Not quite arrested

I had my first run in with the Kenyan police last night, I was driving to my church homegroup as all hardened criminals do and came across one of the many police checks on my way into the city. I’ve been told not to stop at night for anyone, not even the police, so following orders I ignored the policeman waving his torch at me and tried to forge ahead. I’ve done this before and got away with it no worries but this time there was all sorts of traffic in front of me so I couldn’t get away, the policeman kept flashing his torch at me as I desperately tried to squeeze past the dawdlers in front to no avail. In the end as he was running after me shouting and as I realised there was no chance of escape I pulled over for a chat.

Ignoring a police officer is in fact an offense so I would have to go to court the next day to pay my fine. The court is in Kibera, you have to go at 8am and I’ve been told you may well be there all day. I was so not ups, I was sure I could sweet talk my way out of it but Officer Grouchy Mcgrumps was having none of it. Then he said I could pay an on the spot fine and I was a complete sucker thinking you could actually do that, it wasn’t till I looked in my wallet, didn’t have enough and he said ‘1000 will be fine’ that I realised it was a bribe. By that point I was too flippin scared to do anything about it so I just paid the bribe and left. I was so gutted. I felt such an idiot for not figuring out it was a bribe and so gutted I had paid it, I chose to go along with the corruption because I didn’t want to go to court, if they even were going to send me, I don’t know. Anyway I had to pray a bit after that, forgive the policeman and say sorry for messing up myself. Hopefully I’ll be better prepared next time, to figure out when I should stop and to recognise a bribe when it comes.

So that was my exciting story for the week, now I realise I haven’t actually been saying much about what to pray about so prayer stuff:

Thanks for praying about finding somewhere to live and someone to live with, I now have a flat sorted and someone lined up to move in when my current housemate moves out. God has so clearly been hooking me up it’s been ace.

I’m pretty gutted that my current housemate is leaving and I’ll be living alone for a month before the new girl moves in so I would appreciate prayer for that time that I don’t get too lonely and bored but that I can use the time and space to be with God (and not just watching every season of 24)

I’m really loving spending the mornings in Kibera just befriending people, I’d appreciate prayer for wisdom and guidance with work in general as I don’t really ever know what I’m doing, I’m often asked for my ‘learned’ opinion on things and I immediately forget everything I ever learnt at uni and have no idea what we should do. Also figuring out how life works here and where I fit and what’s right and what’s wrong is pretty confusing, I’d appreciate prayer for that too.

For the project, 20 new people received their first loans yesterday, they were all very excited. I met Nancy today who is selling eggs. Please pray for them and their businesses that they will really make a go of them, that this would be the start of their climb out of poverty. Pray for protection and blessing I guess.

We are having lots of opportunities to help adults who we’re not strictly allowed to help because it’s not in our mandate for the charity commission in the UK. Pray that God would open doors so that we can make the most of these opportunities that come along.

Pastor Shadrack is planting a new church in Kianda, another village in Kibera, and once the church is established we will be setting up another Turning Point project over there. Pray for God’s hand all over that.

Right that’s plenty! Thank you so much for your prayers, its so exciting to see God’s responses, I hope you all are encouraged that God is up to all sorts in response to your prayers. Please let me know what I can be praying for you.