Day 6: Nairobi

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a week; I was serving at my church's youth camp last week.

Anyway, on this day, our team was going to Nairobi for a scavenger hunt. My first thought was: "Yes! Finally, a less intense day." After going to Ngong and Mathare Valley the two previous days, I was honestly ready to just chill and get to know my teammates better while visiting a more "touristy" location.

Now, I had not known this prior to arriving in Kenya, but the country was actually deciding whether to pass a new constitution. The election was to be held August 4 to see whether the people of Kenya wanted to pass this proposed constitution. While the constitution limited the powers of the president, it also gave more powers to Muslims (Kenya is a predominantly a Christian nation like America) and allows for abortion in more circumstances. Given these facts, we learned that the majority of the Christians in Kenya were opposed to the proposed constitution because of these changes. During the last election in Kenya, post-election violence led to approximately 1,000 deaths across the country.

The day before our trip into Nairobi, we learned that a bomb went off in the city during a rally for the "No" party. So as we drove into the capital ready to enjoy our day, a lot of us couldn't help but think about the bomb that had went off the previous day. In America, we almost never worry about violence or turmoil during elections, but here in another country, anything could happen.

Once we arrived in Nairobi and began our scavenger hunt, my team and I had fun going around to different locales and points of interest. Subconsciously, I knew I would be gone from Kenya in a matter of weeks and so regardless of how the election went and whether any turmoil ensued, I would be back in America, in the comfort of my home and in a country where I don't have to worry about my safety during an election year.

Well, the election has already passed, and the majority of the country voted "Yes." Thankfully, the process has been peaceful and without major incident. I'm thankful to God that He protected the country against violence and that He kept His people in Kenya safe. But that day in town was a stark reminder that while we Americans go about our daily lives, very few around the world live as we do.