Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast"



Thursday, September 17, 2009

Philippians 4:7  "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".


THE ENCOURAGING WORDS OF OUR  FAITH

It is hard to see those we love suffer-a son or daughter's first broken heart, a spouse loses a job and can't pay the bills, a friend confides the horrifying fear of terminal illness. These situations tare our heart into but as believer we have a hope that reaches beyond the sufferings and limitations of this world.  For many Samburu they must face their fears alone-they have no Heavenly Father, no eternal hope.  Our desire is to give the Samburu a chance to share our faith-the reason we do what we do. There will never be peace in this world-but there is a world of peace in Christ.


2 Corinthians 4:7-12 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” John 15:18-20 NIV

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. ”
Article 1  UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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32 slaughtered by bandits in Samburu
Updated on: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Story by: Obadiah Ayoti and Husein Salesa

At least 32 people were yesterday morning killed and 12 others seriously injured when armed Pokot bandits raided the Pauline Range in Samburu District. Among those killed in the 5 am incident were eight children, three women and 11 suspected Pokot raiders.
The injured were admitted at Maralal District Hospital with serious gunshot wounds. Last evening, eight people who were in critical condition were airlifted to the Nairobi Hospital for specialised treatment. The bandits had earlier driven away over 3000 heads of cattle before the shooting ensued, leaving 31 people dead.

By last evening some of the bodies were still strewn all over the scene of the incident even after Internal Security Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode toured the area. Ojode landed in the area at 4pm accompanied by fellow assistant minister Simon Lesirma who comes from the area, Internal Security Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia, Deputy Police Commissioner Francis Okonya, Samburu East Raphael Letimalo and former Speaker of the National Assembly Francis ole Kaparo.
The killings in Mogurak come five days after Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton raised a red flag over increased insecurity in Northern Kenya. Mr Letimalo, a Samburu, put the number of the dead herdsmen from his community at 24 but did not include the death from the Pokot side. The MP has previously accused the Government of selective disarmament saying, “It (disarmament) only targets the Samburu.”
He donated Sh100,000 to assist in the burial and ordered that the affected families be supplied with food and water. On his part, Lesirma attributed the violence to land ownership where the Pokots want to evict the Samburus from the Pauline Ranch. “This clash is about land ownership and not about pasture and water. The Pokots want to forcefully uproot Samburus from their land,” said the assistant minister. He asked the Government to beef up security in the area to protect lives and property.
Tension remained high in the area despite the fact that a contingent of regular and Administration Police officers were deployed to maintain law and order. Although police had launched investigations into the incident, no suspect had been arrested by last evening. Earlier, Samburu Central District Commissioner Tom Macharia said the incident was an isolated case of cattle rustling by armed bandits.
The killings come barely days after Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton warned of impending attacks in pastoral regions as competition for water and pasture heighten due to prolonged drought. Last week, there was fighting between Borana and Samburu in Isiolo District in what was attributed to the competition for pasture and water.