Voice of the Martyrs, 28th 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.