{"id":1624,"date":"2021-08-24T13:28:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T13:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2021-10-25T15:58:52","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T15:58:52","slug":"stories-of-christian-martyrs-africa-inland-church-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/stories-of-christian-martyrs-africa-inland-church-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories of Christian Martyrs: Africa Inland Church Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was a typical Sunday morning for four-year-old Melissa and her
mother, Sandra. They woke up, got dressed for church and joined
the rest of the congregation for worship and fellowship at Africa
Inland Church in Garissa, Kenya<\/a>. Sandra dropped Melissa off at her
Sunday School class before joining the adults in the sanctuary.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But worship that morning was far from typical. In the middle of the
service, attackers threw grenades into the sanctuary. The panicked congregation ran for the exits amid the chaos and explosions, but they were met with automatic gunfire as they tried to escape the carnage inside the church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melissa and the other Sunday School students huddled quietly
in their classroom, trying to wait out the attack.
When the violence ended, fifteen were dead and more than fifty
others wounded. Members of the militant Islamic group al-Shabab
claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, one of the worst Kenya<\/a>
had suffered in years.
<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t

\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\"\"\r\n\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t

Request your free magazine<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s Christian population has been an al-Shabab target ever
since the group began its \u201choly war\u201d against the enemies of Islam in 2006. The group, whose Arabic name means \u201cthe Youth,\u201d was founded
in Somalia before extending its reach into Kenya<\/a>. Tensions in Kenya
intensified after Kenyan military forces invaded Somalia<\/a>, leading al-Shabab to vow revenge on the people of Kenya<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandra didn\u2019t pick Melissa up from Sunday School that morning.
When a family friend arrived to take Melissa home, she told the young
girl that her mother had been shot and was in the hospital. Sandra died
from her wounds the next day, making Melissa one of twelve children
orphaned in the attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across town, Christians attending a Catholic church were attacked
on the same day; Kenyan <\/a>security forces believe the attacks were
coordinated.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the churches grieved for those lost in the attacks, they continued
to cling to the eternal truths of God\u2019s Word. One widow had John 3:16
engraved on her husband\u2019s headstone because she knows God\u2019s love
extends even to the men responsible for the attacks. And though Kenyan<\/a>
Christians continue to face persecution by al-Shabab, they hold to the
promise that the Lord will not leave them nor forsake them in their time
of distress.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is an excerpt from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. <\/em>You can get your own copy free with any donation to The Voice of the Martyrs.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a typical Sunday morning for four-year-old Melissa and hermother, Sandra. They woke up, got dressed for church and joinedthe rest of the congregation for worship and fellowship at AfricaInland Church in Garissa, Kenya. Sandra dropped Melissa off at herSunday School class before joining the adults in the sanctuary. But worship that morning was far from typical. In the middle of theservice, attackers threw grenades into the sanctuary. The panicked congregation ran for the exits amid the chaos and explosions, but they were met with automatic gunfire as they tried to escape the carnage inside the church. Melissa and the other Sunday School students huddled quietlyin their classroom, trying to wait out the attack.When the violence ended, fifteen were dead and more than fiftyothers wounded. Members of the militant Islamic group al-Shababclaimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, one of the worst Kenyahad suffered in years. Kenya\u2019s Christian population has been an al-Shabab target eversince the group began its \u201choly war\u201d against the enemies of Islam in 2006. The group, whose Arabic name means \u201cthe Youth,\u201d was foundedin Somalia before extending its reach into Kenya. Tensions in Kenyaintensified after Kenyan military forces invaded Somalia, leading al-Shabab to vow revenge on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[30],"class_list":["post-1624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foxe","tag-kenya","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nStories of Christian Martyrs: Africa Inland Church Attack - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the churches grieved for those lost in the attacks, they continued to cling to the eternal truths of God\u2019s Word.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/stories-of-christian-martyrs-africa-inland-church-attack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stories of Christian Martyrs: Africa Inland Church Attack - 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