Kenya-Kakuma #2: God is good, all the time
by Frank Dimmock
Greetings from Kakuma Refugee camp, Kenya. We began a trauma healing training today for pastors and church leaders focused on Healing Groups. It is a two-day training hosted by the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan.
In another area of the camp, there was an ecumenical trauma healing training for about 40 Christian women who are connected with Christian Women for Change South Sudan (CWCSS). This is a very active group in Nairobi and Juba, networking women from the primary denominations of South Sudan.
I was encouraged by the visit to the midwifery nurse training school managed by the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency (PRDA) of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. We had conducted a trauma healing training for the class of midwives who graduated in July, and now we will make plans to train these 30 new students, aged 20-35.
I managed to visit the part of the camp where the widows’ foster care program is operating. This is a program I saw last year where widows foster orphaned and unaccompanied children with support from their congregation. I have told the story of Elizabeth and was able to find her and hear about the children she is caring for. As a follow up to my visit in 2018, we were able to purchase 4 sewing machines to assist them to generate income and produce school uniforms. Three of the machines are operational and there is an ongoing need for material, but this donation has been helpful.
They are frequently reminding each other (and us) that “God is good, all the time and that all the time, God is good.” They practice their faith daily and encourage each other through prayer and scripture.