The effects of war

The flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi is usually over Sudan. But because of renewed fighting there, our plane had to adjust the route last night. We flew over the Red Sea, part of Saudi Arabia then Eritrea and Ethiopia. The flight took 90 minutes longer than the usual 8 hours.

As we flew, I was reminded of how turbulent life is in this part of the world, with armed conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Somalia. Many of these people are fleeing to find safety (refuge) in Kenya.

Therefore, the nature of my current trip with Pastor Gatera - to visit our forcibly displaced friends in Kakuma refugee camp (near Kenya’s border with South Sudan). Prior to the renewed conflict in Sudan, there were already 250,000 refugees in the camp. More women, children, and men are surely en route there today as I write this.

God have mercy.