PHILIPPINES: Christian Villages Raided in Mindanao

Bulletin Date: 21 August 2013

Two Christian villages were raided on July 29 and 31 in Mindanao by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Villagers report that over 70 armed men reached the villages by driving large boats up nearby irrigation canals. They began firing their weapons and ordering everyone out of their houses. The men then spread out through the villages, ransacking the houses, killing the villagers' pigs and loading the boats with food, utensils, clothing and animals. A leader of one village was shot and killed as he tried to run for help. Some villagers were held by the BIFF to be used as human shields in case the military tried to intervene, but they were released when the rebels left.

The villagers have taken refuge at a temporary evacuation center and fear returning to their homes. Some go to their farms during daylight hours and return to the center at night. VOM is providing relief supplies.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

 

Please pray for the family of the man who was killed in the attack. Pray that God will restore the villagers materially and emotionally. Pray for the safety of the villages and residents, and that the members of the BIFF will come to trust Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." 

Ps.  9:9-10

VOM assists Christians in the Philippines through its Families of Martyrs fund and VOMedical, as well as other means of assistance.

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Prayer Request: Farshid Fathi - Iran

Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Farshid Fathi

Farshid Fathi, Iran

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Arrested: December 2010

Revised: 20 August 2013

Farshid Fathi was arrested on Dec. 26, 2010 in a wave of arrests of believers in Tehran and other areas. Of the 22 believers arrested by security forces in Tehran, 10 were released after intense questioning and after they signed agreements to refrain from Christian activities. Eleven others were also later released. By the end of April, 2011, only Farshid remained in prison, though his family had paid an enormous bail sum. He spent nearly a year in solitary confinement.

Farshid, a Christian convert from Islam, was charged with "acting against national security through membership of a Christian organization, collection of funds, propaganda against the Islamic Regime by helping spread Christianity in the country," and sentenced to six years of imprisonment on March 5, 2012. Though the charge is for his Christian work, authorities tried to cast his activities as political offenses

.
Farshid's appeal against the charges was rejected in June 2012. He is due to serve the rest of his sentence in Evin Prison.

According to Elam Ministries, Farshid is a shining beacon for Christ in Evin, so much so that the son of an Iranian ayatollah commented on Farshid's sweet nature in a YouTube video. The two shared a cell. The man remarked on how beloved Farshid is among the inmates. Elam described Farshid as "a man after God's own heart."

Farshid Fathi & his family, Iran.

Farshid, born in 1979, is married to Leila, and has two children, Rosana and Bardia.

€My Lord Has Never Left Me - November 2012

Farshid wrote a letter to his father in November 2012, which describes the condition of his heart during a very lonely time.

€Often I have been sorrowful because of certain things, but I have never been a slave of sadness. Often I have been insulted, humiliated and accused, but I have never doubted my identity in Christ. Some have deserted me, some have fled from me; in no way do I pass judgment on them. My Lord has never left me. €‚What really matters is I am my Belovedƒs and my Beloved is mine. This possibly is the sweetest truth of my life that I am His and He is mine.

Letter from Farshid to Newtown

The following is excerpted from a letter Farshid wrote to the parents of the children killed in Newtown, CT.
I am so sorry and you are in my prayers. I am sure these high walls cannot stop my prayers for you. Before this tragedy happened, I was thinking about my suffering that I'm going through because of my Lord Jesus Christ, especially being far from my lovely kids.. But when I imagine how hard your pain is I forget my sufferings. Because I know by God's grace I will see my kids at the latest in 2017 when I come out from prison. But unfortunately you have to wait a bit longer.

Farshid Under Mental Torture - August 2013

In a letter written from prison, Farshid Fathi described how his interrogators have used emotional manipulation to break him. He wrote, €I was told falsely that my wife had been arrested as well, and that I needed to give my [two] childrenƒs custody to someone temporarily. I was also informed, falsely, that my dad had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Then they wouldn'ƒt give me any follow-up news on whether he was dead or alive. It was all intended to put me under mental pressure.

In reality, his father is fine, and his wife and two children fled Iran in 2011. They are now in Canada.

Evin Prison, Iran

Farshid Fathi wrote a letter in November 2012, which was published just recently. The letter is addressed to Farshid's father and in it he pours out his heart to his father.

1 John 4:10

What God Says

INDIA: New Amendment Could Affect Christian Evangelism

Date of Bulletin: 14 August 2013

A proposed amendment to the "Freedom of Religion" law in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh poses a threat to potential converts to Christianity. Under the amendment, both a prospective convert and the minister who wishes to preside over a conversion ceremony would be required to provide a one-month advance notice to the district magistrate. It would also increase punishment (a three- to four-year prison term) and fines for non-compliance. The district magistrate and any investigating police officer would be required to ensure that no conversion results from force or allurement, mandates that could be used to impede true conversions.

Christians are concerned that this amendment grants too much power to
local authorities, who are likely to intimidate those of a minority religion and
hinder genuine conversions. It would also encourage the harassment of
Christian pastors and anyone seeking to convert.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

Please pray that this bill, which is now awaiting the Governor's signature, does not become law. Pray that Christians in Madhya Pradesh will not be hindered in sharing the gospel.

"Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." 2 Tim. 2:8-10

VOM assists Christians in India through the Families of Martyrs fund, the Participating with Strategic Partners program and Bibles Unbound.

Sign the petition!

http://www.releaseinternational.org/2013-campaign-india/

Prayer Request: Mostafa Mohammad Bordbar - Iran

 Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Mostafa Mohammad Bordbar

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Arrested: December 2012

Revised: 12 August 2013

Christian convert from Islam Mohammad-Hadi Bordbar, known as Mostafa, was sentenced to ten years in prison for being a part of an "anti-security organization" and "gathering with intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security" on July 31. Mostafa was arrested on December 27, 2012 along with 50 other Iranian Christian converts who were celebrating Christmas in Tehran. They were detained and interrogated for hours before most of the group was released. Mohammed and an Armenian Christian pastor, Vruir Avanesian, were arrested.

Before his sentencing, Mostafa's family offered up the deed to their home in Rasht as bail, but the court refused to accept it because it is in a different county. He remained in Evin prison.

Evin Prison, Iran

Mostafa Bordbar was first arrested in 2009 in his hometown of Rasht for converting to Christianity and attending a house church. He was found guilty of apostasy (abandoning Islam), but he was released after posting bail. The apostasy conviction remained on his record.

Mostafa plans to appeal.




Below is a summary of the charges against him:

• Being involved in Christian evangelical activities used to fight the Islamic regime of Iran through the establishment of evangelical ministries and holding underground worship meetings

• -Mostafa's baptism

• -Continued attendance to a house church

• -Leading weekly house church gatherings

• -Providing other believers in other cities with evangelical material

• -Translating and dubbing five movies related to Christian evangelism

• -Clear confession to the court that he left Islam and converted to Christianity

• -Clear confession to the court that he considered evangelism a duty

• -Confession that he has distributed 12,000 pocket-sized Bibles

• -Discovery of 6,000 Bibles, gospel CDs and other books and CDs related to Christianity in his house

SRI LANKA: Buddhists Assault Church

Bulletin Date: 7 August 2013

A Christian pastor and his congregation in Sri Lanka were violently assaulted by a Buddhist monk and his associates during a Sunday service on June 23. The sustained attack began as the unsuspecting pastor went on an errand a short distance from his New Life Church in Neluwaththuduwa, Colombo.

As the monk began to insult and attack the pastor with a tree branch, the pastor fled to his church only to be ambushed by 20 young men who beat
him and accused him of attacking the monk. The mob then raided the church where a service was being held, and began attacking the congregation of about 70 members.

When police arrived to disperse the mob, five Christians, including the pastor, were taken to a local police station, along with the monk and some of the other assailants. The pastor was able to register a case against his attackers. This attack took place just a week after a violent mob attacked a Methodist congregation in Valachchennai.

Source: Release International

Please Pray!

Pray for the safety of believers in Sri Lanka, and that their persecutors will have a life-changing encounter with the King of Kings.

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." Nah. 1:7

The Voice of the Martyrs provides training for pastors in Sri Lanka. Read more about Christian persecution in Sri Lanka in our September newsletter, page 9.

Prayer Request: Yang Rongli - China

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Yang Rongli

LOCATION: China
ARRESTED: November 2009
REVISED: 11 August 2013




On Nov. 25, 2009, Pastor Yang Rongli and four other Linfen-Fushan church leaders from Shanxi Province were sentenced to criminal detention for two to seven years, according to China Aid Association. The five church leaders were accused of "gathering people to disturb the public order," because they organized a prayer rally on Sept. 14, the day after 400 military police raided the church's grounds. During the raid, more than 30 believers were seriously wounded and 17 buildings were destroyed.

Release Date

Yang Rongli is scheduled to be released in 2017
.

Yang Rongli Severly Ill - August 2013

Halfway through her sentence, Yang Rongli is suffering with severe medical problems. She is suffering from
diabetes, high blood pressure, and hepatitis € she feels dizzy and disoriented all the time. The prison will not
provide the medical care she desperately needs.

Please pray for her health and that the prison officials will have mercy on her and allow her to receive treatment.

Pebbles for Christ is a volunteer voice for the persecuted church.

You too could become an advocate voice for the persecuted church in your local church and community by becoming a member of VOM's Be-A-Voice Network. The Be-A-Voice Network is an online volunteer opportunity created by The Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry allows friends like you to help our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in a real and immediate way. If you are willing to PRAY, WRITE or SHARE with others, then the Be-A-Voice Network is the tool for you. Click here to visit Be-A-Voice's website.

Psalm 19

Psalm 19

 

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them Your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep Your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in Your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

VIETNAM: New Believers Pressured to Renounce Faith

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Bulletin Date: 31 July 2013

A young couple who accepted Christ last month have been beaten and
threatened by officials, according to a VOM worker. Local authorities hit the wife on the face with a stick and threatened to take the couple's land and home if they refuse to renounce Christianity and return to Buddhism.

The wife fears further beatings, and the husband is afraid they will lose their land and have no way of supporting their family. The couple, who survive through subsistence farming, have three boys aged 10, 12 and 14. Their pastor is trying to help, but he lives 15 miles away in another village.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

Please pray for the protection and provision of this family and that they will stand firm in their faith. Pray for the salvation of the local officials.

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Ps. 62:5-8

VOM assists believers in Vietnam by providing Bibles, shortwave radios, Christian literature and support for families of prisoners, among other means of assistance.

http://www.persecution.com/