Going to the chapel and I’m. . .

ENGAGED!!!

So, I have some NEWS!!! . . .As of March 15th 2008, Lucy Amina and I are engaged to be married! . . . Lucy is the greatest joy I’ve found in Kenya. I can’t wait for you all back home to meet her. We plan to be in the U.S. in August and will keep you posted of future plans. Here’s a few recent photos:

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Kenyans everywhere have been celebrating the historic handshake last week. On Wednesday morning we thought the mediation talks were doomed. The two sides had been captive to hard-line positions. They had been going in circles and Kofi Annan suspended the talks in frustration. Some ODM leaders threatened to begin mass protests by the end of the week. Newspapers published stories of tribal militias and preparations for war if the talks failed. Kenyans everywhere were swallowing hard and preparing for the worst. . .And then, the news came: after talks with Chief Mediator Kofi Annan and the jovial Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, President Kibaki and Raila Odinga had come to an agreement. Peace would prevail! Kenyans took to the streets in spontaneous celebration. In one moment the atmosphere in this country had changed. The hatred and the fear and the pain were pushed aside. There is hope. . .Kenyans have decided to work together!

Opportunity for Sponsorship

My friend Jackson Wanga, the tireless founder of the computer center, is looking for a sponsor. He has been studying Theology at Carlile College while volunteering at several local churches and continuing to oversee the computer centre. He has a heart for reaching out to idle and disenchanted youth in the slums. He is in the second year of a three-year program, but lacks funds to continue to support his wife and one-year old son while in school. The recent theft at the Computer College was especially heartbreaking for him. If anyone is interested in supporting him with a one-time gift or until he finishes his studies, please let me know at kenyaconnection@gmail.com

Stolen Computers

Last week, five computers and a host of computer accessories and software were stolen from St. Luke’s Computer College. . .The Computer College started three years ago in an after-hours church office with a single borrowed computer and a volunteer teacher. The school reached out to young people in the neighboring Kibera slum and trained nearly 100 students, watching many graduates go on to obtain successful jobs. The school grew through well-wishers and hard earned savings, one shilling at a time. Each year the school struggled, but managed to purchase one or two more used computers. Eventually, it built its own structure on the church grounds, housing a small office, computer classroom, and veranda. It employed two full-time teachers and had fifteen students at the time of the theft. We’ve filed an official report and commenced an investigation with the local police. It seems one of the teachers was involved and planned the theft well in advance. He has since disappeared from his village in Kibera. . .Please pray for this situation. . . It’s frustrating to see something that has taking so long to build disappear in one night. We’re hoping to repair two broken computers so that the current students can continue their classes part-time.

Madagascar Team

One of the projects I’ve been working on with C Army is to coordinate fundraising and help prepare two Kenyans for work in Toliara, Madagascar. Toliara is one of the poorest regions of the world and home to millions of people who have never heard the good news of the gospel. Duncan and Victor will be the first full-time missionaries sent by the Anglican Church of Kenya to another Province, and they will work in outreach and evangelism alongside a good friend, Bishop Todd Mcgregor. Todd spent nearly 5 years ministering in the deserts of Northern Kenya, and he met regularly with me for lunch when he was in Nairobi. Todd and his wife Patsy were great at helping me adjust when I came to Kenya. . .Above is a shot of me with the “Madagascar Team.”


Check out a short video of Duncan and Victor’s commissioning service below:

Reconciliation and Team-Building

On Friday I joined a day-long retreat with the staff of Church Army. I’ve been working with C Army once a week and went with about 30 other staff members to Nairobi’s City Park. We played games, engaged in team building exercises, and participated in a few short seminars. The staff at C Army is quite diverse, and many staff members have been directly affected by the ethnic clashes in Kenya. I listened as some staff members shared their heartbreaking experiences and discussed ways for reconciliation and healing. It was an eye-opening and heart-wrenching time. We heard stories of several young children, one who had witnessed the brutal death of his parents. Two Kenyan counselors also talked with us about emotional trauma and how to deal with stress, bitterness, and pain. They encouraged the staff, “we can never go back to the way things were before the elections, but there is hope. . .there is healing. . .”

Light and Power at an IDP Camp

Recently, I went on a short excursion with members of Light and Power. We volunteered at an Internally Displaced Person’s Camp in Nairobi and spent a day packaging food rations: one kilogram satchels of maize, beans, rice, and flour. The Red Cross and many local organizations, churches, and charity groups have responded to the needs of the displaced. Some camps have had challenges with insecurity or water supplies, but the situation seems to be improving. Here’s a few photos from our trip:

Sad Story

Grace is a primary school teacher and friend living in Nairobi. She is currently hosting 25 guests in her small two-room house. Her husband’s extended family was forced to flee its ancestral home in the aftermath of the elections and had nowhere else to go. Grace’s in-laws’ homes were all set on fire, their car burned, and their farmland decimated. During the school holidays, Grace’s two young children also escaped death when their rural home was set ablaze. The children were inside at the time of the arson. . .Unfortunately, Grace’s story is all too common in Kenya. There are still over 300,000 internally displaced people staying in camps.