I apologise for not posting earlier....I did try quite a few times but the internet would go out on me and I got frustrated, so I quit! I was also hoping and praying that there would be a "breakthrough" in the mediation talks and Iwill be able to do a posting entitled "Crisis Over!". I can hope, can't I??! However, as of today, the mediation talks seems to have hit a snag. Once again both sides are holding strong stance on their positions and no one is yielding.
Life for us as a family and as a university is as normal as can be - girls are back in school, altho they were sent home midday one day when an MP (Member of Parliment) was shot and killed and fighting broke out spontaneously in the city. Other than that one incident, they pretty much were in school. Campus life got busy with classes, chapel, fellowships and ministries that we are both involved in. Tony is also preaching most weekends in different churches and usually in multiple services. The Lord has really given him a Word for the church and we are glad for the many doors to share the message.
I am kept busy keeping track of my family's busyness and schedules; ministry, sourcing for food and supplies for the orphanage and keeping track on how they are doing. One of our little girl passed away two weeks ago. She was 61/2 years old. She went for home visit with her grandomother. This little girls was also HIV+ and was antiretroviral drugs. Her grandmother however, took her off the drugs and gave her herbal supplements instead. She fell ill and died. Lucy was not even told about it until it was too late. Lucy couldn't get to her anyways since she was in Huruma (one of the badly affected slums) and Lucy's ethnicity was not welcomed there. That was a difficult day when we got the news - in the midst of everything else.
Our counselling department on campus are sending the students to do group counselling in the camps where the displaced people are. One of the main emotions that has surfaced in this sessions was anger. I must admit some days, I get pretty angry myself....angry at this senseless violence, angry that I couldn't do more, angry at the loss of peace and normalcy for so many, especially children. I find myself clinging on to God for His perspective and strength to keep the right perspective....it hasn't been easy.
Things in Nairobi are so normal (heavy traffic and even some Valentine decorations!)
that is is difficult to believe that the rest of the country is in turmoil. A camp not too far from us (about 40 minutes drive) has swelled from 150 refugees to over 8,000 last week. This week, people started returning home and the camp is down to about 4000 today.
In the same week, we also read news about the fighting in Chad, the earthquake in Rwanda, power blackout in South Africa and the tens of thousands percent inflation in Zimbabwe....that did help me keep things in some kind of perspective...
I will probably post some more tomorrow with some family pictures of the girls and their activities - to assure some of our family and friends that we are well and life does go on for us!! :-)
Life for us as a family and as a university is as normal as can be - girls are back in school, altho they were sent home midday one day when an MP (Member of Parliment) was shot and killed and fighting broke out spontaneously in the city. Other than that one incident, they pretty much were in school. Campus life got busy with classes, chapel, fellowships and ministries that we are both involved in. Tony is also preaching most weekends in different churches and usually in multiple services. The Lord has really given him a Word for the church and we are glad for the many doors to share the message.
I am kept busy keeping track of my family's busyness and schedules; ministry, sourcing for food and supplies for the orphanage and keeping track on how they are doing. One of our little girl passed away two weeks ago. She was 61/2 years old. She went for home visit with her grandomother. This little girls was also HIV+ and was antiretroviral drugs. Her grandmother however, took her off the drugs and gave her herbal supplements instead. She fell ill and died. Lucy was not even told about it until it was too late. Lucy couldn't get to her anyways since she was in Huruma (one of the badly affected slums) and Lucy's ethnicity was not welcomed there. That was a difficult day when we got the news - in the midst of everything else.
Our counselling department on campus are sending the students to do group counselling in the camps where the displaced people are. One of the main emotions that has surfaced in this sessions was anger. I must admit some days, I get pretty angry myself....angry at this senseless violence, angry that I couldn't do more, angry at the loss of peace and normalcy for so many, especially children. I find myself clinging on to God for His perspective and strength to keep the right perspective....it hasn't been easy.
Things in Nairobi are so normal (heavy traffic and even some Valentine decorations!)
that is is difficult to believe that the rest of the country is in turmoil. A camp not too far from us (about 40 minutes drive) has swelled from 150 refugees to over 8,000 last week. This week, people started returning home and the camp is down to about 4000 today.
In the same week, we also read news about the fighting in Chad, the earthquake in Rwanda, power blackout in South Africa and the tens of thousands percent inflation in Zimbabwe....that did help me keep things in some kind of perspective...
I will probably post some more tomorrow with some family pictures of the girls and their activities - to assure some of our family and friends that we are well and life does go on for us!! :-)
Comments