PLEASE PRAY FOR KENYA: Post election violence & political instability causing tribal hatred, clashes, & murder as a result…
Frustration is my current emotion in attempting to communicate to you what’s happening in Kenya right now… a country I love, a people I’ve become family with, & all the while knowing I have absolutely no control to change things or protect those I’ve shared life with just over a year ago! Rather than refer you to a website, I figure what’s better than an insider’s perspective into the reality of life in Kenya as we speak. These are email excerpts from a friend, mentor, & missionary who has asked for much prayer over the past couple months….
December/January-“It is such an evil time here in Kenya-revenge killings sweeping the nation…It is getting harder & harder to carry on with ‘life as normal.'”
“(Kenyan friend), our tall Luo Harvest Compassion coordinator, was rescued yesterday by God’s hand just at the entrance of Kibera. He was coming to work & elighted from his matatu at his normal stop at the entrance to Kibera, but yesterday, there were armed Mungiki thugs right there with pangas & knives, killing all the Luos they could find. (Friend) is very obviously Luo. The gang saw him, but he just kept on walking toward our house, and none of them followed him!…(Second Kenyan friend), our shamba man, also had to take another route to work yesterday. At least 3 Luos were hacked to death just a minute’s walk or less from our house yesterday-and more inside Kibera. We saw the smoke from Soweto where houses of Luos & Luhyas are being torched-and heard more gun fire from Kibera yesterday afternoon…(Third Kenyan friend & his family) have been threatened with eviction letters-they have until today to leave their house…he is afraid for his family & reluctant to leave because he knows once he does all of his belongings will be torched.”
February-“It has been openly reported in the Kenyan press & t.v. how many political aspirants in the past election called out witch-doctors, spirit mediums, & occult practitioners to come and try to influence the outcome of the elections & turn-out of crowds…Msafara ‘Wheels of Hope’…the goal of Msafara is to gather 300 pastors & church leaders from all over the nation to visit the 5 major urban areas where violence was the greatest & where there was the greatest occult activity by the forces of darkness-to pray over each of these cities, to unite the churches in those cities in prayer & repentance meetings, to reconcile factions in the body of Christ & to provide humanitarian relief….the visits of these 300 people will take place March 7-17.” Pray!!
March (currently)- “Thank your for your prayers for Kenya! We rejoice that a political agreement was reached this past week between Mwai Kibaki (present President) & Raila Odinga (the protesting opposition leader) on power-sharing. We rejoice, but with the realization that this only a first step in the long road to peace & reconciliation in this country. We are aware that things could STILL go either way. The Kenyan Parliament must meet & come to agreement on working out of the general agreement. This is going to need much prayer! Please do pray with us.”
It’s crazy to think about a place that I didn’t just visit but left a part of my heart in being so polar opposite from what I experienced. It reminds me how fragile life is & how quickly turmoil can begin. All of this can originate at any moment in any given place (yes, even the U.S.!)…not simply because of certain places being more politically “unstable” than others in our world, but because of the evil and sin that exists and is possible in every one of us human beings…
Kenya needs you Jesus; each of us needs you! Make us more like You!
