Persecution Blog

Petr Jasek: God Opened the Prison Door

From the first days after his arrest in Sudan, Petr Jasek repeatedly said, "God is the One who holds the key to my cell."

Jasek, a Czech citizen, is VOM’s Africa regional director and he was just released after 14 months in prison in Sudan. In this third and final part of our conversation with Petr, he shares about how he stopped praying to be released from prison and simply focused on fulfilling the Lord’s purpose for him inside prison walls.

Listen as Petr shares what it was like to hear the judge announce that he was sentenced to life in prison, and the verse he read from Psalms moments before he found out God would be using the key and opening Petr’s cell door. Petr will also share—from his personal experience—how we should pray for Christians in prison, and for their families who sometimes suffer more than the prisoners.

You will be challenged to think about what it means to wait on the Lord as you hear Petr share how, after 445 days, God set this captive free.

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"Holy, Holy, Holy" in a Sudanese Prison

What verse of Scripture would you grab onto if you were locked in prison for your faith? Perhaps you'd choose Isaiah 61:1: 

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound"

Petr Jasek, a Czech national and VOM’s Africa regional director, was released last month after 445 days in prison in Sudan. Listen below as he shares the verse that God brought to his mind which became a theme for him during those long months in prison, Revelation 4:8:

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

That verse became a theme for Petr; he would use it to guide his prayers and recite it over and over each day throughout his imprisonment.

Meditating on God’s holiness provided strength for Petr as his radical Muslim cellmates began to pressure, persecute and torture him. Listen also for the story of the opportunity God provided that encouraged Petr as he began to lose hope after four months in prison. Petr’s story challenges each of us to think about how we deal with hardship or opposition, and reminds us to seek God’s plan and His will, even when we’re uncomfortable or suffering.

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Petr Jasek Tells of Being Imprisoned in Sudan

Petr Jasek, a Czech national and VOM’s Africa regional director, spent 445 days in a Sudanese prison. Days after returning home, Petr sat down with VOM Radio to share his story and thank the thousands of people who prayed for him and his co-defendants during his long months in prison.

Listen in as Petr shares about going to the airport to leave Sudan in December of 2015, and the point when he knew that what he faced was much more than a routine security screening. He’ll share how he kept praying as he was questioned, and how he found out that his cell mates were members of ISIS. Your faith will be encouraged as you hear how God had been preparing Petr—even years before his arrest—to remain faithful even during months in prison.

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Petr Jasek Finally Free

Czech national and long-time VOM staff member Petr Jasek has been released from prison in Sudan, following a pardon issued by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Petr was arrested by the Islamic Sudanese regime after visiting Sudanese Christians and providing a small gift to help with a man’s medical treatment. He was convicted of multiple “crimes” last month, including espionage and entering Sudan illegally. He was sentenced to life in prison for espionage, which according to Sudanese law means 20 years in prison, plus four additional years for other alleged crimes. Negotiations between the Sudanese and Czech governments have been ongoing since the sentence was announced, culminating in a visit to Khartoum by Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek. Zaorálek tweeted out a picture of Petr Jasek returning home on the plane with him Sunday afternoon.

Jasek was arrested in December 2015 and had remained in prison since that time. He was found guilty in January by a Sudanese court of “waging war against the state,” “violating restrictions in military areas,” “spreading rumors to defame the state,” committing “espionage” and “inciting strife between communities.”

Jasek has passionately served persecuted Christians as a staff member with The Voice of the Martyrs for more than 15 years. Prior to his arrest, he served as VOM’s Africa Regional Director. He traveled extensively throughout Africa, personally overseeing the delivery of material and spiritual assistance to Christians on behalf of VOM.

“Early in his imprisonment, Petr made the statement that ‘God holds the key to my cell,’” said VOM spokesperson Todd Nettleton. “We are so thankful that God has opened that cell door and that Petr is back with his family.”

Petr was originally tried with three Sudanese men, including two pastors. Near the end of the trial, the judge ruled that there was no evidence of a crime by Rev. Kuwa Shamaal, and he was released.

Rev. Hassan Abduraheem and Abdulmonem Abdumawla, however, were tried and found guilty of aiding Jasek in espionage. These two Sudanese men remain in prison, each serving a 12-year sentence.

“This has been a sobering reminder of the dangers VOM workers face as we serve persecuted Christians,” Nettleton said. “But it has been such a blessing to see Petr’s faith — and that of his family — shine through in this time of trial. Once again, God has shown Himself faithful. We are overjoyed at the opportunity to welcome our friend and co-worker home.”

After returning home, Mr. Jasek is expected to be hospitalized to evaluate the physical toll these long months in prison have taken on his body. He and his family request privacy as they reunite and begin to recover from this experience. After a period of rest, reflection and recovery, Mr. Jasek looks forward to sharing some of his experiences and the lessons God taught him in prison.

(This story originally appeared on www.Persecution.com.)

Best Moments of 2016 on VOM Radio: Part 2

Join us today as we continue looking back on some of the most-impactful testimonies shared with us in 2016 on VOM Radio.

We’ll hear how God reached into the home of the police chief in a Southeast Asian village—even as the police chief was fighting against the gospel! We’ll hear from former prisoner Bob Fu what it means to a prisoner when he or she knows that Christians are praying for them. Sean will tell us how God used VOM to help save the life of an evangelist in Bangladesh after he was brutally attacked. Samuel will tell us about the risks of following Christ in Pakistan.

We’ll hear from three different people impacted by a 2007 attack in Turkey that took the lives of three Christians. Brother Gokhan was a friend of those killed; Tim is now the pastor of the church the three men attended; and Semse Aydin is the widow of one of the martyred believers.

Finally we’ll hear from five guests who fave us a peek this year into what God is doing in the church in Iran—the fastest growing church in the world. Dr. Sasan will share how Iranian Christians find joy in persecution. Nazanin works in a call center for one of our media partners, witnessing to and discipling Iranian believers by phone. Dr. Mike Ansari will tell us about a special effort to get Bibles digitally into Iran. Finally, Maryam and Marziyeh will share about the miracle of finding God’s Word inside the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran.

You’ll be inspired and challenged as we continue looking back on some of the amazing stories God allowed us to share on VOM Radio in 2016.

 

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"No Room for Fear" in North Korea

In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio in 2016, Australian John Short shares the story of his detention in North Korea.

He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a “confession” of his “crimes,” including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus. But if God called him today, Short says he would happily go back.

Mr. Short shares this week on VOM Radio how God strengthened him during his captivity, the Scriptures and earthly examples that most encouraged him, and how he managed to take a measure of control back from his captors — and even make them nervous. Mr. Short agreed to only two media interviews after his release; one of them was with The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.

You can hear the second half of our conversation with Mr. Short; also hear his wife, Karen, share about her experiences while he was detained.

Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.

We Died Before We Came

Months ago, I had a conflict with a friend at church. There were several conversations and many tears as we tried to work it out. Finally, it boiled down to different values and parenting philosophies. For my friend, one of her foundational values is safety. She sees her main role as a parent to protect her children from harm.

Now, I don’t want harm to come to my kids or even me. But I’ve come to understand that on my list of priorities as a Christ-follower, avoiding risk and staying safe are farther down on my list. I’m not talking about acting foolishly, but I am talking about taking potentially risky actions because it might help further the gospel.

And yes, it does come down to the level of my children.

My oldest son prays for Petr Jasek almost every night before bed. Two nights ago as I tucked him in, I suddenly realized my son’s view of God as a good God could be influenced by Petr’s situation.

“You know, God sometimes allows bad things to happen to us,” I told him. “We don’t always understand why, but God does. Petr’s family obviously wants him home, but they also know that God is using this situation. They would rather have Petr stay in prison and serve God in the best way than to have him home. God’s way is always better than our way.”

I don’t know how much of that made it into his 6-year-old mind, but we’ll keep reemphasizing it.

This idea was brought up again to me in a book I recently read, called We Died Before We Came Here. Author Emily Foreman lost her husband when he was killed by al-Qaida affiliates in North Africa. Their family sacrificed much by choosing to serve God in a poor, undeveloped and hostile area. They were “paid back” by the devastating loss of her husband.

But Emily, her family and husband were already prepared for such a moment. They “understood that ‘safety’ was not a New Testament concept but merely an American one. Jesus never called his disciples to safety but rather to obedience. …He never denied that hardship would be part of the bargain. …Ultimately, it boiled down to one thing: Was he truly worth of our lives?” (pg. 19)

She talks of especially struggling with that concept in regards to her children, and the “balance between common sense and faith,” but ultimately concluded that it was fear holding her back. She chose instead to fight the daily battle against fear.

“We prayed against it constantly,” she writes. “And fear was definitely one of the biggest roadblocks to the growth of the small community of local believers… In this country there were only two choices: Be a Muslim – or risk the loss of your job, your family, and potentially your life. Of course our friends were afraid. But we knew that the church would not grow until they were willing to push forward in the face of persecution – not out of recklessness, but as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Out of love for God and those around them.”

Out of love for God and those around… ME. In spite of her great loss, Emily had her priorities straight. And I pray that I always choose to put love for God first, love for others second, and then farther down the list as I daily die to myself, the hope for safety.   

Dory P and her husband both work for VOM. Some people thought it was pretty risky for them to move to Oklahoma for VOM. They hope the prayer of their kids isn’t, “Keep me safe, Lord!” but instead, “How can I serve you, Lord?”

Prisoner Alert Prisoner Set Free!

Tohar Haydarov was quietly released from prison in Uzbekistan on Nov. 8. He had served nearly seven years of his 10-year prison sentence and was released for good behavior. He may face parole conditions, and authorities verbally told him not to get in trouble or he would return to prison. Authorities had told him earlier this year that a parole in his case "would not happen."

Tohar was imprisoned in 2010 for allegedly selling large qualities of drugs, although fellow church members say the charges were falsified, and he was accused only because of his Christian faith.

Fellow Christians told Forum 18 News, "We are thankful to everybody who prayed for him and sent letters to him while in prison." They ask for continued prayer for him.

Tohar was one of the prisoners featured on VOM's web site for Christian prisoners, www.PrisonerAlert.com. Christians from all over the world wrote letters to him at the prison where he was held, and also wrote to Uzbek government leaders on his behalf.

Thank you to all those who prayed for our brother, Tohar, and wrote letters to him and on his behalf. Continue to pray for other prisoners still held in prison for their faith.

Nine Year Old Writes to his Persecuted Family

Nine year old Cole Staples from South Carolina is making a difference in the lives of his persecuted family. Below, Cole shares in his own words how he got involved with VOM:

Photo: Cole explains in a letter what “I Am N” means to him.

“When my Mom got home from the (VOM) conference she gave me a packet that had many mail forms and people that are in jail. So when she gave me the packet, I looked through the people who were in jail and saw Mrs. Asia Bibi and so I decided I would pray for her. Then once I saw the envelopes I told myself every day after school I would work on the letter to her.

Once I mailed my first letter, I couldn’t stop writing letters. I just felt awesome writing to people overseas! So I wrote to people like Farshid Fathi, and Alireza Seyyedian and Imran Ghafur. Then by the time the month was over I had written like 6 letters to persecuted Christians.

Then I signed up for the Prisoner Alert. Then on Monday, October 10, 2016 I got a (VOM) email saying that a judge would tell Mrs. Bibi if she would be released or killed on Wednesday, October 13, 2016. So my family and I prayed hard. Then that day came. The (VOM) email said that the judge would not handle the case. We were relieved and still nervous the next judge would say to kill her. We have been waiting ever since for the next email. It makes me feel sad thinking about families that must go into hiding because of persecution. I really hope my story will inspire other kids to learn about and pray for our persecuted families.”

Find ways for your children to get connected with their persecuted family members at www.kidsofcourage.com and you can write a letter to Asia Bibi and other believers imprisoned for their faith at www.prisoneralert.com.

Asia Bibi Appeal Hearing Delayed

The scheduled Supreme Court hearing in the case against Pakistani Christian wife and mother Asia Bibi was postponed today when one of the judges scheduled to hear the case recused himself. No new hearing date was announced.

Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman stepped down from hearing the case, saying that he had also been a judge in a related case. "I was a part of the bench that was hearing the case of Salmaan Taseer, and this case is related to that," he told the court. Taseer was a provincial governor who spoke out on behalf of Asia Bibi and was subsequently assassinated in 2011. His killer, Mumtaz Qadri, was executed earlier this year, which led to great unrest in Pakistan.

VOM contacts in Pakistan say thousands of extra policemen had been deployed in Islamabad ahead of the hearing in an effort to maintain law and order.

VOM's Todd Nettleton was asked to comment on the situation for this story from WORLD Magazine.

You can write a letter to Asia Bibi, as well as a letter to Pakistani government officials, at www.PrisonerAlert.com. Please continue to pray for Asia Bibi and her family.