Tuesday, January 22nd

Sorry we have been a little slower in updating the blog the past few days. We have had lots of rain which makes our internet less reliable. We have a wireless connection to our house which works with an antenna. So, clouds and rain block the reception. Even when there has not been rain, the connection speed has been very slow. So, it has taken longer to be productive online. Someone once told me there are two speeds of internet in Kenya, slow and painfully slow. That is certainly evident this week.

It is a beautiful day today, however. We are hoping this shapes ups to be a normal week. The kids could use it, and so could we. I have had too many conversations lately that centered on the need for “normal” life to return. Many of us are being intentional about getting back into routines. Actually, Horace, Jr. had to write a poem for Language Arts with the topic of an emotion during this time frame in Kenya. He chose “Confusion,” which I think is totally appropriate.

We had some great news yesterday; Middle School Model United Nations is on schedule starting today. Horace, Jr. will be lobbying other groups for support of his resolution. His teacher cautioned them to get support based on the issues; he was instructed by his coach not to use it as an opportunity to collect phone numbers of cute girls. J Basketball is also on target for him tomorrow. Mary Shea will start her basketball next week.

Expectations are high for the arrival of Kofi Annan today. We hope and pray that some sort of agreement will be reached. There are many confusing statements in the press about what will and what will not be acceptable to both sides. We will wait and see what happens. The paper has many pages dedicated to this topic today. It seems there is a lot of discussion about the discussion.

Out of all of this controversy, it is becoming more apparent that the troubles have been brewing under the surface for quite some time. The struggles are not only between people of different people groups, but also between the rich and poor. Kenya is a country of contrasts having both abundant wealth and extreme poverty. Some have said this is mostly between the two people groups of the Presidential candidates, but there have been many more conflicts that have flared up.

In our area, we see very little of the troubles. It is difficult to believe that all of the terror has happened in the same country, let alone the same city. Just across town, it is not so settled. I received a call today from a friend asking me to be the emergency contact for her children in case she is not able to cross town to get them from school. Of course, we are glad to do it, but it is unsettling knowing that they feel the need to do this, so please pray that “the peace of the Lord which passeth all understanding” will fall on this nation. As Horace, Jr. said, “confusion” is definitely the emotion of the day.

We will do our best to update you as more news breaks.

Blessings,

Anne