Urgent Need

Persecution In India

In April, Evangel Bible Translators (partner ministry of God Loves Kids) received news of Christians being persecuted in the eastern part of India so, they sent out emails for readers to pray. However, the violence has continued in the months since and has recently escalated. Christians are being beaten and killed, and churches and homes are burned on a daily basis. Even non-Christians who give shelter to misplaced Christian family members are killed. Nuns have been publicly gang-raped and murdered.

The fighting started last December with the attack of an elderly Hindu leader, and was renewed after his murder on August 23. Although a Maoist group claimed responsibility for the death, an influential Hindu blamed Christians, prompting the renewed violence. Hindu extremists in Orissa are notorious for persecuting Christians. It was in this same state that Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons were burned alive in their vehicle in 1999.

One of Evangel Bible Translator’s pastor Christo Mohan is in Orissa with his wife and two children. His mother and grandmother are very near the conflict. Christo's brother Ram Mohan (who is the headmaster of God Loves Kids school in Nepal) wrote this about his family:

"The whole village has fled to the jungle to save their lives, but my mother and grandmother stay at home depending completely upon the Lord. I am very proud of them. Even if the wicked people burn our house, burn our vehicle and kill my mother, it will be for God's glory.
Your prayer will bring a great change."

Ram Mohan's Mother and Grandmother in Danger

Ram writes to Lovie Phillips about the danger in Orissa

Dear Mum, Warm Greetings from Nepal. We are quite well by the Grace of our Almighty God. Thank you o much for praying for Orissa and for my mother and my Old grand mother. God has protected them and our house till this day. The tension is still there in our area. They have already done so much of devastation except our village. This is only because of your prayers. That house is not actually ours but our grand mother and that is the only shelter we have. My mother has invested all in that house. Please continue to pray for my family. Yesterday more that 2000 Christians are forcefully reconverted to Hinduism. Please pray that God may give strength to all the Christians to stand affirm in their faith even at the cost of life.

I praise God for my mother and grand mother's strong faith in God. Their faith in Christ Jesus protects them.

Mum, by the grace of God we renewed our children's Home with financial auditing and our future plans for the development of our organization(children's home). Many times it is very hard to get our renew work done. The Government verifies everything and renews our work. If we have all the latest certificates from the Government of Nepal, no one can trouble us. On the basis of our faithful work and management there was no problem in getting the renew done.

Since we are going to complete 4 years after a few days, the Government of Nepal has asked us to build our own building for the home as soon as possible because the Govt. wants to see whether we (organization) have a genuine interest in serving the children in Nepal or it is just a temporary project. Government does not give any approval to any temporary projects and therefore they require it from all the organizations. At first, we have to show our land and then we can slowly build the buildings.

This is actually an urgent prayer need for our project. Before April 2009 we have to show our land to Government of Nepal in order to renew our project. We are all sincerely praying for a land at this time. Please do pray for this urgent need. In fact, it is very hard to run a home in rented houses because we became like slaves to the house owner. Please continue to pray for us.

Thank you.
With prayers,
Son,
Ram Mohan and Family
Nepal

The following is an email written by a missionary couple concerning the persecution in the Orissa area.

Hi friends,

I am writing this mail as we drive to our village home. 

"Teach us to number our days,  Where will I put my hope, Lord,  My only hope is in you.."  (Ps.19 & Ps.39).

We met today a pastor who came down to Nagpur from the Kandhamal area in Orissa where much violence has been taking place against Christian (converts).  This is what we heard:  He had a miraculous escape but his assistant pastor was killed.  About a 1000 Christians have been slaughtered so far, their dismembered body parts lying around in abandoned villages; the killing continues, village by village.  This is how the H. militants do it: When they enter a village, they hold an open air meeting where they conduct a worship, sacrifing an animal and mixing its blood with rice which they then take to christians and tell them "You should become a H, and if you truly do, then eat this rice".  Those who refused are slaughtered.  People have betrayed one another too.  This pastor grieves that none among his own church people was willing to hide him in his house, and so he has escaped to Nagpur.   thousands of Christian families are now hiding in jungles without food and without shelter in the rainy season.  Christians' houses have been vandalised and burned.  Christians who have fled are now in 11 refugee camps where food is not distributed properly, they get their first meal at 4 in the afternoon, kids are starving.  The camp where this pastor was put up, had about 7000 people staying in a small college campus.   Please pray for these persecuted brothers and sisters to be given the HS's power and wisdom to hold on to God through all this.  Pray also that this violence would stop and would not spread to the other states.  If you forward this message, please delete our names from this mail.

I had meditated on Luke chap. 21 this morning, and I realize God really prepared me to hear the terror details and be able to see them in the light of God's word.  "Come, Lord Jesus!" 

Wwill write more when we return from the filed. 
thankful for your friendship
[Name's removed for security reasons]

The email is extremely urgent. Please pray for the safety of the Christians in Orissa, specifically for Ram and Christo Mohan's mother and grandmother. Also pray that God will be exalted in this situation, and that His will be carried out.

Thank you for standing with our God Loves Kids family in times of need. Your prayers are essential.

How You Can Help

• We ask that you keep our missionaries and all Orissa in your prayers. 
 

• Please pray that the violence would end, the conflict would be resolved, and that the hearts of those commiting violence would be drawn to Christ.


• Pray for healing for everyone hurt in the conflict.


• Pray that God would embolden Christians to continue to advance the kingdom.


• It has been reported that some Christians retaliated by burning down homes of Hindus, so pray that believers will not give in to violence but be true to their faith.


• Pray for land for our children’s home in Nepal

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