Still working with posterous for posting to wordpress.
I think I want two spaces between paragraphs here but I am not entirely sure. I will lay this one out that way with two lines between paragraphs and also two lines between a paragraph and pic.
So here goes a pic that is too big:
Now two more spaces and then another line of text. I am not sure how posterous and wordpress will size the pictures.
Still working with posterous for posting to wordpress.
I think I want two spaces between paragraphs here but I am not entirely sure. I will lay this one out that way with two lines between paragraphs and also two lines between a paragraph and pic.
So here goes a pic:
Now two more spaces and then another line of text. I am not sure how posterous and wordpress will size the pictures.
From “Heaven’s Family:”
Although it won’t make international news, our spiritual family in the state of Orissa, India, is facing a major test. Fanatical Hindu mobs have been on a rampage, determined to exterminate Christians, whether they be Evangelical, Protestant or Roman Catholic. Those mobs have been looting, raping, murdering, and burning down homes and churches. Some believers have been hacked to death or burned alive. Those who have escaped are fleeing to the jungles to preserve their lives. Over 50,000 Christians have been displaced. At least 4,000 homes have been destroyed, as well as hundreds of churches. 13,000 people are living in nine relief camps.
Heaven’s Family is well connected to believers in India, having already provided some relief earlier this year after a similar, but lesser, persecution in Orissa. We’ve also distributed thousands of books to Indian pastors in at least four languages. And we are continually involved in assisting Christian widows, orphans and lepers in India.
One of our primary partners in southern India, pastor K.V. Daniel, has informed me that 110 Christian families among his churches have lost everything, and four of their small orphanages have been destroyed. Right now, believers in Orissa urgently need food and shelter. After the Indian government is able to stabilize the situation, believers will need help rebuilding their lives.
Cuban Cries:
Over the past week we’ve also heard cries of help from our family in Cuba, first devastated by Hurricane Gustav (which made landfall at category 4–winds at 150 mph) and then by Hurricane Ike (which made landfall at category 3). The Cuban Housing Institute says that Hurricane Ike severely damaged over 200,000 homes and completely destroyed 30,000, which may be a conservative estimate. Keep in mind that many Cuban homes are very primitive.
Fidel Castro is quoted as saying, “Hurricane Gustav hit Cuba with the force of an atomic bomb, leaving more devestation that the previous 14 hurricanes over the past 5 years combined.” Cuba’s communist economy will never be able to facilitate the rebuilding of Cuba, as it has not been able to even keep Havana, its capital, in repair, long before the recent hurricanes. Cuba has been slowly crumbling for fifty years, and it has just experienced its worst natural disaster in fifty years.
If you are moved to help relieve the sufferings of Jesus—incarnated among “the least of” His brothers and sisters—Heaven’s Family is here to serve you. 100% of all that we receive towards our Christian Refugees Fund over the next few weeks will be sent to Orissa to bring relief to our family there, and 100% of all that we receive towards our Disaster Relief Fund over the next few weeks will be sent to Cuba to assist our family there.
We (Roger and Brooks Thoman) are finally on the ground in Kenya this week for the first time since the crisis. We are very happy to be able to re-unite with so many of our friends that we have not seen for over eight months.
Heartbreak and Miracles From the Violence
It is very difficult to be in a country that has recently experienced so much pain and suffering. We realize that it is one thing to hear about violence from afar, but quite another to hear the stories firsthand from people whose lives have been ripped apart. What has gripped us with deep sadness is to see that virtually everyone you meet has been exposed to a level of bloodshed and terror that is unimaginable.
I will only share one story here, and it is not the worst I heard…
At one location, human heads were placed across a road to create a roadblock. When the busses stopped at this “roadblock,” the instigators went onto the bus and took men off who were from the opposing tribe. They would force them outside, hold them down, and then saw the lower half of their legs off. They would then leave them there on the ground to bleed out while their families watched. Unbelievably, this is the kind of thing (and worse) that people in Kenya were exposed to on a regular basis. It is just so difficult to grasp.
Yet, in the midst of this, we also heard incredible stories of Christians helping people from opposing tribes as well as going to opposing tribes and apologizing for their own tribes (not their own actions, but the actions of others from their own tribes). Thus, in the midst of the devastation there are wonderful stories of reconciliation and forgiveness, tears and embracing of one another that can only be attributed (by their own admission) to God’s power and mercy. It is very hard to describe all of this: both the depth of despair that is still everywhere, yet the sparks of hope and redemption that is coming through here and there in the most amazing and powerful ways.
Our Contributions Made a Difference!
We were very gratified to be able to receive firsthand reports from people who benefited from the funds collected through the Simple Churches Care project. We visited a Displaced Persons camp where we received personal thanks from the camp administrators who said: “Every time we received food and supplies from you it came at just the right time to get us through a difficult period.”
We visited the homes of people who had been relocated out of these camps with the help of funds we sent. Though they are now living in one-room, mud-constructed shelters, it is their own and they have a place to begin from to build a new life.
We visited women who lost their husbands that were ministered to by the workers who were taking our supplies in and providing spiritual support for those afflicted.
We saw a school (four large tents) set up in a Displaced Persons camp that is educating 400 students per day. This school was given supplies from our contributions, and the teachers are volunteers many of whom work with our team in that area.
People Reached and Churches Started
We saw the location of a camp that went from 10% Christian to over 80% Christian along with prayer meetings that were taking place everyday. This camp had, unlike all other camps, had no reports of rape or violence. Though this camp has now been closed and the refugees moved to other camps, the Christian workers involved continue to visit those who have been reached and encourage them in their new life.
In Kitale, there are now over 50 house churches. In Nakuru, over a dozen. In Nairobi, we are seeing new simple churches just now starting. In Migori and many other rural areas, we are seeing house churches begin to spring up in areas where no traditional churches are found.
We found that the crisis has brought about a new enthusiasm in Kenya for reaching people with the simple message of Christ (without religiosity), a simple church, and a simple lifestyle of following-Jesus that is based on relationship. The leaders we met with in three different cities were very excited about the possibilities they are now seeing for house churches to multiply in both the urban and rural areas of their country. We were very encouraged by their enthusiasm and by what seems to be a renewal of passion for reaching their nation.
Practical Needs Remain and We Will Do What We Can
Naturally, there is still a great need for emotional and spiritual healing throughout this nation. In addition, there are innumerable physical needs that are still unmet: people without homes, families trying to rebuild their livelihoods, and children left homeless because both of their parents were killed.
We will discuss with our “Listening Team” (those who have worked together to hear from God and distribute the money as it came in) how to distribute the remaining funds that we have on-hand to meet at least some of the incredible needs of this country.
Hope
Yet, as already mentioned, there is great hope in our hearts that God is doing a new work in Kenya, one that is deeply needed, that will stir them out of their religious externals and release a genuine, internal, dynamic, intimate-with-Jesus work in the hearts of these wonderful people.
Displaced Persons Camp:
Visiting With Camp Directors:
Two Teachers With Canvass School in Background:
Relocated Family:
Lonely Child:
Letter from Dawson:
Greetings from Kenya. Our hearts are full of thanks to the house church networks of the USA and all over the world. Since the disaster began, our friends from house churches are the only ones who stood with us. Even here in Kenya, those who seem to care are from house churches. Praise the Lord.
As I write this mail, last week we planted 10 house churches in one township. We had raised more than 50 leaders from the refugee camp and we sent out ten and now we have ten churches meeting in houses.
Every week, now, 5 house churches are being planted in different parts of our town. We have been criticized as being unqualified but we dont care. we are training our leaders while on the job. Good things are really happening. Can you imagine that at our refugee camp, nearly 70% of the total population is born again?
When these people came here, only 10% said they were believers. More than 80% have become believers in the past 3months, not only because they heard, but they also saw. Very soon, the remaining will become believers then, we would have accomplished our work at this camp.
We took one of our pastors to this camp so he can work closely with the elders we have been training in the camp.
Thanks again for the funds. At the camp, 35 babies were born and we took good care of them because you stood with us.
There are lots of testimonies coming in everyday.
This report and observation from Dawson is very, very encouraging:
With traditional churches, their worship structure got affected and that is why they can’t have church as normal. But with house church we don’t go to church but we take the church with us everywhere we go and that is why some house church members or leaders are so happy that they are getting new believers added to house church in their small tents where fellowship is going on as normal.
The traditional church got threatened by the violence and some may even close down but we have used the opportunity to train house church leaders in these camps. Can the church survive? Why not. Church is about people, we seek to touch peoples lives, lead them to Jesus. Anywhere, anytime when there is an opportunity.
In this region, we may be perceived as a very small congregation in terms of program but our house churches have done more than mega traditional churches in this situation in the country. We are not building programs and structures but we are touching lives in camps by assisting them, buying them blankets, buying small children warm clothes, sanitary towels for women, soaps, food, medicines and other things.
Through these acts of compassion, in our camp alone, we have about 50 church leaders now trained. 30 of them got born again here in the camp. You may ask, but they are young how can they lead a church, they are training while on the job.
We thank God for this. We have promised to stand by the refugees in this camp until they are resettled in the next three months. The government will be working on this.
The way things were… homes and people suffering violence:
The way things are… people still in refugee camps:
Some people finding transportation in hopes of starting a new life:
Isaac describes what our support has meant to him and those he works with:
For days after the clashes we were out of options. But today many of you have partnered with us to relieve human suffering to the most vulnerable and affected people. I can gladly say that we have seen the rise Hope at the end of the tunnel…
You have sent hope and helped us around where we could not imagine.
George Jaoko, a church leader in Nairobi, has been given funds to help with people affected by the violence. Here is his report:
We were able to visit the Nakuru Afraha Stadium Refugee Camp just 100m from the hotel where you (Roger and Brooks) were staying. There are still many displaced persons who do not even have a canvas to cover themselves or their properties. They are are even rained on.
We were able to meet the needs of some of these displaced persons who had nothing to give their children.
We spent some of the money you sent to buy food stuff for their hungry children. Some money was spent in buying food for Crosslink Childrens center which has its number increased. Other money was spent on assisting local church members who are staying with displaced persons but lack resources for food, blankets and mosquito nets.
We have been able to introduce many people to Jesus. I thank you so much for the donation that has been sent to us here in Kenya at this time of need.
Just hours ago the news is spreading throughout Kenya and the world that a peace agreement has been signed between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. The agreement calls for a coalition partnership:
“Given the current situation, neither side can realistically govern the country without the other. There must be real power-sharing to move the country forward and begin the healing and reconciliation process.
“With this agreement, we are stepping forward together, as political leaders, to overcome the current crisis and to set the country on a new path. As partners in a coalition government, we commit ourselves to work together in good faith as true partners, through constant consultation and willingness to compromise.”
View the whole story here and here.
While this will go a long way to avert the escalation of violence, there are still many issues facing the Kenyans, especially those who have lost homes, property, and loved ones. It will require several months (if all goes well) to relocate those who are in camps and to continue to provide for their safety and needs.
Nevertheless, we thank God for the peace that has been initiated in this critical area in Africa!!!
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (left) enjoying tea with President Kibaki (centre) and opposition leader Odinga:
From Dawson Mudenyo in Kitale:
Greetings again from Kenya. Testimonies are coming in every day at one of the camps where we have also pitched tent as our area and place of ministry. We have led nearly 100 families to the Lord in this camp. Every evening families get together either inside the small tent or outside the tent to pray for one another. They share testimonies and also share prayer requests and needs. We have witnessed forgiveness and reconciliation take place and we are so blessed to see lives getting changed.
This is the only refugee camp from the region where NO incident of rape, violence against women, children abuse and molestation has been reported. In other camps there are reports whereby even some people want to sleep with women before they give them anything for food, rape is also high and children molestation. We are blessed to see that our camp is the most organized camp in the region and this is because of Jesus and our brothers like you who are constantly praying with us and supporting us financially.
We bought more blankets and warm clothes for children after we received the funds you sent us. 10 children had gotten sick from the cold but we were able to quickly call in a doctor at a fee to attend to them. We are always at this camp giving advice, counseling, prayer and leading someone to christ. The other thing is that we are constantly asking God for wisdom to train leaders in this camp the right way.
Myself and other house church leaders from our house church network are coming here every week and this Sunday, that is tomorrow, we will divide ourselves so that we can divide the camp into 70 groups so that ministry can freely flow and reach down to everyone.
Again thanks for the funds, we are able to touch lives here with true compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been impressed by George Jaoko’s commitment to help others during this time of need. George is a church leader in Nairobi. George reported:
“I have church members and their relatives who are displaced, properties burned, no shelter, no food, children sleeping in the cold, displaced from livelyhood. The list is long.”
We sent George some assistance to help meet these needs and he replied:
“I even don’t have a word to express my appreciation of your offer. I even shed tears that you are so much concerned about us that much… God bless you abundantly.
This picture of George was taken in Nakuru during our conference there in December prior to the outbreak of violence:
On 27th of December 2007 we voted peacefully. Things seemed okay until the results were announced. That’s when we saw tension building up and people began talking in low tones. Nevertheless we never thought we were in danger. We continued working and thought the bad feelings would pass. There was certainly no indication that it would affect us at our home, hotel (our business place) and our Nakuru House Church Network.
We were just preparing to begin our house church fellowship when we heard noise along the road. We heard gunshots from town. Within an hour our house was surrounded by a loud mob. I had to make decisions very quickly. I called the provincial police officer but he was busy trying to handle the situation in town and couldn’t take my calls. The crowd’s intention was to burn us in the house. I tried to think how Meshack, Shadrack and ABDNEGO PRAYED IN THE FIERY FURNACE BUT……I COULD NOT JUST PRAY. Then I called the officer in charge of the local prison that I had been talking to about our House Church Network work. He reacted very fast and came to pick us up. I cannot imagine what would have happened if he had not known me.
The crowd was so charged, we almost did not get out. The officers fired in the air but the crowd had no respect for the power of the gun, they were so heated up. But narrowly we managed after the police killed one of them before our own eyes. One of them had to die for us to leave!
Many people in our city lost their lives at the hands of the police and clashing. Some areas of the country have become no go zones for some tribes of Kenya. More than 500 houses have been burned in Nakuru alone including some that belonged to our Nakuru house church network. The raiders loot before setting the house ablaze.
We were taken to the prison camp where we started sleeping. We were later transferred to the stadium. The situation was terrible: cold at night, raping incidents, no rule nor law in this camp at night. It was survival of the fittest.
Some of the women and even children in the following pictures were victims of the violence.
BECAUSE OF YOUR HELP, MANY NEEDS HAVE BEEN MET:
1. My wife and children have been moved to safety!
2. We had three girls and five of house church women raped before their husbands and children. Some of the needed medical treatment has been taken care of.
3. Some illnesses (pneumonia) have been treated.
4. Food has been provided at the camp.
MORE NEEDS NOT YET MET:
1. Additional medical treatment for some of the rape victims.
2. Additional medication for those who have contracted pneumonia.
3. Additional food needed.
4. Money to bury house church members who have been killed.
5. Transportation and police escort to relocate some of the families.
6. Additional clothes, shoes, blankets, and clean drinking water.
(Note from Roger: we will be providing Isaac with additional funds immediately.)
Your prayers and support are making a difference.
Here’s what I think I’ve learned so far. Darkness runs, and a silent night becomes holy when I by faith believe I am not alone. I remind myself of His faithfulness in the past and the reliability of his word. I recommit to giving him my all, and I with gratitude receive even the dark night of my life. My silent night becomes holy when I remember what is REALLY important is life beyond this life, and focus on getting others there. You and I have silent nights, too. Maybe not this kind, but other situations where hopes are dashed and taunting demons about a forlorn future seem to materialize from nowhere. The evidence seems clear to me—silent nights become holy nights when HE is with me. I’m going to act like that is true by faith, and pray that you will too. “You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.” II Samuel 22:29
Together we have raised over $6,000 during the past 2 weeks to bring relief to Kenyans during this crisis. This is an outstanding response so far!
Here is a report on how some of the funds are being used. In one camp, located near Kitale, the Red Cross delivered some tents to provide temporary housing to refugees. Dawson and Elizabeth Mudenyo, along with others, helped set the tents up. Dawson writes:
“We can accommodate 32 families in these tents but the cold at night is the biggest issue with small children. Some families have more than 7 small children. We manage to buy every family a blanket with a mat but that is not enough, the children need something warm especially the infants. We are therefore in need of about 109 blankets and some warm clothes for these infants which can be bought at second hand shop here. Last evening, we brought a medical nurse with us to diagnose these children and he said it required urgent attention. The Red cross is only providing food, that is corn, beans and rice. The infants are suffering, they are the most affected. We bought some medicines but the best way would be to get something warm for children. That is one urgent need now.”
We have sent Dawson additional funds today to meet this need.
What an awesome partnership between compassionate Christians here and caring Christians there!
Dawson Mudenyo reports the following tragic story:
“I am attaching a picture of a lady whose husband went missing. The only thing she found the next morning was her husband’s clothes stained with blood. Only clothes, the body was missing. He was later found buried in a toilet somewhere else. She hasn’t gone back; she cant go back. We have led her to the Lord where she can find joy.”
The following prayer requests were sent to Rob Bleakney from Hudson Mukunza of the Kenya House of Prayer. Please pass this on to all concerned pray-ers and intercessors:
1. Pray for the church to be healed and raise up to heal the nation. We have prayed and still pray that God will forgive us as a church and believers for failing him in not being a true priesthood to the nation but loving our ethnic groups more. We pray that we will separate ourselves as the Levites did in Ex 33:25-
2. We plead with God to raise a new priesthood that will do God’s will and will be faithful to him 1 Sam 2:35-
3. God to change the hearts of hardliners to see the nation out of this political stalemate Prov 21:1, Prov 25:5 and to remove the wicked who cause the nation to stumble and not move by their wicked desires.
4. Pray for the displaced people, to know the love of God in these difficult circumstances, forgive those who hurt them and that they will receive help to re-settle.
5. Pray for the restoration of this nation. So much is broken down spiritually, socially and economically.
6. Resit the enemy who has come in like a flood. May the Lord indeed lift up a standard against the evil forces of darkness agaist our nation.
7. Pray for the mediation efforts by Kofi Annan team that foundational issues will be discussed and solutions found for the laying a new foundation for Kenya.
From “The Economist,” Feb. 7, 2008:
Stop this descent into hell
SIX weeks after Mwai Kibaki stole an election, the bloodshed and ethnic cleansing in swathes of Kenya are getting frighteningly worse. Parts of the country are in danger of sealing themselves off (see article). Areas where a medley of ethnic groups once lived together are being ripped apart in tribal mayhem. The economy is rapidly deteriorating. The export of tea, coffee and flowers, big foreign-currency earners, has slowed drastically. Tourism is plummeting. Whole towns have been paralysed, as ethnic cleansing has spread, with Mr Kibaki’s fellow Kikuyus, who run thousands of businesses outside their own heartlands, being chased out or even killed. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
You can read the entire article here.
Isaac and Emily, from Webuye, are involved in house churches and sent the following report as an email to Tony Dale:
Dear Tony,
We are much previleged especially to write you this mail. God is indeed good and we really thank him and praise his name for what he has already done and for what he is yet about to do.
Last friday the group of over 200 people robbed our house. They had dangerous weapons. They came at night around 1.00am and ordered everyone of us to take out his/her Identification Card to see if there was any kikuyu in the house. By good luck we dint have any kikuyu in our midst. They also wanted to rape the women in the house but one of them asked me if i had ksh 500 for every woman in the house. This would mean failure to have the money guarantees raping. ie they (the women) would be raped if they (the gang group) would not be given ksh 500 each. After that they just began arguing themselves within the house and one of then just asked me to give them any of the money I had. I gave them ksh 5000 and they took our phones plus some blankets and matresses and also took bicycles. They also took 2 bulls. They also went around to the neighbours’ house and raped 12 wives in different families. They fought the men and left them in painful conditions killing ( by slaughtering) 8 kikuyus. We pitied them alot but had nothing to do except praying.
Things were also burnt in My brother Joseph’s house together with his wife Emily Barasa in Nairobi whereby everything in the house was burnt. They were also injured and left in difficult conditions. The police rescued them and took them to hospital. James wife caro plus his son are now camping at the Eldoret police station. She is a kikuyu. We are trying if we can be able to work on it so that he can be escorted by the police to the airport and if possible fly to Nairobi and then go back to Embu. Also my sister Julie was also beaten when she was coming back home from her work ie Izaac’s hotel in Embu. Also james was living in alot of fear. My mother is atleast better. she is now improving and has taken a cup of tea this morning.
We still trust in the lord despite all that for he is the protection we need otherwise we thank God for what he really did to us because we are now alive and living in him. We will continue believing in him and also reach those affected where possible. Infact this is the time the lord has put us together as a team working for the glory of his name and we will continue dwelling in the lord. Also mary mrs martin and emily started a prayer meeting with other women who have been in our house as from 3.00pm to 4.30pm daily.
We praise the lord for his mighty doing otherwise we appreciate the lord’s victory on our side and we believe in him for his word encourages us never to give up regardless of the circumstances and what we might be passing through espaecially in this hard times. May God Really bless you and do you good even as you pray with us at all times.
Yours in the Lord
Isaac & Emily
More violence was stirred up when a policeman shot and killed an opposition lawmaker yesterday:
ELDORET, Kenya – A policeman shot and killed an opposition lawmaker Thursday in what authorities say was a crime of passion over a woman. But machete-wielding protesters convinced it was an assassination clashed with police, leaving at least three dead.
The fighting interrupted talks aimed at calming a nation gripped by violence since a disputed election a month ago.
At least one person died and 21 people were injured in this western city after the lawmaker’s death. In Eldoret’s main hospital, bloody trails led to overcrowded wards where bandaged victims shared dirty mattresses on the floor because there weren’t enough beds…
You can read the entire article here.
Nakuru continues to be one of the hotspots for this unrest. Nakuru was the location of the conference that the Thomans did in December and where Isaac and Colleta Lutenge live (see previous posts):
Outside the main police station in Eldoret, about 40 people lay in the gravel trying to sleep after they fled the violence in the nearby town of Nakuru.
Helen Kidogo cuddled her 11-month-old son as her 6-year-old daughter sat in the shadow of the police station. The family had fled their home without anything.
“I’m scared for my children,” Kidogo said. “People are burning houses, killing people and burning them.”
Thanks for your prayers. May God see you as His vessel which is holy and worthy to be used.
Pastor the problem we are in now is that we don’t have food, clothes, mattresses, mosquito net, drugs and shelter. For we are at the camp. Imagine pastor this things have resulted in many evil activities because over 30 people staying in the same room, sleeping in same room regardless of the sex. In fact, in the course of this week more than 57 people were killed in Nakuru, over 600 houses burned. In Kibera Nairobi 48 were killed and a railway was destroyed. In Naivaisha 10 people were burned alive, 50 were beheaded, and over 500 houses and properties destroyed. In Eldored 20 people were killed and over 40 houses burned. In all these places people have many injuries, sleeping outside. To mention but a few on our slope over 67 youths were abducted. We are praying for the Lord to shorten such trials. Yesterday we had a serious prayer with pastor Dawson in my camp. He witnessed all the problems I am in. My wife is also sick and has no medical attention.
Pastor imagine even they killed Embakas who is yet to be buried.
May you pray and stand with us in such moments in any way for its not a waste. Anything good you do for us kenyans you will be rewarded abundantly and sooner.
pastor ken
