I got this email, and I wrote my friend asking if she minded if I posted it, but I must have missed her on her way back into Kenya. Anyway, I think it would be okay to post a few lines so that if you want to, you can answer my friend's request:"Our church in Eldoret was burned to the ground killing 50 people and seriously wounding the pastor. Please pray for him."
The rest of the letter is full of similar horrible stories, many of which you have seen or heard on the news.
My heart breaks for the people there and for the political, tribal and economic issues that currently tear them apart. I guess it has to do with my not knowing the situation that well, but, frankly, I was shocked by what has happened and the speed at which it shifted into such brutality. Looking back, the energy in the slums of Nairobi where I spent time shooting did have an edge - close to the edge you feel when a crowd is about to bolt, but not quite that electrifying. I attributed it to poverty and stuck close to my local contacts.
This paragraph really hit home, as I spent hours with Moses recording the stories of his childhood as in the Masai village:
"We spoke with Moses Sayo, one of our Masai pastors in Narok and he told us of more than 300 gunmen who came into the city and just began to shoot anyone moving. The grocery stores were burned, shops were burned and people are hiding indoors for fear for their lives and they are unable to get the basic necessities of life and are running out of food. The stories go on and on. Please pray."
My friends are back in Kenya now, lending hands, wisdom, prayers and encouragement. Here is an article with more info.
