Praying with Kenya

The Cash family feels deeply tied to the beautiful country of Kenya. We reside in Uganda (to the West of Kenya) but so much of our training, our renewing, and our strengthening traces East. Our family history is anchored in that land where we became missionaries and became parents.

We, like so many others in our East African community, have experienced the Westgate Mall attack with profound emotion. Our prayers are with all of Kenya and especially the Nairobi communities as they grieve, process and heal.

Our hearts have broken repeatedly as we have absorbed the news from Nairobi, Kenya.

The televised reports recycled clips and information over and over, and we struggled to pull our eyes away.

We have shed tears. Prayed so much. Listened as our children processed this.  Leaned hard on the Psalms.

We have scoured internet reports and facebook pages.

We have waited with a large, deeply pained, global community for it to be Over.

Our sleep has been robbed. We have scary dreams.

And we weren’t even there.

(But we have been there.)

Stores and scenarios that we are familiar with and relate to.

A very strong awareness that danger is no respecter of persons. Or days. Or locations.

Very bad things happen.

Tragedy reaches and takes.

We feel this from a distance. Realizing we grieve with those who are feeling this very, very Up Close.

We are inspired by each heroic story we encounter. We are thankful for courage that beautifully stands together thwarting the intention of completely shattering apart. 

We remember love. We cry out for mercy.

We pray for peace.

A distinct calm emerges from the quieting cessation of siege, but peace is not fully born from a simple lying down of guns.

Peace burgeons even more through a resolving. From the process of remembering and retelling. From, beyond our understanding, a renewed hope.

We ask for all of those things for the victims of Westgate’s siege.

Knowing full well, that Time is an imperative strand to the weaving of this resolution.

During these three set-apart days of mourning, we pray for God-encounters to emerge strong.

We ask for help and comfort.

We ask for a pervasive awareness of His attention and His love.

 “For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” Psalm 22:24 NIV

“When Jesus saw Mary’s profound grief and the moaning and weeping of her companions, He was deeply moved by their pain in His spirit and was intensely troubled.

Jesus: “Where have you laid his body?”

Jews: "Come and see, Lord."

As they walked, Jesus wept; and everyone noticed how much Jesus must have loved…”

John 11:33-36 The Voice

Praying for all those thrust into wrestling lament by this crisis.

Believing full that He mourns with us too.