January 1, 2008 Happy New Year, but not so happy in Kenya. With the recent presidential elections, there is a lot of political unrest. You can read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7166932.stm. Please pray for Kenya and their people that they can peacefully resolve their differences. I was encouraged to receive an e-mail earlier today from NEGST Vice Chancellor, Douglas Carew. He wrote:

Ed,

We flew back into Nairobi yesterday morning. There was an uneasy calm as we drove from the airport to NEGST, but no serious incidents of violence. Most of the violence appears to have been restricted to certain parts of the city and to some hot spots in the West of the country, two hundred miles or so from Nairobi.

What we have at the moment is a serious political crisis that has been attended by some severe localized violence and widespread uncertainty. Church and other leaders are making efforts at reconciliation. We are praying and hoping that the situation will not degenerate and a peaceful solution will be found soon. We are monitoring the situation and should be able to advise more appropriately before your meeting on Saturday.

Do keep us and Kenya in your prayers.

Blessings,
Douglas

I also heard from Dr. Chet Wood, he added his thoughts:

Ed,

I am sure the Douglas will give you good guidance. My own experience of such riots is that they are very localized and that one can avoid them by asking locals where the hot spots are.

Chet

At times like this it really helps to put things into perspective. Here in the United States, we take the transfer of power rather calmly. What is the real message here? I now, more than ever, am very interested in visiting Kenya and understanding why this is the crisis it is.

We must remember to keep Kenya, and its people in our prayers.