The West Gate Mall was the sight of a horrific terrorist
attack on September 21, 2013. This four day siege took the lives of at least 67
and wounded over 200. It was Kenya’s worst terrorist attack in fifteen years. Today the building partially stands and will
soon be completely torn down and rebuilt. I am told it will be a two year building program. As we rode by it today the
evidence of war still remains. The
building is peppered with bullet holes and many in Kenya still carry the scars
from such a tragic day.
December 14, 2013
(Saturday) The weather for Kenya has been slightly off this year and the rains are a bit late. We’ve had to cancel our scheduled door to
door visits throughout the slums because of the heavy rains. The clouds roll in
like clockwork and the rains fall long and hard. The slum area is now full of mud and their
homes have become very damp. The rain is necessary and welcomed but will also bring more hardship and sickness to the people living in the slums.
Life in Kenya continues to change and one must be aware of what
is happening around them. New security measures
are in place within the city of Nairobi but still it is not enough. Today there was another grenade attack on a matatu (mini bus/van)
which is a popular means of travel here in Nairobi. At least 15 people have been injured and four
have been killed.
BBC News - Nairobi bus hit by deadly grenade attack
BBC News - Nairobi bus hit by deadly grenade attack
December 16, 2013 (Monday) At the crack of dawn the
morning birds have a chorus that fills the land around us. They welcome the day in with a beautiful song that is delightful to wake to.
Today I
was up and ready with the birds! It’s was time to travel into the western parts
of Kenya. It’s a short trip across the
city of Nairobi to the bus station but we need to allow time for the traffic
jams along the way. With traffic it could take us two hours to get to the other
side of the city.
It is Christmas season and schools are closed for the month of December. The buses are in demand as people want to return to their home village to have Christmas with their family. I arrived early at the bus station but many others had arrived before me. Large groups of people stood on the sidewalk waiting for their buses. Suitcases, sacs, boxes, of all sizes and shapes were being packed on the buses. Three buses at a time were being loaded and still the crowd did not lessen. A white woman mixed together with a crowd of Kenyans on the sidewalk waiting for her bus gets a few "looks." A quick smile given to the various children looking my way usually ends up with one given back :) For two hours bus after bus pulled away with their passengers. It was obvious that my bus was behind schedule. Each time a bus pulled up and pulled away billows of black exhaust covered all of us in a cloud of fumes.
My bus finally arrived and everyone had found their seat. It was
time to leave the beautiful people and friends of Nairobi and travel to the
country and mountains of western Kenya.
As the
bus wheels rolled forward the scenery quickly changed. The city had vanished from my eyes
and was replaced with the green Rift Valley.
We climbed one mountain after another and traveled around sharp corners. There were times that the oncoming traffic didn't understand which side of the road they belong on. Women walked beside the roadway with bundles of
long pieces of firewood on their head. There were carts
being pulled by donkeys and women sitting beside the road trying to sell produce. Goats, sheep and cows were grazing in the fields and
along the roadside.
There was a time or two that the bus came to an abrupt stop
because a couple cows just didn't see the need to hurry. The
zebra’s and gazelles brought a bit of excitement into the day as well! The Rift Valley is amazing and its volcanic
mountains sitting high in the background are beautiful. We continue and our destination is near. The sun sets and the cool mountain air of the night rises to greet us. We have arrived!
Psalm
121:1, 2
I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where
does my help come from? My help comes
from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment