Joshua Project, 30 October 2023

The Kami live in India’s West Bengal state and in Nepal. They are a rural people known for metal working and are divided into two groups: a group of blacksmiths and a group of gold, silver, and copper smiths. They supplement smithing with agricultural work. About a third are literate in Nepali, and many are bilingual, also speaking Bengali. Others serve as healers who favor traditional medicines over modern medicine.

As a rule, Kami people are Hindus. They worship different Hindu deities, and they go on pilgrimage to Hindu sacred sites in Darjeeling, a region of West Bengal.

The Kami people have a low literacy rate. Christ’s ambassadors must produce songs, stories and recordings from Scripture. This will take much effort, but it can be the key to seeing the Kami people embrace the Saviour.

The Lord is building his church among the peoples of Nepal. Nepali and Kami believers can be led to carry the message to the Kami people.

Pray for new believers in this people group to have Holy Spirit-led words to say to their elders as they explain their new faith.

Pray for churches to adopt the Kami for prayer and outreach. Pray for the Christian Kami to be loving and forthright in sharing their faith. Pray for increased literacy and for the JESUS Film to be shown in their communities. Pray that they would forsake idolatry and for the Lord to show his power over the spirit world.

Church in Chains, October 12, 2023 (excerpts)

The Supreme Court of Nepal has upheld the decision of the Jumla High Court, affirming Pastor Keshav Acharya’s one-year prison sentence for proselytising.

Pastor Keshav was arrested on numerous occasions in 2020 on allegations of attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity. On 30 November 2021 the District Court in Dolpa sentenced him to two years in prison, reduced to one year by the Jumla High Court on 13 July 2022. Pastor Keshav appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and was subsequently granted bail pending the Supreme Court decision.

Pastor Keshav stated in his appeal that criminalising and punishing him for practicing his own religion is contrary to the right to religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution of Nepal and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

However, the court dismissed his logic, raising questions about the compatibility of the Nepalese legal system with the principles of religious freedom. This case highlights the flaws in legal systems that supposedly protect freedom of religion yet have anti-conversion laws.

The judgment has deeply affected Pastor Keshav and his family, struggling with the impact of the decision and the fear of his potential arrest and imprisonment. His wife Junu Acharya expressed profound disturbance and heartbreak over the Supreme Court’s decision and said she viewed the legal investigations and legal process as discriminatory and biased.

Open Doors, October 16, 2023 (excerpts)

Philemon was a shaman when he chose to follow Jesus. Now he spreads the gospel in Vietnam, despite surveillance from local Communist authorities.

Not even oppressive surveillance will stop Philemon evangelising in Vietnam. Not after the change he’s seen in his life.

He had hit rock bottom. He was deeply in debt, addicted to alcohol – and now he and his family were facing eviction.

Philemon had been the community’s shaman – a person believed to be able to communicate with the spirit world, often on behalf of other people. Philemon had studied shamanism for five years, using rituals and mantras to supposedly speak to the spirit world. He was often called to remove an evil spirit from someone who thought they were being attacked by one.

“I was like a master or a saviour to my community,” he remembers. “I was very famous at that time. I succeeded in helping them but not my own family. The bank came and notified me that they will confiscate my property.”

Unable to see a way out of his problems, he bought poison with the intention of killing himself, along with his wife and two children. But the day before he planned to go through with it, he visited his sister to say goodbye – and she shared the gospel with him.

That night, Philemon threw the poison away. A journey of transformation had begun that saw Philemon and his wife encounter Jesus and choose to follow Him.

Voice of the Martyrs, October 12, 2023 (excerpts)

A Christian in Morocco is experiencing regular pressure and intimidation by police authorities. “His moves are constantly monitored, and he is regularly questioned by police,” a front-line worker shared. He is under gradual but increasing pressure from officials, and the continual surveillance and interrogations have negatively impacted his health.

Through VOM, the global body of Christ has covered his medical bills so that he can afford to pay his regular living expenses and continue working on ministry projects. “I think the Lord still has something for me to do,” he told the front-line worker.

Morocco is ruled by a monarch who is purportedly a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad and intends to govern the nation with Islamic principles. The North African country has experienced over 1,100 years of Islamic oppression since Morocco’s historic people group, the Berbers, were forced into Islam by invading Arabs in the eighth century.

Today, only a fraction of 1 percent of the population is Christian. The growth of Christianity has been slow, with a major setback occurring in 2010 when hundreds of missionaries were forced to leave the country. With the rise of digital technology and social media, more Moroccans are coming to faith in Christ.

Bible distribution and missionary activity are not allowed in the country. Christians have difficulty finding fellowship, but networks of underground churches have developed. Some Christians have been imprisoned on charges of apostasy and proselytizing.

Release International, October 16, 2023 (excerpts)

Attacks against Christians are rising, fuelled by right-wing nationalism, while growing numbers of Christians are being arrested under anti-conversion laws. 

Two investigations are underway into the alarming rise in attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in India.

The United Christian Forum (UCF) has recorded 525 violent attacks to the end of August, more than for the entire previous year. The UCF say attacks are rising ‘not just year-on-year, but month-on-month’.

Investigations are being carried out by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and the Indian government’s Minorities Commission.

And UCF say the number of attacks against Christians has risen significantly since Premier Narendra Modi’s BJP took power in 2014.

Anti-conversion laws supposedly target conversion by force or allurement. But the loose wording means any kind of charitable work could be considered a form of bribery.

Congregations accused of forced conversion have had their buildings ransacked and property destroyed.

The United Christian Forum say 520 Christians have now been arrested and accused of forced conversions.

Joshua Project, 17 October 2023

The Bengkulu people live in the city of Bengkulu, on Sumatra Island. They are descended from the union of multiple ethnic groups who once migrated to the area, including the Malay, Minangkabau, Acehnese and Javanese. The Bengkulu generally work as store clerks, ship builders, mechanics, construction contractors and government workers. In general, they live in wooden homes, raised on stilts and painted and decorated with special motifs.

The majority of the Bengkulu are Muslim. However, they still practice certain traditional ceremonies and rituals according to their older animistic beliefs. These animistic ceremonies are focused on seeking protection from spirits by defeating them and driving them out.

The gospel of grace, undeserved favor from God, is difficult to believe and accept by those who have been taught a religion of personal effort.

Building up Christ followers within Indonesia to reach the Bengkulu people is likely the most strategic way to share the gospel with them.

Pray the Lord would begin stirring their hearts so that they will be softened toward the good news of Christ. Pray for Christians in other Indonesian tribes to move toward the Bengkulu people and take steps to tell them of eternal life which is only found in Jesus Christ.

Asia News, September 28, 2023 (excerpts)

A Human Rights Watch report highlights the conditions young workers face scrapping ships. Scrapping yards employ children as young as 13, violating international standards, polluting the sea, and covering beaches with toxic waste.

According to the human rights advocacy group, shipping companies are circumventing international regulations that ban exporting ships to shipyards that lack proper safety standards.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) views shipbreaking as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

In Bangladesh, the life expectancy of men working in the shipbreaking industry is 20 years below average.  A 2019 survey found that children make up 13 per cent of the workforce. Most workers interviewed said they started working at the age of 13.

Bangladesh is one of the main destinations for shipbreaking. Since 2020, some 20,000 workers have dismantled more than 520 ships, more tonnage than any other country.  Ships sail full steam into the beach during high tide to be dismantled directly on the sand rather than on a pier or platform.

The worksite itself is full of hazards and toxic waste is dumped directly into the sand and sea. Toxic materials from the vessels, including asbestos, is dumped on the ground and in the sea, handled without protective equipment and in some cases sold in the second-hand market, impacting the health in surrounding communities.

EU shipping companies are required to dispose of EU-flagged ships in a shipyard approved by the European Union, but to circumvent the law many buy “flag of convenience” in other countries.

Morning Star News, September 29, 2023 (excerpts)

Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists this week killed 15 Christians in Kaduna state, Nigeria, following the slaying of another one last week.

The assailants on Wednesday (Sept. 27) attacked predominantly Christian Angwan Magaji village, killing 3 Christians, after attacking Kigam village on Tuesday, where 3 others were slain, said an area community leader.  The terrorists also wounded 4 others in the two villages.

“We are saddened to inform you with a heavy heart about a resurgence of attacks on Christians by the armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists,” Adamu, president of the Chawai Development Association, said in a text message to Morning Star News. “

“This has clearly shown that our land is indeed under siege by our enemies, terrorists and herdsmen,” Adamu said.

He appealed to the Nigerian government to urgently end incessant attacks on Christians in Kaduna state as well as in other parts of the country where terrorist acts have become endemic.

Assailants on Tuesday (Sept. 26) also attacked predominantly Christian Takkanai village, killing 6 Christians and wounding 4 others, area residents said.

“The herdsmen, who were well armed with guns and other deadly weapons, attacked the village at about 7 p.m. as the villagers were getting ready to go to sleep. Among those killed are two children,” Samson Markus, a community leader, told Morning Star News in a text message.