8/5/11

Voice of the Martyrs Prayer Update for week of August 5, 2011

The Voice of the Martyrs USA: www.persecution.com

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17

Pakistan—Widow Struggles with Grief—VOM Sources

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Sana had been married only a month when she became a widow. On March 21, 2011, a group of young Muslim men attacked a Salvation Army Church in Hyderabad and shot to death her husband, 25-year-old Jamil, and another man. Jamil had been supporting Sana, his parents and two siblings by working as a sweeper. When our VOM team in Pakistan visited Sana and her family recently to see how Sana was doing, they found that she was very emotionally unstable. “One minute she is laughing and the next she is crying,” the team leader reported. “Her behavior is very erratic.” Our VOM team will help arrange counseling for Sana and will continue to pray for her. Please pray for Sana and her family, as well as for Sosan, wife of the other man killed. Sosan has six children.

Sri Lanka—Anti-Christian Violence Increases—VOM Canada, National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka


Ephesians 6:18–20
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Several Christians have been assaulted and threatened in Sri Lanka in recent weeks. On July 10, a pastor was assaulted at a meeting in Ampara District, Eastern Province. During the meeting, which was held for the purpose of discussing land distribution, the pastor was assaulted by a Buddhist monk who had convened the meeting. The monk kicked the pastor, causing serious injuries to his arm and stomach. Assailants later followed the pastor to his home and continued to verbally abuse him and his family. Just over a week later, on July 19, a mob of about 50 people attacked the homes of five Christian families in Badulla District, Uva Province. The mob damaged the homes’ roofs by throwing stones, and they busted windows with stones and clubs. The attackers also destroyed a grocery shop belonging to one of the families and stole merchandise. The shop owner was seriously injured in the attack, and some families fled to the jungle until the attack had ended. The mob reportedly planned to force these families to renounce Christianity or leave the village. Pray that these Christians will trust the Lord in all things and will lovingly and boldly proclaim the gospel amid persecution.

Eritrea—Mass Arrests Continue—Release International, Release Eritrea


Psalm 102:19–20
For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death


Eritrean officials have arrested 90 Christians since May, many of them college students. In June, 26 students from the Mai-Mefhi College of Technology were arrested and detained at an unknown location. And in May, authorities detained 64 believers in Adi Abeyto, a village near the capital, Asmara. Only six of the 90 arrested have been released, and the rest are thought to be at a police station or in the notorious Mitire military prison. It is not clear why the Christians were detained, but Release sources said college students have been arrested previously for refusing to take part in Independence Day celebrations. Independence Day was May 24. In 2002, the Eritrean government banned all Christian groups that do not belong to a state-approved church. Since then, thousands of Christians have been imprisoned, and 16 have died in custody. Pray that Christians in Eritrea will remain strong and that those in prison will hold fast to their faith. Pray for their release.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 2011 The Voice of the Martyrs
http://www.persecution.com/

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