In recent weeks I have been praying and thinking about our brothers and sisters in China who are facing increased persecution as the Olympics get closer. When I watch the main stream media coverage of the final preparations for the Olympics, the news reports are dominated with stories about pollution, whether Beijing is ready for the athletes and tourists and the “fascinating” historical sights of China. I cannot help but prayerfully wish there were some stories about our courageous Christian brothers and sisters who are increasingly persecuted by the Chinese Communist government because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

On July 24, VOM’s Web site was deliberately attacked forcing us to take the site offline temporarily. Our network engineers say the attack originated outside the United States. We have to believe the intent was to silence the online voice of the persecuted church.

On July 20, Pastor Abraham was assaulted by Hindu extremists in Haveri district, Karnataka state, India. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, “During a worship service at Friends Mission Prayer Band Church, in Konvallichawla village, 20 members of a radical Hindu group assaulted Pastor Abraham in the presence of his family and congregation. During the attack the mob destroyed all the Christian literature in the church, including Bibles.”

In an article from Christian Today we read the awful story about a Chinese couple who have been forced to live on the streets following repeated harassment and intimidation by government authorities.

The following news is an inspirational story to me personally, and yet I wonder how many of us American Christians would be able to stand under the persecution and harassment this precious Muslim convert to Christ has. Read part of Yasmin's story...Here's the full article.

Are you still praying for the church in China? I hope so because the Olympics is on its way and this is the time to keep on praying because Christians are still being persecuted in China. Here is a small blurb from an article called Christian Persecution Persists Ahead of Beijing Olympics:

On July 2, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers evicted prominent house church leader Pastor Hua Huiqi and his family from their home in Beijing, China.