GlocalNet

Today was day six of the Msafara, and day one of Eldoret. Eldoret was at the heart of the fighting & killing, and we expected to find deep divisions and anger. It was in Eldoret that the church with people inside was burnt down; people beheaded, bodies left strewn on the streets where innocent people had been killed. We came into Eldoret under armed escort, expecting an even more difficult time of spiritual warfare than Nakuru had been.

But the 5 hr service this morning was awesome! We began in worship and passionate spiritual warfare prayer. Bishop Njiri preached a convicting word from Rom 14:17, pointing out the errors pastors fell into during the elections, and how we are called to be agents of righteousness and peace, even in the midst of the pain many are nursing. I shared briefly on the 3 sins that the bible says defile a nation, and then we began praying again . . . and boy did we pray! People wept, people wailed, people bound the floodgates, and we knelt, lay prostrate, raised our hands, humbled ourselves and pleaded for God’s mercy and forgiveness for our sins and for the sins of Eldoret.

The service leader of then called for a Kalenjin to come and confess the sins of his people. A young pastor came forward and wept and cried because of what his people had done. By the time he was done, everyone was literally in tears. An older Luo pastor followed him and wept for the sins of his community, and then a Kikuyu pastor prayed.

Bishop Tuimising, a Kalenjin Pastor with high credibility, followed and named the sins of his people. The Kalenjin had certain rules that governed how they shed blood. It was taboo to Kill children and women. It was taboo to kill someone if they took shelter in a house, climbed a tree or lay down clinging onto the grass (sigh of total submission), but in these skirmishes they killed indiscriminately — innocent women and children, and torched houses with people still inside. He said that even under their own laws they stood cursed, and in need of repentance.

And so he proceeded to call for water and a towel, and washed the feet of a Luo, Gisii and Kikuyu pastor as a sign of humility. He then called the Kalenjin pastors, his community, to come forward and line one side of the hall, while the other tribes lined the other side. An elderly Kalenjin pastor asked the forgiveness of the other tribes, and a Kikuyu pastor pronounced forgiveness. The reverse was done, and then everyone hugged. Yes, these sort of things have been done in many forums, but in this charged one, with so much pain in the room (one man had shared how his wife and 4 children were killed in the church that was burnt down), the action had immense symbolic power.

We shared communion after that . . . and all felt that the healing had started. Yes, it will take many months before true healing is done, but for those who were there, the first step was taken and we felt a breakthrough.

While the pastors were meeting, the Intercessors and Caregivers were in the IDP camp caring for people. They also held an evangelistic rally where about 30 people accepted the Lord. These IDP visits have had a profound, growing impact on our own team members. We had not expected or planned this — we just wanted them to care for and love the people in the camps, but many are saying this Msafara might be the most important spiritually defining experience they have ever gone through. We wait to see what God will do with this.