Persecuted Brother

This story begins three years ago in a small, impoverished village within Syria. OM partners with the local church to reach out to the village, providing food packages and Christian literature to an area that has been suffering drought for many years. On one of these outreaches Ali*, a devout Muslim received a copy of the New Testament and began to read. Over the course of the following two years the Lord pursued Ali through the Scriptures and the witness and love of the local believers, until last year, he committed his life to Jesus! In the last year, Syria has destabilized significantly. Fighters ransacked Ali's village, captured most of the villagers and took them to a military camp. The men and women were separated and Ali was sent to buy food for his family. On his return, all of his food was taken from him, except the milk, which was for his youngest daughter. The following day Ali was thankful to be reunited with his family, but the joy was short lived. He learned that his wife and children had been severely beaten and one of his son’s arms had been broken. The next day they were woken at 5 a.m. to pray in Muslim tradition. Ali refused, explaining that he was a Christian, a follower of Jesus. He says that it is nothing short of a miracle that he was not killed for this act of defiance. The fighters were confused and asked to see his identity card; it showed him to be a Syrian and a Muslim. Ali explained that he had committed his life to Jesus a year ago so they decided to take Ali to the sheik. The sheik ordered Ali to bow and pray according to Muslim tradition: “You will pray.” Ali refused, but instead took the opportunity to tell his testimony to the sheik and all who were present. The sheik, unable to weaken Ali's resolve sent him away and deemed him insane. The only way that Ali and his family would be released from the camp is if they pay off the fighters, but they have not money to do so. Ali was allowed to ask for help and so contacted his pastor, who gave him what money he had and listened to all that had happened. Please pray for our brother Ali and his family, that the Lord would protect and rescue them from their captors, that they would not fall ill and that the money that the pastor gave for their release would be enough. Also pray for all those who have heard Ali's testimony and seen his courageous acts, that they might be convicted of the truth and power of the Gospel. Pray for continued endurance and wisdom for Ali in the face of persecution. Praise God for his miraculous hand of protection on Ali’s life. *Name changed

Violence Overwhelms Iraq

More than 500 people were killed in Iraq during May alone. Although attacks were mostly Shia Muslim against Sunni Muslim, Christians have also been affected. Ten years ago Iraq had 300 churches and 1.4 million Christians; now only 57 churches and about half a million Christians remain, and these churches continue to be targeted. Iraqi believers have faced several bomb attacks, killings, abductions, torture and forced conversions to Islam. Those who haven't fled say they hope to influence their nation for the gospel, but many feel forgotten. CBN, 1 June;

Iran Presidential Elections Today

On Friday, 14 June more than 50 million Iranians will be voting for a new president of the country. They can choose between one of the six candidates for the new President of Iran. As the conservative ‘Guardian council’ always makes a selection of all candidates and they barred the candidacy of all real reformists, the Iranians don’t have a lot of candidates to choose from. According to an Open Doors spokesman Christians feel that there is not much in these elections for them, as no major changes are to be expected with whatever candidate wins. In Iran the ‘Supreme leader’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is considered as the most powerful man. The present President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is finishing his second term and according to the Iranian constitution won’t be able to run for presidency again. The new president has to get more than 50% of the votes on the first day of the elections. If no candidate gets the absolute majority on Friday, there will be a second day of voting on 21 June. The new president will be inaugurated on 3 August. PRAYER POINTS • Pray that the best candidate will win the elections and that there will be an improvement of the situation of the Christians in Iran. • Saturday the results will be announced. Pray that the people will maintain calm; four years ago violent protests erupted after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected. • Pray for the Christians in Iran, many of them only can worship together in house churches. • Pray for the imprisoned Christians in Iran.

Hope Restored

Whether it is running a Christian bookstore, reaching out on a university campus or planting a church, OM Near East operates through relationships and, wherever possible, in partnership with the local church. The destabilization of the area, specifically with regard to the Syria crisis, has resulted in tens of thousands of refugees displaced into surrounding countries and countless more stricken by the turmoil within Syria. Each month, new stories come out of Syria and surrounding refugee areas of the overwhelming need, heartbreak and depravity of the situation people are facing. Large parts of the region have been facing drought and with the addition of conflict, many are struggling to survive. OM teams in the region are confronted daily with individuals who have lost not only their homes and possessions, but also family members. Teams are overwhelmed by the needs as they encounter people who have lost hope. Workers faithfully offer aid and loving care. The Syria crisis has opened the door for many who would otherwise have had no opportunity to hear the gospel to realise hope in Jesus. With approximately 80 OM workers in the Near East field – Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq – this is a season of significant breakthrough and there is a palpable sense of faith and expectation for what God is doing and will continue to do. In this predominantly Muslim part of the world, OM is seeing hope restored, communities transformed and people following Jesus. This success though does not go unchallenged. Muslim background believers still face significant persecution from their families, communities and governments. They need prayer for strength, as well as, support the community of believers as they navigate what can be a very painful journey and wrestle with issues of fear, faith and truth. Please pray: • For all those affected by the crisis in Syria. • For the OM workers in the field to have wisdom and discernment to know how to respond to the needs of the people they are serving. • For Muslim background believers to have the endurance, courage and faith to stand firm in the face of persecution. • That the Lord would continue to make His name known among these nations. • That the Lord would send more laborers into the harvest field of the Near East. Ben is an enthusiast photographer, blogger and writer. He loves listening to, experiencing and then sharing stories about what God is doing. He is currently on a six-week communications internship in the Middle East and is excited to see and hear what the Lord is doing in this region of the world.

Words from a Syrian Refugee

A human being has a tremendous ability to adapt to the most difficult conditions. They had to learn to live in Aleppo without water or food, and sometimes no electricity for days on end. They even had to learn to live with the sounds of explosives and gunfire that tore them from sleep at night. However, what a man cannot live with is the constant terror that paralyzes him completely: the daily fear that the bus transporting children to their school would be targeted by a suicide attack; the psychological fear that comes over you on Sunday when you go to church knowing there are groups active in your neighborhood who consider it a religious duty to kill as many Christians as possible; and finally the situation that at night you do not dare to go to bed because you have received reports about acquaintances and relatives who were surprised by a rocket that crashed out of nowhere onto their property while they slept; or what can happen when you spend hours in a long line at one of the few bakeries that still make bread. You never could have imagined that even the simplest of life’s activities had suddenly become dangerous.