OmbolezzaKenya

Cry Hope Beloved Country
Each time I call Kenya it hurts so much I have to be still for an hour. I have to remember there are souls here who need me as well, and though their problems can seem minor, as my grandmother would say "I am just as big for me as you are big for you".

I spoke to my African sister and pastor this morning. She has been crying for a week she tells me. They returned to Kari, to the devastation. Her children are being kept in safe houses in Nairobi, but she and her husband had to return to Kari, the one home they have lived in for 23 years. They must leave Kari now. They must find safety in a part of Nairobi safe for Luhyas.

She described the horror of what happened at the research institute. It was not from within but from without. She explains the terror of seeing the guards overpowered and gangs 200 strong with machetes (she couldn't even bring herself to say that word) coming at people...her parishioners, her friends.Some killed, some fled. I was part of getting a few out before the bloodshed. Now most are gone. Many vow they will never return. How does she reconcile this and her duty to her church to offer people hope and trust in God, with her need to keep her children safe away from the home they have always known?

Cry The Beloved Country, that is all I can think about. When Alan Paton wrote that book so long ago I suspect he never thought it would be the banner for most of Africa.
Next week I will go to NYC and try and explain this phenomenon and the desperate situation of the children I serve in Western Kenya. Globonders have also been floating into my life and helping. There is a man in Dubai who reached out and could wire transfer some money to feed the kids. I'm going to learn a lot from him. And the event, which I had to go out and get that little black dress for (Mother has not needed the little black dress in a while) is hosted by Globonders. In all of this there are these rays of hope, a lady I talked to today named Leslie, Kirstin, Brett whose shimmer flutters in the night and says hold on. So I guess through all of this it may mean I must change the title now to Cry Hope Beloved Country.


E----, My Sister,
I thought I had finished crying for all the sadness in Kenya. I thought I had become accustomed to bad news. I thought that by my staying here and doubling my efforts to raise money for the children it would help me feel like I was actually doing something helpful. I had a long talk with Charles today before I spoke to you. He is such a kind, gentle wise soul and I felt better.

Then my dear, I spoke to you. I could scarcely breathe as I listened to you. I cannot imagine what you must be going through. I have loved Kari over these past 6 years, for me it has been my home, St. John's my church.No loss I could feel, though could compare to the devastation and loss you must be experiencing. I wish there were words that I could say that would help the pain, I wish I could help in some way. I cannot know what it must be like to be torn by 2 appointments God has given you that tear you in two directions. Mother and Pastor, who could imagine that they would not always be in the same path?

I hope you will find the strength and courage to chronicle this incredibly painful journey. You have always been my Kenyan Pastor, you have quietly guided me, you have sharply spoken the truth to me, you have shown me courage and grace. You and S---- and the children are in my heart and my prayers.

If there is anything more I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be setting up a secure place on the internet to store documents for you and anyone at Kari as well as in Nambale to store identification, diplomas, deeds, photos of the children or whatever documents you may need to get at should you and your family be torn asunder. This will be a private place where you can access materials, but no one can get your materials but you. It's especially important that we have documents for the children, lest they end up in camps and we need to find them. I pledge to you, my sister,that I will not let anyone get lost under my watch.
I will call you in a couple of weeks to see how you all are faring.

If you talk to B-----, let her know I tried to call her. Please give her and all the people left at Kari my love and my commitment to keep trying.

May Our Almighty God save you and Kenya. Until I see you again, I pray for your safety and peace.
Mama Mnboga