Friends,

David and I enjoyed a wonderful two days away for our tenth anniversary on Thursday. We were only a few hours from home (the kids stayed with team mates) but it felt we were light years away as we enjoyed spectactular food a beautiful pool and wild animals including monkeys swinging through the trees past our luxury tent.

Somehow, though, even in that environment, the sense of spiritual oppression was very strong. Sometimes I feel that we wear a target on our backs.

We returned to a calm CSB last night but later in the evening anger, threats and violence broke out among the students. The issue this time is problems with student feeding. A new food manager joined the school at the same time as David came on as headmaster – we’ve been dealing with issues with food ever since. It’s a very complicated and demanding job and one that requires immense people skills – so the solution is also quite complicated and layered.

So, angry students made threats, shouted, disorganized preps, threatened to hurt staff and destroy school property. One staff member was hit by a rock, but otherwise no permanent damage was done.

The damage is to all of us as relationships are more broken and as a lack of trust deteriorates into violent conflict. The feeling of evil on campus was very strong last night and we know that our students have the potential to do real harm to their staff and their school – it has happened in many other parts of East Africa.

This morning, as the students seemed to be escalating again and were boycotting their breakfast (hungry students are NOT happy students) we called a student assembly where students and staff all had chances to speak. The tensions cooled considerably after this assembly and students seem calm and peaceful now.

Please be praying with us for the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job. Sometimes we feel frustrated with God too when so many things are a struggle – sickness, wild animals, scary accidents, student violence. Sometimes it all feels a bit over the top for us since we see so little of the picture. We are guiding a great many people with a great deal of inadequacy and very little control. Pray that God would be in and around us and other staff and students who know Jesus. Pray for peace to fall on this place both now and forever – that the underlying issues that allow student violence to flare will be met by the endless resources of Jesus.

We’re so grateful for you standing in the gap for us. If you’re willing to be added to an emergency email contact list for those most willing to act as prayer warriors during crisis, please respond and let me know that. I will be activating a new list that I can mail to through a phonecall to one friend. That will help me to get the word out when we need prayer the most.
In love and grace, annelise