“Kenya’s Darkest Week.”

The Kenyan newspaper The Daily Nation proclaimed this in a banner headline during the first week of January, when allegations of vote-rigging in national elections unleashed a wave of violence between tribal groups that claimed many civilian lives and displaced some 300,000 people. Some 50 people were burned to death as a rival tribe set fire to a church in Eldoret. The situation is quieter, but still tense, as the opposition party plans to attend the opening of parliament this week and proclaim itself the de facto government of Kenya.

“We are bound to have chaos unless God intervenes,” said a YWAM worker in Kenya.

Meanwhile, nationwide prayer meetings were held that brought together Christians from a variety of denominations. In spite of recent violence, God is on the move in Kenya. YWAM Kenya has been in existence since 1978. The port city of Mombasa was the first YWAM Kenya location, strategically located at the Gateway to East Africa. From the Mombasa center, training to reach unreached people groups with the Gospel takes place. The School of Frontier Mission is scheduled to run at YWAM Mombasa in 2009. Current church planting teams are working among the Somali of Kenya and Ethiopia, the Digo, and the Orma in Tana River.

From the Mombasa mother base, YWAM has a center at Athi River, east of Nairobi, which runs Discipleship Training Schools and has an evangelism team. A Student Mobilization Centre in Nairobi mobilizes university students to take their professional skills to the unreached.

Other news from Africa:

Latin American Christmas in Africa

YWAM staff at the Muizenberg training center celebrated Christmas 2007 with a Latin American flavor. A team of ten ladies from Latin America came to South Africa as part of a project called A Different Kind of Christmas‚ Their aim and hope was to bless and encourage missionaries who are away from loved ones during the holiday. The team in exchange experienced the African mission field up close. The Latin Americans threw a Christmas Eve party for 70 people and each received a gift. Once the team arrived with their special supplies and gifts, word got out and people just kept showing up. How did the women manage to cater for all those extra people? “In our country we have a saying….. where eight people eat, nine people eat.” From the youngest team member, who is 15, to a 53-year-old, all demonstrated a passion to serve.

YWAM Staff in Bus Crash

On January 7 in Malawi, four YWAMers survived a serious car crash after the bus they were traveling in overturned. YWAM Mzuzu leader, Amanda van Saasen send out this text message from Malawi: Last night at 10pm a Coach Line bus over turned on a mountain with 4 YWAMers on board, 3 Brazilians on outreach and one Malawian staff from the Mzuzu base. They are all fine: just cuts, bruises and shock. It is a miracle not a single person died in the accident. I found them all just after midnight huddled together with the rest of the passengers next to the bus, praying in the mist and the rain. They are now all safe with me in Blantyre. Thank you for praying. Public transport accidents are notoriously high in Africa, and this is the most common means of travel for most YWAM staff. Over the years many fellow YWAMers have been involved in similar road accidents, including one in Nigeria in 2005 which claimed the lives of eight YWAM staff and students. mmm-