prayer diary may/june 2013

7/30/2019 Prayer Diary May/June 2013

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THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

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MAY/JUNE 2013


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2 BARNABAS PRAYER MAY/JUNE 2013

Thank you for your prayers for our

persecuted brothers and sisters in

Christ, which make such a difference

to them. We sometimes have to

change or omit their names forsecurity reasons, and we have only

limited space to share their stories.

But the Lord knows the people and

places we are praying about. Thank

you for your understanding. Please

do not feel limited by the specic

prayer requests, but pray as you feel

led.

MayWednesday 1 Pray for the hundreds of

Christians from Joseph Colony in the Badami

Bagh area of Lahore, Pakistan, who were left

homeless after a 3,000-strong Muslim mob

torched their houses on 9 March. The violence

erupted over a false accusation of blasphemy

by a local Muslim against Savan Masih, a

Christian man. After the mosque loudspeakers

called on Muslims to kill the blasphemers,

the mob attacked various Christian homes,

looted goods and set the buildings on re. Thepolice responded by registering a blasphemy

charge against Savan. However, the provincial

government has compensated the Christians,

and it has announced that those responsible

for the attack will be prosecuted. Pray that the

authorities will follow through on this undertaking,

and for Barnabas Fund partners as they help the

Christians rebuild their lives.

Thursday 2 Standing rm in their faith canput Pakistani Christians in danger of their lives.

Younas Masih was shot dead as he made his

way home in Baluchistan on 5 February. The

fatal attack followed a heated discussion with his

Muslim co-workers, who had threatened Younas

after he resisted several attempts to persuade

him to convert to Islam. When Younas son tried toregister the shooting with the police, they refused

to launch an investigation into the incident,

leaving the grieving family feeling abandoned.

Pray that Younas relatives will know the peace

of the Lord in their distress, and that they will see

justice done. Ask that the authorities in Pakistan

will provide proper protection for the countrys

vulnerable Christian minority.

Friday 3 More than 30 Christians were

hospitalised with serious injuries after Hindu

extremists attacked a group of worshippers with

iron rods on 8 February. Around 100 members of

three Hindu nationalist groups stormed a church

building in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh state,

where a three-day prayer event was being held.

The assailants accused the Christians of forciblyconverting Hindus and beat them badly. The

police refused to lodge a complaint against the

attackers and instead led a counter-claim againstthe church. Pray for those injured and distressed

by this brutal assault, and for those responsible to

be brought to justice.

Saturday 4 Pray for healing and peace for

Pastor R.D. Joshua from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradeshin India, who was attacked while leading a service

in a village in February. About ten people stopped

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3/163BARNABAS PRAYER MAY/JUNE 2013

the meeting, tied the pastor to a tree and beat

him viciously, leaving him with a broken arm and

his whole body bruised. The instigator of the

attack has links with the BJP, the political wing

of the Hindu nationalist movement, and initiallythe police refused to register a case against

those responsible. Ask the Lord for strength and

endurance for His people in India as they face

hostility and violence from militant Hindus.

Sunday 5 Four Indian Christians

have been living for a year under

the threat of unjust punishment. On

25 March 2012 a church service inChichgaon, in the Chhindwara district

of Madhya Pradesh, was violently

disrupted by Hindu extremists.

After making various accusations

against the assistant pastor and two

other Christians, the extremists beat

them severely. They then had them

locked up at the police station. When

the pastor of the church asked the

police to le a complaint against the

persecutors, they refused to do so

and instead arrested him also. All

four are still facing legal proceedings.

Give thanks that whilst in jail the

pastor was able to witness to his

fellow prisoners, and that one of

them came to Christ. Pray that justicewill be done and the four Christians

will be cleared of the charges against

them.

Monday 6 Attacks against churches in Egypt

have increased since the revolution of 2011.

St Georges Church in the village of Sarsena

was targeted by local Muslims twice in two

days in February. They were incited by Salastswho claimed that the church was an unlawful

neighbour to the Muslims who lived next door.

St Georges was set ablaze on 15 February, and

then the following evening, while a so-called

reconciliation meeting was taking place, Muslims

threw Molotov cocktails and stones at the building.

In a separate incident, a church in the UpperEgyptian city of Kom Ombo came under attack

for several days over an unfounded rumour that a

Muslim woman had converted to Christianity; 12

Christians were injured in the violence at the end

of February. Pray that the authorities will provide

better protection for churches in Egypt.

Tuesday 7 Since at least two dozen Christians

were killed during a peaceful protest on 9 October2011, in what became known as the Maspero

Massacre, the Egyptian authorities have tried to

pin the blame for the violence on the Christians.

On 4 February 2013 two Christians, Maikel Adel

Naguib Farag and Maikel Mossad Shaker, were

jailed for three years, having been convicted on

very imsy evidence of stealing a machine gunfrom the armed forces. Despite video footage of

military vehicles running over protestors, ofcialshave repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by the

army. Three soldiers, who were said to have

lost control of their vehicles, were convicted of

the involuntary manslaughter of 14 protestors.

Nobody has been held responsible for the deaths

of the other victims. Pray that there will be justice

for all the Christians killed and injured.

Wednesday 8 Arrest. Torture. The threat

of the death penalty. This is what Christians

accused of evangelising Muslims may face in

liberated Libya. At least 48 Egyptian Christians

were arrested and tortured on 27 February after

Salasts accused them of proselytising. Thedetainees heads were shaved, and acid was

used to burn off the traditional cross tattoos on

their wrists. One detainee died in custody, and hislawyer said that he had been tortured to death.

Another was given electric shocks, and many

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were left with cuts and bruises. The Christians

were later freed, and the authorities claimed that

they had been arrested for violating immigration

rules. These arrests followed those of four

other expatriate Christians, also on suspicion ofproselytising. Pray that the Lord will bind up the

wounds of our brothers and sisters (Psalm 147:3)

and bring them peace as they recover from the

brutal treatment they suffered.

Thursday 9 It was once hoped that Libya

would emerge from the Arab Spring as a

country where the excesses of Islamism were

restrained. The Islamist Justice and ConstructionParty (JCP), which is afliated with the MuslimBrotherhood, took fewer of the seats allocated

to political parties than expected in Libyas rstgeneral election. More recently, however, the

party has been gathering support, and around half

of the independent candidates who have since

been elected have now joined the JCP group. The

party now wields considerable inuence. Pray thatIslamist control, which would make the already

vulnerable position of Christians even more

dangerous, will not be established in Libya.

Friday 10 Pray for the congregation of an

Egyptian church in Benghazi, Libya, that was

attacked on 28 February. Two church ministers

were assaulted by Islamist gunmen, who

attempted to lynch one of them, Paul Isaac. Praythat the churchs ministers and congregation

will know the Lords presence in the aftermath

of this disturbing incident. Lift up Christians in

Libya in general, who are increasingly vulnerable

to violent attack, and ask that the Lord will arm

them with strength (Psalm 18:32) to face their

circumstances.

Saturday 11 Praise the Lord for the ministryof a popular Christian magazine in Kyrgyzstan

that is supported by Barnabas Fund. Although it

is written for children and packed with pictures,

poems, puzzles and stories, adults also like to

read it; it is read out during church meetings

and distributed on the streets and in buses.

Children like to share copies with their friendsand classmates. The magazine, which usually

appears six times a year, is also translated and

distributed in other countries; Barnabas helps

to fund copies for Kazakhstan and Bulgaria. A

ten-year-old child in Bulgaria said, [It] talks to me

about God. And I like to hear about Him. Pray

that the magazine will continue to encourage

Christian children and adults in their faith, and that

stricter laws on religious practice in Kazakhstanwill not impede its distribution.

Sunday 12 The constricting grip of

state regulation continues to tighten

on the churches of Kyrgyzstan.

Amendments to its Religion Law

have imposed harsher and more

wide-ranging rules on the censorship

of religious literature. A human rights

advocate said that implementation

is likely to be chaotic, selective andarbitrary, with non-traditional

churches most likely to face

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BARNABAS PRAYER MAY/JUNE 2013

problems. An organisation that

is found to have literature that is

branded extremist could now be

banned under the law. The authorities

are also proposing that any churchmust have 200 adult founders in

one locality to be allowed legally to

exist. Pray that Christian ministry and

outreach will ourish in Kyrgyzstan

despite the governments attempts

to stie them, and that the Lord will

protect His people from persecution

under this law.

Monday 13 Pray for Sharofat Allamova, a

Christian woman in Uzbekistan whose house

was raided by police twice in January. Ofcersconscated three Christian books, two DVDs ofa Christian lm and a sermon, and a video calledLife in the Church. Sharofat is now facing up to

three years in prison for storing illegal religious

literature. The authorities have harassed her

before: in 2007 she was given a six-month

suspended jail term after Christian books and

lms were found in her bag, and in May 2012she was ned ten times the minimum monthlywage for possessing religious literature. Pray for

peace for our sister, and that the authorities will

relent and not pursue the case further. Pray too

for greater religious liberty in Uzbekistan, so that

Christian literature may be made available freely.

Tuesday 14 Barnabas Funds partners

in Syria have reported numerous attacks on

church buildings by opposition forces. Such

attacks were condemned as war crimes by

advocacy body Human Rights Watch on 23

January. The organisations report found that

rebel forces had deliberately destroyed religious

sites in the Christian villages of Jdeideh andGhasaniyeh, in Latakia governorate, after the

areas had fallen to their control and government

forces had left. Ask that Christian congregations

in Syria whose places of worship have been

destroyed will be strong in the Lord and in His

mighty power (Ephesians 6:10) in the face of

violence by opposition forces. Give thanks thatthese devastating attacks have been recognised

as violations of international humanitarian law,

and pray that this will put pressure on Western

governments who have come out in support of

the rebels.

Wednesday 15 Kidnapping for ransom has

been an opposition tactic almost since the very

beginning of the civil war in Syria, and manyChristians have been brutally tortured and killed.

On the roads around Aleppo they are a particular

target. Most recently, two church leaders were

kidnapped on 9 February while travelling back

to Mashta Al Helou, a Christian area of the city.

Pray that all kidnapped Christians will be returned

to their communities unharmed, and that they

will know that God is sovereign over whatever

circumstances they face. Pray that the Lord will

comfort families whose loved ones have been

taken in their anxiety and grief.

Thursday 16 As well as being displaced from

their homes and enduring the risk of violence

from opposition ghters, many Syrian Christianshad to suffer the harshest winter the country has

seen in 20 years without even basic necessities.Give thanks that Barnabas Fund was able to bring

hope to many by providing heaters, blankets,

mats and emergency lamps to help families

survive freezing temperatures and power cuts.

These items were crucial during the cold months

for Christians who were forced to ee their homeswith nothing and to sleep on mattresses on the

oor in sub-zero temperatures. Praise God for the

positive impact of this aid, and pray that He willmeet the needs of His people in Syria, who are

suffering so acutely.

5

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Friday 17 Iraqs beleaguered and dwindling

Christian community continues to suffer violence

and threats. Two Christians were killed in the

northern city of Mosul in January amid ongoing

sectarian tensions. The body of Shdha Elias(54) was found on 7 January in an area where

attacks have been made against Christians in

the past. Her throat had been cut. The following

day, Ayyoub Fauzi Auyyoub Al Sheikh, a Christian

medical student, was killed by a car bomb near

the university in Mosul. Separately, a radical

Muslim cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Al Hassani Al

Baghdadi, issued a fatwa in December 2012

threatening Iraqi Christians with death unless theyconvert to Islam. Pray that the Lord will give His

people in Iraq peace amid such turmoil.

Saturday 18 The Indonesian governments

failure to take decisive action to protect

religious minorities from threats and violence is

undermining its claims to being a rights-respecting

democracy. The Asia director of Human Rights

Watch, a leading human rights organisation,

made this comment as it released a new report

that details a sharp rise in religiously motivated

violence in Indonesia in 2012. The authorities are

criticised for passively and sometimes actively

condoning certain extremist Islamist groups, and

for discriminating against non-Muslim minorities

in word and deed. Pray that this report will shame

the Indonesian government into more determinedaction to protect the countrys vulnerable Christian

minority and to ensure equal freedoms for all its

citizens.

Sunday 19 On 27 January about 50

members of the Islamic Defenders

Front, a militant Islamist group,

descended on a church in Mekargalih

village in West Java, Indonesia. Theyscaled the gates, vandalised the

building and physically assaulted

the pastor, at one point throttling

him with his own necktie. They

accused the church of operating

without a valid permit, and the pastor

was later jailed for three months onthis charge. The church has tried

repeatedly to obtain a permit but

has been obstructed by the local

authorities. It has been attacked

three times in the last two years, and

many of the congregation are now

too afraid to attend services. Pray

for protection and justice for this

church and others in West Java thathave suffered years of harassment,

violence and bureaucratic obstacles.

Monday 20 Pray for ve Christian familiesin Vietnam who have endured repeated violentattacks by their fellow villagers since becoming

Christians. The families, who came to Christ

in 2012, have since suffered three waves of

violence, the most recent taking place between 18

and 22 February. During this period, their homes

and belongings were vandalised in successive

night raids. On 22 February, a number of the

believers were physically assaulted, leaving

several of them with serious injuries. One family

ed into the jungle after receiving death threats.Pray that the Lord will be the strength and shield

(Psalm 28:7) that our brothers and sisters need asthey endure persecution in His name.

Tuesday 21 The decree is intended to provide

the tools to end the house-church movement

entirely. Nguyen Van Dai, a Christian lawyer inVietnam, added his voice to a chorus of concernamong church leaders about Decree 92, which

provides new guidelines for regulating religious

practice in the country. The decree imposes harshand complex new criteria that churches must

full if they are to obtain legal status; these will

MAY 17 - 21



make it almost impossible for unregistered groups

such as house churches (which have not been

recognised by the government since 1975) to do

so. Even if a congregation manages to full all the

conditions, the minimum period it will have to waitfor recognition is 23 years. Pray that the churches

in Vietnam will withstand this attempt to stie theirwitness and will not only survive but thrive.

Wednesday 22 Pray for 14 Christians in

Nghe An, Vietnam, who were sentenced inJanuary to between three and 13 years in prison

on charges of subversion against the state.

Their lawyers complained that the Christianshad been subjected to torture, including sleep

deprivation, and coerced into confessing crimes

that they had not committed. Some of them had

apparently been detained by police at random,

some at a church service. During the two-day trial,

thousands of Christians staged a protest against

the arbitrary and illegal arrest of innocent people.

Pray that the sentences will be revoked and

the Christians released, and that the authorities

will stop harassing and bullying the Christian

community.

Thursday 23 We have reached here with the

help of God. We shall live well with Gods help

in our land. A Christian woman gave thanks as

she arrived in South Sudan after escaping from

discrimination and oppression in Muslim-majoritySudan, thanks to the Exodus project sponsored

by Barnabas Fund. Give thanks to the Lord that

more than 3,500 Christians have already reached

the safety of the Christian-majority South by plane

and bus. Pray for His blessing upon them as they

settle into their new lives, and pray too that others

will be able to join them soon.

Friday 24 An upsurge of arrests anddeportations of Christians in Sudan has further

unsettled the countrys vulnerable Christian

minority. In January three Christians of South

Sudanese origin were detained and then ordered

to leave the country because of their involvement

with churches and a Christian radio station. The

following month a group of at least 55 Christianswere detained without charge, falsely accused of

receiving money from foreign countries. Dozens

of expatriate Christians have also been deported.

Pray that this frequent and severe harassment

will stop, and that the churches of Sudan will be

allowed to worship and serve the Lord in peace.

Saturday 25 The Sudanese authorities have

intensied their crackdown on Christian activitiesby targeting Christian-run schools. Two of these

in the capital, Khartoum, have been ordered to

close. One is a primary school that the authorities

discovered was not teaching Islamic studies or

separating boys and girls. The other provided

English-language lessons for 500 adults; three of

its staff had been arrested and interrogated over

suspicions that they were evangelising Muslims.

Pray that Christian work and witness in Sudan

will continue despite the increasingly crippling

restrictions being imposed upon them, and that

the Gospel will spread there.

MAY 22 - 25


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Sunday 26 The various measures

recently taken against Christian

churches and institutions by the

government of Sudan add up to

a ruthless campaign that may beintended to eradicate Christianity

from the country altogether. They

were launched by a media drive

against alleged Christianisation

and have focused in particular on

those involved in Christian ministry.

Numerous church buildings have

been demolished, and Christian

literature has been seized. Presidental-Bashir has declared his intention

of making Sudan entirely Islamic

and of strengthening the place of

sharia. Pray that God will frustrate

the plans of the authorities and that

the churches of Sudan will remain

faithful in the face of intimidation.

Monday 27 Mohamed Ibaouene (36), a

convert from Islam to Christianity, was convicted

in July 2012 of proselytising in Algeria. The

verdict was passed in his absence and without his

knowledge. He was later sentenced to a year in

prison and ned 50,000 dinars (420; US$630).Mohamed challenged the conviction, and on 13

February 2013 the appeal court rescinded the

jail term but doubled his ne. A Muslim colleaguehad brought the accusation against Mohamedafter the latter refused to renounce Christ. Pray

for justice for Mohamed and that the rights of

Algerians to freedom of religion will be respected

both by other citizens and by the law.

Tuesday 28 On 19 February two police ofcerssuddenly broke into Youhao Church in Yichin

City, in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang,and harassed the Christians who were gathered

there. When a church leader asked to see their

identication papers, they insulted and threatenedher; then they beat her so severely that she had

a heart attack. She was taken to hospital, where

agents of the Public Security Bureau kept her

under 24-hour surveillance, and although shewas later allowed home, a representative of the

Chinese House Church Alliance who travelled

to visit her was conned to his hotel room anddenied access. Pray for her recovery from this

ordeal and that those responsible for it will be

brought to justice.

Wednesday 29 Pray for the unregistered

churches (house churches) of China as thegovernment continues to implement a three-stage

plan against them. According to a new report

by China Aid, in the rst phase the authoritiessecretly investigated and prepared les on thecongregations. Now, in the second phase, they

are using third parties to harass the churches

and make it impossible for them to operate

normally. For example, utility companies have cut

off electricity and water supplies; landlords have

been pressured to terminate lease agreements;

and church leaders have been placed under

house arrest. The government seems to be

trying to force the churches to join the ofcialThree-Self Patriotic Movement, where they can

be more easily controlled. Pray that the Christians

will stand rm for Christ under this unrelenting

pressure and have courage to obey God ratherthan human authorities (Acts 5:29).

Thursday 30 Give thanks to the Lord for the

courage and boldness of the Christians in North

Korea who carry on witnessing for Christ despite

the savage penalties imposed by the Communist

regime. Those who share their faith or distribute

Bibles risk torture and probable execution if they

are caught, and their families may be dispatchedto the countrys infamous labour camps to be

starved or worked to death. Yet remarkably, the

MAY 26 - 30



Church in North Korea is growing well, and some

who have ed abroad and become Christiansthere have even gone back to share Christ with

family and friends in their poverty and distress.

Pray that God will keep His brave witnesses fromharm and continue to add to their number (Acts

2:47).

Friday 31 Pray for the families of Abdoulaye

and Abakachi, two converts from Islam to

Christianity who were shot dead by Islamists in

northern Cameroon. They were travelling with

two other converts around Lake Chad on 19

February when their vehicle was stopped by fourarmed men who were looking for Abdoulaye. He

was the leader of the converts from the Kotoko

people group and had last year received a threat

from militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The

gunmen opened re, killing Abakachi on the spot.Abdoulaye and another man were also shot;

Abdoulaye later died of his injuries. He left a wife

and 13 children; Abakachi left a wife and four

children. Boko Haram had previously warned all

Christian converts in northern Cameroon to return

to Islam or face Allahs wrath. Pray that the Lord

will protect these vulnerable believers.

June

Saturday 1 On 1 June 1993 it was announcedthat Barnabas Fund had been created to care

for persecuted Christians and their families. Give

thanks to God for His faithfulness to us throughout

the last 20 years, as our work has expanded

into scores of countries and helped countless

Christians who suffer discrimination, harassment

and violence because of their faith. Praise Him for

His transformation of so many lives through this

ministry, and pray for His ongoing guidance andstrength as we continue to reach out to our Lords

suffering family. Pray that they may be equipped

to stand rm in the face of hostility (Ephesians6:13).

Sunday 2 On 20 January 2013 the

Eritrean security police raided the

homes of various Christians and

arrested 50 people. One of them

was a lady of 85, detained for

hosting an underground church in

her house. They joined hundreds

of other believers currently held in

Eritrean prisons, some of them in

appalling conditions. Many more

have ed the country to escape thepersecution and have ended up in

prison in Egypt, where they have

been subjected to rape, beatings and

starvation. Pray for all those Eritrean

Christians suffering for their faith in

their own country and beyond, that

the Lord will be their help and shield

(Psalm 33:20). Pray too for a prison

ministry, supported by Barnabas, thatvisits and helps Eritrean Christians

jailed in Egypt.

MAY 31 JUNE 2


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Monday 3 Atrocities against Christians in

Nigeria continue unabated. In Mubi, Adamawa

state, various churches were attacked at the

beginning of February; eight Christians were

killed and three church buildings and a number ofhomes set ablaze. The violence drove Christians

to stay at home after dark and to keep away

from services. A month later, in Sheka, Kano

state, 13 Christian factory workers were shot

dead. In January a sheikh who claimed to be a

commander of the militant Islamist group Boko

Haram declared a ceasere on its behalf, but inMarch a video was circulated in which one of its

leaders, Abubakar Shekau, denied that it hadmade a truce with anyone. Pray that the Lord will

be a wall of re around His people (Zechariah 2:5)as they face such desperate dangers.

Tuesday 4 Its good to be in the hands

of El Shaddai. These were the last words of

Abdi Welli, a Somali pastor in Kenya, who was

gunned down in the market place in Garissa on

7 February. Another church leader was wounded

in the attack. Abdi Welli was a convert from Islam

who had served as a missionary in west and east

Africa. The militant Islamist group al-Shabaab

is suspected of the attack; they have murdered

numerous converts from Islam and have also

intensied their violence against Christians inKenya in the past year. Pray for comfort for Abdi

Wellis grieving widow and three children, andthat Somali Christians will be preserved from al-

Shabaabs vicious campaign.

Wednesday 5 Lift up to the Lord our brothers

and sisters in Tanzania, where incidents of

anti-Christian violence are on the increase. Two

church leaders were killed in separate incidents

in February. Pastor Evarist Mushi was shot dead

as he arrived to take a service at his church inMtoni, in the Urban West region of the semi-

autonomous island of Zanzibar, on 17 February.

His shooting followed an attack on a Christian

butchers shop in Buseresere, Geita region, on 11

February, during which Pastor Mathayo Kachila

was beheaded. Tensions had been rising in the

area as Muslims protested against the Christianownership of butcheries. Pray that the Lord will

draw near to the families of Evarist and Mathayo

as they mourn. Pray for the easing of religious

tensions in Tanzania, particularly on Muslim-

majority Zanzibar.

Thursday 6 Lift up to the Lord our Christian

brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka, who face

many kinds of pressure. Intermittent surges ofsevere violence by Buddhist extremists endanger

Christians and their property. Buddhist nationalists

continue to press for anti-conversion laws that

would greatly hinder Christian work. And, as

many Christians endure the poverty and need

created by the ravages of the long civil war, they

are discriminated against in the resettlement

programmes, so that they have no means of

securing adequate housing. Pray that the Lord

will protect His people in Sri Lanka from attack by

extremists. Ask that He will meet all the needs of

those struggling without support, and pray that the

government will recognise the rights of Christians

and end discrimination against them.

Friday 7 Many Christians in Sri Lanka are

very poor and have little defence against thedestructive natural disasters that frequently hit

their country. Early this year severe ooding the worst for eight years devastated large

parts of the island, damaging and destroying

homes and sweeping away crops and livestock.

Praise the Lord that Barnabas Fund was able

to provide emergency food packages for 4,500

Christian families across six districts. Pray for

these believers as they seek to rebuild their livesafter the oods, and for better protection for themagainst their unstable environment.

JUNE 3 - 7



Saturday 8 I am able to go out for my ministry

without worrying about my familys safety. We are

able to have peaceful nights [and] to enjoy our

meals and family prayers. With these words a

Sri Lankan church leader expressed his joy andgratitude for the sturdy new house provided for

his family with support from Barnabas. In 2007

they were forced to ee their village during thecivil war, and for some time they had to live in a

tarpaulin hut with no protection against thieves

or wild animals. But their new house has made

them secure again and transformed their lives.

Give thanks that Barnabas has been able to build

or repair more than 600 houses for homelessChristians in Sri Lanka and India, and pray for our

plans to provide more.

Sunday 9 Pray for Christians inNepal, whose numbers appear to

have been grossly underestimated

in the countrys latest census. The

preliminary results put the number

of Christians at 2 million, but when

the nal report was issued more than

a year later, it recorded just 375,699

(about 1.4% of the population). The

Federation of National Christians ofNepal said that it could prove from

church records that there were more

than 2.5 million Christians in the

country, while a senior church leader

added that the enumerators did not

visit every house and assumed that

anyone with a Hindu name was aHindu. An accurate estimate of the

size of the Christian minority is vitally

important at a time of signicant

political change. Pray that their

freedoms will not be diminished, but

protected and enhanced.

Monday 10 I could not survive without your

support. Now I never worry about food becauseI can feed my children every month. Asma,

a Pakistani Christian mother whose husband

was killed by Muslim extremists, spoke of the

security brought by the regular food parcels she

receives from Barnabas Fund. Give thanks for the

lasting difference Barnabas feeding programme

has made in Asmas life and in those of many

other Christians in Pakistan, who endure great

hardship. Praise the Lord that we have been able

to extend the programme to include another 890

families, bringing the total number of families

supported to 2,067.

Tuesday 11 Today, a great justice has been

served. Masih was innocent and everyone knew.

An innocent man was saved from a terrible fate.

The lawyer for Barkat Masih was speaking afterhis client was acquitted on 28 January of a false

charge of blasphemy in Pakistan. Barkat, who

works as a sweeper, had refused to hand over to

two Muslim men the keys of a site where he was

working; it is thought they were trying to occupy

the land illegally. They threatened him with dire

consequences and accused him to the police for

insulting Muhammad (which carries a mandatory

death penalty in Pakistan). Give thanks for hisrelease, and pray for him and his family as they

relocate and rebuild their lives.

JUNE 8 - 11


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Wednesday 12 Freedom for Christians in

Cuba remains elusive despite some political

reforms in the last ve years. During 2012 thenumber of violations of freedom of religion or

belief increased fourfold to 120. The governmentcontinues to control the churches through

legal restrictions and ofcial surveillance andharassment, and church leaders are sometimes

detained. All registered churches must have their

activities approved by local Communist Party

ofcials, while unregistered groups cannot legallygather for worship. Pray for relief for Gods people

from such stiing regulation and for full religious

freedom to be established in Cuba.

Thursday 13 We want to praise the Lord for

his protection, because a major disaster has been

prevented. With these words a Christian minister

in Turkey thanked God that a plot to kill his fellow

pastor Emre Karaali was foiled by counter-

terrorism police. Police arrested 14 suspects on

suspicion of plotting to kill Emre on 15 January;

two of them are thought to have inltrated hischurch. They had been attending for over a year

and had become very close to the pastor and

his wife. Give thanks that the Lord protected the

pastor from this danger, and pray that He will

keep him and other vulnerable ministers in Turkey

safe from harm.

Friday 14 Armenians, who are predominantlyChristians, are a very vulnerable group in

Turkey. Five attacks on elderly Armenians were

carried out in the Samatya area of Istanbul

between December 2012 and January 2013.

In a particularly brutal attack on 28 December,

85-year-old Marissa Kucuk was stabbed to death

and a cross was carved on her body. Khatchig

Mouradian, an Armenian activist, said, The

attacks highlight the unbearable heaviness ofbeing Armenian in Turkey. Pray that the Lord will

be a shield for all those in Turkey who take refuge

in Him (Proverbs 30:5), and ask that Armenian

Christians there will know His peace despite the

weighty burdens they bear, and His strength to

stand rm.

Saturday 15 Give thanks for a victory for

religious freedom for British Christians. On 15

January, the European Court of Human Rights

(ECHR) found in favour of Nadia Eweida, who

had been ghting a lengthy legal battle to haveher right to express her faith in the workplace

upheld. Nadia was told in 2006 by her employer,

British Airways, that her cross necklace breached

their uniform code, despite the fact that Muslimhijabs and Sikh bangles were permissible. Nadia

refused to remove her cross, and her campaign

to be allowed to wear it to work culminated in the

ECHRs ruling that her right to freedom of thought,

conscience and religion had been violated. Praise

God for this victory, and pray that it will encourage

other Christians in the UK to defend their freedom.

Sunday 16 Pray for Saeed Abedeni

(32), an Iranian-American pastor

who has been jailed for eight years

in Iran for planting house churches

intended to undermine national

security. The US citizen was

arrested last September while visiting

his homeland, where he was trying to

establish an orphanage. The chargesagainst him relate to his work in

starting a house-church movement

following his conversion from Islam

to Christianity in 2000. He was

sentenced on 27 January. Saeed has

reportedly been subjected to physical

and psychological abuse in prison.

Pray that the Lord will uphold and

protect him and swiftly bring abouthis release. Pray also that the Lord

will comfort Saeeds wife Naghmeh

JUNE 12 - 16



and their two children, who live in

Idaho.

Monday 17 Iranian Christians continue to

suffer abuse and opposition from the Islamic

authorities. Earlier this year one ayatollah

defamed their faith and declared that todays

Christians are a shame to Christianity, while

another warned against the growth of house

churches, saying that they attract ungodly

youth who have gone astray and induce them

to convert. He has previously tried to provoke

the intelligence and security services to take

action against the Christian community. Pray

for protection for our brothers and sisters in Iran

in this climate of intimidation, and ask that the

churches there will continue to grow.

Tuesday 18 On 8 February members ofthemutawaah, the notorious Saudi Arabian

religious police, descended on the home of an

Ethiopian Christian in Dammam, where a private

worship service was being held. They arrested

53 Ethiopian believers, most of them women,

and accused three of the church leaders of

trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, which

is an illegal act in the hardline Islamic state. At

the time of writing most of the Christians werefacing deportation. Expatriate Christians are

theoretically permitted to worship in private, but

their gatherings are sometimes raided in this way.

Pray that they will be allowed to practise their faith

in peace, and for greater freedom for Christians in

Saudi Arabia.

Wednesday 19 In mid-January, British and

European politicians called on Burma (Myanmar)

to stop its military offensive in the predominantly

Christian Kachin state. The campaign was

launched in June 2011 and has led to the

displacement of over 100,000 people and the

destruction of around 200 villages. Scores of

churches have been burnt down; children have

been killed and women raped by the Burmesemilitary. A ceasere announced by Burmaspresident, Thein Sein, to take effect from 19

January was ignored by the army, but tentative

peace talks did begin. Pray that the ghting willend and that the beleaguered Kachin people will

be left in peace.

Thursday 20 Molotov cocktails were thrown

at two church buildings in Makassar, South

Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the early hours of Sunday

10 February. The front door and sign of one of

the buildings were damaged. Two other churches

were then targeted in apparently coordinated

attacks at 4am on Thursday 14 February; both

buildings suffered re damage. The policesaid that they believed the re-bombings were

intended to stir up religious tensions. Many churchbuildings in Indonesia are the target of attacks

by militant Muslims who object to the presence

of Christians. Thank the Lord that no-one was

injured in the Makassar incidents, and pray that

Christian-owned property will be kept safe from

assault.

Friday 21 Give thanks to the Lord that six

Christian schools in Indonesia that were facingthe threat of closure can now continue their work

unhindered. The schools, in Blitar in East Java,

JUNE 17 - 21


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received an injunction from the authorities at the

end of 2012 that required them to provide Islamic

courses and readings of the Quran for Muslim

students by 19 January or be shut. The schools

rmly resisted the threat, saying that parents werefully cognisant of the fact that only the Christian

religion is taught in these schools when they

registered their children. Praise the Lord that

after three days of talks between local ofcialsand Christian leaders, the order was rescinded.

Pray that the schools will continue to be a safe

environment where students of all religions can

learn about the Christian faith.

Saturday 22 Pray for church leaders in Laos,

who are extremely vulnerable to harassment.

Their faith is seen as an American import and

a threat to national identity, and so they often

come under suspicion from the authorities.

Three pastors from Savannakhet province were

detained by police on 5 February after going to

a shop to make copies of a Christian DVD. Prayfor Bounma, Somkaew and Bounmee, who stand

accused of spreading Christianity, although they

said they were making only one copy of the DVDfor each of their households. Ask that they will be

returned to their communities, and pray that the

joy of the Lord will be their strength (Nehemiah

8:10).

Sunday 23 Those who becomeChristians in Laos risk losing

everything. A couple from Chumpoy

in the Sanamsai district of Attappeu

province were thrown out of their

village on 23 January for converting

to Christianity. Pray for Sakien and

his wife Dong, who came to Christ

after hearing the testimony of their

son and daughter-in-law, Sanienand Pitsamai; they had become

Christians after Pitsamai was healed

after prayer. Sakien and Dong are

currently sheltering in a partially

constructed church building in

another village; pray that they will

either be able to return to their homeor nd adequate housing elsewhere,

and that the Lord will sustain them in

their new faith throughout this trial.

Monday 24 I had just cooked my last meal,

and there was no food in the house, nor money,

nor any other way of obtaining grain. Thank the

Lord for this aid, which has saved me and my

children. Bh Kamat, a Christian widow with sixchildren in Mali, was completely overwhelmed

when her pastor told her that she was going

to receive corn and rice funded by Barnabas.

Thousands of Christians ed the north of thecountry after the Islamist takeover in 2012, and

their plight was worsened by food shortages

resulting from drought. But praise God that

Barnabas has helped to supply food for more than

5,100 Christians, as well as meeting other needs.Pray for His continuing provision for His people as

Mali continues to face an uncertain future.

JUNE 22 - 24



Tuesday 25 Pray for our brothers and sisters

in North Africa living in the shadow of militant

Islamism. Following the French intervention

against Islamist groups who had taken over large

parts of Mali, militants attacked a gas facilityin Algeria in January and killed 37 people. An

Algerian employee who managed to escape said,

We were told that because we were Muslim we

would not be killed, and it was only the Christians

they were after. The Islamists associate

Christianity with the West, so Christian targets and

individuals as well as Western ones are especially

vulnerable to attack. Ask that the Lord will protect

Christians in the region against violence and theoppressive grip of sharia law.

Wednesday 26 Christian girls in Egypt are

extremely vulnerable to being kidnapped by

Salasts who forcibly convert them to Islam andmarry them to Muslim men against their will; over

500 have been victims of this heartless campaign

since the revolution of January 2011. The

Association of Victims of Abduction and EnforcedDisappearance (AVAED), an Egyptian Christianorganisation, says that the authorities collude

with the Salasts. Give thanks for the safe returnof Agape Essam Girgis (13), who was abducted

from el-Ameriya on 23 December 2012. Sadly,

most cases do not have a happy ending. Pray

that the Lord will comfort those families whose

daughters are still missing and intervene mightilyto deliver the Christian girls from the hands of their

captors.

Thursday 27 In another chilling sign of Egypts

move towards becoming an Islamic state, it was

announced in March that a religious police force

had been established to uphold Muslim morals.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and

Prevention of Vice shares its name with thenotorious religious police of Saudi Arabia. For

some months previously, vigilante Salast gangs

had been operating as self-appointed enforcers

of morals, raiding shops and harassing staff and

customers. The Christian community is concerned

that it may now be subjected to the demands

of sharia law. Pray that this will not happen andthat the Islamisation of Egyptian society will be

checked and then reversed.

Friday 28 Two Christian boys in Egypt were

found guilty on 4 February of showing contempt

for Islam by allegedly desecrating pages of the

Quran. Nabil Farag and Mina Risq were aged

just 9 and 10 at the time of the alleged incident

on 30 September 2012. They were accused oftearing up and urinating on pages of the Quran in

the village of Ezbat Marco. The youngsters were

convicted despite evidence being produced in

court that they are illiterate and therefore not able

to identify Quranic text. Give thanks that Nabil

and Mina were not punished; they were only

remanded to the custody of their parents. Pray

that the boys will suffer no further repercussions

from this incident; they may be vulnerable to

attack or subject to discrimination.

Saturday 29 A seminary attached to a church

in Almaty, Kazakhstan was liquidated by court

order on 9 January. The seminarys parent

organisation had been unable to register it as

a religious education establishment under the

harsh 2011 Religion Law, which required allreligious groups to re-register with the state.

Following the ruling, the seminary was going to

try to continue its activity under the auspices of

a registered religious organisation. Pray that its

work will resume and that the Lord will use it to

equip Christian leaders as they minister in such a

challenging context.

Sunday 30 Three churches inKazakhstan were targeted by

police raids supposedly intended

JUNE 25 - 30


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Barnabas Fund is a Company registered in England Number 4029536. Registered Charity Number 1092935

Cover: A Sri Lankan Christian widow whom Barnabas helped to start up a business and support her family

Barnabas Fund 2013

www.barnabasfund.org

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Auckland, 2241

Telephone(09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 [email protected]

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Telephone 01672 564938

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or 1300 365 799Fax (07) 3806 4076


to counter manifestations of

religious extremism and terrorism

on 20 January. The churches in

Petropavl, Taiynsha and Kishnekol,

all in North Kazakhstan, wereraided during worship services.

The pastors of the churches

each received a ne equivalent to

almost twice the average monthly

wage in Kazakhstan. Pray that the

congregations of the churches will

continue to develop their fellowship

despite this setback, and that theLord will meet the needs of the

pastors burdened with such heavy

nes.

JUNE 30

prayer diary may/june 2013

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