Departing Charlotte
In early April 2022, I flew out of Charlotte NC and after stops in Washington DC and Frankfurt Germany (and 17 hours air time), I arrived in Nairobi Kenya.
What is IT Connect
I was participating in a technology conference called IT Connect. The goal of the conference was to support regional information technology specialists from various Bible translation organizations in Africa and help equip IT staff and sustain reliable IT systems.
Who was there?
There were 44 IT specialists from around ten African countries as well as participants from North America and Europe.
Table groups
There were seven tables of participants and we frequently had discussions as part of our sessions. The people at my table were from Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
I led a few sessions, one which had an activity to help us realize how we all need each other and one talking about vision statements, goals and setting priorities.
Other parts of the conference
Each morning we sang and read Scripture and a short devotion. We then had 45 minutes in our table groups to discuss the devotion and pray together.
There was also time to help colleagues with Zoom and Elearning questions
The BTL Conference Centre
The conference center where we stayed was the BTL-Christian International Conference Centre about 45 minutes outside of downtown Nairobi. It is 16 acres with beautifully manicured lawns and plenty of conference space and housing for all of us. BTL (Bible Translation & Literacy) is an organization that was established in 1981 to facilitate Bible translation and sustainable Literacy and language development programs among small language groups in Kenya and beyond.
New friend and experiences
I took a large box of individual size natural mosquito repellent in my luggage for the Pastor friend of a friend. The pastor was very appreciative and invited me to come to church with him on Sunday and attend his wife’s birthday/retirement celebration with his family
It was a wonderful day in which I got to worship with and meet many wonderful people as well as enjoy a family celebration that was very much a cultural experience.
Pastor Matende also drove me into town on the day I was leaving to buy some coffee and tea gifts. His hospitality towards me was wonderful.
This trip was truly a blessing; getting to see old friends and make new ones and to help advance the work of Bible translation in Africa!
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