Pray for Revival
The situation in Kenya is getting worse. It’s now being reported that children are being attacked on their way to school in some places. God has graciously given me a safe haven, while thousands of people are suffering greatly. This is the typical historical situation where great revivals have begun, and I believe that’s exactly what God wants to happen here in Kenya. Please pray toward that end.
Last Sunday was a very busy and interesting day. The church in Kipture came to visit the church in Cheptabach. The service began at 10:00 a.m., but the Kipture group didn’t arrive until 11:30 a.m. We finally ended at 3:00 p.m. because Kipture had some special presentations for Henry, Dorcas and me. Henry received a set of mugs. Dorcas received a leso, or kikoi, the all purpose African wrap-around. I also received one of those, plus a kerosene lantern, a huge bunch of bananas and a set of soup dishes which everyone uses to eat red beans and rice.
Dorcas and a friend cooked lunch (yep, you guessed it—red beans and rice) for all the Kipture group and we ate together at my house, all 18 of us, but not until the truck they rented was fixed. What a truck! It was a rattle trap and broke down a few yards from the church. When they opened the hood, I saw many things just hanging and I wondered how they ever made it from Kipture. The driver thought it was out of gas, so we tried siphoning from my car. That didn’t work, so I took a few of the people with me to my house and got a container of gas. We were only about 15 minutes away on lovely, dusty dirt roads. I took the gas back to the poor little truck, but that wasn’t the only problem. So I took another group of people back to my house while several people worked on the truck. When I returned, the truck was running and on the road. Everyone finally arrived at the house and we ate lunch at 5:00 p.m.
After lunch I played the piano for them, and then we started singing hymns. The Kalenjin have incorporated many of our old hymns into their worship in their language with slight variations in melody and rhythm. It was quite a time of praising our Lord in two languages at the same time, something like Pentecost, only on a much smaller scale. Actually, there’s really no comparison to that great day when the Holy Spirit came in such magnificent power on thousands of people! How awesome it would be if that happened in Kenya! The problems would be resolved by the power of God!
Let me stop on that note of praise and hope. The people here say thank you for the prayers of their American brothers and sisters in Christ for them and their country. We are all looking to God for the answers.
Mungu awabariki!
Judy
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Saga Continues
I am safe and still at home, but there have been three days of demonstrations during which people have been killed or injured. So I have remained in my house except for the morning dog walk with Bush. Friday, the Kalenjin radio station put on the air pastors who were praying and pleading with people to stay home and not participate in the demonstrations. Probably some did, but most did not.
Remember the church that was burned in Eldoret where 50 people died? A friend sent me a World Christian Ministries Newsletter that adds more to that story. The church that burned belonged to Kenya Assemblies of God. There were 300 people inside. One hundred were seriously burned and 16 had burns over 90% of their bodies. And that was only one of the 98 churches the Kenya Assemblies of God lost through fire or destruction. More than 64,000 of their church members were displaced. In the Mt. Elgon area 15 churches belonging to the Kenya Evangelistic Team were lost. Many other churches of other fellowships were destroyed, but a definite number is not available. None of this was reported by the media because the government banned most of the reporting.
All of our Baptist churches are OK in Nandi Hills. Only one has been in peril because it is located in the valley below the Nandi escarpment where sugar cane fields have been burned, along with several homes. The church is in Kimwani, and is the brand new building that the mission team built in July. They met last Sunday for the first time in a few weeks because they feared being burned alive. Several of the church members, however, have lost their homes to fire and are in need of food and blankets. Right now they’re staying with neighbors.
I’ve told you about the pastor at Lengut, Duncan Karinde, a Kikuyu who was taken away along with his wife and little boy, and Samwel Kiarie, another Kikuyu, who was pastor of a church in Tinderet. They are both being moved to the Nakuru area where their family homes are located. They will be fine, but we’ll probably not see them again.
Also we’re losing another pastor, Joshua Ebei, of the new church in Nandi Hills town. Stealing and other crimes are still going on in the town against anyone who voted for Kibaki, no matter what tribe they belong to. Joshua told me he must take his wife, who is pregnant, and their two children back to his family home and safety in Turkana which is in northwest Kenya. He plans to start a church there. Isn’t persecution the way the early church grew in the New Testament? Our awesome God always brings good out of bad. Could this be the beginning of revival in Kenya? I pray it is!
Henry and I went to Nandi Hills town this morning (Saturday) to get more gas for the generator, check the mail and get five days’ worth of newspapers. We were told it was safe and the roads were unblocked, but we saw more burned buildings from the recent riots. The gas supply was low, but we were able to get what we needed. However, the Post Office has yet to receive any mail since all the trouble began on December 30. I receive only two things in the mail regularly—my bank statement and Celtel bill—so I wasn’t missing much. Henry, however, is studying some missions courses by correspondence and internet at a school in South Africa, and they sent him some information in the mail which he hasn’t received. He’s suffering a double whammy now because his computer must have a virus and the technicians are in Kisumu, a town that’s still too dangerous to visit.
I must share one amazing scene of destruction in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. The people tore up 2 km of railroad tracks that run through the slums on the way to Uganda. It’s a main artery carrying goods and supplies to Uganda from Kenya. The pictures were amazing. The cross ties are made of steel like the tracks, so the whole thing came up together and looked like fencing. After my amazement subsided, I thought, If the tracks are that easy to pull up, how safe is it to travel on them!
The tea estates continue to suffer because the opposition has told the people not to work even if they don’t attend the demonstrations. They’re afraid to go against such demands because people have been killed or injured if they do.
Good news: The opposition party leader, Raila Odinga of ODM (Orange Democratic Party), announced yesterday that they were going to stop the demonstrations since so many people are being killed. Instead they’re telling everyone to honor an economic boycott against any business that has anything to do with President Kibaki and his Party of National Unity (PNU). Kofi Annan, whose original visit was postponed by illness, is due to arrive here on Tuesday to start some dialogue. We’ll see if it happens. So the tunnel continues to lengthen with no sign of light at the end.
The Bible tells us in Exodus 9:16 that God raised up Pharaoh for this reason: that I might show you (the Israelites) My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Let us all pray that because of what’s happening here in Kenya, God will show His great power so that everyone on earth will know He is the only true God!
Thank you for your prayers!
Mungu awabariki!
Judy
I am safe and still at home, but there have been three days of demonstrations during which people have been killed or injured. So I have remained in my house except for the morning dog walk with Bush. Friday, the Kalenjin radio station put on the air pastors who were praying and pleading with people to stay home and not participate in the demonstrations. Probably some did, but most did not.
Remember the church that was burned in Eldoret where 50 people died? A friend sent me a World Christian Ministries Newsletter that adds more to that story. The church that burned belonged to Kenya Assemblies of God. There were 300 people inside. One hundred were seriously burned and 16 had burns over 90% of their bodies. And that was only one of the 98 churches the Kenya Assemblies of God lost through fire or destruction. More than 64,000 of their church members were displaced. In the Mt. Elgon area 15 churches belonging to the Kenya Evangelistic Team were lost. Many other churches of other fellowships were destroyed, but a definite number is not available. None of this was reported by the media because the government banned most of the reporting.
All of our Baptist churches are OK in Nandi Hills. Only one has been in peril because it is located in the valley below the Nandi escarpment where sugar cane fields have been burned, along with several homes. The church is in Kimwani, and is the brand new building that the mission team built in July. They met last Sunday for the first time in a few weeks because they feared being burned alive. Several of the church members, however, have lost their homes to fire and are in need of food and blankets. Right now they’re staying with neighbors.
I’ve told you about the pastor at Lengut, Duncan Karinde, a Kikuyu who was taken away along with his wife and little boy, and Samwel Kiarie, another Kikuyu, who was pastor of a church in Tinderet. They are both being moved to the Nakuru area where their family homes are located. They will be fine, but we’ll probably not see them again.
Also we’re losing another pastor, Joshua Ebei, of the new church in Nandi Hills town. Stealing and other crimes are still going on in the town against anyone who voted for Kibaki, no matter what tribe they belong to. Joshua told me he must take his wife, who is pregnant, and their two children back to his family home and safety in Turkana which is in northwest Kenya. He plans to start a church there. Isn’t persecution the way the early church grew in the New Testament? Our awesome God always brings good out of bad. Could this be the beginning of revival in Kenya? I pray it is!
Henry and I went to Nandi Hills town this morning (Saturday) to get more gas for the generator, check the mail and get five days’ worth of newspapers. We were told it was safe and the roads were unblocked, but we saw more burned buildings from the recent riots. The gas supply was low, but we were able to get what we needed. However, the Post Office has yet to receive any mail since all the trouble began on December 30. I receive only two things in the mail regularly—my bank statement and Celtel bill—so I wasn’t missing much. Henry, however, is studying some missions courses by correspondence and internet at a school in South Africa, and they sent him some information in the mail which he hasn’t received. He’s suffering a double whammy now because his computer must have a virus and the technicians are in Kisumu, a town that’s still too dangerous to visit.
I must share one amazing scene of destruction in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. The people tore up 2 km of railroad tracks that run through the slums on the way to Uganda. It’s a main artery carrying goods and supplies to Uganda from Kenya. The pictures were amazing. The cross ties are made of steel like the tracks, so the whole thing came up together and looked like fencing. After my amazement subsided, I thought, If the tracks are that easy to pull up, how safe is it to travel on them!
The tea estates continue to suffer because the opposition has told the people not to work even if they don’t attend the demonstrations. They’re afraid to go against such demands because people have been killed or injured if they do.
Good news: The opposition party leader, Raila Odinga of ODM (Orange Democratic Party), announced yesterday that they were going to stop the demonstrations since so many people are being killed. Instead they’re telling everyone to honor an economic boycott against any business that has anything to do with President Kibaki and his Party of National Unity (PNU). Kofi Annan, whose original visit was postponed by illness, is due to arrive here on Tuesday to start some dialogue. We’ll see if it happens. So the tunnel continues to lengthen with no sign of light at the end.
The Bible tells us in Exodus 9:16 that God raised up Pharaoh for this reason: that I might show you (the Israelites) My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Let us all pray that because of what’s happening here in Kenya, God will show His great power so that everyone on earth will know He is the only true God!
Thank you for your prayers!
Mungu awabariki!
Judy
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Hello, Prayer Warriors,
Yesterday evening I was able to move back to my house. Sure feels good! When I left everything was so extremely quiet, but now roosters are crowing all day, a cow passed by the house mooing very loudly, children were playing and people were talking. Quite a difference--sounded like a normal day.
Today Henry and I went to Nandi Hills town to go to the bank, post office and get gas for the car and generator. The bank was open and the ATM was working, but no mail had been delivered yet. And there was no gas at the only remaining filling station. I saw the Total station that was burned to just a brick shell and some shops that were boarded up and burn marks in the road where tires were set on fire. Other than that it didn't look too bad.
We needed gas so we drove to Kapsabet. Along that road more burn marks were evident and on the sides of the road were piles of huge rocks and tree trunks that had been used as roadblocks. One roadblock remained but it was situated between two speed bumps (called "sleeping policemen" here) so vehicles had to slow down and were able to go around it.
When we reached Kapsabet the first gas station where we stopped had only diesel, so we had to go into town. I was about the 5th car in line for gas, and they were rationing what was left. Two pumps were empty; only one was still operating. We drove away with 3/4 tank in the car and 40 liters in the containers for the generator, which will last about a week if we're careful.
Politically doubts are rising again. President Kibaki appointed 17 men to his new cabinet--something he wasn't supposed to do until after the negotiations with the Ghanian president. That made the opposition mad and Odinga announced they wouldn't speak with Kibaki on Friday as planned. Time will tell. A very good thing happened: Kibaki appointed Kalonzo Musyoka as Vice-President. He was the third runner-up in the presidential race and is a born-again Baptist, godly man. How exciting to know that his advice will be heard even if not heeded.
One more ominous report came out last night. Henry received two text messages and the Kalenjin radio announced that Mungiki, the evil, decapitating, murderous Kikuyu gang, is training in Nakuru (half way between us and Nairobi) and will be dispatched to all the major towns, including Eldoret and Kisumu. Anna and I wondered how long it would take for the Kikuyu to take revenge for all the murders and displacements they have endured. This group was front-page news a few months ago until pressure was put on Kibaki to reign them in. We'll see what happens this time.
So, as I said before, getting the country back to normal will probably take quite a while. Please keep praying. God is answering prayers, but the enemy hasn't given up yet.
Mungu awabariki!
Judy
Yesterday evening I was able to move back to my house. Sure feels good! When I left everything was so extremely quiet, but now roosters are crowing all day, a cow passed by the house mooing very loudly, children were playing and people were talking. Quite a difference--sounded like a normal day.
Today Henry and I went to Nandi Hills town to go to the bank, post office and get gas for the car and generator. The bank was open and the ATM was working, but no mail had been delivered yet. And there was no gas at the only remaining filling station. I saw the Total station that was burned to just a brick shell and some shops that were boarded up and burn marks in the road where tires were set on fire. Other than that it didn't look too bad.
We needed gas so we drove to Kapsabet. Along that road more burn marks were evident and on the sides of the road were piles of huge rocks and tree trunks that had been used as roadblocks. One roadblock remained but it was situated between two speed bumps (called "sleeping policemen" here) so vehicles had to slow down and were able to go around it.
When we reached Kapsabet the first gas station where we stopped had only diesel, so we had to go into town. I was about the 5th car in line for gas, and they were rationing what was left. Two pumps were empty; only one was still operating. We drove away with 3/4 tank in the car and 40 liters in the containers for the generator, which will last about a week if we're careful.
Politically doubts are rising again. President Kibaki appointed 17 men to his new cabinet--something he wasn't supposed to do until after the negotiations with the Ghanian president. That made the opposition mad and Odinga announced they wouldn't speak with Kibaki on Friday as planned. Time will tell. A very good thing happened: Kibaki appointed Kalonzo Musyoka as Vice-President. He was the third runner-up in the presidential race and is a born-again Baptist, godly man. How exciting to know that his advice will be heard even if not heeded.
One more ominous report came out last night. Henry received two text messages and the Kalenjin radio announced that Mungiki, the evil, decapitating, murderous Kikuyu gang, is training in Nakuru (half way between us and Nairobi) and will be dispatched to all the major towns, including Eldoret and Kisumu. Anna and I wondered how long it would take for the Kikuyu to take revenge for all the murders and displacements they have endured. This group was front-page news a few months ago until pressure was put on Kibaki to reign them in. We'll see what happens this time.
So, as I said before, getting the country back to normal will probably take quite a while. Please keep praying. God is answering prayers, but the enemy hasn't given up yet.
Mungu awabariki!
Judy
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