Modern Witnesses: Iran

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

Do you remember a few weeks ago when we learned about Farshid Fathi in Sunday School? He’s a husband and father in Iran who is in prison because of his faith in Jesus. Have you prayed for him and sent him a letter?

Today, our Sunday School teacher taught us more about what life is like for Christians in Iran. This time, she shared a story with us that she wrote about a girl named Yasmin. Yasmin’s family was arrested, and she had to go into hiding because they loved Jesus. Her story isn’t true, it’s not written about someone who really lives in Iran like Farshid Fathi, but it is based on things that have happened to Christians in Iran that have been reported in the news. You can read Yasmin’s Silent Song here.

Let’s keep praying for Christians in Iran, that God would help them be brave and keep them safe.

“Dear God, thank you for the freedom to sing and worship. Please be with and take care of all the Christians who live in places where that is illegal. Encourage them and help them wait patiently for the day when no one will keep them from singing to You. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Modern Witnesses: Farshid Fathi

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

This week, our Sunday School teacher taught us about another brave Christian who is serving God even though it is very hard and painful. His name is Farshid Fathi, and he lives in Iran.

Farshid was arrested on the day after Christmas in 2010, and he has been in jail ever since. He is a Christian and was sentenced to jail because of his faith in Jesus. He has been treated very badly, and he misses his family very much. But he hasn’t given up. He keeps on loving God and telling others about Him whenever he can. Sometimes, the jail puts him in a cell all by himself where he can’t talk to anyone. Even then, Farshid knows that he can still talk to God and that God will never ever leave him alone.

Farshid has a wife and two children who miss him very much. They know they might not see Farshid for many years.

Did you know that there are ways we can help Farshid? We can pray for him and his family, that God will continue to take care of each of them. Pray that they keep trusting God and doing what He says, and pray that many people will see God’s love in them and want to know more about God.

We can also send Farshid letters to let him know that Christians are praying for him and that we haven’t forgotten about him. Check out How to Be a Superhero in Twelve Easy Steps for why sending letters is important and how you can help.

I’m going to pray for Farshid, his family, and all the Christians in Iran right now. Will you pray with me?

“Dear God, please help the Christians in Iran to not be afraid. Help them remember that You never forget them. And, please help us not to forget about them, either. Help them be strong and continue to tell others about Your love. And, please help Farshid and his family. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

For more information on where you can find Farshid’s story online, please see my Parents and Educators page.

If you’d like a printable version of today’s story, click here.

Modern Witnesses: Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

Today in Sunday School, we learned about three countries in eastern Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. All three of them are dangerous places for Christians to live. A ministry called Open Doors put together a World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians are persecuted and suffer the most. Egypt is #25, Eritrea is #10, and Ethiopia is #15.

But what does that mean? It means that Christians in those countries aren’t free to practice their faith and share their faith with others. Each country is different, and sometimes Christians in one part of a country are more free to share their faith than they are in other parts of the same country. In all three countries, Christians face strong persecution for loving Jesus.

Sometimes the persecution is violent. Christians might be attacked or thrown into jail. Other times, the persecution is quiet, but just as painful. Your entire family might stop speaking to you. They might throw you out of the house and not allow you to come back.

When you look at a map, Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia might seem very far away, but if you are a Christian, then the Christians who are suffering there are just like the Christians in your own family or your own church.

“Dear God, please help the Christians in Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. Please help us to remember to pray for them every day. Please take care of them and comfort them when they are hurting, scared, or lonely. Please help them know that You are with them, even if their family turns away from them. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

 

If you’d like a printable version of today’s story, click here.

Modern Witnesses: Determined to Pray

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

Over the last few weeks, our Sunday School teacher has told us the stories of people who have suffered because they believe in Jesus. We met the Adivasi Christians who live in India, who were attacked at church. Some of the villagers wouldn’t let them get water or firewood. Even after a peace was made between the other villagers and the Christians, it didn’t stop the persecution. A little girl and her family were attacked because the girl played a Christian song on her phone.

We met Christians who live in an area of Bangladesh called the hill tracts. A group tried to keep them from celebrating Christmas a few years ago. They said they weren’t allowed to play music at their church, and said they weren’t even allowed to worship God silently! They stopped the Christians from having a special dinner they had planned to feed about 100 people.

Last week, we met Christians who live in the Central African Republic (CAR). Their country is in terrible trouble right now. A group called Séléka has taken over the country. There isn’t any light or running water. All the prisoners at a jail were set free. Many Christians have had their homes and churches destroyed. No one except God knows what will happen next in the CAR.

There are so many ways we can pray for the Christians we’ve been learning about. One special thing I am going to ask God for today is that He will help all of them stay determined. Even though they know that God loves them and will work everything out for good someday, it can be hard to keep living for Jesus. Some of them are hungry; some of them have lost everything they owned. Some of them are away from their families and don’t know when they will see them again. None of them know what will happen to their villages or their countries.

We colored a picture that we can use to help us remember to pray for them. If you’d like to color one yourself, you can find it here.

“Dear God, please help the Christians who are being mistreated because they love you to stay determined. Help them make up their minds not to give up or turn away from You, no matter what happens. We know that You are the only One who is strong enough to help them do that. Please help the people of India, Bangladesh, and the Central African Republic to know You and understand how much You love them. And please help me and all of us to be determined to follow You, no matter what. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

Modern Witnesses: Christians in the CAR

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

When our Sunday School teacher told us this morning that she wanted us to pray for Christians in the C-A-R, I thought she meant she wanted us to pray when we were going somewhere. But that’s not what she meant at all (though praying for people while you’re traveling somewhere is a good idea, too).

She said that CAR stood for the Central African Republic. I had never heard of it before, but she showed it to us on a map. The Central African Republic (CAR), is a French-speaking country in the middle of Africa. It’s a small country, just a little bit smaller than the state of Texas, and it is a very poor country—one of the poorest in all of Africa.

It also has had a very rough history of different people and groups fighting for control of the country. That’s what is happening right now, and that is why we need to remember to pray for the Christians in the CAR. The country’s president, President Francois Bozizé, has been in control of the country for about ten years. But several groups of people, especially some of the groups in the northern part of the country, have been unhappy with the way the president is doing things. The groups got together, named themselves Séléka, and started taking over the country. Some of them have better weapons than the military has.

Séléka started attacking people and destroying homes, churches, and businesses. When the group first started their rebellion, they told people they wouldn’t hurt anyone because of their faith. But so far, Christians have been attacked an awful lot, while people who believe the religion that is popular in the northern part of the country, where Séléka is from, haven’t been touched.

Christians in the CAR are very scared. The water and the electricity in the capital have both been shut off, so they are living in homes without light or running water. Also in the capital, a jail was attacked and all of the prisoners were set free, so people don’t know what they will do.

Please pray that God’s peace will reign in all of the hearts in the CAR and that things will work out the way they are supposed to for the country and all of its people. Pray that the people who are hurting Christians will come to understand that Jesus died and rose again, and that He loves every one of them. And please pray that God will be with the Christians, make them strong, and keep them safe.

“Dear God, thank You for showing us how much You love every person by sending Your Son Jesus to earth to die on the cross for my sins and everybody’s sins. Thank You that because You are God, death couldn’t keep Jesus in the grave, and that Jesus is alive now in Heaven forever. Help the people in the Central African Republic, and all over the world, who don’t know about Jesus’ love to know You and trust You. And please work things out in the CAR the way that is best. Please keep everyone safe. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

The facts of this story are based on World Watch Monitor news articles published on March 27, 2013. For more information, please see my Parents and Educators page.

If you’d like a printable version of today’s story, click here.

Modern Witnesses: Believers in Bangladesh

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

What is it like to be a Christian in Bangladesh? That’s what we talked about in Sunday School this morning. It can mean many things. It can mean your family could kick you out. It can mean your church building is destroyed. It can mean you are attacked for your faith.

It can even mean you aren’t able to celebrate Christmas.

That’s what happened to a group of Christians in an area of Bangladesh called the hill tracts region in 2010. That is an area in the southeastern part of Bangladesh.

A group of people called the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) doesn’t want the people of Bangladesh to be Christians. They told them they weren’t allowed to play music at their church to celebrate Christmas. They said they weren’t even allowed to worship God silently. And Christians at one church weren’t allowed to have a special dinner for the people, even though they had planned on feeding about 100 people for Christmas.

But the UPDF didn’t limit their threats to the Christians. They even threatened the villagers who weren’t Christians yet, that if they allowed the Christians to celebrate Christmas, they would be in trouble, too.

Can you imagine not being allowed to have church on Christmas? How would you feel if you weren’t allowed to go to church when you wanted to? What if someone told you that you weren’t even allowed to worship God silently?

Thankfully, no one can stop us from talking to God in prayer any time we want to. I want to remember to thank God for wanting me to pray and talk to Him anytime, anywhere.

“Dear God, please help the Christians in Bangladesh to be brave and worship You. Help them not to turn away. Please help them keep loving You and serving You no matter what. Thank You for always wanting me to pray and talk to You anytime, about anything, no matter what. And thank You that no one can stop me from praying. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

The facts of this story are based on a World Watch Monitor news article published on December 27, 2010. For more information, please see my Parents and Educators page.

If you’d like a printable copy of today’s story, click here.

For more great resources on Bangladesh, please visit the Voice of the Martyrs website Kids of Courage and download the free book Bold Believers of Bangladesh.

Exploring with Jake is not affiliated with the Voice of the Martyrs or Kids of Courage.

Modern Witnesses: Adivasi Tribal Christians

Modern Witnesses: Adivasi Tribal Christians

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

This week, our Sunday School teacher taught us about a group of Christians in India who are suffering because of their faith in Jesus. They are part of the Adivasi tribe, and they live in the state of Maharashtra, which is in the part of India that goes from about the middle of India westward to the Arabian Sea.

The first attack happened last December. A group of Adivasi Christians met at a church in the village of Tamsai. They wanted to pray and worship God. But a bunch of angry people broke into the church and started beating everyone up—the men, women, and even the kids. They told them that they should pray somewhere else, and they tore up Bibles.

The mob stayed for about an hour, when other Christian leaders in the area came and took the victims to the police. But the police didn’t do a lot to help the Christians, and many of them were very scared. Some of them left their homes and moved someplace else. The villagers who stayed were threatened. The other villagers told them they wouldn’t be allowed to get water at the village well or get firewood. At last, the police started an investigation.

The Christians met again in the middle of January, and this time, they had the police with them. A mob gathered, but they didn’t attack when they saw the police. Later that day, everyone met together and agreed that there would be peace if the Christians agreed only to have prayer meeting in their homes. A peace was agreed on. The Christians would be allowed to get water and firewood.

But the peace didn’t last. The very next day, when three women were getting water, a 12-year-old girl was playing a Christian song on her phone. The villagers were furious! They attacked the women and the little girl.

Can you imagine making someone so angry that they wanted to beat your family up—just because you played a Christian song on your phone? How would you feel if someone said the only place you could have a church service was in your home? What would you do if someone said they wouldn’t let you go the store for the food and water you need because you are a Christian?

Please pray with me that God will help the Adivasi Christians love Him and pray to Him no matter what. And please pray that the other villagers will hear and understand how much Jesus loves them.

“Dear God, please help the Adivasi Christians in India to love You more than anything. Please help and heal the ones who were hurt in the attack. Help everyone who is scared. And please help the police and the other people in charge to work hard to make sure that everyone is treated fairly. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

The facts of this story are based on World Watch Monitor news articles published on January 31, 2013. For more information, please see my Parents and Educators page.

If you’d like a printable version of today’s story, click here.

Modern Witnesses: An Unidentified Woman in Nigeria

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

This morning at church, our Sunday School teacher told us stories about how dangerous it is to be a Christian in Nigeria. Nigeria has been in the news a lot lately because people have been attacking Christians and Christian churches a lot—sometimes, every week! I was talking to my friend Noelle after church, and she reminded me of a story she learned about last year.

It happened in June, 2006. A woman in Nigeria met with a group of kids and told them how Jesus had lived with men long ago, and how he had died to pay for all the things every one of us has done wrong, including them. And, she explained how Jesus came back to life, proving he alone is God. She gave the kids some things to read more about Jesus, then she left.

But, as soon as she was gone, some men who had seen her talking to the kids came and asked the kids what she had said. When they heard that she had told them about Jesus, they decided she had to be killed. They don’t want anyone to talk about Jesus as God.

The leaders got hundreds of people to search for the woman. When they found her, they attacked her. But, police rescued her and took her to the police station. The mob threatened to attack the police station, so the police tried to smuggle her out a back door. But, they couldn’t get away. There were too many people in the mob. Three police officers had been hurt. And, the police left the woman behind. The mob killed her.

All this woman had wanted to do was help kids understand how much Jesus loves them. And the crowd killed her, before the police even had a chance to get her name or find out where she was from.

Noelle said it made her cry, to think that the woman died when no one even knew her name. But, we talked about that. And, you know what we discovered? Someone did know her name. Jesus. He says in the Bible that he knows us so well that he knows how many hairs we have on our heads. Nothing happens that he doesn’t know about. And, even though sometimes terrible things happen (like when the crowd demanded that Jesus be killed a long time ago), God makes something good come out of every situation. We just don’t always see what it is right away.

“Dear God, please help all the people of Nigeria to hear about Jesus’ love. Please be with all of your people, and bless them. Make them strong, and give them the love they need to forgive the ones who hurt them, just like Jesus did on the cross. And, please take care of this woman’s family, and all the families hurt by the violence in Nigeria. Thank you that you know everything about each of us, and that no one is invisible to you. Thank you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Parents, for more on the news story mentioned, visit my Parents and Educators page.

For a printable version of today’s story, click here.

Modern Witnesses: February 2013

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

So far this month, our Sunday School teacher has told us the stories of three people who have suffered because they believe in Jesus. We met Saeed Abedini, who was arrested in Iran and sentenced to eight years in Iran’s worst jail. He misses his wife, Naghmeh, and his two children, Rebekkah and Jacob, terribly.  We met Shijo Kokkattu, a Christian teacher from India who was working in Maldives. Even though he was a good teacher, he was arrested when school officials found Christian materials on his computer. They kept him in jail for over two weeks, then sent him home to India. And we met Makset Djabbarbergenov from Uzbekistan. After he was arrested and persecuted in Uzbekistan, he and his family fled to Kazakhstan. But last fall, Kazakhstan arrested him and put him in jail. They said they were going to send him back to jail in Uzbekistan. Finally, after several months, he and his family were allowed to leave Kazakhstan and move to another country.

We talked about all three men this morning, their families, and their homelands. Had we remembered to pray for Saeed, Shijo, and Makset? Had we remembered to pray for Saeed’s wife Naghmeh and Makset’s wife Aygul? What about Iran, Maldives, and Uzbekistan? Had we remembered to ask God to help the Christians who live there to be strong and brave, no matter what? Did we pray and ask God to help the people who don’t understand how much He loves them?

What about us? Have we asked God to help us be brave when people mistreat us because we love Jesus and try to do what He says?

We colored a picture that we can use to help us remember to pray for them. If you’d like to color one yourself, you can find it here.

Modern Witnesses: Pastor Makset

*If you’d like to read the first post in the Modern Witnesses series, click here.

This week, our Sunday School teacher taught us about another brave Christian and his family who are serving God even though it is very hard. His name is Makset Djabbarbergenov.

Pastor Makset led small Christian house churches in Uzbekistan. But the churches weren’t officially recognized churches, and that meant that Pastor Makset could be arrested at any time. And he was, once on his son’s second birthday. So five years ago, Pastor Makset and his wife Aygul took the family across the border to Kazakhstan and applied for asylum, the right to stay somewhere because it isn’t safe to stay in your own country. The United Nations granted their request for asylum, but Kazakhstan would not recognize their decision. On September 5, 2012, Kazakhstan arrested Pastor Makset, put him in jail, and told him they were going to send him back to Uzbekistan.

To make things even worse, Uzbekistan increased the charges against Pastor Makset from a charge that would mean three years in prison to a charge that could mean fifteen years in prison.

His family was heartbroken, and Pastor Makset was worried. He knew it could be very bad for him if he were sent to jail in Uzbekistan. And he didn’t know what would happen to his family. He and his wife had four sons and were waiting for the birth of a fifth child.

One day while he was praying in the jail in Kazakhstan, he heard God answer him in his prayers, “I will not send you back to Uzbekistan.” The weeks crawled by. Someone smuggled his cell phone to him, and he called his family as often as he could. But as the weeks became months, Pastor Makset struggled to believe God’s promise to not send him back to Uzbekistan. Everyone at the prison was sure he would be sent back. He prayed and remembered that evil wanted him to be afraid, but God wanted him to trust. He chose to trust God.

At first, Pastor Makset thought that God would use the time in jail to help the other prisoners learn more about God. But he got a surprise. God used his time in jail for more than that. He also used it to help Pastor Makset learn more about God and His power.

After three months, God performed a miracle. All the legal paperwork went through and was approved. Pastor Makset would be released and both he and his family would be allowed to leave Kazakhstan to move somewhere in Europe where they would be safe. The whole time he was being released from jail and waiting to get on the plane, Pastor Makset worried someone would change their mind or were just playing a very mean joke on him by letting him think he would be free. On December 4, 2012, he was let out of prison. He and his family were taken to the airport, where they were finally, after more paperwork, allowed to leave. They got on the plane and were free.

But Pastor Makset, Aygul, and his family still ask for your prayers. Aygul is due to have her baby in April. The family has moved to a strange country, with a new language and culture to learn, and left behind their families and friends. And they don’t know why God has brought them here. But they know God always has a plan, just like He did for the three months when Pastor Makset was in jail. They are trusting God to show them what to do next. Will you pray with me for them?

“Dear God, thank You for bringing Pastor Makset and his family out of Kazakhstan safely to a new home. Please keep Aygul and the baby safe. Please take care of the whole family and help them learn the many new things they need to learn. And help them understand what You want them to do next so that they can continue to tell people about Your amazing love for them. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

 

The facts of this story are based on World Watch Monitor news articles published on November 2, 2012, and January 28, 2013. For more information, please see my Parents and Educators page.

If you’d like a printable copy of today’s story, click here.