Last week we finished the IT Connect training conference on Friday and the participants headed back to their respective countries: Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Sudan, and a few IT guys locally from Kenya. Krista and I had a chance to do some shopping and sight seeing again over the weekend, and we attended a large church in Nairobi.
This week I have been in the office in Nairobi helping with some research on improving the wireless network for the office and the guest accommodations. This service is especially important for guests who arrive here from other countries and need to connect with their coworkers or family back "home". The normal tool they use for this is Skype, but without an Internet connection this is impossible. I have experienced that many times myself on prior trips! So we are working on improving the wireless coverage so all guests will have Internet access to communicate with others for important work or family connections as they pass through this regional center.
Krista and I are also meeting today with the head of HR for SIL Africa Area to talk about our thoughts and questions as we consider moving here. If you have seen Krista's Facebook posts or other notes, you will know that we are feeling now like this is not the time to come here to live. We are still seeking the Lord's guidance in this important decision and we appreciate your prayers!
While there is certainly a need in East Africa for qualified IT people with my skill set, we also have identified some important issues and concerns which we don't see an immediate resolution to, which would prevent us from moving here. Getting Krista's perspective on these things has been really helpful and I appreciate and respect her opinion. Over the years, she and I have always been together in unity as we look to the Lord for His direction, and we are now sensing that He may be saying, "Not Yet" as far as coming here or elsewhere overseas.
On one hand that is discouraging, because we have both been looking forward to the possibility to serve the Lord closer to the "front lines", but we also know that God's timing is perfect. We recognize that my role in serving the fields from a central office in the USA, basically as the Director of Technology R&D for SIL's global operations has a strategic significance. I would need to leave that role to serve in Africa. Therefore remaining in the USA has a positive side that I would continue in my current role, helping oversee the development of solutions that impact Bible translation and language development around the world.
We will continue to seek the Lord's will in this matter and try to stay sensitive to His leading! I may be able to have an increased focus on involvement in Africa Area IT work even from the USA, and that is something that I need to investigate further, in discussions with our leaders.
We fly out this evening on an overnight flight to Amsterdam, then have a few hour lay-over there, and tomorrow make the remaining flight back to the USA - about 25 hours in all from the time we take off on our first flight until we land in Charlotte. We have had a good trip here but we are now looking forward to getting home!
Thanks again for praying for us during this important trip!
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