From Duncan Ziro in Kilifi:
Kibarani Church of Christ is the mother church in Kilifi District. It was the first, and from it, many others were planted. Philip Safari (the preacher at Kibarani church) was there from the beginning and is respected as a pioneer of other churches. But tough times have forced him to abandon the church. Philip has not been attending leader’s meetings and even failed to avail himself on Sundays to serve the flock he had laboriously worked for many years. The main problem was food. His economic status had deteriorated to an extent that he couldn’t put food on the table for his family. He was forced to look for manual jobs even on Sunday.
The church tried to support him, but because he has a big family and the times are hard for everyone, they were unable to continue. I did what little I could and gave him 3,000 KSH (about $38) to help him revive his small business of selling fruits and vegetables. Because even this amount was small compared to the need, I talked to the members of Kibarani Church of Christ. We organized an area wide fellowship and fundraiser to help Philip and his family. From this, Philip received clothes, food, and money from Christians all over Kilifi and Malindi. It was a wonderful day of true family fellowship just as Jesus intended.
Kenya is facing a food crisis. The coast province, especially Malindi, Kaloleni, and Kilifi, are the worst hit areas. People are looking for anything to stuff their stomach provided that it does not kill. Roots, berries and even some leaves are all experimented with as food. Women search high and low for anything and everything to feed their families while many men spend their days searching for work. Both searches end up fruitless more often than not.
Please remember Kenya in your prayers. Your support is highly appreciated. We seriously need it.
