DANGEROUS

Good things
--- to come from a ---
DANGEROUS
FAITH
--- in India---
Mamuni is a bright, happy 11-year-old girl
living in Bandabaju, a tiny village in Kandhamal district of Orissa state (now called
Odisha) in India. She loves to study and
divides her time between going to school
and playing with her siblings.
When Mamuni was just five-years-old, her family’s
village was rocked by the anti-Christian violence
that swept Orissa in 2008. The violence left as many
as 120 Christians dead and over 50,000 Christians
internally displaced throughout India.
To save their lives and the lives of their small children, Mamuni’s parents, Panchu and Tilotama Digal,
sheltered in the forest for days, without any food
or water. They then moved to a government run
relief camp meant for victims of the violence – even
though the long stay at the camp barely translated
into survival. The food was bad, accommodation
was under plastic tents, and there was a constant
threat of being attacked again. A year later, Panchu
and Tilotama gathered enough courage to return
to their village, even though their home had been
completely demolished in the attacks. Once again,
they were subject to humiliation and pressure to
convert to Hinduism by other villagers. They resisted
and continued to live in the makeshift plastic tent
they had for a house.
There were other problems. Amongst the violence,
thousands of children like Mamuni and her siblings
suddenly had no access to education. Mamuni
wanted to go to school but her parents, broken by
financial stress, couldn’t afford to send her anymore.
Besides, school was no longer a safe place for
Christian children, who would be subjected to daily
humiliation just because of their faith. So Mamuni
spent her time taking care of the goats and making
leaf plates to supplement the family income. Her
mother was heartbroken that Mamuni had to skip
school and do these jobs, but there seemed to be no
other way.
By the time Open Doors adopted the community
in 2011, Mamuni and her siblings had not been in
school for more than two years. You can imagine
the young girl’s joy when she learned that one of
the first Open Doors initiatives would be to open
a school! Soon, she was part of the first group of
Christian students to attend what was soon known
as the Bridge School. When villagers became aware
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of this unique school where teachers actually came
and taught (for the government school in the village
was known for having absent teachers), they too
started sending their children to the Bridge School.
Because there was no place for children to play,
the villagers then got together and helped Open
Doors build a children’s park in Bandabaju. The
kids couldn’t be happier. Every evening as Mamuni
would play in the park, her parents would sit and
chat with their Hindu neighbours.
What kept Mamuni most happy was her studies.
She treasured her new school dress, bag and
stationery that Open Doors had given her, and even
more, the chance to study again. Encouraged by her
performance in the Bridge School and supported
by Open Doors income generation projects, Panchu
and Tilotama were finally able to aspire for Mamuni
to be admitted into a regular school. The Convent
School in the nearby town of Raikia was a premium
school and due to a limited amount of spaces,
admission was very difficult.
But recently, Mamuni joined hundreds of students
participating in the entrance exams held at the
Convent School in Raikia. It’s not hard to imagine
how proud Panchu and Tilotama were when their
second-eldest child not only passed the exams –
but received first place! Remember that just a few
years ago, Mamuni was almost forced to give away
her studies forever!
Today, Mamuni is a confident student who is doing
very well in her studies. Her parents are proud and
grateful for the support they received from Open
Doors. For Mamuni, it meant getting what she
always wanted: a chance to be educated and grow.
Small help does make a big difference.
*Names have been changed for security purposes
Photo below: Mamuni at Bridge School
•
Give thanks for God’s work in Mamuni’s life and education. Also give thanks for the family’s faithfulness
and provision throughout such hardship
•
Pray that Panchu and Tilotama’s current situation will stand as a testament to God’s love and mercy and
that they will be able to openly share the good Word with their neighbours
•
Pray for all Christians affected by the 2008 violence of Orissa, that they will see God’s love in their lives
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
--- faith in ---
Boko Haram, the radical Islamist sect responsible
for the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Chibok
in April, appears relentless in its fight for the
establishment of an Islamic state in Africa’s most
populous country. Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar
Shekau has announced, in a recent online video,
the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the
towns and villages it has seized in north-eastern
Nigeria.
It is amongst these conditions that Open Doors workers
recently travelled to deliver letters from our supporters
in Australia and around the world to 140 parents of girls
who were kidnapped – including Reverend Enock, father
of two daughters amongst those missing.
While the pain and suffering of these families is still very
raw, the journey to the village itself is a testament to how
dangerous it can be to be a Christian in Northern Nigeria.
“The spiritual battle raging in my heart is nothing new
to me. I have faced it many times before. So, I knelt in
prayer and pleaded with God for direction and peace. The
next day I got up early and started my journey with the
battle in my heart continuing unabated. As the odometer
counted the kilometres between the place I called home
and the battlefield called Chibok, I carried on fighting.
“The journey took longer than usual because I had to make
many detours to avoid confrontation with Boko Haram
in towns they had recently claimed. I also came across
countless security checks manned by agitated men who
found it hard to believe I was travelling towards Chibok at
a time such as this.
“The battle in my mind intensified as I entered the town
where I stayed overnight. There was no one to offer
encouragement. Everyone urged me to turn back.
“I was to meet our area contact in a town just over 100
km from Chibok. When I arrived there, he was as restless
as I. We had made a covenant the night before to each
continue the battle on our knees and ask God to guide us.
Although there were many people sincerely worried about
our safety who thought it was unwise to go to Chibok,
neither of else felt that God was urging us not to go.
“Suddenly we had a breakthrough in our minds. ‘We were
not going to Chibok to serve ourselves, but to encourage
people who are in desperate need of it. God will keep us.
And if He doesn’t, then let Him preserve us until we have
completed the task at hand.’
“At first the road was deserted. But then we started seeing
groups of displaced women, children and elderly. They
looked exhausted and scared. We had brought extra water
for our journey, so we stopped and handed out some of it,
especially for the children. Even these people asked us to
turn back. But we had come so far. There was no turning
back now.
“About 15km from Chibok, armed youths appeared in the
road in front of us. The haggard-looking men ordered us
to stop. They asked countless questions and searched the
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car. Two of them walked away and discussed us. When
they returned, they told us to go. Until today, we don’t
know who they were. All we know is that they were not
Nigerians.
“We were thankful to reach Chibok, but were shocked
at the state of the town… Chibok (is) all but destroyed.
It was almost deserted. A few animals roamed the
streets.
“Most people have left. There is no functioning school
and no functioning hospital. Many churches have been
burned. Food is scarce and it is becoming very hard to
make ends meet. A few soldiers have been deployed to
protect what is left, but the people are not placing their
trust in them.
“Circumstances are not much better in surrounding
villages.
“It is hard to find words apt for an occasion such as
this. But I realise that it was not so much the words
I would speak that would comfort and strengthen,
but the mere fact that we were willing to come
despite the danger.”
Adds Reverend Enock: “We are so grateful for Open
Doors. Your support came as a surprise and as a
gift of hope at a time that our world seems to be
crumbling. I have a deep pain in my heart every
single day. But the moment I read through this
prayer collection and feel the presence of your
coming even when there is fear on the road, my
heart received strength in a miraculous way… you
did not only send the cards, but have come all the
way to tell us you care.”
Photos: Recipients of letters from Open Doors supporters
“The national emergency management agency
estimates that about 400,000 people have been
internally displaced by Boko Haram attacks.
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Please continue to pray for spiritual and physical strength for the families and missing daughters of
Chibok. Pray also for healing for those who have managed to escape and return home
•
Pray for Nigeria, for the violence against Christians to cease, and many more to come to Christ
•
Thank the Lord for His journey mercies to our team travelling to Chibok and the continued work they do in
Nigeria and the Africa region
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
As far as Christian households in North Korea go, Hee
Young* comes from an a-typical family. As a child
growing up, house church services were organised in
Hee Young’s home.
“My father had a job that allowed him to receive many
visitors and there were not many houses near our house,”
she shares. “These were the only reasons why it was
possible for us to have these secret church services.”
“When I came back, I opened the door and expected to
see my father. He always came to the door to meet me.
Not this time,” says Hee Young. “Instead I saw the house
was ransacked. I had never seen such chaos. I went to
my father’s office, because I wanted to see him and hear
from him what had happened. He wasn’t there anymore.
I knew there had been a secret worship meeting earlier
that day. I ran back to the living room and asked the
other family members where Dad was.”
Hee Young’s job was to stand watch – with her
grandmother leading a network of secret believers, the risk
of arrest was always present.
Hee Young’s mother explained that agents from
the National Security Agency had raided the house,
discovered one of the Bibles and arrested her father.
“We played outside and as soon as someone came near to
the house, we ran home to warn everybody,” Hee Young
explains. “All the adults went to their rooms, pretending
they were just resting.”
The shock was too much for Hee Young’s grandmother,
who became ill and died only two weeks after her son’s
arrest. But before she passed away, she made sure of one
thing. She gathered the family together and asked them
to burn the remaining Bibles, which had included one
she had translated from Chinese and written by hand.
Hee Young’s mother agreed to the request and burnt
the Bibles in the oven, page by page, with tears running
down her cheeks. Her grandmother told them to stay
“true to our faith in God – but when the flames devoured
the pages, wept intensely.”
Because of the many sudden and random house searches
that are the norm in North Korea, the three family Bibles
were hidden. To help when raids occur, all the Bibles had
a paper cover with images of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il,
just in case.
As she became a teenager, life was going well for Hee
Young, despite the risks. But one day, when she returned
home from school, everything changed.
Everybody in the nearby village expected the family to
disappear soon - “There are not many cars in North Korea.
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Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I heard the sound
of car engines and I got goose bumps all over my body. I
was so scared they would take us away to a camp,” - but
it would be another three years before the family was
informed they had to move to another area. Although
they were not imprisoned, the family was moved into a
house smaller than the smallest room in their old home.
But despite constant observation, they were grateful.
“It did not matter. We were still alive. Besides, a large
famine had struck our country, but in our new village
we were able to grow some crops for ourselves and
we survived. It was then that I realised that God had
prepared this place for us. He turned evil to good.”
Hee Young was able to escape North Korea a decade
later, followed by other relatives. The new world was not
without its difficulties - for two years after she arrived
in South Korea, for example, the sound of a car at night
made Hee Young anxious. But in time, she married a
South Korean pastor and together they had three
children. They now work with other North Korean
refugees, prepare them to go back to North Korea
when it opens up again. Hee Young’s dream is to start
a church in the house she grew up in.
With everything she has been through for her faith,
Hee Young emphasises the importance of looking at
life from a heavenly perspective.
“My grandmother always said that we must be ready
for Jesus’ coming. ‘I hope that Jesus will take you folks
amongst all people. So you must believe in Jesus. You
must not believe in Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung because
all the things in this world are useless. God created
the world.’ Then she would point out the window to
the sky and say, ‘We have to go there’. She was always
sobbing whenever she told us about this.”
*Names have been changed for security purposes
Photos are indicative only
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Pray for all those who work with North Korean believers outside of North Korea, preparing for the day
they can return to minister to the lost. Pray also for workers risking their lives to assist believers and
share the Word with them inside the country
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Pray Kim Jong-Un and the leadership of North Korea will see the truth and know Jesus is Lord
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Pray for all Christians in North Korea, those living in secret and those in labour camps, that they will
know the comfort of God’s love
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
It‘s tough being a Christian in an all-Muslim tribe,
and even tougher when your particular Muslim
tribe is disdained by the Buddhist government.
Amod* is Rohingya, so he is considered to be
Muslim. But Amod is a Rohingya who loves Jesus.
In Myanmar, being one or the other already
guarantees a lifetime of persecution - imagine the
consequences of being both!
As a new follower of Christ, Amod began looking for a
church in his village - but as he was Rohingya, the church
worker refused to let him join. “She said that I would bring
problems,” Amod recalls.
Rohingyas like Amod are not considered citizens of
Myanmar. The country refuses to acknowledge them, saying
they are Bengali immigrants. Neighbouring Bangladesh, on
the other hand, says they are indigenous to Myanmar.
Twice, Amod and his family were forced to flee due to
threats from his Muslim neighbours. Five years after
his conversion, Amod decided to look for peace outside
Myanmar and began his trek to freedom. From Myanmar,
he scaled the cliff ranges alone to reach Bangladesh. He
had nothing but his clothes and some meagre food. He
hiked at night, trusting the darkness to hide him from
border patrol.
So, heckled by Buddhist extremists for being Muslim,
abandoned by their own government and totally stripped
of their rights, members of the Rohingya tribe flee to
neighbouring countries to seek refuge.
Given his situation, believers like Amod not only run from
their country, but - because they love Jesus - they are also
forced to run from their own people.
Amod’s story began when he received a New Testament
Bible in 2006. He turned to the book of Matthew and read
that all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus.
Having practised Islam for 33 years, what he read confused
him. He spent some time reading what the Quran had to
say about Jesus and talking to the elders in his family. Soon,
“everyone in my family agreed that Jesus came to save us.”
Though rejected, Amod knew he still needed a church, but
local officials refused to process his application to legally
gather Rohingya believers to pray.
By the Lord’s grace, Amod made it through. A month later,
his family also crossed in to Bangladesh. They built a home
and found a church where they could serve, but Amod’s
moves remained restricted. Muslims would ask why he was
a Christian.
“I was afraid, so I told them that I was a Christian from a
Hindu background, not from a Muslim background. I had to
say it that way. Otherwise, they would kill me.”
Later on, some Muslims found out the truth about Amod.
Threatened yet again, Amod ran – even though it struck
him that, at some point, he would have to stop running.
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“There’s no such thing as a normal life when you follow
Christ as a Muslim,” he explains. “I couldn’t keep denying
my background forever. I wanted to be bold in saying I was
a follower of Christ, because Jesus said, ‘If you reject me, I’ll
reject you.’”
Amod decided to move again. He gathered his people, by
now seven Rohingya households, to risk their lives, yet
again.
“I was their main target,” Amod goes on. “The other
families spread out to different communities so the Muslim
leaders would have a hard time catching me. They prayed
and fasted hard for me.”
Finally, one of the Muslim leaders caught up with Amod,
but something unthinkable happened.
“He was rendered mentally ill and was removed from his
position as the village chief in his community. After the
incident, we felt safe to gather again because he was gone.” There was trouble from the start. At the train station, their
broker - a Muslim whom Amod asked to help them cross
the border - alerted police when he discovered their faith. Now, Amod leads and ministers to several Rohingya
families. His vision is to see half a million Rohingyas come
They were eventually allowed to leave and settled into an to Christ before he dies.
Indian city. But as time went on, the villagers noticed they
In all that he has been through, Amod holds one thing true:
weren’t attending the local mosque.
“God is never late in answering our prayers.”
The families were forced to move on. They found favour
*Name changed for security purposes
with a landowner, who provided them with shelter. But
one night, two Rohingya Muslim leaders came to their new
Photos are indicative only
settlement. When Amod refused their offer of money to
come with them, the leaders left to get the police. “When
they returned to pick me up, we had already left.”
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Amod and the families with him have recently been granted Refugee Status by the United Nations. Pray they
will now be able to settle and share the Good News with others without fear of persecution
•
Amod says, “I personally need a lot of Bible lessons, so I can teach my tribe.” Please pray for this
•
Give thanks for protection of Amod and his family as they have gone through their trials
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
The Bible gives us more direction for our prayers than we often realise. Here are five Bible verses
from the Gospels which are very encouraging to pray for our North Korean brothers and sisters,
especially as they go through rough storms.
1. ‘Lord, calm the storm.’
“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great
calm.” (Mark 4:39)
Leader Kim Jong-Un has unleashed a storm of persecution and oppression on Christians and everyone else he
considers as his political enemies. In recent months, over 10,000 people were either killed, incarcerated in prisons
and camps or banished to closed villages, among them many women and children. It is unknown how many
Christians were caught during this time of persecution. According to one source, at least 33 Christians connected
to an arrested South Korean missionary were sentenced to death. Only Jesus is able to calm the storm. Pray that
He will. But pray with courage. After Jesus calmed the storm in the gospel, Mark quoted Jesus saying: “Why are
you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” God will come through for the Christians in every circumstance. With that
faith we can pray that Jesus calms the storm.
2. ‘Lord, let the children come to You.’
“But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of God.’” (Luke 18:16)
Being a Christian parent in North Korea can be heartbreaking. No prayers before or after dinner. No Bible stories
before bed time. Never able to take your child to church. It is the ugly reality of raising kids in North Korea. It is
just too dangerous to talk about Christianity. Your child may accidentally betray you. You can only pray that once
your children are old enough you can share the gospel with them and they will understand the Bible and desire to
know the one, true God. But Jesus said that nobody should hinder the children to come to him. Pray for Christian
parents and their children, that the seed of the Gospel will be planted in their hearts and that God will nurture it
throughout their lives.
3. ‘Lord, offer your living water to the broken women.’
“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have
asked him, and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10)
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Many North Korean women, often mothers, have been tricked into human trafficking or decided themselves to sell
their lives to help their families survive. Tens of thousands now live in China, where they were forcibly married to
Chinese men. Others work in prostitution. In most cases, the women left husbands and/or children behind in their own
countries. Their Chinese families exercise control over them, often resulting in abusive behaviour. Like the story of the
Samaritan woman in John 4, the lives of these women have fallen apart. They need Jesus to heal them and restore
them. Pray for the women under Open Doors’ care. His living water is what they need. Pray He will offer it to them and
reveal Himself to them. Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well and the result was an entire village coming to faith.
4. ‘Lord, call out the Christians to walk over water.’
“And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’” (Matthew 14:28)
Following Jesus Christ can be a frightening thing. When Jesus approached the boat, the disciples didn’t even recognise
Him at first, but Jesus reassured them by quoting His Father: ‘I am.’ Jesus is Lord and in the darkest of nights He is
present. Christians in North Korea need to discern the will of God as much as we do, maybe even more. How should they
pray? When is it safe to talk about the gospel? When, where and how is it possible to meet other Christians? How can
they help each other and their neighbours? They need Jesus to call out to them and give them the faith to walk over
water. And even if they lack faith for just a second and they start to sink, they know Jesus will reach out to them and
pull them out of the water. So, pray for the Christians, that they discern the Lord’s voice. Pray that, like Peter, they fix
their eyes on Jesus and get out of the boat without hesitation.
5. ‘Lord, forgive them. They don’t know what they do.’
“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” (Luke 23:34a)
We have to realise that the North Korean rulers are blinded. They need to see with the eyes of their hearts. God needs
to forgive them and free them. Our prayers for forgiveness are necessary. Why else would Jesus have used all His energy
and all His strength to ask for forgiveness for those who had tortured Him and were now nailing Him to a cross? He
asked the Lord to not hold this sin against them. In the same way, we need to intercede on behalf of the persecutors. We
don’t know if any of the Roman soldiers came to faith. Neither will we know what effects our prayers will have on the
North Korean leaders, but we must follow the example of our Lord. Pray the Lord’s prayer for the North Korean church,
but also for the oppressors. We all need the Lord to bring us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light at
some point in our lives (Colossians 1). Pray God will forgive their sins as well as ours.
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
--- refuge ---
In June, the abduction and murder of three
Jewish teens and the kidnapping and burning
of a Palestinian boy flared up the violence
between Israeli’s and Palestinians once again.
An Open Doors Fieldworker for Israel and the
Palestinian Areas regularly visits the small remaining church in Gaza. In late-July, she wrote
about the peace the church of Gaza is finding
in Jesus:
“Every time I travel to Israel I try to visit Gaza as well.
It takes quite some effort to get there - it’s an answer
to prayer if I get a permit and permission from both
Israel and Hamas. Gaza has a warm place in my
heart, because of the wonderful people that I (have)
befriended and whom I love. Apart from who is right
and who is wrong in the conflict, my heart goes out to
the people of Gaza and especially the church there in
the midst of this situation.
“I remember my last visit to Gaza well. On a Thursday
morning in May, I parked my car at the parking lot
near the large customs terminal called Erez. It takes
some checks to cross Israeli customs, but after the
checks and walking through a number of gates and
revolving doors, I found myself at the other side of the
border. The landscape is desolate and a long roofed
corridor await(s). The corridor is over 1000 metres
long and takes at least ten minutes of walking,
or if you are lucky you can pay a little money for
transport by a golf-cart.
“Already back then polluted water just ran into the
sea because the electricity system was damaged.
Currently my friends in Gaza tell me that only very
few fishermen still dare to go out on the sea, catching fish from polluted water near the coast.
“In retrospect, Gaza was peaceful back then. The
children in bare feet still shocked me, as did the
increasing number of women I saw in black veils.
But there were no bombs falling down. No children
killed while playing on the beach. But I remember
that I felt sorry for all these human beings, since
they were living like in a prison.
“That is also what my friend told me when I visited
her in May. It had been raining heavily the night
before I went to Gaza, so the unpaved roads that
brought me to my friend’s house were muddy. It
had been less than two months since we met and
we easily took up the thread of our conversations:
sharing about our families, the children and, in her
case, grandchildren. But we also talked about the
reality of living in Gaza, a place you can only leave
if you have the right permits. Permits that in many
occasions are not granted. The feeling that you are
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stuck and not free to depart makes it so hard.
On top of this, it’s difficult living in Gaza as a
Christian minority group. This is not an elegy of
a complaining Palestinian woman, but the daily
reality of a woman like me.
Greek Orthodox church opened their premises to
support families. Some areas are relatively calm,
but there is no safe place in Gaza.
“Still, in the midst of all this, my friend feels
peace. Peace because she trusts in God who
promises that He will be with them.
“Now, her ‘prison’ is being bombed. I call my
friend to see how she is doing. She tells me that
she is doing relatively well; ‘Our trust in God is
unshaken, He is our refuge.’ In her part of town
the bombs don’t fall frequently. But she suffers
from all (the) damage the bombings have
caused. Electricity and running water aren’t
self-evident anymore. The bombs and shootings
come close.
“The building opposite one of (the) churches was
bombed. Now they don’t use the church anymore. People who had to flee or lost their houses
find refuge with families or in other places,
for example in a church. Both the Catholic and
“How can we respond to the things that are
happening in Gaza? Can we still look at the
human side of this political conflict? Can we pray
for our brothers and sisters in Gaza? I hear that
Christians inside Gaza are praying. For peace
for themselves, but also peace for the rest of
the Middle East, including Israel. While they are
suffering from the violence, for them the only
way forward is the love of Christ. My friend is
thankful for everyone who is praying for the
situation. She says that even if we are far apart,
we’re all part of the same body of Christ.”
Photos are indicative only
•
Give thanks for the believers in Gaza and Israel, that they continue to hold on to their faith and find
comfort in God’s mercy. Pray they will be a light to their communities
•
Pray for all those who work for Christian interests in the Israel and Palestinian areas, that they will be
granted freedom of movement and are able to provide fellowship to those who may not be able to
find it otherwise
•
Our worker prays: “Let’s also be guided by His love and pray for this suffering part of the church: for
the believers in Gaza, Israel and West Bank, whether they are Arabs, Jews or whatever people group.”
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
Open Doors workers recently visited Erbil in
Iraq, to see what is being done for thousands of
displaced Christians there. It was a difficult week
for our workers – hearing many incredible stories
of survival, often filled with sadness and difficulty.
With the help of Open Doors, local churches are
doing their best to support those who have been
left with nothing but their faith. One of our
workers, Lydia, wrote a blog of her experiences.
Here is the last entry she wrote before she left.
I must admit that photogenic places like these are a
photographer’s dream, on the other hand I feel like a
paparazzo. These people have lost everything, even
their privacy and then on top of that, as a stranger and
foreigner, I come and take pictures of their distress.
Today is my last day in this shaken country. Tomorrow I
will be leaving Iraq and going back home. Just like that.
So easy. A huge contrast in comparison to the people I
have met during the past few days. In several occasions,
Christians communicated in sign-language they would
love to go with me; by putting both their index fingers
together and making the suggestion of flying away.
They even ask me to take pictures of them. They
are thanking me for being there. It is all a matter of
perspective. Especially the children are very fond of their
picture being taken. And they are so cute!
There are times I feel deep sorrow, and the next moment
I can’t help but laugh out loud about something that is
happening or what someone is saying. It is an emotional
rollercoaster.
Today we visited an unfinished concrete building that
houses over 100 Christian families. Part of the space is
divided by canvas with a ‘home’ for every family, but in
other parts of the building they just live in the open. The
displaced Christians are taken care of by the people of
Saint Joseph’s Church.
But instead of being offended they welcome me as a
friend. A young student tells me in his best English that it
is very important that we tell their story to the world in
pictures and writing.
After five days of visiting churches, refugee camps,
houses, pastors and co-workers I have learned so much
and have seen such great faith. Even when people go
through the darkest valley, if there is faith, then there is
love, hope and even laughter.
Pastor Douglas, for example, motivates the children
to feel responsible for the hygiene of the tent camp
at the churchyard. At the end of each day he calls for
the ‘garbage moment’. Every full bag of garbage boys
and girls can show him will be rewarded with some
cookies, drinks or other small items. Apart from having
fun, it also is to learn that it is good to take care of your
surroundings.
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PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS
Another pastor tells me that he motivates people to
participate in the support to other refugees. He says; “It
helps them to have some purpose in life and it helps them
to focus on the good things. Seeing the great need of others
sometimes helps them to be thankful for the things they
still have, like food, a place to stay and family.”
Another great initiative is to help churches creating child
friendly spaces, which is a special place or tent where
children can be just children. Makruhi is a trainer with
one of Open Doors’ partners. She recently started teaching
churches how to create child friendly spaces.
This project also includes training workers. She prepares
the workers by telling them what they can expect in the
behaviour of the ones who are traumatised - she also shows
them how to respond.
colourful cloth on the inside. Through the local partner,
Open Doors sponsored the tent, all the little chairs for the
children, the fans to cool the tent and even the children’s
games. Pastor Daniel and the children can’t wait to start!
Children have the future. I’m confident that when they
are healthy both physically as well as spiritually, that
there is hope for this country. The ethnical and religious
boundaries are sharp in Iraq. Christian or Muslim, but
also inside the church; Orthodox, Evangelical or Catholic.
However, if the children of today learn about hope and
love, they will know how to live in peace with each other.
Then they will get the chance to make a difference in
their own lives and also for the future of their country.
Photos: Scenes from the church grounds in Erbil
The child friendly space that has been set up in one of
the camps looks great. It is a large blue tent, padded with
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Many members of families in the camps are traumatised. Pray they will be able to heal mentally
and physically despite what they are going through
•
Pray for God’s mighty hand to sweep through the leadership of Islamic State (IS), that they will
recognise that there is only one true God and repent for what they have done
•
Pray that the children of Iraq will learn about hope and love and bring a peaceful future to the
nation and region
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz
While the government of Mali struggles to keep the
peace process on track amid continued insecurity,
the church is facing its own struggle. Almost two
years after the Islamist invasion, Christians who
had fled to the south before the attacks had to
decide whether to stay on or venture back to the
north. During a recent visit to Mali, Open Doors was
able to hear what the Christians who have decided
to return are living through
At the beginning of 2012, Tuareg mercenaries staged a
rebellion and the army, who accused the president of
failure to deal with the rebels, performed a coup. In the
ensuing chaos, Islamists linked to al-Qaeda merged with
the separatists and declared an Islamic state in the north
of Mali. Reports of amputations, beatings and executions
soon emerged.
When the Islamists struck, Christians in Gao, Kidal and
Timbuktu fled to Bamako and other southern areas like
Mopti, Sikasso and Sevare, several days’ travel from the
north. They left all their belongings behind. Thankfully,
the local Evangelical Alliance received these refugees and
took care of them for months. Open Doors helped with
emergency food relief.
The French intervened in January 2013 and deposed the
rebels. Although insecurity continued in some parts of the
north, some of the displaced Christians started thinking
about returning to the north after spending almost
two years in limbo in the south. Although there is more
stability in Bamako, things are not necessarily easier life is very expensive there.
Those who decided to return to the north soon learned
that they needed a lot of courage. They were confronted
with disheartening scenes of destruction. The Islamists
had first occupied all the churches, turning them in
to mosques. After taking over the church schools,
they turned them into madrassas (Koranic schools).
They moved into the Christian homes. And then they
vandalised everything.
For the returning believers, seeing the destruction of
their homes was a traumatic experience. As could be
expected, all food, clothing and animals had become
spoils of war. But it was a great shock to see that the
rebels did not even spare them a door or a window. They
had destroyed everything the believers had worked so
hard for. In some of the churches and schools, even the
roofs were gone.
Some of the returnees were able to rent houses, but for
the rest the only option was to clear out the debris from
what was left and make doors and windows from plastic
sheeting.
As a result of the destruction to schools, the returning
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PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS
Christians have been forced to place their children in Muslim
schools where Islamic studies are mandatory. The parents
have no other alternative.
Most of the believers were farmers but, with no tools to
work the land, starvation has become a real threat. The
World Food Program says more than 1.5 million people are
currently ‘food insecure’ in Mali’s north. According to them
one in five households in the three northern regions of Gao,
Kidal and Timbuktu face extreme food shortages.
“Most of the families in Gao and Timbuktu eat only one
meal a day,” explains Timothee from Gao. “Life has become
very difficult for us. Our situation is worse than it was
before. We have to start afresh. We have no houses, no
churches. And the Muslims are no longer as friendly as they
used to be. Some are not even willing to come close to us. It
looks like they have been brainwashed by the insurgents.”
to the uncertainty. Under these circumstances, it’s fair
that returning Christians are left wondering if they have
made the right decision to move back to the north. They
have had to start from scratch.
But Open Doors continues providing Bibles and
reconstruction support to the Christian communities
of Mali. We try to help believers make sense of their
persecution by running Standing Strong through the
Storm seminars, and continue equipping Christians for
cross-cultural evangelism and discipleship. The ongoing
insecurity and capacity limitations on the ground make
this work challenging, but we continue to thank the
Lord for their return despite the difficulties, and we
will continue to support them in order to preserve the
testimony of Christ in Mali!
Photos are indicative only
Continued rebel activity despite the presence of 10,000
United Nations police and at least 1,500 French troops adds
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Please continue to lift up the church in Mali and Open Doors’ efforts to strengthen believers
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Pray that the Lord would give the believers the grace to continue despite the difficulties and provide in all
of their needs
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Pray for harvest opportunities to return to the north, so that hunger will cease to be a threat. Pray also
that those who remained in the south will experience God’s provision
09 620 4200 I [email protected] I www.opendoors.org.nz