Kenya Archives - Stories

Rejected Convert Encouraged by Christian Fellowship

vomtechsupport — Thu, 15 May 2025 07:07:06 +0000

Hussein finds strength in community with other Christians after familial rejection for his faith. Hussein came to faith in Christ 20 years ago after experiencing him in a dream and was soon baptized. Since then, Hussein has faced opposition for his Christian faith. He was kicked out of his village, his property was taken from him and his wife left him. He has also been ridiculed by his family and isolated from his children, all of which negatively impacted Hussein’s wellbeing. “The rejection and discrimination Hussein went through resulted in some level of trauma and depression in his life,” his pastor said. However, Hussein has remained strong in faith. He regularly visits churches throughout Kenya to share his testimony, and fellowship with other Christians helps when he experiences loneliness. Still, the pastor requested prayer for Hussein, who desires to a have a permanent, stable home with his family.

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Recent Fellowship Highlights Need for Christian Community

vomtechsupport — Thu, 01 May 2025 07:07:06 +0000

When a group of Christian leaders gathered for fellowship, they realized its necessity and importance. The gathering was facilitated by a local pastor, one of only two full-time pastors in the region, and composed of 13 lay leaders. Front-line workers reported that the gathering highlighted the need for more opportunities to fellowship with other Christian workers in this region of Kenya, which is dominated by Islam. “The gratitude of the teachers … after the fellowship evidenced how they critically needed such fellowships and encouragements regularly,” a front-line worker said. “It was noted that the lack of such fellowships in a hostile environment is dangerous for any Christian and would deny the predominantly Muslim locals to see God’s love and mercy demonstrated through Christians.” Pray for more opportunities for fellowship and encouragement for the few gospel workers in this region, and for more laborers to join in the ministry.

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Elder Evangelist Still “Longs to Go for Outreach”

vomtechsupport — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:07:06 +0000

Even though Ibrahim came to faith in Christ more than 50 years ago, he has lost none of his zeal for ministry. He has been a passionate evangelist, sharing the gospel among ethnic Somalis and planting more than 20 churches. His ministry work has come at great cost, however, as most Somalis believe that to be Somali is to be Muslim. Therefore, those who faithfully serve Christ or convert from Islam in Somali communities face severe persecution. Still, Ibrahim has been a bold witness for Christ among Somalis despite risks. After front-line workers visited Ibrahim for a time of fellowship, they gave an encouraging report on his condition, including notable improvement in his hearing ability. “As always, he still longs to go for outreach and ministry work in the hostile areas he labored in when he was younger, not considering the health condition that has come with his old age,” a worker shared.

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Bibles “Food of Life” in Northern Kenya

vomtechsupport — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:07:06 +0000

Christians in remote parts of northern Kenya cannot easily access or afford Bibles that are often available for purchase only in far-away cities like Nairobi. Some churches in this part of Kenya have only one Bible to share among their congregations. A local pastor said that one young man refused to do his schoolwork so he could focus on studying the Bible when it was his family’s turn with their church’s Bible. Without knowledge of God’s Word, many Christians in that region have been vulnerable to the influence of Islam. VOM worked with a local group of pastors and lay ministers to distribute more than 14,000 Bibles, including illustrated and audio Bibles, in this remote region of Kenya. “We thank God for today because we have Bibles. It is the food of our life. The same way that our body cannot live without food, we cannot live without the scriptures,” said one Bible recipient.

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Islamists Burn Widow’s Home a Second Time

vomtechsupport — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 08:07:02 +0000

Radical Islamic groups based in Somalia regularly attack Christians in Kenya who live near the border. Late in the evening of January 2, 2022, al-Shabab terrorists from Somalia broke into a house, pulled out a Kenyan father of four named Joseph and questioned him about his religion. When Joseph boldly declared that he was a Christian, they beheaded him. They then threatened his wife, Grace, and set the home ablaze. On September 26, 2023, terrorists returned to the village and destroyed Grace’s rebuilt home. They also killed her neighbor and burned five more homes. Grace and her children were away at the time, sleeping in a sewing workshop that VOM had provided for her. “This is what saved her life and the lives of her children,” said a front-line worker, who added that a local pastor’s life has also been threatened and that the situation in the town is tense due to lack of security.

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Muslims Stone Church, Pastor’s Home

vomtechsupport — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:07:03 +0000

Pastor Matthew leads a small church in northern Kenya. Every Sunday as he preaches, Muslims from the surrounding neighborhood pummel the church with rocks. They occasionally throw stones at the home where he, his wife and their four children live. Their family and other Christians in the town are regularly discriminated against, especially at funerals, which are usually communal events. Pastor Matthew recalled attending a funeral where he was served a meal and sat down to eat with a group of men. The other men immediately stood up and left him to dine alone, saying they would never eat with a “pagan.” Despite the ostracism and assaults, Pastor Matthew persists in ministry activities, including helping translate the Bible into local dialects. He said, “God is faithful in providing for our personal and ministry needs in miraculous ways beyond our expectations.”

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Christians Hope to Build Church

vomtechsupport — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 08:07:01 +0000

A church in a Kenyan town with a significant Muslim population has met for years underneath a tree, and the group desperately needs a building. The church was founded in 2017 by a Kenyan missionary in the yard of his first convert. Front-line workers said, “The Kenyan missionary who started the church received a lot of intimidation and mockery. He was marked to be killed, called a fool, and accused of misleading others because of sharing the gospel.” The first church member came to Christ when she was healed of a prolonged sickness after the missionary prayed for her. The woman had spent much seeking a cure, including paying seven goats to local magicians and visiting Islamic sheikhs who recited the Quran over her. After she was healed, the church grew and now has nearly 50 members.

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Bible Distribution to Kenyan Children in Remote Muslim Villages

Megan — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 05:57:00 +0000

When more than 20 Christian children in northern Kenya received candy from Muslim evangelists in November 2018, they readily pledged to return to Islam, which predominates their Borana Oromo tribe. But days later, Christian workers arrived with a load of cargo that proved more precious and lasting than sugar — children’s Bibles.

Christian workers led five donkeys loaded with children’s Bibles through thick forests and across winding rivers to reach the village of Uran Lataka, near Kenya’s border with Ethiopia. They then distributed copies of the illustrated Bible to 52 children, including many who had recently turned their backs on the Christian faith. As the children saw the Bible stories told through the book’s colorful, dramatic images, they were hooked, and in the days that followed most who had been enticed by the Muslims’ candy renewed their commitment to Jesus.

“One of the kids couldn’t stop looking through the pictures of the Bible when he received it, even after reaching home,” a VOM worker said.

In addition to strengthening the children who were secure in their Christian faith and re-engaging those less committed, children’s Bibles have also proved valuable to Sunday school teachers as a resource for weekly lessons. After sharing stories from the Bible’s colorful pages, the teachers have reported higher attendance on Sundays and more enthusiastic and attentive students. Overall, they said, the Bibles have improved the children’s understanding of the Scriptures and enriched their Christian education.

After distributing the Bibles in Lataka, the Christian workers continued their trek up the slopes of Mount Qicha to deliver 63 more copies to children in the villages of Qicha and Qiltipe, near the top of the mountain. Parents of the children who received Bibles said their kids had never received something so valuable from someone they didn’t know. The parents, who are doing their best to raise their children in Christ, were overwhelmed with gratitude; most couldn’t afford to purchase a Bible for their children on their own.

“Looking through the pictures of the Bibles engages the young minds, creating questions and developing interest in them out of curiosity,” a VOM worker said. “This leads them to ask their parents and elder siblings who certain characters are and what they are doing as described in the Bible. This also creates a platform of discussion and provides an opportunity for other children and community members who do not know about Jesus and His Word.”

VOM believes it is essential to provide children, especially those living in areas of persecution, with their own Bible. We distribute children’s Bibles in hostile and restricted nations where children are prime targets for those seeking to prevent the spread of Christianity. God’s Word will prepare and strengthen them to stand firm in their faith throughout their lives.

Congregation Moving from Police Station to New Building

vomtechsupport — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 07:07:01 +0000

Christians in a northern Kenyan village are rejoicing as they begin construction on a new church. In this area, death threats and persecution from Muslim neighbors had forced them to meet in the safety of a local police station. Front-line workers say the construction of a new church is a step toward the full acceptance of Christianity in the village. As work on the new building began, some young Muslim men opposed to the church’s construction confronted the church’s leaders. The church leaders then went to the local police for assistance. The police chief told the group of young Muslims, “Every citizen has the right to worship in a way that he or she is convicted is the true and the right way.” This outcome has encouraged local believers who are anticipating the opening of the new church facility.

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Church Water Supply Provides Ministry Opportunities

vomtechsupport — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:07:04 +0000

When Muslims denied water access to the only Christian church in town, front-line workers helped church members drill a borehole to access water. During a severe drought in Kenya, the community borehole dried up, but the church borehole remained strong. The Muslim community then requested water for their livestock. Rather than turn their oppressors away, the church embraced them and provided water for thousands of animals. “Through water, the church which used to be despised found acceptance from the community,” a front-line worker said. “One of the Muslim leaders told the pastor of the church, ‘We used to call you enemy, but now we call you brother.’” Pray the church can share Christ with their Muslim community as they show God’s love to them. Pray the Muslims in this community will repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Kenya and learn how to pray.

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