The last entry in question???

For the past 7 Sundays, we have said to each other, “this is the week that we will know how the upcoming months will pan out”. Last Sunday was no exception…things have been peaceful here throughout most of the country for about two weeks now. We are moving around with caution, but the fear is no longer paralyzing. We were confident that Condi’s visit would either make it or break it.

While we don’t know what happened behind closed doors, Condi’s welcome was split among tribal and political lines as either the US flexing their muscles too much or a much-needed visit from a leader whose country has a good taste of democracy. Her comments to the Kenyan people spoke of a need for “real power sharing”, a direction that the current government had not been very open to. Well her overstepping of boundaries/concerned visit (however you look at it) was helpful in setting the stage for the week’s negotiations. Kofi has asked for a breakthrough in the negotiation process by tomorrow (Monday) while the opposition has promised “mass civil disobedience” if things are not cleared up by Wednesday. So, perhaps our weekly glimpse of hope is more justified this week.

Gideon was involved in a week-long pastor reconciliation meeting in one of the slums of Nairobi. It focused on tribal differences and the role that they church plays in reconciliation. We did not attend as it didn’t seem appropriate. Many of these meetings are taking place in cities throughout Kenya at this point, hosted by an organization that formed in Rwanda following the genocide. We continue to work on some of the upcoming developments with CTM and find ways to support pastors in a myriad of ways. Over the upcoming week, we will host a retreat for the pastors in our network and provide a space to think about how this impacts our work.

A few prayer requests as we enter this crucial week:

• Government leaders as they consider long term solutions while dealing with the immediate nature of the crisis.
• Community and church leaders as they reconcile ethnic differences and develop strategies to transform their communities.
• The thousands of people that are still displaced as health and morale are decreasing and many of the camps are being shut down. Many people still do not feel comfortable returning to their homes because of tribal conflict.
• CTM as we gather as a network this week to explore reconciliation within our group and to discern how it is that we move forward as an organization that learns from what has happened over the past two months.

We hope that you are all doing well, weathering the presidential primaries, Midwest snowstorms and Lenten offerings.