Samburu of Kenya

God is doing something new among the 160,000 Samburu people and the 30,000 related Ilchamus people that have resisted the Gospel for nearly fifty years. In the last eight to ten years, God has opened up the hearts of more Samburu people and in the last six years Ilchamus people are beginning to follow Christ. About 8,000 Samburu and about 3,500 Ilchamus now attend church. Like the related Maasai people, many Samburu are still nomadic cattle herders who travel in groups of five to ten families to new pastureland every five weeks. While pastors regularly visit with the Samburu and Ilchamus people that live in cities or villages, it is more difficult to keep in consistent contact with nomadic groups. Nomadic believers often find they have few to fellowship with when they move on to new grazing areas. A number of denominational groups are eager to share the load and produce a broadly accepted and used Samburu and Ilchamus New Testament.

  • Praise for the Ilchamus team’s work on the Gospels and Acts, which comprise 60% of the New Testament.

  • The Samburu team has finished drafting Luke. Pray for them as they start preparing the script for the JESUS film. Pray that the team will devote sufficient quality time to checking Luke.

  • Ilchamus translators will begin drafting 1 Corinthians soon. A critical review of their translation of Galatians is presently underway. The Samburu team drafted half of the book of Ephesians and also the book of Colossians. Praise God for their achievements and pray for a spirit of diligence to continue the task and do well.

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