Pray for Christians in Pakistan

Hey guys, here is an update from Voice of the Martyrs. Keep this girl and her father in your prayers!
On Tue. Dec 23 2008 at 12:08 PM Moderator wrote:
PAKISTAN - Young Christian Woman and Her Father Imprisoned – VOM Sources

Twenty- year-old Sandul Bibi and her father Gulsher are in prison in Pakistan, charged with violating section 295-B of the Pakistani legal code, the “blasphemy” law. Sandul is falsely accused of ripping pages from the Quran. On Oct. 9, a large crowd of Muslims attacked Christian families at a church, throwing stones and firing guns. They were shouting, “Kill Gulsher and his daughter Sandul.” Sandul and her father were arrested after a mob from the local mosque surrounded their house. Loudspeakers from different mosques broadcast accusations that Christians had disgraced the Quran, calling Muslims to attack and burn their homes. The angry crowd threw stones and set fire to Sandul’s home. Christians believe Sandul and her father were targeted and arrested because they were aggressively winning villagers to Christ. Pray Sandul and her father are released from prison. Ask God to encourage her family and for believers in Pakistan to be emboldened to continue proclaiming and sharing Christ.

Pray for Christians in Bangladesh

Hey friends.

This past week, 13 Christian men were kidnapped and trapped inside a Buddhist pagoda in the southeastern part of Bangladesh. The motives behind it are to force the men to recant their newly found faith in Christ and perform the necessary rituals to become Christians again. If these men don't do what they are told, they could be beaten, and if they continue to practice Christianity, they could be killed. These are tribal peoples, and Christians have been threatened and warned that they must not stay in that area if they are going to be Christians. In a neighboring area, 50 Christian have been cut off from all communication and are completely isolated and unable to travel outside of their area. Buddhism and Christianity are both minority religions in the Muslim dominated Country, but the mountainous regions hold a lot of tribal Buddhists and recently, Christians. Christians are afraid of informing police, who would have trouble anyways trying to get through the mountains to these villages, because of underground Buddhist terrorist groups. They are fearful that these groups would attack greatly if the Christians were to call on help from the police.
Please pray that:
-The Lord would have mercy on the men who are being forced to become Buddhists, and they would be unafraid to give their lives for Jesus Christ.
-Hearts of the Buddhists committing these acts would be softened, and they'd want to know more about Jesus.
-God would grant peace in these areas, and Christians would be void of any fear, trusting that God will take care of them and their lives are in His hands.

Thanks for praying guys:)

Pray for Christians in Pakistan

Hey guys.
I recommend you read this article.
Two Christian sisters were kidnapped in Pakistan, and the 13 year old was forced to recant her faith in Christ and become a Muslim. There is now a legal battle between the child's parents and the man who is now her husband. The legal system is run by the Muslim law of sharia, which makes all non-Muslim's second class citizens, making the outcome of this very bleak. But we have a big God. The girl has been tricked, lied to, and may have been raped and abused by her captors. At this point, she doesn't want to leave her new husband, and although she is only 13, the courts have rejected that and said she is 17, in favor to her husband's wishes. One needs to be 17 to decide without parents if they want to be married, making her "legally" able to decide, even though in actuality she is only 13. The two men are known for being apart of the human trafficking business, and people were surprised the two girls weren't immediately sold into prostitution. The younger sister, 10 years old, was able to escape and return to her parents, but her testimony isn't fully being regarded by the courts. We really need to pray guys.
Pray that:
-The Lord would have mercy on the 13 year old, Saba, and she would realize that Jesus is the truth and she doesn't need to be held in this bondage.
-God would bring justice and these men would be held accountable to their deeds, and also the court would not rule in their favor.
-Saba's family would have peace in knowing that the Lord is in control, and God would intervene on their and Saba's behalf.
-Saba would live her life for Christ Jesus, the only redeemer of this world, and would see the shallowness and emptiness of Islam.

Update for the Persecuted Church

Here is a video with updates on the persecuted church for December. Be blessed today guys:)

Pray for Christians in the Gaza Strip

Hey friends:)

this is an excerpt from the Jerusalem Post: click there if you want to read the whole article

Unremarked upon by the Western media, a systematic campaign of persecution is taking place in the Gaza Strip, and to a lesser extent in the West Bank. The general silence surrounding this campaign aids its perpetrators. The victims are Palestinian Christians, in particular the small Christian community of Gaza.

Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and Gaza are suffering from increased intimidation and harassment.
Photo: Ariel Jerozlimski [file]

SLIDESHOW: Pictures of the week

The perpetrators are a variety of Islamist groups, all of which are manifestations of a process of growing Islamic militancy and piety taking place across the region.
The Christian population of the Gaza Strip is small - 2,000-3,000 people. Gazan politics has long been characterized by a conservative, Islamic bent. Gaza's Christians as a result have tended toward political invisibility.

The Middle East is home to a lot of chaos and death, with Christians being the center of many attacks. Please be mindful of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East that are being killed and persecuted for their love of Jesus.
Please Pray that:

• The Lord would strengthen these believers when faced with intimidation or violence, and they would follow Jesus' example when facing persecution.
• Christian's wouldn't be afraid, and they would have boldness to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The Lord would soften hearts of Muslims, and they would come to know Jesus, the Messiah, and in turn even more hearts would come to the Lord in the Middle East
• And, as always, pray for peace in the Middle East.

thanks guys:)

Pray for Christians in Comoros

Hey friends.
Comoros is a country right off of Tanzania, and there is not much know about the persecution faced by Christians. Recently reports have come up that increased persecution has taken place, and it is intensely dangerous to be Christian or convert from Islam to Christianity. Out of the 1 million people that live on this island, only about 300 are Christian, a tiny minority. Government officials have taken away passports and travel documents from some Christians, making it impossible to leave the island. An influential Muslim leader recently converted to Christianity, and he has been in hiding from angry Muslims who are seeking to kill him for the past few months. Three Christian men were put in prison for for being involved with Christianity this year as well. The Muslims of Comoros believe that Christianity is from Tanzania, and they believe that Tanzania wants to take over their country, which in turn has caused a lot of tension.
Please pray that:

• The Lord would bring revival to the country of Comoros, and the eyes of the people in that country would be opened to the truth.
  
• Christians who are facing persecution would not lose heart, but instead persevere and take joy in enduring hardship.
  
• Believers would be protected from the enemy and from violent attacks, and the Lord would give them favor with their communities.

Thanks for praying guys!

Pray for Christians in Nigeria

Hi friends.
Today we're going to lift up Nigeria. Violence has been a large part of this country's history, especially for religious reasons. Nigeria has a large Muslim population in the North and a small Christian population in the South, causing Christians to be the targets of much persecution and murder. In a recent local government election, Muslims became angry with the outcome, believing Christians had tampered with the votes to get who they wanted in office. Consequently violence broke out and it is reported about three to four hundred people have been killed, both Muslim and Christian. A man named Issac who is an Open Doors representative, an organization dedicated to bringing the gospel to closed Nations, in the capital of Nigeria, Jos, was targeted by Muslims and miraculously he and his family escaped before they were killed. Many churches have been destroyed, and Christians are being killed. One churches pastor was murdered as the church building was burnt to the ground. With Nigeria's long history of conflict, violence, and murder between Muslim's and Christians, there is fear that this will lead to another civil war of sorts.
Please Pray:

• Praise God for protecting Isaac and his family.
• The violence in Jos has calmed down a bit, but the situation remains tense. Please pray for Christians in Nigeria, as the situation is not yet resolved.
• Pray that the police and military will be able to contain the violence without losing too many lives.
• Pray for all Christians to remain calm and not be tempted to participate in the violence.
• Pray for opportunities for the gospel to touch Muslim hearts, and they would cease being angry and come to know the God of Peace.
  

Thank you for praying friends!

Pray for believers in Egypt

Hey guys, I'm really sorry about the lack of posting the past few days; I had to go out of town unexpectedly and had no internet access! But we are still praying!!
Egypt is known for being one of the safest Middle Eastern countries, with a rather solid group of Coptic Christians who were founded by the Apostle Mark two thousand years ago. Despite having a long standing Christian Church, Islam is the national Religion and most of Egypt is Muslim. Christians only make up 10% of the 80 million people who live in Egypt. Persecution has been going on for centuries, but recently it has been escalating. Two Christian brothers were arrested and charged for killing a Muslim who worked with them. They were actually attacked by a group of radical Muslims while all working on a church, and that is when the man died. They don't have any contact with their family and are being held on very false grounds, enduring many forms of torture to try to force a confession for the murder. Their family has no means of paying for anything without them and as of now they are without electricity and water. Also, a few days ago a Coptic church was surrounded by a mob of angry Muslims who chanted, “We will demolish the church,” “Islam is the solution” and “No God but Allah.” They were angry at the new building extension of the church, which took church leaders about fifteen years to get permits for. There have been many threats, and three Christians were arrested that night without any reason.
Please Pray that:

• The Lord would have mercy on the two brothers in prison, they would be strengthened, and their families would be provided for, as we know our Father is the Father of the fatherless.
• God would grant Egyptian Christians favor and protection in a very hostile environment, and they would be guarded from the enemies schemes.
• The Church would continue to grow, and believers would be unafraid of persecution, arrest or torture for their faith in Jesus.

Thank you so much for praying guys:)