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July 2023 Persecution Magazine

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Your Hands and Feet<br />

ICC PROJECTS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR SUPPORTERS<br />

AFRICA<br />

Love and Loss in the Face of Terror<br />

In the arid lands of northeastern Kenya, a chilling tragedy<br />

unfolded for four families as al-Shabaab, the notorious Somalibased<br />

Islamic terrorist group, executed four Christian workers.<br />

As the early morning sun struggled to pierce through the darkness,<br />

terror descended upon the workers. The al-Shabaab terrorists,<br />

driven by their twisted ideology, ambushed them as they were<br />

drilling wells, shooting them mercilessly at close range. Four lives<br />

were extinguished in an instant. Among them was a husband and<br />

father of six, Joseph.<br />

Left behind in the wake of the brutal attack was his grieving wife,<br />

Catherine, burdened not only by the immense sorrow of losing<br />

her beloved husband but also by the weight of the pregnancy of<br />

their sixth child.<br />

“I lost him when I needed him most,” she lamented. “Not that<br />

he was unimportant before I conceived our baby but because we<br />

needed his support during the pregnancy and after the delivery of<br />

the baby. But the Lord had other plans.”<br />

Hearing of this tragic event, ICC staffers came to the victims’<br />

families to offer support, including food, clothes, cooking gas, and<br />

more.<br />

Catherine expressed her heartfelt appreciation to those who saw<br />

her grief and offered their help. “Thank you for extending your<br />

generosity to me and my baby,” she said. “Just over a month after<br />

delivering her, we were going through a difficult period, and I was<br />

wondering how we were going to survive. Now I have food in the<br />

house and money to buy her clothes and take her to the clinic. I<br />

will also keep part of the money to start a grocery shop after she<br />

grows up in a few months.”<br />

“Thank you for extending your generosity to me and<br />

my baby...I was wondering how we were going to<br />

survive. Now I have food in the house and money to<br />

buy her clothes.” - CATHERINE<br />

8<br />

<strong>Persecution</strong> | JULY <strong>2023</strong>

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