Remember Ambassadors

The last week has brought incredible news of suffering in Sudan.  While details are spotty, Christianity is definitely under attack!

There have been two incidents and multiple casualties among the Christian leadership ranks just this past week.  The first incident involved one of the most influential men in the Sudanese Baptist church, the man that helped organize the pastor's conference that Remember participated in just a couple of months ago.  He was a man of God, a local hero, and a dedicated father and pastor.  The first word that we received was that he died of a heart attack while serving Christians in the Nuba Mountains, but the latest news is that he was martyred for his faith.

The second incident was even more deadly.  Two Sudanese pastors and one Egyptian pastor were south of Kadugli, also in the Nuba Mountains.  Mission Network News tells the story.   The pastors had been showing the Jesus Film as an evangelical outreach before they were attacked and killed.

Remember's ministry is to the widows and orphans of martyrs, and we are actively working to see what we can do for the new widows and orphans of the last week.

Your prayers on behalf of these saints are vital.  Their war is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers that are so dominant in that dark country.  Please pray for their protection against the attacks of the evil one, and pray that they would be encouraged and strengthened by the Spirit of God despite the terror that surrounds them.  Let's stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer with these suffering saints!

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom just released its 2007 report. 

As established in 1998 by the International Religious Freedom Act, the Commission's report is designed to evaluate religious freedom in countries across the world, and make recommendations to the President and Secretary of State as they identify those countries that have engaged in egregious violations of the right to religious freedom.  The 2007 recommendations of these "Countries of Particular Concern" include Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

At almost 300 pages, the report is not an easy read, but if you are interested in reading about countries in which Remember currently has ongoing work here is a mini table of contents:

•  Country of Particular Concern Summaries…….81
•  Sudan…….102
•  Burma…….115
•  Egypt…….203

Making both national and international news, the US Department of State released their 2006 figures on global terrorism yesterday.  The headlines caught my attention, because the figures are astounding.  Over 20,000 people were killed as a result of global terrorism last year.  I had no idea there were so many attacks, and so many victims!

It immediately brought to mind another number that most people don't know about–160,000, the estimated number of Christians martyred for their faith each year.  Of course, in many countries, terrorism and persecution go hand in hand.  Iraq, for instance, the biggest source of these terrorism deaths in 2006, has also been the site of a mass exodus of Christians fleeing the persecution.