Urgent update: 5 Christians in Ethiopia and Sudan Still Need Your Help

Photo:Christian Solidarity Worldwide

OUR BROTHERS IN ETHIOPIA AND SUDAN NEED YOUR HELP NOW MORE THAN EVER! The plight of the three Christians in Ethiopia and two pastors in Sudan continues. They need your help. Today, 8 July, is the scheduled final appeal for our three brothers, Tibebu Mekuria, Dawit Jemberu and Belete Tilahun in Ethiopia. Please hold them in your prayers as they appear before the court for the final time, seeking to overturn their unjust prison sentences. On 3 July, a Sudanese Judge upheld the false charges against Pastors Michael Yat and Peter Yen, and their case has been sent to trial. Their trial is due to begin on 14 July. Thank you to the hundreds of people who told us that they’d written to the Sudanese and Ethiopian embassies in protest. Indeed, the emails completely filled up the Sudanese Embassy’s inbox in one afternoon! If you’ve yet to do so, there is still time to write on behalf of Pastors Michael and Peter in Sudan. Simply copy and paste the below text into a new email, compose a subject line, fill in your name and country at the end of the letter, and email it to the new address provided. We respectfully ask that you remain polite throughout, do not write anything disrespectful about other religions, and please do not mention Open Doors.  A NOTE ON SECURITY As a trusted partner in our advocacy work we wanted to let you know that, due to significant security concerns, we will not be publicising this action on our website. We ask that you also do not publicise this action in connection with Open Doors. Thank you for your understanding and discretion. Instead, we would appreciate it if you could notify us by email if you do write to the Sudanese authorities, as we would love to encourage our contacts with news of the support that you have given to our brothers. Please send your emails to: advocacy@opendoorsuk.org

SUDAN LETTER Email address: info@sudan-embassy.co.uk His Excellency Mr Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan 3 Cleveland Row St James’s London SW1A 1DD Your Excellency, The Republic of Sudan is a country with a long and rich history and culture. I appreciate the fact that Sudan is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that the 2005 Interim National Constitution of Sudan provides for freedom of religion or belief throughout the entire country. In this context, I am writing to you to request a fair trial and justice for Reverend Michael Yat and Reverend Peter Yen Reith of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, both South Sudanese citizens arrested in Khartoum. Rev Michael Yat was taken into custody on 21 December 2014, after preaching at the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church Khartoum Bahri congregation. Rev Peter Yen Reith (also known as David Yein Reith) was arrested on 11 January 2015, reportedly after he inquired about the whereabouts of Rev Michael. It was only on 4 May, more than four months after their arrests, that the pastors were charged with eight offences including disclosure and receipt of official information or documents, arousing feelings of discontent among regular forces, breach of public peace, and offences related to insulting religious beliefs. They will also face charges of undermining the constitutional system, and waging war against the state, which carry the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment. It is my understanding that there is no evidence against the two pastors for any of the charges. Well-informed sources have it that the case against both men is motivated by the religious convctions of the accused. Your Excellency, I am asking you to do everything in your power to ensure that Reverend Michael Yat and Reverend Peter Yen Reith are given a fair trial. I appeal to your government to treat these two Christian workers with the justice and mercy that is in keeping with the values of the Sudanese people. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. Yours sincerely, Your first name, last name Your country

PLEASE PRAY: For the Lord’s presence to be strongly felt by Tibebu, Dawit and Belete in court today as they make their appeal That Pastors Michael and Peter will have justice soon and that God will continue to sustain them  That the families of these five brothers will know the Lord’s strength and protection at this time.

Every blessing, Zoe & Anastasia Advocacy Team

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A Letter to ISIS from the People of the Cross

                 

Afghan Christian Beheaded

This is not the man mentioned in the post below but still a real Afghan Christian

I needed to share this blog post with everyone because it is unreal. As an American, it is so easy to hide behind your own world & ignore reality. I mean, we've got our own problems to worry about right? But what America needs is MORE awareness....it is IMPORTANT to know that this type of gruesome oppression to religious minorities (not just Christians) actually happens in the year 2011! 

Awareness will motivate people to pray- but there is also MORE you can do than just praying! There's a link at the top of this blog that can help you find out what you can do to support widows of martyrs, communities that have been destroyed due to persecution, & support pastors in discipleship. 

We know persecution will not end because Jesus said it WILL happen. 

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. John 16:1-3

The following is not my blog but a copy (the link is below). Please pray....not just for the persecuted church but that Jesus would save those doing the persecuting. 

*BLOGGER is not properly aligning my text for some reason. Please click the link for the original article if you can't see my entire post. 
Original Article HERE

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:9-11

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?And then I will say to them openly, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]. Matthew 7:22-24

Graphic Video: Brutal Beheading in Afghanistan

A decade ago, it was not uncommon for beheadings captured on video to be released by the Taliban, usually a warning to the West to stay out of Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The now-too-familiar executions began with a recitation of Quranic verses, then a jolt to the victim’s neck and a slow severing of the head with a small and sometimes dull knife, and finally ended with a chant of “Allah Akbar” or “God is great” while blood flowed from the decapitated corpse. Some notable killings included Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002 and U.S. defense contractor Nick Berg in Iraq in 2004.

Recently, President Obama announced a pullout plan that will begin reducing troops this year, just one indication that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is closer to completion and the ability for the Taliban to carry out their brutal beheadings has been somewhat constrained. 

Yet, all the while, Afghan Christians have been warning ICC that without a U.S. presence inside Afghanistan, they will be left defenseless and slaughtered if their religious identity becomes known. Their pleas for protection took on new urgency in early April when another video, this time a blatant warning to Afghan converts to Christianity, was smuggled out of the country by an Afghan Christian and immediately sent to ICC. “Please watch this and forward it to the world so they know how serious it is in Afghanistan to be a Christian,” a leader of the Afghan Christian refugee community in Delhi wrote to ICC.

In the two-minute video, believed to be filmed early this year, four Afghan militants who claim to be the Taliban behead a Christian man named Abdul Latif in Enjeel, a village south of the town Herat. The men, wearing explosive belts and kaffiya head scarves to cover their faces, pin Latif to the ground under their feet while he cries for mercy. “For God’s sake, I have children,” Latif pleads. The militants go on to announce his fate. “Your sentence [is] to be beheaded. Whoever changes his religion should be executed.” A blade is then thrust into Latif’s neck. Once decapitated, his head rests on top of his chest while the militants proclaim “Allah Akbar.”

We have decided to make this video available to the public due to the urging of our Christian contacts in Afghanistan who asked that it be forwarded to the world so that they would understand “how serious it is in Afghanistan to be a Christian.”

 The video is not intended to shock or exploit, it is simply intended to honor the wishes of Christians in Afghanistan and show the horrifying reality that many believers face around the world today for their faith in Christ. 

We have attempted to describe what you will see if you choose to watch this video in the paragraph above, so please understand that before you press play. If you do not wish to watch the video, a translated transcript has been provided below the video.

WARNING: The following video is extremely graphic and shows a man being completely

decapitated with a blade. Nothing is censored or cleaned up. Do NOT watch this video if you are

unprepared or unwilling to see that level of real violence.

Full translation of video:

Victim: For God’s sake, I have children. [He repeats this sentence many times]. 

I serve your religion. I serve you, my dear brother, ask me first. 

Let me speak, then kill me. Ask me once. I serve you. I have children.

Talib 1: Reading a verse in Arabic:

 "In the name of Allah, peace be on the leader of all human beings, 

and the high priest of all holy warriors, Mohammad, peace be upon him."]

 All praise be to our creator, almighty Allah, who helped 

and blessed the Holy Warriors of the Alfateh Movement. 

The Holy Warriors of Qenahat belonged to the Afghanistan Islamic Emirates, 

so we can implement the commandment of Allah on this infidel 

whose name is Abdul Latif from 

the (Zefareh/Zekhareh/Sefareh) village 

of the Enjeel District of Ancient Herat Province, 

so that he is punished according to his wrong deed. 

He is punished according to the commandment of Allah as a warning to other infidels.

 [A verse is recited from the Quran: "Holy and Almighty Allah says,

 'You who joined with pagans, cut their head.'"]

 You’re sentenced to be beheaded.

 [A verse is recited from the Hadith:

 "Mohammad (peace be upon him) says, 'Whoever changes his religion (converts), should be executed."]

 Praise and peace …….. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar (God is great)!

Victim: I ate your leftovers, please leave me. I ate your leftovers, please leave me. [Victim is beheaded.] 

All Taliban: Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!

Talib 2: Come to this side.

Talib 2: Why didn’t you behead him from the backside?

Talib 3: Go away.

Talib 4: Bring the notice (execution order) and hang it on the wall. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar.

All Taliban: Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!

Talib 4: Glory and honor to Allah, His messenger, and all believers (Muslims).

 This is the infidel. 

This is the infidel. [shouting in Arabic].

 

Modern Story of Job in 2011 in Nigeria

Can one NOT choke up when reading this??? Here is a modern day story of the trials like Job. Except this man is not rich. Well....not by possessions but certainly rich in faith! Even after all but 1 of his kids were killed, even after his wife was killed, even after his village was attacked- he still is faithful to God. Can you imagine? Your wife & children murdered- but not just them- members of your own church were killed too! What do you do?? Do you still hold a Sunday service? What do you say to the survivors? He is holding on to his faith, but what about those who are angry & want revenge? His posture is one of reliance on God. He decides to pray for his 'enemies' rather than chooses to avenge because he knows that it is GOD who vindicates.  Wow......

Let me be honest. Being involved in ministry for many years, you kind of lose touch with reality in a sense. You think that because you are serving God, you're going to be safe- even though you know trials are apart of life, you don't expect injustice.


I was at a women's tea at a church a few years ago & this pastor's wife got up to speak. She does a lot of missionary work in South America because that's where her parents have been for years. But she said something that was so disturbing...

She was describing flying on a plane. Saying that everyone else was scared about the flight but she wasn't. She said that the only reason why the plane was not going down was because SHE was on it & about to do God's work.

I was shocked that an older, experienced, godly woman would say such absurdities. I looked around at my table with my mouth hanging to see if ANYONE got that. I looked at the pastor's wife who was still speaking to see if she was going to correct herself or explain what she had said better- but she didn't.

That is naive thinking. NAIVE. All we have to do is remember Jesus' words: "They hated me first so they will hate you too."

Then we look at the disciples who died a martyrs death. Then look at all the missionaries who have died while doing God's work- even by the very people they were helping to feed, clothe, care for.

When I first arrived to Kuwait I read a book about a young girl's experience during an inner city outreach. She was from the midwest & her parents were hesitant to let her do an internship in an inner city. But she went & was there for a few months. She got accustomed to the environment. One day her & her friend were walking around a rough neighborhood when they were separated. This innocent young girl ended up getting raped by one of the men in the inner city. It was an eye opening experience for her. She didn't believe that God would actually let anything happen to her like this, but it did.

And as I started seeing just how much persecution was going on in this part of the world- I started to question God. I know that suffering is part of God's will. Jesus suffered, so will we. I know that persecution for our faith was inevitable- Jesus said it would happen. But knowing these things conceptually is different from seeing it happen or experiencing it yourself.

All of a sudden I didn't feel safe anymore. I didn't feel like God would protect me from anything. So while over here, I've been struggling with this whole thing. So this story, though tragic, is inspiring:

Islamic extremists target Christian village near Bogoro, Bauchi state.

KURUM, Nigeria, May 10 (CDN) — As she lay on the ground after being shot and then slashed with a machete, Dune James Rike looked into her husband’s tear-filled eyes and asked, “Is this the end between us, so we shall not be together again?”

Pastor James Musa Rike told Compass he held the hands of his dying, 35-year-old wife and told her, “Hold on to your faith in Jesus, and we shall meet and never part again.”

Muslim extremists who attacked Kurum village, in the Bogoro local government area of Nigeria’s Bauchi state, had already killed two of the couple’s children in a rampage that began Wednesday (May 4) at midnight. Rike, pastor of a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) congregation in Kurum, next heard the cries of his 13-year-old daughter, Sum James Rike, a few yards away.

“I rushed to my daughter, only to discover that she too was cut with a machete on her stomach, and her intestines were all around her,” he said. “I held her hand and began to pray, knowing she too was about to die. She told me that the Muslim militants told her they would kill her and “see how your Jesus will save you.” 

The girl told her father that she responded by telling them that Jesus had already saved her, and that by killing her they would only be making it possible for her to be with Him. Pastor Rike prayed for her as she died.

Shooting and setting homes on fire, the Muslim extremists killed 12 other Christians in the attack. Bauchi police reported 16 people dead – one man, three women and 12 children. 

Pastor Rike said that when the attackers reached his house, they tried to force their way into their bedrooms.

“I opened a backdoor, and we ran out into the dark night while the militants pursued us,” he said. “They shot my wife and two of our kids as they tried to escape.”

Pastor Rike said that after killing the two children, Faith James Rike and 1-year-old Fyali James Rike, the assailants cut his wife’s abdomen with a machete. 

“I was shocked at what I saw,” he said. “I knew my wife would not last long, and the only thing I did was to encourage her to hold on to her faith in Jesus.”

The Muslim extremists set more than 20 houses ablaze before leaving the village, he said.

Pastor Rike and his son survived the attack, and he said his adopted daughter, Whulham James Rike, was injured and receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Bogoro. He said five others others were also receiving hospital treatment.

Among those killed, church sources said, were Murna Ayuba; Angelina Ezekiel; Dorcas Sunday; Asabar Toma; Rhoda Joseph; Dhunhgwa Zakka; Bukata Amos; Ishaku Amos; Kalla Amos; Amos Daniel; Samidah Joel; and Changtan Joel.

The Muslim jihadists also stole money and the other valuables from the Christian village as they withdrew, church sources said. 

The area has a history of sectarian violence, and the attack follows the death of hundreds of people in Bauchi and other northern states last month after Muslims rioted over the April 16 election of a Christian, Goodluck Jonathan, as president. He defeated a Muslim candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Saying more than 200 church buildings were burned, Christian leaders in northern Nigeria have called for a federal probe into the violence, in which Christians mounted counter attacks.

Northern Nigeria climbed to 23rd place in 2010 from 27th in 2009 on Christian support organization Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations with the worst persecution. 

The church where Pastor Rike ministers has about 30 members and has been in existence for more than 50 years. Those killed were members of the three churches in the village – the COCIN church, St. John’s Catholic Church and an Evangelical Church of West Africa congregation. 

Pastor Rike said the incident has strengthened his faith in Jesus. 

“Whatever is the situation, I will never forsake Christ,” he said. “All human beings are created by God, and our attackers must know that they need to abandon anything that will lead them to destroy creations of God.”

Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is almost evenly divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World. 

view original article HERE