Eleven orphans in Laos who were threatened with expulsion from a government school because of their Christian faith have continued to attend church. They slip away one by one on Sunday mornings and walk to church unnoticed.
In August, the boys’ headmaster called them into his office and told them to stop attending church. Initially, seven of the boys stopped attending, but four of the boys refused to obey the headmaster despite the possibility that they could be expelled from the government-sponsored school. After seeing the faithfulness of these four boys, the other seven eventually decided to continue going to church as well.
School officials haven’t said anything to the boys in recent months, and those caring for the orphans think officials may have given up after seeing the strength of the boys’ faith. While school officials seem to be looking the other way, the boys are still careful to leave school one at a time to attend church. If they leave together, they will be stopped.
The threats from school officials began after one of the boys attended a local church and came to trust in Christ. He shared the gospel with others, and 10 other boys turned to Christ. When the principal heard of the conversions, he told the boys repeatedly to stop attending church. After pressuring them with no results, the principal threatened to expel them.
Please continue to pray for these brave young believers. They are safe, but their situation could change at any moment. Also pray for God’s direction as they make plans for life after graduation.
Sources: VOM contacts