September_Update_Letter

Kennys in Kenya Update – September 2007

Dear friends and partners in mission,

Since our last update, we have faced some long and difficult days here in Kenya. It has been a season of reliance on prayer and the Lord’s strength, certainly not our own. The challenges have been many: from the inconveniences of limited electricity and nearly a month without water to several experiences of insecurity. But the Lord has been with us through two break-ins in our apartment complex, Erica and our children being threatened with arrest by Kenyan Immigration, Aaron being arrested twice by corrupt authorities, the frequent arrest of our colleague Andai, gang violence and several robberies in Eastleigh. Through it all we have been thankful for your prayers and for our team mates who have been there encouraging us in prayer, giving wise counsel, and sharing their experiences.

As Canadians, we take so much for granted when it comes to the stability and order that we enjoyed in our home province. After only nine months here in Africa, our eyes are opening to a world where liberties are not a guaranteed reality and corruption seems an all too frequent part of life. On the morning of June 28th, we arrived early in Eastleigh to discover that a group of thugs had robbed a local restaurant, Massah Allah, just down the street from the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre where we teach. The armed men were after mobile phones, but when three Somali men resisted, they opened fire on the men -- two of them died. One of the victims of the shootings was the brother of Bashiir, a student in our beginner English class. Only an hour after the shooting, we were shocked that there were no police present at the scene. “Nothing will be done about this!” many said in frustration. As we spent the morning discussing the situation with our classes, we were interrupted by an urgent phone call from our Kenyan colleague, Andai. He had been arrested by police for transporting an old CBM engine without its documentation. We left our Eastleigh students to travel across the city to assist Andai. When we arrived at the police station, we were disgusted to find two detectives and a group of police officers pressing Andai for a bribe, which he refused to pay. On our arrival, the detectives demanded that we produce a document for the old burned-out engine. With their permission, we drove Andai to pickup the documents, while they impounded the engine and the vehicle he was driving; all the while threatening to arrest Aaron if we didn’t produce the papers. Late that afternoon, Andai was cleared after much harassment for bribes. How maddening to see so much energy being wasted on greed, while true justice was being denied to those who really needed protection and assurance.
Among the challenges, the past three months have also been times of great blessing. At the Eastleigh Learning Centre, we have been encouraged by the gift of a young youth pastor from Kansas, Holly Heyroth. Holly joined us at the centre for two months, teaching our advanced classes and building relationships within the community. Erica and Holly were also able to introduce a group of our female students to a local sewing ministry and began a regular women’s small group. Erica has continued this bi-weekly group which is now meeting in our home.

The projects in North Eastern Province continue to struggle forward against difficult circumstances: The TB clinic sees an ever growing number of patients in need of food and support. And in Dadaab, the primary school continues to work hard at meeting the needs of the many vulnerable families. We are excited to be helping in the development of a new wellness project in the village that will provide nutritional and health education for the students and their families. The program will also be introducing organized sport for the first time to the village. This project will also provide the sustained Christian presence of a Kenyan believer who will be working along side both the Carlines and ourselves. In conjunction with this, we are hosting a group from First Baptist Church, Charlottetown, who will be constructing a playground for the primary school in September.

Looking ahead to the fall, we are transitioning out of our current role at the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre in order to begin full time language study at the SIM Somali language school, here in Nairobi. We are so thankful to have this next season of ministry to focus on Somali. We are overjoyed to be entering the fall with our team mates, the Carlines, just back from Canada. We have missed them dearly and are so grateful for such wonderful friends and mentors. We are also thrilled over the return of Malcolm and Patty Card who will be back as our Africa team leaders this October. Together with the Carlines and the Cards, we will be seeking God’s leading for the direction of Somali outreach here in Kenya.

We could not be here without your sustaining prayers and generous support -- Thank you for being apart of this ministry. Please continue to lift up our family in prayer, for our safety, for patience amidst trying times, for spiritual protection against discouragement, and for wisdom as we seek to carry the love of Christ into this Muslim community. Please also remember our Somali friends and neighbours in Eastleigh, Garissa and Dadaab. Our small trials do not begin to compare with the violence, poverty and injustice that many of them have endured. And may the Lord bless you as you serve him faithfully in your community.

Finally, we are happy to let you that as of August 16, we began to officially foster Ava. Following three months of fostering, we may begin the adoption process through the Kenyan courts. Thank you for praying for our family!



In Christ’s Love,

Aaron, Erica, Tristan, Emma and Ava