And now a public service announcement for a new development that has taken place on one of the Voice of the Martyrs link partner websites.  (insert dramatic old tv news music...)

The link for Link International has now officially been changed to, yes you guessed it because you are very intuitive, Kids of Courage!  (insert ta da da da da music...)

Right now you can read about the Sudan on the site, and you can also sign up for the Kids of Courage Newsletter.  More from the website ...

Welcome to the Kids of Courage Web site!
Our site used to be called linkingup.com. The new Kids of Courage site still helps kids, parents, and teachers “link up” through prayer and projects with today’s heroes of the Christian faith. We hope the stories and activities will also inspire and en C O U R A G E
you to joyfully stand firm for Christ in your own daily lives.

"Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

Go and visit today and become an adult of enCOURAGE!

In another article published on the Mission News network site, we read this stunning headline...

Targeted bombings in Iraq have Christians tense

Do you think that if you were a Christian in Iraq you'd be tense too?  Of course!  Anyway, here's why...

Iraq (MNN)--Near-simultaneous explosions hit Christian churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk over the weekend. Militants are believed to have timed the detonations as services ended. (Militants did that?  It wasn't a freak accident? Oh...peaceful religions...)

The car bombs killed three people and injured at least nine others. It also raised new concerns about sectarian tensions that may or may not be related to the recent election results. (I think it makes sense that it raises concerns.)

Whatever the case, it's sent off a shockwave, says Voice of the Martyrs' Todd Nettleton, meant to send the message to Christians that they are not welcome in their own country. "There is a sense of a threat level going up, a sense of uneasiness if you're there, if you're involved in Christian ministry. I think we need to be praying for our brothers and sisters that are involved in ministry in Iraq. Pray for their safety, but we also need to pray that they will feel safe."

I agree 100% with Todd, it is evident that this was meant to tell Christians to get lost because you don't belong here in this country.  And when people are bombing and killing you it's an understatement that the threat level is going up...please pray.

I'm back! :)  Hey, yesterday was very busy so today I will catch you up on a few stories I have found over the weekend and today.  As always, enjoy...as much as you can.

The Mission News Network quoted VOM Canada's very own Glenn Penner again...regarding Sri Lanka's climate of fear threatens peace.

According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada's Glenn Penner, "There are Tamil Christians, Sinhalese Christians who work side by side, working in the same organizations. This makes things really difficult for them sometimes, as they have family members on either side. And, Christians are sometimes seen as being disloyal to both sides."

That difficulty has been increasing, though not directly related to the government problems. Penner says, "Terrorism, of course affects everyone, and the rise of Tamil Tiger attacks against the government is something that concerns them greatly. It affects the way in which they can minister, whether they can do evangelistic work, and freedom of travel begins to be affected."

He cites recent information detailing three separate incidents of persecution against Sri Lanka's Christian community since the beginning of 2006.

Thanks Glenn for all you do, but even more for who you are. :)

I have a real burden to ask all of you to write down "Palestinian Christians" on your prayer lists.  The reason is because yesterday we found out that Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections instead of Fatah.

This victory for the terrorists Hamas are, isn't good for any Christian who lives in or near Palestine.  I'm very concerned.

The only other mention of the concern over the Palestinian Christians I have found is an article written on AsiaNews.it called Christians Anxious Over Hamas Victory.  A few passages from that article follow.

“A disaster, Hamas’s victory is a disaster for Christians,” said an agitated K. M., a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem."

“The danger for us is real,” said K.M. “In Bethlehem we have four members of parliament: two for Fatah (including a Protestant Christian) and two for Hamas. One of the elected Hamas MPs is a fundamentalist Muslim sheikh who from time to time preaches again the Christian presence in Palestine.”

“What can Christians do? Perhaps, many will think of emigrating, thus further emptying the Holy Land” of its Christians, he lamented.

In reality though, some observers point out that there is no certainty that conditions for Christians are going to deteriorate.

We'll see if conditions deteriorate or not.  Please pray without ceasing for these precious saints.  You will never know how much they need them, but God does and He will reward you for doing so.

Yesterday Open Doors, another ministry to the persecuted church, released a press release concerning an evangelist named Pham Ngoc Thach who is currently still in prison even though the five others he was arrested with have been released.

Here is a touching part of their release:

Visit In Prison

Pastor Thach was delighted to be visited inside prison. As he entered the visiting room, he broke into tears and embraced every one of his visitors.

Thach immediately asked for a shaving razor from one of them and shaved as he spoke to those around him. He complained of terrible pain on his side. He suspects that this is a result of beatings he received from the police.

He is not allowed to have a Bible, to pray or to speak of Jesus to anyone. The punishment for those who violate the rules and regulations in the prison camp is heavy. They are either beaten, electrocuted or placed in tiger cells (solitary confinement). 

Sharing His Faith

In the midst of such a difficult situation, Thach holds on to his faith in God. While he is not allowed to pray out loud, he prays silently. He shares his faith with his fellow inmates. Last month during Christmas, one fellow inmate gave his life to Jesus after Thach shared the Gospel with him.

Almost everyday a prisoner dies. Thach is assigned to bury the dead. This reality strengthens his determination to share Jesus with those around him.   

Pastor Thach is encouraged that many brothers and sisters all over the world are praying for him. He knows that many letters are sent to him from different parts of the world, but the prison guards often do not give him any of these letters. They wonder why he has so many friends. Because of the many letters, the guards became more respectful toward him. They realize that he is not an ordinary prisoner.

“Pastor Thach needs our prayers and letters, even though he is scheduled to be released in March,” says

Carl Moeller. “And pray for all those who continue to suffer for their faith in

Vietnam

Writing Update

Open Doors has updated its writing campaign for Pastor Thach. Please send letters to the following address:

Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach

K2

, Trai Giam Xuan Loc

Long Khanh,

Dong

Nai

Province

Vietnam

Please observe the following guidelines:

1. Every letter will be opened and read by the prison authorities first, before they are (or if they are going to be) released to the addressees.

2. Make sure, therefore, that the letter does not have any political undertones. Instead, the letter should contain words of encouragement for evangelist Thach and his family, including prayers and Scripture verses. Don’t mention Open Doors.

3. All letters should carry the address of the writer only.

4. Do not send money or gifts.

I would like to thank the Mission News Network for all the great information they provide on a daily basis.  Today they had the following in their email.

Eight house churches shut down in Indonesia. Indonesia (MNN)--Meanwhile, Compass Direct reports that the government in West Java, Indonesia has shut down eight house churches. Issued by the Office of National Unity and Public Protection, the letters ordered churches to stop using private homes as worship venues in Bandung. Several churches met Sunday anyway, saying they had nowhere else to go. Until a permanent solution can be found, the Christians will meet in smaller groups for prayer. Please pray for a resolution to the situation. Full Story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/8239

Prayer is powerful not because of the words we pray or how fancy we speak.  Prayer is powerful because of the One True Living God Christians humbly address during their times of need.  Prayer is powerful because God is All Powerful and able to do anything He desires.  This is why I pray, and why I think praying for the persecuted church is so important.

I know VOM thinks that prayer is vital as well because every week they send out great prayer alerts that you and I can print up and use on a daily basis.  Visit www.persecution.com and www.persecution.net to sign up.

Here are a few requests from VOM Canada's alert this week.

1. Two Dead after Attack on Church Construction in Egypt

Two Coptic Christians are reported dead and at least ten others were injured when a group of Muslim youths attempted to stop the construction of a new Coptic church building in the village of el-Udaysaat near the southern Egyptian town of Luxor.  The attack took place in the early morning of January 19 when the youths set fire to building materials.  They claimed the church did not have permission to build.  According to reports from the U.S. Copts Association, police officers who arrived at the scene did little to stop the violence or protect the Christians.  Those who died of injuries were Kamal Shaker and a thirteen-year-old boy, George Shahata.  Shahata is reported to have died as the result of a heart condition that was exacerbated by the attack.  Pictures of the victims are available online at http://www.persecution.net/news/egypt22.html.   Video footage of the funeral is also available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.persecution.tv.

Ask God to comfort the families of Kamal and George in their grief. Pray
that God will enable the believers to forgive their attackers and that those
responsible for the attack will be drawn to Christ as a result.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in Egypt, go to
http://www.persecution.net/country/egypt.htm.

Christians in Canada are encouraged after recent elections because the Conservative Party in Canada won a recent election.

What does this mean for Christians?  VOM Canada's Glenn Penner, who wrote a great book called In the Shadow of the Cross, said  "We're optimistic that we're not going to see more of the same. We're not going to see, I think, an increasing slide away from social conservatism, but not, at least in the short term, are we going to see an undoing of some of this legislation such as same-sex marriage, the hate literature laws, such as abortion laws."

Hey,  a little good news is good right!

Since I'm not finding many stories on Christian persecution today I thought I'd introduce you to a great website I recently visited  as a result of seeing End of the Spear - the site New Tribes Missions.

I signed up for their daily prayer requests because I believe we should be praying, and the requests I'm reading just fuel my faith and passion for missions.  For example, today this came in the email...

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Hewa tribe: Following the murder of a Paielan man and subsequent tribal fighting Sunday, missionaries Jonathan and Susan Kopf were safely evacuated Monday morning. Pray for a peaceful resolution to the murder. Find out more -- read the full story online >>

Or this one...

SENEGAL: Malinke tribe: Malinke and Budik believers met to worship together in spite of great obstacles. Various men gave testimonies and encouraged each other to stand strong in the Lord. Both groups agreed to make this a regular event. Pray for these believers to continue to encourage one another and to meet as often as possible.
Find out more -- read the full story online >>

Now I don't know about you, but I've never even heard of these tribes before and I think it's cool that now I know about them because New Tribes Missions has the information on their website.

Join me in praying for these requests, and why not pass on this site to others who might be interested.

I think everyone loves a good mystery sometime in their life, which is why this story about these Evangelical missionaries who have been found out in Morocco is very interesting.  The Morocco Times website has the full article including pictures concerning this controversy.

The caption under this picture reads "Moroccan Christians pray clandestinely."  I think that's cool, but also ironic considering someone snapped this picture, who may have also been acting clandestinely.

All that said this article is very serious when you consider the lengths that missionaries go through in order to share the gospel message.  In reading the article it brings me back to the question - what would I do to be able to share the gospel of Christ?  What lengths would I go to in order to read the Bible or to pray with other believers?

The dedication of these saints is truly inspiring.  I'm inspired by their commitment and courage.  I'm inspired by their passion and purpose in going to a place where they know they will be persecuted. 

Read the full article, it's very encouraging and will make you think.