Unashamed Event Highlights: Southern Highlands Youth Merge
Thirteen Three had our first Unashamed event of 2012 on Friday 17 February at Mittagong Anglican Church. It was a privilege to partner with Southern Highlands Youth Merge to see youth connect with persecuted Christians and be challenged in their faith.
The Highlights
We were really encouraged by the response on the night. 130 youth came along, and with their help, we raised $953.25 to send 595 Bibles to Colombia. Praise God!
Thank you to everyone who supported this project!
An evangelist distributing Bibles to soldiers in Colombia.
Through our Unashamed events this year, we are hoping to send 10,000 Bibles to Colombia to support Russell Stendal’s ministry partnership with Voice of the Martyrs. It’s only $1.60 to send one Bible! Imagine the massive impact just one Bible can make for the Gospel in this war-torn nation.
Brad Konemann (Youth Director of Thirteen Three) speaking at Unashamed.
I shared my firsthand experiences meeting persecuted Christians in Colombia and a challenge from God’s Word for us to step out of our comfort zones to share the Gospel in our local communities.
God does not call us to be comfortable. He does not call us to be safe. He calls us to be unashamed of the Gospel.
Lots of youth got involved with our photobooth, responding to what they had heard by sending a message to Christians in Colombia. Take a look at the photos from the event on facebook.
Quotes
Here’s what people are saying about the event:
It was fantastic! Thank you so much Thirteen Three for such an inspiring and challenging night. Jono Mills
Thank you so much for the Unashamed event on Friday night. It was fantastic to see so many getting involved with something greater than themselves. Pru Hayward
Dropping Bibles and solar-powered radios by parachute in Colombia… Genius! How encouraging was it to hear about those who, by foot, travel through the jungle risking their life so that guerrilla fighters can hear the Gospel. They offer them a more powerful weapon in bringing freedom – God’s Word. We Are The Outpost
Thank You
There are so many people to thank for helping to pull this event off.
Thank you to all the volunteers who came early and stayed late to set up and pack up. We couldn’t have done this event without you!
Thank you to We Are The Outpost who led us in worship on the night. We love your passion for our persecuted family and we’re so thankful to partner with you guys!
Thank you to Southern Highlands Youth Merge for hosting us and the fantastic work you guys are doing uniting youth groups for the sake of the Gospel.
Thank you to everyone who attended the event and gave generously to help us send 595 Bibles to Colombia!
And thanks to God for blessing this event and working in people’s lives to challenge them in their faith and raise up a generation who are committed to being BOUND WITH THEM.
Thirteen Three is partnering with youth groups around Australia to put on a series of Unashamed events in 2012. Click here to find out more information about Unashamed, including locations and dates.
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Persecution in Colombia | FARC Guerrillas Stop Evangelist
Members of the FARC guerrillas have prevented an evangelist, “Rolo”, from entering La Macarena region with radios, Bibles and Christian books.
Rolo distributing Bibles and solar-powered radios to soldiers in Colombia.
The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) have caused much violence in Colombia. A Voice of the Martyrs worker in the area reported that FARC guerrillas are closing churches and burning buses that are attempting to travel into the region.
Despite the violence against Christians in Colombia, the Church is flourishing. There were about 15,000 evangelical Christians in Colombia in 1933, and by last year, they numbered over 3.5 million with some churches growing 1,000-fold over the last two decades.
Source: Voice of the Martyrs USA
Want to find out more about persecution against Christians in Colombia and what you can do to support them? Make sure you come along to one of Thirteen Three’s 2012 Unashamed events.
Prayer Points
- Please pray that Christians in Colombia will be able to share the Gospel freely.
- Pray that Rolo and other Colombian evangelists will be bold and courageous in declaring the Gospel.
- Pray that the Lord will use Rolo to lead many FARC guerrillas into the Kingdom.
- Pray that the Church will continue to grow despite persecution from the FARC.
Vietnam | The Kung Fu Christian
Ly was a bully.
He was an angry young man who was extremely good at martial arts. Instead of using his martial arts training for self-defence, he used his skills and strength to beat up people.
A Dramatic Conversion
In February 2010, Ly’s parents became very sick.
One day, an evangelist came to their village and prayed for Jesus to heal them. Immediately, their sickness left them. They were amazed and asked to know who this “Jesus” was. The evangelist shared the Gospel and the whole family committed their lives to Christ.
From that day, Ly was a changed man. One of the first things he did when he became a Christian was ask forgiveness of those he had beaten up.
Ly used to boil with anger, now he was filled with love and compassion for his enemies and longed for them to know Jesus too.
Beaten up for Jesus
As Ly began to read the Word of God, he was burdened to tell others about Jesus. He soon began travelling with a team of evangelists to share the Gospel with the lost.
In March 2010, Ly’s team was stopped by the police in a nearby village. The police demanded to know why the team was teaching about Jesus. An angry crowd gathered and, before long, they started to beat Ly and the three other evangelists.
The team was then taken to the police station where they were fined and ordered never to return to the village.
This was only one month after becoming a Christian! Ly used to beat up people, now he was being beaten up for Jesus. He told me:
I know that I will suffer for being a Christian but I am not afraid.
Ly’s Ministry
Ly is now leading a church in his village. Since his conversion, he has led 80 people to the Lord. When he started leading the church there were only three Christian families in his village. Now there are 146 believers.
Please pray for Ly and other house church leaders in Vietnam who are boldly sharing the Gospel in the face of great opposition.
Prayer Points
- Pray for boldness for Ly and other Vietnamese evangelists as they proclaim Christ in the face of persecution.
- Pray for God to save many people in Vietnam.
- Pray for the police and others who are persecuting Christians, that they will see the love of God in the lives of those they are persecuting.
Christmas Care Update: Thank You For Making Them Smile!
Voice of the Martyrs supporters around Australia have taken action to help bring the joy of Christmas to persecuted Christian children in Indonesia.
In 2011, Voice of the Martyrs aimed to raise $60,000 for our annual Christmas Care campaign. As at 18 January 2012, we had received over $102,000* allowing us to distribute 3,000 Christmas Care packs to Christian children in Indonesia!! How good is that!
Thank you so much for your generosity and commitment to be BOUND WITH THEM.
Our partner in Indonesia reported that the children and their parents have been blessed by the Christmas Care packs and the love of their Australian brothers and sisters.
I’m happy to have a new school bag because I didn’t have [one]. 11-year-old Lalong
I have been praying for this [Christmas Care pack] and finally I have it! Ten-year-old Ujang
Thank you for bringing a smile to thousands of Christian children in Indonesia affected by persecution.
*Funds exceeding the $60,000 target will be directed to other projects supporting persecuted Christians.
Pastor Cau | Arrested 14 Times for Jesus
How many Bibles do you have at home? I know I have at least five or six.
When Pastor Cau started his ministry in 1998, not one person in his church owned a Bible. He was only 19 years old.
During one interrogation, Vietnamese police threatened to cut off Pastor Cau's ear.
Pastor Cau knew that the Word of God was a treasure more precious than gold, so he used his life savings to buy Hmong Bibles for every person in his church.
It’s against the law for Christians from the Hmong tribal group in Vietnam to have a Bible in their own language. But Pastor Cau risked everything so that his brothers and sisters in Christ could have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
He travelled over 1000km to get the Bibles. It was a long, difficult journey. But when he picked them up, he was full of joy.
As he travelled back to his village he was arrested by the police. They confiscated all of his Bibles!!
Pastor Cau had given up everything to buy these Bibles and now they were being taken away from him. It would be easy to give up after this, but he and his wife continued to trust the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Arrested, Interrogated, Tortured for Christ
Pastor Cau is now 31 years old. In his 13 years of ministry, his church has grown from 20 people to 230. He has planted nine new churches and is committed to training young leaders in these new congregations.
He has also been arrested 14 times.
In May 2010, he was transporting more Bibles for Hmong believers when he was stopped by the police. They confiscated the Bibles and kept him in prison for three days.
During this imprisonment, Pastor Cau was interrogated by the police. They tied each of his arms with two ropes, one around each wrist and another around each bicep. Then they stretched his arms out until it felt like they were being torn out of his shoulder sockets.
He was left like this for 12 hours as the police questioned him.
Where did you get these Bibles from!?
They threatened to cut one of his ears off if he did not answer their questions. Pastor Cau refused to tell them as he did not want to endanger the life of his co-workers. Thankfully they did not cut his ear off.
Pastor Cau told me,
I have faced the police so many times. But one thing I know: God will protect me.
Persecution is a normal part of his life and ministry. Yet nothing can stop him serving Christ and sharing the Gospel. I was amazed at his steadfast commitment to Christ.
We need more Bibles!
When I asked Pastor Cau what he needs, he immediately replied,
We need more Bibles!
This is the cry of every Hmong pastor we met during our time in North Vietnam last year. Today, most Hmong believers have their own Bible. But the church is growing rapidly and many more Bibles are needed for new believers.
Hmong pastors like Cau are leading many people to the Lord and they long for each person to have the Word of God so they can continue to grow in their faith.
Voice of the Martyrs supports Vietnamese pastors like Cau by providing Bibles and other ministry tools. You can help provide Bibles for Christians in Vietnam by donating to Voice of the Martyrs Bibles & Literature fund.
Bikes for Burma: Weekend Evangelism
What do you like to do on the weekend?
Maybe you like to sleep in. Watch movies. Play sport. Hang out with friends.
I was recently in Myanmar (Burma) visiting the Bible college students you are helping us support. During the week, they get up before 6AM for morning devotions. Each day is filled with classes, chores, chapel, study, prayer and meals.
On the weekend, the students travel to local villages to run children’s programs and share the Gospel door-to-door.
Bikes for the Gospel
Voice of the Martyrs recently purchased five bicycles to help with the students’ weekend evangelism.
The bicycles help the students to travel further and faster to share the Gospel. It is a welcome relief after a hard week of study and work to ride to local villages instead of travelling by foot.
Stephen, a former student and now lecturer at the Bible College, says that the bikes are a great tool for sharing the Gospel.
Sometimes we go to places where buses cannot go. It is very difficult for us to walk on foot…so it is helpful to go on bicycles and it saves us time.
According to Stephen, this ministry “brings glory and honour to God.”
My Weekends are Off-Limits
I was amazed to see the students’ dedication to God’s Word and the cause of Christ. Some people might consider weekends off-limits for serving God, thinking, “This is my personal time.” But God’s Word says,
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
These good works aren’t just when we feel like, but God has planned us to live for Him every day! Our whole lives, including our weekends, are to be used for His glory and the advance of the Gospel.
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossian 3:17)
The students understand this and use even their weekends, holidays and “personal time” for God’s work.
Do you use your weekends and holidays to serve God and bring Him glory? Do you serve at your church, a summer beach mission or some other ministry?
Leave a comment to share what ministries you are involved in and how you are seeing God at work.
Persecution in Somalia | Convert from Islam Whipped in Public
A Somali convert from Islam was paraded before a cheering crowd last month and publicly flogged as a punishment for embracing a “foreign religion”.
Sofia Osman, a 28-year-old Christian from Janale city, was taken into custody in November by militants from the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab. On 22 December, she was whipped in front of hundreds of people to mark her release from her month-long captivity in al Shabaab camps.
She received 40 lashes as those who looked on jeered her.
One eyewitness said,
Osman was whipped 40 lashes at 3 PM, but she didn’t tell what other humiliations she had suffered while in the hands of the militants. I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away.
In the days after the punishment, Osman returned to her family’s home to nurse her injuries. She would not talk to anyone and looked dazed, according to a source close to the family.
The source said,
Please pray for her quick recovery.
Source: Compass Direct News
Prayer Points
- Pray the Lord will completely heal Sofia of all physical and emotional injuries.
- Ask the Lord to protect her from further harm.
- Pray she will rest in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd walks with her through this difficult time (Psalm 23).
- Pray her faithful testimony will be used as a witness for the Gospel.
- Pray for all Christians in Somalia.
Persecution in Nigeria | Radical Muslims Kill 29 Christians in Two Days
Members of the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, have killed 29 Nigerian Christians in two days.
Twenty Christians were gunned down on 6 January 2012 while holding a meeting to discuss ways to transport the body of a fellow Christian who was killed in an attack a day earlier. Nine Christians were killed on 5 January when members of Boko Haram attacked a church service in Gombe. The wife of the church’s pastor was among the martyrs.
The killings followed a threat issued on Sunday 1 January by Boko Haram telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria within three days. Boko Haram fights for the implementation of a strict form of Sharia law all over Nigeria, including in the southern region of Nigeria where Christians are the majority.
Boko Haram also killed more than 40 Christians on Christmas Day 2011.
The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency to contain anti-Christian violence.
Rev James Wuye, a northern Nigerian church leader, has urged Nigerian Christians not to resort to revenge in the face of increasing attacks. He said,
I ask Christians in Nigeria that we should exercise restraint and pray that the God of Elijah will surely fight for us. And Christians should show love for their neighbours because that is what Jesus Christ teaches.
Source: International Christian Concern
Prayer Points
- Pray the Lord will give Christians the grace and strength to resist taking up arms against their attackers.
- Pray the Lord will bring rest and peace to this troubled nation.
- Pray for those who have lost loved ones. May they be filled with the joy that comes from knowing that they will see them again at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
- Pray for the Nigerian government, the military and the members of Boko Haram.
Letter from Myanmar: “Please pray for us”
I was recently in Myanmar (Burma) meeting with Bible college students that Thirteen Three is supporting. While I was there, I shared messages of encouragement from youth in Australia.
The students were so grateful to know they are not alone – they have a family in Australia that is concerned for them and committed to praying for them.
One of the students, Joseph, gave me this letter to share with youth in Australia. May this inspire you to continue praying for our persecuted family, and particularly the students you are helping us support!
Joseph’s Letter
I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
This letter represents all of a group of young people in Myanmar. By hearing your messages and the Scripture portions you have sent us, we are so encouraged and [it] makes our faith strong. We need your prayer support constantly.
As we are under government oppression, it is very difficult for us to share the gospel to the people. Pray for us that we may have boldness and that God may work in the hearts of the people through our sharing.
Please pray for us that we shall be able to share the Gospel to people truly. We want to be God’s labourers while strength is given.
Please pray for Myanmar.
Your brother in Christ,
Joseph
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:18-20
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Persecution in Uganda | Muslim Extremists Throw Acid on Bishop
On Christmas Eve, Islamic extremists threw acid on Bishop Umar Mulinde (37) after a seven-day revival at his church. The attack has left him with severe burns that have blinded one eye and threaten his sight in the other.
On Saturday night, 24 December, a man who claimed to be a Christian approached Bishop Mulinde.
I heard him say in a loud voice, ‘Pastor, pastor,’ and as I made a turn and looked at him, he poured the liquid onto my face as others poured more liquid on my back and then fled away shouting, ‘Allahu akbar’ [God is greater].
Mulinde was rushed to a hospital by church members and then transferred to International Hospital Kampala.
According to Mulinde’s doctors, acid burns cover about 30 percent of his face.
We are doing all we can to save his other remaining eye and to contain the acid from spreading to other parts of the body.
Mulinde’s face, neck and arms bare deep black scars from the acid and his lips are swollen. There is an urgent need for specialised treatment, perhaps even plastic surgery.
I have to continue fighting this pain – it is too much. My entire body is in pain. Most of the night I miss sleep.
Before Mulinde became a Christian, he was a sheikh (Islamic teacher). Since his conversion in 1993, he has been attacked by Muslims and injured several times.
This last [attack] is the worst of all. I bare the marks of Jesus.
Police have reportedly arrested one suspect.
To see a photo of Bishop Mulinde’s injuries, please click here. Warning: this image contains graphic content.
Source: Compass Direct
Prayer Points
- Pray the Lord will heal Bishop Mulinde’s physical and emotional wounds.
- Pray he will receive all the treatment he needs.
- Pray he will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10).
- Pray for the perpetrators and those in authority dealing with this case.
