Voice of the Martyrs, 28^th December 2023

Sed, the headman of his village and a faithful Christian, hosted a worship service in his home.  District officials reprimanded him and gave him an ultimatum: stop believing in Christ or lose his position in the village. Sed chose to follow Christ, telling the authorities, “I will not recant my faith.  I love God because he brings peace to my family.  I rejoice in my God.” He was immediately forced to sign a resignation letter, losing the post he had held for 18 years and the income he received from that position.

Villagers have begun to mock him and threaten his family with being shunned in the community. Despite this, Sed told a front-line worker that he felt stronger in his faith and still loves God very much. “I do not regret losing this income,” he said. “I want to follow my God and have eternal life.”   

The Communist government, in conjunction with Buddhist monks, persecutes Christians, with the exception of the government-controlled Lao Evangelical Church. Poverty, lack of infrastructure and mountainous terrain make evangelistic outreach challenging. Thanks to bold evangelists, churches continue to grow even as they experience ongoing persecution.

Some in Laos, particularly those in government leadership, view Christianity as a foreign religion and a tool used by the West to undermine the Communist Laotian regime. There are many house churches and some church buildings, but the vast majority do not have a trained pastor.

Joshua Project, January 1^st, 2024

The Turi are a Hindu people group who live in Bangladesh and northeast India. Their primary language is Bengali, and most live in the states of Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chittagong. They lead challenging lives. Many other groups of Hindus will not associate with them. The traditional occupation of the Turi involves making useful things from bamboo.  

The Turi are rejected by other Hindu communities. They may be hesitant to trust outsiders.   

Many of the Turi cannot read. Evangelists skilled in music can teach gospel concepts through songs and skits. Turi people can learn the songs and learn the ways of Christ and teach them to others.

Pray that this people group will be in awe of the Lord for His creation and realize that He is the only one worthy of worship and devotion.

Pray that believers among them would be elevated in their communities and that the word would be spread to those who need to hear it. Pray the church would grow in a healthy way, led by the power and goodness of the Holy Spirit. Pray the Turi would have good education and healthcare that help improve their communities. Pray that literacy rates would be improved so they can provide for their families.

Middle East Concern, December 11^th, 2023

Iranian Christians request prayer for Milad Goodarzi whose home in Karaj was raided today (11 December) by four members of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. Milad was arrested and has been taken to an unknown destination.

Milad had been released from Karaj Central Prison in March 2023 as part of a general amnesty granted to prisoners for the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. He was serving a three-year prison sentence (reduced on appeal from five years) after being convicted in June 2021 of “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic” under the newly amended Article 500 of the Penal Code.

Milad had already served a four-month prison sentence in 2020 on the same charge. The 2021 amendments to Article 500 increased the maximum prison sentence from one to five years. Milad is one of the first Christian converts known to have been penalised for the peaceful expression of his faith under the new provisions.

Please pray that God will uphold Milad during interrogation, give him wisdom in his responses, will encourage and comfort Milad’s family, that no new charges will be brought against Milad on account of his faith and related activities, and that the Iranian authorities will cease harassing and persecuting their citizens on account of their religious beliefs. 

Church in Chains, November 30th, 2023 (excerpts)

Over eighty young Christians who belong to the Mahalians praise group have been released from Mai Serwa prison in recent months. The young people (most of them in their early 20s) were arrested in April in the capital Asmara where they had gathered to record a praise video.

Following their arrest, the young people were pressurised by prison guards to sign statements that they would not gather together for Christian meetings. Such pressure is commonly brought against Christian prisoners in Eritrea and while some prisoners have steadfastly refused to sign such statements, despite torture, others have taken the view that signing under duress is not binding. 

News of the release of some of the Mahalian prisoners first emerged at a conference in Dublin in September, when the keynote speaker Dr Berhane Asmelash told delegates that about fifty of the group had recently been released. Since then, more have been freed – generally in small groups of between three and ten and it is hoped that the remaining twenty young people being held in prison will be released in coming weeks.

The activities of the Mahalians praise group were no secret as they posted a praise video in 2022 on YouTube. Members of the group were drawn from several Christian denominations, united by a desire to gather together to sing and record worship songs.

Although there has been no change in government policy towards Christians, hundreds of Christian prisoners have been released in the past three months and fewer  Christians have been arrested during the same period.

Voice of the Martyrs, 7^th December 2023

A church in the Batticaloa area of Sri Lanka conducted their first Christmas Care Pack distribution early in the summer. One of the distribution points was in a hunters’ village deep in the jungle. The children in this village were overjoyed to receive their packs.

No church was in this village prior to the distribution, but this event gave front-line workers the opportunity to negotiate with the village leader to allocate land to build a church. These workers are now in the process of procuring the land. Pray for the church to be firmly established in this village and the whole area.

The island nation of Sri Lanka, off the eastern coast of India, has never fully recovered from a civil war between Buddhist and Hindu factions that ended more than a decade ago. The government has put significant efforts into resettling those displaced during the conflict between the majority-Buddhist Sinhalese population and the Hindu Tamil separatists.   

There are strong churches in the country as well as parachurch organizations that provide Bible training, theological education and missions training. Churches in Sri Lanka are actively sending missionaries to other countries in South Asia.

Buddhists are the primary persecutors, sometimes led by Buddhist monks who openly stir up communities against the Christians who live among them. Hindus also oppose evangelism and conversion to Christianity.

Joshua Project, December 12^th, 2023

Jews have been living in France for at least 2,000 years. Their ancestors arrived in the region during the Roman Empire. Since then, they have had a strong influence on the development of Europe, as well as on the traditions of Jews throughout the world. In France, as in other parts of Europe, they have faced waves of persecution.  

Many Jews in the younger generation are disconnected from their Jewish identity. They don’t observe Jewish traditions and are swiftly being assimilated into French culture. Like most of France and Europe, they are increasingly secular and disinterested in spiritual matters.   

Mission activity focused on students, sports and social networks could be effective in reaching the younger generation of Jews in France.

Pray that this people group realizes that it is only through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, that they can obtain eternal life.

Pray for God to give mission organizations innovative ideas for discipling the Jews of France in the ways of the Messiah. Pray for God to speak to the Jews in ways that cut through the distractions and noise of modern life.