John Muhanji, Director, Africa Ministries Office, writes
Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe for sure Christ is real and is working in our midst all the time. I have witnessed His presence all through for the last one and a half months that looks like it has been a year. I have experienced the longest time of my life in Kenya, sometimes i have been thinking may be I am seeing movies acted in Africa, but i find myself facing the same things everyday and they stop being fiction actions but real. I found myself who need to help the traumatised people traumatised already. the situation in Kenya is beyond what anybody would imagine but here we are facing them.
Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe for sure Christ is real and is working in our midst all the time. I have witnessed His presence all through for the last one and a half months that looks like it has been a year. I have experienced the longest time of my life in Kenya, sometimes i have been thinking may be I am seeing movies acted in Africa, but i find myself facing the same things everyday and they stop being fiction actions but real. I found myself who need to help the traumatised people traumatised already. the situation in Kenya is beyond what anybody would imagine but here we are facing them.
On Thursday February 7th, the FCPT (Friends Church Peace team) went out for the first time to visit the IDPs and distribute some food items and other necessities to the IDPs in their camps near Mt. Elgon area in both Trans-Nzioa and Bungoma districts. Both centres we visited was as if angels had descended on them with a message of hope when some were calling it quit. Their hope was restored by our presence for we did not only give them food but listened and counselled them and shared the word of God as an encouragement. More than 300 families were reached that day. We managed to distribute Maize, Beans, Sugar, salt, Soap, Blankets, Rice and Fat. These areas where we visited are not being served by the Red Cross and therefore our presence was worthy. Thank you for the support we have continue to receive for this purpose.
Today we met as a committee to evaluate the Thursday's work and agreed to go back to the same camps after a week and therefore we shall be there on Friday 15th Feb. Last Thursday, we visited, Machewa Chief Camp, Sabata market centre, Deliverance church and Toba churches in Kiminini. We have agreed to visit the same places but with addition of Kililili and Milembe centres which are not being reached by the Red Cross people. We shall take the same items we took on Thursday 7th. But this time we shall take more time on counselling, Trauma Healing and reconciliation. Our main goal of visiting these IDPs is not only to give food but to create a room for counselling and enhance peace making processes. You cannot speak peace to a hungry person. And therefore, in order for us to be effective in the peacemaking process, we have scheduled a one day workshop where we need at least two CAPP trained people from each yearly meeting and two AVP trained people from each yearly meeting also.
Therefore, we are looking for at least seventy participants including the FCPT. This workshop will be developing and mapping how to reach and coordinate the peacemaking and reconciliation program using our members who have skills on mediation and healing. This workshop will be held on Saturday 23rd February at kakamega. This will form the climax of our peacemaking process by involving a bigger number to reach out to many communities for reconciliation and peace crusading. Please stand with us for this process to succeed so that the Quakers may at least contribute to the peace of this country. We believe together we can make a difference.
Therefore, we are looking for at least seventy participants including the FCPT. This workshop will be developing and mapping how to reach and coordinate the peacemaking and reconciliation program using our members who have skills on mediation and healing. This workshop will be held on Saturday 23rd February at kakamega. This will form the climax of our peacemaking process by involving a bigger number to reach out to many communities for reconciliation and peace crusading. Please stand with us for this process to succeed so that the Quakers may at least contribute to the peace of this country. We believe together we can make a difference.
Thank you for your generous support you have extended to us here. The committee under the chairmanship of a very effective Clerk of Chwele Yearly meeting, Joseph Makokha, is truly committed to reaching beyond their limits in ensuring that Quakers contribute something on the peace process. The chairman himself comes from the areas that are a security risk. He has been threatened several times by the aggressors and he even had to vacate his home to another place. But he returned recently to his house. He is committed to ensuring that peace is gained in Kenya and especially around Mt. Elgon. Mt. Elgon has been having problems but the post election aggravated everything. We are ready to take the risk but God through us create peace in the area. Please pray with us and continue supporting this process. This process will take long even after the top politicians have finished or agreed on sharing of power. The common man on the ground will have it had to resettle back where he was driven away by his aggressors. Reconciliation and building trust will take time to restore.
God bless you
