Riots, Violence and Clashes OH MY!

I have received a lot of questions about how the violence affected us personally. I am not sure if, in writing, I can relay the feelings, emotions and experiences, but I will try.

We had just moved into our new home. We timed it right before the elections, just in case there were problems (what Godly wisdom from our team leaders). Unfortunately we did not have a stocked pantry. Just a few items. So, I went out with the girls to the market to buy beans, sugar, flour, rice and maize meal. Staple items. It took over 2 hours, the lines were worse than Wal-Mart at Christmas. We were already stressed. The elections had been over and it had been almost 2 days and the results were not announced. It was tense. I drove home, in the dark, almost shaking because of the fear. There were people everywhere. Just random. Outside, waiting for some news.

The results came the next day and panic ensued. The violence closest to us was mostly in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, second largest in the world. We could hear it mostly and not see things. If we needed food (or internet) we would sneak out at between 7-8 am and try to do things. Walk if possible, vehicles were being burned right and left. I thought of thoughts I never thought I would. If I was in the car with the girls and couldn't get Katriel out of her seat, am I capable of running over people? Who wants to think that? It was really a struggle for me.

The scariest night is actually funny now. We went to bed. You can't really sleep with the on/off adrenaline rush. It was about midnight and shooting started. It was from all directions, there was yelling, screaming, dogs. So noisy and close. It was everywhere. We turned on the radio "Happy New Year!" It was fireworks. We were up and dressed in about 30 seconds. Had an evacuation plan. We were ready to go. And it was a celebration. In the midst of the chaos.

Why did we stay? I have often heard, and will say again, "the safest place to be is in the middle of God's will". This was so true for us. I am sure only because of your prayers and ours, the peace was so overwhelming. After a few days, we were able to sleep at night. Function during the day. There was no more terror. No fear. My "Be fearless" bracelet was a constant reminder to me. It was astonishing really what peace there was. Not that it was easy, but there was peace.

Being forced to stay in our house for a few months enabled us to unpack, what else was there to do? The electricity was fairly constant, so we read, watched movies. We had extra people at our house, so always someone to visit with. When someone drove in the compound, we were quick to go and ask questions about the condition of the city. Live broadcasting of news was illegal during this time, so this was the only way to get news.

Prices tripled. Eggs, milk, meat anything fresh was really hard to get and expensive. All other things were severally restricted. The roads were all blocked by violence and no trucks were passing, so no deliveries. Commodities were hard to get. Our ovens all run on propane tanks, like BBQs. No propane for days. When there was, it was expensive.

We also were buying furniture for our house. Beds, etc. We snuck out on "safe" days to do this. We went to team meetings, talked about evacuation, the US embassy and where to go? Is driving to Tanzania safer than trying to cross the city to go to the airport? We packed 72 hour kits and had them by the door ready. What happens to the dog? The house help? The house? If we can't get out, will the US embassy help us?

When Jaden started school again mid January, that was really scary for me as a mother. I had to put her on a bus to travel across town (where the school is, was really safe, it was the drive only). The principle would ride the bus route on his motorcycle each morning and give us an okay or a no-go. There were days canceled, or late start. It was a time of faith. It was hard to talk about all this with Jaden. She knew somethings because of us talking, but we have no TV, so knew little. After she went to school, she learned a lot. An entire church was burned down with 100 people in it. How do you explain this to a six year old? It was really a time of stretching for both of us.

So to sum it up, it was a time of peace, intense boredom from staying home interspersed with short spurts of terror.

Thanks again for your prayers.