A displaced people…

I hardly even know where to begin sharing everything that has happened in the past 6 days! However, I will try to do my best…

On Thursday we drove out to a retreat center close to the Rift Valley for our SIMKenya spiritual life conference. It was so great to meet and get to know some of the other long-term missionaries from around the country. Thankfully almost everyone was able to make it…even those who had to fly in from Eldoret since the roads weren’t safe enough! There were many different nationalities represented including Kenyan, American, German, Chinese, Taiwanese, Swiss, and Jamaican. Our speaker was from the US SIM office and many of us knew them from orientation. They also brought along a team from the states to help with the children and youth. The days were filled with Bible sessions, testimonies of what God has taught us all this year, and of course way too much food! In our down time we were free to explore God’s amazing creation! The conference center is tucked into the hills and surrounded by gorgeous tea fields. The temperatures were cooler, the sun was shining (most of the time), and it was so great to be able to WALK IN GRASS!!!!

I had the opportunity to be spontaneous, and so went home with a missionary family on Sunday to Kijabe (where Rift Valley Academ is). On Sunday night and monday morning I was able to photograph their ministry of sharing the gospel at the hospital along with interpreting, caring, and showing God’s love to patients. Then I was presented with another opportunity for spontaneity! Several of the doctors were planning to go out to the refugee camps in Naivasha and provide medical assistance where needed.

On the way to the camps we picked up a child of the wanted tribe and took him to be reunited with his family. It was so neat to watch the boys face lift into a huge smile when he caught sight of his father whom he had been separated from since the beginning of this election trouble. The father came and gave the mzungu leader a hug and walked off with his arm wrapped around his son and a huge smile on his face.

I can’t even begin to describe the camps of displaced people. One was at the police headquarters and the other was actually on prison grounds. The UN has set up many tents at another location in town, but there is no protection so the people continue to hide out where there is a police presence and walls. There were over 3,000 at the first camp…some with only the clothes on their back and the more lucky ones with some of their belongings and furniture,…depending on how much time they had to get out of danger. There were only a few trees on the premises with scores of people making use of the shade. Others had umbrellas or were camped out in the wrecked cars on the compound. The VERY lucky ones found refuge in the lone empty building on the premises. Yet, strangely enough, the women were laughing together as they cooked. The men gathered in groups to talk, and the children played together with anything they could find. Several children were playing with nails, while others had set up and were playing house.

I can’t describe the feelings of seeing thousands of people who have been chased off their land, burned out of their homes, and pulled away from their loved ones. They are the same as you and I. They have done nothing deserving of this treatment. It makes it so much more obvious to see the sin nature of man. And yet, the Kenyans in these camps spoke of God’s grace, His provision, His blessings.

If you feel led to help financially, there is a Kenyan relief fund set up through SIM.
http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/donate
the project number is KE 92601
and is titled: Kenya Emergency Relief Fund