As I choose which Kenyan prayer items to share with you I try to balance it against other needs in our world as I know you time for intense prayer is limited. I also try to be sensitive in choosing prayer items when I fear they will break your heart – which can lead to prayer, but sometimes leave you too despondent to pray with strength. Yet, after weighing these factors and more and definitely sensing the guidance of our Father, I am sharing another prayer item today on the drought, famine and starvation situation in Kenya. My intention and my prayer is that as you read the specifics of Kenya’s current problems, you will not only pray for Kenya, but you will be better able to pray with all your heart, mind and soul for other places in our world 
experiencing the same problems – especially areas where prayer items cannot be freely shared due to restrictions by their local governments.
“Famine Pushes Families to the Edge”*(in yesterday’s Daily Nation Living Magazine) and the Image Gallery** (on the internet with the article) told the personal stories of families facing starvation. This article shared the pain of knowing your family needs water, yet you don’t have the energy to make the trip to the nearest well “because of the long distance … descend to the bottom of the hill and carry water uphill, about ten kilometres” (over six miles). It shares the pain of having no food to offer your children for days – and knowing they are too weak to complain. This is one of those articles that at first I decided to not share with you because of the pain it causes readers, yet as I re-read it today, I realized that though painful, this article can help you understand the pain and cycles of problems related to starvation – an understanding that I hope will help you pray for this situation as well as guide you in praying for similar situations in the future.
“Famine claims three children,”*** leads to several prayer needs for all drought situations. Pray for good health for the affected children – children will be the first to die due to the lack of proper food, followed by the elderly and those with pre-existing medical problems. Unfortunately, common sense tells me that the areas where people face the greatest threat of malnutrition are the same places that likely have the poorest medical care, so pray for available and adequate medical care for those facing starvation. .jpg)
Pray also for the sanitation situation – many do not die due to the malnutrition, but due to the diseases that occur when there is little or no water for washing the few dishes that are used, etc. or the little water that can be found is not clean water, but water that carries deadly diseases.
“Why number of starving Kenyans is on the rise”**** shares additional needs that lead to prayer. “The government has cited last year’s post-election violence and crop failure in various parts of the country as the main contributing factors to the current famine in the country … the situation is compounded by a majority of Kenyans identifying maize as their staple … locals were forced to share the little they had with the integrated internally displaced persons contributing to the current famine.” Many places facing drought are also the places facing political turmoil and even war, and an influx of refugees. An additional problem in areas where many poor people live is their reliance upon only a few foods as their staple items such as corn and beans. Pray for the government situations of places facing drought. Pray that war, corruption and bad decisions do not compound the hunger problems. Pray for those accustomed to only eating certain foods – pray that they will put aside taboos and old customs and be open to eating new foods.
An adult Missionary Kid introduced me to a new prayer tool today that is now added to my prayer tool box - NASA’s Earth Observatory. 
An Image of the Day earlier this month, Poor Harvest in Kenya, uses an image and news articles to explain why “10 million Kenyans risk hunger.” This website may be a government site, but the trusted information given on situations in our world can definitely be used to guide our prayers.
Part of me wants to apologize for sending such a long prayer item today, but I cannot apologize for asking you to pray specifically and directly for those in our world facing drought, famine and starvation. I cannot prove it with statistics, but experience has taught me that often, if not most often, the places facing these problems are the same areas that are starving for something even more needed that physical food and water – they need the love and salvation offered by our Heavenly Father through his Son, the bread of life (John 6:35). As you pray for the drought, famine and starvation situations in our world, pray also that these people are among “those who live on the earth … every nation, tribe, language, and people” where the eternal gospel is being proclaimed (Revelation 14:6). Pray that Christians among those bringing help to the areas will be bold witnesses of their Father’s love and salvation. Bert Yates
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*“Famine pushes families to the edge” (Daily Nation, LIVING/The Family Magazine, 01/21/09, pp.6,7) – http://www.nation.co.ke/magazines/Living/-/1218/517164/-/s1epw8z/-/index.html
***“Famine claims three children” (Daily Nation, 01/21/09, p.8) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/517862/-/u1bugd/-/index.html
“Famine hitch in famine relief loan” (Daily Nation, 01/22/09, p.56) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/517860/-/u1bugb/-/index.html
****“Why number of starving Kenyans is on the rise” (Daily Nation, posted 01/17/09) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/516286/-/u1b1hc/-/index.html
NASA Earth Observatory – http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
NASA Earth Observatory Daily Image/“Poor Harvest in Kenya” – http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36683
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