Protest, Precautions, and Provisions

Over the last month or so Kenya has been experiencing political unrest including rioting which has caused some businesses in Nairobi and other parts of the country to shut down on certain days to avoid the protesting and protect their employees and businesses. Thankfully in this case we live very rurally and for the most part the protests and riots haven't affected us. However, things seem to be escalating, with a group of people demanding that the president of Kenya lower the cost of living or they will take over the government. If this happens it will definitely affect us.

As we've been talking with our staff and other missionaries living in Kenya we've been advised to stock up on nonperishable foods and goods just in case. If things escalate, getting food and supplies could become a very real problem for us. While in many cases, living rurally has benefits, it also has drawbacks because we are 8 hours from Nairobi and sometimes have supply issues since we are so far away from where "everything" happens.

Since we have such a large responsibility (we are serving 4,700+ plates of food a week) we feel it is best to be prepared in case the rioting escalates or a government takeover happens. We have friends who are going to stock up an 8 week supply. They have been in Kenya for over 15 years and have experienced much more than us. For us to stock up for 8 weeks it would cost about $14,000 and we would need to raise that money in order to make a purchase that large. If we are unable to raise the full $14,000 then we will just prioritize some and get the most important non-perishables first.

Please keep Kenya in your prayers during this time. If you are able to help meet this need please click here, you will be able to designate your gift to "food" on the second page. If we are able to stock up it will also allow us to shift to monthly shopping for non-perishables which will save us time and money! There is really no risk in bulk purchasing like this because we know we will use these things. Thank you for continued prayers and support here, you are impacting real lives in a big way.