A letter from Charles Juma, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s (BCM/D) liaison in Kenya:
As I believe is the case in the US, COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to surge even here in Kenya. Still, in the Kenyan context, the biggest threat continues to be the indirect impacts of the pandemic. The economy is really bad for most Kenyans and 2021 is looking even bleaker. Apart from the economy, many other problems continue to rise.
Parents continue to face all kinds of challenges with their teens. Not too long ago, we had a rash of very alarming teen suicide cases. From there, we saw an unprecedented surge in teen pregnancies, early marriages, and a significant number of school dropouts. Other students have followed the lure into all kinds of sexual orgies and pornographic/sex businesses. Now, while attention has been on the coronavirus, we are just learning that there is a huge surge in HIV/AIDS cases and the youth are dying in large numbers. Homa Bay County leads in the whole country in the number of infections.
In all this, we realize the indispensable role of the church of Christ in Kenya. Only Christ can change people from inside out and give them new desires and power to follow God and reject evil. It is in this light that we remain deeply grateful to God for our partnership with the BCM/D. Because of your financial support, our pastors continue to have the freedom to share the Gospel with the lost and to help folks deal with these COVID-19 challenges.
Through it all, our eyes remain on Jesus. God is at work even in the midst our darkest times. On behalf of our partners here, thank you. Please extend our gratitude to our brothers and sisters of the BCM/D. We love and miss you here. Please come back as soon as things get better.
Cover photo: Christians in Kenya have benefitted from the financial support which the BCM/D has provided during the pandemic (submitted photo).