An alert reader emailed me a report from a missionary friend in the Naivasha region of Kenya yesterday. The report makes clear that ethnic hostilities are dismantling the peaceful coexistence of Kenya's many tribes under one national banner.
We just wanted to send you a little update on the current situation. Things have taken on an alarming twist. No longer is the fighting in areas outside of Nairobi about politics. Now, it is strictly retaliation, upon retaliation. The Rift Valley is in chaos and
now we have some trouble in Limuru. The Kikuyus have given all non-kikuyus 72 hours (midnight on the 30th or 31st depending on who youlisten to) to get out of Limuru (where we live). This has happened in the neighboring towns of Nakuru and Naivasha where well over 225 peoplehave died in the last three nights. Our non-Kikuyu friends that live on
the same compound are terrified.
We, as westerners, are still not very at risk. They may come to our compound searching for our friends, but we are still not the targets. We called a compound meeting this afternoon to discuss security, contingency plans and to pray. Because of the 72 hour time period, we
feel like we have a window of time to better assess the situation and make some decisions. For now, we are helping the people we love to get to a safe place for the time being. I have no idea what our area will look like after this. It's heartbreaking to think about.
On our compound we have friends with the International Mission Board (Southern Baptists). They have been through this situation several times in their 30 years of being in Africa. Their perspective is that we can do two things: 1) we can leave before the 72 hours is up until things settle down a bit or 2) we can hunker down and wait out the
storm. They said that is by far too dangerous to leave in the midst of the ruckus. They have a container FULL of food in their yard. By container, I mean those huge containers you see on trains. We have been feeding the displaced people in Tigoni and Limuru with this food and that is why it is there.
We are unsure about what we are going to do at this point. Our evacuation bags are still packed, the car is full of gas, and we have plenty of food for staying here or for a long car ride. We are still considering all options.
We are asking you guys to pray. We want to make wise decisions for not only ourselves but for the people that we've been called to serve.
Our town is small enough that it doesn't get media attention so we rely on word of mouth. We have befriended people of many tribes here and they trust us. They often tell us things that are happening WAY before everyone else finds out. We are so thankful for these relationships.
Please know that we are doing our best to do the right thing and to make wise decisions. We will keep you informed as much as possible. If we decide to leave Limuru/Tigoni, we might not have internet access for a while, so don't be alarmed if you don't hear from us right away.
We'll try to keep you updated as we go. Thank you for continuing to pray for us as well as the people of Kenya.
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