Tim and Gertrude Wambunya - Kenya |
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Prayer Update 19 February 2008
Dear Friends and Supporters,
This is a general update to our friends and supporters who have not heard from us since we moved to Nairobi. Another letter will follow soon.
Thank you for your daily prayers and many messages of support during this difficult time for staff and students at Carlile College as well as the church and people of Kenya. It has been a demanding three weeks. No one ever imagined this could happen to a country where over 75% of the population regard themselves as Christians. The greatest irony is that Kenya a country renowned for providing Africa and the world with mission partners, peacemakers and peacekeeping forces is struggling to chart a roadmap to peace for its own citizens. We need prayer and more prayer.
It is now three weeks since we arrived in Kenya to begin work at Carlile College. Deciding if and when to travel was probably the hardest decision we have had to make as a family but once we made the decision, we felt very much at peace. We were in no doubt that God was calling us to Kenya at this very difficult and uncertain time. He was not sending us to Kenya so that we could be burnt or hacked to death like the many men, women and children we have seen on the news in the UK.
We arrived on Sunday 13th February, early in the morning. Our first tricky assignment four hours later was to deliver Tim Jnr to his school bus so he could travel with armed escort to St Andrews Turi, about 150 miles away from Nairobi. We returned to our temporary accommodation at the Anglican Guest house exhausted by our journey from London and weeks of raising support, packing/ moving our belongings, anxiety about moving from a peaceful tollington to a turbulent Kenya and overwhelmed by the task that awaited us at Carlile College.
Next morning, Monday 14th February was college opening day which had been delayed by a week because of the violent events taking place across the country, following the disputed Presidential results. We spent the day praying and reflecting as students and staff returning to college recounted experiences of violence, robbery, and the destruction of homes and businesses. Some had witnessed the murder of neighbours while others had been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in churches and police posts. A number had been bereaved or still had relatives unaccounted for.
Tuesday 15th February, the second day at college was spent meeting with staff to deliberate on our own role, in developing Christian leaders with a passion for Christ and who would lead others to overcome the dividing walls of hostility. We also sought to remind ourselves how as a community we would model the peace, truth and unity which is to be found in Christ Jesus. Then we composed and sent a statement to the Anglican Bishops in Kenya affirming the vital role of the Church in helping to solve the Kenyan crisis. We urged the Bishops to ‘rise up’ as the nation was waiting to see and hear the wisdom of the church demonstrated in prophetic word and action.
Wednesday 16th February, the third day at college was spent counselling students and staff in pastorate groups. We were privileged to have David Banting a keen supporter of the college visit and preach in the college chapel. He was able to offer encouragement to many who were feeling exhausted and hopeless.
Thursday 17th February the fourth day was spent with a team of prominent Christian leaders under the banner ‘Christians for a Just Society’ (CJS) to analysis the situation facing the country and prepare a ‘Christian’ paper for the government. At the meeting we were able to recognise that while much attention had been given to the ethnic manifestation of the violence, its roots also lie in a complexity of factors which are economic, historical, generational and political but most importantly spiritual. All these factors needed to be addressed if peace and calm was to be restored.
On Friday 18th February, the fifth day we tried to deliver lectures for the first time but soon found that most students couldn’t cope. So we switched our efforts to providing relief. Many students studying on the special urban mission programme based at the centre for urban mission in Kibera - the biggest informal settlement in Africa - had been displaced and needed to be relocated and helped financially. This was probably the biggest challenge of the week – financially, physically and spiritually.
Overall, these initial weeks have been a great challenge but also a reminder that we need to rely on God for strength and wisdom. We remain convinced that God has called us to Kenya at this time. We are committed to serving him here for as long as it takes. We look forward to an improvement in the political and social situation and pray it will happen soon. The spiritual reconstruction will take longer and require lots of stamina and support.
Please pray for the following
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Courage and wisdom in leading Carlile College
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Continued peace and trust in the Lord as a family
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Staff and students badly affected by the current crisis facing the country
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Normal programmes to resume as soon as possible at the college
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An emergency fund to help displaced staff and students
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A permanent house to leave in (we are in our second temporary accommodation at the Nazarene guesthouse)
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Okari (9yrs) and David (7yrs) to settle quickly in their new school
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Protection for Tim Jnr. (St Andrews Turi is not very far from areas that are badly affected by the violence).
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Peace and reconciliation talks to succeed
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The prophetic voice of the church
Tim, Gertrude, Tim Jnr, Okari and David