Prayer List for April 19, 2009

Sunday, please pray for Chinese Christian, Shi Weihan. “Shi Weihan is scheduled to stand trial on Thursday, April 9 at 9 a.m. local time at the People’s Court of Haidan District, Beijing. Shi has been in prison since March 19, 2008 for printing and distributing Christian books and Bibles without government permission. The official charge is for ‘illegal business practices,’ however, a judge has held, at least twice, that there is not sufficient evidence to convict him on this charge. Nevertheless, police have continued to hold Shi Weihan in custody in order collect additional evidence hoping to gain a conviction.” (Open Doors)

Monday, please pray for the construction of a church in Bangladesh. Though Bangladesh is supposed to have freedom of religion, “Authorities called for a five-month halt to construction of a church in northern Bangladesh, for fear of huge conversions. The construction of the Ishai Fellowship Church began in early November 2008, but after Muslims protested, the mayor halted construction. ‘The local Muslims fired all the cylinders of the society to stop building a church in this vicinity. They want me not to work for the expansion of the Kingdom of God here. They persuaded the city council authority to stop [construction of] the church,’ Mashi, a pastor of Calvary Ishai Fellowship, told Compass. ‘The mayor of the city council told me that I did not have any building plan and permission from them to build a house here, so I should stop the construction work.’” (Open Doors)

Tuesday, please praise God for the release of Brother Sani. “When a Nigerian court sentenced him to three years in jail back in late 2007, Brother Sani cried out to God for help. And thankfully, the Lord heard his cry. Today, having served less than half his sentence, Sani is a free man!” (Open Doors)

Wednesday, please praise God that the Georgia House of Representatives has “passed a resolution in favor of home schoolers in Germany. Home schoolers in that country face hefty fines and the potential loss of their kids if they home school. One German family, the Romeikes, are seeking asylum in the U.S. after facing persecution for home schooling.” (OneNewsNow)

Thursday, please pray for Iranian Christians, Brother Mohsen, his wife Feresthe, and their 12-year-old son. Iranian police arrested Mohsen for his conversion to Christianity from Islam and to get the names of his contacts. After torture which damaged his face, spinal cord, and teeth, he became so ill that the police released him. He and his family escaped to Turkey where they applied to the UN for refugee status. It can be very difficult for those fleeing “Islamic justice” to receive approval from the UN because some of the worst oppressor governments serve on the hearing committees and they cover for one another’s oppression. (Open Doors, me)

Friday, please praise God that Make Way Partners evangelist, Philip, has been released in Sudan and has about 70 mostly Muslims attending his services in Darfur. Please pray that the organization’s supply trucks will be released without ransom from a group in Juba, Sudan. (Make Way Partners)

Saturday, please praise God for the release of a Christian convert in Saudi Arabia. “On March 28, Hamoud Bin Saleh, a Saudi Christian arrested in January for writing about his conversion from Islam and criticizing the Saudi kingdom's crackdown on individual rights, was released from prison, according to Compass Direct News. Saleh is reportedly forbidden to travel outside the country or appear in the media. In a recent post on his blog, Saleh attributed his release to several human rights groups that campaigned on his behalf. ‘A nation which lives in this system cannot guarantee the safety of its individuals,’ he blogged, according to Compass Direct. In Saudi Arabia the penalty for converting from Islam, also called apostasy, is death. Still, in recent years, there have been no known cases of Saudis formally been convicted and sentenced to death.” (Voice of the Martyrs, Compass Direct News)

North Korea Freedom Week is scheduled to take place in Washington, DC from April 26 - May 2, 2009.

Voice of the Martyrs will be holding a meeting in New Lenox, IL, May 16. For more information, go to www.persecution.com.

Prayer List for April 19, 2009

Sunday, please pray for Chinese Christian, Shi Weihan. “Shi Weihan is scheduled to stand trial on Thursday, April 9 at 9 a.m. local time at the People’s Court of Haidan District, Beijing. Shi has been in prison since March 19, 2008 for printing and distributing Christian books and Bibles without government permission. The official charge is for ‘illegal business practices,’ however, a judge has held, at least twice, that there is not sufficient evidence to convict him on this charge. Nevertheless, police have continued to hold Shi Weihan in custody in order collect additional evidence hoping to gain a conviction.” (Open Doors)

Monday, please pray for the construction of a church in Bangladesh. Though Bangladesh is supposed to have freedom of religion, “Authorities called for a five-month halt to construction of a church in northern Bangladesh, for fear of huge conversions. The construction of the Ishai Fellowship Church began in early November 2008, but after Muslims protested, the mayor halted construction. ‘The local Muslims fired all the cylinders of the society to stop building a church in this vicinity. They want me not to work for the expansion of the Kingdom of God here. They persuaded the city council authority to stop [construction of] the church,’ Mashi, a pastor of Calvary Ishai Fellowship, told Compass. ‘The mayor of the city council told me that I did not have any building plan and permission from them to build a house here, so I should stop the construction work.’” (Open Doors)

Tuesday, please praise God for the release of Brother Sani. “When a Nigerian court sentenced him to three years in jail back in late 2007, Brother Sani cried out to God for help. And thankfully, the Lord heard his cry. Today, having served less than half his sentence, Sani is a free man!” (Open Doors)

Wednesday, please praise God that the Georgia House of Representatives has “passed a resolution in favor of home schoolers in Germany. Home schoolers in that country face hefty fines and the potential loss of their kids if they home school. One German family, the Romeikes, are seeking asylum in the U.S. after facing persecution for home schooling.” (OneNewsNow)

Thursday, please pray for Iranian Christians, Brother Mohsen, his wife Feresthe, and their 12-year-old son. Iranian police arrested Mohsen for his conversion to Christianity from Islam and to get the names of his contacts. After torture which damaged his face, spinal cord, and teeth, he became so ill that the police released him. He and his family escaped to Turkey where they applied to the UN for refugee status. It can be very difficult for those fleeing “Islamic justice” to receive approval from the UN because some of the worst oppressor governments serve on the hearing committees and they cover for one another’s oppression. (Open Doors, me)

Friday, please praise God that Make Way Partners evangelist, Philip, has been released in Sudan and has about 70 mostly Muslims attending his services in Darfur. Please pray that the organization’s supply trucks will be released without ransom from a group in Juba, Sudan. (Make Way Partners)

Saturday, please praise God for the release of a Christian convert in Saudi Arabia. “On March 28, Hamoud Bin Saleh, a Saudi Christian arrested in January for writing about his conversion from Islam and criticizing the Saudi kingdom's crackdown on individual rights, was released from prison, according to Compass Direct News. Saleh is reportedly forbidden to travel outside the country or appear in the media. In a recent post on his blog, Saleh attributed his release to several human rights groups that campaigned on his behalf. ‘A nation which lives in this system cannot guarantee the safety of its individuals,’ he blogged, according to Compass Direct. In Saudi Arabia the penalty for converting from Islam, also called apostasy, is death. Still, in recent years, there have been no known cases of Saudis formally been convicted and sentenced to death.” (Voice of the Martyrs, Compass Direct News)

North Korea Freedom Week is scheduled to take place in Washington, DC from April 26 - May 2, 2009.

Voice of the Martyrs will be holding a meeting in New Lenox, IL, May 16. For more information, go to www.persecution.com.

Prayer List for February 8-14, 2009

Sunday, please pray for the church of Eritrea and especially for the families of two Christians. “Mogos Hagos Kiflom (37) died as the alleged result of the continued physical torture he endured for his refusal to recant his faith. Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom (42) died in solitary confinement. Sources say he died as a result of ongoing physical torture and complications from diabetes. Late November, 34 members of the Kale-Hiwot Church in Dekemhare were arrested. Shortly before Christmas, at least 49 key leaders of underground churches in Asmara were rounded up over a two week period. The government arrested 15 members of the Kale-Hiwot Church in Keren on January 11 and around the same time closed down a printing press while arresting the owner.” (Open Doors)

Monday, please pray for the Kachin and Karen peoples of Burma. The Burman overlords forcibly transfer them out of their home villages into other ones and work them as unpaid laborers. (Free Burma Rangers)

Tuesday, please pray for Iranian Christians, Jamal Ghalishorani, his wife Nadereh Jamali, and Hamik Khachikian. They “were arrested on January 21st and are being held without charges by Iranian authorities. Arrests and pressure on Christians from authorities have ramped up even further in the past few months, the source said. The arrests are particularly disturbing in light of the Iranian parliament’s approval last September of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death sentence for ‘apostates,’ or anyone who leaves Islam for another faith (i.e. followers of Jesus Christ). Under the new penal code, male ‘apostates’ would be executed, while females would receive life sentences.” (Open Doors)

Wednesday, please praise God for the acquittal of several Pakistani Christians on blasphemy charges. “Nearly two years ago in March of 2007, during a religious holiday celebrating Muhammad’s birthday, Salamat Masih, his son Rashid, Ishfaq, Saba and Dao Masih were arrested and charged with ‘blasphemy’ against Islam. The Islamic clergymen agreed to issue a fatwa (religious edict) declaring the accused men innocent of blasphemy.” An acquittal for blasphemy is rare. Christians mark this as historic and hope that it marks a change in policy. Blasphemy charges have been a tool for revenge on one’s enemies. Muslims have suffered more under the blasphemy law than Christians. (Open Doors, me)

Thursday, please pray for peace between the Palestinians of Gaza and the Israelis. Please pray that God would fill His children in the area with power and use them to win precious souls. (Arab World Ministries)

Friday, please praise God that a former Islamic history teacher in the Middle East has come to the Lord at 84. Please pray that his life will have an impact on other Muslims. (Arab World Ministries)

Saturday, please pray for a Saudi Christian, Hamoud Bin Saleh. “On Jan. 13, Saudi police arrested Hamoud Bin Saleh ‘because of his testimony that he converted from Islam to Christianity,’ according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). His journey to Christ began after witnessing the public beheading of three Pakistanis convicted of drug charges. Shaken, he began an extensive study of Islamic history and law, as well as Saudi justice. His research led him to an exploration of other faiths and of the Bible. After reading how Jesus forgave rather than stoned a woman condemned for adultery, Bin Saleh prayed to receive Christ as his Savior.” (Open Doors)