Persecution Blog

Faithful in Prayer

Surrounded by violence, Grace had never known much about love, joy, or forgiveness. Her community in Uganda, was hostile both to outsiders and those living in the village. Most people had grown up believing in dark, spiritual forces that could only be remedied by a witch doctor’s magic.

When Grace became a Christian and turned to God instead of to the local witch doctor, villagers savagely beat her and left her for dead. She was rejected, but she continued to turn to God for help and comfort. It was in God that she finally understood love, joy and forgiveness. She forgave those who had harmed her. Her desire was that others would know this love, and she began asking God to help her community turn to Him.

She prayed faithfully for four years that more Christians would be added to her village. In the fourth year of her prayers, her village was in the middle of a severe drought that had lasted more than seven years. One of the witch doctors determined that a Christian must be sacrificed in order to bring rain. A young man known as a believer was kidnapped, but police rescued him before he was offered to the village gods as a sacrifice. 

The young man and some others joined Grace in praying for their village. As they prayed, they felt God leading them to build a church. They bought property and in less than two weeks constructed a church building. While there were only five members in the group, they set up 100 chairs. Grace continued to pray.

Not long afterwards, two missionaries visited the village and presented the Gospel message. In two separate services, 100 people came forward to renounce their evil ways and follow Christ. The 100 people filled the 100 chairs in the church.

Members of the community asked the missionaries to pray for their brown, dry and scorched land in desperate need of rain. So they all began praying earnestly for rain, believing that it would be God that would open up the heavens. The missionaries asked God that no one would turn back to the wicked ways of human sacrifice in order to call for rain. Then, the two men left.

They drove off, thanking God for all that had happened in the community. God had used Grace in a tremendous way. Though she had been beaten and left for dead, she was not discouraged. She persevered in prayer, and it was likely her prayers that opened so many hearts to receive Christ. As the men stopped for gasoline about an hour outside of the village, they felt droplets of water on their arms. Behind them, they could see sheets of rain pouring down in the direction of the village.

Once the two arrived home, they received word from those in the village, exclaiming gladly, “Everything here is green!” The drought had ended, and the seed that had been planted by Grace’s prayers had multiplied. One hundred believers had come to Christ during their visit, but they were surprised to learn that the number more doubled the following Sunday, with 250 believers worshipping and committed to following Christ wholeheartedly.

Ann Kay is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

New York Times documents Afghan Christian’s trials

While VOM staff consistently work with Christian media outlets to tell the stories of persecuted believers around the world, it is sometimes frustrating that secular media outlets rarely delve into such stories.

Yet earlier this week the New York Times documented the story of an Afghan believer named Josef who is literally in hiding as his family and his in-laws try to find him and kill him for leaving Islam:

Josef’s brother-in-law Ibrahim arrived in Kabul recently, leaving behind his family and business in Pakistan, to hunt down the apostate and kill him. Reached by telephone, Ibrahim, who uses only one name, offered a reporter for The New York Times $20,000 to tell him where Josef was hiding.

“If I find him, once we are done with him, I will kill his son as well, because his son is a bastard,” Ibrahim said, referring to Josef’s 3-year-old child. “He is not from a Muslim father.”

Josef’s testimony is an interesting one. He rejected the hopelessness of Islam long before he knew about and chose to follow Christ:

“When I threw away my Islamic beliefs, I was living in a space of spiritual emptiness,” he said. “During that time I was studying different religions — Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. I was studying Islam as well.”

“I think I was impressed by the personality of Jesus himself,” he said. “The fact that he came here to take all of our sins, that moved me. I admired his character and personality long before I was baptized.”

The choice was a costly one: his in-laws planned to kill the apostate, but wanted his family’s blessing before they did so. While they sought it, Josef escaped. Today he is in hiding, knowing that both his wife’s family and his own are hunting for him. Yet even in hiding he knows the peace that comes from following Christ:

“When I threw away my convictions [of following Islam], it was hard to speak with people about it,” he said…“It was like an imaginary prison.” He paused, the light from his propane lantern casting a long shadow on the wall. “Now it is the other way around,” he said at last. “My body is in prison, but my soul is free.”

Please pray for Josef and other Christian believers in Afghanistan. The Voice of the Martyrs provides Bibles, discipleship training and other assistance to Afghan believers.

UPDATE: Meriam and family “detained” in Sudan

On Monday Christians around the world celebrated the appeals-court victory for Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, a Sudanese wife and mother who had been sentenced to death for apostasy. But the joy of her release from prison on Monday quickly turned on Tuesday when she was detained at the airport in Khartoum as she and her husband and children were about to leave Sudan.

Sudan’s Information Minister told Bloomberg News that the detention was not about the apostasy case or her religion; it related only to the validity of her travel documents:

“Her arrest has nothing to do with the apostasy case, that one is over,” he said today by phone. “She has procedural problems in her travel documents.”

We will continue to post updates on Meriam’s case to VOM’s Facebook and Twitter accounts as we receive new information. Please continue to pray for Meriam and her husband and children.

Meriam Ibrahim RELEASED

Wonderful news from Sudan this morning: an appeals court overturned the death-penalty conviction of Meriam Ibrahim and she has been released from prison, along with son Martin and baby daughter Maya.

Ibrahim’s lawyer told Reuters that she was out of prison and had been moved to a safe location, where she has been reunited with her husband, Daniel Wani. Wani is a naturalized American citizen and is believed to be seeking asylum for his wife in the United States.

Ibrahim’s father was a Muslim, but he deserted the family when she was a child and she was raised as a Christian by her mother. In spite of telling the court that she had never been a practicing Muslim, Ibrahim was convicted of apostasy or leaving Islam to follow another religion. The sentence of death was to be carried out following the weaning of her baby.

Ibrahim was given the opportunity by the court to renounce her faith in Christ and return to Islam to avoid the death sentence. She stood firm in her faith and told the court that she was a Christian and would continue to follow Christ.

Since being posted on www.PrisonerAlert.com earlier this month, more than 1500 letters had been written to Meriam Ibrahim on the site. In addition, almost 900 letters of protest had been sent to the Sudanese embassy in Washington DC or the Sudanese delegation to the United Nations.

We join with Christians around the world in praising the Lord for this wonderful news, and we are thankful to all the VOM readers who prayed for Meriam and her family and wrote letters of encouragement to her.

Thunderstorms and Bombs

Have you ever experienced a good Oklahoma thunderstorm? I’ve lived all over the U.S. and different parts of the world, but I’ve never experienced anything like the thunderstorms here. Each clap of thunder reverberates through the house and in your chest. It’s like a mini earthquake with pyrotechnics (the flash of lightening before each rumble) and a short stint at a concert when you’re right next to the speaker and the drums are booming.

My three-year-old is terrified of thunder. Last week we had a line of storms roll through, and one night before 10 p.m., I heard him screaming in fear from his bed as the thunder boomed outside. Upstairs I gathered his trembling body into my lap. His little hands were pinned to his ears as he tried to keep the noise out, his eyes squeezed shut and pouring tears.

I held him tightly while we listened to the storm spend its strength and move past us. I knew we were safe, but he didn’t feel safe. As we sat there, a tangle of mother and son limbs, I thought of my brothers and sisters in Syria right now. They are reliving similar frightening middle-of-the-night moments, but not because of thunderstorms. Their children are frightened by the sound of bombs in the night.

When those parents rush to comfort their children, they don’t know if they’ll be safe.  They don’t know if the next bomb will hit their apartment, as it did to the apartment of one Christian woman a few days ago. They don’t know if the sound of gunfire outside means that Sunni militants will burst through their door momentarily.

This is a daily reality for our brothers and sisters there. They could leave and find their way to refugee camps as so many have. But for many, the choice to stay is a conscience one. They know if they leave, Christ’s living witness will be gone from Syria. Our friends and contacts inside the country say the chaos and heartache of the war is drawing many people to him, especially Muslims. Churches are doubling and tripling their services.

Still, as they are seeing great spiritual fruit, it’s not an easy life inside Syria these days. One contact reported that they’d been without water for 14 days in his city. That meant no water for washing clothes or bathing, and long lines of 2-3 hours to fill up as many containers as they can carry. But they stay, even though leaving would be much easier in many ways.

Tonight when I tuck my 3-year-old in bed, I know he’ll be safe, and I hope he’ll sleep peacefully through the night. My Syrian brothers and sisters may not, so as I wipe down counters and wash dishes, I’ll be lifting them up in prayer. And if they can choose to stay in a war zone where Christians are being targeted for their faith, I can choose to be a little bolder in talking about my faith with my neighbor and the other moms at preschool. 

Dory P. has worked with VOM for seven years. She grew up in Ecuador, met her husband while working with another mission organization, and now lives in Oklahoma. Between Dory, her husband, three-year-old son and infant daughter, the family shares seven passports. Dory helps tell the stories of the persecuted through VOM's newsletter, and her husband serves with VOM's international department.

Photo credit: Fear and Devotion by Brett Davies via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

Continued Renewal under Hostile Conditions

I picked up a recent copy of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research.  I like to read through the whole issue to keep informed about missions, so I read an article that I thought I would not relate to me or to anything that I do. I was wrong! The article was about East Syrian Monasteries in the Ninth Century! It turned out to be a great article that related to just about everything I do and love. It was about love for God and love for learning. I was struck by one of the author’s statements (Steve Cochrane): “The East Syrian school movement…integrated a passion for learning with a passion for God and making him known. These passions were a key source for the continued renewal of the church across hundreds of years, even in environments often hostile to the Christian faith.”

The integration of learning and devotion led to an East Syrian mission movement and the starting of numerous schools, training people for service, ministry, and missions. It kept the church alive, vital, and growing over the centuries in spite of very diverse and sometimes difficult circumstances.

At VOM, we periodically get the question: “How can we prepare for persecution?” I believe that article gives us the answer—a passion for learning, a passion for God, and a burning desire to witness about Christ in the world. It will keep us developing, maturing, and growing deeper both in our understanding of God and his world but also in spiritual truths that will fortify us for the day of trial. The motto ecclesia semper reformanda est (the church is always in need of or in the process of reformation and renewal), applies to our situation as well.

In 2010 the government in a south Asia country bulldozed a Bible College building because it was running illegally, according to them. They also beat the school principal until he was unconscious. So, the Bible College relocated to temporary facilities and eventually began to build a new building. This is a church that remains vital and undeterred because of its passion for learning, for ministry, and for God. It knows what is necessary to maintain its commitment to ministry to their nation, even though the government of that nation tries its best to subdue and oppress them.

The survival of the church in Syria today is threatened because of the civil war. Hundreds of Christians have been martyred and 30-40% of the churches have been damaged or destroyed. The church continues to survive and function after all these centuries. Recently Communion services leading to Easter were canceled because of increased danger, but Good Friday and Easter services were held, showing the resilience of Syrian Christians in the face of very difficult and hostile conditions.

Do we have this kind of God-given resilience? Do we really see the value of a passion for learning, a passion for God, and a passion to witness to our nation and the world about Jesus Christ? If we truly have a passion for God then I think we will also have a passion for learning and witnessing. What is our dominating passion? Is it leading us in the right direction or weakening us from being ready to be used by God? We will find out when the time of testing comes. 

Your Turn: What are you doing to increase your knowlege of God and His word?

Roy Stults, PhD, is the Online Workshop Coordinator and Educational Services Coordinator for The Voice of the Martyrs. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (BA and MA), Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Missiology), and The University of Manchester (England) with a PhD (theology). A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Stults served as a missionary for 19 years and pastored U.S. churches for eight years. Prior to joining VOM, he was a Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Nepal: "The Sense of Anticipation was Palpable"

We recently recieved this report from Ted, a Christian worker serving in Nepal who connected with one of our VOM workers and participated in a day of VOM ministry outreach:

The day began with a monthly prayer meeting for pastors. Approximately 60 pastors traveled the rough roads of Nepal and gathered for a wonderful time of worship, prayer, and fellowship. We prayed not only for Nepal, but also for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. The VOM coordinator shared testimonies of recent persecution, and after each account, we prayed for that country and for those who were persecuted for their faith. It was a very humbling experience to be in the presence of so many faithful men and women, many of whom face their own persecution, lifting up our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. As blessed and humbled as I was by the prayer meeting, what came next had an even more profound effect on my walk with the Lord.

After the prayer meeting, the VOM team and I loaded into vehicles and traveled on a rough and dusty mountain road to a small church in a remote valley. Upon arrival, we were met by approximately 300 men, women, and children of all ages. Many of them, including senior adults and young mothers carrying infants, had walked three or four hours across the mountains, in 95 degree heat, to receive their very own copy of God’s Word. How amazing, I thought, is the power of God’s Word to draw so many people together in such a remote location.

Everyone soon gathered inside the small church and sat on the floor, with men and women on separate sides and children in the front, as is customary in Nepal. As more people arrived, everyone slid closer together, pushing the children onto the platform with the team members and me. The stifling heat had no effect on their passion for worship as they sang praises to God with more intensity than I had ever witnessed. I understood very few of the words, but the presence of the Holy Spirit, which transcends all cultures and languages, was unmistakable.

After a short time of worship, the moment for which everyone had traveled finally arrived. As the boxes of Bibles were opened, the sense of anticipation was palpable. Every person, regardless of age, eagerly awaited their very own copy of God’s Word. Stepping through the crossed legs, which covered every inch of floor space, the team members and I handed each person a brand new Bible, still wrapped in its clear, plastic covering. As they unwrapped their Bibles and opened the pages for the very first time, the sense of awe and reverence for God’s Word was overwhelming. How many times, I thought, had I taken my Bible -- my several translations of the Bible -- for granted? How many days had I been “too busy” to read from God’s Word? How often had I read a few chapters as if ticking off a check-list rather than prayerfully meditating on the inspired words of Almighty God? Father, forgive me!

For the second time in one day, I was humbled by the presence of God among a group of people who I thought I was there to encourage. Once everyone received their Bible, they were asked to hold them above their heads. Understanding the nature and sensitivity of VOM’s work, I refrained from taking any photographs, but the sight of 300 Nepalese crowded into a small church, faces beaming as they joyfully lifted their very own copy of God’s Word towards heaven, is a sight I will never forget.  

Thank you for sharing this very special day with me. I was truly blessed and humbled to be in the presence of so many faithful witnesses.  I pray that God will continue to bless your ministry as you “remember… them which suffer adversity.”

YOUR TURN: How will the excitement of these Nepali believers at having a copy of the Bible affect the way you read your Bible?

Persecution Update on Moody Radio

Last week VOM's Todd Nettleton was a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall, aired nationwide on the Moody Radio Network.

In the 30 minute interview with Parshall, Nettleton shared updates about the persecuted church, focussing particularly on North Korea, the subject of VOM's June newsletter, and VOM's effort to get one million Christians to sign a "Letter of Confession" to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Please click here to listen to this interview (a new window will open; Nettleton's interview begins at about the 26:00 mark) and also thank you for praying for the persecuted church and making a difference.

North Korea Infographic

Using data compiled by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and the UN Commission of Inquiry, The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and The Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center created this infographic to describe the plight of men, women, and children held captive in North Korea’s political prison camps without charges or trial.

VOM's June newsletter focuses on North Korea. VOM estimates that 30,000 Christians are held in prison camps.

Our hope today is that seeing these facts illustrated in this way will inspire you to pray more fervently for North Korea and for our Christian brothers and sisters there.

 

REPOST: Islam: Purchasing Converts

Today we repost one of the most-read posts of the first half of 2014, a post on the truth behind the growth of Islam:

As I have learned more and more about Islam, I’ve often wondered what its appeal is to people. Islam is growing rapidly, partly because so many people are born into the Muslim faith, but also because so many people are converting to Islam. 

I now have a better idea of the answer to that question in Malaysia. On a recent trip for VOM, I was surprised by what I learned from our contacts and the believers there. A tactic used widely by Muslims to gain converts is bribery.

Muslims in Malaysia are notorious for offering those of other faiths money, job positions, housing, even full-ride scholarships to college;  all contingent upon their conversion to Islam. Sometimes, in the more remote villages, it’s even as simple as Muslims from the city driving out to the village and offering bags of money to any family that is willing to convert. You can imagine how difficult this is in countries wrecked with poverty and where a high percentage of the population faces the constant fight to survive.

The interesting catch is that these conversions are very one sided. In Malaysia every person is born with an identity card, similar to a birth certificate. On this card it says your religion, for example “Muslim” or “Christian.”  Christians, or any other religion besides Islam, are welcome to change their identity card at any time from their birth religion to “Islam.” However, it is illegal and impossible for a Muslim to ever change their identity card. Literally, until the day they die; even if they professed Christianity and are buried in a Christian graveyard, the Muslim representatives of the communities will come and dig up the body to give it a Muslim burial.

Of course, it is also illegal for any other faith to “proselytize” (witness) to Muslims.

The Malaysian government used this tactic with a group of refugees from the dangerous island of Mindanao, in the Philippines. The group was trying to flee from Mindanao, away from the violence of Muslim terrorist groups there, but the Philippines wouldn’t recognize them as citizens because they lived in Mindanao. The Malaysian government stepped in and offered them asylum on one condition: convert to Islam. They readily agreed.

Where are these new Muslim converts now? They are refugees living in extreme poverty is a slum I visited in Malaysia, with no help from the nearby mosques or the Malaysian government. 

Our contacts support young church leaders who go into this slum every Monday-Friday bringing food, meeting with families, and teaching the children English. Slowly, they are starting to teach them Bible stories and tell them about Jesus. I will never forget the look of joy on the dirty faces of these children as they sprinted across piles of trash to embrace their teachers coming to the slum to be with them.

Eventually, the truth comes out. Islam in Malaysia, though it may seem to promise freedom from poverty through bribery, ultimately causes bondage. Christianity, though it seems to promise persecution in many restricted and hostile nations, ultimately brings freedom.

As believers, it’s our responsibility to offer the world something much greater than a bag of cash.

Brooke Parks serves on the staff of VOM as the youth & young adult coordinator. She was first introduced to the ministry of VOM by her parents and grandparents, who received the VOM newsletter, and through the VOM book Jesus Freaks. She has served in 12 different countries and is passionate about helping expand God’s Kingdom throughout the nations of the world.