Judy’s Africa Journal 2008 part 2
KENYA
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We traveled the long, difficult road to Eldoret, Kenya today. A group of young men and boys approached us at the Uganda-Kenya border, some asking for Bibles, some boldly asking to be saved. One man got off a bus that was coming out of Kenya, and said, “I am a Muslim, but I need Jesus. Will you pray for me?” Bill gladly led him to the Lord. When several orphaned teenage boys that were selling water and cookies and passport covers saw the large crusade posters stuck on the sides of the van they gathered around our vehicle, imploring that the next time we came would we please bring them Bibles. We didn’t have any extras with us and felt really bad that something so urgent to these young believers had been overlooked. We take the possession of Bibles for granted, and to look into the eyes of this group that had so much desire reflected on their faces made us squirm. It felt like the future Christian leaders of this area were standing before us and our hands were full of treats and posters to placate them, but were blatantly empty of copies of God’s Word, which they had deep desire to obtain. They begged us to consider bringing a crusade to the area spanning the border in the near future and that is actually on the table now as a possibility for the next few years. They also were hoping to get sponsors to pay their tuition to finish high school so they could go on to become pastors. Not having parents had placed them in hardship and they were working as young businessmen to survive. People at the border were amazed that we were still going to Eldoret and a surprised customs officer said, “We will pray for you.” As we approached Eldoret, our driver pulled over to the side of the road and broke off some wild blooming lantana branches and fastened them to the front of our van as a cultural statement of our coming in peace. We noticed that most trucks and many other vehicles were bearing branches also. As we drove into town we passed many burned out cars, buildings and fields, etc. Groups of men stood around and stared with cold eyes. Large rocks had been put across roads and streets to stop traffic and give the fighters a stage, but had now been thrown over to the edge of the road, leaving a line of small rubble across the pavement. We wondered what the week would bring. No one spoke, but lips were moving as all eyes surveyed the carnage. We prayed that God would give us His protection and the opportunity to carry out the reason we were riding into danger. We were also keenly aware that our Ugandan brother who was traveling with us to deliver us to the Kenyan crusade team was in extreme personal danger as an Ugandan coming into Kenya in this political climate. If we had come upon a roadblock, he could have been dragged out of the vehicle and hacked to death with a machete. God was faithful and prepared the way through the opened roadblocks, and throughout our stay, no one asked for his passport.January 17, 2008
Things got pretty tense here today with a political demonstration in the streets outside the hotel. We stayed in the hotel compound most of the day. Bill and Derick went out for a while as they had a meeting with the pastors and crusade officials. I was supposed to go, but was dealing with a little tummy upset that could have just been jitters. I was a little tense about going out after listening to the shooting all day. Shots from tear gas launchers and AK47s were fired close to the hotel all afternoon. It was a little nerve wracking, so I was hoping that people back home were actually praying, not just saying they would. We were pretty safe in the hotel, with its thick cement walls and guarded gates, but you never knew with things like this. The police had been ordered to shoot to kill, but I was feeling uncertain about how they were choosing who to shoot at. We had not heard yet the news about it. We knew it was over the disputed election results, but news was presented hours later and often differed from first person accounts of people who were there. We didn’t leave for the crusade until it was over for the day. It was awful listening to the shots, knowing they were aimed at people. I was very glad we went ahead with the first Eldoret crusade tonight. Things were a little tight, but gradually loosened up. After Bill preached and the service was nearing the end, people ended up singing and swaying in tentative togetherness. It was a pretty small crowd of about 3,000, far short of the 80,000 that was anticipated before the fighting began. People were in need of a lot of reassurance that there would be no shooting or tribal rioting, and that the police wouldn’t break up our meeting, which they had given the permit for. We were the only group allowed to have a gathering permit in all of Kenya, but the local people weren’t feeling entirely secure that the police would honor their word to provide security. We anticipated that more would brave it as the week progressed, when they saw that things went safely. It was definitely a step of faith to go on with the plans for this crusade in this difficult environment. We felt God wanted to do something special for these people. The Kenyan crusade team had urged us to go ahead, they were confident that no one, including the local people, would be harmed. And no one was.January 18, 2008
Today all demonstrations and protests were canceled here in Eldoret. There was another demonstration planned near the hotel again, but it was called off. There was no shooting or tear gas. No machetes. Not so in other Kenyan cities. There was much burning and killing elsewhere. Everyone here was very relieved as they were expecting the worst. The reports vary a lot about the numbers of deaths and injuries in this whole thing. We want to interview eyewitnesses to get their stories. People have been terribly frightened. Many homes and businesses and seven churches were burned here earlier. Our crusade is being held near the field where hundreds of people died in a brutal tribal and political massacre. We could still see the blood on the grass. It was an amazing thing to see answered prayer with the crusade proceeding peacefully, and this was the only city in Kenya that the fighting had ceased in. We felt very thankful. Many people have come to Christ. We expect more out this weekend as more people are coming out of their homes and taxis are once again running. We believe we did the right thing by not canceling the crusade. We are held in high esteem by the people here for bringing God’s Word to them, especially under the perilous circumstances. The pastors were amazed that we were still willing to come. It is very humbling to be treated with such respect. We pray that the Word will go out that is right for these people, in this place, at this time.Previous: Judy’s Africa Journal 2008 part 3 -- Next: Judy’s Africa Journal 2008
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