The Voice of the Martyrs Canada

God’s love in Colombia

2012-02-01T11:52:00.001-05:00

“The Lord has put in my heart a really big love for the people who do bad things.” – Celso

In this four-minute interview from our sister mission in the US, Celso, a mission worker in Colombia, shares the story of his kidnapping and how he continues to witness about God’s love.

For other videos like this one, check out VOM-USA’s YouTube channel or visit our multimedia site.

Are you receiving our free newsletter?

2012-02-01T07:58:00.002-05:00

In our February newsletter, you will learn about how your brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering for their faith and how you can stand with them!

Articles include:

Delivering God’s goodness: Read how your gifts to VOM’s Christmas Blessing brought a glimpse of God’s goodness to Christians in war-torn Iraq.

Bound with them: Learn about the vision behind VOM’s new youth initiative called Thirteen Three, and plan to send youth you know to our April launch event in Calgary.

VOM around the world: We bring you an update on Indian Christian teen Manini Digal, reports of attacks against Christians in India and Vietnam, and news about the petitions in the Asia Bibi “Call for Mercy” campaign.

Back to our roots: VOM founder Pastor Richard Wurmbrand shares why it is important to learn from the martyrs.

Save the date!: Mark your calendars for upcoming VOM events, like our annual prayer conference.

The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter is the flagship publication of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter today!

Coming up: VOM speaker in Winnipeg

2012-01-31T12:19:00.000-05:00

VOM is visiting Winnipeg, AB this week. Please make plans to join us!

Sunday, February 5 – 11 a.m.
Tabernacle Baptist Church
155 Bannerman Avenue
Winnipeg, AB R2W 0T3
Speaker: Greg Musselman

For other upcoming events or to request a VOM speaker, please visit our website.

Christian sentenced to death in Pakistan fasting, praying and forgiving

2012-01-31T08:09:00.005-05:00

Asia Bibi says she has forgiven those
who are persecuting her.

(Sources: VOM-USA, Atlas Shrugs)

Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother sentenced to die for allegedly committing blasphemy against Islam, says she has forgiven those who are persecuting her (for more, click here). She recently told a Pakistani journalist, who asked her a list of questions prepared by an American journalist, that she spends her time praying and fasting for her family and other persecuted Christians.

Asia is confined to a cell and is allowed to go outside 30 minutes each day. She sees her two daughters and husband one hour each week. Asia told her interviewer one of the prison workers recently tried to strangle her, and she must prepare her own food since it is feared she will be poisoned if workers in the prison prepare it.

Life for All is supporting her family and has hired a lawyer to try and overturn the conviction. She says she is hopeful that she will be released, but there is a bounty of about $8,000 offered by the Islamic clerics to anyone who will kill her. Asia says she is content that her future is in God's hands and she will accept His will.

Please remember Asia Bibi in prayer.

Please pray that Asia's young daughters and husband will rely on the Lord as a source of strength and hope.
Pray that Asia's forgiving heart will be used by God to inspire others to forgive and show love.
Please pray that the ongoing petition for Asia hosted by VOM-USA at www.CallForMercy.com will help lead to her release.

To watch a video interview with Asia’s family, click here. For more on persecution in Pakistan, click here.

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani refuses to compromise faith for release

2012-01-30T08:04:00.009-05:00

Pastor Youcef remains imprisoned after refusing to
state that Muhammad was a messenger sent by God.
Photo: Present Truth Ministries

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani recently refused to state that the Muslim prophet Muhammad was a messenger sent by God despite the fact that it would have secured his release, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

On December 30, 2011, local authorities said they would release the pastor if he agreed to make the statement, but the pastor rejected the offer and remains in prison awaiting a final decision on his case. The request violates article 23 of the Iranian Constitution, which states that no one should be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.

The pastor at the Church of Iran was arrested in Rasht in 2009, and in September 2010, he was tried and found guilty of apostasy and sentenced to death (for more, click here). He was made three similar offers in 2011 where recanting his faith would have saved his life, but he refused each time.

His case was eventually referred to Iran's Supreme Leader. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the case may have been passed on to the head of the Iranian judiciary, delaying execution for up to a year to allow time to convince the pastor to renounce his faith.

Please keep Pastor Youcef in prayer.

Please pray that Pastor Youcef's courage and faith will continue to be an example to the world that the Lord is more valuable than any earthly reward.
Please pray that his steadfast resolve to protect the integrity of the gospel message will lead others to salvation.
Please pray for his release.

Encourage Pastor Youcef with a letter!
Let Pastor Youcef know that he is not forgotten and that Christians around the world are praying for him.

Youcef Nadarkhani
Lakan Prison
Rasht
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Please note: When writing a letter, never mention the name of the source of your information or the name of any organization such as Voice of the Martyrs or Prisoner Alert. Also, please do not state anything negative about their government. For more information on letter writing, click here. To create a letter using phrases in Youcef’s own language, please visit www.PrisonerAlert.com.

Extreme Refusal

2012-01-29T08:16:00.002-05:00

“They begged and begged me, but I couldn't give it to them,” said the man. “I know Christians are supposed to share, but I just couldn’t part with it.” He sadly held out his hand so that his listener could see his prized possession.

“I really wanted to, but I couldn’t. You see, people in North Korea told me that they have been praying for fifty years to get a Bible. But I didn’t give them mine because I had been praying for twenty years, and I had just gotten it from a pastor in South Korea.”

He sighed deeply as his mind went to the needy believers in North Korea desperately praying for one copy of the Bible. He hugged his Bible to his chest. He had escaped the Communist prison state and was now living freely in South Korea.

Bibles in North Korea are rare. Because of the opposition from the Communists, believer consider them more precious than gold. One man was beaten to death with an iron rod along the Chinese border when he was caught bringing Bibles into North Korea. Sadly, cases like this are reported over and over.

“I cannot forget those people,” he said with a sigh. “I cannot forget the look of envy on their faces when I showed them my Bible. I feel so bad for them.”

They serve as coasters for drinks or a handy spot to rest the remote control. Their sturdy covers help compose a letter on hotel stationery or catch the ashes falling from a cigarette. They listlessly adorn the coffee table, next to the caramel candy dish and the TV Guide. Although this book remains a best-seller year after year, no one seems to be reading it very much. It is the Bible. The Bible is abused and neglected outside of those places where its true value is known all too well. How differently we might treat our Bibles if we had to pray twenty years to get one! What can you do to revive your passion for God’s precious Word?

Online persecution studies course beginning in March!

2012-01-28T09:16:00.001-05:00

Are you looking for a new way to put the true cost of discipleship into perspective and help Christians around the globe suffering for the cause of Christ?

This March, our sister mission, VOM-USA, is offering an online workshop designed to inform, inspire, and educate Christians worldwide about the reality of persecution and the importance of becoming personally involved in ministry to suffering believers.

Course subjects include biblical perspectives on persecution, the history of persecution, and how we should respond to persecution today.

The workshop is 12 weeks in length and costs $90 CAD. Students should anticipate spending 3-4 hours per week on the coursework, which includes lectures, sermons, videos, and student forums.

This is a great opportunity to fellowship with believers from around North America while learning more about the persecuted Church!

Get started today! For more information or to register, please visit www.VOMClassroom.com.

The Overcomers: Nigeria

2012-01-27T12:03:00.001-05:00

At least 45 Christians were murdered by Muslim herdsmen and soldiers in Nigeria in late November, 2011. Unfounded allegations of cattle theft preceded the attacks and thousands of vulnerable and unarmed Christians fled the area in fear, leaving churches largely empty on the Sunday following the attacks. Find out more by watching this short video.

To watch more videos like this one, visit our multimedia site. Click here for more information on the persecuted Church in Nigeria.

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains imprisoned in China

2012-01-26T09:02:00.000-05:00

Gao with his family in January 2009.
Photo: ChinaAid

For the first time since his most recent forced disappearance 20 months ago, the whereabouts of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been confirmed, reports ChinaAid.

Gao Zhisheng's older brother, Gao Zhiyi, received written notification of Gao's incarceration in Shaya Prison in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in far western China. The notification was signed and dated by the prison on December 19.

Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted (for more, click here). He disappeared into police custody in April 2010, the most recent in a series of forced disappearances since his 2006 conviction on a subversion charge.

On December 16, just days before his five-year probation period was to have ended, the Chinese government announced that it was sending him to prison for three years for violating his probation. It was the first word that he was still alive, but no information of his condition was released.

Please pray.

Thank the Lord that Gao's family has received word on his whereabouts.
Pray the Lord will strengthen and sustain him and his family.
Pray that Gao will be given the grace to exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute him (Matthew 5:43-48).
Pray for his release.

For more information on China's suffering Church, click here. To post a prayer for Gao and his family on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall, click here.

Dancing before the Lord in Iran

2012-01-25T08:04:00.001-05:00

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” – 2 Samuel 6: 14-15

Our sister mission in the United States recently posted a video of Iranian Christians dancing together while chanting the many names of God.

The faces of these brothers and sisters are pixelated to conceal their identities, as Christians in Iran are continually at risk of facing persecution from government authorities (for more information, click here).

For other videos like this one, check out VOM-USA’s YouTube channel or visit our multimedia site.

Muslim extremists in Uganda throw acid on church leader

2012-01-24T08:14:00.006-05:00

Muslim extremists threw acid on Bishop Umar Mulinde
outside his church near Kampala.
Photo: Compass Direct News

Islamic extremists threw acid on a church leader on Christmas Eve, leaving him with severe burns that have blinded one eye and threaten his sight in the other, reports Compass Direct News.

Bishop Umar Mulinde, 37, who was previously a sheikh (Islamic teacher), was attacked when a man who claimed to be a Christian approached him.

"I heard him say in a loud voice, 'Pastor, pastor,' and as I made a turn and looked at him, he poured the liquid onto my face as others poured more liquid on my back and then fled away shouting, 'Allahu akbar,'" Mulinde said.

At last report, his face, neck and arms bore deep black scars from the acid and his lips were swollen. The wounds are so severe that he may need plastic surgery. Police have reportedly arrested one suspect.

Mulinde is married and has six children. He has faced several injuries and attacks from Muslims since his conversion to Christianity in 1993.

Please pray!

Pray the Lord will heal Mulinde's physical and emotional wounds.
Pray that he will receive all the treatment he needs.
Pray he will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10).
Pray that the perpetrators will repent and turn to Christ.
Pray for those in authority who are dealing with this case.

Everywhere The Voice of the Martyrs ministers, the first request of persecuted Christians is often: "Pray for us." You can help answer that request by joining VOM in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. Sign up today to receive specific, up-to-date prayer requests by email every Thursday through the Persecution and Prayer Alert.

Radical Muslims kill 29 Christians in 2 days in Nigeria

2012-01-23T08:01:00.001-05:00

A wounded Nigerian in one of the many attacks by Boko Haram.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Members of the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed 29 Christians in two days, reports International Christian Concern.

Twenty Christians were gunned down on January 6 while holding a meeting to discuss ways to transport a body of a fellow Christian who was killed in an attack a day earlier. The martyrs in the January 5 attack were attending a worship service at Deeper Life Church in Gombe when the attack took place.

The killings followed a threat issued on January 1 by Boko Haram telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria within three days (for more information, click here).
Boko Haram fights for the implementation of a strict form of Shariah law all over Nigeria, including the southern region of Nigeria where Christians are the majority. The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency to contain anti-Christian violence.

Rev. James Wuye, a northern Nigerian church leader, has urged Nigerian Christians not to resort to revenge in the face of increasing attacks. He said, "I ask Christians in Nigeria that we should exercise restraint and pray that the God of Elijah will surely fight for us. And Christians should show love for their neighbours because that is what Jesus Christ teaches."

Please pray!

Pray the Lord will give Christians the grace and strength to resist taking up arms against their attackers.
Pray the Lord will bring rest and peace to this troubled nation.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones; may they be filled with the joy that comes from knowing that they will see them again at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
Pray for the Nigerian government, the military and the members of Boko Haram.

For more on Nigeria's suffering Church, please click here.

Extreme Courage

2012-01-22T08:30:00.002-05:00

Romania: A Young Woman

It was almost midnight as the women prisoners heard the Communist guards arrive. They quickly gathered around the condemned, a young women of twenty who had been sentenced to die for her faith in Christ. They whispered hurried good-byes. There were no tears from the young Romanian woman, no screams for mercy.

Earlier that evening, the prisoners had listened to the young woman, her face glowing with love. “For me, this grave is the doorway to a heavenly city,” she had told them. “Who can tell the beauty of that city? There, sadness is not known. There is only joy and song. Everyone is dressed in the white of purity. We can see God face-to-face. There are such joys that human language cannot express. Why should I weep? Why should I be sad?”

She was engaged to be married, but that night, she told them, instead of being with her earthly fiancé, she would meet her heavenly bridegroom.

The pitiless guards entered the cell, and the woman stepped toward them, ready to go. As she left the cell, surrounded by guards, she began to recite the Apostles’ Creed. Minutes later, with tears streaming down their faces, the remaining prisoners heard shots. The executioners thought they had ended the young woman’s life, but they had only sent her to live forever in a much better place.

Courage is the bridge that carries us from a nominal existence on earth to an inexplicable longing for a heavenly future. Those who fully understand the certainty of heaven’s existence find it easier to exchange their comparably paltry lives on earth for eternal citizenship in heaven. Courage helps us to let go of all we cling to on earth – all the things that make us long to stay here. It takes courage to believe in a life after death. After all, life on earth is all we really know until the moment we die. We are courageous when we launch out in faith, believing Christ has made it possible for us to cross into eternity with him. Once we have made that firm decision, we can face life with purpose and death with courage.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Myths about anti-Christian persecution

2012-01-21T09:24:00.003-05:00

What misconceptions have you heard or had about the persecuted Church?

John L. Allen Jr. recently highlighted in the National Catholic Reporter what he believes are five myths about anti-Christian persecution. Below are excerpts from his article.

Myth #1: Christians are vulnerable only where they’re a minority.

First of all, even if this were true, it would hardly diminish the seriousness of the issue. According to a recent Pew Forum analysis, 10 percent of Christians live in societies in which they're a minority. Given that there are 2.18 billion Christians on the planet, this translates into more than 200 million people, many facing threats such as those in the Gaza Strip.

Any scourge that imperils 200 million people, whatever the cause, would merit concern.
Yet it's palpably false that persecution occurs only where Christians are a minority. According to October 2010 data from the Pew Forum, Christians face harassment in a staggering total of 133 countries, representing more than two-thirds of all nations on earth, including many where Christians are a strong majority.

Myth #2: It’s all about Islam.

A disproportionate share of anti-Christian persecution is, indeed, fueled by radical Islam. Open Doors, an Evangelical group, put nine Muslim states on its "Top 10" list for 2011 of the most dangerous places for Christians, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Iran.

Yet simply identifying anti-Christian persecution with Islam is misleading. There are compelling examples of collaboration between Christians and Muslims in many parts of the world.... It also should not be forgotten that the most numerous victims of Muslim extremism are, in fact, other Muslims.

Moreover, radical Islam is hardly the only source of anti-Christian animus. Christians suffer from a slew of other forces, including: ultra-nationalism... totalitarian states, especially of the Communist variety... Hindu radicalism... Buddhist radicalism... corporate interests... organized crime... state-imposed security policies... even, believe it or not, Christian radicalism.

Myth #3: No one saw it coming.

When Christians are targeted, politicians and police often play the role of Capt. Louis Renault in Casablanca, professing shock at what happened but suggesting the violence was an unforeseeable calamity rather than a failure of vigilance. Yet in a disturbing number of instances, the warning signs were all too clear.

Turkey offers an example. On June 3, 2010, Bishop Luigi Padovese, an Italian Capuchin and the Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, was murdered by his driver, who claimed he had a private revelation identifying Padovese as the anti-Christ. Since the driver had been receiving psychiatric treatment, Turkish authorities announced there was no "political motive" and declared the case closed.

What that failed to acknowledge was the general climate in which a madman might get the idea that a Catholic bishop was evil.

Myth #4: It’s only persecution if the motives are religious.

Scanning the Fides list of pastoral workers killed in 2011, it's tempting to conclude that much of this violence isn't really anti-Christian. In many instances, it seems more like a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time....

Today's risks are hardly limited to classic instances of martyrdom, but a wide variety of circumstances in which Christians are in harm's way. Even if they're not attacked for religious motives, their reasons for being in that spot are usually rooted in their faith....

In identifying Christians who need help, the only thing that should matter is that they're in the firing line – not what's in the head of whoever's pulling the trigger.

Myth #5: Anti-Christian persecution is a right-wing issue.

Of the five myths considered here, this is undoubtedly the most pernicious. If we can agree on anything in this polarized world, it ought to be that persecution of people on the basis of their beliefs – whatever those beliefs may be – is intolerable....

The truth is that persecution against Christians, ideologically speaking, is an equal-opportunity enterprise....

Defending persecuted Christians, in other words, is hardly an effort that should concern the political and theological right alone. Styling anti-Christian persecution as a political football is not only an obscenity, but it's factually inaccurate.

Do you agree with John L. Allen Jr.’s statements? Which myths would you remove or add to his list? Which would you clarify?

The Overcomers: Eritrea

2012-01-20T12:01:00.001-05:00

Denied their most basic needs for survival, three Christians have died in Eritrean military camps. To learn more, watch this one-minute video.

For more video reports, check out our multimedia site. To learn more about persecution in Eritrea, click here.

One year later, no answers to Egypt church bombing

2012-01-20T08:09:00.007-05:00

Survivors of the Saints Church’s bombing
in Alexandria examine bodies of victims.
(Photo: Watani)

(Sources: AP, International Christian Concern)

Just over a year ago, Amira Maurice was attending a New Year's Eve Mass in the Saints Church in Egypt's Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria with her fiancé, their marriage set for only a few months away. Then a bomb blast ripped through the church.

Now, the 28-year-old pharmacist is in Germany undergoing the latest in a string of surgeries to save her leg and deal with her burns. Her fiancé is dead, one of the 21 people killed in the suicide bombing targeting the church (for more on the attack, click here).

The one year anniversary of the bombing of the Saints Church in Alexandria has passed with no new insights to the case. Named as Egypt's most dramatic anti-Christian attack, the bombing killed 21 people and wounded many more.

While a few suspects were detained, they have since been released and no other inroads have been made in the investigation.

Please continue to lift this situation to the Lord in prayer.

Pray for those who continue to grieve the loss of loved ones.
Pray for the wounded who continue to heal from the attack.
Pray that the perpetrators will be located and that the authorities will justly investigate the event.
Pray that religious freedom will be respected in Egypt.

For more on the trials believers face in Egypt, go to the Egypt Country Report.

Convert from Islam whipped in public in Somalia

2012-01-19T08:04:00.001-05:00

Somali Muslim converts from Islam are harshly dealt with,
like the believer pictured here who was beaten.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

A Somali convert from Islam was paraded before a cheering crowd recently and publicly flogged as a punishment for embracing a "foreign religion," reports Compass Direct News.

Sofia Osman, a 28-year-old Christian from Janale city in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, had been taken into custody by al Shabaab militants in November.

The public whipping was meant to mark her release. She received 40 lashes on December 22 while jeered by spectators.

"[Sofia] was whipped 40 lashes ... but she didn't tell what other humiliations she had suffered while in the hands of the militants," an eyewitness said, adding that the whipping left her bleeding. "I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away."

The whipping was administered in front of hundreds of spectators after Sofia was released from her month-long custody in al Shabaab camps.

In the days after the punishment while Sofia was nursing her injuries at her family's home, she would not talk to anyone and looked dazed, a source close in touch with the family said. "Please pray for her quick recovery," the source added.

You can help by praying!

Pray the Lord will completely heal Sofia of all physical and emotional injuries.
Ask the Lord to protect her from further harm.
Pray that she will rest in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd walks with her through this difficult time (Psalm 23).
Pray her faithful testimony will be used as a witness for the gospel.
Pray for all Christians in Somalia.

To post a prayer for Sofia, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. To learn more about persecution in Somalia, visit the Somalia Country Report.

Anti-Christian incidents in Indonesia nearly doubled in 2011

2012-01-18T08:14:00.001-05:00

Attacks against Christians in Indonesia increased in 2011,
such as officials sealing this church in Bogor, West Java.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011, reports Compass Direct News.

The Indonesian Protestant Church Union counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011, up from 30 in 2010. The number of such incidents against religious minorities in general also grew, from 198 in 2010 to 276 in 2011.

The worst is perhaps yet to come if authorities continue to overlook the threat of extremism, said a representative from the Jakarta-based Wahid Institute, a Muslim organization that promotes tolerance.

Indonesia's hot-bed of extremism is West Java, the most populous province that includes the nation's capital city of Jakarta. This province alone witnessed 160 incidents against religious minorities. Churches in West Java, where there are approximately 520,000 Christians, also suffered the most last year.

On Christmas Day, two churches in West Java's Bogor city bore the brunt of growing extremism. "Islamist vigilantes screamed and yelled at us and threatened us, as we sought to hold a Christmas service," a leader of the Gereja Kristen Indonesia told Compass.

Please join us in prayer.

Pray believers will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Ask the Lord to continue to grow His church in number, wisdom, understanding and faithfulness.
Pray for those who oppose the gospel in Indonesia.

Go to the Indonesia Country Report for more on persecution in Indonesia.

Buddhists oust believers from their homes in Nepal

2012-01-17T08:22:00.003-05:00

Pray for believers in Nepal who are
facing hardships for the sake of Christ.

Buddhists in Nepal drove a pastor and other believers from their village, accusing the pastor of bringing a foreign religion to the village and promoting teachings against society, reports VOM-USA.

The oppressors accused Christians in the village of using bribery and coercion to convert local residents to Christianity. It is also believed a six-year-old girl was sexually abused by one of the individuals who incited the expulsion.

A VOM worker has helped the victims resettle in another village and also prayed with the family of the girl who was abused.

You can help by praying.

Pray that the passion these believers have for Christ will be the light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).
Pray for healing for the girl who was abused.
Please pray that hostility against Christians in Nepal will cease and that believers will be allowed to live and worship freely.

For more on persecution in Nepal, visit our Nepal Country Report.

Three Iranian pastors report to prison

2012-01-16T08:01:00.018-05:00

Pray that these pastors will be returned to their families soon.
Photo: Assist News Service

Three pastors, who are also husbands and fathers of young children, have been ordered to report to prison in Shiraz, Iran, reports VOM-USA.

Pastor Parviz Khalaj, a husband and father to a 10-year-old son, was convicted of committing crimes against the order and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Pastor William Belyad who was convicted of the same crime, was sentenced to five years in prison and will be taken away from his wife and one-month-old son. William's wife, Nazly, was arrested with him but has not been called to serve a sentence yet.

Pastor Behrouz Sadegh Khandjani, a husband and father to a seven-year-old daughter, was sentenced to one year in prison for the same conviction.

Another pastor, Mehdi Foroutan, was arrested at the same time and has already reported to prison (for more, click here).

Please pray!

Please pray that these brothers will remain faithful and will be soon returned to their families.
Please pray for strength and peace for their wives and children.
Praise God that William's wife, Nazly, has not been called to prison.
Ask God to be near to those suffering in prison for His name's sake.

To receive prayer updates, consider signing up for our weekly emailed prayer digest, The Persecution & Prayer Alert. Use the prayer alert in your small group, as a family, or share the stories with your congregation. Sign up today!

North Korea: A Visiting Missionary

2012-01-15T08:16:00.001-05:00

When the boy in the hotel finally spotted the visiting “businessman,” he ran to him and grabbed his hand. The startled visitor tried to pull away but soon realized that the boy was making the sign of the cross on his palm silently with his finger. The man, a missionary who had prayed to make contact with the church, looked down into the face of the rail-thin boy and immediately understood the message: “The church is alive in North Korea!”

The next day, the missionary met secretly with the boy. He learned that his father was a Christian who had been imprisoned years before. The boy’s family had greatly suffered under the brutal government and had to beg for food just to survive. Now because of drought, people everywhere were dying from severe malnutrition.

When the missionary asked what he could do, he thought surely the boy would request food for his family. But the boy asked him for only four things: to take his tithe that he had saved over many years, to baptize him, to give him Holy Communion, and to give him a better Bible.

The man was moved to tears as he realized the boy’s wisdom. Physical help would only serve him for a day or two, and then he would be back in the same predicament. Spiritual help would prepare him for eternity.

Wanting something and needing something are two entirely different things for most people. What they want is not what they need. Yet what they need most is not what they want. This is why so many people are frustrated. The child in this story teaches us what happens when all our wants are lined up with all our needs. He got it right. He wanted the very thing he needed most: Jesus Christ. When all you want is all you need, you will find great satisfaction. You may say you want money, but you’ll soon find that money meets only so many needs. You may say you need money, but soon you’ll want other things as well. Only Jesus can satisfy your wants and needs at the same time.

Indonesia: Abandoned for coming to Jesus

2012-01-14T09:16:00.009-05:00

"Lidya" (not her real name) is well aware of the cost to follow Christ in the Muslim-dominated nation of Indonesia.

Her story is not uncommon in the Muslim world, where some women are abandoned, tortured or even killed by their husbands for becoming Christians. But despite the cost, Lidya will not be intimidated from telling others about Jesus and what He has done in her life.

Watch this 4:15 minute video today to hear Lidya’s story.

For other videos about persecuted Christians, visit our multimedia site. To learn more about Indonesia’s suffering Church, click here.

The Overcomers: Sri Lanka

2012-01-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka have caused concern among Protestant Christians by renewing their calls for anti-conversion laws. For more, watch this one-minute video clip.

Click here to watch more video reports about the persecuted Church. For more on the trials Christians face in Sri Lanka, click here.

Brutalized teenage believer in Sudan prays for forgiveness for her tormentors

2012-01-12T08:08:00.003-05:00

Please keep Hiba in your prayers.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

A young Sudanese Christian teenager who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and physically attacked over the course of one year is praying that her former captors, a gang of Muslims who tried to force her to convert to Islam, find mercy.

After escaping last July, she says she is praying that Jesus reveals himself to her assailants, and "forgives them for what they did to me," reports International Christian Concern.

Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo says she escaped from them with the help of God who did not want her to suffer any more (for more information on her kidnapping, click here). "I want to thank God who saved me from the hands of the abductors," said Hiba just two months after she escaped. "I also thank God for all believers all over the world for their prayers for me and my family. It was because of your prayers that my situation changed."

Hiba, who missed one year of school due to the abduction, is in school again, but her widowed mother lost her job after taking time to search for her daughter, so the financial burdens are a strain.

Please pray.

Please pray that Hiba's physical and emotional wounds will be healed and that she will succeed in her studies and grow in her faith.
Please pray that her captors' knees will bend before Jesus, and that they will turn to the one true God in repentance.
Pray that God will strengthen and embolden the Church in Sudan.

To post a prayer of solidarity with Hiba, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. To learn more about how Sudanese believers suffer for Christ's sake, visit the Sudan Country Report.

Bomber of Christian family in the West Bank deemed fit to stand trial

2012-01-11T08:02:00.001-05:00

Yaakov "Jack" Teitel
(Photo: Shin Bet)

An American-born man who bombed the home of a Messianic Jewish family in the West Bank has been declared fit to stand trial, reports our sister mission, VOM-USA.

Yaakov "Jack" Teitel, 39, stands accused of planting a bomb in the home of Pastor David Ortiz in 2008 (for more information, click here). Teitel, who has been dubbed the "Jewish terrorist," is also charged with the murder of two Palestinians and with other serious offenses.

Teitel's lawyers had tried to argue that he was not mentally competent, but a district court judge in Jerusalem ruled that the married father of four is fit for trial.

Teitel emigrated from Florida to Israel in 2000, and in March 2008, Teitel attempted to murder 15-year-old Ami Ortiz, the son of a Messianic Jewish couple in Ariel, by allegedly placing a bomb in a Purim gift basket at the Ortiz's home. The bomb, believed to be intended for Ami's father, exploded when the teenager opened it, and he was severely burned and injured by shrapnel.

The trial is scheduled to begin in several weeks.

Please pray!

Please pray that Ami will continue to heal and that all the victims of Teitel's violence will be comforted.
Pray that authorities will act justly in this case.
Pray that Teitel will repent and come to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Attacks continue in Sudan’s border region

2012-01-10T08:09:00.002-05:00

Sudan and South Sudan appear to be on the brink of war as security in the border region continues to deteriorate, reports VOM-USA.

Sudan continues to attack and bomb areas along the border, including areas inside the new sovereign nation of South Sudan. The border region is home to vast natural resources as well as majority-Christian ethnic groups.

"We are following this situation very closely as we plan projects and outreaches to respond to the crisis and encourage the persecuted church in the Nuba Mountain region," wrote a VOM field worker.

In early December, Christian aid organizations serving refugee communities along the border were forced to evacuate their field workers because of intense aerial bombing and shelling by Sudan.

Members of AIM Air, who transport aid to the refugee communities, said the biggest obstacles affecting relief efforts are the bombing, shelling and fighting in Jau and Yidra, communities inside South Sudan. These regions are home to the largest Christian community in South Sudan and Sudan.

More than 300,000 people have been displaced by the conflict, which began on June 6, 2011.

Please pray that God will continue to sustain His people there!

For more on persecution in Sudan, please visit our Sudan Country Report.

Church raided in Ahvaz, Iran

2012-01-09T08:04:00.005-05:00

Please pray for imprisoned Christians in Iran.

Iranian Christians have requested our prayers following a raid on an officially recognized church in Ahvaz during a service on December 23, reports Middle East Concern.

All mobile phones were confiscated, as was the church's audio-visual equipment and Christian literature.
All attendees, including children, were reportedly detained. Most were released within a few hours. However, the church's pastor (Farhad), his wife (Shahnaz) and two other church members (David and Naser) remain detained. Their whereabouts are unknown.

We are pleased to report that another Iranian Christian, Shahla Rahmati, was released on December 20 having been cleared of all charges against her. She had been detained since March 9.

Iranian Christians request our prayers that:

Farhad, Shahnaz, David and Naser will know the presence and peace of Jesus, and be released soon.
All church members will know the Spirit's wisdom and guidance, especially concerning meeting together for worship.
All confiscated property would be returned.
Shahla would know the Father's love and healing as she adjusts to normal life.
All officials involved will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him.

To learn more about persecution in Iran, visit our Iran Country Report.

Extreme Worship

2012-01-08T08:16:00.013-05:00

Ancient Babylon: Daniel

He heard the decree from his window: “For the next thirty days, anyone who prays to anyone other than the king will be thrown to the lions.”

Daniel pushed the shutters open. On the rooftop across the way, two of the king’s advisors who hated him stood, glaring intensely. He nodded cordially as he met their eyes, and they nodded back, as cunning smiles spread across their faces.

Daniel went to every window in his chamber and swung it wide open. At each there seemed to be observers. Then he went to the center of the room, where all could see him, knelt, and began worshipping God.
The king was dejected when the guards brought Daniel before him. The king had been tricked. His decree could not be revoked, though he had sought all day to find a way to free Daniel, whom he considered to be good man.

“Take him,” King Darius said to the guards. Then he looked in Daniel’s eyes and said, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (Daniel 6:16). The soldiers took Daniel to the den, with the king following close behind. Daniel did not say a word, but bowed to the king and walked in among the lions. The doorway was sealed with a large boulder.

Daniel went to the center of the den, knelt, and began worshipping God.

Extreme worship is not a manner of praise. It’s not a specific method or a particular tradition. It’s not determined by debating organ music verses contemporary praise. In fact, it has little to do with how we praise God at all. Extreme worship is defined by when and where we worship. When we are drawn to worship during our most stressful times, we practice extreme worship. When we are drawn to sing praise where the opposition is strongest, we practice extreme worship. Like Daniel, we must not allow our circumstances to dictate when and where we worship God. We must be prepared to live out our faith anytime, any place. Are you willing to serve God in extreme worship today?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Al Qaeda planned to bomb churches in Turkey’s capital

2012-01-07T09:16:00.001-05:00

Police discovered and arrested Al Qaeda
extremists who were planning to attack churches
and Christians in Ankara, Turkey's capital.

Compass Direct News reports that 11 Al Qaeda militants planned to destroy all churches in Turkey’s second largest city. An article in the daily Taraf newspaper says a home-grown terrorist cell allegedly made plans to attack churches and Christian clergy.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office investigated various documents and CDs that contained revised jihadist plans. The new jihad plan was allegedly to focus attacks in Turkey before moving on to other countries including the United States.

Among the plans and sketches seized earlier this year was a list of Christian workers living in Ankara. Christian leaders in the area were shocked when they heard.

“No one has had any news about this until now,” said one Christian worker.

The Taraf reports that some of the militants were tracked for as long as six months. Along with detailed maps, assault rifles, and ammunition, over 1,500 pounds of explosives were seized over the course of the investigation.

Members of the terrorist group were instructed by Al Qaeda not to enrol in Turkey’s military, send their children to public schools, or recognize the authority of Turkish courts. There were also guidelines for what to do if arrested.

For more information, read Compass’ article here. For more information on the trials Christians face in Turkey, click here.

The Overcomers: Vietnam

2012-01-06T16:43:00.000-05:00

More than a dozen Christian men, women and teenagers were brutally beaten and their property destroyed near Hanoi, Vietnam, in what sources say was a religiously-motivated attack. Find out more by watching this short video clip.

For more video reports on the persecuted Church, click here. To find out more about persecution in Vietnam, visit our Vietnam Country Report.

Tibet house church members criminally detained

2012-01-06T08:03:00.017-05:00

In a historic first, members of a house church
in Tibet were detained, interrogated,
and beaten for belonging to "an illegal cult."

Members of a house church in Lhasa, Tibet, were criminally detained by police in October, reports ChinaAid. Brother Song Kuanxin, from China’s Henan province, was one of 11 members who were held for almost a month before being released. The incident is believed to be the first time that authorities in Tibet have targeted house church Christians.

On October 5, Song returned from China to Lhasa to find his house in chaos and his belongings scattered. His wife and two little children were in shock.

“The first thought that crossed my mind is my place had been burgled. As we were going to call 110 (the emergency number) to report the crime right away, our front door was shut closed,” said Song.

A police officer walked in and said they wouldn’t need to call in the emergency. Song was taken into custody, only being told that his house had been declared a location of illegal gatherings. He was not permitted to explain or defend the gathering. Two days later, Song was notified that he was officially being charged “on suspicion of [being part of a] cult group.”

While in prison, Song was repeatedly beaten. When he was released, he was told police had destroyed items that had been confiscated from his home.

Pray for Brother Song Kuanaxin and the rest of his house church.

Pray for opportunities for Song and fellow church members to witness the truth to those opposed to the gospel.
Pray that God will provide the believers’ daily needs.
Pray that the faith of those in this house church will be strengthened.

For the full report from ChinaAid, click here.

Muslims in Kenya beat Somali Christian until unconscious

2012-01-05T08:01:00.001-05:00

There has been a string of attacks on
Somalis in Kenya who have converted
to Christianity.

Ibrahim, a 23-year-old Somali Christian, was on his way back to his home in an undisclosed town in Kenya on December 5 when he was beaten by a gang of young Muslim men, reports Compass Direct News. The attack came just six weeks after Ibrahim’s older brother was also beaten.

The assault comes because Ibrahim is an alleged apostate. His family, however, claims he has been raised as a Christian his entire life.

Ibrahim had bought food and was returning home when the gang ordered him to stop. Ibrahim refused and that’s when the beating began. He heard one of the assailants say, “This is one of the guys we have been looking for, and today we have found him – we did not succeed in killing your brother, but today we are going to kill you.”

Ibrahim says he was hit in the knee and the eye. He remembers being beaten and then waking up at home. He had been knocked unconscious. He found out area residents had assisted in stopping the beating. At last report, Ibrahim could not see well because of the eye injury and he was in pain all over his body.

In a related attack earlier in October, Hassan, Ibrahim’s older brother, was left naked and bleeding. He too had been running errands when six young Muslim men attacked him, striking him in the head and face with a metal bar. They wounded his hands with a knife and left him at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa.

Two of the attackers were arrested, but Ibrahim and Hassan’s mother says the assailants escaped custody.

Their escape has affected her decision to report the latest attack to police. “I feel it will be a waste of time, because those who attacked Hassan were released without being charged in court,” she said.

The Christian woman has already seen the death of her husband and is the sole supporter of her family of seven sons and two daughters.

You can read more about persecution in Kenya by reading Compass’ full report.

Pray for this family!

Pray that God will sustain this mother and her entire family.
Pray for physical healing for Ibrahim and Hassan, as well as spiritual strength.
Pray the men who continue to terrorize this family will be brought to justice and see the light of Christ in those they persecute.

Canada to ban veil during citizenship ceremony

2012-01-04T08:09:00.008-05:00

The Toronto Star has an opinion piece that talks about how the Canadian government may ban the niqab and burqa during the Canadian citizenship ceremony.

The two sides of the issue both have interesting points.

They should NOT remove their veils
On this side of the issue are those who say that forcing Muslim women to remove their veils during the ceremony is, as the Star puts it, “coercing women to fit into the mainstream.” The question arises whether one needs to look and act “just like us” in order to enter and join Canadian society.

Sympathizers say wearing the veil is not causing harm to anyone else, so why force a woman to do something she deems inappropriate? Is the very ceremony that welcomes people of all faiths and ethnicities the place to do that?

How is this any different from asking a Christian to remove a symbolic necklace? Is this the beginning of a slippery slope?

They SHOULD remove their veils
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney falls on this side of the debate along with the Conservative Harper government.

Kenney says the veil “reflects a certain view about women that we don’t accept in Canada. We want women to be full and equal members of Canadian society and certainly when they’re taking the citizenship oath, that’s the right place to start.”

The question arose as to whether one would be able to tell if the woman was really swearing the oath underneath the veil. She could be mouthing anything and no one would be able to tell.

Some who agree with Kenney may say if someone wants to join our country, they have to abide by our ways and customs. If not, they’re free to go elsewhere.

There are people who say that allowing a veil at the moment someone becomes a Canadian makes a statement. That statement could open doors to having other religious practices enter into Canadian society (for instance, Islamic Shariah law which has been implemented in minor courts in some countries).

Possible solutions
The Star’s editorial writer suggests a simple solution:

“Why not have the few veiled women who want to swear the oath unveil themselves before women judges, in private, or before a male judge if they are willing?”

The article notes that there have been no cases of women who have refused to show their faces when applying for licenses and other documents.

What do YOU think?
Do you think this is a precedent setting case? What does it mean for religious freedom? Is it comparable to any other cases? What does a Christian stance on this issue look like?

Update on Christians detained following protests in Egypt

2012-01-03T08:04:00.002-05:00

We recently requested prayer concerning the detention of 34 people for alleged involvement in violence in which 26 protesters and one soldier were killed.

The violence occurred in Cairo on October 9, when demonstrators marched in protest at the authorities' lack of action to prevent the destruction of a church building in Aswan. The protesters were mainly Christians but also included some Muslim sympathizers. Egypt's National Council for Human Rights reported that 12 of those killed died of injuries sustained while being run over by armoured vehicles.

Middle East Concern reports that, of the 34 detained, all but one have now been released. Six were freed after initial investigations. A further 27 were released on December 15 after a judge accepted an appeal to revoke the prosecution's recent decision to extend their detention for another 15 days. Most of those released are Christians.

Christian leaders, among others, continue to call for the release of the final detainee, Alaa Abdel Fattah, a Muslim, who has been detained on multiple occasions for speaking out against the former regime and the army.

Those supporting these Christians request our prayers that:

Those recently released will know the presence and peace of Jesus as they resume normal life.
The remaining detainee will be released.
The truth concerning events of October 9 will become known, and those responsible will be brought to justice.
Those bereaved, wounded and/or traumatized will know the comfort, healing and restorative touch of Jesus.
The authorities will act to protect all Egyptians, irrespective of their religious affiliation.

For more on persecution in Egypt, click here.

Regime change in Syria bad news for Christians

2012-01-02T08:14:00.004-05:00

Please pray for Christians in Syria.

A regime change in Syria would almost certainly have negative effects on Christians, reports our sister mission, VOM USA.

The Syrian uprising is "not about 'democracy' as the West knows it," wrote Elisabeth Kendal in the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin. "It is about restoring [Sunni Muslim domination], Arab hegemony and the Islamic order to Syria."

During the uprising, Syrian Christians have been forced from their homes and Christian businesses burned. Protestors at one event reportedly chanted, "The Alawites to the grave and the Christians to Beirut."

While VOM-supported evangelists have long faced harassment and other difficulties while sharing the gospel, many fear that a change in Syria's leadership could raise anti-Christian persecution to levels seen in Iran.

Please pray for the protection and perseverance of God's children in Syria. To learn more about the trials Christians face in Syria, please visit our Syria Country Report.

God, our Puzzle Master

2012-01-01T08:30:00.008-05:00

“But I am not a Communist. You must believe me,” pleaded Pastor Im when the United Nations regained the occupied territory in September of 1950. The North Korean Communist soldiers had kept Im locked in an isolated prison cell for two years for preaching to others about Christ and for refusing to change his sermons into pro-Marxist propaganda.

When the UN troops arrived, he felt certain he would be a free man again. Yet they mistook him for a Communist and threw him into another cell with the Communist captives.

Being a compassionate man and accepting the situation as God’s will, Pastor Im witnessed to the Communist prisoners. Many were converted to Christ. “We keep hearing about this prison camp preacher,” said an American missionary to his friend visiting Korea as a chaplain.

“Since he knows the prisoners so well, I wonder if he would help us organize an evangelistic service?” questioned the chaplain. God answered their prayers.

The American missionaries were able to get permission to have access to Pastor Im. And the “prison preacher” faithfully helped and preached at prison camps all over South Korea. Thousands of Communists accepted Christ. Within a year, twelve thousand prisoners were rising each morning for dawn prayer meetings.

Pastor Im never saw his family again, yet thousands became his brothers in Christ in the prison camps.

“What’s the point?” This is the question on everyone’s minds when we see unjust suffering and violence. However, we cannot always know God’s purposes. We can only know they are great and they are ultimately for our good. We are like individual puzzle pieces spread out over a table. We strain our eyes from side to side and see that the pieces immediately around us do not seem to fit. We feel frustrated and frightened. Yet God is the puzzle Master – the only one who sees the whole picture. He can see all the pieces in your life at once. He knows how they fit together for his greater purpose. Will you look with trust into the eyes of the Master, content wherever he places you?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Canada’s Parliament raises a voice for Asia Bibi

2011-12-31T09:24:00.002-05:00

Pray for Asia Bibi!

Canada's Parliament is demanding the release of a Christian woman condemned under Pakistan's blasphemy law, reports Mission Network News.

Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother in Pakistan, was arrested by police on June 19, 2009, and charged with blasphemy after she engaged in a religious discussion with co-workers. After a lengthy trial, on November 8, 2010, Asia Bibi was sentenced to death by a judge. Her attorneys filed the appeal promptly, and now wait for the Lahore High Court to rule. If the appeal is rejected, Asia would be the first woman to be lawfully executed under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. She remains in prison, waiting to hear the high court’s ruling (for more, click here).

In December, Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.) made the following motion: “That, the House of Commons joins the Senate of Canada in calling upon the Government of Pakistan to immediately release Ms. Asia Bibi, to ensure her safety and well-being, to hear the outcry of the international community, and to respect the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Bob Dechert, Member for Mississauga-Erindale (CPC) speaking in the House said, "Last November, the Minister of Foreign Affairs issued a statement concerning Asia Bibi's incarceration in Pakistan under its blasphemy law. At the time, the Government of Canada registered its concerns with Pakistan at the highest levels. We have also called on the Government of Pakistan to repeal laws criminalizing blasphemy which restrict religious freedom and expression, and target religious minorities."

He also noted that Governor Taseer and Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the two government officials who were gunned down for speaking out against the blasphemy law and urging freedom for Bibi (to learn more, click here).

Phil McColeman, Member for Brant (CPC) expressed his concern over the sentencing, adding that their objections were registered with Pakistan's foreign minister. Canada has urged Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy laws. Officials say they restrict freedom of religion and of expression. These laws, he said, have disproportionately targeted religious minorities.

In November, our sister mission in the United States delivered petitions calling for Asia’s to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C. The team from The Voice of the Martyrs was courteously received and the petitions were accepted by the Embassy personnel. We pray that Pakistani officials will grant Asia Bibi mercy and acquit her of the charges. If you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do so today at www.CallForMercy.com.

The Overcomers: Somalia

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Al Shabaab militants murdered a teenage boy after monitoring Bible studies hosted by the boy's family near Mogadishu. Watch this one-minute video clip to learn more.

For more videos about the persecuted Church, visit our multimedia site.

Iranian officials hopeful Christians will forget about Pastor Nadarkhani

2011-12-30T08:01:00.009-05:00

Please remember Pastor Youcef in your prayers.
Photo: Present Truth Ministries

Iranian Christians thank us for our continued prayer for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, whose death sentence for apostasy (i.e. leaving Islam) was upheld in provincial court hearings in late September 2011, reports Middle East Concern. No written verdict has yet been delivered following those hearings.

It has recently been reported that the Head of the Judiciary had ordered the presiding judge at the provincial court to continue delaying the issuing of the written verdict. Pastor Youcef is to remain detained, and pressure to recant his faith in Jesus is to continue. Recanting his faith would lead to his immediate release.

Youcef is a pastor within the Full Gospel Church of Iran denomination in the northern city of Rasht. He has been detained in prison since October 2009. In September 2010 the Revolutionary Tribunal of Gilan Province found him guilty of apostasy and sentenced him to death - a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court in July 2011.

The Supreme Court also ordered the original tribunal to clarify whether or not Youcef was ever a practicing Muslim as an adult, and to give him further opportunity to recant his faith in Jesus. He refused to do so during the September 2011 hearings. The judge's verbal ruling acknowledged that Youcef had not been a practicing Muslim as an adult but upheld the death sentence because he was from Muslim ancestry and therefore guilty of apostasy (for more on Pastor Youcef, click here).

According to Present Truth Ministries, the order was designed to cause the international community, specifically Christians, to forget about Youcef’s case.

"Once we forget about him, then they are free to execute him," a spokesperson from Present Truth Ministries told Mission Network News.

Please don’t forget Pastor Youcef!

Pray that Youcef's death sentence will be revoked and his conviction overturned.
Please pray that Youcef, his wife, Fatemeh, and their two sons will know the comfort, presence and hope of Jesus, and that the family will be reunited soon.
Pray that Christians throughout Iran will not be intimidated but will know the Lord's enabling and guidance.
Pray that all officials involved will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him.

Pray for Christians in Iraq this week

2011-12-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

Shops owned by Christians in Iraq’s
Kurdish region were attacked this month.
(Photo: YouTube image from Compass Direct News)

Iraqi Christian leaders are calling for our prayers during the Christmas and New Year period, reports Middle East Concern. Some fear that there will be sectarian attacks during this period, especially as the country adapts to the changed security situation following the formal withdrawal of US military forces.

A number of recent incidents, in which Christians were the victims of violence, have contributed to these fears. In these incidents, whilst Christians were the victims, the precise motives of the attackers are not clear. Typically, violence in Iraq has numerous causes, including economic interests, tribal rivalries, settling of long-standing scores and religious motives.

On December 13, a Christian couple was shot dead in Mosul whilst driving. Their two young daughters, though with them at the time, were not physically injured.

On December 12, a 29-year-old man was kidnapped from his family's store in Erbil, capital of the area administered by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). He was released in a military operation after three days in captivity.

On December 2, there were attacks on a range of businesses, many of them Christian-owned, in Dohuk province within the KRG region. The attacks were perpetrated by extremist Muslims following inflammatory messages in a mosque. The security services acted to prevent further attacks in some locations (for more, click here).

In previous years, Christmas services have been cancelled in some parts of Iraq, or have been restricted to the hours of daylight, because of security concerns.

Please keep Christians in Iraq in your prayers!

The February edition of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter will feature stories of persecuted Christians in Iraq. Sign up for your free subscription today!

Hardliners make new push for anti-conversion laws in Sri Lanka

2011-12-28T08:01:00.001-05:00

Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka have caused concern among Protestant Christians by renewing their calls for anti-conversion laws, reports our sister mission in the UK, Release International.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party, which has been pushing for legislation banning "forced conversion" since 2004, renewed its campaign in a press statement this month. It called on the government to re-introduce to Parliament the JHU'S Prohibition of Religious Conversions Bill.

Sources inside Sri Lanka say Christians are also concerned about a loosely worded circular from the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued in September which stipulates that building or maintaining places of worship must be sanctioned by prior approval of the Ministry.

According to sources, evangelical churches in particular are facing increased pressure from the state, with "indiscriminate closure and threats." Their applications to register formally are routinely rejected, and there is evidence that planning permission is even being denied for non-church buildings if the applicant is a Christian individual or organization.

Please pray.

Pray that the JHU's bid to introduce anti-conversion laws in Sri Lanka will fail.
Pray that officials will end discriminatory policies which limit the activities of some Christians.
Ask God to bless and protect evangelical Christians and pray for all those working for religious freedom in Sri Lanka.

For more information on persecution in Sri Lanka, go to the Sri Lanka Country Report.

Illegal prosecutions and punishments in Uzbekistan

2011-12-27T08:16:00.006-05:00

Sergei Kozin has been fined 80 times the minimum monthly wage after a police raid on a group of Baptists in Sergeli District near Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in July, reports Forum 18 News Service.

The case was brought forward even though it was beyond the legal time limit to bring charges. Baptists stated that the case was fabricated, with the alleged witness not producing the required identity documents. The judge in the case had noted the lack of evidence and legal documents produced by police.

In another case, after being summoned to a police station for questioning on October 16, two schoolgirls stopped coming to a church. The police threatened them that "they will be in police records and thrown out of school."

The next month, five officials raided a home in Fergana without a search warrant on November 19. When the wife of the occupant refused the officials entry, they pushed her out of the way and confiscated about 100 Christian books, DVDs and a computer.

You can help by praying!

Please pray for Christians in Uzbekistan who are continually targeted by authorities.
Pray the Lord will give believers wisdom when dealing with those who oppose their Christian activities.
Pray the Church will continue to grow in spite of restrictions.

For more on the persecuted Church in Uzbekistan, visit our Uzbekistan Country Report.

Death threats for evangelist challenging injustice in Pakistan

2011-12-26T09:16:00.003-05:00

Shahbaz Bhatti was
assassinated in March for
speaking out against the
blasphemy law.

A Pakistani Christian has received death threats after condemning the murder of a Christian government minister who was killed for opposing the blasphemy laws, reports our sister mission in the UK, Release International.

Evangelist Arif Ferguson, 36, and his entire family have had to go into hiding following death threats from militants. Arif was first warned after sharing the Gospel among Muslims. More serious death threats followed after he made a statement to a local newspaper condemning the assassination in March of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who had spoken up against the blasphemy law (for more, click here). Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for killing Shahbaz Bhatti, and the same group is now threatening Arif.

Arif, a laboratory technician, fled to Karachi after being tipped off that the militants were trying to track him down. But even there he received death threats, forcing the family of nine to go into hiding again. Arif and his sisters have lost their jobs as a result. Arif shared, "I trust in Jesus. If I die, it will be for Christ."

Please pray!

Please pray for Arif and his family -- for their protection, support and encouragement.
Pray the Lord will provide for them.
Pray their faithful testimony will be an encouragement to other believers.

Find out more about the intense persecution of Christians in Pakistan at our Pakistan Country Report.

Christmas: The day the balance of power shifted irreversibly

2011-12-25T12:39:00.009-05:00

A devotional by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate and a member of the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission.

After rescuing Jacob's/Israel's descendants from slavery in Egypt, God brokered a covenant with them at Sinai, promising to be their faithful God if they would just trust and obey him. Thus, God's protection was dependent on the people's faithfulness. The trouble was the covenant required perfect faithfulness from every individual: thus it was too difficult for the people to keep, for sin reigned.

When God agreed to let the people have a king, the king became God's “vassal,” standing before God as the people's representative head. From that point on, God's protection was dependent on the king's faithfulness.
The trouble was kings, like commoners, were flawed, fallible and sinful by nature: they routinely let their people down, for sin reigned.

To solve the problems of sin and fallible kings, God promised “Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7). Jesus Christ, son of David, Son of God, is HE (Matthew 1: 23). He was born a king (Matthew 2:2). He lived a sinless life of perfect obedience (Hebrews 4:15), thereby totally fulfilling the requirements of the covenant on behalf of his subjects. Then he died a king (John 19:19). As the “Lamb of God,” he paid the penalty for the sins of all who, through faith, would become his subjects (Matthew 1:21).

Having secured salvation, Jesus was then glorified by the Father who raised him to life and exalted him to the highest place. From “the throne of his father David,” this King Jesus now reigns forever, for “of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

“He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill [have supremacy over] all things.” (Ephesians 4:10 ESV)

The coming of Immanuel heralded the beginning of the end for the forces of evil that have reigned in this world. Though Jesus won the decisive battle over sin and death at the cross, the defeated powers have not yet been eliminated and are resisting their inevitable end with everything they can muster.

“They [the combined powers of the world] will make war on the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17: 14 ESV)

As violent persecution escalates, as Christian security deteriorates and as religious liberty declines globally – undeniable facts – it is imperative that we “take heart” (John 16:33), remembering that Immanuel's kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36) and “cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 13:26-29). We, who through faith belong to HIM, are eternally secure.

It is also imperative that we never give up. For it was out of love for the world that God gave his only son (John 3:16), so that through him all the peoples of the world might be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The times in which we live are times of immense spiritual conflict, for God is in the process of bringing down all false gods and defeated enemies (Psalm 110:1). Yet ultimately all idols will be discarded and the true Saviour, Jesus Christ, will alone be exalted (Isaiah 2:10-21). As the battles rage, the world's greatest need, though it rejects it, is that the Church, God's instrument of blessing, be upheld in prayer. It is only through the strength provided by our glorious and victorious reigning King Jesus – strength he gives in answer to prayer – will these ongoing battles be turned back at the gate (Isaiah 28:5,6; Zechariah 4:6). Though she be assailed on every side, the Church must continue to preach the Gospel of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ, the hope of the world.

For the promise is this: the world will finally recognise HIM (see Isaiah 2:2-4; Psalm 22:27,28).

Yes, the coming of Immanuel marked the moment when the balance of power in the world shifted irreversibly! No wonder the angels rejoiced (Luke 2:8-14) – they understood!

May this knowledge – of who Jesus is and what happened at Christmas – lead us to rejoice AND inspire us to pray.

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” (Revelation 19:6b ESV)

2011-12-25T07:35:00.009-05:00

Watching, praying for the persecuted at Christmas

2011-12-24T09:04:00.025-05:00

By Carl Moeller, Open Doors USA. Article posted at Christianity.com.

As much of the world becomes more dangerous for Christians each day, many in the persecuted church defy the threat of terrorist violence and arrest by religion police simply by worshipping as a community of believers.

Last year violence marked Christmas celebrations in Egypt for the second consecutive year. Just days before Coptic Christians celebrated Christmas (Jan. 7 on the Julian calendar Coptic Christians use), as midnight Mass adjourned at a church in Alexandria, Egypt, a suicide bomber killed 24 Christians. Approximately 100 were injured in the New Year’s Day massacre. Militant Islamists also murdered six Christians and wounded nine others as they left Christmas Eve services at St. John’s Church in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.

In Jos, Nigeria, last Christmas Eve the al Qaeda-affiliated Boko Haram terrorist group killed at least 86 Christians with bombs and attacks that primarily targeted worship services. The victims included church choir members hacked to death with knives. On Christmas Day last year in the Philippines' Sulu province, Islamists detonated a bomb inside a chapel, injuring a priest, a 9-year-old girl and nine others.

Christmas is a favorite time for Iran's religion police to harass Christians. Two years ago Iran's mutaween, or religion police, carried out a wave of arrests of Christians, jailing dozens in a sweep of house churches in the days surrounding the holiday. On Dec. 23, 2009, in Mosul, Iraq, a bomb exploded near a church, killing two people; in Mosul on Christmas Eve, Islamists shot a Christian to death at his home.

In a season that for Christians represents great joy and peace, prevailing tension and strife may squelch the celebration. Christmas, like Easter, represents a window for abuse of Christians by persecutors. Believers in Iraq told me that in recent years even hanging traditional decorations in their homes has proven increasingly risky because it draws up reservoirs of hatred toward the church. That's why some Christians in Iraq and elsewhere have curtailed visible observation of Christmas such as lights, decorated trees and Nativity scenes.

This year Christians in the Middle East will mark Christmas for the first time since Arab Spring uprisings toppled entrenched dictators Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya. As popular revolts geared up last year over Christmas we saw no decrease in violence against Christians. Indeed, attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christian minority have soared, even perpetrated by that nation's military.

Unrest continues in much of the region. Violence targeting believers is ongoing in far-flung places around the globe such as Iraq, India, Nigeria, Sudan and Indonesia. Christians are experiencing persecution in Vietnam, Burma and China. In mid-December North Korea threatened to bomb Christmas trees that South Korean Christians had erected at the nations' volatile border. Turkish authorities have uncovered a sweeping al Qaeda plot to bomb all churches in Turkey's capital, in addition to the Turkish Parliament and U.S. Embassy.

We are never privy to what lies around the bend, but we can pray to the Lord who is. As we hear the Christmas songs of joy and peace, we must remember the persecuted and support them through concerted prayer. Pray that new governments replacing toppled dictators in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia will give Christian minorities a proper and protected place in society. Pray that the hope that led to the Arab Spring uprisings will produce real fruit in the form of true freedom of worship. Should violence erupt, may Christians be protected.

Though the signs for Christians in places hostile to the gospel are not encouraging, the Holy Spirit can redeem any situation for God's glory. May the redemptive power of the baby Jesus born in Bethlehem transform these fears into a season of great hope and true peace.

Robbing ourselves of joy

2011-12-23T12:01:00.009-05:00

Have you ever robbed yourself of joy?

Ashley Campbell recently wrote a blog about losing her joy in the midst of Christmas giving. Her story is one that many of us can relate to during the busyness of the season.

Along with her narrative, Ashley posted beautiful photos of a storybook about St. Nicholas that was written by VOM’s Editor-in-Chief, Cheryl Odden (click here for more information about this book).

St. Nicholas lived a life marked by giving and sharing with those in need. Giving gave him joy. Does giving produce the same result in us?

Below are excerpts of the text and images from Ashley’s blog. I hope that during this hectic season you will joyfully give of your time and talents in thankfulness for the gift of God’s Son!

I want to raise givers. I want to be a giver. The saying that it is better to give than receive is so very true. Sure it is fun to get a gift or a special surprise – it is tons of fun – but there is a deeper more sustaining joy that comes with giving. Giving makes a happy heart. I’ve learned that. I’m still learning that. I want my kids to experience the kind of consuming joy that is so much deeper than the happiness of receiving.

This week Chris met the kids and I at Walmart after school. Our church is one of the host sites for Toys for Tots and we were armed with a list of some of the biggest toys needs. I told each of the boys they could pick out x-number of gifts for another boy their age. I wanted them to have fun, to be excited to give, to enjoy the adventure of it all.

There was the part of me that was thrilled to be given much so that along side my kids I could give much. Then there is the part of me that gets tense and high strung when going into a store with all four kids. My kids are well behaved for the most part, but I worry way too much about what others think when they see me out with all four.

The boys were so excited. Their voices were a bit louder than normal. They would pick up a toy and then set it down to look at another. They wanted to dart from aisle to aisle in search of the perfect gifts for boys that may only receive one present this Christmas. A few times they were in the center of the aisle and didn’t move out a stranger’s way quite fast enough.

Basically, I wanted to contain all their excitement and just get the job done. When we checked out, I looked at Chris and told him, “Next year I am just doing this by myself.”

We got to the church. Completely stressed and frazzled, I wanted to just unload it myself and go home. Each of the kids wanted to help unload and carry bags inside. They laughed. They ran, They carried bags bigger than they are….they relished the act of giving. My thoughts were on the spectacle we were at Walmart.

The next morning, I read Ann Voskamp’s words, “Only self can kill joy. I’m the one doing this to me.”

I wanted my kids to experience the joy of giving, but I was so blinded by concern about what others thought of my family…I robbed myself of joy.

Instead of relishing and etching the memory of their joy filled faces in my mind, I chose to focus on the grumpy faces of strangers.

Instead of being in a life changing moment with my kids, I was wanting to change the moment.

Instead of delighting in a shopping spree of fun, I couldn’t get to the check out line fast enough.

I did it to myself.

I missed out.

My kids taught me the unabashed excitement of giving. Instead of just picking a gift and being done with it, they showed me the delight in choosing the best gift even if it means picking up and setting down 20 others first. They showed me a truly happy heart in giving delights in the process as much as the gift….and doesn’t care if everyone else thinks their zeal and delight in giving is annoying. My kids got it this week. And they taught me in the process.

Bomb attack targets Christians in Nepal

2011-12-23T08:09:00.005-05:00

Assumption Catholic Church after the bombing in 2009.

Two years after an explosion shook one of the biggest Catholic churches in Nepal and killed three people, the underground group that orchestrated the attack claimed responsibility for another bomb blast in November (for more on the 2009 attack, click here).

According to Compass Direct News, a crude bomb went off on November 22 in front of a leading Christian charitable organization's office in the capital city, sowing fresh fear and insecurity among Christians. Thankfully, there were no casualties.

At the site, police found leaflets signed by someone calling himself a senior member of the Nepal Defence Army, a militant armed group that has terrorized Christians and Muslims, demanding that they leave Nepal.

The leaflets asserted that the majority population in Nepal was Hindu and that therefore it should be a Hindu state. The leaflets also accused the charitable organization of converting Hindus to Christianity.

On the same day in the north-eastern district of Sindhupalchowk, local residents of the predominantly Buddhist village of Danchhe assaulted two brothers for leading worship services at their home, leaving one unconscious.

Please join us in prayer.

Ask God to grant courage and boldness of faith to Christians in Nepal.
Pray that believers in Nepal will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48).
Pray for lasting peace in Nepal.

To post a prayer of solidarity with Christians in Nepal, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. Please visit the Nepal Country Report for more on the trials believers face in Nepal.

Teenagers make a difference

2011-12-22T08:04:00.025-05:00

Sandal, a Pakistani teenager, spent more
than a year in prison after she was
accused of blaspheming the Qur’an.
Teenagers DO make a difference.

Our sister mission, VOM-USA, recently posted the following article on their blog. I hope it encourages you to share about the persecuted Church with those around you!

My favorite things about road trips are the surprises along the way, and my most recent trip didn’t let me down. I stopped in Chattanooga, Tenn. and fell in love with the people. One person I met learned of my association with The Voice of the Martyrs, and she enthusiastically told me about what the youth group at her church, Woodland Baptist Church, was doing. As she described it, my excitement grew. Here was a group of youth who are passionate for the persecuted church.

Fast forward to one week later…

The crowd watched him – a teenager – walk to the front of the room. He stuck out, an obvious interruption. But he wasn’t alone. Fifty-one other people followed him.

Standing side by side on the stage, they stopped. “I’m not ashamed,” they said. Single cards hung around their necks. Each teenager carried the name of one of the countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Nina Stephenson, a church member who shared her personal testimony of persecution, had already pointed out the desperate need of the persecuted church.

“Today God is calling us to pray for the persecuted church, for those who know Him and love Him, who are not ashamed to say like the apostle Paul, ‘For I am not ashamed, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes,’” Stephenson said. “That declaration of faith could cost them their lives, their freedom, their family, their home or their job. But they stand firm in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The teenagers led the congregation in worship, singing “O Church Arise.” Afterward, the astonishment of the audience was apparent. Some clapped. Others cried. The apparent passion, the sudden awareness of what is happening to Christians around the world caused a tremendous reaction.

Are you inspired?

Share the message of the persecuted church with everyone. The youth in your life – specifically teenagers, who often are stereotyped as indifferent and lazy – can, do incredible things. For the persecuted church, they can pray and write letters. They can also tap into resources you might not have. They can tell their friends at school or work. With grandparents, mentors and parents who constantly boast of their teenagers’ more recent activity, youth can reach more expansive social circles. These young adults have no limitations. Through their creative presentation, the youth at Woodland Baptist Church not only spread awareness within their congregation, they probably opened the eyes of people they will never meet.

Now, it is your turn to follow their example. (2 Timothy 1:7-12)

There are many ways that you can get involved in serving and sharing about the persecuted Church. Get started by visiting our website, or check out VOM’s youth and young adult initiative!

Padina’s story

2011-12-21T08:14:00.003-05:00

Watch the amazing story of Padina (not her real name) and her seriously ill mother. Both of these Iranian women were ready to commit suicide, but instead came to faith in Jesus Christ after a Christian television program and a miracle changed everything! See how these ladies went from despair to a life filled with hope and are now risking their safety to tell others about Jesus. (Length: 7:20)

For other videos like this, visit our multimedia site.

Update on kidnapped Christians in Yemen

2011-12-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

The Hentschel family

December 12 marked two-and-a-half years since the kidnapping of nine foreigners in Saada, north-west Yemen, three of whom were murdered shortly afterwards, reports Middle East Concern.

There continues to be no news of Johannes and Sabine (a German couple), Simon (their son, age 3) or of Tony (a British man). Lydia and Anna (7 and 5, daughters of Johannes and Sabine) who were freed in May 2010 are with relatives in Germany and are reported to be in good health (for more on their release, click here). It is a challenge for these relatives to function as Lydia and Anna's parents in light of their unique needs and in the context of the other children in their home.

Christians close to the situation are hopeful that the recent agreement to transfer power from President Saleh to the Vice President and the formation of a unity government may lead to the release of information about the four missing foreigners. These political changes have not yet led to much positive change in the country as a whole, and protests and violent clashes continue in many parts.

Christians in Yemen and others close to this situation thank us for our prayers and request our continued intercession. They ask us to pray that:

The missing four (assuming they are alive) will know the peace, presence and daily provision of Jesus and will be released unharmed shortly.
Information about their whereabouts will be forthcoming.
The country will be governed in a Godly manner, respecting all ethnic, tribal and religious groups.
The families and colleagues of those missing and murdered will know the peace of Jesus amidst continuing uncertainty.
All expatriate Christians working in Yemen will know the Lord's guiding and protecting.
The perpetrators will be convicted by the Spirit and drawn to the forgiveness, love and true life offered by Jesus.

To post a prayer for these believers, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. For more information on persecution in Yemen, go to our Yemen Country Report.

New draft regulations outline official religious censorship in Kazakhstan

2011-12-19T08:01:00.004-05:00

Kazakhstan's Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA) has prepared – but not yet adopted – new regulations to implement the system of compulsory state censorship of almost all religious literature and objects, reports Forum 18 News Service. The regulations for "expert analyses" will also apply to religious organizations' statutes.

Without such ARA approval, religious books cannot be imported (apart from small quantities) or distributed, and religious organizations will not be able to gain state registration. The draft regulations make no provisions for any challenges to ARA's censorship decisions.

In addition to the censorship regulations, the ARA and various other state bodies are also preparing other regulations to implement October's harsh new Religion Law (for more information, click here).

These include regulations on how religious communities must register or re-register, how local and foreign citizens wanting to engage in whatever state officials define as "missionary activities" must register, how and where places of worship are allowed to be built, where worship can take place outside registered places of worship, where religious books and materials are allowed to be sold, and what names religious communities are allowed to give to their places of worship.

Please pray!

Pray that these new regulations will not be adopted.
Pray that the Lord will give believers in Kazakhstan boldness and tenacity to proclaim the Gospel despite these new potential restrictions.
Ask the Lord to provide opportunity and means to flood this nation with His Holy Word.

To learn more about the trials Christians face in Kazakhstan, go to the Kazakhstan Country Report.

Extreme Sight

2011-12-18T08:16:00.004-05:00

Liuba Ganevskaya had been beaten repeatedly in the Russian prison. But when she looked up at her torturer, holding the whip above her back, she smiled.

“Why do you smile?” he asked, stunned.

“I don’t see you as a mirror would reveal you right now,” Liuba said. “I see you as you surely have been – a beautiful, innocent child. We are the same age. We might have been playmates.”

God opened Liuba’s eyes to see the man differently. She saw his exhaustion; he was as tired of beating her as she was of being beaten. He was frustrated that he wasn’t able to make her reveal the activities of other believers.

“He is so much like you,” God said into Liuba’s heart. “You are both caught in the same drama of life. You and your torturers pass through the same veil of tears.”

Seeing the man through God’s eyes, Liuba’s attitude changed. She continued talked to him. “I see you, too, as I hope you will be. A persecutor worse than you once lived – Saul of Tarsus – and he became an apostle and a saint.” She asked the calmed man what burden weighed on him so much that it drove him to the madness of beating a person who had not harmed him.

Through her loving concern, Liuba ushered her torturer into Christ’s kingdom.

Earthly eyesight is often hindered by a variety of ailments: astigmatism, nearsightedness, glaucoma, and others. Just as our eyesight benefits from corrective lenses, the eyes of our heart can profit from spiritual intervention. Left to our own devices, we see only the bad in others and not the good. But God grants spiritual vision to those who want to see life from heaven’s perspective. We can begin to see an intolerant boss, or someone who insults us, as a wounded individual who needs love. We can see behind the intimidating mask of a rebellious teenager to the frightened girl or boy who is crying out for acceptance. Do you see others with heaven’s eyes? What difference would spiritual eyesight make in your life?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Finding blessings amid torments

2011-12-17T09:16:00.010-05:00

Sister Meena was attacked
by Hindu militants in 2008.

On August 25, 2008, Sister Meena was at work in the village of K. Nuagaon, Kandhamal district, Orissa state, when Hindu militants stormed the area. She was grabbed by several men who tore off her clothes and held her down while one man raped her. Sister Meena was then paraded naked through the streets along with a priest. Although police were present, they did nothing to stop the assault.

Many other Christians were also targeted by Hindu militants in what has been called the worst anti-Christian violence since India’s independence more than six decades ago. More than 100 people were killed, 4,500 homes and churches were burned, and 70,000 people were displaced. Many were forced to flee to nearby forests without food or water for days, while relief aid was stolen.

Three years later, the young nun has chosen to share about her suffering. "In my life,” she said, “I have been forced to suffer incredible pain ... I consider this torment a blessing. And now I can understand the suffering of others at a deeper level in a Christian spirit.”

Below are some excerpts from Sister Meena’s interview with Asia News.

“First of all, when I think of Kandhamal pogrom, my first thoughts go to those people who lost their precious lives in the genocide. All of them are martyrs like the early Christians of the Church. They have died for Christ and for their faith. I pray for them. I am proud of them.

People who have witnessed the Kandhamal riot are also not less. I am proud of them too and admire their faith and resilience to move forward in life.

From the ashes of Kandhamal, the Church in Kandhamal will rise. The people of Kandhamal continue to rise to the occasion and have started to gather broken pieces from their remnants and ruins in order to restart their lives. Thanks to God for providing grace and power to them.

Above all, I have lived and work with and for the people of Kandhamal. I belong to them as well. People of Kandhamal have become part of life.

I see the Christians of Kandhamal as true disciples of Christ. They will turn everything to harmony, peace and justice. All people would understand and benefit out of these, healing division and hatred, bringing the divine ray of hope and light to all, including those who oppose the Gospel and its followers.”

For the full article, click here.

The Overcomers: Nigeria

2011-12-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

A 36-year-old Christian evangelist was shot and killed in violence-ridden Borno state, Nigeria, the day after his family members, along with other Christians, were evacuated from the region in the face of death threats by Boko Haram extremists. To learn more, watch this one-minute video clip.

Please click here for more video reports about today’s persecuted Church.

Iran threatens churches as support increases for imprisoned pastor

2011-12-16T08:01:00.001-05:00

Pastor Youcef and his family
Photo: Present Truth Ministries

The situation of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani – who remains on death row in Iran for his faith – is gaining increased international attention, reports The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

The Mexican Senate is the latest international body to take a stand for Pastor Youcef, stating that it “condemns the death sentence handed down to Yousef Nadarkhani for religious reasons” (for more on Pastor Youcef, click here).

Canada has also made statements calling for Pastor Youcef’s release. In addition, the Foreign Affairs Council and the Council for the European Union have released statements condemning Pastor Youcef’s conviction and execution sentence. The European Parliament also passed a resolution calling for Pastor Youcef’s release.

ACLJ appreciates the willingness of the international community, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, to bring attention to Pastor Youcef’s plight, and urges international Muslim leaders (none of whom have spoken out) to call for Pastor Youcef’s unconditional release.

Yet, as these and other nations and international organizations increase the pressure on Iran to release Pastor Youcef, Iran is renewing its efforts to persecute Christians.

The Minster of Intelligence of Iran recently called house churches a threat to youth in Iran and stated the regime was preparing to crack down on these churches. A similar crackdown occurred right around Christmas last year, and it appears that Iran is preparing more raids again this year (for more on last year’s crack down, click here).

This news is not only disturbing for Pastor Youcef, the pastor of a Christian house church who awaits final determination on his fate by Iran’s Supreme Leader, but for hundreds of other Christian converts in Iran.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Youcef. Pray for continued international attention. Ask the Lord to bless, encourage, and strengthen Christians throughout Iran.

Christian woman in Pakistan awaits hearing in December

2011-12-15T08:09:00.002-05:00

On November 10, an appeal was held for Ruqqiya Bibi, a Christian woman in Pakistan sentenced to 25 years in prison for “defiling the Qur’an” by allegedly touching it with unwashed hands (for more information, click here).

According to the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement, Ruqqiya’s lawyer presented the case for her release in court, denying the accusation and stating that the witnesses brought forward by the prosecution contradict those mentioned in the First Information Report. He pressed for her acquittal and release from prison.

In response, the judge moved to set an appeal hearing for her case in the third week of December.

Please pray!

Please pray for Ruqqiya and her family’s safety.
Pray for those supporting Ruqqiya in her legal battle.
Pray that her conviction will be overturned at the upcoming hearing.
Pray for other Christians in Pakistan who are facing charges of blasphemy.

To learn more about persecution in Pakistan, visit our Pakistan Country Report.

I against my brother: a Somali story

2011-12-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

A VOM partner that works with Somali Christians shared this video with our office this morning. The video explores one Muslim woman’s journey of faith, which challenged her ideas about what it means to be a Christian and led her to a decision that would cost her everything.

The persecution of Christians in Somalia is severe. At least 10 Christians, including four teachers, were killed for their faith in 2008 and several others kidnapped and raped. A 17-year-old Somali woman who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death in November 2010 in an apparent "honour killing.” Muslim militants murdered a 21-year-old Christian man in April 2011 after someone allegedly informed the Islamic militants of his conversion from Islam.

In spite of the intense persecution, there continue to be Somalis who are willing to sacrifice everything for their faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are short on time, watch the 1:25 minute trailer. The full movie is 15:21 minutes.

Share the trailer or full video with your friends or family members, and encourage them to pray for Somalia! For helpful devotionals and prayer points, visit Somali Story online and click “resources for churches.” To learn more about persecution in Somalia, visit VOM’s Somalia Country Report.

Police in Pakistan beat Christian couple falsely accused of theft

2011-12-13T08:14:00.003-05:00

A Christian couple is facing charges of theft after police in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, severely beat the pregnant woman and her husband for three days when they refused to confess, reports Compass Direct News.

Salma Emmanuel, 30, and her husband, Emmanuel Rasheed, 39, said that they were inexplicably arrested after the Muslim woman who employed Salma as a maid had allowed the Christian woman to temporarily store some of her jewelry at her house.

Salma said police arrested them on November 5, keeping her at the Women's Police Station for interrogation and her husband at the City Police Station.

Upon reaching the police station, an inspector identified only as Nazia and two other policewomen started punching and kicking Salma and striking her with batons, demanding that she "confess her crime." Salma, who is five months pregnant, was taken to a hospital in critical condition on November 7, the life of her unborn child also threatened. The doctor on duty confirmed that her body bore marks of severe violence.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Aziz Afridi denied that police had tortured her, but after reports of the violence reached local media, the deputy inspector general of Haraza Division ordered an investigation.

At City Police Station, Emmanuel Rasheed was undergoing a similar ordeal. "The police beat me up mercilessly," he said. "A policeman offered to remove the theft charges against me if I was willing to renounce Christianity and convert to Islam. I told him that no matter what happens, I will not renounce my faith, nor would I confess the false charges made against us."

You can help by praying.

Thank the Lord for the faithfulness of this couple.
Pray they will both make a full and complete recovery.
Pray that Salma will safely deliver a healthy child.
Pray the investigation will be unbiased and the truth of this case will be brought to light.
Pray for all believers in Pakistan who are in danger of facing discrimination and severe opposition because of their faith.

For more on the persecuted Church in Pakistan, please visit our Pakistan Country Report.

Islamist group leading in Egypt’s parliamentary elections

2011-12-12T08:01:00.001-05:00

Injured protestor in Cairo in unrest against
military power that preceded elections in Egypt.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Islamist groups made a strong showing last week in the first stages of Egypt’s parliamentary elections, renewing concerns Christians have about their future in the country, reports Compass Direct News.

The Freedom and Justice Party, affiliated with the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, won 40 per cent of the vote overall. The Al Nour Party, made up of members of the extremist Salafi group, garnered 20 per cent of the vote. By comparison, the relatively liberal Egypt Social Democratic Party received 15 per cent of the total vote.
The election results confirmed the fears of Egyptian Christians, many of whom believe that Islamists will take control of the country in the wake of the revolution that deposed former President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptians now wait for the run-offs and final two rounds of this election, another election to seat the second half of Egypt’s bicameral chamber, and then finally the election for the next president.

Further wins by Islamists, Christians said, will guarantee increased persecution against them or at a minimum, entrench their second-hand status in the country.

Please pray for Egypt.

Please pray the Lord will bless the Egyptian people with strong, wise and benevolent rulers.
Regardless of the final outcome of these elections, please pray that the Lord’s people will keep their eyes on Jesus, persevere in their faith, and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:1-3).

For the full report, click here. For more information on persecution in Egypt, visit our Egypt Country Report.

Iran: A Persecuted Pastor

2011-12-11T08:30:00.006-05:00

“Sometimes I miss those days of persecution”

The words came from an Iranian pastor who had escaped to the West. In Iran, arrest and police harassment were common experiences. He had even lost his home and job because of his faith. Now he was free to live and worship wherever he wished. How could he long for the days of persecution?

“Sometimes I miss those days,” he said, “because I was so alive. I felt every day that Jesus was with me.”

The pastor had planted a church near the front lines of the Iran-Iraq war. He earned money by driving a taxi and grew his church by sharing Christ with his passengers. In two years, he had won souls from nine language groups. Many soldiers worshipped with them each week, and he had baptized fifteen Muslim converts.

The pastor and his wife counted on God for everything. When the bombs of war fell around them, they prayed for his protection. When there wasn’t enough money, they prayed for his provision. And each day God came through for them.

Their ministry was rewarded. Ten members of his church have gone on to become pastors. Even now, the pastor can see fruit from the time of the ministry at the front lines.

If you’ve never been in love, you cannot understand what it is to be heart-broken. If you have never lost a loved one, you cannot truly relate to those who mourn. You cannot understand the longing for something you have never experienced. Those who have been persecuted for their faith describe a peculiar longing. They long not for the persecution as much as they long for the sense of fellowship their persecution brought them. They don’t miss the torture as much as they miss what the torture taught them. The end result far outweighs the suffering. If you want to experience a deeper walk with Jesus, you must be willing to obediently sacrifice for him. That is also a type of suffering.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Yubelina’s persevering faith

2011-12-10T09:24:00.007-05:00

Yubelina was badly injured during an attack on her Christian village in Indonesia. As she ran from her attackers, she spilled a kerosene lamp that ignited and burned her face. That was in 2001.

During the past 10 years, our sister mission VOM-USA has walked alongside Yubelina. They paid travel costs from her remote village to the island of Java, where she received high quality care, and arranged for her to have plastic surgery.

Yubelina still bears the scars of her ordeal, not only on her face but also in her heart. Her husband left her, and she supports her two children by working on her brother's farm.

Every time a stranger gasps or recoils at her face, every time her daughter comes home in tears because someone called her mother a monster, Yubelina's suffering is renewed.

Yubelina's two older children, Vivi, 17, and Vandi, 15, study at a boarding school an hour and a half away. Her youngest child, 13-year-old Febi, is still at home with her. Since becoming more committed to her faith in 1999, Yubelina has prayed that her children will grow strong in the Lord.

As Yubelina and her two daughters sifted through more than 1,200 cards, letters, drawings and small gifts from VOM readers, she was overwhelmed by the love shown by her Christian family. "After the incident where I was burned and when my husband left, there was so much misery and suffering. But I received blessings from the Lord. I believe God has a plan for me."

In Philippians 4:17, the Apostle Paul says the church at Philippi receives fruit for helping him in his distress. As we see Christian persecution increasing around the world, we rejoice in the vital fruit that we receive through Yubelina's persevering faith.

Watch this two-minute video clip to hear Yubelina thank Christians around the world for their gifts and prayers.

Please ask the Lord to bless Yubelina and her daughters. Pray that they will grow stronger in their faith and their trust in God. Pray that Yubelina’s testimony will encourage other Christians to look to Jesus in all things. To add a prayer for Yubelina on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall, click here.

The January edition of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter will share testimonies of other believers in Indonesia who are standing firm in their faith amid persecution. Be sure to sign up for your free subscription today.

The Overcomers: Egypt

2011-12-09T12:01:00.003-05:00

Seventeen-year-old Ayman Nabil Labib was murdered following a classroom altercation in Mallawi, Minya province. Watch the short video below for more details.

To watch other video reports about persecution around the world, visit our multimedia site.

A long bus ride in Algeria

2011-12-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

This story was originally published for Kids of Courage, the children’s ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Gerard is a Christian worker in Algeria. In 2006, the government passed a new law that said churches must register with the government. But the authorities did not grant many churches registration, so churches that continued to meet were “illegal.” Then the government began closing down unregistered churches.

“The government is always going to come up with new laws,” said Gerard. “They are not believers, so they cannot understand the hope we have.”

The government gives individual Christians a hard time, too. Two years ago, a student in a secret Bible school was stopped at a checkpoint. When soldiers found Bible study materials in her bag, they arrested her.

Gerard was also bothered by the police. He was riding on a bus when it was stopped by police at a checkpoint. After they searched his bag and found a Bible, they began to curse him. “This is my faith. This is what I believe,” Gerard told a policeman. The policeman spat on him.

Everyone on the bus saw what happened, so they found out that Gerard was a Christian. For the rest of the bus ride, they insulted him. “All of them started to say bad things,” Gerard said. “I hoped that the long ride would finish soon.”

No one on the bus hurt Gerard, but he has been beaten for his faith before. Still, his trust in Christ remains strong. “Even if they arrest or beat me or something, they cannot come into my mind and change my mind,” he said.

For other stories about the persecuted Church to share with your kids or Sunday school class, visit Kids of Courage today!

Thousands of Egyptian Christians gather to pray for country

2011-12-08T08:09:00.006-05:00

Tens of thousands of Christians recently
gathered for prayer in Egypt.
Photo: Dr. Wafik Wahba

On November 11, an estimated 70,000 Christians gathered for worship and prayer at St. Simon Church (also called the Cave church) in Cairo, Egypt. Millions more around the globe watched the live broadcast on TV and the Internet, reports Dr. Wafik Wahba, Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Tyndale Seminary.
From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning, Christians from varying denominations focused their prayers on repenting, forgiving, and dedicating themselves to live consecrated lives.

The prayer event, the largest of its kind in Egypt's modern history, comes during a tumultuous time for the country. In February, the former president was forced out of office and Egyptians have since faced continuing chaos, brutality, and frustration.

The culmination of this sense of despair reached an unprecedented level on October 9, when at least 26 people were killed and hundreds more were injured when army personnel attacked a large gathering of predominately Christian protestors (for more, click here).

Elections for the next house of parliament began on November 28. The elected parliament will be entrusted with the task of drafting a new constitution and establishing a new government. There are currently 25 parties competing for the nearly 500 seats in parliament, contributing to the complexity of Egypt's election process. These parties vary from Islamic fundamentalists to Marxists. Christians and Muslims alike worry that their dreams of a free and democratic country that respects religious freedom will be undermined by Islamic extremism.

Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Christians in Egypt are looking to the Lord for protection and guidance. A prayer movement has been growing for the past few years and is now spreading to churches across the country.

Please join our brothers and sisters in Egypt in prayer.

Pray that Christians in Egypt will place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).
Ask the Lord to bless and protect His children in Egypt.
Pray for continued unity among believers.
Pray for peaceful and just elections.

To learn more about persecution in Egypt, go to our Egypt Country Report. To post a prayer for Christians in Egypt, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Couple remains faithful despite restrictive laws in Kazakhstan

2011-12-07T08:04:00.002-05:00

The president of Kazakhstan has ushered in two new laws that severely restrict freedom of religion. Evangelical Christians in particular will likely face increased persecution as a result. However, hardship is nothing new for the believers of Christ in this former Soviet country. In this report, you'll meet a couple from Kazakhstan who will not be intimidated by these new laws. (Length: 4:45 minutes)

For other videos like this, visit our multimedia site. To learn more about the persecuted Church in Kazakhstan, click here.

More than 130 Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria's north in November

2011-12-06T08:14:00.003-05:00

The Living Faith Church building
was destroyed by Boko Haram.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

A murderous, four-hour rampage in early November in the eastern region of northern Nigeria left 150 people dead -- at least 130 of them Christians, reports Compass Direct News.

Ten church buildings were also bombed and hundreds of people are still missing after more than 200 members of the Islamic extremist Boko Haram sect stormed the Yobe state capital on November 4.

The attacks by Boko Haram were motivated by anti-Christian sentiments. Witnesses say the terrorists asked Christians they met to recite the Islamic creed, and those who could not do so were instantly slaughtered.
The day before the terrorist attack, an armed Muslim gang not believed to be affiliated with Boko Haram, killed two Nigerian mothers and injured 12 others including an eight-year-old boy in a raid on a Catholic church in Kaduna state.

"As these Muslims began shooting, they shot Mrs. Justina Isaac, a mother of three, who had all the while been hanging around by the window outside the church listening to my teachings in the church," said a Catholic seminary student who was leading worship at the time. "And when she was felled by the bullets, the cry of her baby attracted another woman, Mrs. Hassana Luka, who came out of her house close to the church to find out what the problem was, only to be killed too."

The following night, the gang went on to attack a Christian village in the same area killing another Christian and injuring one other.

You can help by praying.

Please pray that those who are beating and killing Christians in northern Nigeria will see their sin and will turn to Jesus and repent.
Pray that the Lord will protect Christians in the region and that the families of those murdered will find peace and comfort in Him.

For more information on the attacks, click here and here. To learn more about persecution in Nigeria, please visit our Nigeria Country Report.

Believers beaten and belongings destroyed in Vietnam

2011-12-05T08:01:00.002-05:00

Pastor Nguyen Duy Duong
was among those injured in the attack.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

More than a dozen Christian men, women and teenagers were brutally beaten and their property destroyed near Hanoi, Vietnam, in what sources say was a religiously-motivated attack.

Compass Direct News reports that the Christian house church leaders, as well as other assembled believers, were severely injured during a gathering in the home of Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau in Lai Tao village.

A gang burst into the home at 9:30 a.m. on November 13 and warned Nguyen that they would kill him if he continued gathering Christians, according to sources in Vietnam. The attackers then beat him until he lost consciousness.

The offenders smashed chairs, overturned a pulpit and tore a cross from the wall and threw it into a nearby pond. They also destroyed motorcycles owned by four of the pastors present, which was an enormous loss for them.

The believers are members with the Agape Baptist Church, an unregistered house church organization of about 2,200 believers who worship regularly in 38 congregations. The head of the Agape Baptist Church, Nguyen Cong Thanh, met with the injured and said all he could do was weep at the violence.

"Why do they gratuitously beat servants of the Lord like this -- what crime have they committed, what enemies have they made?" he said. "All we want to do is gather people to worship and serve God and our fellowman."

Please pray!

Please pray that those beaten will make a full recovery and that the Agape Baptist Church will grow stronger despite the violence and oppression.
Pray that the perpetrators of this attack will repent and look to Christ for salvation.

For more information on the suffering Church in Vietnam, click here.

Learn more about Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom

2011-12-03T09:24:00.003-05:00

Interested to learn more about Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom?

Check out the latest issue of Policy in Public, a publication from Cardus. Cardus is a think tank based in Hamilton, ON, that is dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture. Drawing on more than 2,000 years of Christian social thought, Cardus works to enrich and challenge public debate through research, events and publications, for the common good.

The winter issue of Policy in Public, available for free online, includes the following articles:

How and why to support religion overseas by Scott M. Thomas
Why religious freedom must be a top priority by Paul Marshall
Putting the Canadian Office of Religious Freedom in context by Janet Epp Buckingham
Canadian evangelicals and religious freedom by John G. Stackhouse Jr.

To read these informative articles, visit Cardus online.

The Overcomers: Iran

2011-12-02T11:58:00.002-05:00

Mehdi "Petros" Foroutan, 27, has been in prison since September 25. He is currently serving a one year sentence for crimes against national security. Learn more about his case by watching this short video report.

Visit our multimedia site for more video reports about our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.

Indian converts from Islam beaten after baptism

2011-12-02T08:09:00.002-05:00

Seven Christians were detained and beaten
by police after a video of their baptisms
was viewed by a religious law official.

Christian workers feared arrest after Muslim leaders alleged that seven Christians were “lured” from Islam, reports Compass Direct News. The names of the converts and their pastors were obtained from a video officials watched of the men being baptised. The video was later posted to YouTube.

Police in Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley detained the youth and beat them. They asked them if they had been offered money to convert. Pastor Khanna, who pastors the church where the men were baptized, says all of them were willing to sign affidavits declaring they were not lured.

There is nothing in India’s constitution that forbids propagation of the Gospel or conversion.

“If it was meant to be a secret or illegal activity, we wouldn’t have allowed cameras,” said Khanna. There were multiple people recording the event.

The mufti (India’s highest religious law official) was the one who complained to the police about the alleged “luring” of the former Muslims. He told media the video was definitive evidence that the men had been lured to Christian, even though the video only shows the baptism.

There are only a few hundred Christians in Kashmir. Tensions between Muslims and Christians in the area have escalated as of late. Last year, violence erupted after a video of U.S. pastor Terry Jones burning a Qur’an was shown on TV. Churches and schools in the area have been vandalized and burned down since.

To read the full report click here. To learn more about persecution in India, please read our India Country Report.

Be a blessing to your persecuted family in Iraq this Christmas

2011-12-01T08:01:00.006-05:00

From the Tower of Babel, to the Jewish captivity, to modern-day wars with neighbouring countries, Iraq has experienced a turbulent history riddled with conflict.

The church in Iraq has not been spared from turmoil. Just this year, three churches were bombed (for more, click here), a Christian man was tortured and killed by militants (click here for more), and an elderly believer was stabbed to death (for details, click here).

Estimates claim that only half of Iraq's pre-2003 Christian community remains in the country. However, despite the risks, many have chosen to stay and witness.

This year, you can be a blessing to Christians in Iraq through our annual Christmas Blessing project. For $50, you can provide a Christmas Blessing package to a believer. Each package contains a Bible, a blanket, sugar, rice, tomato paste, powdered milk, and cooking oil. These items will help meet believers' materials and spiritual needs.

To be a blessing to Christians in Iraq this Christmas, please phone our office or donate securely online.

To learn more about the difficult reality for Iraqi Christians, click here.

In mailboxes this week!

2011-11-30T08:59:00.001-05:00

The December issue of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter is hitting mailboxes this week and next.

This Year in Review issue includes:

God’s work in dangerous places: Jesus never promised His people physical safety when doing His work, but He did promise His presence. Read the 2011 year in review, sharing how your gifts have carried out God’s work in some of the most hostile areas for Christians.
God’s work in Nigeria: A Christian was elected president of Nigeria, and Muslims rioted in the streets, taking out their anger on the Body of Christ. Learn how VOM responded by bringing help and encouragement to the church in Nigeria in the wake of the riots.
God’s work in India and Sri Lanka: Learn how your gifts helped children whose parents have paid the price for following Christ in these two countries.
God’s work in Colombia: Parachutes have poured in from our readers, but more is needed. These parachutes are taking the gospel into guerrilla-controlled areas in Colombia and many are coming to Christ.
Christmas Blessing: Iraq: Don’t miss out on this practical way to help, love and encourage our persecuted family in war-torn Iraq.

The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter is the flagship publication of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Published monthly, it is available free of charge to anyone in Canada who requests it.

You can subscribe online here.

Christians remain detained after massacre in Cairo, Egypt

2011-11-30T08:14:00.008-05:00

Over 30 Christians remain detained for alleged
involvement in the October 9 massacre in Cairo.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Egyptian Christians have requested our prayers for the continuing detention of 34 Christians detained for alleged involvement in violence in Cairo on October 9, reports Middle East Concern.

On October 9, there were violent clashes in Cairo involving demonstrators marching in protest at the authorities' lack of action to prevent the destruction of a church building in Aswan (for more, click here).

Violence erupted when thugs and the army attacked protesters. The protesters were mainly Christians but also included some Muslim sympathisers. There remains some doubt about the death toll, but the most reliable sources report that 26 protesters (23 Christians, 3 Muslims) and one soldier were killed. A local human rights group reported that 12 of those killed died of injuries sustained while being run over by army personnel carriers. Many others were injured (for more information on the violence, click here).

On the day of the violence a state-owned TV channel put out reports claiming that Christians were attacking the army and calling for people to intervene. The channel subsequently acknowledged that this reporting was incorrect.

On November 3, a court ordered that the 34 imprisoned Christians remain detained pending the outcome of investigations into charges of charges of "inciting violence, carrying arms and insulting the armed forces."

Those supporting these Christians request our prayers that:

The truth concerning events of October 9 will become known, and those actually responsible will be brought to justice.
Those detained will know the presence, peace and protection of Jesus.
Those who are innocent will be cleared of all charges and released.
Those bereaved, wounded and/or traumatised will know the comfort, healing and restorative touch of Jesus.
The authorities will act to protect all Egyptians, irrespective of their religious affiliation.
All officials involved will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him.

To learn more about the persecuted Church in Egypt, click here.

Chinese Bible exhibition called 'propaganda' by house church leaders

2011-11-29T08:22:00.005-05:00

A deceptive exhibit in the United States that displays Chinese Bibles is causing North Americans to believe there is religious freedom in China, say three former Chinese house church leaders.

According to VOM partner, ChinaAid, the Christian leaders – who were all imprisoned in China for their beliefs – voiced their disdain for the display while visiting the exhibition "Thy Word is Truth" on the campus of Dallas Theological Seminary. The exhibition has already been viewed in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

On November 1, a forum regarding the exhibition was held at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas. The participants – representatives of China's government-controlled church and two professors from Dallas Theological Seminary – strongly supported the notion that China respects religious freedom and that scriptures are readily available to all believers. However, this is simply not the case.

Despite the government-run Amity Press' reports that millions of Bibles have been published in China, about two-thirds of them are exported, leaving many Christians without a Bible (for more on the need for Bibles in China, click here).

Please pray along with ChinaAid's founder and president, Bob Fu: "We hope and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that China's house churches can soon be legally recognized, that all our brothers and sisters who are in prison for the sake of their faith would be quickly released, and that the Bible in China could be freely printed and transported."

To learn more, watch this four-minute interview with the Chinese house church leaders. For more information on persecution in China, visit our China Country Report.

Formerly imprisoned pastor forced to remain in Cuba

2011-11-28T08:01:00.003-05:00

Photo from Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Confined to a country where the government has made it well known his presence is unwanted, a Cuban pastor and his family have been refused permission to leave despite the U.S. government's offer of asylum, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Pastor Omar Gude Perez served almost three years of a six-and-a-half year prison sentence on charges human rights watchers say were unjust. While he was in prison, his wife Kenia and their two children received an eviction notice from government officials in an attempt to remove the family from their home (for more information, click here).

The family was granted asylum in the United States last July but have been informed by a government official that they will not be issued exit visas, which are required to leave the country.

Pastor Omar, who is a national leader in a fast-growing network of independent churches called the Apostolic Movement, was released from prison earlier this year but is prohibited from preaching or from travelling outside the city of Camaguey.

He was charged with illicit economic activity and falsification of documents, and many say the unfounded charges are a direct result of his Christian activities. Other Apostolic Movement pastors have also been harassed and threatened with imprisonment and the closure of their churches.

Please join us in praying.

Please pray that Pastor Omar and his family will continue to faithfully serve Christ wherever He leads them.
Pray that, if it is the Lord's will, they will be able to leave Cuba for the United States.
Please pray that governing authorities in Cuba will cease in their harassment of Christian leaders and that followers of Christ will remain steadfast in their faith.

To learn more about persecution in Cuba, visit our Cuba Country Report.

Preaching from the Rooftop

2011-11-27T08:04:00.010-05:00

James, the Less
Jerusalem, Israel
63 AD

James looked down from where he stood, balanced carefully at the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. Far below, he could see that the streets were filled with people. It was Passover, and Jews from all over the known world had come to the Holy City.

A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him off balance. “Get on with it!” a voice threatened. Behind him, a safe distance from the dangerous ledge, stood the chief priest, scribes, and Pharisees. “Deny that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah! Before all these people, deny that Jesus was the Son of God and that He was resurrected from the dead,” they demanded.

James the Less was one of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus. He was also one of Jesus’ younger brothers, as was Jude. He had obviously known Jesus and walked with Him for many years. He had seen Jesus alive again after His crucifixion and resurrection.

James risked another glance at the street below. Many of the people down there knew him. For thirty years, he had been the bishop of the church at Jerusalem. During that time, he wrote a book of the Bible, the Epistle of James. He had openly preached Jesus as the Messiah and the resurrected Son of God on almost every street corner. How could he deny what he had seen with his own eyes, heard with his own ears, and touched with his own hands: his risen Lord?

Through his preaching, his prayers, and his example, James converted many people to Christ. He was on his bare knees so often, worshipping God and praying for forgiveness for the sins of the people, that his knees became numb and calloused, like the knees of a camel. This also earned him the nickname of “James the Just.” He was respected by everyone, even many who opposed what he taught and believed.

Feeling threatened by the rapid growth of the church, the chief priest, scribes and Pharisees came up with a plan. They would force this well-known church leader to deny his faith before the multitude. But James refused to cooperate.

From his place at the top of the temple, he preached with more boldness than ever. Every person in the crowd below looked up as he proclaimed, “Jesus is the promised Messiah! He is sitting at the right hand of God, and shall come again in the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the dead!”
When the crowd below saw his courage and heard his bold words, they loudly praised God and magnified the name of Jesus. Enraged, two or three of the religious leaders jumped forward and pushed James off the temple roof.

Miraculously, James was not killed by the fall; only his legs were broken. Then the priests, scribes, and Pharisees said, “Let’s stone the ‘just man’ James.” They picked up rocks to stone him to death. James, kneeling on his broken legs, prayed, “Lord, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
One of the priests, when he heard James praying, begged the others to stop, saying, “What are we doing? ‘The Just’ is praying for us. Stop the stoning! Stop the stoning!”

While he was shouting this, another man ran up with a big, heavy stick in his hand and struck James in the head. James died instantly from the blow, still in prayer.

The word “martyr” originally means someone who tells what he has seen, an eyewitness. Jesus Freaks are people who have seen Jesus’ power in their own lives and just can’t help telling others about it. A favourite saying of a teenage girl who boldly approaches other teens is, “If you knew what I know about Jesus, I’d want you to tell me!”

Excerpted from Jesus Freaks, a best-selling collection of worldwide testimonies targeting teens with the life-changing message of the Persecuted Church. You can order a copy on our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Pakistan: A dangerous place for Christian women

2011-11-26T08:01:00.001-05:00

In Pakistan, many Christian women are mistreated. Some are called dogs. Others, like Shafia, are kidnapped, raped, and abused. However, in the midst of such brutal treatment, Shafia's relationship with Jesus has given her peace and hope.

Watch this four-minute video to learn about this young woman’s amazing faith in God and her desire to live for Him!

To learn about Release Women, a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs that seeks to connect women in Canada with persecuted women worldwide, click here. For more on persecution in Pakistan, visit our Pakistan Country Report.

The Overcomers: Nigeria

2011-11-25T11:58:00.001-05:00

Dozens of Christians have been killed by Muslim extremists in Nigeria's Plateau state in recent weeks. To learn more, watch the short video clip below.

You can watch other video reports here.

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani to hear court's decision in December

2011-11-24T08:09:00.004-05:00

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
remains in Lakan Prison in Iran.
Photo: Present Truth Ministries

With his faith intact and his love for Christ steadfast, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani remains in Lakan Prison in Iran charged with apostasy and sentenced to death. The Iranian government has denied the sentencing is based on apostasy despite abundant evidence to the contrary (for more, click here).

According to Present Truth Ministries, the court in Gilan is awaiting a response to their two letters of referral that were written to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khameini. Youcef's attorney has said the court will wait one month for a response. If they do not receive a response, they will issue a ruling sometime in mid-December.

According to a member of Pastor Youcef's denomination who requested anonymity, Youcef's health has deteriorated and he has undergone physical and psychological torture, reports Compass Direct News.

"We know that he has been in extreme situations, and we consider that torture," the source said. "When you have spent time in a solitary cell unable to talk to others for a long time, or you are told you will be killed, this is also torture."

Please pray!

Please pray that Pastor Youcef will remain healthy and strong despite the burdens of imprisonment.
Pray that the worldwide attention garnered by his persecution will increase pressure on Iranian officials to stop harassing and imprisoning Christians.
Please pray that Youcef and his family will experience a peace that surpasses all understanding as they endure these trials (Philippians 4:7).

To post a prayer of support for Pastor Youcef and his family, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. For more on the trials believers face in Iran, click here.

Attack on church compound kills two, wounds three in Kenya

2011-11-23T08:04:00.001-05:00

Samuel (on right) and Peter lost their
eight-year-old sister, Winnie Mwenda,
in an attack on their home.
Photo: Compass Direct News

On the night of November 5, suspected Islamic extremists with Somalia's al Shabaab militia threw a grenade into the home of Patrick Mutinda, an elder and church guard at an East Africa Pentecostal Church congregation outside Garissa, Kenya, reports Compass Direct News.

Killed instantly were eight-year-old Winnie Mwenda Mutinda, the daughter of Patrick, and 25-year-old John Kikavu. Patrick's 12-year-old son, Samuel, suffered burns on his chest and leg, while his 10-year-old son, Peter, sustained burns on his hand and leg. The boys' grandmother, Rachael Kandu, was also severely burned. All three were in stable condition at press time.

An area pastor said a fellowship of church leaders met two days before the bomb attack and wrote a letter to authorities requesting police security for churches in Garissa, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. On November 6, the pastor received a threatening message on his mobile phone, stating, "Message from al Shabaab -- You must migrate [from] Garissa town within 48 hours or you see bomb blast taking your life and we know your house, Christians will see war. Don't take it so lightly. We are for your neck."

Al Shabaab activity near the Somali-Kenya border, including Garissa in northeast Kenya, has increased since Kenya began air strikes on al Shabaab-held territory in southern Somalia last month. The air strikes are in retaliation for the rebel group's kidnapping and murder of foreigners in Kenya.

You can help by praying!

Pray the Lord's protection will be upon these believers, may these latest threats come to nothing!
Pray for complete healing for those who were injured.
Pray that the Lord will comfort those who are grieving.
Ask God to take away any fear and instead give the believers a spirit of power and love (2 Timothy 1:7).

For the full report, click here. To post a prayer of solidarity with these suffering believers, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Boko Haram attacks nine churches in Nigeria

2011-11-22T08:14:00.001-05:00

Rev. David Usman was killed by
members of Boko Haram in a
separate incident earlier this year.
Photo: Compass Direct News

On November 4, al-Qaeda affiliate Boko Haram launched attacks in Damaturu and Potiskum in Yobe State and in Maiduguri, Borno State, reports the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin.

The death toll from the coordinated assaults presently stands at 150 and is expected to rise. Nine churches were targeted, along with mosques, a bank, an anti-terrorist court, police stations, and army posts. Boko Haram spokesman Abul-Qaqa has reportedly stated, "More attacks are on the way."

In Damaturu's mostly Christian New Jerusalem district, six churches were bombed. According to one resident, "The whole city is traumatised." Nigeria's The Nation reported on November 7 that "in spite their churches being burnt, Christians in Damaturu yesterday defied the security panic and held their Sunday service in open air at the premises of their burnt churches."

Please pray!

Thank the Lord for the great unity and faithfulness displayed by these Christians; ask the Lord to protect and shelter them from further attacks.
Pray for President Goodluck Jonathan and all those in authority in Nigeria; pray that the Lord will grant them strength and wisdom to deal with this Islamist group.
Pray for the members of Boko Haram, that they will come to know Jesus Christ.

To post a prayer of solidarity for suffering believers in Nigeria, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. To learn more about persecution in Nigeria, please visit our Nigeria Country Report.

Radical Muslims seek to turn Ethiopia into an Islamist state

2011-11-21T08:01:00.002-05:00

In a recent press conference, the Ethiopian government expressed its concern over the growing violence against moderate Muslims and Christians by radical Wahhabi Muslims, reports International Christian Concern.

The government also announced discovering plans of the Wahhabi Muslims to turn Ethiopia into an Islamic country governed by Shariah law.

"We have found evidences and pamphlets were publicly distributed during the month of Ramadan calling on the Muslim community to stand up against all non-Wahhabi Muslims and followers of other religions," said Mersessa Reda, the Director General at the Ministry of Federal Affairs of Ethiopia.

Please join us in praying.

Pray for protection and courage for Christians living in Muslim-dominated areas of Ethiopia.
Pray that the Father would frustrate every plan of the Wahhabi Muslims to turn Ethiopia into an Islamist state, which would lead to increased persecution of Christians.
Pray for the leaders of Ethiopia.

To read the full report, click here. For more information on persecution in Ethiopia, click here.

Words from our founder: In the hands of our Sculptor

2011-11-20T08:30:00.023-05:00

Photo: Soyer Isabelle at nl.wikipedia

My brothers and sisters, you also must believe that your lives are clay in the hands of a wonderful Sculptor. He never makes mistakes.

If at times He is hard on you, it is because He sometimes has what we could call negative success. He loses a pawn in order to win the chess game. He loses a battle in order to win a war. He causes his Son to endure suffering in order to save a world.

Just trust. Don’t live on another’s messages, but discover the message for which He is molding you.

Excerpted from Pastor Wurmbrand’s book, If Prison Walls Could Speak. You can order this book online or by contacting our office.

The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in the mid-1960s by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned and tortured by Communist authorities in his native Romania for 14 years. While still in prison, Pastor Wurmbrand envisioned a ministry that would focus on the plight of the persecuted Church, raise a voice on their behalf, and provide encouragement and assistance to them. For more information, please visit our website.

Rise up for the persecuted! Join VOM’s Volunteer Network

2011-11-19T09:24:00.003-05:00

God is bringing together concerned Christians across Canada to serve today's persecuted Church.

There are many ways to get involved! Watch this six-minute video to find out how you can use your time and talents to help those who are suffering for Christ around the world.

For more information on how you can volunteer with VOM, click here.

The Overcomers: Somalia

2011-11-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

A kidnapped Christian convert from Islam was found decapitated recently on the outskirts of Hudur in south-western Somalia. For more, please watch the clip below for this week’s edition of The Overcomers.

Visit our multimedia site for other video reports about the persecuted Church.

Coptic student in Egypt murdered by classmates for wearing a cross

2011-11-17T08:01:00.001-05:00

Ayman Nabil Labib
Photo: Assist News

Seventeen-year-old Ayman Nabil Labib was murdered following a classroom altercation in Mallawi, Minya province, on October 16, reports the Assyrian International News Agency and Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Although Egyptian media reported the incident as non-sectarian, his parents reported that their son was murdered "in cold blood because he refused to take off his crucifix as ordered by his Muslim teacher."

Ayman also had a cross tattooed on his wrist, as per the Coptic tradition, as well as another cross which he wore under his clothes. According to witnesses, he was told to cover up his cross tattoo, but refused and defiantly exposed the second cross he wore under his shirt.

While official sources reported that Ayman was beaten up in the school yard, in reality he was severely beaten in the classroom in the presence of the teacher, who allegedly attempted to choke him. Ayman was then followed as he fled to the washroom, where the attack continued. He was still breathing when a supervisor took him to his room, but was dead an hour later when an ambulance transported his body.

Two Muslim students were detained in connection with the murder. However, there are grave concerns that local officials may be "hiding" the evidence and trying to influence witnesses, claiming that the attack took place as a result of friction between students.

Meanwhile the governor of Minya has suspended the school's headmaster, two supervisors, and two social workers who were on duty when Ayman was killed. Since then, all five have reportedly disappeared.

Please pray.

Please pray the Lord will comfort this family and the entire Coptic community over this most recent tragedy.
Please pray the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
Pray that the Lord will use this difficult situation to spread His goodness and grace throughout Egypt.

Go to our Egypt Country Report for more details on the persecuted Church in Egypt.

Sending Christmas cards this year? Don’t forget your persecuted family!

2011-11-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

This year, we encourage you to send Christmas cards to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are imprisoned for their faith. Your letters will remind these believers that they are remembered and loved.

Write letters individually or with your family. Consider organizing a letter writing event with your small group, Bible study, or Sunday school!

You can include bookmarks, photographs, or children’s drawings with your cards. Be creative!

For international mailing, Canada Post advises that cards be mailed between November 22 and 29. Of course, if you letter arrives after Christmas it will still be welcomed and appreciated.

Get started today. For detailed instructions on how to write a letter to a prisoner, and for our full list of prisoner addresses, please visit our website. You can also compose letters in a prisoner’s own language here.

Sudan to become a Muslim state

2011-11-16T08:09:00.005-05:00

Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, stated last December that if South Sudan seceded from the country, the North would become an Islamic state. Barnabas Aid is reporting that al-Bashir is making good on that promise as he recently confirmed plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and implement Shariah law.

“Ninety eight per cent of the people are Muslims and the new constitution will reflect this. The official religion will be Islam and Islamic law the main source [of the constitution],” said al-Bashir.

Sudan’s current constitution makes allowance for freedom of speech, but non-Muslims face persecution from the Muslim community.

Since the secession in July (click here for more), Southerners who live in the North have been legally treated as foreigners. They have been given a deadline to either leave the North or obtain the right to stay, which is a complicated process. Christians and other non-Muslims face loss of government jobs and residency permits.

This move by the government makes the future of the church in Sudan very grim. Reports already show a recent increase of targeted assaults on Christians (for more information, click here, here, or here). Persecution is especially severe in the Nuba Mountains, where lands are razed and given to Arab northerners.

Please pray for the remaining Christians in Sudan.

Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5).
Pray God will grant Christians in Sudan wisdom in deciding whether to go or to stay in their country.
Pray for the spread of the gospel amongst the Muslim community in Sudan.

Click here to read the full article.

Christian student fellowship banned in Inner Mongolia, China

2011-11-15T08:04:00.005-05:00

The Sept. 15 ban that was issued
by the Religious Affairs Bureau.
(Photo: ChinaAid)

Chinese police and government officials shut down a Christian student fellowship group in Inner Mongolia, China, and detained its leader in September, according to VOM partner, ChinaAid. Authorities cited "illegal evangelism" as the reason for the ban.

Mengfu (Blessed) Fellowship was forced to close and its leader, Liang Guangzhong, was put into administrative detention for 15 days as part of China's ongoing persecution of house churches and Christian groups that meet outside government-approved churches.

Officials also confiscated cash from the offering collection box as well as electronics and materials used for teaching. The Mengfu Fellowship has hired a Christian lawyer to formally request a review of the orders.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray!

Please pray that the Mengfu Fellowship would be legally vindicated and their fellowship would be restored.
Pray their faithfulness will encourage other believers facing similar challenges in the region.
Pray that God will raise up many more young people in China to wholeheartedly follow and serve Him.

For video reports and testimonies about persecution in China, please visit our multimedia site.

Evangelist murdered in Nigeria

2011-11-14T08:14:00.001-05:00

Mark Ojunta was killed by extremists in Nigeria.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

A 36-year-old Christian evangelist was shot and killed in violence-ridden Borno state, Nigeria, the day after his family members, along with other Christians, were evacuated from the region in the face of death threats by Boko Haram extremists, reports Compass Direct News.

Mark Ojunta was ministering in Nigeria's north-eastern state with Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) when he was murdered. "Brother Mark took his family out on Friday (Aug. 26), but he went back to the field because he had a class with some believers on Saturday," said CAPRO international director Amos Aderonmu. "It was in the night that the sect came to where they were staying and knocked at the door, and he tried to escape but could not get away."

Mark is survived by his wife, Ema, and two children, 3-year-old Kambe and 9-month-old Akira, as well as his parents and sisters. The killing came less than three months after the June murders of a Church of Christ pastor and his church secretary in Maiduguri (for more information, click here).

Boko Haram leaders, who have claimed responsibility for these and other attacks and church bombings, have declared they want to establish an Islamic theocratic state in Nigeria. They reject democratic institutions, which they associate with Christianity. Many Christians have left the area, and some churches have shut down as many of their members have lost their lives.

Click here for the full article.

Please join us in praying.

Please pray that the Lord will place a hedge of protection around Christian leaders and teachers so they can reach more souls in northern Nigeria.
Please pray that Ema, Kambe and Akira would find peace and strength amid their loss and lean on the Lord through their grief.
Pray that God will receive glory as more Nigerians turn to Him despite efforts to deter the spread of the gospel.

For resources to guide and assist you in praying for the persecuted Church, please visit our website.

Despite death sentence, Asia Bibi’s family holds firm

2011-11-13T12:25:00.031-05:00

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blaspheming the Islamic prophet Muhammad, has become the focus of global attention. Believers around the world have rallied to take action on behalf of the 45-year-old wife and mother (for more information on her, click here).

In the video below, you will hear about CBN News’ recent trip to Pakistan to visit with her family. You will also watch an interview with Paul Marshall, co-author of the new book, Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide. (Length: 8:40)

To learn more about persecution in Pakistan, please visit our Pakistan Country Report. For more videos like this one, visit our multimedia site.

He who endures to the end will be saved

2011-11-13T08:03:00.008-05:00

Mohammed Saeed was twenty-seven when he began searching for something spiritual outside of his family’s Islamic faith. In that search, he attended an evangelistic healing festival with a sick friend in the nearby village of Bail Ahata, in his homeland of Pakistan.

Mohammed has never experienced anything like the Christian festival. He was amazed at the joyful spirit and the incredible healings that he saw taking place. The evangelists there prayed for Mohammed’s friend. Days later, the friend was pronounced cancer free, and Mohammed was convinced he needed to discover more about this Jesus who had healed his friend. Soon he accepted Christ, was baptized, and started attending church regularly. He had finally found the joy and contentment he had never found in Islam.

Mohammed’s faith grew and he became more vocal and aggressive in sharing Christ with others. In his neighbourhood, he would knock on doors and pray with those he met. But his bold witness drew hostile reactions from some family, friends, neighbours, and even some church members who feared for his safety. He was now viewed by the Islamic community as an infidel, and co-workers and customers at the restaurant where Mohammed worked refused to eat food he had cooked or even touched. His parents and relatives wouldn’t give him food or allow him to touch kitchen utensils. He lost his job, and his wife took their two sons and moved in with her parents.

In June 2002, four years after his conversion, a Muslim relative asked Mohammed to stop by his shop, saying he wanted to learn more about Jesus. Mohammed arrived at the shop carrying his nine-month-old son in his arms. The relative closed the door and urged Mohammed to return to Islam or he would be killed immediately. Mohammed stood firm, insisting he would not renounce Christianity. If necessary, he was prepared to die for Jesus. The relative pulled out a knife, stabbed Mohammed in the stomach, and slit his throat, lips and tongue. Later, Mohammed’s infant son was discovered sitting in a pool of blood beside his martyred father’s body.

Jesus said, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on Earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke 12: 51-53). Mohammed Saeed experienced these words in a most horrific manner. But he also experienced another of Jesus’ promises: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).

Excerpted from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. You can order a copy of this book from our online resource catalogue.

VOM speakers visiting churches in Ontario this month

2011-11-12T09:33:00.011-05:00

Speakers from The Voice of the Martyrs are visiting churches in Kanata, Thunder Bay, and Strathroy this month. Please join us!

Sunday, November 20 – 10 a.m.
Kanata Community Christian Reformed Church
46 Castlefrank Road
Kanata, ON
Speaker: John Barron

Tuesday, November 29 – 7 p.m.
United Reformed Church of Thunder Bay
23 Hwy 130
Thunder Bay, ON
Speaker: Claude Paquin

Wednesday, November 30 – 8 p.m.
Providence United Reformed Church
447 Second Street
Strathroy, ON
Speaker: Corey Odden
*For Providence United Reformed Church members only.

Please note that the November 16 youth presentation in Brampton, ON, has been cancelled.

To check out other upcoming events, or to request a VOM speaker, please visit our website.

The Overcomers: Indonesia

2011-11-11T12:13:00.002-05:00

A bomber detonated eight pipe bombs by the main door of a church building in Central Java as worshippers were leaving the morning service. Watch this 1-minute video clip to find out more.

To watch other editions of The Overcomers, please visit out multimedia site at www.persecution.tv.

Indian teacher arrested and deported for owning a Bible in Maldives

2011-11-11T08:14:00.003-05:00

A parliament building in Male,
the capital of the Maldives.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Police in Maldives arrested and held Shijo Kokkattu, a 30-year-old teacher from India, for more than two weeks before deporting him earlier this month for keeping a Bible in his home, according to Compass Direct News.

Shijo was arrested during a police raid in late September prompted when his colleagues found Christian materials on a school computer he had used and reported it to authorities.

The country's 2008 Constitution is decidedly anti-Christian and states that a "non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives." Expatriates following other religions can practice their faith only individually and within their respective homes.

Last month, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs published new regulations to control propagation of non-Islamic religions in the country. Any violation is punishable by imprisonment of between two and five years, banishment or house arrest. Foreigners who are found proselytizing are to be deported.

For the full report, click here.

You can help by praying!

Please pray that Shijo's position would be restored and that the Maldivian authorities would relent in their efforts to further restrict and repress the Christian faith.
Please pray that Christian leaders and teachers would continue to persevere in their efforts in Maldives despite the risks to their careers and well-being.
Pray that religious freedom will be respected in Maldives.

This story was originally published in our weekly email prayer alert. To sign up to receive The Persecution & Prayer Alert, click here. Go to our Maldives Country Report for more information on persecution in Maldives.

Join VOM for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

2011-11-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

Speakers from The Voice of the Martyrs are visiting churches in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario this Sunday, November 13, for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

Please join us in remembering our brothers and sisters in prayer!

Grace Baptist Church – 10:30 a.m.
1150 Glenmore Drive
Kelowna, BC V1Y 4P3
Speaker: Jan Steffen

New Beginnings Church – 10:30 a.m.
12350 Coventry Hills Way N.E.
Calgary, AB T3K 4T1
Speaker: David Harrison

Forward Baptist Church – Youth presentation: 6 p.m. Feature presentation: 7:30 p.m.
455 Myers Road
Cambridge, ON N1R 5S2
Speaker: Greg Musselman

For downloadable prayer resources you can share with your church or small group, please visit IDOP International or IDOP Canada today.

To check out other upcoming events, or to request a VOM speaker for your church, Christian school, or Bible study, please visit our website.

Update on recently released Iranian Christian woman

2011-11-10T08:03:00.003-05:00

Arezo Teymouri

Arezo Teymouri and her husband, Arash Kermanjani, were arrested in Iran in 2010 at the home of Vahik and Sonia Abrahamian. The couples were taken to the Ministry of Islamic Guidance prison, where they were abused physically and psychologically and held in solitary confinement during their first 40 days in prison.

Arezo, Arash, and Sonia were released from prison in April 2011. Arezo and Arash left soon afterwards for Turkey, where they received medical treatment.

A VOM contact recently reported, "The major problem with Arezo's leg – which would have required major surgery – is now gone! She was jumping up and down, to the initial consternation of her husband. It appears that the leg is healed!"

Arezo has been able to pick up Turkish easily, and they have been well received. Praise God!

Vahik and Sonia have also left Iran, arriving in the Netherlands in September (for more information, click here).

Thank you for praying for these Iranian brothers and sisters! To learn about other prayer needs for Iranian Christians, please visit our Iran Country Report.

Calling all youth and young adults!

2011-11-09T12:05:00.004-05:00

Last week, we shared with you about 13:3, a new initiative of VOM Canada that seeks to inspire, connect, and engage youth and young adults with the persecuted Church.

We invite you to watch the short video below to meet the 13:3 Director, to hear more about the heart and vision of 13:3, and to find out how you can be bound with those suffering.

We encourage you to get involved and share about 13:3 with others! Get started today. Check out the 13:3 website here to learn how you and others can be bound with them.

Three Christians die from inhumane confinement in Eritrea

2011-11-09T08:22:00.002-05:00

Three Christians have died after they were
denied medical care in Eritrean military camps.

Three Christians are dead from inhumane confinement in Eritrean military camps, according to Open Doors USA.

Terhase Gebremichel Andu, 28, and Ferewine Genzabu Kifly, 21, were arrested during a prayer meeting in 2009. They faced military brutality and were denied medical care. The women died of starvation and ill health.

Another Christian, Angesom Teklom Habtemichel, 26, also died from poor treatment within weeks of Terhase and Ferewine. He was diagnosed with severe malaria but was denied medical treatment. He died only days after contracting the disease.

Within the last 10 years the Eritrean government has jailed, tortured and killed many Eritreans for political and religious reasons. It is estimated that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians currently in Eritrean prisons. Despite this, the government still maintains that no groups or persons are persecuted for their beliefs or religion.

You can read the full report on Mission Network News’ website here. For more information on persecution in Eritrea, please read VOM’s country report.

Pray for Eritrea:

Pray for peace for the families of Terhase, Ferewine, and Angesom. Pray that the Lord will grant them the strength to forgive.
Ask God to encourage and strengthen Christians currently imprisoned in Eritrea for their faith.
Pray that stories such as these will inspire many Christians to pray for Eritrea and its Christians.