Tag Archives: persecution

Christian teen commits suicide in Bangladesh

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, we are sad to share that Chongya, a 16-year-old believer from a Buddhist background, committed suicide on February 7. According to a local partner with Open Doors, this tragedy was the result of the ongoing persecution he faced from his parents.

Sadly, it’s common for believers who convert from other faiths in Bangladesh to face persecution from their families, friends and the society at large. Young believers are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on family.

Chongya and his older brother Singya (19) were born and raised as Buddhists, but came to faith in Jesus last year through their grandparents and uncles. When their parents learned of their conversion, they tried to force them back to Buddhism, but Chongya and Singya refused.

Then their parents kicked them out of their home. Recently, Chongya asked his parents for the money he had been saving and given to them for safekeeping, but instead of giving him the money, his parents verbally abused him.

A few days after, he committed suicide.

His brother, Singya, is traumatized by the unexpected death of his younger brother. He is now staying with his grandparents.

Please pray for God to comfort Singya and heal him from the trauma he has experienced. Pray he will be able to forgive his parents.

Pray for Singya to find hope to go on living and grow in his faith in Christ.

Pray for God to give wisdom to his grandparents and other believers on how best to care for and encourage him.

Pray for the church in Bangladesh, that they will stand alongside young believers so that they will not lose hope like Chongya. Pray for God to give them strength to endure persecution.

Pray for our partners as they find ways to encourage young believers who are facing persecution from family members.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Church leader attacked with knife in India

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, our team in the field just reported that a church leader in India was attacked with a knife last night as he returned home from work. He is currently in the ICU with severe wounds to his neck. He had been receiving threats for several months and the attack has been reported to police.

Please pray he heals quickly and fully from his injuries.

Pray for safety and protection for him and his family.

Pray his attacker comes to know Jesus and that the gospel advances through this situation.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Praise: Pastors released from captivity in Myanmar

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, today we thank God the for the release of five pastors who were held captive by an insurgent group in Myanmar since April 2019. The captured pastors were released in January 2020. For security reasons we can’t share any more details about these pastors, but we would really like to ask for your prayers for them and some other believers.

Please praise the Lord for the safe release of the five pastors—and thank Him for sustaining and protecting them while in captivity.

Pray the pastors will be strengthened by the Lord.

Pray for the Lord to continue to protect the pastors and the believers.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Church leader attacked with knife in India

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, our team in the field just reported that a church leader in India was attacked with a knife last night as he returned home from work. He is currently in the ICU with severe wounds to his neck. He had been receiving threats for several months and the attack has been reported to police.

Please pray he heals quickly and fully from his injuries.

Pray for safety and protection for him and his family.

Pray his attacker comes to know Jesus and that the gospel advances through this situation.

New believers in Laos shunned by community

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

In 2019 just before Christmas, Loe* gave his life to Christ through a pastor he met in the city where he studies. Excited about his new faith, he went home to his village in Laos and shared the gospel with his family, friends and neighbors. About 10 of them gave their lives to Christ!

However, only a month later the village chief summoned the new believers to a meeting where, unbeknownst to them, the whole village had gathered to tell them to leave. “You now belong to your Jesus,” they shouted, “you are no longer allowed to live in this community!”

A few of the 10 denied Christ out of fear of losing their homes, but others stood strong, declaring their commitment to Jesus. Because they follow Jesus, the community has shunned them and continues to threaten them to deny Christ or leave the village.

Loe asks you to encourage these believers through your prayers.

Please pray that God will continue to protect them from any harm and that despite the opposition they face, they will stand firm as they express God’s love and become pillars of light in their village.

Pray their new faith will be strengthened.

Pray that as people see the agape love in the words and actions of these believers, more people in the village will ask questions and realize their need for Jesus.

Pray their oppressors will personally encounter God and be changed.

Please click on the “Submit prayer” button to share your prayers using the new feature in our app and we will share them with Loe.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Pastor abducted, 20 killed in Burkina Faso attack

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, sad news out of Burkina Faso where there was yet another deadly attack on Sunday, February 16. According to the French radio news service, RFI, attackers struck a church in the town of Pansi, in the north eastern Sahel Region of the country. “People had come for Mass when the attackers broke into the village,” a source said.

Twenty people were shot and killed and at least 15 injured. Sources on the ground informed Open Doors that the pastor has been abducted and the church set ablaze.

According to RFI, several people remain unaccounted for following yesterday’s attack as residents fled to Sebba where the wounded have also been taken. As we reported last week, the nearby capital of the province was struck by attackers on February 11.

Please be in prayer for the Lord’s grace to be upon the bereaved.

Pray for the safe release of the pastor and for the Lord’s abundant grace to be on him and his family as they face this terrifying situation.

Pray for healing and comfort for all those who are recovering from physical and emotional injuries and trauma.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

A little brother robbed of his sister in Nigeria

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, it has been two years since Leah Sharibu was abducted from her school in Dapchi, Nigeria at the age of 14. Most of her classmates were released in the following weeks but Boko Haram kept Leah, reportedly because she refused to renounce her faith in Christ.

Since her abduction there have been many unconfirmed rumors about her; however, one thing remains clear—she has not yet returned home to her mother Rebecca and father Nathan. Her younger brother, Donald, is growing up without the presence of his sister.

Leah puts a face to the thousands of others who have been abducted by Boko Haram since its insurgency. The girls that have been forced into marriage, used as sex slaves, and suicide bombers; the boys trained for combat.

Please pray that the Lord will bring Leah home in His time. Pray that the government will secure the release of Leah and all the other Nigerians held captive.

Pray for Leah to be strong in body, mind and spirit.

Pray that the Lord will stir the hearts of the Boko Haram commanders and soldiers to repentance as they see Leah live out her faith in the true Ruler.

Pray for Leah’s family–Nathan, Rebecca and Donald, and all the other families affected by abductions in Nigeria.

Photo: an undated photo of Leah sent by her family.

Persecution as the seed of revival in China

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http://y2u.be/mncevKnnRm0

Friends, as the 2020 World Watch List—the ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted most for their faith—has been released, we see that China moved up four spots to number 23.

In China, what’s happened over the last five years seems unthinkable. Children are being stopped from attending church services. Pastors can be arrested if they don’t allow surveillance cameras in their sanctuaries. Authorities are raiding churches, barring the doors and tearing down crosses.

Tap the “watch video” link below to hear a personal account of a Chinese Christian whose house church was raided and shut down by the government.

Persecution in China differs by regions and church context. To learn more about China and what God is doing in and through His Church in China, visit ODUSA.org/China.

Iranian prisoner shares powerful request

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, Iranian Christian convert and prisoner, Nasser Navard Goltapeh, recently wrote a letter requesting prayer from the notorious Evin Prison in Iran.

In his letter dated January 31, he writes, “I am confident in all hardships and I believe I will become free by Him who I have hope to (my Lord) because the Lord our God does not forget his children … so let me be bold and say, ‘The Lord is my helper.’”

Nasser and three visitors from Azerbaijan were arrested in 2016 at a private gathering in Tehran. They were held in solitary confinement for two months in Evin Prison and endured intense interrogation. After losing an appeal to his conviction of “action against national security and establishing house churches,” he began serving his 10-year sentence in January of 2018.

“Remember me in your prayers always—you know that your prayers are a sweet smelling offering to God and a sacrifice which is accepted and pleasing to him,” he writes.

He also challenges Christians to remain firm in their faith and to show concern for one another, not to give up meeting together and to work hard to spread the Gospel.

Please join us in praying with Nasser for his requests:

Please pray for his family to come to know and follow Jesus.

Pray God will bless the people of Iran and that the gospel will continue to advance, despite the many obstacles.

Pray God will encourage and strengthen Nasser and all other Christian prisoners and that they will know His continued help.

Photo: Nasser Navar Goltapeh

Another church attacked in Burkina Faso—two killed

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, we have just been alerted to another church attack in northern Burkina Faso. Information is scarce at this point, but our Africa team is reporting that unidentified armed individuals on motorcycles attacked a church during their worship service on Sunday, February 9.

Reportedly, at least two Christians were killed as they fled. As of yet, there has been no official reaction to the attack.

Please pray for God’s abundant grace to be upon all affected by this attack.

Pray that local Christians would be strengthened in their faith and walk in unity in the face of these ongoing attacks.

Pray that believers would trust in God and not live in fear (Psalm 56:4).

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Christian woman held in dangerous Iranian prison

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, we have confirmed reports that the missing 21-year-old Christian activist in Iran, who was arrested four weeks ago in Iran’s capital city of Tehran, is alive. She is being held in the country’s largest—and most dangerous—women’s prison.

Article18 reports that Fatemeh (or Mary as she likes to be called) Mohammadi is in Qarchak Prison, located in a desert south of Tehran. She has been able to call home a few times to reassure her family that she is okay.

A month ago, on January 12, Mary was arrested, as protests took place in central Tehran’s Azadi Square following the Iranian government’s admission of guilt in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane.

The young woman is seen as a threat and has already been imprisoned more than once. She boldly speaks out about injustice and the rights of Christians, including the cruel treatment she received in prison. She writes on a variety of social issues and has also run a campaign petitioning for all Christians, including converts, to be given the right to worship in a church.

Please pray for her safety and quick release from prison.

Pray God will comfort and strengthen her and continue to give her boldness.

Pray God will continue to raise up devoted men and women like Mary to lead His church in Iran.

If you would like to read more about Mary’s story, please click here.

Photo: Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi, copyright Article18

More deadly attacks on Christians in Burkina Faso

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, unidentified gunmen shot and killed Deacon Babililé Lankoandé of the SIM Evangelical Church in the town of Sebba, in northeastern Burkina Faso during the night of February 10. His vehicle was later used to abduct the pastor of the SIM Evangelical Church in Sebba, Omar Tindano, along with two of Omar’s daughters, his son and two nephews. Omar’s two daughters were released unharmed on February 13. However, Omar was executed along with his son and his two nephews.

These attacks come only days after unidentified armed individuals attacked a church during a worship, service killing two.

“Christians in these areas are in need of urgent prayer and support. They are traumatized and don’t know how to handle all this violence. Even close friends and members of SIM church are reluctant to share details with reporters, fearing further targeting,” OD Senior Analyst, Illia Djadi commented.

Please pray for the Lord’s intervention in the terror attacks in Burkina Faso.

Pray for comfort for all those coming to terms with the terrible loss of loved ones.

Pray for Christians to have hope and grow in faith in the midst of these attacks.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Buddhist converts in China face daily persecution

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, Open Doors workers recently visited some ethnic minority believers in China—ranked 23 on the 2020 World Watch List—who are from Buddhist backgrounds. Their house church was recently shut down by local authorities. The believers were told to stay away by authorities but decided to keep meeting together, despite the very real possibility of arrest.

Attendance at the church meetings is down because of threats by local officials. Tithes and offerings are down too. As a result, the pastor and his wife have to make ends meet by picking mushrooms.

The believers are dealing with more than just the local government. The local culture is primarily Buddhist, so Christians are not welcome, especially Christians who have converted from Buddhism. A few women in the church are victims of domestic violence—punishment from family members because the women choose to follow Jesus. Our workers report that, in spite of all of this, believers remain joyful!

Please pray Buddhist-background believers in this village and other places in China are strengthened in their faith as they experience persecution.

Pray believers choose to continue meeting together despite the personal risk.

Pray for provision for church leaders’ daily needs.

Pray Open Doors workers are able to continue visiting communities in order to meet believers and encourage them with teaching, in worship and times of personal prayer.

Photo: The baptism of a convert from Buddhism.

The 2020 World Watch List has been released! Click here to learn more.

Christian persecution spikes in Cuba

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Complete story here.

Recorded violations include harassment of religious leaders, arbitrary detention, confiscation of religious property, the forced closure of churches, and restrictions on travel, movement and the distribution of religious materials.

Phoebe, CSW’s Cuba advocacy officer, told Premier News Hour: “The primary leaders of the Cuban Evangelical Alliance have received travel bans and have not been allowed to leave the country since forming this alliance in June 2019.

“There are also outspoken advocates for religious freedom and documenters, who when they’re documenting violations due to their role as ardent defenders of religious freedom, are often stopped, arrested, arbitrarily detained, due to their work in this field.”

SIOBHAN BAILLIE: We must fight to end persecution of Christians

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The Stroud MP’s weekly column.

It seems to me that MPs could quite easily spend all day attending committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) without stepping foot in the famous debating chamber.

There are literally hundreds of APPGs about fascinating subjects.

Residents write to me all the time to consider joining certain groups too – which is a helpful way to highlight areas of local interest.

My time in Westminster is dedicated to Stroud so I am assessing all the APPGs to find which committees will help progress my six priority areas here and your campaigns locally. I’ll keep you informed of the ones I join!

A significant number of residents raised the issue of Christians being persecuted around the world during the election campaign and since being elected, I was asked to attend an Open Doors event. Open Doors is a charity that produces an annual ‘watch list’ of the top 50 countries where Christians are at risk.

Importantly, they campaign for recognition of freedom of religion and beliefs.

There are of course many faiths and groups that sadly suffer persecution.

It is my belief that we need to fight to ensure that people should be able to practice their faith or have no faith at all in safety.

I am pleased to support them and I will follow the work of the PM’s special envoy closely. He was well received by Open Doors last week.

Finally, my street stall in Dursley gave me the opportunity to speak to residents in the winter sunshine. The Cam and Dursley Transportation group came to discuss Gloucestershire’s Local Transport Plan consultation meeting at SDC on Thursday, February 13, 11am to 3pm. This is a date for all diaries! I will work to bring positive changes to bus, train and rural transportation issues.