The last 10 days were spent in Marsabit Kenya in the middle of a national park. We went with the YWAM base we are working with here in Kenya. We stayed at a local pastor’s house and did door to door evangelism, a youth conference, and taught at the pastor’s church. The area is heavily Muslim and they can be quite hostile towards the Gospel. Some of the pastors there have even been stoned or met with guns when trying to share the Gospel. This is what we were told when we first got there and they even contemplated having an armed guard with us while we were there. But truth be told, it was one of the places that I’ve felt the most peace on the Race. The tribes in the area are mostly unreached people that have never heard about Jesus, so the opportunity for us to be there was huge.
Some facts about the area, there are 14 tribes and its also the largest county by area in Kenya. They’ve been in a drought for the last 6 months and all of their wells have dried up, so tensions are high. People are leaving the area in search of food and water and places to feed and water their livestock as well (this is an area that relies on farming for a living). Two months ago the tribes argued over a watering hole and there was upwards of 40 people killed over it. You could feel the tension in the air and people were a little wary of us, but we got through without any hiccups. We got to see some salvations and even got to encourage the local church. One of the days we went out evangelizing we were told that we would be going to Christian homes to encourage the believers. We had a three hour time frame and planned on going to three different houses, so we expected to spend an hour at each house. I got frustrated when we were done in thirty minutes and they said we could go back to our house. I asked what about the muslims and they told me that they were too hostile and that they were afraid to talk to them. If you read my last blog then you know its about fear so in my mind I was like “Not today Satan” so I challenged them on their fear. I asked them if they didn’t talk to them then who would? If you love Jesus then you know that you’ll go to heaven so why fear stones and spears? Isn’t the Gospel worth it? It got them thinking, which was my goal. They asked if I wanted to go to some houses and I said yes, but we wound up just going back home. A couple days later is when the 4 Muslim women gave their lives to Jesus because the group decided to put the fear aside and speak to the Muslims. Yes they were met by a little hostility (guys in the bushes with guns) and some with spears but ultimately the tribe sat down to listen and the Gospel was shared.
So I ask you to pray for the area, pray for rain because they desperately need it, pray for the local church that they would have boldness and learn to deal with conflict, and also pray for peace in the tribes that they would learn to work and live together to better their area. Side note, in the youth conference I got to teach on conflict resolution and how to deal with difficult situations, so hopefully the things I said will help encourage and embolden the church.
