Update

It is with a sad heart that I share with you that Hannah Kelley died this morning. You can read her Daddy's words on their bloghttp://www.aaroninkenya.com/
We see many deaths here, but when it is a coworker from a nearby hospital who loses their baby, it hits a little too close to home. A good reminder for us to celebrate each day.

Prayer Request

Would you please pray for Aaron and Stephanie Kelley and for their 1 year old daughter?  They are fellow post-residents in Samaritan's Purse Post-Residency Program and have been serving at Tenwek hospital in Kenya.  Last night they learned that Hannah has a very aggressive brain tumor.  They've come here to Kijabe where we have Leland Albright, a wonderful pediatric neurosurgeon.  Hannah is having surgery today and we are asking for God's miraculous healing in her life and for peace and strength for her family.  You can read the Kelley's blog at http://www.aaroninkenya.com/.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Back to Normal

After a week of nervous anticipation, life is returning to normal in Kenya.  The schools opened today and people are returning to work.  We have been given the all-clear and are permitted to leave the Kijabe area as needed.  A peaceful election is a triumph for Kenya and we are so thankful that the many Kenyans' prayers were answered!  We are also thankful for the role you played in praying for us and for this nation.

We are now looking ahead with anticipation to our return to the US on March 25th.  We will be in the US for five months and hope that we can connect with many of you while we are there.

Some Twitter Humor

The official election results were supposed to be presented at 11:00 am today, but they were delayed until 2:45pm.  We all know that things don't run on time when you are in Africa, but after 5 days of waiting, everyone was eager to hear the official results.  While I waited, I got online and looked at the Twitter feeds and enjoyed many of the clever posts about the delays.  I thought you might enjoy some of them as well.

Kaari Murungi ‏@bettymurungi

Please, Kenya journalists: Stop saying 'any minute now' . You're confusing foreigners . #KenyaDecides

Oscar Ronald ‏@O_the1

RT @WillisRaburu: If you've been wondering why this has taken so long... #Kenya isn't known for short races. We do marathons.#Kenyadecides

digitaldjeli ‏@digitaldjeli

Kenya tried to decide but..... RT@ndinda_ Headline: "Election results delayed. Nation put to sleep by dirgely choirs" #Kenyadecides

Brian K. ‏@Yenyewe

Starting to think if dinosaurs existed they might have gone extinct waiting for the IEBC to declare the winner. #KenyaDecides

Fatima Manji ‏@fatimamanji

This is the longest introduction to announcing election results ever. Do you really have to thank the soft drink providers?!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ‏@mchoq

At this rate, we shall have a new Pope before we have a new President in Kenya,

All joking aside, Uhuru Kenyatta received the requisite 50% of the votes by very slim margins.  His main opponent, Raila Odinga, is contesting the results and will be appealing to the courts.  There have been a few outbreaks of violence, but they appear to be isolated incidents that were handled quickly by local police officers.  We are so thankful for your prayers and ask that you pray for continued peace here in Kenya.

Election Results

So the unofficial vote count indicates that Uhuru Kenyatta got 50% by a very slim margin. An official announcement is expected later this morning, but based on the sound of the drums and vuvuzelas at 4:45am, I think that many have started celebrating. The vote count could likely be contested. Please keep Kenya in your prayers over these next few days as tensions are high.

Another Election Update

Things are still (for the most part) peaceful in Kenya.  We do not yet have official election results because the electronic reporting system crashed, so all of the monitors for the various polling places across the country are required to travel to Nairobi to submit their vote tabulations.  This process is taking quite some time and is leaving citizens a little frustrated.  

Many people are not going back to work as they are waiting for results.  Schools were supposed to start back on Thursday, but they are now delaying the students' return until after this weekend.  I've heard that many businesses in Nairobi are remaining closed as well.  

We are thankful for peace, but are well aware that the potential for violence increases as people grow weary of the unexplained delays.  People, in general, are feeling frustrated, but are trying to remain calm and allow the process to work.

We really appreciate your prayers and ask that you continue to lift up Kenya during this time of anxious waiting.

Kenyan Election Update

Overall, the Kenyan elections have gone well today. There has been some violence in parts of the country but nothing widespread. Votes are being tallied and we should have certified results in 48 hours. Please continue praying for Kenya over the next few days as results are released.

It has been such an encouragement to hear from so many of you that have been praying for us and for this country.  We really appreciate you and your prayers.

Here are some photographs taken around Kenya at various polling stations today.  

Kenyan Election in Pictures

Kenyan Election

This Monday is a holiday here as Kenyans will be going to the polls to vote for their next president as well as for all other government offices.  This will be the first major election since the 2007 post-election violence that resulted in the deaths of over 1000 people and the displacement of about 600,000 people. You can read more about that here and here.

Since the 2007 elections, Kenya has made great strides to insure peaceful elections in the future.  They've established a new constitution that creates a better balance of power, the judicial system has the authority to solve election disputes and the media as well as churches are promoting peace and are praying for a smooth election process.

We ask that you would join us in praying for peace in Kenya and for good, strong leaders for this nation.  We are hoping that the election results will be clear and decisive and that candidates will graciously and peacefully accept these results.

We have taken necessary precautions to buy food and provisions in advance so that we won't need to travel on election day or the days immediately following.  We do not believe that we are in any danger and are not concerned for our own personal safety.  We receive reliable information about the political climate from the US Embassy and from various mission organizations here who are able to provide us with current information about the on-going political stability and need for added security measures.

We are grateful for our prayer supporters and appreciate your lifting up Kenya during this time.