Kenya YES team newsletter #5

Kenya YES team newsletter #5
Monica Stoltzfus
1/23/08


You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.


So this week still finds us at the Mennonite Guest House, not sure what is coming next. We are still hearing reports of election violence in Kenya, in places like Eldoret, Kisumu, Narok, Mombasa, and even some in the outskirts and slums of Nairobi. We are praying that the situation will soon be under control, and we will know our next move.
Clair and Beth Good have been here a little over a week, and were able to take us to visit Olepolos, where they had served for several years. This area is predominantly the Mossai tribe, which is pretty different from where we lived in Songhor among the Lous. The roads were clear for a couple of days in between protests, so we drove out Sunday morning to experience the church service. It was different from the church we are working with in Songhor, with a lot more tribal dancing and songs for worship. We understood very little of it, as it was in Mossai, but it was still really neat to see church done a little differently. While we were there, we visited another refugee camp, similar to the one we saw in Songhor. However, these refugees seemed to be better off with more supplies and tents for shelter. Yet, it was still sad to see how little these people had. We returned Monday evening, glad to have a break and to get out of the Mennonite Guest House for the weekend.
The other highlight of our week was on Friday when we went to the Mossai market. This is where many local Kenyans bring clothes, crafts, wares, etc. to sell mostly to tourists. It was a little overwhelming at first when we walked in, because there were people constantly pressing in, trying to sell us their handicrafts, and there were wares everywhere. It was also a new experience to barter, not knowing how much to pay, and knowing that we were probably being taken advantage of. But it was a lot of fun, and we bought some really neat souvenirs.

Praises:

• That God has kept us safe here at the Mennonite Guest House amidst all the unrest in Kenya.

• That we will get to see John Mutisya today!

Prayer requests:

• For Gordon Obado, one of our outreach coordinators, and his family as his wife passed away last week. They had 3 kids of their own, and adopted 2 more. The funeral was yesterday in Songhor.

• That Bishop Clyde and his family would have safety in Songhor.

• That we would have patience amidst all the unknowns right now, and that we could use this time in Nairobi to reach out to others.

Thank you for all your prayers,

Monica Stoltzfus for the Kenya team

Our week in Nairobi

Hello Everyone,
We are still here in Nairobi and will probably be here for at least another week. This past weekend Ryan Showalter from EMM came to visit and it was good to see a familiar face from back home. Last night Clair and Beth Good flew in and they will be spending time here in Kenya until about the 26th. They have lived in Kenya for many years and wanted to come and spend some time here, evaluating the situation. It will also help them decide how safe it is for us to return to Songhor and when that will be possible. We are in a lot of unknown right now.
We didn't have a very eventful week last week. We caught up on three weeks worth of emailing and did what we could to help out here at the Mennonite Guesthouse. We are able to cook our own food in the house we're staying in next to the MGH. It has been interesting to shop for groceries. More than once we have asked one of the workers in the store if they have a certain item and more than once we have gotten a blank stare. There seems to be a language barrier even when the other person understands English.
Sunday we went to an awesome church service here in Nairobi. We attended Mamlaka Hill Chapel. They had a mix of Swahili and English worship and the preaching was in English. It is a growing church with, I would say, about two hundred people and three services. Through the church we got connected with someone helping at Jamhuri Park where about nine thousand families are staying as refugees because of the crisis. Yesterday morning we went to see what we could do to help. It was good to see what was happening there and to be able to help out in the areas that we could. It was interesting to see how the situation in Jamuri Park compared to the situation at the police station near Songhor. There was definitely a lot more people at the park, but it was also a lot bigger than the police station. The Red Cross was there and supplies seemed more available. There are planned riots for the next three days so we're not sure how safe it is to be out much, but we're hoping to go back to Jamhuri Park sometime to help again.
That's really the extent of our week here in Nairobi. Hopefully the next time we send an update we'll have a better idea of what the weeks ahead hold. For now we're learning to trust God with the future and all of the unknown.
God bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team

Praises:
-This has been a time for us to reflect on what we have experienced the last month and to be able to have some time as a team
-There are opportunities for us to serve here in Nairobi while we're waiting to see how long it will take for things to settle down here in Kenya
-We're safe here in Nairobi

Prayer Requests:
-The nation of Kenya and the families that have been affected. That food, clean water, shelter, and medicine will be provided for the many refugees around the country
-For Gordon Obado who we have worked with in Songhor. His wife just died unexpectedly on Sunday. Please keep him and his children in your prayers.
-That God will give EMM wisdom in deciding when it is safe for us to return to Songhor
-Continued team unity

Pictures

These are some of this sights we saw due to all of the election violence...

The first pictures of all the people are refugees who were hiding out at the Songhor police station. You can see that there were people and their things everywhere.

(Above) The kids loved the camera, and couldn't get close enough to Melissa as she was taking the pictures.

(Both below) The multitudes of refugees...





























I don't think that any of us really realized the scope of what was happening until we got to Kisumu. Things were much different from when we had been there just weeks before...














(Above) This was the road into Kisumu when we were driving to the airport. This car had been set on fire and used as a roadblock by protesters earlier in the week, crippling transportation into out out of the city. The whole road to Kisumu from Songhor had been covered with rocks and bonfires, but it got worse the closer we got to the city.

(Below) Our internet cafe/restaurant in Kisumu. It was sad to see "our spot" so destroyed. It was only one of hundreds of businesses that had been destroyed by the protesters and riots.





























(Above) A normally bustling street in Kisumu that had been trashed. Businesses were burnt or smashed to bits, trash covered the street, and it was eerily empty compared to the last time we had been in the city.

(Below) A huge hardware store, completely gutted by fire. Again, this was one of many
destroyed buildings.

Kenya YES team newsletter #3

Melissa Eby and Ben Yutzy

01/08/2008



You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.


Twas' the Night Before Christmas, and all throughout Kenya

Not a creature was stirring not even a panya (rat);

The lantern was hung from the rafters with care,

In hopes that electricity would soon be there;

The YES team were snuggled all tight in their beds,

While visions of sugarcane danced in their heads;

When out on the compound there arose such a clatter.

I jumped through my net to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the curtains and threw back the sash.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a matatu (public van) proclaiming hope for a new year.

The elections were said to bring changes for all,

For the candidate of choice would do nothing so small.


The past three weeks in Kenya has completely changed the face of the nation that we originally came to know. In the week leading up to the election we witnessed the growing passions for particular candidates amongst the different tribes and regions. In the surrounding area, where we happened to be living, there seemed to be absolutely no difference in opinion when it came to the presidential election as it is largely comprised of the Luo tribe. As a result of the election being December 27th, Christmas and New Years were not the main focus during this season.

What we witnessed in the aftermath of the announcement that the president would remain in power was a complete breakdown of a society. In our area sugar cane fields were set ablaze, logs burned in the middle of the street and rocks strew about the roads in an attempt to lash out from the unfairness they felt concerning the election. We spent the past two weeks largely confined to our compound, unable to go anywhere because the roads were impassable. From our compound we were able to witness large groups of protesters traveling to the nearest town and forcing people of neighboring compounds to join them with threats of physical abuse. Our compound was passed by out of the respect that the village has for the Bishop who we are living with.

We didn't begin to realize the magnitude of the situation until we learned of what was taking place at our local police station. Hundreds of Kisii and Kikuyu people had fled there to escape growing animosity between the different tribes. On Friday their situation was starting to get desperate, about five hundred people were living there with little access to water (much less clean water), food, shelter, proper sanitation or medical care. Upon hearing of what was going on we went to the little shopping center in our village and purchased what small amount of corn maize that was available. We arrived at the police station to find hundreds of people and their possession crowding all around us. It was a terrible sight. There was one toilet facility for all of them and no place for most of them to sleep. Leaders had been selected to maintain order of the chaos we saw going on. Soon after we got there two incredibly packed bus loads of people arrived bringing about 80 people each. By the prompting of the leaders we prayed with the many people that gathered around us. What little corn maize we brought, 20 kg, was given to the leaders to be handed out to those most in need, especially young children.

The following day we went back to the Songhor shopping center (think multiple roadside stands) and purchased all the water treatment supplies that were there, three bottles that would treat 600 liters of water. We hiked up to the top of the hill and were stunned to see the size had grown to 1114 and almost half were children. Their faces gave evidence to the helplessness that they felt. Children pushed and shoved to be in the pictures. A doctor, himself a refuge, had set up a temporary clinic, but supplies were few. All they really need is safe transportation back to their tribal land.

EMM thought it would be in the best interest of our team during this situation for us to be stationed in Nairobi. We will remain at the Mennonite Guest House until it is determined that it is safe enough for us to travel back. We do not feel like our safety is at risk but continually ask for your prayer as this national struggle plays out.


Praise:

Safety and good health


Prayer:

For the healing of Kenya and tribal reconciliation

For those that are displaced

That upon returning to Songhor we would might be able to find purpose for what we will be doing there

Mungu Hawabariki (God bless),

Melissa and Ben for the Kenya team