Voice of the Martyrs, 6 January 2022
After worshiping peacefully together in a tin hut for more than 10 years, a church of more than 20 families from the Chakma people group recently began constructing a church building in their village in Bangladesh.
Shortly after building began, a mostly-Buddhist organization known as the Underground Army destroyed the church building’s windows and threatened to torture or kill the men of the church, who fled into the jungle for several weeks.
Frightened, the women and children of the church lived together in one home for safety. Eventually, the Underground Army found the women and beat them with canes, leaving them bruised. The militant Buddhists then looted the believers’ empty homes, stealing their crops and livestock.
For their safety, the Christian children have not attended school since the initial attack. Pray for the families to remain strong in their faith despite the pain they’ve endured and the uncertainty they face.
Pray that the Buddhists will witness the gospel in the lives of those they are persecuting and repent. Pray for the completion of the church building’s construction.
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Churches are careful when offering relief to the poor and needy because they do not want to encourage false conversions among people claiming faith in Christ solely for economic benefit.
Millions of Bangladeshis are learning about Christ and the Bible through media outreaches.