Posted: 2/07/08
Renewed violence forces Buckner to
cancel mission trips to Kenya through May
By Jenny Pope
Buckner International
DALLAS—All Buckner International mission trips to Kenya will be cancelled through May 2008, agency President Ken Hall said. The decision comes after violent unrest prompted by tainted presidential elections there Dec. 27.
The announcement follows a previous decision by Buckner to suspend mission trips until March. Hall and Vice President of Global Initiatives Randy Daniels announced the decision Jan. 30 after witnessing dangerous conditions first-hand in Nairobi and Kitale, Kenya.
“Flying over Kenya on our way to Kitale, we could see whole villages on fire and burgeoning refugee camps springing up,” Hall wrote on his blog.
According to recent reports from the Red Cross, more than 860 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced in the turmoil.
“This trip to Africa is reminding me that there is a very real presence of evil in our world,” Hall said. “Please pray for the people of Kenya and for this nation.”
Despite the violence, Hall said, the children Buckner cares for at the Baptist Children’s Center in Nairobi and Seed of Hope Children’s Home in Kitale are safe.
Daniels, who oversees Buckner International ministries in Kenya, said Buckner will continue to provide services to Kenya but will “rearrange the mission trips because we cannot guarantee safety at this time.”
George McCain, director of Buckner missions, has promised to work with mission teams to reschedule any trips planned to Kenya during this time. He said teams will plan to resume mission work in early summer.
“We all need to be in serious prayer for our brothers and sisters in Kenya,” he said. “Even though we cannot physically go there to help them right now, we know that God is there with them. And Buckner will continue to stand by their side. The needs are greater than ever.”
Buckner sent nine short-term mission teams to Kenya in 2007, including 166 people and six interns. The agency has been working in Kenya since 2002.
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