Supreme Court Rules

 

March 27, 2013 (Wednesday) Please pray for Pastor Chris from Kawangware. (A Nairobi slum area) Today he will bury his mother age 65 and another relative age 45.  Please remember him and his family.

March 29, 2013 (Friday) Plans are in progress and prices are being gathered to help some of the younger children in the village of Taito. Many here do not have the extra income to send their children to school. The cost of the required uniform, sweater, shoes, socks and the haircut far exceeds the parents reach. Soon some of the smaller children will be attending class at the church that was built last year in Taito.  We are excited to see how God will work in the lives of these little ones and bring change to their village.

 

March 30, 2013 (Saturday) The children are off from school today and will be at the orphanage during the day.  Everyone is very busy when we arrive.  The older children are making a simple flatbread baked on a hot griddle, called Chapatti, for lunch and others are doing buckets of laundry.  Those that have their chores done are outside playing.  The earth that usually clings to the bottom of our feet has turned into multipurpose play dough.  Time passes in the hot sun as they mold and shape the dirt into something grand.  They are so happy to show us their finished work.

 

On the other side of the play yard the men are busy at work.  A new building to house 100 teenage girls is in the making.  Pastor Richard Makani and his wife, Helen, continue to see God’s hand at work in supplying the many needs for the orphans they take in. They are a blessing to so many children from Kipsongo slums and the surrounding area.

All day we kept our ears open for any news from the Supreme Court of Kenya.  The uncertainty of what their decision would be made many cautious of where they traveled.  As the day came to an end the Supreme Court made their announcement that they felt the election was in fact free and fair. 

Kenyatta will be sworn in on April 9^th as Kenya’s 4^th president.  Mr. Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s founding president, is facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.

Nairobi had prepared for troubled. They barricaded some of the streets and had soldiers at different posts throughout the populated areas.  Truckloads of soldiers were ready to travel if needed.  Much of the media had agreed not to report demonstrations and violence as they felt it would excite more violence. 

After the ruling was released violence erupted in Kisumu, Nairobi and the slums around Nairobi. We have heard of shops being looted, and people throwing stones and burning tires in the streets. Some people have died and others have been wounded as protesters took to the streets.

March 31, 2013 (He Is Risen!) I was to travel a couple hours away today and speak in a church near Eldoret but because of the US Embassy warning and the uncertainty of Kenya’s reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling I stayed close to the lodge.  

The tent was full and as we sang our Easter songs the soldiers walked the railroad tracks beside us. It was a reminder that the land in which we stood was still a simmering with tension and unrest.

It was also a reminder that even though this area remained peaceful there are those that have suffered and lost the little that they had.  Before church this morning the Pastor from Kawangware slums notified me of the violence that so many had lived through in the slums.  Over 56 homes in the slums had been burnt to the ground.  The little they had was now gone. They had lived without the extras and now they had nothing.  They had nothing to keep them from the rain and the cold nights.  The small wooden door that they locked at night to keep them from the evil would no longer keep them safe.

There was panic at a bus stop in Kariobangi when a bomb was found in a public transportation vehicle that took people from the center of Nairobi.The Improvised Explosive Device had been manufactured and was ready for detonation when the matatu crew discovered it on Sunday. Police said they suspect the owners of the explosive had set it and alighted ready to detonate but it failed. The conclusion was arrived at after they found 42 missed calls on a mobile phone that was found next to the bomb.  by Cyrus Ombati  

 Shortly after this bomb was found another one was found in Nakuru.

Shopping for groceries doesn’t take long here.  The many choices that we have in our grocery stores at home just aren’t available here.  Thursday I traveled 2 hours to a more populated area to pick up some Bibles and go to the immigration office.  In the stores here in Eldoret they had a few more treats on their shelves and many of them reminded me of home. Let me share with you why so many rely on vegetables that they can grow themselves. 

Here are a few prices for you; brownie mix $5.38, cake mix $3.22 - $4.04, regular 32 oz jar of mayonnaise  $6.90, a small can of tuna $3.33, a small 24oz jar of Ragu sauce $4.62, small salad dressing $3.92

In some of the interior areas the daily pay can be as low as 50 ksh or about 56 cents. Life can be very hard for so many here. It is not uncommon to see children living on the streets fending for themselves. Such little ones will never understand what being a child is all about.

Earlier I shared with you about a pastor in the Lodwar area that had a cobra spit in her eye.  It took them an hour to travel out of the interior to the hospital.  She was treated there and then flown to a better hospital in Eldoret.  It was very serious situation and she lost her sight in one eye because of the cobra’s venom.   Many prayers were said for her and we thank you for being faithful and praying.  God has restored her sight completely!

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.