Living in Stereo

Several years ago, while we were chaperoning the NNU choir on a tour of England and Scotland, we spent an afternoon in Festival Hall on the South Bank of the Thames in London. We were drawn in by a really wonderful big band that was playing songs from the 40's and 50's. Instrumentalists and vocalists gave their full talent to the lively, happy songs and a large crowd had gathered. Sharing the hall with the band, however, was an exhibition of the prize-winning photographs of international journalists. While there were some happy photographs in the collection, many of the photographs were of tragedies--fires, earthquakes, victims of war or crime. It was hard for us to get our heads around the fact that the happy music and the sad photographs could exist in the same place.

Fast forward to Kenya today: it's human for us and for our friends to expect Kenya to be "all something." We see the news and think perhaps Kenya is all tragedy or danger. We live our daily lives here and begin to think Kenya is some version of normal. As GK Chesterton pointed out, the world God created is full of paradoxes: we are both the lowest of creatures and the children of a King; earth is both a temporary resting place for heavenly creatures and the place God created with his own hands as our home. Kenya is also a paradox.

Last night the Kenyan news (there are three national TV channels and multiple newspapers) interviewed several people who have been displaced because of the violence. Children in Kenya see education as the one great hope of improving their lives, and one bright junior-high aged boy cried to think his dream of being a doctor was being delayed or destroyed because he was far from his school and without funds for books or the required uniform. An elderly woman seemed fatalistic about ever getting home. We hear sporadic reports not just of battles between protesters and police, but between different tribal groups. Five people were killed with machetes in an isolated village. A heroic priest in Western Kenya invited minority families into his monastery and frantically phoned for police help as young toughs burned the families homes and tried to get into the monastery. (The police arrived in time.) Some of our students arrive with stories of violence in their home towns before they arrived on campus. Several students have arrived a week late and some will not be able to return this semester because of the unrest.

And yet, and yet--outside our windows in the afternoons and evenings we can hear the laughter of students catching up on their friendships after the extended time away. A young gardener named Samuel is creating a tiny Eden around our home as he builds stone walls and stairways, plants palms and flowers and grass. We began our "Holiness Week" emphasis on Monday with Rev. Chanshi Chanda, the director (called field strategy coordinator) of the French Equitorial Africa field. One of our faculty members just received a Fullbright Scholarship to serve as a visiting scholar in an American university. We are beginning the process of introducing distance learning to better serve Africa. Nancy and I saw cheetahs, pygmy hippos and a rhinoceros the size of a tank on the Safari Walk at Nairobi National Park and fed Betsy the giraffe at the Kenya Giraffe Center in the suburb of Karen on Sunday afternoon.

What are we learning, what are we being reminded of: We do not live our lives in monaural. We live them in stereo. There's enough good in any bad to give us hope. There's enough bad in any good to make it worth praying about. With the need for prayer in mind, we'd thank you again for your prayers for Kenya and for ANU and for us, but we would encourage you to continue praying:

• For the talks between the opposing political parties which are to begin tomorrow, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan;
• For the physical protection of members of minority tribes in isolated areas of Kenya;
• For ANU to continue to be a lighthouse and a model of Christian unity in Africa, and to be even more effective in training its students to be effective, godly leaders in a needy world;
• For Nan and me that we might see and do what the Lord would direct us to do on behalf of the Kingdom in this part of the world.

Oh, by the way: the Student Council at ANU is raising money to help the 250,000 Kenyans who have been displaced by the regional violence. If you'd like to make a donation to that effort drop us a line at mnnkenya@gmail.com and we can tell you how.

Faith in Action in Western Kenya

Many of you have been communicating that you are praying for us and for the situation in Kenya. We want to share a wonderful story that demonstrates the impact of your prayers and those of others in and out of Kenya.

Western Kenya has been a focus for some of the violence after the December elections in Kenya. A Nazarene District Superintendent in western Kenya, near Kisumu, felt led during his own prayers to approach a group of Luo men he knew were gathering to talk about the political situation.

When he went to them they said, "We have heard some Kikuyu are gathering to kill us and we are arming ourselves to meet them." The DS asked this group to stay put and went to the Kikuyu who said, "We have heard that some Luo are gathering to kill us and we are arming ourselves to meet them."

With some difficulty the DS explained to each group what he had heard from the other and was able to persuade the two groups to meet together to sort out the misunderstanding. When they had gathered, he appealed to them as Kenyans and Christians to reconcile with each other. After prayer and further conversation, they calmed down and began to realize the potential impact of the path they had been on.

From their new understanding, the Luo and Kikiyu men shared with the DS and with members of the other tribe, that they was aware of others from their own tribe who were considering violence. It became clear to them that they needed to interrupt the meeting long enough to bring other members of their tribe who were considering violence. When they reconvened, they had a lengthy prayer meeting that ended in hugging and expressions of commitment to peace and to community beyond their previous misunderstanding and beyond their tribal loyalties. The violence that enveloped other villages was prevented.

Why did this happen? The Lord has the ultimate answer. I Corinthians 3:9 may be part of the explanation. It reminds us that we are "co-laborers" with God. Your prayers and the prayers and actions of this District Superintendent are a reminder that each of us, in our own way, are called to be part of the work God is doing in the world. You were impressed to pray and you did. This faithful DS was impressed to meet with unhappy and potentially violent men and he did. This isn't a theoretical exercise or a mere duty we're involved in, is it? The need for prayer continues. Many Kenyans have been displaced by the violence in remote areas. Trust across tribal lines will need to be rebuilt. The work of Africa Nazarene University in training a new generation of leaders becomes even more important. Thanks for your continued prayers and involvement in what God is doing in Africa.

Nairobi Arrival Update

First, we have to pause briefly and thank all of you who have send e-mails communicating that you are praying and about your interest and concern for us. We had over 60 e-mails in our in-box when we opened it this morning. We can't adequately tell you how much we appreciate your interest and concern and prayers.

We arrived in Nairobi at about 9AM on January 2 and were welcomed by 8 men from the missionary compound and ANU. The arrival and the trip from the airport were quiet and uneventful. We saw two trucks with soldiers in them, but neither truckload seemed to be on high alert. In fact, one of the trucks was parked by the road and several of the soldiers were stretched out napping in the shade. More on the political situation later.

After we arrived, Professor Marangu, our new University boss, arrived with hugs and words of welcome. Nan and I were given the keys to our new car and Rod Reed, a religion faculty member, and I went to the Nakkumatt (the Kenyan Walmart) to get some groceries for our temporary apartment here in the compound. They were nearly out of meat, fresh fruit and eggs, but things seemed calm in the store. We stopped for gas and were told there was a thousand shilling (enough for about a third of a tank) limit on gasoline.

Nan picked up a bug and was exhausted from the flight. She has been sleeping off and on for 24 hours but seems to be getting over the bug. It's good to be able to rest and relax.

In regard to the political situation: the opposition candidate had scheduled a rally for today which the government said could not be held. We are being told that there are some clashes between government troops and opposition supporters near the Nairobi Central Church of the Nazarene (similar to those pictured in the earlier post). The US Embassy is telling Americans to stay where they are. The conflict seems to be entirely between opposing Kenyan political parties and tribes with no specific danger for American or British expatriates. Don Gardener, the East Africa field director, said yesterday that so far Kenyan Nazarenes seem to be safe although understandably concerned. There have been no reports of Nazarene injuries or property damage. We'd appreciate your prayers for the safety of the Kenyan Nazarenes and for all the Kenyans in the slums around Nairobi and in Kisumu, where much of the violence has taken place. Right now, there are no plans for the Nazarene missionaries in Kenya except to stay put and keep a low profile.

Mood-ometer report: Nan's health is a concern, although a relatively small one. We'd appreciate your prayers for her. We know it may be hard as you look at video footage and hear of the very real casualties of this conflict to believe it, but we do not feel in any danger right now. We are concerned for Kenya, our new adopted home, and its people, and for innocent people who are caught up in the conflict and we know conditions can change rapidly. Right now, though, we feel safe and able to rest and --most importantly-- in the center of God's will. Thanks again, very much, for your prayers and interest. We love you all.