Preemptive strike

Christ School closed abruptly today, the students sent home for threatening to riot as police ensured a peaceful emptying of the school compound. Thankfully it was peaceful, the students have gone, and Kevin’s tough decision to close the school may have saved us from disaster. I am not the person on the inside of this story, but I am grieved. As the day unfolded and we got hints that things were going down hill, and Scott spent about half his day down there, listening to teachers, trying to support Kevin, arranging security. But as I prepared our guest room for the three female interns (deemed not safe for them to stay on campus) and cooked dinner for two families, I realized I was feeling bone weary. At dinner I tried to talk and ended up in tears, and finally realized where the emotions of the day had taken me.

Sin is a barrier between people, and today just showed that more clearly than usual. The students are not innocent, in fact a few are quite guilty. But those that caused trouble by agitating, demanding, throwing rocks on the roofs of teachers houses (makes an ominous noise here and is a threatening act) and even at one of the gate guards, those students have caused great suffering for the silent majority. Now the students are easily demonized in the eyes of the staff, and the idea that the school had to disband to save lives (a real possibility) only serves to reinforce the divisions. The final straw came when Kevin saw a student carrying a cast-off board with a long nail in the end, quite weapon-like. We live here in Africa, where identity centers on the group and being differentiated from the other group, and where one group is prepared to physically fight the other for perceived survival (Rwanda, Darfur, Congo are all around us). Teachers vs. students, administration vs. staff, Babwisi vs. Bakonjo, Bundibugyo natives vs. outsiders. The bad behaviour of some students just gives all of us more fodder for our desire to see the evil in all of them. And that makes me sad, because two of the students are my sons, another six are boys we sponsor, and another handful are good friends of my kids.

They will suffer, we all will. They will miss class for days (?weeks), fall even further behind in subjects where most of them struggle to achieve decent grades.

Jesus came to break down that dividing wall of hostility. We need some serious rock-wall-smashing here, not aggressive rock-throwing. How will the teachers who felt endangered be able to forgive and accept the students again? How will the students who felt persecuted be willing to come back into community? How will the administration have the wisdom to guide all of us through the minefield of disappointments and demands?

We had an earthquake here on Friday night, a significant trembler. Last night lightening struck nearby again (centered around the Gray’s house this time), no damage but a deafening frightening noise and flash. Two pretty direct hits from lightening on our mission in less than a month, well, it’s a bit much. We prayed for some significant things on Sunday night together and have already seen some answers to very specific requests. But the counter-attack didn’t take long, and hit very close to our hearts. We need prayer.