Persecuted Christians
from Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com)
CHINA - Update: Family Visits Imprisoned Church Leader - China Aid
Association
On July 13, the family of Uyghur house-church leader, Alimujiang Yimiti, was
permitted to visit him for 20 minutes, according to China Aid Association.
Alimujiang's family was relieved to see him alive, as guards had repeatedly
refused to allow them visits in recent weeks. During their meeting, Alimujiang
confirmed that he had received his wife's letters. However, only one of his
letters has been delivered to his wife, and he warned her that she and the
children should not expect to see more letters from him because of the
difficulty he had in sending them. In 2009, Alimujiang was sentenced to 15 years
in prison for "providing state secrets to overseas organizations."
Thank God that Alimujiang was able to visit with his family, and pray that
authorities will continue to allow the visits. Pray that God will protect and
comfort his family and that his testimony might draw other prisoners and guards
to Christ.
Psalm
23:1-5
TANZANIA - Christian Evangelists Acquitted - Compass Direct News
On Aug. 12, a court acquitted two Tanzanian evangelists of "illegal
preaching," according to Compass Direct News. The evangelists, Eleutery
Kobelo and Cecil Simbaulanga, were arrested in October 2009 after Muslims
invited them to participate in a religious debate. The evangelists said that on
the day of the debate, the Muslims arrived with government security agents. The
government agents then charged the evangelists with "using religious
sermons to incite Muslims and Christians into viewing each other with
suspicion." The Muslims claimed that the evangelists' gospel message had
annoyed Muslims, disrupting the peaceful coexistence between the two faiths.
During 10 months of hearings, the Muslims reportedly failed to show up in court
to support their allegations against the evangelists. "We are grateful that
the court has done justice and made its ruling based on Tanzania's constitution
that allows for freedom of religion and assembly," Eleutery said. "We
thank the Christians worldwide for praying for us." Praise God that these
Christians have been acquitted. Pray that Eleutery, Cecil and believers
throughout Tanzania will trust fully in Christ and continue to preach the gospel
without hesitation.
2
Timothy 1:7-12
BELARUS - Pastor Fined for Sharing the Gospel - Forum 18 News
The pastor of a village church in Belarus was recently fined three times in one
day for sharing his faith, according to Forum 18 News Service. "We resolved
to suffer for God," said Pastor Viktor Novik, who decided not to appeal the
fines. According to authorities, Pastor Novik "understands that to hold
events, appropriate permission is needed." Pastor Novik told Forum 18 that
he had applied several times for permission to rent a building for meetings and
to share the gospel, but that authorities had denied his requests. Praise God
for Pastor Novik's faithfulness. Ask God to provide for and protect his family
and congregation.
Psalm
91:1-6