Daniel's blog gives you a good idea of how things are going in Kenya today. There were protests today, but no riots. Seems like rains really helped calm things!
This site is VERY insightful. It shows you exactly how things are going in various parts of Kenya.
Let's keep praying for rain. :) And for long-term peace.
I am really hoping to get back to Kenya next week, but need the OK from my directors first...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Update from South Africa
I've been following the news in Kenya as closely as is possible with limited Internet access. Things aren't looking up. I am anxious to be back in Kenya to do the work God has called me to do. However, at this stage, it is burdensome for our Kenyan leaders to have more wazungus around that they have to be responsible for... And so I will continue working from South Africa until I get the green light.
I've posted a number of updates on the ELI blog today. Please be sure to read those and pray for Kenya. Today and the next 3 days are critical days! Parliament opens today, and the opposition have called for 3 days of protests from tomorrow till Friday.
Please pray that God will give the ELI directors wisdom in how to deal with the situations in their communities. News is starting to come of staff having lost loved ones brutally, of friends who lost their property, of distrust in the communities... I do not believe it is God's will that hundreds are dying innocently, and hundreds of thousands being displaced. I do not believe that it's his will that patients who've been receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS should risk growing resistant to drugs due to not having access to their anti-retroviral treatments.
Please pray that God will bring beauty from the ashes in Kenya! (Isaiah 61:3)
On a personal note...
I got to spend all day with Anja yesterday. She came down with a fever on Sunday evening, and since Liesl (my sister) was back at work yesterday, I took Anja to see the doctor. She wasn't up for going to daycare yet, so she slept all day while I was working. Today, she seems her normal self. She came bouncing into my room this morning to give me a huge hug and a kiss, and to say she's off to Bambi again.
Today, I'm working from the university library. It's strange to see how much my university has changed. I have crazy memories from here! Good crazy, that is.
I won't have much Internet access for the next 3 days as I'll be seeing a missionary friend in Mpumalanga. I hope to spend much time in prayer for Kenya during this short breakaway.
From a sunny Pretoria, it's back to work for me!
Adele
I've posted a number of updates on the ELI blog today. Please be sure to read those and pray for Kenya. Today and the next 3 days are critical days! Parliament opens today, and the opposition have called for 3 days of protests from tomorrow till Friday.
Please pray that God will give the ELI directors wisdom in how to deal with the situations in their communities. News is starting to come of staff having lost loved ones brutally, of friends who lost their property, of distrust in the communities... I do not believe it is God's will that hundreds are dying innocently, and hundreds of thousands being displaced. I do not believe that it's his will that patients who've been receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS should risk growing resistant to drugs due to not having access to their anti-retroviral treatments.
Please pray that God will bring beauty from the ashes in Kenya! (Isaiah 61:3)
On a personal note...
I got to spend all day with Anja yesterday. She came down with a fever on Sunday evening, and since Liesl (my sister) was back at work yesterday, I took Anja to see the doctor. She wasn't up for going to daycare yet, so she slept all day while I was working. Today, she seems her normal self. She came bouncing into my room this morning to give me a huge hug and a kiss, and to say she's off to Bambi again.
Today, I'm working from the university library. It's strange to see how much my university has changed. I have crazy memories from here! Good crazy, that is.
I won't have much Internet access for the next 3 days as I'll be seeing a missionary friend in Mpumalanga. I hope to spend much time in prayer for Kenya during this short breakaway.
From a sunny Pretoria, it's back to work for me!
Adele
Friday, January 11, 2008
On Being a Godmother
I've been learning lots and lots and lots about being a mother, seeing that I'm living with my sister, her husband, and The Girls. I've been loving it, but while kids usually are willing to behave extraordinarily well for a few days, they're their youthful selves now and don't always listen when I ask them to do things... Which made this YouTube video all the more real to me...
Cold and wet
It's been raining in Pretoria. Lots and lots. It's perfect study weather. I've been working on my first book report. I've been learning a LOT about the history of Christianity in Africa. It's fascinating, really.
I've been thinking about the fact that I have more time with my family and friends in South Africa. Though I would love to be in Kenya (to talk and pray with the community about what's happening, to tell the stories, to take the pictures), I don't want to live in a constant state of wishing I were someplace else. And so I will appreciate the time with the family, especially the girls. And get my work done in between. Because I still have a job.
Kipkaren's finally back online. We should be able to get more news from there.
Back to reading...
I've been thinking about the fact that I have more time with my family and friends in South Africa. Though I would love to be in Kenya (to talk and pray with the community about what's happening, to tell the stories, to take the pictures), I don't want to live in a constant state of wishing I were someplace else. And so I will appreciate the time with the family, especially the girls. And get my work done in between. Because I still have a job.
Kipkaren's finally back online. We should be able to get more news from there.
Back to reading...
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Latest
I wrote a quick update on the ELI blog regarding things in Kenya.
As for life in South Africa: I've been trying to use this time to get ahead on my studies. The only problem is that I was realistic in how many books to bring on vacation, so I'm about to finish the only text book I brought. I'll visit the university library tomorrow and hear if they'd let me study there and check out another text. It'd be OK just to sit there and work. Like way back when, when I had to spend hours cramming for exams. (I was not a very diligent student as an undergrad...)
Other than that, I've been enjoying the blessing of spending extra time with my goddaughters as well as catching up with friends I rarely get to see during quick visits to South Africa. I'm thankful to be "stuck" in SA rather than being in a country where I have to be concerned about visas or housing.
School started today for the girls. Clara is in Grade 2 and was thrilled to go to a new school today. I'm praying that she'll come home with news of making friends... The adjustment to life in a new school can be hard, sometimes! Same with Anja, though changing daycare isn't quite as big an adjustment for a 2-year-old. She seemed really happy with her new teacher when we went to meet her yesterday and even gave her a huge hug, so things should be fine. She was especially excited about all the toys at her new school.
OK, back to work. It's raining outside; has been raining all morning. So it's a perfect day to study. Just heading out for a quick cup of tea with the parents of a friend of mine who's a missionary in Sri Lanka. Then, back to the books.
As for life in South Africa: I've been trying to use this time to get ahead on my studies. The only problem is that I was realistic in how many books to bring on vacation, so I'm about to finish the only text book I brought. I'll visit the university library tomorrow and hear if they'd let me study there and check out another text. It'd be OK just to sit there and work. Like way back when, when I had to spend hours cramming for exams. (I was not a very diligent student as an undergrad...)
Other than that, I've been enjoying the blessing of spending extra time with my goddaughters as well as catching up with friends I rarely get to see during quick visits to South Africa. I'm thankful to be "stuck" in SA rather than being in a country where I have to be concerned about visas or housing.
School started today for the girls. Clara is in Grade 2 and was thrilled to go to a new school today. I'm praying that she'll come home with news of making friends... The adjustment to life in a new school can be hard, sometimes! Same with Anja, though changing daycare isn't quite as big an adjustment for a 2-year-old. She seemed really happy with her new teacher when we went to meet her yesterday and even gave her a huge hug, so things should be fine. She was especially excited about all the toys at her new school.
OK, back to work. It's raining outside; has been raining all morning. So it's a perfect day to study. Just heading out for a quick cup of tea with the parents of a friend of mine who's a missionary in Sri Lanka. Then, back to the books.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Kenya crisis: How you can help
Some of you have been asking how you can help in Kenya. ELI has set up an emergency fund. We need to raise an additional $10,000 to cover extra costs due to the unrest in the country. For details, visit the ELI blog.
Some news from Kipkaren
I got a text message from Michelle in Kipkaren today. It seems like things are slowly returning to normal in Kenya, though there is still a lot of tension in the air.
When Michelle and others were driving to Eldoret today, they were saddened to see the destruction along the way. About half of Turbo—the nearest town on our way to Eldoret (about 7 miles from the center)—had been burned down, including the gas station. I am waiting to hear if the AIDS clinic where we take all the patients in our home-based care program, sustained any damage. I am praying that it was safe. It’s a stone’s throw from the torched gas station.
There's still no Internet connection in Kipkaren or Ilula, so news is coming forth very sporadically.
Good news is that tomorrow's march has been called off! That's a huge item of praise.
Please also join us in praying that God would bring beauty out of the ashes and chaos in Kenya!
At this stage, international papers are reporting that 360 people had passed away since December 29. Kenyan papers report around 600, and hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced. You can read more on Daniel's blog.
As you can imagine, I am eager to get back to Kenya! However, I must still wait to get clearance from the Kenyan board since people are still being deported en masse from Eldoret...
When Michelle and others were driving to Eldoret today, they were saddened to see the destruction along the way. About half of Turbo—the nearest town on our way to Eldoret (about 7 miles from the center)—had been burned down, including the gas station. I am waiting to hear if the AIDS clinic where we take all the patients in our home-based care program, sustained any damage. I am praying that it was safe. It’s a stone’s throw from the torched gas station.
There's still no Internet connection in Kipkaren or Ilula, so news is coming forth very sporadically.
Good news is that tomorrow's march has been called off! That's a huge item of praise.
Please also join us in praying that God would bring beauty out of the ashes and chaos in Kenya!
At this stage, international papers are reporting that 360 people had passed away since December 29. Kenyan papers report around 600, and hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced. You can read more on Daniel's blog.
As you can imagine, I am eager to get back to Kenya! However, I must still wait to get clearance from the Kenyan board since people are still being deported en masse from Eldoret...
Saturday, January 05, 2008
News from Kenya!
I've posted updates from Ilula on the ELI blogs. Please read Don's updates here, and news from Laban here.
Yesterday, Don, Amy and their kids were able to be airlifted by MAF. Getting out of Ilula was a challenge, and they are staying in Nairobi now, not able to change their flight home. They were able to buy $1000's food in the city yesterday and MAF did food drops at both our children's homes as they have been running out of food supplies and no shops in the Eldoret area have been open. (When they do open, there are lines up to almost a mile long as people are trying to stock up!)
Though some of the news I've read today talk of the possibility of another election in 3 months, nothing is certain yet. Things seem to have calmed down significantly in the city, but the conditions are still very volatile.
Please, please pray for peace!
Yesterday, Don, Amy and their kids were able to be airlifted by MAF. Getting out of Ilula was a challenge, and they are staying in Nairobi now, not able to change their flight home. They were able to buy $1000's food in the city yesterday and MAF did food drops at both our children's homes as they have been running out of food supplies and no shops in the Eldoret area have been open. (When they do open, there are lines up to almost a mile long as people are trying to stock up!)
Though some of the news I've read today talk of the possibility of another election in 3 months, nothing is certain yet. Things seem to have calmed down significantly in the city, but the conditions are still very volatile.
Please, please pray for peace!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
What's happening in Kenya?
Please note that this entry does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Empowering Lives International. This is a personal blog reflecting the writer's personal opinion.
Some people have been asking me why things are falling apart in Kenya. Here's how I understand it:
The former president, Mwai Kibaki, is from the Kikuyu tribe. They're the biggest tribe in Kenya. Often, people from other tribes don't like the Kikuyus, possibly because they're the most successful and most prominent in Kenya's business world.
Leading up to the elections (truly only the second democratic election in Kenya), things were getting tense. Most of the tension was along tribal lines. Though support for PNU (Kibaki's party) and ODM (the opposition party of Raila) wasn't strictly tribal, there was definitely some tribal division.
Raila, who is a Luo, the third-largest tribe, has VERY strong support from the Kalenjin tribe, who mostly live in Western Kenya (where I live).
From what I understand from all the leading news sources, there is evidence that Kibaki rigged the results and thus stole the victory. Time.com reports, "At one stage on Sunday in this nation of 36 million, Odinga was one million votes in the lead. Election officials in Kibaki's strongholds then disappeared with the ballot boxes, only to reappear with dramatically enhanced tallies for the President, who was promptly declared the winner and sworn in less than an hour later."
Officials of the ECK (electoral commission of Kenya) agree that they had been pressured to prematurely announce that Kibaki was the winner and swear him in as the president. Even EU observers have been saying that they saw Kibaki's votes mysteriously go up with tens of thousands of votes. Both the EU and the ECK have called for an independent investigation into the election.
Back to the tribal unrest: In Kenya's 44 years of independence, there has never been a Luo president. The Luo thus believe that their only chance of having one of their own as president has been stolen. Things are worse in Western Kenya (around Eldoret) since both the Kalenjin (the majority tribe of the area) and the Luo are strong supporters of Raila.
Strongholds
I also believe it's of spiritual significance that the West has been a hot spot in terms of tribal clashes. It is reported that thousands were marching to Burnt Forest, a town about 30 km (about 15 miles) outside of Eldoret. We're all watching to see what will be happening there... I am trusting that nothing will come of the march to Burnt Forest, nor of Tuesday's march in Nairobi. (That march was supposed to be held today, but after the police fired tear gas and water bombs, ODM postponed the march till next Tuesday.) One of the challenges of the march to Burnt Forest, though, is that Western Kenya is a very poor region. Many people live on $2 a day which they get for day labor. Most businesses have been closed during the unrest, leaving people with no source of income, and hence, no food. A friend with connections in Burnt Forest wrote me today saying that people have no food in Burnt Forest. Please pray against the tribal strongholds in the west of Kenya!
Effects on ELI's Centers
When I spoke with our director in Kipkaren two nights ago, he asked for prayer for the country, but assured me that they are safe. The town of Kipkaren, about 2 miles from our center, was suffering from divisions between people, and even while we were on the phone, shots were fired nearby. They weren't able to buy bread in town, but had enough maize to keep feeding our children. We also have large vegetable gardens where we can harvest enough vegetables for the children. "If we have to, we will slaughter our (dairy) cows," I was told. "But we'll have enough food."
At our center in Ilula, many people have been coming to seek safety. I do not know how things are in Ilula right now, but will be calling Samuel this weekend to hear.
What now?
Reports vary regarding the number of people who have been killed to date. Most sources agree that it's more than 300 people by now. That's 300 too many. One article quoted a man from Kibera (Africa's largest slum, in Nairobi) saying how he's not sure they've really gained anything by fighting. It was clear that he himself has been fighting in the struggle for true democracy, but he was somewhat disillusioned by the fact that the President has been quiet, many people have lost their lives, they've lost their homes and peace. The article quoted him as saying that he doesn't think the government (whether under Raila 0r Kibaki) will help them get their lives back together, that all the fighting is in vain.
I couldn't agree more. I do understand that the people are upset by the vote rigging. It is sad, however, that lives, homes, and peace has unnecessarily been lost.
There seems to be a stale mate in terms of peace talks. Raila won't talk to the President unless he steps down. Kibaki won't talk to people like Desmond Tutu who has gone to mediate. Nor will he talk to the chairman of the African Union.
To me, it's not clear what the way forward is. What is clear, however, is that millions of people have been hurt by two men's fight for power. Kenya will take a while to recover. Right now, it's not clear when it will be safe enough for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Kenyans to return to their homes.
Please continue to pray for peace and healing for the people of Kenya. This is obviously a watershed event in Kenyan history. I believe it is also such for the church in Kenya. This nation professes to be 80% Christian. I am praying that God will use the events to allow the church in Kenya to take a closer look at the life God calls us to live--including laying down tribalism.
The way forward is long. Kenya needs your prayers.
Some people have been asking me why things are falling apart in Kenya. Here's how I understand it:
The former president, Mwai Kibaki, is from the Kikuyu tribe. They're the biggest tribe in Kenya. Often, people from other tribes don't like the Kikuyus, possibly because they're the most successful and most prominent in Kenya's business world.
Leading up to the elections (truly only the second democratic election in Kenya), things were getting tense. Most of the tension was along tribal lines. Though support for PNU (Kibaki's party) and ODM (the opposition party of Raila) wasn't strictly tribal, there was definitely some tribal division.
Raila, who is a Luo, the third-largest tribe, has VERY strong support from the Kalenjin tribe, who mostly live in Western Kenya (where I live).
From what I understand from all the leading news sources, there is evidence that Kibaki rigged the results and thus stole the victory. Time.com reports, "At one stage on Sunday in this nation of 36 million, Odinga was one million votes in the lead. Election officials in Kibaki's strongholds then disappeared with the ballot boxes, only to reappear with dramatically enhanced tallies for the President, who was promptly declared the winner and sworn in less than an hour later."
Officials of the ECK (electoral commission of Kenya) agree that they had been pressured to prematurely announce that Kibaki was the winner and swear him in as the president. Even EU observers have been saying that they saw Kibaki's votes mysteriously go up with tens of thousands of votes. Both the EU and the ECK have called for an independent investigation into the election.
Back to the tribal unrest: In Kenya's 44 years of independence, there has never been a Luo president. The Luo thus believe that their only chance of having one of their own as president has been stolen. Things are worse in Western Kenya (around Eldoret) since both the Kalenjin (the majority tribe of the area) and the Luo are strong supporters of Raila.
Strongholds
I also believe it's of spiritual significance that the West has been a hot spot in terms of tribal clashes. It is reported that thousands were marching to Burnt Forest, a town about 30 km (about 15 miles) outside of Eldoret. We're all watching to see what will be happening there... I am trusting that nothing will come of the march to Burnt Forest, nor of Tuesday's march in Nairobi. (That march was supposed to be held today, but after the police fired tear gas and water bombs, ODM postponed the march till next Tuesday.) One of the challenges of the march to Burnt Forest, though, is that Western Kenya is a very poor region. Many people live on $2 a day which they get for day labor. Most businesses have been closed during the unrest, leaving people with no source of income, and hence, no food. A friend with connections in Burnt Forest wrote me today saying that people have no food in Burnt Forest. Please pray against the tribal strongholds in the west of Kenya!
Effects on ELI's Centers
When I spoke with our director in Kipkaren two nights ago, he asked for prayer for the country, but assured me that they are safe. The town of Kipkaren, about 2 miles from our center, was suffering from divisions between people, and even while we were on the phone, shots were fired nearby. They weren't able to buy bread in town, but had enough maize to keep feeding our children. We also have large vegetable gardens where we can harvest enough vegetables for the children. "If we have to, we will slaughter our (dairy) cows," I was told. "But we'll have enough food."
At our center in Ilula, many people have been coming to seek safety. I do not know how things are in Ilula right now, but will be calling Samuel this weekend to hear.
What now?
Reports vary regarding the number of people who have been killed to date. Most sources agree that it's more than 300 people by now. That's 300 too many. One article quoted a man from Kibera (Africa's largest slum, in Nairobi) saying how he's not sure they've really gained anything by fighting. It was clear that he himself has been fighting in the struggle for true democracy, but he was somewhat disillusioned by the fact that the President has been quiet, many people have lost their lives, they've lost their homes and peace. The article quoted him as saying that he doesn't think the government (whether under Raila 0r Kibaki) will help them get their lives back together, that all the fighting is in vain.
I couldn't agree more. I do understand that the people are upset by the vote rigging. It is sad, however, that lives, homes, and peace has unnecessarily been lost.
There seems to be a stale mate in terms of peace talks. Raila won't talk to the President unless he steps down. Kibaki won't talk to people like Desmond Tutu who has gone to mediate. Nor will he talk to the chairman of the African Union.
To me, it's not clear what the way forward is. What is clear, however, is that millions of people have been hurt by two men's fight for power. Kenya will take a while to recover. Right now, it's not clear when it will be safe enough for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Kenyans to return to their homes.
Please continue to pray for peace and healing for the people of Kenya. This is obviously a watershed event in Kenyan history. I believe it is also such for the church in Kenya. This nation professes to be 80% Christian. I am praying that God will use the events to allow the church in Kenya to take a closer look at the life God calls us to live--including laying down tribalism.
The way forward is long. Kenya needs your prayers.
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