Saturday

The above picture was the scene from our back porch this past Sunday. It is Kibera burning; we could smell it. What a terrible tragedy for so many people; we are just so grateful that our friends in Kibera got out alive. As of yesterday, all of our friends in the slum areas are accounted for; somewhat selfishly, we are grateful for that.

Above is breakfast at the Smith house. Our guests include (from right) Milly, Beryl, Cynthia, Sharon "Small", Calvin, Churchill, Victor, Beatrice, Sharon "big", Maureene, Basil, and Collins. No, it has not been a burden at all-- they team together to cook, clean, and play with our kids, and they all get along great. We have not had to referee even one argument. It has been such a blessing to have them with us, not to mention just plain fun!!!! Sundi and Damon will sorely miss them when they go.

George, who is the father of 9 of the 12, has been back home defending their turf. Several days ago the man who lives below them was robbed and most of his things destroyed. They had to hide him in their house for safety, because he is a different tribe. He had to pretend he was one of the mob in order to convince them to go away before burning the place down. That same night a band of thugs came by to burn down the village, but the men of the village met them head on with knives and clubs and they decided to turn away.

Today some Mungiki came back looking for more trouble, but fortunately the police got there in time and one of the thugs was shot and the others left. The whole situation is, well, indescribable. This is just one of the many stories that won't make it on the news; but we thank God that we are all safe. George risked his life to keep his tribesmen from possibly even killing a man of another tribe; it reminds me of Rahab and the spies. What an awesome godly example. It is this type of brotherhood that we hope will usher Kenya into a new era of church-led tribal reconciliation.