VOM-USA Prayer Update for August 12, 2011
As is our custom on Friday, here are our weekly prayer requests. Please also remember that we are still in the month of Ramadan, so pleasee pray for Muslims to come to Christ this month too.
Iraq—Car Bomb Explodes Near Church
Assyrian Universal Alliance, Compass Direct News
A car bomb exploded outside a church in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Aug. 2, 2011, injuring more than 30 people in the latest of a series of attacks on Assyrian churches. Local authorities disarmed explosive devices near two other churches the same day. The blast, which covered the church building with glass, rubble and dust, caused serious damage to nearby houses and cars. “This has become ordinary for us, and we expect that any minute something will happen here,” a local pastor said. “Sometimes we feel there is some pressure over the Christians all over Iraq to make them leave their cities and go to the northern part of Iraq, to Kurdistan.” About half of Iraq’s Christian population has left the country since the beginning of the war.
Sudan—Christian Girl Escapes After a Year in Captivity
Compass Direct News
Sixteen-year-old Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo recently escaped from a gang of Muslims who kidnapped her more than a year ago. The kidnappers locked Hiba in a room, beat her, raped her and tried to force her to convert to Islam. “[On several occasions], the man who put me in his house tortured me and threatened to kill me,” she said. “Several times I was warned that if I did not convert to Islam, then I risked losing my life.” After a year in captivity, Hiba was left unguarded. She then escaped from her captors and begged a motorist to take her home. Hiba’s mother said Hiba was targeted because she is Christian. Hiba is recovering from a recent blow to her face, and it will be a long time before she recovers emotionally. “I cannot forget this bad incident,” she said. “And whenever I try to pray, I find it difficult to forget. I ask believers to pray for me for inner healing.”
Cuba—Persecuted Family Resettles in United States
Compass Direct News
Rev. Carlos Lamelas, once jailed in Cuba for his faith, recently arrived in the United States as a political refugee along with his wife and daughters. During his imprisonment, hundreds of Christians wrote him letters of encouragement, many through www.prisoneralert.com. Carlos was released from jail four months after his arrest on June 26, 2006. Unable to find employment and fearing another arrest, Carlos applied unsuccessfully for political asylum in 2010. In 2011, however, his case was reviewed and he and his family were granted status as political refugees. “For our part, we have been open to the will of God, and we know he will take us where we can best serve him,” he wrote. “Our moral commitment with the Lord’s work is permanent and without borders. We know that many brothers and sisters have collaborated for our benefit; we’re sorry not to know specifically who they are. Nevertheless, we want them to know that our love and gratitude is sealed in our hearts for the rest of our lives.”