Quite a week!

On Thursday morning, we arrived in Eastleigh to learn that there had been a robbery at Maashaa Allah, a popular Somali restaurant on eighth street near our centre. At 6 am, robbers entered the restaurant where a number of Somali men had gathered for tea. The robbers wanted money and cellphones. Three Somali men resisted the robbers and were shot. As we arrived at the centre, we met Bashir one of our students whose brother had been one of the three men shot and killed in the robbery.

By mid-morning, our work in Eastleigh was interupted by a desperate phone call from our friend Andai, who had been arrested on the other side of the city. Andai had been traveling from Limuru to Nairobi with an old engine that we needed to pick up from the mechanic who was storing it for us. The engine had been in a CBM vehicle, but had burnt out nearly a year ago and was being kept for parts. At a roadblock, I police officer had notced the engine in the back of the truck Andai was driving. As is typical here in Kenya, the officer seeing an oppurtunity for a "gift" demanded papers for the old engine. Not having the papers and unwilling to give a bribe, Andai had to go to the local police outpost where his vehicle and license were seized.

When we arrived at the police station, two detectives were "investigating" the case. I could not believe it. Here we had just come from a community in the trauma of multiple murders without a single police officer present less than two hours after the crime, and now two detectives were hunkered down with our friend and a pile of junk for an "investigation". Five hours later, after producing the proper documentation and being threatened ourselves with being arrested, we left the police station without having paid any "gift" with Andai and the old engine. Incredible.

I thank the Lord for the patience he afforded us. But we continue to pray for our student Bashir and the Eastleigh community. We pray for the Somali people living in such a vulnerable community. And we pray for the Kenyan police that must carry out a high responsibility with limited resources. It was quite a week!