NEWS continued

Wednesday evening........

 

.................almost as soon as I left off typing the gunfire diminished.     And now has ceased completely.    No news of casualties or looting in the town.     It seems that most of the day things had been quiet then about 2p.m. large contingents of people began to converge on the Town from outside areas.     From one direction more than 1000 marched into the town, and similarly from other directions.    These were not Eldoret people but people from other areas.     Some actually arrived in huge lorries, transported from some distant area to take part in what some might think were well orchestrated 'Peaceful Rallies'.      They were all unarmed but the sheer unexpected numbers arriving in the Town centre shook the nerve of the small number of police available to deal with them and they began to shoot - in the air, and endeavoured then to herd them back to the town boundaries.  #The were helped by the army and the exercise was successful.   Our school childfen from the town were returned to their parents.     But it was an anxious time.       We have decided not to open until Monday by which time we hope and pray these mass and manufactured demonstrations aimed at stirring up animosity against the Government may have ceased.       But will the tension ease?   With the economy recover?   Will we see a return to NORMAL life?

 

To day our School Principal, Anthony, went to the Show Ground where more than 800 school age children are hold up with their displaced parents probably in excess of 5000 souls altogether.    He went with the District Education Officer representing the Ministry of Education nationwide.     The idea was to encourage the parents and to share with them that they were going to put up a 'tented school'.     Instead of some sign of approval the saw nothing and were virtually rejected and told a school was not wanted.      This suggests anti government feeling - as if these who have suffered loss and violence blame the Kibaki government more than the Opposition who engineered and propagated it.       It has been said that it is possible that not all those claiming to have been displaced are actually victims of such.    Many could just be seeking for free food and clothing - many need it even without anti social dangers.     Some could be even working with the Opposition to further destabilise the government effort to bring order out of chaos and repair the damage.

 

But I have no hard proof of any of this and it is all to easy to surmise ........

We ourselves are not interested in finding any party to accuse or blame, but rather to see a sustainable peace process put in place.       This will take humility and good will in all parties and a putting aside of roots of bitterness. - indeed some roots will need to be decisively DUG UP!

 

SO the school is shut again for a few days.

BUT we and our 135 kids remain on the compound.    We cannot run anywhere to safety since none of us have anywhere to run to .........AND in any case we still feel no need to run - we all together remain firm in the knowledge that God is with us.

 

We do not know if any further night activity will occur, but we shall go to bed without keeping a watch, and trust our ever wakeful God to watch over us all.

 

Similar disturbance has happened in most of our Towns today, but we are happy that in Nairobi the fracas did not reach the area where Elisabeth and our grandchildren are staying.      They were surprised to hear about it all when we rang ealier.   He undertakes in every way for us.

 

Once again THANK you for your care and prayer/   WE need it all the time.

God be with you all

 

John and Esther

 

 

NB - some have been asking how to get a monetary gift to us to assist us and those around us in this difficult and uncertain time.

there are two ways open to you at this time -

 

1.   You can send a CHEQUE made out to THE AENON TRUST, with a note to indicate that the gift is to be sent on to Testimony Faith Homes, and addressed to Mr. A.E. Nicholls MBE,FRGS,  137 Belvedere Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7

4PA England.

 

2.   You can send a Bank Transfer to THE KENYA COMMERCIAL BANK LTD..,

Uganda Road Branch,  P.O.Box 5197 Eldoret, Kenya, to the Account of Testimony Faith Homes A/c No. 121-683-718  BANK SWIFT CODE - KCBLKENXO22

 

 

All gifts will be acknowledged