Dinner with the Academic Dean and his wife

Last night I spent the evening with Kibii and Esther Maiyo at the Pinewood Restaurant. Kibii is the Academic Dean of ICM Seminary and Esther is a seamstress. They are tall, almost regal in their appearance. Kibii wore a light blue African suit with white embroidery and a cap with embroidered patterns to match his suit. Esther wore a long yellow dress with a red and blue patterned scarf. They are about the same age as Kathy and me.

The restaurant has two menus: one for Indian cuisine and one for Chinese. I ordered lemon chicken, which was composed of small chunks of fried chicken smothered in a lemony gravy. Esther had chicken curry with nun (a flat pita-like bread) from the Indian menu. I later learned that people of Indian origin are considered “Asians” in Kenya. Their Chinese food was not nearly as authentic as their Indian food, so I suspect that they have an “Asian” cook of Indian origin.

Esther and Kibii shared testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. With a little prompting, Esther shared how she and Kibii had met. They both grew up in Kitale and their families knew one another. Esther comes from a family of twelve and they attended the church where Kibii was serving as pastor. He was 23 and Esther was 18. Esther said she had learned so much from her mother that she wanted to be like her.

She came to her mother and asked her advice on how she might find the right man. Her mother suggested she should prayerfully make a list of criteria and then pray that God would show her the right man for her to marry. Esther said she made her list and had one criterion that she felt would set her suitors apart. She was looking for a man who could express himself directly to her in person and not have to rely on a written note. Of the several men who expressed interest in her, only one, Kibii, did not write notes to her. When he asked for her hand in marriage, she understood it as God’s will and agreed immediately!

Kibii and Esther told of how God had provided for them through the years, especially in relation to education. When Kibii was accepted to Columbia Bible College, he had no idea how he would pay for it. Yet he and Esther prayed and went on faith. God provided for their every need through miraculous ways. Today, Kibii has a Masters of Theology from Western Theological Seminary and is working on his PhD with a dissertation topic of the Ordination of Women.

We had a delightful evening. Tonight we will go to the same restaurant with the team from Colonial. I’m ordering Indian!!!