While most of us have had a fairly quiet introduction to 2008, Johnny and Kate Brooks have experienced a troubling start to the year in Kenya.
Johnny and Kate, together with their children, have been bringing healing and God’s love to people in Kenya for some time now but their job has been made even harder by the escalating violence in that country following recent elections. The following comes from a recent post titled Troubled Beginning for 2008.
This past week has been a tense one here in Nakuru, in fact not just here but all over Kenya. Some places have been rocked by serious violence and ethnic cleansing.
The last I heard the official death toll was 145 people, I am not sure if that number includes the 30 mostly women and children burned to death in a church in Eldoret. That is what the officials are saying, however the death toll must be much higher. Hundreds upon hundreds have possibly lost their lives. Thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods.
The end is no where in sight. I am sure we will see the violence in the cities end soon enough, police and paramilitary units are being deployed in large numbers. This past week has left scars that I think will take a generation to heal.
You see this fight is not political. The fighting is about what language you speak. Racial hatred is the root of the problem, the faulty elections were just an excuse.
Our ministry will respond, but the scale of the damage is massive. There are at least 30,000 displaced people. New orphans have been created. Poverty has been intensified. The bottom of the ladder has just become much more crowded, not that there was much room down here before this past week.
We will need more help to deal with some of these people.
Father, I thank you that you have put us in a position to be able to help as many as possible. I ask you for the resources to reach out and feed, clothe, counsel, provide medical care, and reassure these hurt people that you love them. Thank you for bringing us to Kenya for such a time as this.
This report from BBC News has further details on the situation. Many news sources are claiming over 300 dead and that tally is sure to continue rising.
You might like to visit their blog and leave a comment to let them know that you’re standing with them during this time.
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