grateful and (I think) a bit overwhelmed by all of the stuff. They were proud of the new shoes and excited about the little gift bags of items and the items donated by Heritage Christian.

There were 7 new children that needed to be taken in by the Children's Home last week. They only had money for 4 of the children but didn't want to refuse the other 3. Dr. Jarrett told them, "let me phone some people." Well, he sent an e-mail only to us and amazingly, God had provided almost the exact amount of money needed via the donations that people had given us and through Heritage and Kathy's work. Late last night we met later with Pastor David Kilel, a graduate of NEGST and personal friend of Dr. Douglas Carew and Habtu from NEGST, along with Dr. Jarrett. We extended our greetings from them to Pastor Kilel. He is a very busy man with responsibilities for the hospital, area churches and area orphanages. He is overwhelmed by the needs of his community and humbly appealed to us for resources from our home churches. The churches here are overwhelmed by their needs, and the church members are mostly at the poverty level. He shared many stories of how God has provided for him and his community. He is hoping we can convey these needs back home and continue to build a relationship with churches who can partner with him to provide badly needed support. His needs are urgent, and in the Kingdom Economics standpoint, relatively few dollars have a massive impact over here.

Blessings to all back home.

In Christ,

Mike, Kathy, Luke and Jacob McDonald

Meet the Victor Lonu Family

Last evening, I had the opportunity to enjoy a meal with and meet the Victor Lonu family. Victor came to NEGST from the Congo(DRC)several years ago to complete his Masters Degree. He is currently in the second year of his PhD. Mrs. Lonu is working on her Masters Degree in Organizational Behavior as part of the Leadership curriculum. They are both beneficiaries of CLA scholarships.

Mrs. Lonu and her daughters prepared a delightful feast that included rice, beef stew, mashed potatoes, warm cabbage slaw, tomato and onion salad, fruit, and Coca-Cola. During dinner our conversation centered around their gratitude for the CLA scholarships and how it has been an answer to prayer for them during their times of great need. As I listened to their stories of how they stepped out in faith trusting God for their every need, I was truly humbled. Victor came to NEGST several years ago to apply to study here. He came with only $60.00 in his pocket which would not have been enough to pay for his transit home had he not been successful in his application to NEGST.

Two years ago, when I was here with a short term mission team, Mrs. Lonu prayed with Judy Parker and Polly Harrington, part of our team, seeking God's guidance on her desire to complete her Master's Degree. See felt called but did not have the money for fees. But she graciously offered gifts to these ladies of fabric who in return gave her money and sold the balance when they returned to the USA. The proceeds from this act of generosity allowed her along with the scholarship to start her studies at AIU.

Feeding 7 children can be a challenge when both parents are full time in school without financial support. Since they are from the Congo, they cannot get jobs in Kenya to supplement their family budget. Recently they had to remove their children from school as they could not afford the fees. At times, they have not had enough money to buy food for their family.

If you would like to help CLA supplement this family, allowing them to continue their education so they can return to DRC and minister to their fellow Congolese Brothers and Sisters here is how you can help. Send your tax deductible contribution to:

Christian Leaders for Africa
P.O. Box 1642
Indianapolis, IN 46206

In the memo section or in a separate note indicate: Benevolence-Victor Lonu

or you can go to our website at www.clafrica.com and donate online.



After dinner this musically gifted family performed several songs each with an percussion instrument. Their oldest daughter has a very beautiful voice and is hoping to receive additional musical training. It is obvious that God has given her a real gift in her desire to professionally sing and record Christian music. She reminds me of a young Whitney Houston, with amazing talent and soulful inspiration not often seen in a 16 year old girl.

But the most humbling experience of the evening for me was as I prepared to leave, Mrs. Lonu went into her bedroom and brought out a gift of a beautiful Congo Dress and Wrap for my wife that was unable to travel with me on this trip. It brought tears to my eyes as it had her favorite colors. It will be a perfect Valentine's Day gift to bring to her when I return next week.

As I walked back to my room that evening and gazed up at the starlit sky I realized how blessed I am and resolved to send them money when I return to help with their current need. Would you be so kind as to help the Victor Lonu family as they demonstrate true "faith in action". They will be blessed as will you as you respond to this request to help further "kingdom business"

Transforming Hope

When it comes to marathons, Kenya tops the world. The Transforming Hope Capital campaign is a strategic, life-changing marathon; an initiative that will make positive change to our great continent and her peoples. Africa International University has stepped onto the stage of global academia as a world class institution, fully accredited to take her place among universities worldwide. For over 27 years AIU existed as NEGST, a masters and then PhD level school, training influencers and leaders for the continent of Africa – and beyond.

On March 4th, the school was honored by Kenya’s President, Mwai Kibaki, who visited our leafy 53 acre campus and conferred on the school the university charter by the Government of Kenya. On that occasion President Kibaki remarked on the university’s strong history of providing outstanding leaders of integrity for Africa. He challenged the university to not give up our high standards and to remain committed to our Christian calling. That we will do, by God’s grace.

AIU has three constituent colleges, Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST), the School of Professional Studies (SPS) and the Institute for the Study of African Realities (ISAR). The development plans anticipate programs in Psychology, Business Administration, Science and Technology, with a task force in architecture already functioning. Programs offered run from Bachelors degrees through PhD. The final area will be Information Technology and Engineering.

A school is known by its faculty and graduates. In addition to its quality faculty, AIU highlights graduates like Dr. Peter Okaalet, the International HIV/AIDS Director for MAP International, who was recently honored as one of TIME Magazine’s “Heroes of the Year.” Our graduates like Peter Karanja General Secretary of NCCK, Oscar Muiru, Senior Pastor of the Nairobi Chapel group of churches, retired Bishop Boniface Adoyo of the NPC churches, Pastor Esther Obasiike of Redeemed Church of God.

AIU graduates are in organizations all over the continent, lead international agencies, and pastor large urban churches and speak worldwide on issues facing the world in areas of culture, faith, ethics, governance and justice.

On 4th November, 2011 we bravely launched our five year 800 Million shillings(10,000,000.00) funds drive to train another generation of leaders like these who will bring transforming hope to our communities, countries and continent.

The funds will go towards:

1. AIU Fund: Ksh. 100 Million
a. Scholarships & Faculty Support
b. Charter Required Campus Developments:
2. Tumaini (Hope) Fund: Ksh. 700 Million
a. Physical Facilities Development
i. Leah Ngini Centre:
ii.Sports Facilities Development:
b. Endowment Fund
c. Programs Development: SPS, ISAR, Science & Technology:
d. Library, IT & Research Enhancement

Why is this so important? Why build another university? Here is their answer: God has a future for Africa and wants Africans to flourish in their relationships with Him and with each other. They desire to be part of God’s purpose by training Christ-centred leaders to transform God’s people and world. Because they are “Committed to His Mission and Connected to His World,” AIU is steadfast in producing leaders of integrity for God’s purposes. A university in the heart of Africa, with Africa on its heart, they are committed to His Mission and Connected to His World.

Join us to transform our continent and give hope to the world. Be a transformer and giver of hope by being part of the Transforming Hope capital campaign.

Casual Friday's in Kenya

On Friday part of the team visited the Walking Safari in Nairobi. We saw a leopard, cheetah, crocodile,lions, monkeys, a rhino, Masai Warriors, Albino Zebras, Cape Buffalo and more. It was great way to experience the animals up close yet in their natural environment. It was a great preview for what they will experience next week when they visit the Masa Mara in Western Kenya.
They will make a stop in Tenwek, an orphanage their Heritage School in Indianapolis supports. They will be taking 5 suitcases of supplies to donate to the children there.

The afternoon was spent at the Village Masai Market where we learned the art of negotiation as we bargained for souvenirs. It seems the vendors start with prices that are 4 times what you end up paying. You have to be patient, know what you want and are willing to pay. Sometimes you have to “walk away” or not seem interested as part of the negotiating tactics. It is always a lot a fun and a great way to do a lot of shopping in one location.

While most of the team was enjoying a day of fun activities, Mike was hard at work installing wireless equipment to increase the footprint on campus. In this picture he is installing a repeater/router to extend service to Kijiji and the North end of the campus. Later that evening, we enjoyed a Mexican meal with Ben and Christy Byerly, good friends of the team. We celebrated Christy getting her work permit as a life coach. Ben is finishing his dissertation for completion of his PhD studies. His work is focused on Acts and the story of Paul and his message to the Jews.

We ending the day saying our farewell to Meghan who had to catch her flight to return home. It was a long but very rewarding day.

Thursday at AIU

Thursday was a very busy day for our team. Meghan and Kathy spent the day teaching 18 students at the Pistus Elementary School on the AIU campus. They taught classes ranging from basic computer classes to excel tips for the advanced students.

Our day started with breakfast at 8:00, devotions at 9:00. chapel at 10:00, team pictures with the scholarship students at 11:00. and then Mike and Ed headed to the IT office to plan and work on the wireless projects for the day. Mike and Mesfin worked tirelessly to make sure improved wireless services were extended to the library, the annex and to the southern part of the campus.

The team wrapped up the evening with the McDonald family having dinner with John and Elizabeth Evans. Meghan and Ed had dinner with Moses and Margaret from Nigeria.

Our Daily Devotions

This morning we were joined by fellow AIU Governing Council member, Jim Rogers from Orlando, Florida. Jim arrived late last evening and it was great catching up with him this morning as we waited for the rest of the team to join us for breakfast. Our devotion reading came from "Mornings with Tozer".

Who Hears the Call of God? Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68

Who can deny that there are certain persons who, though still unconverted, nevertheless differ from the crowd, marked out of God, stricken with an interior wound and susceptible to the call of God?

In the prayer of Jesus in John 17:11, He said: "Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." Surely no man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, perhaps some not easy to detect. First might be a deep reverence for divine things. A sense of the sacred must be present or there can be no receptivity to God and truth. Another mark is great moral sensitivity. When God begins to work in a man to bring him to salvation, He makes him acutely sensitive to evil. Another mark of the Spirit's working is a mighty moral discontent. It does take a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened he is psychologically unable to repent and believe!

Our discussion centered around "hearing the call of God" in our lives. We were challenged to make sure our calling and election is sure. How we relate to others is a reflection of God and how He manifests Himself. We must always be mindful of this and make sure that we are representing the gospel in an accurate portrayal as we go about "kingdom business".

Another Day In Paradise

This picture is of the students that are beneficiaries of scholarships from CLA. It also includes Mary Omollo, Student Financial Aid Director, Meghan Wilson, CLA Vice President,and Ed Fischer, CLA Executive Director. This picture was taken in front of the Byang Kato Memorial Chapel. Ed will be having dinner next week with two of the scholarship student families to get better acquainted and capture stories of how the students plan to use their education when they graduate.

Here some of our team members are posing with Mary Omollo and Margaret, one of the Masters students that hosted us for lunch esterday. She and her husband Moses are from Nigeria. She prepared several traditional Nigerian dishes that amazed the entire team. I am very excited about being invited for dinner on Thursday evening.

Last evening we enjoyed a wonderful evening of food and fellowship at Don and Patrice Penny’s home. Having known them for over 8 years and worked with them on several short term mission trips, it feels so comfortable to spend time with them reflecting on our accomplishments on this trip so far. Kathy completed the data base entry of the donated equipment and Mesfin and Mike worked tirelessly on installing several routers and repeaters in the library. These enhancements should significantly improve the performance of the wireless network on this segment of the campus. Earlier in the day, we reviewed the campus wireless network diagram and planned the changes we will implement the rest of this week.

We started the day with devotions. Meghan shared with us an article that her father had written earlier which was closely related to our topic today. “The important thing is to always be alert to the opportunities which God provides us to give witness to our faith and then in whatever personal style is natural to us, bear that witness. Tell what you know about the power of God’s love and how it has worked in your life. Engage in those actions which demonstrate the power of what you believe, because actions still speak louder than words. In whatever manner we give witness to our belief, the important thing is to live it and give it.” Rev. Dr. John P. Davis III.

We each took turns sharing how God’s love has worked in our lives. The common theme seemed to center around how God has used each of us, in spite of circumstances that did not always seem favorable at the time, to bring us to this point in time so we could use our gifts in service to others. The book, “Half Time” by Bob Buford illustrates this concept so well. As men we often get a lot of our significance from our jobs and careers. Women on the other hand seem to get theirs from family. As men, when we reach this mid-point in our lives, in spite of enjoying business and financial success, we find that there is something missing. As part of this transformation there is the realization that in our attempts to leave a legacy, true happiness and success comes from serving others. We then talked about how giving up two weeks of our vacation time to come and serve here in Kenya is much more rewarding than selfishly serving our own needs by enjoying a lavish vacation elsewhere.

Today we continue our work with Don Penny, Director of IT at AIU, to continue the development and extension of the wireless footprint on the campus. In our efforts to integrate the donated equipment, we are trying to maximize the availability and bandwidth of wireless services to areas that are in greatest need.

Yesterday we had very productive meetings with Ephraim Mudave, Librarian to discuss their plans for a media center and books needed for the PhD and planned undergraduate programs. CLA was awarded a $100,000 grant from a foundation for this effort. Thus, we were able obtain their requirements so we can complete the documentation and delivery of this project.

We also met with Mary Omollo, who is the scholarship coordinator at AIU. She also administers the benevolence fund. Mary really has her finger on the pulse of the needs of the student body and very capably administers these programs. With the change in leadership at CLA, we wanted to make sure that we are in touch with their needs and can adequately respond in a timely manner. So both process and understanding how we can better work together were the key topics of our discussion. We look forward to taking a picture of the team with the current scholarship recipients after Chapel on Thursday.

Our final meeting of the day was with the new Human Resource Director, Peter Muroncia. Peter has a very strong background with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources and a MBA. He also brings a wealth of experience to AIU in his previous career in microfinance. We discussed Peter’s vision for the Human Resources Information System requirements and the challenges they face in making this much needed transition. Change Management and financial resources seem to be the two biggest issues so our discussion focused on how we can best approach their needs given the current environment.

Arrived Safely, Refreshed and Renewed

We arrived safely on Sunday evening and 11 out of 12 pieces of luggage and equipment made it. The missing luggage arrived yesterday. All is well. Mike McDonald, our team leader felt tremendous relief as we transferred the donated equipment to Don Penny and Mesfin Teshome with the AIU Information Technology department. Thanks to Grace Community Church and many of our CLA donors we were able to donate 15 laptops, a 8 Terrabyte Storage Server, PoE Wireless Switch, routers, switches, 18-8 Gigabit thumb drives, wireless antennae, desktop computer and flat panel monitor, laptop cases, and other miscellaneous equipment totaling over $8,000.00.

While here we met students from Nyack College, a Christian University with campuses in Manhattan and Rockland, New York that are studying in preparation for degrees in Psychology and Christian counseling. They are here to study ethnicity and cross cultural issues. Dr. Elaine Eng is the leader of this group attending a conference at Brackenhurst with the Christian Medical and Dental Association. This organization supports the missionary community to provide continuing education and educational programs. Their biggest contribution is member care. They alternate between Africa and Asia with plans to be in Chiang Mai in 2013 for their CMDA conference there.

Just to show you what a small world it is, Dr. Eng asked if I knew Dr. Chet and Dolores Wood from Indianapolis. She spoke of how her pastor, George Ibach, was a nephew of Dolores and how she had attended a family reunion with Dolores’ family. You can e-mail Dr. Eng at eengmd@juno.com. She shared when we were talking this morning before breakfast, how she is trying to encourage a team from her church to come to Kenya and AIU on a vision trip. I told her about my plans to participate in such a trip with 4 couples from Faith Missionary Church. I went so far as to offer to include her fellow church team with our group. She was very excited as this would closely align with and support her efforts to encourage her church to experience ministry in the context of African realities.



Can we encourage you to consider visiting or serving AIU in the future. I will warn you, it might just change your life, it did for me.

The Night Before Departure

Today I had the opportunity to tour the Savvis Data Centers in the Sterling, VA area with serveral of my Development Authority and E-911 Board Members. It gave them a chance to see in a small way the data center we are preparing to build in Grant County West Virginia. After spending 14 years in telecom selling these same data center services to Government and Education clients in the Mid-Atlantic states, it was gratifying to share a similar experience with the same people that will enable and bring this same technology to West Virginia. In many respects it felt similar to the birth of a new child. Helping my peers capture the vision that this technology can bring to our rural part of West Virginia is very gratifying. Since we struggle with one of the highest unemployment rates in the United States, it feels like we are on the cusp of bringing real progress to our part of the United States that has been left behind in many areas of economic growth and development.

In a similar way, our trip to AIU and Kenya very much reflects this same feeling of progress. We have recruited a very talented team that hopes to make real progress in bringing positive technilogical changes to an area of East Africa that is also on the cusp of real positive change. African International University has a vision that reflects this positive potential. The vision of AIU is Christ centered leaders in Africa educated to transform God's people and world. To accomplish this vision AIU's mission is to educate Christ centered leaders for the transformation of God's people and world through innovative programs, research and community engagement.

We at CLA feel that we have aligned our vision and mission with AIU. The vision of CLA is to support a healthy, biblically grounded church in Africa with Godly, trained leaders who are transforming African societies by the power of the Gospel and leading the church worldwide. The mission of Christian Leaders for Africa (CLA) is to promote Christian higher education on the African continent and, in particular, to generate support for Africa International University (AIU) formerly know as the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST).

So as I spend my last night here in the USA, I am thinking of what might otherwise be important to me. As a football fan I think of the upcoming Superbowl, but that does not seem as important to me as the mission I have ahead of me and our team. As a Colts season ticket holder, I am less concerned about whether Payton Manning will be with the team next year (which I hope happens) than if the equipment we are transporting to Kenya will arrive safely. Most of all, I am hopeful that our team arrives safely in Nairobi, adjusts in a timely manner to the new time zone, and is able to accomplish all of our ambitious goals for the next two weeks.

Being away from my wife for 4 weeks is the biggest sacrifice I have made in the last 14 years. But if we are able to make a positive difference in helping to raise up Christian Leaders for Africa then it is easy to make my gift of service to her and others my Valentines gift this year.