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Friends’ Prophetic Voice
By Malesi Kinaro

Dear Nancy [General Secretary, Friends World Committee for Consultation],

Things must be pretty hectic as you and colleagues prepare to receive delegates for the FWCC Triennial. The theme of the conference [Finding the Prophetic Voice for our Time] is very appropriate in the world today. With wars and conflicts, effects of global warming and other destructive human activities the world is in a state of great disrepair. How I wish it were possible for our beautiful world to be repaired.

So I pose to ask even myself, what is my prophet voice in the middle of the chaos? Even if I were to know, as many of us know, what is the best way to speak so that that voice can be heard?

For me as a Kenyan Quaker, my deep concern is how Quakers in Kenya can re-discover our heritage as a peace church. How can we or at least some of us be available to calm the voices that are so hot around us especially in this election year? How can we reach out to people who are hurting themselves in Mt. Elgon, in Molo, in Central Province? Who among us will have the courage to reach out to the armed youths cutting off people’s heads within the Sabaot Land Force or the Mungiki?

A few of us hope to do this in the near future. We have started the journey with support from the African Great Lakes Initiative and hope to continue more vigorously. We need you Friends gathered at King’s Hospital School in Dublin to hold us in the Light. For me this is one way in which we can find our prophetic voice. The ability to comfort and help in the healing, to hear the story from all sides and to have the courage to ask those in position of responsibility to LISTEN to those voices not with guns but with a desire and a plan to correct the wrongs that lead people to act worse than animals. My counseling professor always stressed that you can only succeed in counseling if you earn the right to be heard.

We at Friends in Peace and Community Development (FPCD) hold you in our prayers. We pray for journey mercies for all who are travelling. We pray for a spiritual renewal for all those gathered for without this we may give a human prophecy rather than that which comes from God.

As we think globally we must continue to act locally for it is only the collective small actions of many that can bring sustainable change to the world. LET OUR LIGHT SO SHINE IN THE WORLD THAT THOSE WHO SEE US WILL KNOW THAT CHRIST LIVES IN US. LET THAT LIGHT CHANGE THE BOMBS INTO MACHETES, THE GUNS INTO TRACTORS, HOES, GREEN ENERGY.

Thank you for keeping me informed of what Quakers are doing in the world by sending to me the FWCC newsletter.

Peace,
Malesi Kinaro

Malesi Kinaro is Founder of Friends for Peace and Community Development that has built the Friends Peace Center in Lubao, Executive Director of the Uzima Foundation, and former Executive Secretary of FWCC—Africa Section.