Heb 13:3 - Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them, those who suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
While we are busy celebrating our traditional holy days, let us be sure to remember our brothers and sisters around the world who are less fortunate.
Gal 2:10 - Remember the poor...
Acts 20:35 - We ought to help the weak...
Col 4:18 - Remember my bonds...
PYONGYANG, North Korea: Son Jong Nam, a Christian in North Korea, has been held in a bleak, North Korean death row basement cell for more than a year. He has been sentenced to die by "public execution." He is charged with being a "national traitor" and "receiving Christianity."
Mr. Son has already spent 3 years in prison and has gone through brutal tortures. Mr. Son's crime? Sharing his faith in the communist nation of North Korea. To learn more about The Voice of the Martyrs visit www.Persecution.com
On May 20, 2007, Pastor Zaur Balaev was arrested for “conducting an illegal religious meeting” in his home village in Aliabad, Azerbaijan. In August, he was sentenced to two years in prison under Article 315, Part 1, for allegedly violently resisting the police during a raid. The authorities first claimed that Pastor Balaev released a dog on police, but have since claimed he attacked five policemen and damaged a car door.
During the trial, some witnesses reported that police had pressured them into testifying against Pastor Balaev. For more information go to http://www.prisoneralert.com/
Pastor Y Wo Nie was arrested August 18, 2004, for leading a demonstration demanding more religious freedom and the release of property confiscated by the Vietnamese government. He received a nine-year sentence. His family has not been able to visit him. Chinese Christian Li Ying has been in prison more than 2000 days. She is serving a 15-year sentence for her role as editor of an underground-church magazine in China.
She was the very first prisoner featured on www.prisoneralert.com. At that time, the email list consisted of barely more than 2000 people. More than 7,400 letters have been printed off of the site to be sent to her since that original posting in February, 2004. The letters that Prisoner Alert visitors write make a difference! Once when her mother went to the prison to visit Li Ying, the warden asked, “How many relatives do you have in America?” He had noted all the letters arriving for Li Ying! In recent months, Li Ying’s mother has not been allowed to visit as prison officials tried to get Li Ying to recant her faith and sign a document saying that she is part of an “evil cult.” Yet she has remained faithful to Christ and refused to sign. Li Ying is still in prison, forced to work long hours with little food.
Please send her a letter of encouragement and let her know you are praying for her and other Christians in China. Also, write to the Chinese government requesting that Li Ying’s sentence be reduced, as the sentences for others from her house church group have been. Let your friends know about Li Ying’s suffering, and encourage them also to write to her and pray for her and other Christians in China. We may not know here on earth the difference we are making; in eternity, though, it will be clear.
Get involved!
Pray for and write to Li Ying.
In a highly unusual press conference in Pyongyang in September, the National Security Service of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced the arrest of “foreign spies” and “native citizens working for a foreign intelligence service.” The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a ministry serving Christians in restricted nations who are persecuted for their faith, announced today that those arrested in North Korea were in fact Christian believers and not spies.
The security service spokesman at the press conference, Li Su Gil, said that those arrested “carried out the missions by means of diverse espionage equipment.” He did not name any of those arrested. VOM has identified the following North Korean Christians who have disappeared and are believed to have been arrested by government authorities: Onseong, North Hamgyong Province:
Chul Huh, male Chun-Il Jang, male, 39
Young-Su Jin, male, 32
Myung-Chul Kim, male, 36
Nam-Suk Kang, male, 48
Young-Yae Lee, female, 37
Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province: San-Ho Kang, male, 36
Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province: Mi-Hae Park, female, 30
Suk-Chun Suh, male, 29
These North Korean Christians had started a portrait photography studio to help support themselves, and had registered their businesses with appropriate government authorities. According to VOM sources working in North Korea, they were not involved in espionage activities. It is believed that equipment taken by the government was in fact photography equipment used in their portrait work.
“Following Jesus Christ is considered treason in North Korea, where the government mandates that worship is reserved for deceased dictator Kim Il Sung and his son, the current dictator, Kim Jong Il,” said Todd Nettleton, spokesperson for VOM. “
The Voice of the Martyrs is proud to stand with Christ’s followers in North Korea, and deeply concerned for the well-being of our brothers and sisters there. We call on the North Korean government to release these Christian believers, who were involved in legitimate business activities to support themselves and their families.”
The Voice of the Martyrs has been actively involved in helping North Korean Christians for decades. Among the projects the ministry has carried out for North Korea is the launch of thousands of “scripture balloons,” mylar balloons filled with helium and printed on either side with scripture passages.
VOM has conducted other projects to help North Korean Christians but cannot discuss details publicly to protect the safety of VOM workers and contacts inside North Korea. VOM sources do not know the whereabouts of the arrested believers. It is possible that they have already been tried and executed.!!!
Bindiya Sisra, a Gospel for Asia missionary is hospitalized with serious head injuries after she was brutally attacked by anti-Christian extremists Nov. 13 in Haryana, India. Ittam Reja, a fellow missionary, was on his way to visit Bindiya in the hospital when he was also attacked by another group of extremists.
Bindiya remains hospitalized, suffering from blood clots in her brain. She is unable to breathe on her own and is incoherent. "This is an unbelievable act in Indian culture," said GFA President K.P. Yohannan. "It indicates how desperate the anti-Christian forces are to stop people from knowing the love of Jesus Christ." Bindiya has been a GFA missionary for four years.
She and another missionary, Hemanti Jode, serve in an area where there is a high concentration of people who follow a traditional Asian religion. Bindiya grew up in a family that followed this religion before she chose to receive Jesus as her Savior.
During the past few years, the church Bindiya and Hemanti serve has grown, and now there are 60 people regularly attending worship services. One of those who sometimes attends services is a young boy named Samar, whose family follows the traditional religion.
Samar is friends with Pareel, Bindiya's 12-year-old son. Knowing the boy would be welcome in Bindiya's home, some anti-Christian extremists decided to use the boy to frame Bindiya. The males who follow this traditional religion wear red turbans on their heads when they are in public.
The turban has historical and religious significance, and men and boys are never supposed to take them off, or even loosen them in public. The extremists deliberately loosened Samar's turban, and told the boy to go to Bindiya's house and ask her to pray for him. When she placed her hand on his head to pray, the turban unraveled and fell to the floor.
As soon as the turban fell off the young man's head, about 15 extremists who had been watching grabbed Bindiya and began beating her. They grabbed her by the hair and bashed her head against a brick wall. Others pounded on her body with large sticks. The attacked lasted 20 minutes until someone broke it up.
For two months, GFA missionary Prasanth was able to dodge the men who were trying to kill him. He gathered the Christians from his village together for worship as often as possible, but it was dangerous. Prasanth had come to this village in Himachal Pradesh, India, a few years before, and by God's grace, as he shared the Gospel, he saw 50 people come to know the Lord.
Unfortunately, there was one elderly man named Kushan who did not like Prasanth nor the Christian message he preached. In spite of his opposition, Kushan's wife and children chose to receive Jesus as their Savior. Kushan tried everything he could to prevent them from worshipping at the church services. His ultimate goal was to stop this young missionary from sharing the Gospel. Eventually, he decided to send some violent men to kill Prasanth.
Thankfully, God protected Prasanth from the would-be murderers. Prasanth was very aware that Kushan hated him, but in faith he prayed fervently for him.
Then, Kushan got very sick. He had severe chest pain and was unable to eat or drink anything. His wife asked him again and again to call Prasanth for prayer. Finally, Kushan allowed Prasanth to come and pray.
Prasanth was very aware that Kushan hated him, but in faith he prayed fervently for him. God answered Prasanth's prayer and healed Kushan completely. In awe, Kushan confessed that Jesus is Lord and received Him as his Savior.
Today, he and his family all come to the worship services together. Instead of opposing Prasanth, Kushan is helping him in every way he can. Prasanth asks for prayer that God will use Kushan and his family to bring many more to Christ in Himachal Pradesh.
Keywords: bonds, persecution, poor, prision
