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“His Joy is My Strength...” ICC interviews Pastor “Kevin” who narrowly escaped death when his church was attacked by al-Shabaab radicals. They gunned down his associate pastor and several of his parishoners during a Sunday morning service and yet he still preaches, ministers, and reaches out to Somali Muslims in the same church.
May 2016
Feature Article
Only Ashes: A Tribute Scene of a Murder
A spread of ashes is all that remains of a Christian who was buried under a pile of rubble and burned alive by al-Shabaab jihadists.
“There were only ashes left,” Priscilla, the widow of a Christian martyr in Malamande, Kenya, describes of her husband’s tragic murder during the attack on their village. By Troy Augustine
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ight pokes mysteriously through a small hole at the base of a dried mud wall in the back corner of a burned-out hut that is no longer covered by a thatch roof. The hole is about eight inches wide and only reaches six inches above the bare dirt floor of the hut. Looking up, you see tiny burn marks at the tip of each wooden support beam that once held up the roof. In the middle of the room, the grass has grown around a five and a half by two foot patch next to the hole. Put those three elements together and, if you know the
context of what happened in the village, it becomes clear that this is a murder scene. The hole is a telling reminder of a victim’s desperate and futile clawing to escape the hut and remain alive when the jihadists came calling. The low patch in the grass in the room is the grave marker of the victim. It doesn’t take a well-trained detective to diagnose the murder scene. The burned-out patch amidst the room’s overgrowth serves as a natural “chalk outline” showing where Gichobi’s body lay when he died. Together, they mark the last minutes of the life and the death of Gichobi. On Gichobi’s last night, he awoke startled and disoriented when gunmen came pounding at MAY 2016
Feature Article
to Gichobi his door. Once he realized what was happening and that his only way of escape was blocked, he began to desperately dig at the wall, hoping to create a space just large enough to squeeze out before the militants could breach his door and kill him. Sadly, he never made it out, and the hole that remains would have hardly accommodated a small child. “When they found him trying to make the hole to exit, there was a gunman waiting outside,” Gichobi’s wife Priscilla told ICC. “They piled up the TV, mattresses, and solar panels [onto his body] and took gasoline from his motorbike and burned him,” Priscilla said. “There were only ashes left,” she added.
ing another village, Malamande, nearly three weeks later.
Persecution: A Sobering Reality Al-Shabaab became notorious for perpetrating the September 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi where militants murdered 67 people. Then, in April 2015, the terror group carried out the most horrific persecution attack in the country’s history when they assaulted Garissa University. During the massacre, assailants separated Christians from Muslims, killing believers and letting Muslims go free. At the end of the day, they killed 148 people. In Kenya, persecution is a heavy and sobering reality, especially for families such as Gichobi’s. Even today, the al-Shabaab threat looms heavily over eastern Kenya. Many Christians live in fear that they have a target on their back. Al-Shabaab also regularly hijacks buses as part of their attack strategy.
Merciless Killing by al-Shabaab Gichobi lived in a small village outside of Hindi, Kenya called Malamande, where he was a farmer supporting his wife and family. Gichobi died with 11 other men on July 5, 2014 when militant Islamists from al-Shabaab attacked Malamande, murdering all of the males, including men and young boys, present in the village. The attackers set homes ablaze and left a handful of widows and dozens of children fatherless. Tragically, Priscilla lost both her husband, Gichobi, and her son Ken. “When [Gichobi’s] 10-year-old son Ken was trying to run away, they shot him. Their neighbor Lawrence heard their screams and came to rescue them. They slaughtered him as well. It is very sad,” ICC’s Kenya staffer said. From June 15 to 17, 2014, alShabaab attacked the village of Mpeketoni, murdering 60 people and targeting Christians in two separate assaults before raz-
One of the Saddest Stories
“When they found him trying to make a hole to exit, there was a gunman waiting outside.” – WIFE OF MARTYRED CHRISTIAN IN MALAMANDE
When ICC visited Malamande in January 2016, al-Shabaab remained active in the region, killing three people in Mpeketoni on January 31. We remember Gichobi as one whose story adds a face to the countless persecuted Christians around the world who live under the same kinds of threats. He is a Christian martyr whose tragedy preaches to us to remember those in the Body who are suffering. “Even the first time I was here, this was the story that pierced my heart. This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard about terrorism,” ICC’s Kenya staffer said.
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Life
A general store which provided the community with everyday goods was destroyed during the attack.
from Death
A vulnerable village begins to live again, rebuilding from the ashes of death, hatred, and devastation.
A By Jeremiah Castelo
horrendous scar runs the length of Samuel Kangethe’s abdomen as a permanent reminder of the fragility of life. Had it not been for the surgeons who removed a single bullet from his body, or the emergency medical team who airlifted him to safety, or even the Kenyan soldiers who noticed his motionless body lying among the actual dead, Samuel would not be alive to tell his story. Samuel’s father shuddered as soon as he heard the gunfire. He knew instantly that his village of Malamande was under attack from al-Shabaab gunmen. He immediately tried to escape through a window but was met with a single bullet that cost him his life. Samuel fled the house and was brought down by a shot to the back. The once quiet village of Malamande was forever changed and stained with blood as the jihadists went about their work methodically; the sound of short bursts of gunfire was intermittently interrupted by the killers giving glory to Allah.
Preying on the Weak
Malamande is a small village outside of the larger town of Hindi, whose rich, fertile land provides for the cultivating of fruit and vegetables. It is a tightly knit community made up of mud brick homes where the village leader also fulfills the role of their pastor. Hindi, a town with a much larger population than Malamande, and
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The livelihood of Samuel Kangethe’s children is dependent on their father’s survival. therefore a much more saturated Christian presence, was the initial target sought out by al-Shabaab militants. However, Malamande village was nearby and more spread out, allowing the militants to easily hide in the bush as they conducted reconnaissance on Hindi.
Resistance in Hindi
From there, they observed and weighed the potential risk that Hindi’s security forces would pose. They observed guard routes, the security and integrity of various potential entry and exit points, targets, etc. The time spent scouting the layout and defenses of Hindi was a worthwhile investment of time but ultimately the militants underestimated the Kenyan security forces guarding it. After attacking, they met strong opposition and both sides suffered casualties in a torrential exchange of gunfire. The Kenyan Defense Force withstood al-Shabaab’s advances and MAY 2016
“If I met [my attackers] today, I [could say I] forgive them.” – Samuel Kangethe, a Christian who was left to die in a pool of his
own blood while listening to the gunshot that claimed his father’s life
Edna Nasmiyu’s joy in Christ is evident despite her tragic loss. forced them back in decisive fashion. Shamed, frustrated, and still fueled with a compelling desire to unleash death in the name of Islam, the gunmen retreated and shifted their focus to the much more vulnerable village of Malamande. Their calculated plan of attack on Hindi morphed into a frantic, rage-driven killing spree on Malamande. They quickly burned down 15 houses, scorched the village crops, and killed many men. The attack came as quickly as a thief in the night, but the repercussions are still felt to this day.
Hope and Despair
A large portion of the village left after the attack and has not returned, deciding to live in Hindi or other safer areas. Edna Nasmiyu left and refuses to come back after losing her husband and 28-year-old son in the attack. Some of the wounded survivors are back in the village carrying on bravely through life, but not all wounds are physical. Since the attack, Priscilla Wangudi has been a resident of a psychological facility after losing her husband and child.
Rebuilding the Rubble
Soon after the attack, ICC began working on a project to help the villagers of Malamande get back on their feet. We brought in seed and fertilizer immediately after the attack so the residents would not miss a harvest and a year’s income. Then we started working with them to rebuild their homes.
In January of 2016, two ICC staff members visited Malamande to celebrate the completion of 15 homes that we rebuilt, and to fellowship with the villagers as they carry on in life after the devastating attack. ICC has helped the people of Malamande get back on their feet, but most are still far from returning to the quality of life they once had. Many more are struggling to rebuild their farms and businesses. Many are struggling to cope with devastating grief. Many still live in fear of another attack.
I Am Weak, But He Is Strong
However, most of the villagers have found ways to cope with the loss, including moving into their newly rebuilt homes and replanting their crops. In the midst of the devastation, Christ’s presence can be felt as His presence is expressed through the lives of the survivors. Before leaving the village with Samuel Kangethe, whose father was shot, we asked him about the killers that left him to die, lying in a pool of his own blood, as he listened to the gunshot that took his father’s life. He said, “If I met them today, I [could say I] have forgiven them. If we do not forgive them, we will [live in internal conflict].” This type of expression is the mark of the presence of the Holy Spirit and how Malamande and the rest of us can rebuild our lives after pain and tragedy. The scars and sometimes and even the wounds remain but the Lord is the great Redeemer. He is able to use the raw material of murder, hate, and destruction, to build something new, something sweet, something alive! His life and light are noticeable in the darkness.
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Hope, Fear & Sacrifice An Insider’s Account of a Taliban Attack By William Stark
“In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate … Islamic governments have never and will never be established through peaceful solutions and cooperative councils. They will be established as they always have been: by pen and gun, by word and bullet, by tongue and teeth.”
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here is a lot of fear, but there is also a lot of hope,” John*, a leader in the Afghan Underground Church, told me as we drank coffee at a Starbucks in Dubai. Having been a long term witness to the persecution faced by Afghan Christians, the second part of this statement came as quite a surprise. How could a leader from the underground church in Afghanistan talk about hope? What is there to be hopeful about in the one of the worst countries for Christians on Earth? As we continued talking about the persecution faced by Afghanistan’s Christians, I pressed John on his point about hope. “I think the situation in Afghanistan will get tougher for Christians in 2016,” John responded. Again, this seemed like a paradoxical answer to the question I was asking. “There is a lot of persecution, but at the same time we see growth. Lots of Afghans are looking for hope because they are tired of fighting. There are Christians living among them who are hopeful because of their faith. This make people curious and brings more people to the Gospel.” This growth and interest in the Gospel in Afghanistan hasn’t come without setbacks, John went on to explain. Unfortunately in Afghanistan, a “setback” often involves violence, and sometimes murder. To that point, at the end of 2014, the Afghan
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— Al Qaeda Training Manual Church suffered its latest big setback when Taliban gunmen attacked a Christian training center in Kabul, killing five Christians, including a South African pastor named Warner and his two children, and injuring dozens more. “We were supposed to be gathering together in Kabul to follow up on a conference we had held the day before when the attack happened,” John remembered. “I was called away to another city, so I actually was not there the day the attack happened.” “The meeting was supposed to be at 5:00, right after some Afghan believers were gathering for a prayer meeting,” John continued. “At 4:58 p.m., the Taliban fighters knocked on the door at the compound. The watchman, who was a young man and a believer, opened the door and the fighters tried to push past him.” “He resisted, so they killed him by shooting him with a pistol.” “When they shot the watchman, Warner heard the noise and went to investigate because the area was on alert,” John recalled. “As he was walking up the stairs to come up from the basement, they shot him on the stairs. The bullet only hit his leg, but there was a lot of bleeding and he fell down.” “They say the fighters knew the exact layout of the building,” John told me. “After shooting Warner, they walked straight to the basement [where] the Afghan believers were gathered. The believers hid behind chairs and a desk when the fighters opened fire; one person was killed and others injured.” “The fighters then quickly went upstairs because they were searching for foreigners,”
John explained. “They searched the rooms upstairs where they found Warner’s son and daughter. They shot his son seven times and his daughter nine times.” “Warner died because of bleeding,” John said. “He could have survived but he lost a lot of blood and there was no one there to help him at that time.” “The fighters then threw grenades into some [of] the rooms,” John continued. “That is when the police showed up and started exchanging fire with the fighters.” “They [then] detonated their suicide vests and the place started burning. The first floor and the second floor were burned, but the basement was ok.” “The police then took everyone that was connected with Warner in for questioning,” John remembered. “Since I was out of town, I had to talk to them over the phone. They wanted to know who was behind the attack and also what we were doing at the center.” In the end, the Taliban took credit for the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, took to Twitter and officially claimed responsibility, stating that the attack clearly targeted a “secret missionary center.” Unfortunately for the Church in Afghanistan, there have been many “setbacks,” moments of intense persecution followed by the Christian community retreating underground. In 2010, a video of Afghan Christians being baptized in Afghanistan was released on a local TV station in Kabul and led to months of intense persecution with many Afghan Christians needing to flee the country to survive. MAY 2016
Because of intense persecution, the church in Afghanistan gathers secretly to worship.
“This time was a little better,” John told me. “But still, many people did go into hiding after this attack.” It was at this point that our conversation turned toward an overall understanding of persecution as opposed to specific attacks and the way forward for the Afghan Church. This gave me a glimpse as to why John had started our meeting by talking about hope for the Church in Afghanistan. “We first need to understand persecution,” John said. “It’s biblical. The apostles and Jesus, who are our models, went through per-
secution. In Philippians, Paul is writing about being full of joy but he’s in prison waiting to be executed.” “We know that we will be persecuted for the name of Jesus,” John continued. “Paul often talks about sharing in suffering and that is what we are doing now. The apostles were persecuted just like we are being persecuted.” “One of the most important things we are teaching is that this persecution is not a result of our weakness,” John said. “In God’s wisdom, He has allowed us to be persecuted. We have to remember that God is
in control of everything and that He is being glorified even in our persecution.” “This teaching is what we are teaching and encouraging in our networks in Afghanistan.” John’s wisdom and faith in our Father in spite of the intense suffering endured by him and his countrymen, touched me deeply and gave me a long-term perspective and hope for the Church in Afghanistan. With leaders like John building the faith in Afghanistan, I have no doubt that the Gospel will continue to spread in spite of the oppression, attacks, bombings, and murder they face.
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