4 April 1999
Easter Sunday
Subject:
Dear Friends and Family,
The greeting we have heard from almost everyone here today is
"Amefufuka" (He is risen). Yes, He has risen indeed! And with that
incredible news comes hope. Hope to face whatever our futures hold.
Recently we received an article written by Timothy Emerick-Cayton, a
missionary with the PC USA here in Kenya. Carolyn Belshe in the US
forwarded it to us the end of Feb. It so beautifully speaks of the
hope of Kenyan's, I thought I would share a part of it with you on
this Easter Sunday. It is entitled "Caught in the Middle"
"Many Kenyans feel caught in the middle. First, they were
the innocent victims of the bombing of the American Embassy, now, they
are caught between Turkey's democratic rule and the Kurdish terrorists
fighting for independence. "What do either of these have to do with
Kenya?" people here are asking, and yet families are still grieving
the loss of loved ones from the terrorist bombs and every Kenyan
embassy throughout the world is closed for reasons of security until
the terrorists threat has passed.
Caught in the middle is nothing new to the people of East Africa.
Battles of World War I and II were played out in Tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda, Somalia and Sudan. The war between wealth and poverty is
fought every day with poverty taking most victories. Democracy's
struggle against dictatorship and oppression rages, as seen in the
firing of Kenya's corruption-fighting finance minister recently in
what was called a "leadership shuffle."
Caught in the middle between hope and despair, the people of East
Africa continue -- in face of incredible odds -- to maintain their
faith in a God of love.
Many keep searching, almost desperately, for something for today with
the expectation not only that they will find it but that tomorrow will
bring an upward turn in their condition. Others, perhaps those most
convinced of immediate divine presence, work hard each day for the few
coins they hope will grow into the foundation of a better life for
their children and children's children.
What is amazing is that this thing called faith, whatever expression
it is given -- these folks keep moving forward, ever forward, in spite
of all that around them might be saying "you're losing ground."
Through the eyes of this American missionary it looks at times sad,
impossible and discouraging. Through the eyes of the faithful
African, however, it is all in God's hands and, as they freely say,
"God is great."
Maybe Kenyans are "caught in the middle," but it hasn't gotten in
their way of praising God's everlasting presence and that is not only
worth celebrating but worth incorporating into our own sense of the
divine and into the prayers we might say as we go to sleep tonight."
Bill and I are surrounded with hope. With friends and church members
that are confident that there is always hope because our faith is
built on Jesus Christ and He is ever faithful, ever loving, ever
forgiving, and always present. This Easter day we pray that you will
experience new hope not in governments, nor institutions, nor money,
nor possessions but in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.
This past Thursday, April 1st, I turned our Sierra Club Wilderness
Calendar to April and was completely transfixed by the picture. It is
an incredible sunrise over a field of blue bonnets. Coming from the
Dallas area, I could picture many families, dressed in their Easter
best, taking pictures on the side of the freeways in the blue bonnets.
I remembered stopping the car and just gazing at fields of blue
bonnets and sometimes sitting in the center of a field to smell, touch
and see their beauty. As a gazed at the picture, I longed to be in
blue bonnet country. My heart ached to be "home". However, as I
turned from the picture, I looked out the office window to see a
gorgeous blooming hibiscus and numerous bougainvilla. Suddenly I was
filled with the wonder of our loving God. I have never lived anywhere
in the world that didn't possess untold beauty if I took the time to
find it. From the snow capped mountains of Santa Fe, to the most
beautiful sunsets in west Texas, to the pounding surf of southern
California, to the lush rain forests of Belize, to the flowering trees
that bloomed right before the rainy season began in Nigeria, to the
Angel Peaks in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, to the ever green
hills of Maua. God has created such amazing beauty for us to enjoy.
How can I want blue bonnets when I have a yard filled with blooming
flowers. And as with beauty, God brings people into our lives that
become our new friends and family. Truly, Bill and I are blessed with
the most terrific friends here and there and everywhere. We couldn't
be here if you weren't there supporting us with your prayers, your
gifts, and your love. We couldn't be here if our new friends weren't
supporting us here with their understanding, patience, love and
caring. We live in a circle. A world wide circle of friends and
family, of beauty and of hope. And where ever we are in the circle,
the center of our circle is the same --- the Hope, the Light, the
Savior of the world.
May your have a Hallelujah Easter and may you ever find the beauty of
God's creation in the world around you.
Our love, prayers and thanksgiving,
Jerri and Bill
You can answer this letter at
savuto@MAF.org
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