"22 Christian Missionaries to be executed in Afghanistan"

I received this text message yesterday, as I'm sure many of you did as well. !!!NOTE!!! The number one reaction to a chain text is to test it's validity! I have been unable to find anything about this event on any persecuted church website, and CompassDirect news, which gives updates on the persecuted church, is reported to have said that this event is a hoax. Something as large as an execution of 22 missionary FAMILIES would be not exactly implausible, but the fact that it is foreign missionaries would raise a lot of outcry. There would also most likely be talks between the Afghani government and whatever nation these missionaries are from leading up to the execution(not saying this is always true, but for the most part these events are political so they are dealt with politically.) The only thing that is relatively similar to this event was in July 2007 when 23 Korean missionaries were held hostage in Afghanistan. You can read more about it here. So, I believe from the evidence presented, it is safe to say that this event, which was sent all over the world via text message, is in fact untrue. BUT, we can still pray for Afghanistan! This war-torn country has a small minority of believers and the Afghani people need the light of Jesus Christ to be shed on the darkness of Islam. Pray for missionaries to be sent that will be willing to give their lives for Christ in Afghanistan for the purpose of others coming to know Christ! Pray that the Lord would increase the boldness of those who are believers and He would strengthen existing missionaries. Above all, pray that God would be glorified in Afghanistan.

Pray for Christians in China

Hey friends :)

China has a long history of persecution towards Christians, one of the most brutal in recent history, but has seemed to calm down over the years. The Government has been completely unable to restrict the growth of the gospel, and presently thousands of unofficial churches are in China with millions of believers loving and worshiping Jesus against the Government's will. However, there are reports being leaked out of the government that crackdowns on the "foreign" religion of Christianity are to start with strong force this coming year. A meeting in one of the largest colleges in Beijing was held to educate faculty on the dangers of foreign influence, where they distorted the history and explained that Daoism, Buddhism, and Islam are "indigenous" religions, therefore making them safe, while Christianity is from the west making it dangerous. Believers are anticipating an increased amount of government sanctioned persecution, but are still confident that many more will be won over to Christ this year. Still at this time though many of our brothers and sisters are being horribly persecuted and abused for their faith in Christ and work with the underground Church in China.
Please pray:
-The Lord would soften the hearts of government officials and this year would be a year of peace for the Church in China; instead of persecution there would be more conversion from darkness into light
-If persecution continues or increases, Chinese Christians would be granted strength to stand firm against all opposition and continue to worship and glorify God
-The lies coming against the knowledge of Christ would be taken captive and exposed for what they truly are
-The Lord would continue to comfort and have mercy on our family in China that are facing torture and abuse just because they love Jesus

Be blessed today friends!