One Year Ago Today - Malatya Murders

It is amazing how time flies and how sometimes it is very easy to forget such horrendous massacres.  For example, one year ago today - April 18, 2007 three Turkish converts were murdered.

On April 18, 2007, five Muslims entered a Christian publishing company and killed three believers in the southeastern province of Malatya. Two of the victims, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, were Turkish converts from Islam and the third man, Tilmann Geske, was a German citizen who had lived in Turkey for 10 years. News reports said four of the attackers admitted that the killings were motivated by both “nationalist and religious feelings.”

My friend Todd Nettleton, who works at The Voice of the Martyrs, but who is writing as a citizen and not as an employee of VOM, shared his thoughts on his personal blog, which you may read at On My Mind
about the murders that happened one year ago today.

Todd writes in part...

My heart has gone many times this week to the families of my three brothers—Tilmann Geske, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel—because this day will remind them of their loss and loneliness since husband, father, son or fiancé entered eternity that Wednesday morning.

I remember reading with horror the story last April, the story of three men tied to their chairs and brutally murdered. For some reason the story grabbed my attention and my heart, and a couple months later I was sent by VOM to meet with the families and hear their stories…stories of victory and forgiveness in spite of their suffering. The trip, from start to finish, was a God-ordained miracle. It was amazing the doors that He opened, and it left me blown away by His power and grace.

Todd goes on to write about his experience and shares some of his personal email as he had the opportunity to meet with the wives and families of the three Christians who were martyred for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please take the time to read all of what Todd wrote and then join me in prayer for those families.