Now, the story--on our way into town on Wednesday, a Kenyan Muslim holiday--we noticed a huge sign from the Ministry of Transportation announcing the completion after a couple of years of the new Langata Bypass. Since Langata is a road that leads toward ANU, we decided to take it as we headed home. About 5km down the road, 6 men in dark clothing came out from behind a mound of dirt with pangas (machetes) and what looked like guns and motioned for us to stop. For the next ten minutes, they took watches, cell phones, rings, the car radio, Nan's "second best" camera, and billfolds. Mark remembered a story Wellington Obote, a Kenyan, but now a mission coordinator in Malawi, had told him about reminding his captors that Jesus loves them, and so he told his captors the same thing as they did their work, and Nancy said a blessing on "her" bandit.
Just as they were finishing with us, a car came roaring toward us from the opposite direction and then seemed to lose his nerve and slow down. The bandits yelled at us to get in our car and get going so they could attend to this new "customer." As we moved to do so, we could see that the new driver's speed had angered the bandits. They pointed their guns at him, but the motions they made convinced us that they were either pellet pistols or toy guns...who knew? As the new driver stopped, they knocked out the driver's side and passenger side window, unlocked his door, pulled him out of the car and threw him on the ground. As we drove off, they were slapping him with the flat side of the pangas, which was actually a good sign that they were not interested in doing real injury with the blades. We remained worried about this second customer, but glad he wasn't being cut and glad to have our car and to be uninjured.
After waving down a couple of cars we encountered to warn them of the danger ahead and taking Nan and Isaac back to campus and picking up the University security head, Mark drove back to the Karen police station to make a report, and then to go with the security head and two policeman back to the scene of the crime. They found the broken glass on the road, but no sign of the bandits or the man in the second car.
Last evening, we had a steady stream of staff and students who came with food and cards and to say "pole sana", "so sorry." As we mentioned earlier, as a result of the lightening-fast Nazarene grapevine, we have gotten expressions of sympathy already from around the world.
As you might imagine, we're still kind of processing this. You may not be able to believe it, but we slept well last evening and are able to laugh and joke without effort today. Mark has written earlier about "living in stereo", and that is what we are doing: this robbery happened, but as followers of Christ we can't allow ourselves to be fully defined by our challenges. We must be defined by the "hope that is within us." We are reminded again of the importance of salvation and education in Kenya.
When you pray, we are so grateful for your prayers for us. We always need them, but more importantly, we would appreciate your prayers for Mark's dad as he begins this new chapter without the love of his life. We also can't get those bandits our of our minds. One of our students who is the son of the pastor of the Nazarene church in the slum from which the bandits come said--"I bet I know one of those guys." The police who accompanied Mark back to the scene said they have killed 10 of the bandits in 2 months. We are safe and secure. The bandits are in immediate and eternal jeopardy. Would you join us in praying that the Lord of Second Chances will use Christians in the lives of these young men to bring them to the Lord while there is still time?
What have we learned or been reminded of by the death of Mark's mom and the encounter with bandits: A good marriage is a wonderful thing, a faithful life is its own epitath, the Christian life must be lived in stereo, God is faithful, God's people are warm and loving and prayerful, and the calling of God on our lives becomes purified and tempered as it deals with trials.
Thanks as always for your prayers and for your interest in us. We are privileged to call you are friends. In closing, two Kiswahili exclamations:
Asante sana (thank you very much) and Bwana asifiwe (Praise the Lord)!
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