December 3, 2007

Merry Christmas,

We came back to the United States in late June, and we will return to Kenya on January 6, 2008.  I (Terry) had back surgery to repair a ruptured disc. Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and all is well. We look forward to continuing our work in Kenya providing clinical pastoral education to graduating students.

High school students waiting to get into a university. Seventy-five percent of qualifed students are turned away for lack of classroom space.

The good news is that the college was certified to become the Presbyterian University of East Africa. This is great news because it will increase the classroom space for Kenyan students seeking higher education. 

Steering the college into university status has been a labor of love for over twenty years. Many talented and dedicated Kenyan Christians partnered with the Atlanta Presbytery and others to make the dream of becoming a university a reality.

This is a monumental achievement that will enhance the lives of Kenyans far into the future. What a sharp contrast between life in the United States and Kenya! In the United States, public schools, universities, and hospitals are available to everyone. In Kenya schools and hospitals are available only to a few.

In the United States we spend twenty billion dollars a year on ice cream. In Kenya half the population lives on one dollar a day.

In U.S. churches, the clergy try to help their congregation appreciate their blessings and share with others. In Kenyan churches, the clergy try to bolster spirits and remind their congregation that God is faithful and will provide for their needs.

In the United States we go to bed each night feeling safe and secure. In Kenya, we go to bed each night praying for safety and protection from the thugs who roam at will.

And we could go on and on telling of Americans who are confident, blessed, and assured, yet needing to grow in generosity.

This Christmas season, as kings and shepherds, the powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor gather together in the lowly stable, may the weak say I am strong, the poor say I am rich, and the rich say I am generous because of what the Lord has done for me. For all of us claim a common heritage as children embraced by a forgiving and loving God.

Blessings and peace,

Lyle and Terry Dykstra

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 332