This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Here is a compelling video, produced by Open Doors USA, a fellow persecution ministry. Watch and pray.

Hello Precious Ones!

The following is from our weekly USA VOM prayer alert. If you would like to stay informed on the issues of the day and pray with wisdom, please sign up to receive these great weekly alerts at www.persecution.com Eritrean gospel singer, Helen Berhane, who was released from prison in November 2006 after being detained in Eritrea for two years without charge, has been granted asylum in Denmark. Berhane and her daughter arrived in Denmark on October 19, after spending 11 months in Sudan. Her health remains extremely poor, due to the physical suffering she experienced during her detention. She cannot walk without assistance. During Berhane's detention, she was held for extended periods of time in shipping containers and tortured several times by authorities in an effort to force her to recant her faith. Thank God that Berhane has found a safe place to live. Praise Him for her faithfulness. Pray for God's continued protection and provision for her. Ask Him to give her direction and wisdom, so she can continue serving Him. Pray for believers in Eritrea who face persecution and suffering for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ. Psalm 84:11, Psalm 119:105\u003c/b\>\n\n\n \n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\n\n\n\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/flags/PAKISTAN.gif\" alt\u003d\"Pray for PAKISTAN\" align\u003d\"right\" vspace\u003d\"13\"\>\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003cfont color\u003d\"red\"\>\u003cb\>PAKISTAN\u003c/b\>\u003c/font\>\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/LineBreak.gif\" border\u003d\"0\"\>\n\n\u003cb\>Christian Homes Demolished in Pakistan - VOM Sources\u003c/b\>\u003cbr\> \n\nOn October 19, local Muslims demolished homes belonging to three Christian families in the village of Lobhana, near Lahore, Pakistan. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts, more than 70 armed villagers moved in with tractors and began destroying the homes. VOM contacts said, "They demolished and looted three homes and only stopped when the police arrived." Some of the Christians attacked reported that the Muslims threatened to kill them. VOM contacts added that the land where some of the demolished homes were located had been given to the Christian families by the Pakistani government more than 10 years earlier. However, some local Muslims claimed the land, intending to build a cemetery. Pray for God's protection for Christians in this area. Ask Him to provide resources for these families to rebuild their homes. Pray the testimony of these believers will draw nonbelievers, especially their attackers, into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. \n\n\n\u003cb\>Psalm 68:19, Proverbs 3:5, 6\u003c/b\>\n\n\n \n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/flags/NIGERIA.gif\" alt\u003d\"Pray for NIGERIA\" align\u003d\"right\" vspace\u003d\"13\"\>\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003cfont color\u003d\"red\"\>\u003cb\>NIGERIA\u003c/b\>\u003c/font\>\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/LineBreak.gif\" border\u003d\"0\"\>\n\n\u003cb\>Muslim Officials Dismiss Christian School Librarian - Compass Direct News\u003c/b\>\u003cbr\> \n\nSixteen months ago, Muslim officials forced Asabe Ladagu, a Christian widow, to leave her job as a librarian. The incident occurred after she and others requested land to build a chapel in the capital city of Borno state, in northern Nigeria. According to Compass Direct News, Muslim administrators at Ramat Polytechnic forced Ladagu into early retirement without pay. Ladagu told Compass, "We were branded dangerous people because we were Christians. I have been forced out of office now for 16 months, not retired and not on staff roll of Ramat Polytechnic. Other Christian brethren, too, have either been forced out or have been the subjects of witch hunts." Pray for God's provision and protection for Ladagu and other Christians in northern Nigeria. Ask God to use their testimonies to draw nonbelievers into fellowship with Him. \n\n\n",1] ); //-->Psalm 84:11, Psalm 119:105

This week in our VOM-USA prayer update we highlighted four different areas of prayer for you to focus on. I want to highlight the following from the email and ask that you would pray along with us for the quick recovery of those who were injured. On September 27, a suicide bomber in military clothing detonated a grenade, killing five youth and critically wounding four others, in Sudan's Upper Nile state. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts in Sudan, "A pastor was having an overnight service in Khorfullus town, when an unidentified man walked into the service and detonated a grenade, killing himself, five children and critically wounding four others, including the pastor and his wife." VOM contacts added that the bomber was dressed in full military clothing, normally worn by government officials. VOM is assisting families affected by this tragedy during this difficult time. Pray God comforts and encourages the families of those killed. Pray for a speedy recovery for those injured. Psalm 118: 17, Isaiah 40:31\u003c/b\>\n\nbr>\u003cbr\>\n\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/flags/palestine.gif\" alt\u003d\"Pray for GAZA STRIP\" align\u003d\"right\" vspace\u003d\"13\"\>\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003cfont color\u003d\"red\"\>\u003cb\>GAZA STRIP\u003c/b\>\u003c/font\>\n\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/images/LineBreak.gif\" border\u003d\"0\"\>\n\n\u003cb\>Gaza Bible Society Worker Murdered – Christian Broadcasting Network\u003c/b\>\u003cbr\>\n\nOn October 7, 26-year-old Rami Ayyad's body was recovered near the Teachers' Bookshop in the Palestinian territory of Gaza where he worked. His body had stab wounds and bullet holes. According to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Ayyad was kidnapped the day before by an unidentified group. CBN quoted the spokesperson for the Palestinian Bible Society, Simon Azazian, who said, "We do not know the exact identity of the group, but we know he was martyred for his faith in Christ." The report added, "Ayyad told co-workers he'd noticed a car with no license plates following him. At 6 p.m. (on Saturday), his wife received a phone call from him saying he'd been taken captive by a group of people and would be home late. A second phone call relayed the same message." Rami is survived by his pregnant wife and two young children. Pray the Holy Spirit comforts his family during this difficult time. Pray Rami's testimony will bring non-believers, especially his killers, into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ask God to protect believers in Gaza. \n\n\n\n\u003cb\>Psalm 23, Psalm 91\u003c/b\>\n\n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\n\n\u003ccenter\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/emailUpdate/PrinterPrayers.htm\" style\u003d\"background-color:#EFDFC2;display:block;padding:2px 5px;border:1px solid #BF7D0B;color:#000;width:150px\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>Click for Printer-Friendly Prayers\u003c/a\>\u003c/center\>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\n\n\n\u003ccenter\>\n\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/idop\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://www.persecution.com/images/idop.jpg\" border\u003d\"0\"\>\u003c/a\>\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\n\n\n",1] ); //-->Psalm 118: 17, Isaiah 40:31

I was telling my husband the other day that I want to definitely make sure that our church participates in this years International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. And as I was telling him about this, I couldn't help but think how fun it would be to use some shocking drama to awaken the American church. However, after telling my husband my idea, I realized that some people may not understand it was simply "drama" when a man would come in and hold the church up at gunpoint. And I admit it, that THAT idea, while it would probably work, might also cause a few elderly people to fall to the ground with a heart attack and then the church would be sued for scaring people to death.

An update from Azerbaijan:

A few years ago my husband has this very strange dream about Myanmar. At the time I had never heard of this place, and didn't even know if it was real. But my husband seemed to know it was a real place, also known as Burma, and he felt totally burdened to pray for that land as a result of this dream.

You may have noticed that despite the release of the Korean hostages I have chosen to leave their picture on the blog because I want you to continue to remember them in prayer. The following was published in this weeks Prayer alert from VOM-USA.

Today I wanted to share some good news with you concerning some Pastors who were recently released and are praising God. Here's the good news from this weeks VOM-USA prayer alert.

The following two prayer requests come from this weeks VOM-USA Prayer Alert. Please remember to read after the fold, by clicking the link to continue reading the post.Christian Leaders Attacked, Christians Openly Persecuted and Stabbed – VOM Sources