We left our hotel early this morning to make the 2 1/2 trek to visit Kathy Pryor and our friends at the YWAM base in Likoni. Even though it was 7:30am it was hot and muggy and the roads were a mess. On the journey to Likoni we pass through some of the worst areas of Mombasa. The scene out the widows is spectacularly depressing. No one seems happy and everyone is joined in a fight to survive in a hostile world. We expected to wait in the ferry line for over an hour, but to our surprise there were 3 ferries operating at the crossing instead of the usual 1. The reason for this was not good. Several days ago a young boy and 2 old men were trampled to death by a mob of people who were trying to catch the ferry. There was only one ferry in operation and thousands of people were desperately trying to get to work. This prompted the local authorities to pull two very old ferries back into service to relieve the pressure. All three ferries are perhaps the oldest ferries in operation in all of the world. And the reason for that is, the two new ferries both broke down on the same day.
Well, anyway, I digress! We made the crossing in record time and enjoyed several hours with the leadership at the Likoni YWAM base. I shared several messages and Valerie gave them a strong word of encouragement. Greetings, by the way, from Kathy Pryor to all her friends back home. Please keep Kathy in your prayers. The challenges of managing the YWAM base in the Likoni area are enormous and as I’ve mentioned before, “Everything you do in Kenya requires a miracle.” Fortunately for us we serve a miracle working God!
After our fellowship on the base we drove down the coast about 30 miles to have lunch with Kathy and our dear friends Martin and Judy. I have mentioned Martin and Judy before. They are truly the “real missionaries of Kenya”. They live many miles from nowhere, in the beautiful Shimba Hills. They run a large farm without electricity or running water, think about that! But they truly are a blessing to all of the people living in this remote area. They provide farming assistance, medical care, emergency services, Christian hospitality and much more. They are a genuine light in a very dark area of Kenya.
One more precious day of rest before we return to our itinerary. We thank that Lord for a few days of rest.