Persecution Blog

A Banquet for the Starving Soul

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-18T11:30:00-07:00

How valuable is God’s word to a Christian in prison? More valuable than gold!

In their book, Captive in Iran, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh share the miraculous story of how God provided them with access to His word, and how His provision was an incredible testimony and witnessing opportunity to their fellow prisoners. Marziyeh writes:

Not long afterward, as I was cleaning the floor under Mommy’s bed, I discovered a long-forgotten box of what looked like trash. I asked Mrs. Mahjoob if she knew whose it was. Mrs. Mahjoob said that some prisoner who was gone must have forgotten about it and left it, and I should just throw it away. As I carried the box to the trash, I looked through it, just in case. Even trash might have some value in prison. To my surprise, I found a pocket-size Gospel of Luke mixed in with the scraps and castoffs.

I quickly slipped it under the blanket on my bed. I could hardly wait to get to bed that night and start reading. When it was time for lights out, I retrieved the little book and opened the cover. On the flyleaf was an inscription and the signature of Archbishop Ramsey, the former archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Anglican Church worldwide, who had evidently given it as a gift. What a treasure and miracle it was to find it!

It’s hard to describe the feeling of being able to read Scripture after being away from it for a month. Every page, every word, every letter was a blessing. A banquet for the starving soul. Maryam and I decided to share it with people who might be interested. First we loaned it to Mrs. Mahjoob. After she finished with it, we gave it to Mana. When she saw it, her eyes widened in shock and amazement.

“God has answered your prayers,” I said, handing it over. “Now you can read a portion of the authentic Bible you’ve always wanted.” As word got around, many, many prisoners wanted to read it. Before long, dozens of women had their first look at the true Christian Scriptures, reading the little volume signed by one of the most powerful men in the church, who had died more than twenty years before and whose little pocket Gospel had miraculously turned up under a bed in a women’s prison in the middle of Islamic Iran.

Excerpted from Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh. You can purchase a copy of Captive in Iran through VOMBooks.com. You can also choose to support VOM’s efforts to deliver Bibles into the hands of Christians living in hostile and restricted nations.

Angelic Interventions

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-17T11:30:00-07:00

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:1-2).”

There have been several dramatic interviews with persecuted Christians which I will never forget. During one interview I learned about an Indonesian evangelist who encountered several boys in a remote area after he ran out of gas. The boys eagerly pushed his disabled vehicle to a gas station while singing a Christian hymn and then abruptly disappeared—leaving him wondering whether they were angelic helpers!

Motorbikes like these are common in Vietnam.

Another remarkable Vietnamese evangelist shared excitedly about God’s specific and dramatic intervention in his ministry work. Vietnam is one of the restricted nations VOM has been working in for many years. In spite of intense restrictions, we are honored to hear miraculous accounts of God guiding His people as they faithfully follow him there.

I interviewed a leader from Vietnam recently who told me an amazing story about boldly traveling into an area that he was not authorized to be in. Every step he took was bathed in prayer as he encountered various checkpoints and obstacles, knowing that he was risking imprisonment for talking about Jesus in this difficult region.

As he prayed on the side of the road, asking God for wisdom about his next step, he was surprised when a man stopped his motorbike and asked him if he needed a ride. He gratefully accepted the man’s offer. Just a few minutes later he was shocked, and more than a little bit worried, when the man drove directly to the local police station. The driver ordered him to wait outside. As the evangelist waited for the next 10 minutes, he prayed and wondered what to do—even though I am sure it felt much longer than 10 minutes at the time!

The evangelist believed God was leading him to patiently wait, and a few minutes later the driver of the motorbike emerged from the police station wearing a police uniform with insignia reflecting an influential rank on his shoulder. He hopped back on the motorbike and the police officer and his nervous passenger eased through several checkpoints with a salute and a wave. They were never even asked for identification!

The police officer eventually dropped the evangelist off near his destination and left. Following this bizarre incident, the evangelist decided that God was asking him to follow up and to try to locate the driver. When it was safer, he returned to the same police station and inquired about the driver. As he described the man, his motorbike and his rank, the local police had no idea who he was talking about—the man simply did not exist!

This Vietnamese evangelist is convinced that he was delivered by an angel on a motorbike—and it’s not the first time he’s experienced angelic intervention!

May God guide us as we faithfully follow him with our eyes open to see and our hearts willing to welcome these types of angelic encounters in our own lives.

YOUR TURN: Have you had what you believe to be angelic encounters in your own ministry or life? Share your story in the comments to this post.

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM’s International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.

NY Times Exposes Chinese Labor Camp

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-14T11:03:00-07:00

One of the frustrations of my work at VOM is the seeming indifference of the secular media to the suffering of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Yes, there are times when a story of persecution breaks through into our national conversation—Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran, or the attack on Dogo Nahawa in Nigeria—but for the most part Christian persecution is not a story we see on the evening news or read even in the fine-print sections of the newspaper.

Partly because of this frustration, I read with great interest the story in the New York Times this week about a letter smuggled out of the Masanjia labor camp in China that revealed the terrible conditions of the prisoners. The story of the letter is fascinating in itself—it was smuggled out of the country tucked inside a package of mock tombstones that were sold by a K-Mart in Oregon as Halloween decorations.

But the words that caught my eye weren’t about the letter; they were about the camp the letter was written from: “According to former inmates, roughly half of Masanjia’s population is made up of Falun Gong practitioners or members of underground churches …”

The story then details some of the things prisoners endure, besides long days of labor creating goods for export to the West. One woman talked about being dragged around by her hair, or being shocked with electric batons until her nostrils filled with the odor of burning flesh. Others spoke of having their four limbs tied to four beds, which were then kicked farther and farther apart by the guards. “That place is a living hell,” said Liu Hua, a 51-year-old former prisoner at the camp.

China’s people can be sent into that living hell for up to four years without even having a trial. The article suggests that when more “workers” are needed, local police will find reasons to arrest people because the labor camp will pay them for prisoners.

Some of my brothers and sisters are in that living hell. Perhaps even now one of them is being shocked, or lying in misery tied to the beds. Perhaps some are whispering words of encouragement to each other during an endless day of heavy labor. Or maybe they are quoting Scripture in their minds while their lips mouth the communist slogans that are a part of their “re-education” sessions.

Todd with Pastor Li De-Xian in 1999.

I’m reminded of Pastor Li De-Xian, whom I met in China in 1999. He was arrested many times for leading his unregistered church. In September 1998, VOM made public a secret Chinese government document outlining Public Security Bureau (PSB) efforts to control Pastor Li. I’ve always remembered a part of it:

“He has been arrested and educated many times, and yet his heart has not died and his nature has not changed.”

I pray for my brothers and sisters who are being "educated" in the Masanjia labor camp today, as well as those in other labor camps across China. I pray that their hearts will not die and that their suffering will only conform them more closely to the unchangeable nature of Christ.

Pray with me.

Todd Nettleton has served the persecuted church and VOM 15 years. He has been interviewed more than 1900 times by various media outlets. He's the author of Restricted Nations: North Korea, and served on the writing team for FOXE, Extreme Devotion, Hearts of Fire and other VOM books. Todd is scheduled to speak at upcoming VOM Regional Conferences in Tulsa and Wichita.

More Attacks on Pastors in Tanzania

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-13T11:16:00-07:00

Earlier this week, we shared a video report from Gary Lane in Tanzania that included the story of Pastor Mathayo Kachili, who was killed because of his faith in Christ. Pastor Kachili’s story is also included in VOM’s June newsletter.

The persecution of Christians in Tanzania continues. On the night of Sunday, June 2, the home of Pastor Robert Ngai in Geita town, northeastern Tanzania, was attacked by a large group of radical Muslims. The attackers broke into the home and attacked Pastor Ngai with machetes. The pastor received serious cuts on his hands and arms when he raised his arms to protect his head from the blows. Doctors at the local hospital said the injuries were beyond their ability to treat, and urged that he be rushed to a hospital in a nearby, larger city for treatment. Ngai is the pastor of the Evangelical Assemblies of God Church. At last word from VOM contacts, he was still in ICU.

Two nights before the attack on Pastor Ngai, the home of Pastor Daudi Nzumbi in Geita also came under attack. Pastor Nzumbi leads the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania (FPCT) congregation in Geita. Thankfully, the attackers fled after they were confronted by Pastor Nzumbi’s large, barking dogs.

When Pastor Nzumbi heard his dogs barking, he looked out the window and saw the attackers. He called the police, but the officer in charge told him, “I cannot protect every pastor!”

VOM contacts are working to get more details on these attacks, and to offer encouragement and assistance to these two pastors and other Christians in Tanzania affected by violent Islamic attacks. Please continue to pray for Christians in Tanzania as well as for their persecutors.

Radio Update: Tanzania and Iran

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-12T13:44:43-07:00

Every other Wednesday, VOM's Todd Nettleton checks in with Moody Radio Quad Cities for a brief update about VOM's ministry and news from the persecuted church around the world.

In today's interview, Todd provided word of recent attacks on pastors in Tanzania, as well as a look at Iran in light of this week's election.

CLICK HERE to listen to this morning's interview.

Thank you, Moody Radio QC, for being a consistent voice for our persecuted brothers and sisters!

Tanzania: Pastors Targeted

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-11T11:30:00-07:00

The feature story in VOM’s June newsletter focuses on the rise of Islam in Africa, with stories of recent persecution from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Gary Lane contributed to that feature story, and also filed this video report to CBN News:

Please PRAY for the church in Tanzania, and all across eastern Africa. Pray Christians will continue to be bold witnesses for Christ in spite of the danger and threats. Pray also for Generosa and her 12 children as they mourn the loss of husband and father.

Deferring Vengeance to God

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-10T12:32:46-07:00

Opposition to our faith causes us to cry out to God for justice, for God to deal not only with personal pain but also with those who perpetuate evil against us. The various authors of the Psalms vent their deepest desires regarding the enemies of God who were also their enemies. In Psalm 83:15, the Psalmist asks God to pursue them with a tempest just as a fire consumes a forest. Or, in Psalm 79, the writer asks God to pour his wrath upon the nations who resist God and who have menaced God’s people. The Psalms recognize that God punished and disciplined Israel for its sin and these writers desired to see the same justice applied to the pagan nations who had defied God.

These hymns appeal to God to set things right, which is his prerogative. In Psalm 64, the Psalmist complains about the threat and conspiracy of the enemy, and how they plot against innocent persons. In verse 7 it says that God will shoot them with arrows. They will be struck down as God takes up the cause and plight of those innocent persons. When we face opposition and injustice our hearts may cry out to God for justice, although not as explicitly as we see in the Psalms. Injustice just doesn’t seem right, but we realize that it is God who can square things.

How do we reconcile this heartfelt desire for things to be just and fair at the same time Christ has told us to love and pray for our enemies? It becomes clear in scripture that, first, we are not to seek vengeance personally but allow God to do it if he chooses; secondly we will still feel the desire for justice even though it may not be our place to right the wrongs; third, we move beyond mere justice to compassionate mercy, seeking to win our enemies so they may experience the grace we have experienced and that they may become brothers and sisters in Christ and escape God’s dreadful judgment (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge but leave a place for God’s wrath”). The perfect example of this attitude is found in Christ as mentioned in I Peter 2:22-23. We do not retaliate, hurl insults, nor threaten anyone who opposes us in the faith. It is God’s grace who helps us under these trying circumstances to act and react in a way that brings honor to God. If we are the recipients of insults for Christ, we are blessed, if we do not retaliate or hurl insults back (I Peter 4:14).

We have the further promise that will make it all worthwhile. Peter says that after we have suffered for a while, Christ will restore us, and make us strong and steadfast once again. All our apparent losses are not really losses if we live in the will of God (I Peter 5:9-10).

How often are we tempted to defend ourselves or seek personal vengeance against those oppose our most sacred beliefs?

You can study more about this in www.vomclassroom.com in the class titled Steadfast Under Fire: Preparing for Persecution under the section titled “Handling Trials and Tribulations: Being Steadfast under Fire.”

Roy Stults, PhD, is the Online Workshop Coordinator and Educational Services Coordinator for The Voice of the Martyrs. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (BA and MA), Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Missiology), and The University of Manchester (England) with a PhD (theology). A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Stults served as a missionary for 19 years and pastored U.S. churches for eight years. Prior to joining VOM, he was a Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Do We Condone Eva's Actions?

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-07T11:30:00-07:00

This is Part 3 in a three-part series of blog posts about the case of Eva Abdallah, accused of blasphemy last year in Tanzania. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Does VOM condone what Eva did? No, we don’t. It would have been wiser not to choose an action that is so deeply offensive to Muslims. We would never encourage any Christian, persecuted or otherwise, to purposefully antagonize a non-believer. But while it may not have been the best choice, her desire to show God’s power and glory in a tense situation is admirable.

Eva Abdallah smiles as she talks about the encouragement she got from Christians around the world who wrote letters of encouragement to her.

VOM's founder, Richard Wurmbrand, always encouraged reaching our enemies with love. His book, Jesus, Friend to Terrorists, is written in that vein. We shower those who persecute us with blessing and love, modeling Christ. Pastor Wurmbrand won over many antagonistic fellow prisoners, prison guards and interrogators that way.

But right or wrong, Pastor Wurmbrand also refused to let the sleepy church in the West forget about their suffering brothers and sisters. As a ministry charged with bringing the Western church into fellowship with the persecuted, VOM could not forget our sister Eva, suffering in prison because her faith motivated her persecutors to provoke her.

And the letter-writing efforts of so many of you here and around the world made a difference to Eva in prison. She was overwhelmed with the unexpected encouragement of the letters and cards. The colors, the verses and the hand-written notes were deeply meaningful. She told us, “From the bottom of my heart I felt extreme joy because I knew there were some Christians who were praying for me even though they didn’t know me.”

Now that she’s free, Eva wants to study the Bible more and continue to witness just as boldly as she always has. She’s living in a different city, but she’s just as determined to bring glory to the God who changed her life.

And this is not the end of her story. It’s just the beginning of how God will use this young woman for his purposes.

YOUR TURN: Does it change your opinion of Eva's story now that you know more details? Share your thoughts in the comments to this post.

To write letters to Christians currently in prison because of their faith and Christian activities, visit www.PrisonerAlert.com.

Dory P. has worked with VOM for six years. She grew up in Ecuador, met her husband while working with another mission organization, and now lives in Oklahoma. Between Dory, her husband and two-year-old son, they share five passports. Dory helps tell the stories of the persecuted through VOM's newsletter, and her husband serves with VOM's international department.

Did She Do It?

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-06T11:30:00-07:00

This is Part 2 in a three-part series of blog posts about the case of Eva Abdallah, accused of blasphemy last year in Tanzania. Click here to read Part 1.

Then the word came in a short email from our worker: “And…yes, Eva says she did urinate on the Quran. Thought you should know that.”

Accused of blasphemy, then acquitted of the crime: how could it be that Eva Abdallah in Tanzania would choose to so deeply offend her Muslim countrymen?

Here’s how Eva tells the story:

Eva Abdallah shows some of the letters sent to encourage her while she was in prison.

It was on the 5^thof January 2012, when I was outside our house reading the Bible that six women came around me and started to abuse Christianity and the Bible. I decided to go inside our house and shut the windows so I couldn’t hear them. But they came close to the window to continue to abuse Christianity and the Bible. I prayed to God and said, “Lord I know this is something unusual, and I pray that you will reveal yourself in this trial that is coming."

When they saw me, they said, “Jesus is not God.” And they kept repeating that, so, I was obliged to tell them that according to my faith, I strongly believe that Jesus is God because of what he did for me.

They brought part of a Quran, and told me if I urinated on it, because of its power, I would turn into a crazy woman, or grow hair all over my body.

I knew Muslims would consider it blasphemy, but they dared me, and I wanted my God to be glorified before them. I wanted to prove to them that my God is able and more powerful compared to their god like … with Elijah where he prayed to God to come consume the sacrifice with all the gods of Baal. I wanted to prove to them that my God is more able than theirs.

So I did it to show nothing would happen, they could not compete with my God… He would protect me.

God did protect Eva. While the whole town went crazy with anger over the news of what she’d done, God blinded the eyes of those searching for her so she could make it safely to the police station, where she was arrested.

She would face the justice system, but at least she wouldn’t be killed in the street.

Read Dory's answer to the question, Does VOM condone what Eva did?

The Rest of the Story

VOM_MediaDev — 2013-06-05T11:30:00-07:00

Sometimes the full story is not what we’d want it to be.

Last year, we learned that a 17-year-old Tanzanian woman, Eva Abdallah, had been accused of blasphemy for urinating on a Quran and sentenced to two years in prison. Tanzania, a Christian majority nation (54.07% Christian, according to Operation World) in East Africa, has not typically been a place where VOM has found persecution cases. But as Islamic influence has grown in the country, and as Sharia (Islamic) law has been applied, persecution in Tanzania has grown.

When we heard of Eva’s case, our staff began investigating. A new national contact talked with Christian leaders around the country, who reported that the accusation of blasphemy was false. However, one of our sister missions in another country wrote to us to say they believed Eva had done what she was accused of.

The reports conflicted, so we considered the facts carefully. Eva had converted from Islam to Christianity as a 12-year-old and had some Bible training. After being accused and arrested in January 2012, she wasn’t given her two-year sentence until July 2012. In her Muslim-majority city, it seemed that local Islamists were unfairly influencing the court against her. We decided to ask our readers to send encouraging letters to Evan in prison, and our contact helped arrange for legal representation for her.

Letters from around the world began to pour into the prison. Prison guards were required to review letters before passing them along to prisoners. Eva received the first few hundred, but eventually the task became too laborious for the guards, and instead of giving the letters to her they boxed them and held them until her release.

That day came sooner than expected. On Jan. 9, 2013, Tanzania’s highest court acquitted Eva of the blasphemy charges and she was immediately released.

We were anxious to hear her story, and sent a VOM worker to interview her as soon as possible.

Then the report came in a short email from our worker...

Read what the email said.