will read in this e-mail, your prayers and actions are an encouragement to them. Each person makes a difference!
Have a blessed week!
VOM Web Editor
Prayers for June 15, 2004
From The Voice of the Martyrs
IRAN (Compass Direct)
Although the wife and children of an Iranian Christian pastor have been released from jail a week after their arrest, the pastor and three other local church leaders remain imprisoned in an unknown location. On Sunday, May 30th, Pastor Khosroo YusefiÂs wife, Nasrin, and the coupleÂs 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter were allowed to return home to Chalous, a town near the Caspian Sea in Mazanderan Province. Two other church leaders, arrested a month earlier on unspecified charges, were also released on May 30th. But the same day, Iranian police arrested another Protestant church leader off the street in Nowshahr, less than 20 miles from Chalous. The latest Christian under arrest is believed to be jailed together with Yusefi and two other Christians arrested earlier in May.
Give thanks to God for the release of Pastor Yusefi's wife and children. Pray the great Healer will take away the frightful memories of their experience and give them His peace. Pray those who are still in prison will experience the joy of Jesus' presence, and their captors, seeing their joy, will be led to Christ.
INDONESIA (Compass Direct)
Mobs armed with sticks attacked four churches in Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sunday, June 6th, doing minor damage to church furniture and windows. Attackers punched one pastor in the head, although he was not seriously injured. Captain Hamdani of the local police department said the attacks were a reaction to churches meeting in unregistered places of worship. Under Indonesian law, churches must apply for permission to construct a building or meet in privately owned or rented facilities. However, permission is rarely granted, forcing some churches to worship without the required permit. Muslims object to the presence of unregistered churches, and observers believe this is the reason behind the recent attacks. A similar incident occurred on April 6th in Menteng, Southern Jakarta, where a clinic operated by the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church was attacked, and church property damaged. Ten churches that met in a shopping mall in Tangerang were forced to close on March 1st, because they did not have the required permits.
Pray God will strengthen the hearts of Indonesian Christians to remain faithful to Jesus. Pray for their protection. Pray the authorities will come to salvation through Jesus.
PAKISTAN (ASSIST News Service & Christian Solidarity International)
Anwar Masih, imprisoned on blasphemy charges since December 2003, has been released on bail for $345 U.S., from a jail in Lahore. The notorious Blasphemy Law makes blasphemy against Mohammed or the Koran a capital offense. AnwarÂs accuser, Naseer Ahmed, a recent convert to Islam who reportedly had a grudge against Anwar, had reported that Masih insulted various prophets. The Center for Legal Aid, Assistance, and Settlement handled AnwarÂs case.
Give thanks to God for this merciful answer to prayer. Pray God will protect Anwar from attacks by disgruntled Muslims. Pray this case will set a precedent for court cases involving other Christians, and the notorious Blasphemy Law will be repealed.
SRI LANKA (Compass Direct)
Members of the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party will present a ÂBill on the Prohibition of Forcible Conversion to the Sri Lankan Parliament within the next two weeks. The JHU, consisting entirely of Buddhist monks, was formed only a week before a February nominations deadline. The party took voters by surprise in the April elections, winning nine of the 225 seats. The Minister of Buddhist Sasana also plans to introduce three new bills, with the goal of restricting religious conversions and establishing an independent Buddhist court system. The bill proposed by the JHU will impose five-to-seven-year sentences and fines of up to 500,000 rupees ($5,027 U.S.) for anyone convicted of Âforcible conversion. Meanwhile, attacks on churches continue, with at least four incidents reported since the elections.
Pray Christian evangelists in Sri Lanka will not be discouraged but remain faithful to the One who called them. Pray they will be uplifted in spirit as they fellowship together in unity of purpose. Pray God, in His total, authoritative and majestic power, will bring members of the JHU party into a relationship with Him.
SAUDI ARABIA (Compass Direct)
An Indian national abducted and tortured by Saudi ArabiaÂs religious police (the muttawa) for Âspreading Christianity remains jailed without trial 10 weeks after his detention. Brian Savio OÂConnor, 36, was accosted on the evening of March 25th by four agents of the religious police. Seeing his identity card listing him as a Christian, they dragged him to a nearby muttawa office, chained his legs and hung him upside down for seven hours. The four intermittently beat him on the chest and ribs and whipped the soles of his feet with electrical wires. He declared that he did preach the Bible but denied converting Muslims to Christianity. OÂConnor, a cargo agent for Saudia Airlines for the past six years, currently shares a windowless cell with 16 other prisoners.
Pray God will protect OÂConnor, increase his zeal and give him opportunities to witness that Christ lives within him. Pray the publicity surrounding this event will bring about a change in the treatment of Christians in Saudi Arabia. Pray for all Muslims who need to know their loving and merciful Savior.
www.persecution.com
Have a blessed week!
VOM Web Editor
Prayers for June 15, 2004
From The Voice of the Martyrs
IRAN (Compass Direct)
Although the wife and children of an Iranian Christian pastor have been released from jail a week after their arrest, the pastor and three other local church leaders remain imprisoned in an unknown location. On Sunday, May 30th, Pastor Khosroo YusefiÂs wife, Nasrin, and the coupleÂs 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter were allowed to return home to Chalous, a town near the Caspian Sea in Mazanderan Province. Two other church leaders, arrested a month earlier on unspecified charges, were also released on May 30th. But the same day, Iranian police arrested another Protestant church leader off the street in Nowshahr, less than 20 miles from Chalous. The latest Christian under arrest is believed to be jailed together with Yusefi and two other Christians arrested earlier in May.
Give thanks to God for the release of Pastor Yusefi's wife and children. Pray the great Healer will take away the frightful memories of their experience and give them His peace. Pray those who are still in prison will experience the joy of Jesus' presence, and their captors, seeing their joy, will be led to Christ.
INDONESIA (Compass Direct)
Mobs armed with sticks attacked four churches in Banten Province, Indonesia, on Sunday, June 6th, doing minor damage to church furniture and windows. Attackers punched one pastor in the head, although he was not seriously injured. Captain Hamdani of the local police department said the attacks were a reaction to churches meeting in unregistered places of worship. Under Indonesian law, churches must apply for permission to construct a building or meet in privately owned or rented facilities. However, permission is rarely granted, forcing some churches to worship without the required permit. Muslims object to the presence of unregistered churches, and observers believe this is the reason behind the recent attacks. A similar incident occurred on April 6th in Menteng, Southern Jakarta, where a clinic operated by the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church was attacked, and church property damaged. Ten churches that met in a shopping mall in Tangerang were forced to close on March 1st, because they did not have the required permits.
Pray God will strengthen the hearts of Indonesian Christians to remain faithful to Jesus. Pray for their protection. Pray the authorities will come to salvation through Jesus.
PAKISTAN (ASSIST News Service & Christian Solidarity International)
Anwar Masih, imprisoned on blasphemy charges since December 2003, has been released on bail for $345 U.S., from a jail in Lahore. The notorious Blasphemy Law makes blasphemy against Mohammed or the Koran a capital offense. AnwarÂs accuser, Naseer Ahmed, a recent convert to Islam who reportedly had a grudge against Anwar, had reported that Masih insulted various prophets. The Center for Legal Aid, Assistance, and Settlement handled AnwarÂs case.
Give thanks to God for this merciful answer to prayer. Pray God will protect Anwar from attacks by disgruntled Muslims. Pray this case will set a precedent for court cases involving other Christians, and the notorious Blasphemy Law will be repealed.
SRI LANKA (Compass Direct)
Members of the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party will present a ÂBill on the Prohibition of Forcible Conversion to the Sri Lankan Parliament within the next two weeks. The JHU, consisting entirely of Buddhist monks, was formed only a week before a February nominations deadline. The party took voters by surprise in the April elections, winning nine of the 225 seats. The Minister of Buddhist Sasana also plans to introduce three new bills, with the goal of restricting religious conversions and establishing an independent Buddhist court system. The bill proposed by the JHU will impose five-to-seven-year sentences and fines of up to 500,000 rupees ($5,027 U.S.) for anyone convicted of Âforcible conversion. Meanwhile, attacks on churches continue, with at least four incidents reported since the elections.
Pray Christian evangelists in Sri Lanka will not be discouraged but remain faithful to the One who called them. Pray they will be uplifted in spirit as they fellowship together in unity of purpose. Pray God, in His total, authoritative and majestic power, will bring members of the JHU party into a relationship with Him.
SAUDI ARABIA (Compass Direct)
An Indian national abducted and tortured by Saudi ArabiaÂs religious police (the muttawa) for Âspreading Christianity remains jailed without trial 10 weeks after his detention. Brian Savio OÂConnor, 36, was accosted on the evening of March 25th by four agents of the religious police. Seeing his identity card listing him as a Christian, they dragged him to a nearby muttawa office, chained his legs and hung him upside down for seven hours. The four intermittently beat him on the chest and ribs and whipped the soles of his feet with electrical wires. He declared that he did preach the Bible but denied converting Muslims to Christianity. OÂConnor, a cargo agent for Saudia Airlines for the past six years, currently shares a windowless cell with 16 other prisoners.
Pray God will protect OÂConnor, increase his zeal and give him opportunities to witness that Christ lives within him. Pray the publicity surrounding this event will bring about a change in the treatment of Christians in Saudi Arabia. Pray for all Muslims who need to know their loving and merciful Savior.
www.persecution.com
