Thank You, Katy, for this Most Beautiful Prayer! Many Blessings to You!
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"Saed" first heard about Jesus from a Christian friend while living in another Middle Eastern country. When the events of the Arab Spring forced his family to return to Yemen, he lost contact with his Christian friend. Eventually, he discovered a Christian website and soon placed his faith in Christ. “However,” he said, “I felt lost and I was wrestling inside and I was afraid of the society around me.” After writing to another Christian website, he received a call from a Yemeni Christian who lived near him. The Christian gave Saed a Bible and answered his many questions. Today he lives at great risk in an extremely anti-Christian society, but he said he now lives with a great calling: “To save the lost souls and lead them to what is right.”
Mohammed Hegazy, who went by the Christian name Bishoy Armia Bolous, was recently released from prison after making a public confession on July 29 that he had abandoned the Christian faith and returned to Islam. He had been in prison since December 2013, and his lawyer said he considered himself a Christian as recently as June 2016. Authorities have repeatedly harassed and imprisoned Hegazy, who engaged in a long battle to have his faith and name changed on his government ID card. Please pray that Mohammed Hegazy will know the love and peace of Christ.
Two Christians in Laos were detained in early August for sharing their Christian faith. “Ket” was arrested for distributing Christian materials in his village. And when authorities learned that he received the materials from “Boua,” a Christian woman living in another village, they arrested her the next time she came to visit Ket in jail. Pray for the encouragement of Ket and Boua as they face an uncertain future.
On July 30, a Maoist mob abducted Pastor Yohan from his home in the middle of the night and severely beat him before cutting his throat and dumping his body outside the village. A note left near the body warned, “If you plan to cheat our people by working as a police informer, this will be your punishment.” The pastor had served among a local tribal group for the past 15 years. VOM is helping provide for the immediate needs of his widow and four children. Please pray for the comfort and protection of this family and the local Christian community.
Pray for the Christians of Niger iCommitToPray Pastors and other Christian workers face increasing persecution in this Muslim-majority nation. At the request of local Christian leaders, VOM sponsored 12 conferences throughout Niger in June, providing 120 churches with training and resources to help them respond to persecution and spread the gospel. Please pray for these pastors and Christian workers as they continue to plant churches, evangelize and educate Christians on how to live as Christ followers in an Islamic society.
An Iranian pastor who has been imprisoned repeatedly for his Christian activities was arrested again on July 24 and charged with “acting against national security.” Youcef Nadarkhani was released from custody after being warned that he has no right to evangelize. When he was arrested in 2009 on charges of apostasy, authorities also sentenced his wife to life imprisonment in an attempt to persuade the pastor to convert back to Islam. Youcef’s wife was subsequently released, but he served nearly three years in prison. He and his wife were also briefly jailed in May of this year. Please pray that Pastor Youcef and his family will remain bold in their faith.
Eugenia and her husband have endured a series of hardships over the past few years while leading several house churches in rural Chiapas, Mexico. Their car was stolen at gunpoint, a man attacked Eugenia with a machete as she returned home from a church meeting, and their house was burned to the ground by arsonists trying to run them out of the area. They continue to trust in the Lord for protection and say they have no ill feelings toward those who have tried to hurt them. Please pray for Eugenia and her family as they continue to share the gospel in this difficult and dangerous region.
When Cuba and the United States announced a normalization of relations in December 2014, most did not expect conditions to worsen for churches and Christians. While life for the average Cuban has not changed, according to a VOM worker, Christians have faced increasing persecution because of changes within the Cuban government. Government informants make it difficult for churches to operate, even underground, and pastors and evangelists are routinely arrested and detained for hours or days at a time. Existing churches are forbidden from making improvements to their buildings, and new churches are denied building permits. Some churches are not even allowed to have electricity or other basic utilities in their facilities. Pray that Cuban Christians will persevere despite the obstacles they face in attending church or sharing their faith with others.
Christians who have already faced numerous hardships because of war and Islamic extremists and are now being threatened by a neighboring Muslim village. In the past when Muslims from the nearby village seized the Christians’ property and land, the Iraqi government stepped in to evict the Muslims. But the Muslim villagers are now threatening the Christians again. Pray for the safety of the Christians, who have little means of protection. Pray also that the Christians will love their neighbors and be a testament of Christ’s love and forgiveness.
“James” and other Christian leaders in Bangladesh are under continual threat from Islamic extremists. In one recent incident, extremists beat a Christian man and burned down his store and home. In a separate incident on the same day, extremists interrupted a church service and beat the adult believers who had gathered for worship. Several weeks ago, police arrested an alleged member of the Islamic State who was living in James’s village. Police have asked James to stay at the police station in the evenings for his own protection. Please pray that James and other Christians will find peace and continue to share the gospel amid persecution.
Please read more here: Desecration of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary in Oklahoma City Mary's Be A Good Dog Blog August 14th, 2016 To desecrate Jesus in the Eucharist is a most evil thing. If you believe in mysterious things, supernatural, eternal things, I hope you will never dismiss this as a small thing. Very Sad.
Two Christian women, Rhonda and Manjeet, have been mentoring a woman named Sitara, who is the only believer in her village in India. Sitara, a Christian convert from Islam, wants to share the gospel despite the risk of persecution by neighbors. After traveling two hours by bus to meet with Sitara for Bible study, prayer, and encouragement, Rhonda and Manjeet gave her a VOM-sponsored micro SD card loaded with a Bible and other lessons in her language. The women were able to use it as they met with one of Sitara’s neighbors who is interested in hearing more about Jesus. Please pray for Rhonda and Manjeet as they continue to share the gospel and distribute discipleship tools to new Christians like Sitara. Also pray for Sitara as she shares her new faith in Jesus with others in her village.
Pray for Asia Bibi, Still Imprisoned for Christian Faith iCommitToPray Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi remains in prison after being convicted of blasphemy more than seven years ago. Although the Pakistani Supreme Court overturned her death sentence last year, no further progress has been made in her case. Asia Bibi’s husband and two daughters are eager for her release, and they themselves remain under threat of attack by Muslim militants. Please pray for justice in Asia Bibi’s legal case.
Pray for Christians Facing Hardships amid Civil War iCommitToPray The civil war in Yemen has created a humanitarian crisis, leaving the Christian minority vulnerable to increased persecution by various militant groups. A mission group is delivering food and water supplies to a small community of Christian families who have no source of income, and nearby Muslim families have seen the love and unity among believers. Please pray that these believers will continue to be witnesses of Christ’s love despite the many challenges they face and that they will stand strong in the face of persecution.
Our Iranian sister Maryam has gone on hunger strike again but security officials are still refusing to release her so she can receive proper treatment.
Please pray for Maryam Naghash Zargaran whose health has deteriorated sharply in the three weeks since she’s been on hunger strike. Her blood pressure is now very low and she has symptoms of possible early multiple sclerosis. She is demanding her immediate release and protesting at the inadequate treatment she’s received for serious health issues while she’s been in Tehran’s Evin Prison. A judge refused her request – under pressure from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. Maryam has been on hunger strike before, prior to being allowed out of her cell for three weeks last month to receive hospital treatment. But she was back behind bars on June 27, before her treatment was complete. She’s serving a four-year sentence for ‘acting against national security’ – apparently because of her work on an orphanage with former prisoner of faith, Pastor Saeed Abedini. Prison officials who gave Maryam a medical examination last week confirmed her condition is serious.
A new law that goes into effect on July 20 could result in stiff fines for Christians who evangelize in Russia. The law, approved by the State Duma, will make it unlawful for Christians to share their beliefs with others in their homes, online or anywhere outside a registered church building. While the law is intended to prevent acts of terrorism, Christians fear that they could be linked to terrorism simply by sharing their faith with someone through an email or in a public place. The penalty for breaking the new law is the equivalent of six weeks’ wages for an individual and more than twenty times that for an organization. Pray for members of unregistered churches, and pray that the Duma will amend the new law in response to public outcry.
A violent guerrilla group summoned nine Colombian pastors to a July 8 meeting after the pastors refused to pay “protection money” in June.On July 7, the National Liberation Army (ELN) sent a note ordering the pastors to attend a meeting across the border in Venezuela, where the group operates with impunity. Many feared that the ELN might execute the pastors for refusing to pay the 2 million pesos (about 700 U.S. dollars). The pastors ask for prayer as they continue to face harassment from ELN members who have placed new restrictions on their churches. The guerrillas have forbidden the construction of new church buildings, and Christians are no longer allowed to meet in individual homes for worship or study. Additionally, any new pastors must be from the local region, and no one from outside the ELN-controlled region is allowed to visit the Christians there. ELN members also expect the pastors to help them financially from time to time because they are suffering from food shortages and a transportation strike. The pastors were so grateful for your prayers in June. Please pray that the pastors and other believers will continue sharing the gospel despite these challenges.
War and instability throughout the Middle East have created opportunities for Christians there to reach out to displaced believers as well those of other faiths. Two Christian women have been meeting regularly with a Muslim woman named “Fatima,” who fled Syria with her two young children when the fighting began. Fatima’s husband left her, and she struggles financially. Please pray for Christians in the Middle East who share the love of Christ with refugees and internally displaced people.
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Utilizes: New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Archives
June 2020
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