Picking up the Pieces

The mall may be deserted and the gun fire has stopped.
But the influence this day has left on people will not be forgotten.

Westage Mall collapse

It has been exactly one week since terrorists stormed the Westgate mall in Nairobi and people are back to their routines. The weekend hosted dozens of funerals including the funeral of the president's nephew and his fiance which was held at Nairobi Chapel on Friday morning. I had the opportunity to help make sure things went smoothly and as the place packed with about 3,000 mourners and press, it was evident that last Saturday will be forgotten by few.

It is not only those who lost loved ones who will forever have it etched in their brains. It is also the ones who escaped that will grieve. They will need to come to terms with this experience and for a few, a lot of internal healing will need to be sought.

Today the state of the once very posh shopping centre lies in rubble (above) but it will be rebuilt and restored and enjoyed again. As will the hearts of everyone affected by this horrible event.

A friend of mine was in the mall with her children that day. Her photo was taken and her story recorded here.

4 year old Portia, running to safety

What God Hates

There are six things the Lord hates—

no, seven things he detests:

haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,

feet that race to do wrong,

a false witness who pours out lies,

a person who sows discord in a family.

- Proverbs 6:16-19

Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked with Al-Qaeda, is proving to be guilty of every one of these characteristics as they have unleashed yet another attack on unsuspecting, innocent men, women and children in Nairobi. This isn't new to them. Their game is terrorizing the globe. Pakistan, India, Uganda, Kenya are only a handful of locations where they have unleashed their cowardly killing sprees to save face of a losing battle against a world who actually holds human rights valuable. Their spokesmen continue to spew out pretentious small minded threats against anyone who supports taking down their terrorist group in any way.

Just thinking about this garbage makes my blood boil. I've been on Canadian soil when the US was attacked but this time, it hits even closer to home.

Westage is a four storey shopping centre, comprised of over 80 stores including a movie theatre and a two storey grocery store, on the west side of Nairobi. I've been there a bunch of times. Typically around holidays because the way they decorate the place always reminds me a bit of Canada.

The last time I was there I played Uncharted from a bean bag chair in the video game section of a tech shop and ate at Haandi where I ordered some curry dish in medium; discovering that their 'medium' actually means 'runny nose and fiery tongue.'

On a Saturday at lunch time there are thousands of people roaming it's brightly lit hallways; many of them families with small children. This is when the Al-Shabaab decided to attack. They didn't attack the Kenyan military, police or government. They attacked children, pregnant women, the elderly... They attacked Kenyans and foreigners alike. The current death toll lies at 62 with victims between the ages of 2-76. They killed anyone they pleased in their frantic blood-lust. And while they did that, they tweeted! Twitter shut down multiple accounts but they just continued registering and mocking Kenyan police as closed in on the terrorists and secured hostages. One tweet that was particularly piggish, "Westgate a 14-hour standoff relayed in 1,400 rounds of bullets and 140 characters of vengeance and still ongoing. Good morning Kenya!"

I can't quite wrap my head around how people are capable of this kind of evil. I don't want to get into the discussion of types of sin and how there is no grade of severity - sin is sin. But the Bible is clear: God hates what is going on at Westgate. Hates it with a passion. As do I. As should we all. 

A People Who Prayed For Peace

Well, as most of you would have heard, Kenya recently just had it's first presidential election since the horrors that took place in this country in 2007 over the last election. And much to the international media's disappointment, they had nothing to report on but peace.

Peace doesn't sell papers. You don't get high ratings from stories of peace. But the church in this nation prayed, diligently, for over a year in preparation for the 2013 election and God heard their prayers. And he answered with a resounding, "Amen." And so it was... and so it is.

For the first time in the history of this country's independence, the only thing the people wanted more than a winner was for their neighborhoods and relationships to lack any kind of tension.

God fought for us and with us in this cause and He has transformed this country's story from a fiery, murderous blemish to a promise of hope and unity among Kenyans. They also have a new constitution and had their first ever presidential debates this year. God did all that in less than 5 years.

The day after the winner was chosen, the celebration was not for the prospective new President*, but it was a celebration of what God has done. There are no riots, no looters, no machete wielding idlers, no hate speech, no posters... nothing but peace.

I joined in that celebration and I'm not surprised in the least that there is peace. God is really working on this nation. I can see the future here and it is a bright one.

(Nairobi Chapel - The morning after the votes were tallied)

*The announced winner of the election has not yet taken his place as President. There were some abnormalities in the tallying process that are being challenged in court. Until there is a verdict, President Kibaki remains in power.

The First Rule in Fire Hose Operation...

The first rule of fire hose operation is to hold on tight!

This is not a training that security guards receive though, I’m sure. Because on Wednesday afternoon, the two responsible for turning it on, ran as fast as the onlookers while that hose shot up like a drunken cobra ready to give concussions and a thorough bathing to anyone who dared enter it’s ring.

Let me back up a little to an enjoyable turkey, cheese and avocado wrap that I was doing my best to savor and not choke down like a goose because it was so delicious. I was having lunch with a pastor of mine, whom I always enjoy talking to. And as we chatted about friends, work and puppies we noticed an alarming amount of white smoke coming from the chimney of the adjacent restaurant. She made a joke about the announcement of a new pope as I thought, “Surely, the staff must know about this.” And, “At least the smoke isn't coming from the kitchen.”