A VERY LONG one, but worth reading!! :-)

Remember the church near El Doret, Kenya that was torched, killing many women and children inside? It was heart-breaking. Appalling.

Earlier this week, I heard the pastor of that church tell about his experience. What an amazing testimony! Just the day before, on Dec. 30th, he preached to his congregation from Psalm 91. Prior to the immediate violence in that small village outside of El Doret, emotions were running high and tension was thick in the air. Fear was beginning to grip the people. This pastor, and most of his congregation were of the Kikuyu tribe, living in the heart of Kalenjin land. Things were beginning to get scary for them. They had seen what had begun to happen across the land.

As Pastor Buru tried to encourage his congregation, he offered hope of protection from the Lord Almighty. The Lord gave Him Psalm 91 to share with his people. The entire chapter was amazingly applicable, but he focused on these verses:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust…’
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by night.” (Psalm 91:1-2, 5)

The following day, people from a nearby village came there seeking refuge. By 11:00am, the church was filled with over 100 people, mostly women and children from surrounding areas.

As these people sought refuge in that Assemblies of God church, they were surrounded by a mob of 300-400 angry young men. As the mob descended on the church, people panicked. Some simply ran for their lives, some froze in fear. The attackers were attacking with pangas (machetes), with bows and arrows, with clubs. They were intent on torching anything belonging to Kikuyus. Essentially, their intent was on bringing them harm, killing them, seeking revenge for years of pent-up anger for being cheated out of their land. Knowing that the church was housing hundreds of their now enemies, it was prime target. Without question, they set it afire.

Refugees inside tried to flee. As some ran, others went inside to rescue their children and loved ones. As Pastor Buru was running towards the door, he passed a window and heard children calling out to him, “Pastor, pastor!” He began to pull out children, one by one. With each one he picked up, he looked, hoping to see one of his own four children. Rather than going inside to look for them, he knew he could not leave those waiting to be lifted out, so he continued.

Within minutes, men surrounded him. He was an obvious target. They wanted him dead. Not only was he of the “wrong” tribe, he was sheltering hundreds more. As he was surrounded, the mob was attacking anyone in sight. He looked around, seeing bow and arrows everywhere. He knew he was going to die. But he kept thinking about his sermon just the day before. He prayed, “Lord do not let me die by the arrow that flies by day. I cannot bear for my people to see that. They need to know that You are faithful to Your Word.” As he lay on the ground, having been beaten with a club, he saw the ground burning towards him. The men lit the fire with the intention of burning him to death. Moments later, he blacked out and the attackers left him to burn.

The fire died out before it reached him. He woke hours later in the hospital. He immediately asked about his wife and children. All had survived. In fact, not one of his church members had died in the fire, or in any other attack. Granted, many others did, but none of his congregation who had heard the Lord’s message of protection the day before had perished in the fire.

So many times in life, we wonder why bad things happen. Why is life so hard? Why do we have to hurt? Kenyans have been asking that question a lot lately!!

We also hear that God has a plan and a purpose in all things. Sometimes that is VERY hard to see! In our own lives, we are faced with financial hardships, illness, difficult family situations, complicated and trying work situations, the list is endless. Yet, we hear that God is in control of it and has a plan to work it for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Pastor Buru is testimony to this. Not only the miracle of his saved life, but also the protection of his family and his congregation. In the midst of that, he lost his home and all of his belongings. Prior to the clashes and violence, he had been experiencing a terribly difficult time. Just before all of this transpired, He had committed to 21 days of prayer and fasting. During this time, He had a list of specific things he had been praying over. He had even included a few of his greatest “wishes” and was committing all things to the Lord. These included things from being able to purchase land to own his own home, to revival and growth in his church, to a very trivial thing of his dream to one day ride in an airplane! He joked that he put that on his list because he knew there was no way that would every happen without the Lord causing it to happen. He was an uneducated man, very poor, and had no means whatsoever to afford such a luxury for sheer entertainment.

In the midst of and in the immediate aftermath of all that had happened, life looked incredibly bleak to this man. He was full of bitterness, hurt and despair. However, he knew his job was to encourage his people. After recovering, he began to visit church members, many of whom had been severely burned and beaten. When he went to the home of one woman whose face was burned to the point of being completely unrecognizable, he realized the state of his own heart. This lady was so full of joy and thankfulness to the Lord for allowing her the second chance to serve Him.

Pastor Buru, immediately sought the forgiveness of the Lord and began to praise Him for his circumstances, calling on Him to work good through the midst of these trials. Over the weeks following this, He was amazed at how the Lord was working. Prayers were being answered left and right.

Not only were so many people saved, but their hearts had been revived at seeing the Lord’s faithfulness. His church members were all completely run out of their village, but he now has an even larger church in the town of El Doret, near their original church.

Someone in the States heard of this man’s plight and sent him money for him to buy land and build his own home. A dream he never thought possible.

And even more…a Minister (government) in Nairobi heard his story and invited him to come see her. (That is a HUGE thing for such an uneducated, poor man!) He was thrilled at the idea, but too fearful to leave his home. This invitation came when things were still incredibly volatile in those areas of Kenya. She said not to worry, she understood, and she was sending a plane and complete escort for him!

God does care for the tiniest detail, even the smallest desire of our heart! We may have to go through the fire to see it or experience the fulfillment of it, but He does care enough to bring us through the hard times and offer hope and blessing on the other side!!

It is very much like the road to Easter. Jesus knew the hardships He would be facing the week before His death, yet He willingly stayed the course. He knew the glory that was to come on the other side!! Sometimes it is hard to walk through the fire, but when we are walking in the Lord’s will, He is faithful. He will bring us through and offer His hope on the other side! What a joy to know we have the ultimate blessing of eternal life through Christ – because Christ endured that hard road.

Because of the hope I have, I want to offer you hope in Christ this week. The time leading up to Easter may be a difficult road, but look forward to Easter Sunday!! WE HAVE HOPE!!! No matter what our circumstances, whether beaten and left to burn at the hands of your enemies or escaping the arrows of the evil one, we have Hope.

Praise be to God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ!