Remember Ambassadors

Every Wednesday, I e-mail out The Weekly Reminder to praying Christians.  We archive each one, but these are some of my favorites from 2007!

• Brother W's Story (Jordan)
• Mrs. H's Story (Egypt) (And Part 2)
  
• Revelation 12:11
• The Blood of the Lamb
• The Word of Their Testimony
• They Loved Not Their Lives
• "Well Done"
• "My Heart Rejoice"
• Samuel's Story (Sudan)

It's an age old philosophical question: Why would a loving God allow suffering in the world?  For Christians, the question is even more pertinent:  Why would our loving God allow His people to suffer?

I'm not going to try to give you an exhaustive answer to this question, one that has filled many books, but the lives of persecuted Christians answer these questions far more powerfully than I could ever begin to.

Today, for instance, I read an interview with the daughter of a Chinese pastor that has been unjustly locked away in prison.  Even though the judge in the case admitted that the evidence against him is insufficient, and the facts "ambiguous," this house church leader has not been given a fair trial.  Instead, he is suffering in very poor health in a Chinese prison.

But in that prison, he is doing the Lord's work among the most hardened of criminals.  His daughter shared this touching story:

And so my father continues to share the Good News even while in prison. In 2005 after he suffered from the stroke in the previous prison and was hospitalized, he left a bag of sunflower seeds for his cell-mates to consume. But one of his fellow prisoners said, “No, we will not eat them yet; we will wait until Christmas when we can partake of them together to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.” So on Christmas night, they distributed the seeds to close to 20 people in two adjoining cells and ate them together. After that, they sang songs and worshipped. That’s how they celebrated the Lord’s birthday.

We can't always see God's overarching plan.  We tend to be stuck in our own little temporal lives, unable to see beyond our own temporary pain, and the temporary pain of others.  But we can certainly see evidence of the truth of God's promise that "all things work together for good to them that love God."  (Romans 8:28)  We can see that evidence in the lives of those living in persecution.  In the midst of their persecution, they are accomplishing the work of the Kingdom.  Even their suffering is working together for good.

And as an added benefit to us, their suffering gives us the chance to meet their needs.  In doing so, we are answering the calling on the Body of Christ, doing the work of the Lord for His church.

It has been a while since we had a world update post, although you can always use "Up to the Minute" in the sidebar to keep on top of the most up-to-date news!

Here's the latest from the persecuted church. 

China: Prominent House Church Leaders Arrested

Three church leaders have been arrested and arraigned on the charges of “gathering in an illegal assembly under the guise of religion.”

Honduras: Pastor Says Robberies Target Ministries

Organized crime is using violence in an attempt to stop Christian work. 

Indonesia:  The Power of Forgiveness

This is an update story on the continued working of God in and through the lives of the two Indonesian girls that survived the vicious attack of Islamic extremists back in 2005.

India: Riot-Hit Christians Still Hiding in Jungles

The aftermath of the Christmas violence against Christians continues for many.  Some are still missing, and others are hiding in the jungles to avoid attack. 

Iraq: Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches

Attackers chose the day of Epiphany to coordinate attacks against 4 churches and 3 convents in Iraq.

North Korea: Government Accused of Running Underground Church "Stings"

Reports indicate that government officials are posing as defectors in order to infiltrate underground churches. 

Russia: Nationalistic Youth Movement Takes Credit for Vandalizing Churches

Bottles and stones with threatening messages were used to vandalize two church properties in the city of Kaluga. 

You read about the trip here first, but our trip wrap-up, as well as some of the results from the trip, have now been posted over at www.rememberthose.org.

Trip Wrap Up

Projects Page Update

Photo Album 

On New Year's Day, a news story broke that was, to me, a very sobering reminder of both the danger of our work, and the desperate need for it.  Just weeks after I and five Americans returned from Sudan, a U.S. diplomat was shot and killed in an attack in the city we stayed in.

US Diplomat Shot Dead in Sudan

The story impacted me on a very personal level, just because of its proximity to my own travels, but then I realized that in spite of that personal impact I can only imagine what it must be like to be a Christian living in Sudan.  Even though I have met them, heard their stories and seen their needs, I can only begin to comprehend what life must be like in a place where everything they believe is hated to the point of violence.

But even my small comprehension drives home to me just how great the need is for the work of Remember.  Truly, these believers have no place to turn–except to us, the Body of Christ.  And why should they turn anywhere else?  We are called to meet their needs.

Remember's goal is to expand in as many directions as God allows us to in 2008.  The possibilities are endless, and as God opens doors we will jump through them!  Won't you join us?  Your prayers are the power from which we derive our success–and a direct blessing to the people that we serve together.