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Kenya YES team newsletter #6
Ben Yutzy

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

"Get down!" I ducked behind the short wall of the hotel veranda. Gun shots coming from several different areas along the street caused crowds of people to run the other way. Vehicles flew past the hotel fleeing out of town as the popcorn fire of gunshots grew closer. Several police trucks finally drove past. Clair and I left soon there after.
After a sudden, unexpected outburst of violence in Nakuru, Clair Good (EMM representative for Africa) decided to take a chance with the town he saved going to last because he thought it the safest. I went with him. Shortly after leaving Nairobi, we noticed a crowd on the side of the road. Lying there in the middle of the onlookers was a victim of the Kenyan violence. That sight only foreshadowed what was about to happen in Nakuru that day.
Tractor trailers lined both sides of the street going into Nakuru, waiting for a police escort through the town. We made it to the hotel on the outskirts of Nakuru where we were able to meet with the local church leaders. How do you raise money for those that have been displaced when people are threatening you with burning your church if you do? How do you preach peace and forgiveness when people can't see past your ethnicity and think that you are only taking sides in the political/ethnic fighting with everyone else? These were a few of the questions that were facing these local church leaders.
Well, after a several weeks of waiting around Nairobi, it was finally determined that for reasons of safety we would have to leave the country. 11:00 Friday night we were told that we would leave and 12:00 the following night we were aboard the plane headed for the US. Such a decision came after the whole situation in Kenya only continued to worsen and no end appeared to be in sight. We are now safely back at Harrisburg Discipleship Center.

Praises:
We made it home safely.

Prayer requests:
For the return of peace to Kenya.
Pray that the Church in Kenya can reach out to those in need.
For direction for our team.

Ben Yutzy for the Kenya team