Twenty twenty-two is actually here. There were no great plans to welcome it. It just came rather unobtrusively. We still don’t know what it will bring, given the experiences of the last two years. Should we be excited or sad? We are not sure yet.
However, compared to 2021, this New Year was well received. Driving to church at 10 p.m. for our all-night prayer vigil, the road was comparable to Monday morning traffic. It looked like everybody was going somewhere. The parking lots of a shopping mall near our home were overflowing as city residents waited in expectation of the midnight fireworks.
Last year, we were under a curfew and could not gather. This year’s vigil was well attended, mainly by young people who were ready to dance the whole night.
So, what can we expect this year? In Nairobi, we have been praying for revival. If last night’s full tent is anything to go by, I believe that God is already doing it. There is such a hunger and thirst for God in these young people. Oh, that they would not be disappointed; that God would visit us again; that we would witness a time of refreshing—and that 2022 would be the year that spurs revival.
Yes, COVID-19 and its Omicron variant are here. The statistics in Kenya are approximately 40% positive for those who are tested. The good thing is that the cases are mostly mild. Our prayer is that this too will pass as the world recovers from this pandemic.
So, welcome to 2022! May you experience God’s presence like never before. May we have open heavens as He showers us with a freshness of His Holy Spirit.
That is our prayer for 2022.
~ Ibrahim and Diane