When we reported exclusively in the ‘Standard’ early 2007 that a Kenyan student living in the US who was apparently homeless at the time had died from hypothermia(cold), Kenyans back at home were shocked to say the least.
Those in Diaspora even though were saddened by the news, were not surprised because many of them know from experience that all it takes for one to be out in the streets is for one to miss just two paychecks. In Kenya, this would translate into one month paycheck because in America, people are paid twice a month.
When Wilson Kimani Wanguhu of Atlanta, Georgia, who publishes the Kenya Empowerment Newspaper read that Stephen Koech, 44, a Kenyan resident of Salem in Essex county, Mass. had been found dead outside his makeshift home, a concrete pipe (culvert) off Howley Street on the morning of Saturday, January 27, 2007, he quipped rather sadly, ” That guy could have been any of us.
The specter of homelessness is a constant threat hovering over our heads like a throbbing†headache. If you lose your job for whatever reasons and skip rent or mortgage payment for one or two months, the next thing you will find is a very big lock on your door when you get back home one evening from work”. Kim is right because very few of us in Diaspora can claim to have any savings that would see us through a cycle of job hunting.
That was ‘O-seven’ before the ‘house of cards’ that was the illusionary American housing bubble curved in ushering in the worst economic recession in recent memory with its accompanying massive job loses. It is not gainsaying to state that majority of those who were and continue to be disproportionately affected are immigrants as employers institute more stringent and stricter rules of retaining and hiring workers.
It is estimated that more than 85 percent of Kenyans and indeed immigrants currently living in the US don’t have “proper status” meaning a permanent resident card or any other visa with provision to work in the US and therefore don’t qualify for certain jobs especially in government institutions. The outcome of all this is a lot of Kenyans in Diaspora especially those in the US lost and continue to lose jobs in large numbers.
Unable to raise enough money for a plane ticket back home, and probably because of the shame of being considered to have been ‘unable to hack it’ in the US, many Kenyans in the US are opting to take the path of least resistance – suicide! “Early this year, it got to a point where we were losing more than ten members of our community every month. Considering that we are not that many in this country, this was very worrying,” said Isaac Kariuki, the host of Diaspora Messenger, a Christian web site that has become a source of information for the Diaspora.
In fact, Kariuki and other Diaspora religious leaders were so concerned that they dedicated the National Prayer Day that took place last month to pray for this. “The response to our call of prayer was overwhelming. We had Bishops and pastors from around the US and Canada as well as Europe and Australia calling into our prayer line.
Since then, we have seen a period of calmness,” said Pastor Martin Kathurima, leading pastor, Christ Worship Center International in Silver Springs, Maryland. What Kariuki and many people in Diaspora know for sure is the fact that the stressful nature of life in the US is a very big contributing factor to the pre-mature deaths that the Diaspora is experiencing and if nothing is done, the trend will continue however much we pray. The challenges facing Kenyans abroad are more physical than spiritual.
Source-Standard Newspaper
- Advertisement -
CLICK HERE TO COMMENT
THANK YOU,ASANTE SANA
Kenya International prayer day was a big success and we want to thank all those who participated. A special thanks goes to all those who joined in the Tele-Conference prayer which brought all the states together in prayer. The tele-conference stats shows that 139 people login in and it was a wonderful experience to have all those Kenyans come together and unite in one purpose, to pray for repentance and a healing from God for our people in Diaspora and our country Kenya.
Dr.Joseph Njoroge, Pastor Jackson Kingori and Dr.John Kivuva did a wonderful job and we thank them on behalf of the community. We are still collecting all names of those who participated to acknowledge them in this page. Here below is a list of those who have sent emails, text or phone calls (The list is still been edited). A complete report will be posted here soon.
God bless.
Diaspora messenger
Here are some Comments worth reading :
Re: Day of prayer for Kenyans in Diaspora
Dear Brethren,
I thank God Almighty for raising intercessors in our community. Indeed the call to prayer was taken with concern and many Kenyans all over the world prayed. However, this is just the begining. We need to continue lifting all those items mentioned during the week long prayers. We also need to find the root cause of depression in diaspora and address it. We have counsellors amongst us, pastors and above all parents who can father and mother those who did not come with their parents to America and other countries. Sometimes I look at my own children and wonder what they could be doing with themselves if me and my husband were not in America. Not all are blessed to have their parents here so, let us parent them too.
America is called the” land of the brave” and so, only the brave will survive. If it is too much here, Kenya will welcome us back. East, West, home is best.
*****************************************
Dear brother Isaac,
The LORD bless you for all that you do for the Kenyan community & also for our Father’s Kingdom.. I am personally impressed & humbled by the way you have continued to dedicate & sacrifice yourself to keep all of us informed..I have read most of the comments, concerns & suggestions different people have raised & they are all.(Read most of the comments here- https://diasporamessenger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=344 ) very good.. I am just wondering whether there are any real & practical ideas that our people have like how we can eliminate some of the problems that are causing the deaths… It is true things like stress, loniliness,luck of eating healthy, alcoholism, homelessness & isolation ( just to mention a few) are serious issues & they can cause serious problems like depression, high b/pleasure, diabetes etc.which can be fatal if they are not taken care of & treated… Isn’t it sad that we even have some of our brothers & sisters who are homeless here in U.S. and majority of the are very young people??????
I am so glad that we are talking & discussing about it which I believe is a very good beginning..My question is, how do we approach or handle these problems…I agree with everybody that we need to pray but we also need to be practical & do something about it…I have been wondering whether there is a way we could link with our people back home so that if there are people especially students who are coming to the U.S. & they don’t know anybody here we can give our contacts (depending on where they are going ) & then they can get in touch with the Kenyans in that particular community for support… The other idea is to encourage the Kenyans in different communities to find a way of tracking the new comers & encourage Kenyans in their communities to be involved in community affairs… I know some of these things will take a lot of commitment & sacrifice but again, if we don’t do anything about it we will continue talking & nothing gets done.. Those are just my suggestions & ideas, if someone else has some suggestions, please let us share them..
May the LORD bless, keep & protect all of you and have a blessed & productive new year!!!!
Brother Isaac, thanks again for your sacrifice, dedication & commitment in the ministry..The LORD richly blesses you & your family.
In His Vineyard,
Sis. Mary
UPDATES AND KEY POINTS TO GUIDE US ON SUNDAY
**************
Kenyan International Day of Prayer, February 7, 2010
Dear Fellow Kenyans,
All Bishops, Pastors, Apostles, Evangelists, Elders, Deacons, Ministers of the Gospel and the Servants of the Kenyan churches in the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Britain, Europe and other nations around the world Kenya too included have dedicated February 7th as the International Day of Prayer. On this day, all Kenyans in Diaspora as well as those in Kenya will be praying from 6.00am to 6.00pm culminating with a Telephone Conference line 1-712-432-3100 Conference Code: 663024 on Sunday as follows: 8.30pm (Central Time), 9.30pm (Eastern Time) and 7.30pm (Pacific Time) which will be coordinated by Rev. Dr. Jospeh Njoroge, Rev. Dr. John Kivuva, Rev. Wambui Njoroge, Rev. Jackson Kingori, Brother Isaac Kariuki of Diaspora Messenger and others. Here in Dallas, all Kenyans are requested to attend their respective Kenyans churches this coming Sunday February 7th, and those with none are invited to attend Neema Gospel Church at 575 West Arapaho Rd, Richardson, TX 75080 at 10.30am Worship Service.
The main prayer points are undernoted here below as guidance only. In particular, we want to terminate and pray against the curses that appear to be upon Kenyans and the spirit of pre-mature deaths and chronic diseases on all Kenyans in Diaspora. Too many Kenyans are dying pre-maturely; others are languishing in Jails, Immigration detention centers while others are divorcing right and left. Every God-fearing person should unite with the rest of us as we stand in the gap on behalf of our people. Who knows – you might next in the enemy’s target list but we have a mandate and an opportunity to abort all the plans of Devil. Please circulate this e-mail to all Kenyans in your e-mail list urgently.
Points/Items of prayer
1. We need to invoke 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our starting point.
2. We need to repent for the failure to pursue what James calls the “Pure Religion …..” James 1:27
3. We need to exhaustively repent for all the sins that have been committed by the Kenyan Community in Diaspora particularly in USA, Britain, Canada, other European nations. In particular, we need to repent the sins of compromise that has led many of our people to lie and do unprintable things.
4. We need to repent and confess all the sins committed by God’s Servants, Bishops, Pastors, Ministers, Evangelists, Apostles, Ministers and others in active duty of the Gospel
5. We need to repent the sin of poor and wrong leadership that has resulted in divisions and balkanization of the Kenyans in Diaspora.
6. We need to confess the sins of our backsliding community (those who once walked with the Lord) but on arriving at the Western Capitals, they forget the Lord their God
7. We need to repent the sins of abandoning our parents, our nation, our relatives and the communities that sacrifices so much for us to be in these nations
8. We need to repent for our contributions (in ideas, money, rhetoric, and propaganda and rumors) during the last generations elections which contributed so much pain and death to our fellow Kenyans.
9. We need to break the demon and spirit of death against all Kenyans both in Diaspora and those in Kenya. Breaking all curses and the spirit of witchcraft being practiced by some of our Kenyans in Diaspora.
10. We need to stand against the cycles of deportation, traffic citations, and other breaches that make our people vulnerable to the laws of the land.
Kenyan International Day of Prayer, February 7, 2010
List of coordinating pastor is at the bottom of the page
The Rev. Dr .John Kivuva
Chairman and Coordinator
Dear Kenyans in Diaspora
Grace and Peace From God Our Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ be with You. Amen.
My name is Dr.John Kivuva and I am writing to all Kenyans in Diaspora on behalf of Bishops, pastors, Evangelists, Apostles and church leaders who have come together with a clarion call to organize an international day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our community.
The recent wave of deaths involving Kenyan youths in America has reached a worrying point and has become a concern to the people of God .It is this concern that brought all the ministers together and after their deliberation, it was agreed to mobilize all Kenyans in Diaspora for prayer and fasting in line with the word of God in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
We may not have an answer or a solution to this problem but it is a time like this that God becomes our only solution, He is the only one who can provide an answer for the word of God in Psalm 121:2,says “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. We need a healing here in Diaspora and in extention; we need a healing in Kenya.
February 7th has been chosen as the day that all Kenyans in Diaspora join together in prayers and fasting. Those who will be able to congregate in Kenyan churches are encouraged to do so, if not you are encouraged to go to any other church but set that day apart to specifically pray for a deliverance from the spirit of death that has targeted our community. Every state in the US has a Pastor coordinator who is networking with other pastors to mobilize all Kenyans in that particular area to ensure that all Kenyans are aware of this important day (A list of the pastors coordinating different regions is available at Diasoramessenger.com) .Please call any pastor in your area to find out what other special activity they have, Also forward this information to all Kenyans you know. Those who do not have a pastor in your area, please contact https://diasporamessenger.com/ or send an email to di**************@gm***.com.
For those in UK and Europe, Bishop warui of House of Divine Solution International Ministry (HODSIM) is coordinating with all the ministers there. Listen to the announcement that comes every 10 minutes on HODISM Radio (LISTEN TO HODSIM RADIO OF BISHOP WARUI – LONDON)if you need further help, you can visit misterseed at http://www.misterseed.com/ and you will be connected to a pastor near you.
The whole focus is prayer and we are beseeching all Kenyans anywhere in Diaspora to stand with the Kenyans in America to pray for a divine intervention. Though the prayers will be on February 7th, we ask that we all start sanctifying ourselves immediately and continue praying from now on until the the 7th of Feb. when we will climax with united prayers. Also check with any Kenyan church near you to find out if they have any other activity planned before the 7th.
This is the beginning of good things to come for us for when you honor God, He honors you (John 12:26).It is my prayer that coming together in prayer will unite us and bring us more closer as a community. May this unity bring love and compassion for one another that none will be lonely anymore and none will feel isolated.
Grace and peace to all.
Dr.John Kivuva
Chairman and Coordinator
Kenya international prayer day
TO COMMENT OR POST A MESSAGE IN THE DISCUSSION FORUM.CLICK HERE–Day of prayer for Kenyans in Diaspora
Special Kesha and Service interceding for the Nation of Kenya in Baltimore
Greetings Brothers and Sisters In the Lord
Join us for Special Kesha and Service interceding for the Nation of Kenya; Unable to join watch live www.ango.us
http://ango.us/broad-cast/live-broad-cast/watch
Kesha this Friday Feb 5th, 10:00pm All Nations Gospel Outreach Church 9600 Pulaski Park Dr Suite 115 Baltimore, MD 21220
Special Sunday Service for All Kenyans Sunday Feb 7, 2010 – 10:30 am All Nations Gospel Outreach Church 9600 Pulaski Park Dr Suite 115 Baltimore, MD 21220
God Bless you. Pastor Patrick Kibui
List of coordinating pastor
-Dallas Texas-Pastor Jackson Kingori of Neema Church
