DAY NINE
I have to apologise since I inadvertently missed a day in my updating. Day 7 should have been day 8 in my dating.
Another peaceful night. No reports from anywhere of disturbances.
Before going to bed at about 2am. Esther and I spent some time with 'D' and Carol our daughter in law who are staying with us together with their three children. I had shared with you yesterday that 'D' had been planning to leave by air for Nairobi today on a special missionary charter flight. He was not 100% happy to separate from his family and after much discussion he decided to remain with us. He is going through a lot of spiritual soul searching and presently finds a difficulty in letting the Lord have His way in his thoughts and life. He is 35 and always worked with us since leaving College. He does what he does very well, and he feels that he is being unjustly restrained because of his withdrawal from a committed Christian life. I had told him last year that if he could not sort things out he would be unable to continue in a position of responsibility in TFH where people need to see his Salvation. We love and appreciate him and his many gifts and abilities, but we are not prepared to let him into the Administration proper unless He can take it yielded to God, Who is the true Director of TFH. He felt that this was an excuse of ours to 'get rid of him'. He has not understood that for himself to submit entirely to the Lord was necessary as a condition to leading in this ministry - he felt it could be done without having to trust God; he has been trusting in himself all along. This is NOT to say that he no longer believes in God - but that he thinks certain things can be done without God in mind. We have been struggling with this with him for some time, and now he has to face the reality. Well we managed at least to salvage his faith in our relationship together as family, although he still is in a tangle when it comes to his current situation within himself spiritually with God. He needs your loving prayer. He will therefore still be with us for the time being, but without any official position with the Ministry of TFH as such. The possible 'threat' to his life remains.........He has chosen to face it rather than run from it. We are sure God is dealing with him.
Esther and I are relieved that he is not going to Nairobi. We have all felt a need to be together in what is happening here. His young wife and family all need him.
TODAY 'D' and I went to Town - to Eldoret. It was still two thirds closed to trade.
A few Asian owned shops, and one or two supermarkets open. We counted three Petrol Stations with mile long queues giving out petrol - the rest shut.. Saw Joshua Mbithi from Neema also stuck in a long queue looking for petrol. DOZENS of buses and lorries packed with men women and children LEAVING for Uganda and Nalrobi still. There is now estimated to be well over 150,000 displaced persons camping out away from their homes. The Police Station and Churches flowing with even more 'refugees waiting for similar transportation. From a population of some five hundred thousand I would estimate we have already lost half!
There are no fresh vegetables in the Town.
Incoming transport continues to be minimal - supplies dwindling still.
Road blocks on all road blocks manned by various groups some friendly (local people trying to ensure that strangers intent on mayhem are not coming in - the Police seem unable to ensure this); hired 'warriors' mainly illiterate and uneducated youths from outside of our immediate district, brought in to harass and distress the Kikuyu and other ethnic groups unpopular with certain politicians.
The DAMAGE this is doing is incalculatable. I mentioned this yesterday. Our whole business community and social wellbeing is being destroyed.
EVERYTHING is however QUIET.
There is a BIG Kenya Army presence in the town. We say NO police. We think the Army is safe in that it seems loyal to the President who is its commander in chief.
BUT they are not presenting the mass evacuating - only facilitating it and ensuring the safety of those leaving.
What will happen when all that are being forced to run have left?
We do not know. The Kikuyu are the Presidents own tribe. He had a reason to make sure they are safe........but once they are safe, how safe will the rest of us all be?
TODAY the President has said that he is willing to consider forming a Government of National Unity with the Opposition. On what terms we do not know.
On the face of it this is the ONLY sensible thing to do,,,,,,,,,BUT
But will it bring peace ? Will it put an end to this apparent settled plan to displace and re-locate the Kikuyu and others in our particular District. Consider that an entire Town has had almost the entire population of one of it's constituent social cultures eradicated. WE think it would have happened Election or NOT, and we are inclined to think it will CONTINUE if unchecked into the future.
SO we are unsure that the end is in sight. This could be the commencement of an 'easing' and return to normality OR it could be calm before the storm - Worse may yet come. We are still determined to STAND where we are TOGETHER. We still feel unafraid and at peace.
As I type this I can here our children practicing in the School Hall for Choir for the Sunday service. We shall be having a Prayer Service. Their lovely voices float in the summer air outside....... who would even dream this place is in itself a Refugee Camp - a haven for those torn by terror and hatred in their own homes.......
Our son Steve in Accrington has set up a BLOG site for us, and I shall be putting all subsequent updates onto this site as from today. If you are unable or have any difficulty hooking up to this site please do let me know and I will continue to send direct to you. Otherwise it is a definite help for me to just send to ONE address.
We love you all.
John and Esther
BLOGSITE - http//tfhomes.blogspot.com/
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