The Somali people are the
largest tribe in Africa. With all the instability and violence in Somalia
in the past decade, many Somalis have fled to surrounding countries. Many
thousands have fled south, ending up in temporarily in Nairobi. They have
filled the once prosperous area of Eastleigh, hoping to move on to a better
life.
When we were in Kenya in 2001, we had a chance to visit
Paul and Kelly Carline, fellow missionaries from New Brunswick who are working
with the Somali people in Nairobi. They took us into Eastleigh, letting us
see first-hand what they experienced every day. We also ate a very tasty
meal at an Ethiopian restaurant nearby.
Last August, we were guests at the Atlantic Baptist
Women's Mission's conference. Kelly had been asked to give a presentation
at the missions banquet. She claimed she was nervous about doing it
herself, so she had her mother-in-law and her two daughters help her describe
Eastleigh. The word pictures they drew brought back the sights: dusty,
bumpy roads, people on the streets, laundry hanging out to dry; the sounds: cars
honking, people talking, trucks roaring by; and the smells: dust
everywhere, garbage in the streets, open sewers, meat roasting somewhere.
Kelly and her family members took turns giving word pictures of some aspect of
life in Eastleigh, and Kara, age 11, ended each word picture with the line,
"...And the people are waiting, hoping for something better."
We are all waiting for something. Some are waiting
to spend eternity with God, others are waiting to see if they will have money to
buy the next meal for their family. We have been told by several people
that we aren't waiting to embark on our trip to Kenya; we are already on the
journey. As we are moving forward, we are waiting for many things to fall
into place. We are waiting on God, believing that he will help us through
all the details.
Plans are starting to come together for us leaving the first week of
August. Support is to the level where we can do more serious
planning. We are starting to clean up our basement in preparation for
storing things, and going to Kenya is feeling a bit more real. Signs of
spring have added a bit of excitement. Currently we have 86% of our
required monthly support. We still need the remaining funds. If God
is leading you to give, please contact AIM or CBM at the addresses
below.
May this season of new life encourage you as we
reflect on Christ's glorious resurrection.
Michael, Bernadine, Julianne and Evan
You
can see our previous newsletters on our website at www.kijabe.org/mission2004.
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Michael and Bernadine Steeves |
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Africa Inland Mission |
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Canadian Baptist Ministries |
