Mombasa

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me" (Jonah 1:1-2).

Today was a long day on the road. We packed our bags and were ready to go at 8:00am. Jemima had another wonderful breakfast waiting for us at 7:00am so we would be able to leave when Charles arrived with our car. Coffee, tea and juices; eggs, sausage, toast and chapati filled the table! She insisted that we eat, eat, eat, and even fill our pockets with food because of the long trip ahead of us!

After saying goodbye to our wonderful host family, we finally hit the road around 10:00am and headed southeast out of Nairobi for the coastal city of Mombasa. I still remember the first trip that I made to Mombasa in 2008. The roads were under construction and the first stretch was enough to make a kangaroo loose his lunch! The roads have improved every year, and now the road to Mombasa is completed! This made the trip go much more quickly and with less wear and tear on the car and our bodies. We stopped at the halfway point for a Coke, and we could begin to tell that we were approaching the coast. As you approach the coast, the temperature and humidity increase substantially for this area. Mombasa feels worse than Atlanta in the heat of summer. From time to time you will get a nice breeze from the ocean, but for the most part the air is hot and sticky.

A shot of a tuktuk (small taxi) in Mombasa

The other thing that is readily apparent is the heavy Muslim influence in this area. Green and white Mosques can be found at every turn, both men and women are clothed in the typical Muslim apparel. It is sad to see the prevalence of this false religion in this city. But this is one reason why we are here. Sometimes it can be a bit frightening when we think of the aggressiveness of Muslim fundamentalists against Christianity. I’ve felt like Jonah may have when the Lord wanted him to go to Nineveh, but for different reasons. “Anywhere but there, Lord. That is a dangerous place for someone like me....” Maybe you have felt the same way at times. It helps to remember Jonah and what the Lord brought about through him. Not only did the Lord protect Jonah from any supposed and real danger, but the Lord brought about the repentance of that people through Jonah’s preaching! Lord, bless our preaching as You did Jonah’s!

The best part of the day was that I was able to Skype home and visit with my wife and kids for a little bit. What a wonder technology is! On the negative side, I heard that one of the members of Zion was admitted to the hospital back home. This is one of those situations which make it difficult to be away. May the Lord be with John.

Finally, this evening I heard from one of the men in the Etago area. He mentioned that his daughter was in the Mombasa area and asked if I would be willing to meet with her. I agreed and he said he would have her call me. She did, and we are planning to meet tomorrow morning before we head out for the day. It will be nice to work that into our schedule.

In His service,

Nathanael