Not so much fun – Joyce & Morgan

So, Morgan and I were having lunch in a small “hotel” in Kisumu after having just returned from our Love Kampala Christian festival.  “Hotels” here are what we call restaurants.  This place (I can’t remember what it is called) is one of Morgan and Kelsey’s favorite little dives in the center of the city.  After lunch, Morgan had just paid the bill as we stepped out into the street and just as she was putting her money away a young man snatched it away from her and ran away.  Well, as her mother was horrified to see this happen, Morgan decided to run like a bat-outta-hell after the guy.  She was yelling and running so fast as I just stood and yelled after them.  There must have been 100 people standing around watching this happen and no one went after her to help her.  She ran through a small field and disappeared around some houses – all the while I was saying to the people around us that “no one is helping her”.  I lose sight of her and tried not to be worried, but she did “text” me with a few minutes to tell me where to meet her. 

After our thief at the boarder incident last year, I was wondering what was going to happen this time.  Last time, the thief could have been stoned to death if the police didn’t stop the crazy mob that chased after him.  This time, no one joined in Morgan’s race.  Thank God that the guy got away and Morgan only came home with scrapes and bruises from falling down in the field…as people were just standing watching her.

A nice “pastorly” type of man did go to find her and walk back with her.  We are so disappointed that no one helped her, but he told us that it was probably a gang member who was the thief and just that morning someone was killed right near this area by a gang.  The man said that people were fearing for their lives – that’s why they didn’t help.  I am glad he told us that because it made it somehow better and understandable.  As I was waiting for her to return I did have many concerned people talking to me and shaking their heads and making clicking noises (that is a common noise that Luos make when they don’t like something).  We were also glad that a mob did not form….  That man was lucky!

When we returned to Morgan’s apartment and told her roommates what happened, I said that maybe things have to happen like this to remind them that they need to be careful – all the time.  Ginger, one of her roommates, has lived in Nairobi most of her time in Kenya and her response was “Oh, I have had so many things stolen from me…I even had a policeman steal my camera from me and deny that I just watched him do it”. I asked Morgan NOT to run after anyone again….for her mother’s sake if nothing else!

Unfortunately, Morgan and I had just returned from this great weekend at the Palau Festival and this brought us down.  Morgan said that she was glad it happened to her and not someone who couldn’t take it…just like her to say something like that. One of our orphan overseers and CGA said “the ENEMY is angry after all the good that was done in Kampala”. Good words to remind us that we are always being tested in this life.  In Kenya more than at home….