More reports of Persecution against Christians in India

The email below was sent yesterday from Dr. K.P. Yohannan who is the founder of Gospel for Asia. It contains more information about the persecution against Christians in India occurring now.


From: DR KP Yohannan [mailto:kpyohannan@gospelforasia.messages2.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:05 PM
Subject: GFA Bible Colleges Expecting Attacks

Dear Fellow Christian,

We need you to pray for two Gospel for Asia Bible colleges in India that are
being targeted for attack by radical Hindu groups. The campuses, one in
Orissa and one in Haryana, are under lockdown as a precaution.

The Haryana campus, in the city of Ambala, is a girls Bible college and
shares a site with GFA's Haryana state office. Missionaries from the field
have been called in to stay at the center and offer additional protection to
the students.

According to a GFA leader in Haryana, three vehicles carrying about 50
people came to the state office on Tuesday with plans to attack the campus.
He believes that they saw the extra people at the campus and then backed off
from their plans. GFA staff members at this site have also been informed
that the group is gathering more people with plans to return. The would-be
attackers are all members of the Bajarang Dal, a radical Hindu nationalist
political party. Bajarang Dal members from throughout the state are gathered
in Ambala right now.

A similar situation is happening in Orissa. As you know, Christians in
Orissa have been under intense attack since August 22. The Orissa Bible
college was previously attacked by a mob of 500 militants in February 2007.
During that attack students were beaten up, and windows, vehicles and other
campus buildings were damaged. There is credible evidence that the attack
that is being planned will be much worse than the one in 2007.

Here are some prayer requests for the situation:

- Please pray that these plans of the enemy will be thwarted.
- Ask God to protect each of the students at these Bible colleges
- Pray that the Lord would draw these Hindu attackers into a relationship
with Him.

We know that our God can do anything that we ask of Him in prayer.

Yours for the persecuted,

K.P. Yohannan
President & Founder

Reports of persecution of Christians from Mid-India Christian Mission

Christian friends,

Although Vivert Lall and family are in the United States, these reports of continued atrocities against Christians come from their co-workers in Damoh, India. Please pray for courage and peace for these brothers and sisters in Christ who live under threats against their property and persons just because of their faith in Jesus instead of the Hindu panoply of gods. Ask God to put a desire for justice in the hearts of Indian government officials.

Thanks for your concern.

Gene Jarrett

Christians in the state of Orissa are facing severe persecution.  Their houses are being burnt, religious leaders and youth are being put to death and women are being raped. Bibles and Christian literature are being put to fire.  Many people have had to desert their houses and villages and take refuge in the forest.

 

Last year also, in December 2007, houses of Christians were burnt and Churches broken down.  The leader behind the incidents that time was one Laxmanananda Saraswati, member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.  On Saturday, August 23, 2008 unidentified people killed him and his five supporters. Although the state government has said that the Maoists are behind the killings but the supporters of Laxmanananda have put the blame on Christians.  This has led to agitation against Christians in the State of Orissa.  In this recent spate of atrocities against Christians, a Children's home in Bargarh has been set on fire by the miscreants.  The care taker of the orphanage, a lady was burnt alive.  An evangelist Rasanand Pradhan of village Rupa at Kandhamal, was also burnt alive.  At Phulwani and 22-year-old Catholic Nun was burnt alive.  According to local reporters, many  Christians have been put to death in Phulwani and Kandhamal.

 

The mission has its Churches in Bargarh area.  This area has also been the target of the miscreants.  At Chichinda in this area, 15 houses of Christians have been broken down and people beaten up.  They have been searching Rajendra Nand, mission's evangelist for the area.  He has taken shelter in the nearby forest.  Along with him are also women and children of that area.  Two of the women are pregnant.  The plight of these people is beyond imagination.  Reports say that the state government has disallowed one of the Central Ministers to visit the affected areas, perhaps to prevent people from knowing the exact situation.  Please pray for the evangelists, leaders and their families who are facing atrocities in this state. 

 

In Damoh about a month back, we hosted a seminar of Christian leaders of the area.  The purpose of this seminar was to educate people, to make them aware of their legal rights and the procedure they should follow in case of incidents of atrocities.  Also effort was to encourage them to report all such incidents.

 

We need your prayers and financial assistance for the victims so that we may go and give  them help to repair their houses and provide them with some of the very basic household needs and some food articles.  Also we would guide them what legal steps they need to take in such situations.  We plan to provide this help to fifteen affected families and for this we would be needing $ 15000.00.  Any assistance from you towards this need of the suffering evangelists and their families would be greatly appreciated. 

From Marsha Relyea Miles--Pioneer Bible Translators

August 2008

Dear family and friends,

Five Aruamu men were intensely focused, working with me in Madang, Papua New Guinea on checking the book of Daniel. At one coffee break time as we neared the end of the book, the Aruamus were chatting about the book. One of them, named Petchie, said, “I really like this book.” I asked, “Why, Petchie? What do you like about the book of Daniel?”

He said, “I like a lot of things about the book of Daniel. I like the Lion Story. And I really like knowing about the times when God takes care of people and protects people, like when he protected the 3 Jewish men when the King threw them in the big fire.”

Then Siria said, “I like story about the King’s big feast when a hand just appeared and started writing up on the wall of the house with a message from God.”

Then Simon said, “I like reading about all of Daniel’s dreams and visions.”

Then Steven Dazim said, “When I read Daniel, I keep thinking like this: our God is the God who will truly do what he says he will do. This makes me want to shout and lift up his name!”

Praise the Lord with us that our team to complete the exegetical checking of the books of Daniel and Esther in July. How wonderful that these important Biblical books will be available to the Aruamus in the future!

I was part of a Pioneer Bible Translators team participating in the World Convention in Nashville earlier this month. I had the opportunity to present 2 workshops on Bible translation ministry. We praise the Lord for good times spent connecting with many other folks from around the world from Church of Christ, Christian Church, and Disciples of Christ backgrounds.

Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership this last month. At this point Nathan and I are back in Dallas. Nathan is preparing to lead a seminar for the United Bible Society in Stuttgart, Germany in September. Bobby is starting his senior year at Duncanville High School. Brigette is starting her senior year at Ozark Christian College. Heather and Philip are in their second year of Medical College.

I am working with my PBT teammates preparing for Fall missions events. One major event coming soon is PBT’s Fall Banquet and Rally, to be held at Valley View Christian Church on October 30, 2008. If you live in the Dallas area, I hope you will attend! If not, please cover this event in prayer. The theme for the evening will be “Loving the Least!” Speakers will be Greg Pruett and Max Lucado. It will be “an evening devoted to the Bible-less peoples of the world!”

Blessings,

Marsha Miles

(for Nathan and our whole clan)

(To donate to this ministry, checks may be made out to Pioneer Bible Translators, P.O. Box 420335, Atlanta, GA 30342-0335)

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The newsletter for Marsha Relyea Miles.
A communication from Pioneer Bible Translators, Inc. Phone: 972-708-7460

Mid-India update

MID-INDIA CHRISTIAN MISSION
August 6, 2008

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your prayers for the building situation. Many of you have responded by email and we want you all to know where we presently stand. The matter has gone before the High Court. equivalent to your State Supreme Court and they have issued a stay on the orders that local government officials have issued to seize the building. We will be pleading our case at the court. It may take weeks, months or even a few years before any decision is made. The process can be slow in civil matters in India. Local officials have altered most of the title records in their favor so we are doing our best to get some documentation to prove otherwise. I do not know how successful we will be in producing everything that the court may require since much of this will not be in our hands. I am reassured at least that things are no longer in the hands of local politicians and are now in court. This is an election year in India as well as for our state so we are hopeful that our government will change and the new one will be more tolerant towards Christianity. We have employed the best available attorneys and they are positive they will get us some favorable judgment.

Since the imminent threat has passed and we are waiting to be scheduled for hearing our case, we have taken the opportunity to come to the United States for a brief trip. We will be in Illinois for a few weeks and in Georgia for a limited time, to mainly meet with our Board of Directors. Thank you again for your prayers for the situation and for the Lord's work in India. He is faithful.

In His Service,

Vivert and Neelam Lall

Phil Smith is one of the missionaries that will be speaking to us at the conference. Phil forwarded to us today an email from the Director of the prison ministry in South Africa. Read and think about Matt. 25:36 "... I was in prison and y0u came to visit me".

From Phil:
I thought that you might appreciate receiving a recent report about the Prison Ministry in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Below is a monthly update that the Director, Richard Gallant, sent to me yesterday. It talks about the work of the prison ministry, growth, challenges, and prayer requests. THANK YOU for your continual and faithful support of the prison ministry in South Africa!


From: Richard Gallant
Sent: 06 August 2008 05:25 AM
To: Phil Smith
Subject: monthly report

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. The prison ministry is still continuing in the region. We went through a very rough time losing people that played an anchor role in the Eastern Cape. To have lost the writer of the T.E.E material was a personal setback to me. We hope tat God will raise another Ron Butler to complete the task he performed. We also lost Chaplain Sixaba a person we hoped that he would play a major role in the Eastern Cape since he would have been stationed at East London

ACTIVITIES
The last two month have seen me trying to get more co - workers to the programme. Brother Beja promised to assist me as from September. We have just finished our book and will be writing the final exam on the 15 August at Mdantsane.

At East London we have started with Freedom in God’s faith Community. The women prison want also the programme but it will only started in 2009.

Stuterheim doing well under the faithful leadership of Mpayipheli. We have a total of 25 students. We will write our final exam on the 14 August. We will introduce the new book Christian Life.

The work in Grahamstown are doing fine and I hope to visit them the first week in September. St. Albans are still continuing under the capable hands of Norman Erasmus. They will start the last book of the year on the 28 August.

Kirkwood is doing fine under the leadership of Maxwell. He invited me to come with him as soon as I will have some time. Graaff Reinet has a group of 15 Students that will be there for at least two years. They will do the book Talking with God.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT
The leadership of the Eastern Cape churches has promised their support to the programme but up to now no-one has done anything about it. Hope to speak to them at our workshop the 13 September.

OTHER MATTERS
The youth day activity of the Stutterheim Centre went well and to take the inmates out in the community is something that they really enjoy. Due to circumstances beyond my control their visit to the Mlungisi church was canceled, we are looking for a suitable date.

PRAYER REQUEST
Please be praying for our churches that they will support the ministry in the Eastern Cape
Pray for the supporting churches abroad for their continual support of the programme.
Pray for the volunteers brothers Mpayipheli and Nethi , their continued support is of importance to our programme in Grahamstown & Stutterheim
Pray for me and my family so that we can keep on doing the work that we do.

Thank you for your support

Yours in Christ Jesus

Richard M Gallant
EASTERN CAPE PRISON MINISTRY

Mission team prepares the food













Pam Trantham told us about the Ukraine as we prepared










Pam Trantham in front of her and Ray's display wearing a traditional Ukrainian outfit

Pioneer's Bible Update: Married to My Bible

July 2008
Dear friends and family,

David, a young Aruamu man from Niapak village showed me his New Testament, which was marked up and smudged, and said, "It's like I'm married to my Bible; I read it all the time. I am HUNGRY for God."

It was such a blessing to be out in the Aruamu area. Nathan and I, together with Sue Ellen and Bobby Wrenn (sent by Cornerstone Christian Church in Dallas, TX) had a very full time in the village. We have deeply appreciated your prayers and encouragement.

This was the first time I was able to see many of my Aruamu friends since the New Testament dedication, so many happy reunions and visits were had. It was wonderful to be able to introduce Nathan to the Aruamus -- his 10,000 new in-laws!

It was also wonderful to me to see Aruamus USING the Word, and being faithful in their walk with the Lord.

Our main focus of our time here has been Scripture-in-Use. The Aruamus held Evening Crusade Meetings and they asked me to speak for those. They were attended by around 400 people. Bobby Joe held Leadership Training classes for church leaders, with a focus on how to study the Bible. Sue Ellen held a Women's Workshop, which focused on Chronological Bible Storying, using Bible Story Scarves which had pictures of many Bible Stories. Each woman went home with her own scarf, so she can continue telling stories in her own circle of influence. Nathan led two guitar classes, both beginning and intermediate. I led two Literacy Classes.

I was able to meet together with the entire Aruamu Literacy Committee and Translation Team for a day, to plan and strategize. The men divided up into teams and went, with Bobby Joe driving the 4 wheel drive truck, to each of the 39 Aruamu churches to drop of a case of New Testaments, which they are responsible to sell. Also they arranged for teams of Aruamu Literacy Committee teachers to lead 3 different Scripture-in-Use workshops in August. The Aruamu translators are continuing to work on the Old Testament.

Nathan was able to spend daily time on going around the village to learning more Melanesian Pidgin. Before we left, the Aruamus had a feast to say good-bye and we'll see you next year, when we hold the 2009 Scripture-In-Use Meetings.

Blessings,
Marsha (Relyea) Miles(for Nathan and our whole clan)