Friday we posted our 104th Persecution Podcast which dealt with specific prayer requests coming from the Sudan, Bosnia and Algeria.  Please take 5 minutes to listen to the prayer requests and to pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering dearly for Jesus.  Click here to listen.

Algeria
On Feb. 1, Muslim extremists attacked a church in Ouargla, eastern Algeria, damaging church property. According to VOM contacts, Pastor Mourad had received a threatening letter two weeks earlier demanding that he leave the area but had not taken the threat seriously. However, around midnight on Feb.1, several men broke through the rear gate of the church and destroyed some church equipment. They also tried to break into the church building but were unsuccessful. In 2009, Pastor Mourad’s wife was beaten and seriously injured by an unknown group of attackers. And last year, an angry mob shouted death threats while throwing heaps of trash over the church walls. Despite these attacks, Pastor Mourad is convinced that the Lord has called him to serve in Ouargla, and he refuses to leave. “No matter what happens, we will stay here,” he says. Praise God for his faithfulness.

Bosnia
A Christian in Bosnia recently shared the gospel with his neighbors by giving them some humanitarian supplies along with a VOM-provided gospel story book. After receiving a package of supplies from the Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, “Henry” offered the supplies to his neighbors, along with an illustrated Jesus: He Lived Among Us story book, which tells the story of Jesus from the gospels. A 25-year-old woman kept asking Henry questions about the difference between Croatian Christmas celebrations and Christian celebrations. “It came to my mind to use the book to talk more about Jesus and his plan for humanity,” Henry said. “In the end, I told her to read the book and find out more about the life of this wonderful and unique man.” Praise God for the creativity and willingness believers all over the world have to share Christ’s message.

Sudan
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, Sudanese forces bombed a school run by Samaritan’s Purse in the Nuba mountains in Southern Kordofan. The bombing occurred on the first day of school, when the Heiban Bible College campus was crowded with students, teachers and families. Although Sudanese forces dropped eight bombs, destroying two buildings, no one was killed. A statement from the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations said the attack “underscores the viciousness of Sudan’s ongoing military campaign in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states” in a conflict affecting 50,000 people. Samaritan’s Purse reported that four churches in the region have been destroyed since August. Nearly 30,000 refugees from the Nuba mountain have filled a camp across the border in South Sudan. Please pray for those affected by the ongoing violence and for those who are bringing Jesus’ name to the area.

Today's Persecution Podcast was posted a few days ago and it's very short, under five minutes.  Please take the time to listen by clicking here, and then joining the staff of The Voice of the Martyrs in prayer for the needs mentioned.

 

This morning as my husband and I were having our morning devotions and prayer time, we prayed for the persecuted church and were remembering our brethren who are in chains.  This got me thinking about how the Persecution Podcast is  really a very helpful resource for focusing our prayers.  Every week we post a podcast so that you can hear directly from the staff of The Voice of the Martyrs about what is happening behind the scenes and specifically about some of the recent prayer requests we have from around the world.

In Persecution Podcast 102 we are also excited to announce the winner of our contest.  Be sure to listen to the show by clicking here.

Please also pray for our specific requests on Vietnam, Colombia and the Sudan.  Read those requests in their entirety here.

Today I'd like to remind you that we have a Persecution Podcast that you can listen to online or subscribe to in iTunes, very easily by going to http://www.persecutionpodcast.com

This week we are discussing prayer needs for South Sudan, India and Laos.

As you may know, the Sudan, India and Laos are all restricted nations.  Here is some information on each nation, to give you a better idea of how you can pray more specifically for Christians living in these countries.

SUDAN 

Sudan is Africa’s largest country. Since 1983, about 2.5 million people have been killed through war and genocide and 4 million more have been displaced. A separate conflict broke out in 2003 in Darfur, where UN peacekeeping troops struggle to maintain stability. The conflict is spreading throughout the region to neighboring countries. A referendum will be taken in 2011 to decide whether southern Sudan will secede. Currently, the northern armies cause disruption in the south through attacks along the southern border, tribal conflicts and abductions along northern borders. The north hopes the turbulence will make the south too unstable for the 2011 referendum to take place.

Category: Restricted Nation
Religion: Muslim 65.00%, Christian 23.19%
Ideology: Islam
Head of State: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir

INDIA

India has a staggering diversity of racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. Pressing problems include border disputes, overpopulation, poverty and economic and religious strife. In August 2009, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom added India to its “Watch List” for the country’s violations of religious freedom. Category: Hostile Nation Religion: Hindu 79.83%, Muslim 12.50%, Christian 2.40% Ideology: Hinduism Head of State: President Pratibha Patil

LAOS

Laos was taken over by the communist Pathet Lao in 1975. Lao established a socialist government with close ties to
Vietnam. Since 1986, the country has moved toward greater private enterprise and free trade.

Category: Restricted Nation
Religion: Buddhist 61.05%, Traditional Ethnic 31.20%, Christian 1.85%
Ideology: Communism
Head of State: President Lt. Gen. Choummali Saignason

 

Today I am happy to share with you that the our podcast has now reached 100 episodes!!

In order to celebrate this milestone in podcasting, we're having a cool contest to win a t-shirt. 

Here's how you enter the contest.  Please click here and leave a comment with your favorite scripture relating to persecution on the post for our 100th episode. 

Five people will win a "This Message is Illegal" t-shirt from The Voice of the Martyrs! U.S. Residents only and only one entry per person.  The winners will be contacted through email, so make sure to fill out the correct information when you leave your comment.

Make sure you listen to our special one hundredth episode of our persecution podcast to hear prayer requests for Pakistan, Israel and Comoros.  We also have special information about North Korea, recorded from a presentation at a VOM regional conference in late 2011.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW!!

 

A few days ago we produced a new episode of our Persecution Podcast which focused on specific prayer requests for the nations of Uganda, China and Afghanistan.

Click here to listen now!

Uganda
Islamic extremists attacked a Ugandan pastor outside his church near Kampala on Christmas Eve, leaving him blind in one eye. Umar Mulinde, the 37-year-old pastor of Gospel Life Church International in Namasuba, told Compass that he was returning to the church for a party with the congregation when a man approached him and called out, “Pastor, pastor.” When Mulinde turned to look, several men poured acid on his face and back. Mulinde’s face, neck and arms were severely burned and he lost sight in one eye. Mulinde had received several threats before the attack for his evangelism and opposition to Sharia courts in Uganda. In October 2011, Muslim leaders declared a fatwa on Mulinde, demanding his death. Pray for Mulinde as he suffers through the trauma and excruciating pain.

China
The Shouwang Church continued its outdoor worship services on Jan. 1 after authorities again prevented them from leasing a worship facility. Denied facilities three previous times, the church signed a contract with the Beijing Parkview Wuzhou Hotel on Dec. 17 and even moved some books and other belongings into the space. However, the landlord terminated the contract days later, after receiving pressure from local police, the housing management office and leaders of various government agencies. Police detained at least 48 church members when the congregation gathered on Jan. 1 but released 40 of them by midnight. Nearly 1,000 church members have been temporarily detained since Shouwang’s outdoor services began in April 2011. Pray for the Shouwang Church, which intends to continue meeting outdoors until they are allowed to rent indoor facilities.

Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s small Christian community is surging, becoming one of the fastest growing evangelical populations. The State Department estimates that only 500 to 8,000 Christians currently exist in Afghanistan. As evangelism increases and Christianity spreads, Afghan Christians will almost certainly experience an increase in persecution. Please pray for the continued spread of the gospel in Afghanistan, and pray that believers will continue to influence society and remain strong when faced with opposition.

Did you know that you can subscribe to our The Voice of the Martyrs podcast on iTunes? You can and it’s very easy. All you have to do is visit the iTunes page and you’ll instantly be able to add the show to your iTunes listening.

This week our podcast is only four minutes and in it we share an update about Asia Bibi and her specific prayer requests.

We also share prayer requests for Iranian Christians who had their Christmas celebration disrupted and for their pastor who is still in jail with his wife and two other Christians. Please also pray for the officials involved that they would come to a place to receive salvation.

We also discuss the church in Nigeria who has come under increased persecution in the last few weeks. Please pray for Goodluck Jonathan as he serves the people of Nigeria, and pray for all of the victims of the recent bombings.

Visit Persecution.com to listen to the show online, and don’t forget to subscribe to the iTunes feed.

 

One of the things I'd love to encourage you all in this year, since it's still pretty close to the first of the year, is to take some time to not only listen to The Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Podcast, but to subscribe to it at iTunes, and then of course, listen faithfully and share it with your friends and social media networks.

On this weeks show we ask for prayer for Asia Bibi, believers in Eritrea and how believers are shaken due to another Christian dying in custody, and Indonesia.

You may click here to read a fuller description of each nations prayer needs.

Also, please don't miss listening to this episode as we learn more about the theology of suffering from Darek Jarmola, Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

This week on the Persecution Podcast we look at prayer requests for Pakistan - including Asia Bibi, Iraq,  China and Afghanistan.  More details about how you may pray are found at http://www.persecutionpodcast.com

You may sign up to receive weekly prayer updates every week by going to http://www.persecution.com  and then click the PRAY button and there you can subscribe.

Thank you all for your faithful prayers for our family in Christ, who are often in chains, in prison and being physcially harmed for believing in Christ Jesus.

 

 Today we have another wonderful podcast from our leaders at The Voice of the Martyrs.  Click here to listen to the full show.

This week David and guest talk about China, Israel, and Turkmenistan. This week’s speaker discusses missionary work in Myanmar.

Nations discussed for prayer:

China

On Nov. 12, a house church in Anhui was raided by officers from the Bozhou Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Bozhou Bureau of Religion, according to China Aid Association. Officials detained more than 10 believers and held five until that afternoon. The government officials also confiscated items belonging to the church. Pray that members of this house church will continue to stand for Christ despite government raids. Praise God for the courage and faithfulness of believers in China.

Israel

On Oct. 29, an unknown arsonist set fire to a church in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, according to Compass Direct News. Compass reported that the arsonist broke into the Jerusalem Alliance Church Ministry Center through a basement window and set fire to the bottom floors. “Smoke and the noise of the blaze awakened 10 volunteer workers who were sleeping at the church’s overnight facilities,” Compass reported. “The volunteers, who were visiting Israel from the United States and Denmark, went to a nearby hospital and were treated for smoke inhalation.” The volunteers were released from the hospital several hours later. The church building sustained approximately $85,000 in damage. Praise God no one was seriously injured in the fire. Pray that the church will continue to proclaim Christ and will not fear meeting and working in this neighborhood.

Turkmenistan

Maya Nurlieva, wife of imprisoned pastor Ilmurad Nurliev, has been ordered to pay “compensation” related to Nurliev’s conviction on swindling charges, according to Forum 18 News. “I had to pay or they would kick us out of our home,” Maya said. She said the court that convicted her husband had also withheld the written verdict, preventing him from lodging his appeal within the 10 days allowed. “I complained to the court and to the Regional Prosecutor, but they said they would only give the verdict to my husband, not to his lawyer or to me.” Pastor Nurliev was recently sentenced to four years in prison on the swindling conviction. The verdict also ordered “forcible medical treatment to wean him off his narcotic dependency,” but Nurliev’s wife and others strongly deny that he has a drug addiction. Nurliev, who led the Light to the World Pentecostal Church in Mary, Turkmenistan, may be sent to the Seydi labor camp, where prisoners are thought to be tortured with mind-altering drugs. Pray for Pastor Nurliev’s family and church during this challenging time. Pray that God will minister to Pastor Nurliev in prison and will provide for Maya and their children.

This week’s speaker is John, who shares stories of his missionary work in Myanmar. His dedication to his work is moving.

Pakistani Woman Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy
Attorneys for Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi on Monday filed an appeal against the death sentence handed down against her on November 8, 2010. VOM friends spoke with Asia’s husband, Ashiq, following the filing of the appeal in the court. You can write letters of encouragement to Asia Bibi, as well as letters to Pakistani officials protesting this unjust sentence, at www.prisoneralert.com. See video of the interview at www.persecution.com.