| VOM-USA Prayer Update for October 7, 2011
On Wed. Oct 05 2011 at 06:33 AM Moderator wrote:
Laos—Officials Seize Church Buildings
VOM Contacts, ASSIST News Service, Compass Direct News
Proverbs 18:10
Authorities in Laos seized a church building on Sept. 14 because the church had not applied for a building permit, according to Compass Direct News. The Christians chose not to apply for a permit because applications are routinely denied, draw unwanted attention and often undermine any chance of building. The Christians now meet in houses, and they are planning to contest the church seizure through a local petition drive. In a separate incident, 10 Christians were recently evicted from temporary shelters they had built on their rice paddies. Authorities told the Christian families they could return to their homes or rice paddies if they would give up their Christian faith, but they refused. VOM is helping these Christians as they discuss relocating to another village. Please pray for Christians in Laos, who experience ongoing persecution through government pressure.
Pakistan—Christian Student Expelled for Misspelling a Word
Compass Direct News
Deuteronomy 31:6
An eighth-grade Pakistani student was expelled from school and her family forced to relocate after the student misspelled an Urdu word, leading to accusations of blasphemy. On Sept. 22, Faryal Bhatti misspelled a word while answering a question about a poem praising the prophet Muhammad. When Bhatti’s teacher saw the mistake, she scolded and beat the 13-year-old girl. The next day, male students as well as school and Muslim representatives staged a demonstration. Although the girl and her mother apologized, the school expelled the girl. “The military swung into action soon after protests broke out calling for a blasphemy case against the teenager, ” a Christian lawyer told Compass Direct News. “They bundled the family in an ambulance and took them away before the situation could turn violent.” Pray for God’s protection of Bhatti and her family during this time.
Iran—Pastor Awaits Written Verdict
Compass Direct News, Present Truth Ministries, ASSIST News Service
2 Corinthians 4:11
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani awaits the written verdict from last week’s lower-court review of his apostasy conviction and death sentence. Before each hearing, judges demanded that Nadarkhani recant his faith and return to Islam. The pastor refused each time. In recent days, conflicting information has been circulated by Iran’s unofficial FARS News Agency suggesting that Pastor Nadarkhani was found guilty of rape rather than apostasy and that he has been charged with additional “security related” crimes. Jason DeMars of Present Truth Ministries told ASSIST News Service that the report circulated by FARS is inaccurate. “They were definitely told that by the government, ” he said, “but [the verdict] doesn’t say rape. It’s a lie to portray their government in a better light to their citizens.” Within the past week, pastor Nadarkhani’s case has gained the attention of the U.S. State Department and high-profile media personalities. Iranian law states that courts must issue a verdict within a week of a hearing. Please continue to pray for Pastor Nadarkhani and his family as well as all Christians in Iran.
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The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is on November 13, 2011. Will you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ? Visit http://www.persecution.com/idop to learn more.
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