These days Calvin is working on
learning to swim, learning to ride a bike, and learning to read.
Our little boy is growing up fast and we treasure all the conversations,
bedtime prayers, snuggles, and laughs of these precious years.
During this year Sammy has gone from a babe in arms to a speeding
toddler with an active vocabulary of over 200 words and a constant
eye on his big brother, lest he fall behind for a single instant.
Balls, books, and an audience are all he needs to keep the giggles
and chatter going full-time. He will be attending the University
Nursery in the mornings when Calvin starts first primary this
fall. Sammy is quite a social little boy, and we predict he will
jump into the delights of this new encounter without a backward
glance.
This past June we visited Cairo to join our seminary community
in a joyous week of celebration. With our dear colleagues and
students we celebrated the completion of several building projects
on campus, the inauguration of a new study center for Middle Eastern
Christianity, and the graduation of one of the largest classes
in the seminary’s history. Since we had been away for a
while we had more of a bird’s-eye perspective than we usually
do in the flurry of activity on the ground. We were amazed to
see how far the seminary has come in the five years we have been
involved there. Here are a few before and after comparisons to
give you a sense of the growth we see.
Five years ago the seminary had a total of 60 students enrolled.
At this year’s graduation 35 students were in the graduating
class alone, and the seminary as a whole had tripled in size.
A large number of these graduates are pastors who will lead congregations
in Egypt; others are lay leaders who will head ministries throughout
the Arab world. It is exciting to send out leaders with so much
commitment and creativity to offer the church in the Middle East.
Five years ago the seminary’s only full-time faculty members
with Ph.D. credentials were foreign missionaries. As of this year,
two Egyptian professors have completed their doctoral degrees,
one is a year from completion, and two more begin their studies
this year. Our own studies will help build up the overall quality
of a teaching team that is growing quickly in both numbers and
qualifications. Ultimately, it is the growth in faculty that allows
for the growth in the student body. We thank God for the gifted
individuals on the faculty and for the unity of vision we are
blessed with.
Five years ago most of our faculty had no personal computers
or offices, and students turned in their research papers written
in longhand. The seminary had one secretary, who did not speak
English, and it was not connected to the Internet. Today faculty
has its own wing of well-equipped offices, and the seminary’s
expanded administrative staff handles communication with partners
all around the world. Students work in a computer lab, and lecture
halls are equipped with invaluable communications technology.
The buildings on the campus have grown along with its human resources.
The campus now has a lot to offer through, and not in spite of,
its resources. It is an energizing location to live in, and we
experienced again the pulse of campus life as we returned to our
flat for the ten days of our stay. Many faithful donors have helped
bring about these changes. We found ourselves amazed and grateful,
again, for the ways in which God brings together people from around
the world to accomplish His purposes.
As we travel back and forth between our two current homes, we
are powerfully reminded of God's gracious provision for our needs
and His nurture of the communities we are a part of. You are a
member of the community that surrounds us even from afar. Thank
you for your friendship and partnership in Christ!
Grace and peace,
Elisabeth, Darren, Calvin, and Sammy Kennedy
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
159
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