Orissa Advocacy

To wrap up our week on India and Orissa I’d like to tell you about an easy way you can help bring justice to Orissa Christians.  Representative Trent Franks (R-CA) and Representative Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO) have jointly sponsored a letter to the Chief Minister of Orissa, Navin Patnaik.  You can send a letter to your representative asking him or her to sign the letter to the Chief Minister of Orissa.  According to Open Doors, who is hosting this campaign, 11 U.S. Representatives have signed on to the letter so far. The more support the letter has, the greater the pressure is placed on the Chief Minister to take action on behalf of persecuted Christians in Orissa.

Just click on the link below. It will take you to a prewritten letter. You may change the wording or keep it. Fill in your name, click the send button and your done! It will only take five minutes of your time but it could have a long lasting impact on persecuted Christians in Orissa

https://secure2.convio.net/ccod/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=181

A little comedy to get you through the day

I know, its Friday and 5 o’clock cannot come fast enough. Here is something to make the time go a bit faster. Its a video of hilarious stand up comedian Jeff Allen. He’s clean, and his material is relatable and not hooky (like some other christian comedians I’ve watched.) You can find more of his routines on youtube, but this one is my favorite

Misery is optional

I know I’m a day late for “Thoughts on a Thursday” but better late than never. I’m still trying to get in the habit of blogging everyday 🙂 At my bible study a few nights ago, our leader showed a quote with us that struck a chord with me. “Pain and suffering in this life are not optional, but misery is.”  We were discussing Paul’s imprisonment in Philippi. He didn’t choose to be beaten and imprisoned, but he did choose to sing in his cell and be joyful. Consequently, the Holy Spirit intervened to set him free from physical bondage and, more importantly, to free the jailor from spiritual bondage. Looking back at all the times I’ve experience pain and suffering, I realize that more often than not I choose misery over joy. I wonder how many people have been turned off to Christianity because of my decision? Or how many salvation opportunities I missed because I was whining instead of singing?

India Headlines

Keeping with the theme of the week so far, here are some links to articles concerning India, specifically the violence and political and religious turmoul in the country.

Orissa is not the only Indian state experiencing violence and persecution. This article from Compass Direct tells of increased violence in Karnataka.

“India successfully launches seven satellites in a single mission, reaffirming its growing capabilities in space.” I have a secret obsession with space and will often post links having to do with various space programs. The India space program is another example of how India is becoming a more prominent world power and, therefore, why we should be paying special attention to its religious rights violations.

This Compass Direct article tells of a Christian Indian official who died in a plane crash. Muslims are calling it divine retribution because he supposedly helped convert many hindus to Christianity.Remember the Maoists? They were responsible for killing the prominent Hindu leader, a killing that led to the violence and persecution in Orissa. This BBC article tells of more conflicts between Maoists and the government.

Honeymoon’s tragic end

Christian Martyr in Nepal
On June 3, 2009 Compass Direct News reported that a bomb had gone off at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu, Nepal. The explosion killed two women and injured at least 14 others.

Vikash Patrick could not help but smile—even though the congregation was in the middle of singing a serious hymn. At his side was his 19 year old bride, Deepe, dressed in a deep pink—almost red—sari. Although they were both from Patna, India, they had spent the last four days together in Kathmandu, Nepal on their honeymoon.

Bending down, Vikasha whispered in Deepe’s ear, “God gave me a wife more beautiful than all of the sites that we’ve seen.” Deepe blushed, mouthed the words “thank you,” and rested her head on his shoulder. Their trip had certainly been amazing. They saw colorful marketplaces, elaborate temples, and sophisticated palaces, but in Vikasha’s mind, none of them compared to breathtakingly beautiful woman at his side.

As they sang the last lines of the hymn, Vikasha watched a rather large lady enter the church and sit down in the row in front of them. He looked her over for a few seconds, and then turned his attention back to the church entrance to see if anyone else was entering. Right now, Nepal was not a safe place to worship. Only a few months earlier a priest had been murdered, and the current political elections made religious tensions even higher.

Yet in spite of the danger, Vikasha could think of no place that would rather be with his wife than worshiping God with other believers. Still, he was keeping a careful watch on the back door in order to assess everyone who entered the service.

What Vikasha did not notice, was that the lady who had sat in front of them was removing something from her purse. She slipped a small black object under her sleeve and then left the service through a side door, leaving her purse in the church pew—directly in front of where Deepe was sitting.

Five minutes later, a bomb exploded.

Burning shrapnel cut through the air. Vikasha was knocked to the floor and felt as though his whole body was engulfed in pain. Still conscious, he looked for his wife, but did not see her. He did see that the pew in front of him was on fire, and that giant burn blisters were beginning to swell on the side of his body that was nearest the pew. Gritting his teeth, he rolled away and almost passed out. Rolling had moved his body away from the flames, but it had also pressed his burned flesh and growing blisters into the hot stone floor.

Still unable to see his wife, Vikasha called out Deepe’s name, but could not hear the sound of his own voice. The explosion must have burst his ear drums. Feeling only pain and unable to hear anything, he was forced to rely on his eyes to make out what was happening in the smoke filled room. To his right he saw that those who were not injured were starting to carry people out of the building. To his left was the orange and red of the burning pew, only—

Vikasha closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping that he was seeing the wrong colors. The colors stayed the same. Mixed in among the oranges and reds of the embers was a deep pink color—the same color as the sari that Deepe had been wearing.

Salt water tears began to run down his face and literally boil away because of the heat in the room. They left behind vertical trails of raw flesh. Finally succumbing to the heat, smoke, and mental anguish, Vikasha lost consciousness just as a man picked him up and carried him out of the church.

At the time that this was written, Vikasha and many others are still in the hospital recovering from injuries and burns. Deepe did not survive.

The Nepal Defense Army (NDA) which claimed responsibility for the attack has threatened more violence if non-Hindusurhc do not leave the country within the month. *This story taken from www.opendoorsusa.org

As a recently married woman, this story struck a special chord within me. Honeymoons are amazing, and I cannot imagine the devastation of having your new spouse killed right in front of you at the end of that special vacation. Another thing about this story that struck me was that the couple went to church on their honeymoon. It wasn’t just any church, it was church in a country they knew was dangerous. A church where they knew thier lives were at risk. I’m embarrased to say this, but my husband and I were too busy eating at buffets and sight seeing to even think about going to a safe American church on our honeymoon, much less one where we ran the risk of getting killed. I pray that couples who read this story, my husband and I included, will be inspired by this couple’s devotion to the Lord.

Orissa Prayer Campaign

One year ago on August 23, 2008, a leading Hindu activist was murdered. A Maoist guerilla group claimed responsibility, but the assassination was exploited by Hindu extremist forces and violence soon erupted against Christians. According to reports, more than 50,000 Christians were rendered homeless, 315 villages were completely destroyed, 120 were murdered and hundreds more injured. By government estimates, 250 churches were destroyed. The violence continued unabated for more than two-and-a half months. There is only one way to describe what has happened in Orissa; it is not ethnic cleansing but religious cleansing.
Today, on the one year anniversary, more than 4,000 people are still living in relief camps and thousands have been unable to return to the villages for fear of death or of forcible conversion to Hinduism. Churches are being replaced by the building of new Hindu temples, and on the gutted remains of churches it is written “India is for Hindus.” But the Christians of Orissa will not renounce their faith.

Federal soldiers are maintaining a fragile peace. Unable to till their fields, unable to regain their houses and restart life, cut off from schooling and the markets, living in constant fear, the victims of the Orissa violence are caught in a trap and are dependent on the little help they receive. As the months pass, and the tents begin to rot in the 100 heat and the monsoon rain, it’s important that we do not forget them.
Our brothers and sisters in Orissa face challenges and persecution on a daily basis that we cannot even begin to imagine. On this one-year anniversary please join in prayer for an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord in the state of Orissa. Pray each day for seven days…then again…and again, blanketing them with an outpouring of our love letting them know that they are not suffering alone. The following prayer requests have come directly from the field.

Day One – Church
Pray that the Lord will keep the Church steadfast and strong in faith during these testing times. Pray for the bishops and leadership of the various churches and Christian organizations that they will continue to experience the presence of God and His vitality so that they can continue to lead His people.

Day Two – Holy Spirit
Pray against the spirit of fear that threatens to dominate the minds of the Christians in Orissa and in India in general. Pray that the God-given spirit of love, power may keep them from growing fearful.

Day Three – Justice/Healing
Pray for the Christians who have been falsely accused or are held without trial. Pray for justice and for the truth to prevail. Pray also for the sick and injured due to the violence; may they experience the healing hand of the Lord and the loving touch of His people. Pray for the families who have lost their loved ones, in some cases, their breadwinners. Pray for sustenance for them and for the peace of the Lord to guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus.

Day Four – Rebuilding/Relief Organizations
Pray for the various organizations and churches that reach out and provide aid in Orissa. Pray that the Lord would bless the rebuilding efforts and that the lives of the people may be impacted for good. Pray that the victims may sense the Lord’s love for them through these efforts. Please also pray for the efforts of Open Doors in all of this.

Day Five – Peace in the Region/Forgiveness
Pray for peace and harmony in the area which is still very tense. Years of anti-Christian propaganda carried out by Hindu extremists has brought hatred against Christians to the area. Pray that the government, other agencies and especially the church may be successful in fostering peace and reconciliation. Pray that Christians will forgive their oppressors and that this would lead to a witness of Jesus and His love.

Day Six – Government
Pray for the authorities in the state of Orissa, especially the newly elected government. Pray that the government will not forget the plight of the people but will do all it can to alleviate their pain and suffering. Please pray for the various commissions that have been set up to investigate the violence, that they may provide impartial reports so that proper action can be taken. Pray for the Panigrahi and Mohapatra commissions of enquiry.

Day Seven – Evangelism
Please pray for an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord in the state of Orissa. Pray that many, who do not yet know the Lord, will come to knowledge of His saving grace. Pray that the suffering of His people may result in a greater harvest of souls for the Lord’s kingdom.

Remodeling

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. I’ve been rethinking the purpose of this blog, wanting to go in a new direction but not sure where to go. After a week of praying, thinking and discussing with some fellow bloggers, I’ve got a better idea of how I want to use this blog to serve the body of Christ.

Originally, this blog was to remain anonymous and objective. It was really just meant to pass on information about the persecuted church, without any sort of personal opinion, testimonials or emotions. But that got old pretty quickly. What is the point of that? If people want news about the persecuted church there are various websites and newsources they can go to. People read blogs because they like to hear other people’s opinions and stories. The point of this blog should not be to spew news information that Open Doors puts out, but to put a face and feelings to the organization.

The blog still seeks to educate people about the persecuted church and encourage people to pray and get involved. But I’m no longer going to be afraid to insert my opinion, share personal revelations and things I’m learning from working at Open Doors and I will be sharing lots of stories and personal testimonies from anyone in the office, and around the world, who will give them to me. Checkout the new pages and profile section, and get ready for lots more posts. Without any further ado, let the remodel of Rooted Pereseverance begin.

world watch list: saudi arabia

While communist North Korea does not support any religion, Saudi Arabia rejects all non Islamic religions. Ruled by King Abdullah, the Islamic monarchy arrests, flogs, deports and tortures those who practice Christianity in public. Of the 24.7 million citizens, only 2.2% are Christian. In the past, those who worshipped privately were generally left alone. However, in the past year, there has been an increasing number of arrests of those worshipping privately. Christians risk arrest, honor killings and persecution everyday. Please pray that those who are learning about Jesus through the internet and sattelite television are able to find fellow believers and have questions answered and recieve spiritual encouragement.

Saudi Arabia has a religious police force,mutawwa’in, who threaten and persecute Christians. In January of 2009 a house pastor named Yemane Gebriel was forced to leave his hometown under threat of the religious police. He is a personal driver who pastors a 300 member house church in Riyadh. He found anonymous notes in his van telling him to leave the country. When he did not comply, Abdul Aziz, a member of the mutawwa’in, threatened him face to face. He was forced to leave to an unknown location. For more information on this story, visit the Compass Direct Link http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/saudiarabia/1906/

Pray that Gebriel’s church, as well as other churches’ whose leaders have been captured or forced to leave, have the strength and encouragement to continue meeting and persevering in thier faith.

religious freedom is a basic human right

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/the-scandal-of-internatio_b_278320.html#postComment

This is a great article talking about the major violators of religious freedom. This list comes from the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom, but you will notice that many of the countries also appear on the Open Doors World Watch List. We’re not making this stuff up. The persecution and violation are real.

Another interesting point made in this article is that religious freedom is just as important as political and civil liberties and that countries who do not honor religious freedom often do not honor political or civil freedoms.

World Watch List: North Korea

North Korea has been at the top of the WWL for seven consecutive years.  Of the 28.3 million citizens of North Korea, 70% have no religious belief.  People are told they must worship the country’s political leader, Kim Jung Il. Only 1.7% of the population are Christian.  The borders are closely monitored and people caught trying to leave N. Korea are sent back and forced into prison camps, beaten, tortured and often executed. Many try to escape to China, but Chinese government actively looks for North Korean refugees and sends them back. The amount of people in labor and prison camps has risen since 2008 and there are an estimated 50-70,000 Christians in camps.  In your prayers for North Korea, pray that spiritual and physical aid reaches the estimated 400,000 believers in the country. Also pray for wisdom and strenght for those trying to escape.

While Christians are specifically targeted due to the fact that they are viewed as threat to the government, most people in North Korea are suffering under the oppresive rule of Kim Jung Il. The government violates all international human rights laws and many different groups are concerned with the situation in N. Korea. I found the following video on YouTube and although its a bit long , I encourage you to watch it all the way through. It has alot of interesting facts and the pictures demonstrate the horrific situation better than this humble blogger can.