Report from East Africa Senior Pastor John Elliott regarding the unrest in Kenya:   January 29, 2008   Dear fellow ministers,   As you know the situation in Kenya has been disheartening to say the least. At the same time, God’s complete protection of over 800 members and regular attendees continues to be very heartwarming! A few minutes ago, Antonio Ndung’u our office manager in Nairobi said, “We all are safe and the situation is beginning to calm.” In recent days reports of killing and burning in and around the lake town of Naivasha have filled the news. Naivasha is located on the north end of Lake Naivasha, while our Feast of Tabernacles and United Youth Camp site is located on the southern end of the lake. Along the shores in between the two locations are massive greenhouses that grow and supply nearly 30% of the fresh cut flowers for Europe. It is hard to equate that lovely area with the atrocities being reported. Thankfully, Kofi Annan has just announced progress in getting the rival presidential contestants to agree to “reunite Kenya” (http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgindex.asp).   I will share with you a letter I just sent to the membership in East Africa. I hope it will provide a sense of what we are doing with and for our brethren there.   All the best to all of you and thank you for your prayers and concern,   John Elliott   Greetings brethren in East Africa, The Daily Nation and other sources have kept us all aware of the unfortunate events that are transpiring in Kenya since the December 27 election results were announced. While former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan holds meetings with Mr. Mwai Kibaki and Mr. Raila Odinga, the results of the high level meetings has been negligible. Mr. Annan said today that full talks could take a year. Meanwhile helpless civilians are being hacked and burned to death by armed criminals across the beloved country of Kenya. Such violence can only bring the destructive harm of Satan the devil who is the father of murder. Meanwhile, it worsens the personal poverty and the interpersonal relationships required by citizens to survive. As the Bible says, When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan (Proverbs 29:2). Interruption of supplies, fuel, food, transportation and a potential collapse of the tourism and agricultural industries are a foreboding reality. As the NY Times stated, "On the political front, perhaps the best we can hope is that Big Men will reach a deal and the tribes will put away their machetes and rifles. Then the local residents will return to their daily struggle to survive." Where are solid leaders for humanity’s troubles today? A "leader" is defined as one who affects the behavior of another. There are two general types of behaviors, just as there are two general types of leaders. Jesus spoke of Satan as the leader/"father" of liars and murderers (John 8:44). He presents God as a leader/"Father" of those seeking love and peace. How and by whom people allow their behavior to be influenced is a choice we each must make. Sadly, there seems to be only one type of leadership available in the world right now, and that situation is very visible in Kenya at the moment. We see no one who wants to humble himself, to give all he has to help others, and who will set a Godly example of loving service in his personal life. Kenyans want and need change and without change life seems hopeless. But what type of change is available to Kenyans? Neither candidate has demonstrated a love and concern for anything other than personal power and money. Both men have a lot money stashed away for themselves and now are sparring over who will hold power. The BBC news stated, "This population has seen successive governments rob billions from the public purse in well-documented scandals (http://news.bbc.couk/2/hi/africa/7205762.stm)"  Indeed the two rival presidential candidates are filthy rich and getting richer. Kenyan politicians pay themselves more than their counterparts in the West and hoard stashes of corrupt funds that stagger the imagination. While the average Kenyan survives on one US dollar per day, all Kenyan politicians wallow in money. The presidential candidates are known to have personal fortunes in the billions of Kenya shillings each (http://kenvironews.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/raila-a-odinga-astute-businessman-or-corrupt-politician/) and (http://kenyapolitical.blogspot.com/2007/04/kibakis-re-election-resources.html). While similar situations are not uncommon throughout Africa, they should be shocking as a democratic model of Kenya. But  "democracy" seems to equate with its citizens being given the right to vote for the next round of politicians who will pillage them for the next five years (http://www.bushdrums.com/news/index.php?shownews=1352). While the rich squabble over power and politics, the resulting melee opens the door for a restless population to try to make their own changes in local situations. In the current vacuum of godly leadership, passions have been refueled between the tribal tensions that are an integral part of Africa. Some 800 deaths and countless thousands of mutilations have occurred as of the date of this writing. Ethnic reprisals and police crackdowns have been overt and grotesque enough that the International Criminal Court is said to be monitoring events in the country. Angry youths on both sides sporadically bring terror to towns and communities and the economy is often at a standstill. The main highway through Kenya has been disrupted frequently by mobs burning supply vehicles, stopping busses and killing passengers, looting and burning businesses and residences. While these seem extreme, consider that the government leaders, police and military have often demonstrated similar methods in order to get what they want. Leadership comes in two forms, both positive and negative. The interruption of transportation bringing maize and other foods to that famine parched region has priced available food out of reach for many of you living in Nyanza and elsewhere. As deacon John Otieno stated, "We are now in another world, commodities prices have hiked up, transportation is too high, life has change dramatically, but this is where we are now, we are just praying since only God is able to solve the problem and bring our country to normal life we were used to." The United Church of God, I.A. quickly collected donations to provide emergency food assistance to those who are in need. We have been helping those whom we are aware of who meet the criteria for such assistance. Please be in contact with your local congregational leader or deacon overseer should your congregation require emergency food assistance. We care about you and want to insure that you are surviving these difficult times. In stark contrast to the ebb and flow of personal ambitions and quests, there is one leader who is affecting a different kind of change through a different methodology. His government is not about serving Himself, it's about serving others. He has devoted all His resources to create the physical universe in amazing detail and complexity. He divested Himself of all power and glory and came as a homely man to be a lone example of right behavior. He gave His life to serve and help others succeed. He offers His entire inheritance and a sharing of His power to all who will join Him.  He is all about true law, justice, mercy, prosperity, happiness and peace. To read more about this leader, be sure to read the UCG booklet, "Jesus Christ, the Real Story."  In the mean time, dedicate your behavior to be influenced by the Leader of leaders as we wait for His Kingdom to come. Do not be polarized by the false claims and selfish ambitions of society around you. Cling to the Kingdom of God which is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit of God in you. I hope and pray that things calm down in Kenya soon for your sakes and for the sake of doing the Work of God effectively. Ed Dowd and myself are planning to visit many of you in April and to conduct leadership training for the Local Congregational Leaders. I plan to hold a combined service with many of you on the first holy day of Unleavened Bread. Between now and then, let us each draw closer to God and to each other in the Spirit of His love. We are all first and foremost of one tribe and one people, the begotten children of Almighty God and His Son, Jesus the Christ. With deepest love and concern, John Elliott Senior Pastor, East Africa