If you have a TV, listen to the radio, or browse the headlines of the newspaper you have probably heard about the riots in Kenya following the recent presidential election. As of yesterday they had counted 600 dead and an undisclosed number of folks displaced from their homes due to the violence. I read a newspaper article where they estimate the country has lost nearly a billion dollars in tourist dollars since the event started.
Why do I bring it up? Because I'm scheduled to travel there next month. We strongly considered changing the location of the event, but opted against it. My tickets should be finalized this week.
In case your wondering, the violence is more deeply rooted than a political election. It comes from long standing tensions between tribes. Kenya is one of the countries in Africa that seemed to make so much progress in development over the last couple decades, it seems that the economic progress hasn't brought them any closer as a country. They are not unified, but rather divided among tribal lines. Please pray for peace among the tribes in this nation. Pray that they can find the commonalities between them and not focus on the differences. Pray for unity in Kenya and safety for all of the travelers coming from different parts of the earth for this event in February. Safety is always a concern, but now there is a known threat.
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