Kids of Courage

Elizabeth (in the green scarf) and her grandchildren

Read the previous post that tells the story of a family attacked by radical Muslims in Kenya. The following story tells what happened to a family in another village in Kenya.

“The attackers were young men dressed in jungle-wear uniforms….They carried machetes and guns,” said Elizabeth, a Christian grandmother in Kenya.

The radical Muslims came to Elizabeth’s house and asked if there were any men in the house. Elizabeth said no. Then they asked her to deny Christ and become a Muslim. Again she said no.

The attackers put everything from her house and her church in one place. They asked her again to become a Muslim and save her belongings, and she would not.

So the men set all her possessions on fire. Then they set her house on fire. Elizabeth rushed into the house to save her sleeping grandchildren. The men told her they planned to come back and that she had better be a Muslim by the time they returned.

The villagers left their homes and land to camp out in safer places. Since they were not able to watch their land, buffaloes and wild animals ate their crops. Some of the Christians wanted to move to other towns, but they had no possessions or money with which to start their lives over.

Guards began to watch churches in the area during worship services and on special occasions.

The Voice of the Martyrs has helped the Christians with their daily needs. Pray that Christians in Kenya will be safe.

Villagers leaving home

Frida, her husband, and their children were at their home in Kenya one night when they heard a knock at the door. Frida knew better than to open the door to strangers. Radical Muslims from nearby Somalia sometimes attack Christians in the area, and Frida and her family are Christians.

But that night Frida heard her neighbor’s familiar voice asking her to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw her neighbor’s hands tied behind his back. The armed men with him had tricked Frida by forcing the neighbor to call out to her.

One of the Muslims asked Frida if she was a Muslim. Frida was frightened. She said, “Yes,” hoping to save herself and her family. Then the men asked her to recite a common verse from the Quran, the Muslim holy book. She was not able to recite the verse, so they knew she wasn’t a Muslim. So they tied her husband’s hands and led him away.

Repenting and Sadness
Frida ran to another neighbor’s house. She and the neighbor ran into the woods with their children.

Frida was miserable about telling the attackers she was a Muslim. She repented and said she will never make the same mistake. She will stand firm in her faith in Jesus.

Sadly, the attackers killed Frida’s husband. After the attack, the villagers fled from their homes and farms, leaving almost everything behind. Some camped at friends’ houses in another town and others on the grounds of a government prison. The Voice of the Martyrs has provided them with blankets, mattresses, food, mosquito nets, and other necessities.

Read about another Kenyan family in the next post, and please pray for Kenyan Christians.