July 2016 Persecution Magazine (2 of 5) by International Christian Concern

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JULY 2016

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Finding God in the Graveyard of Hope ICC Journeys to Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Notorious Orissa State

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Impact Report

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WHERE MOST NEEDED

SUFFERING WIVES and CHILDREN

COMMUNITY REBUILD

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PROJECTS

In order to bridge the gap between the Western Church and the persecuted, ICC hosted a pastors trip to Egypt. During this trip, pastors from the US were able to meet, pray, and worship with our persecuted brothers and sisters, including those who have lost families members as martyrs. This also served as an opportunity for them to learn about the reality of persecution and how their churches back home can make a difference. In July of 2014, al-Shabaab massacred dozens of Christians in attacks throughout eastern Kenya. In spite of the risks, many churches have continued to faithfully gather for worship on a regular basis. Recently, ICC had the privilege of visiting one of these churches in order to worship with and encourage these believers. During this trip, ICC staff was also able to follow up with various on-the-ground projects throughout Kenya. Following extensive efforts by ICC’s advocacy team, a bipartisan and bicameral congressional letter was sent to India’s Prime Minister Modi urging him to condemn religious persecution in India. The letter was signed by eight senators and 26 congressmen and highlighted various incidents of violence and discrimination that have taken place against religious minorities, including Christians, in India.

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As a result of the 2013 suicide bombing of Pakistan’s All Saints Church, Zamir Bhatti was a Christian student enrolled in ICC’s schooling project. Due to medical issues caused by a head injury from the attack, Zamir passed away in November of 2015. In response, ICC paid off his remaining medical expenses in addition to hosting a memorial service for Zamir which was attended by 80 people. Due to the government crackdown on Christians in China, countless pastors and human rights advocates have been detained. In order to alleviate some of the suffering of their families, ICC has provided monthly stipends to ten Christians and their families who are facing persecution for their faith at the hand of the Chinese government. This has been an encouragement to many families who have lost their main breadwinner. During an attack led by radical Islamic Fulani herders, a woman and her children escaped alive, but not before sustaining a gunshot wound to her arm. In spite of the 16 bullet fragments lodged in her arm, miraculously, none of her bones were broken. In order to help her and her family recover from this brutal attack, ICC paid off this woman’s medical expenses.

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Following the rise of ISIS, thousands upon thousands of Christians were forced to flee the comforts of home to find safety elsewhere. Unfortunately, many were forced to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs. In response, ICC has been able to provide food aid, clothing, mattresses, blankets and more to those who are displaced to help protect them from the elements. After repairing their church only nine months prior, a church in India was razed to the ground, leaving its members without a place to gather for worship. ICC was able to step in and provide the iron sheets and rods necessary for this group of believers to repair their church structure. Not only do they now have a building to gather in, they were also encouraged by the gift, knowing that the global Church is supporting them. When a number of former Muslims came to known Christ in a Muslim-dominated part of Ethiopia, they were kicked out of their town in addition to some who also faced false charges. Their pastor, who is also a bee expert, ingeniously constructed a bee house to produce honey for the community to sell to support themselves financially. ICC assisted this persecuted community by purchasing 20 new bee boxes and the accompanying equipment to help them increase production.

JULY 2016

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BROADCASTS

UNDERGROUND PASTORS

BIBLES

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Turkey is a very internet savvy country and social media usage is widespread throughout the nation. This creates a unique opportunity for ICC to share the Gospel in ways that are not viable in many other locations. By using these forms of media, ICC and our overseas partners have been able to broadcast the Gospel and network with many local churches to witness the tangible results of this growing ministry. In Afghanistan, access to the Bible is often very limited. In an effort to share the Gospel where it is tightly restricted, ICC has supported a ministry in Afghanistan that broadcasts the Christian message. In addition to radio broadcasts, this ministry offers web and TV resources as well. As a result of this ministry, many are coming to Christ in a place where they otherwise may not even have access to a Bible. Due to the rise of anti-Christian Islamic radical groups, Christian workers in Somalia must keep a low profile. As a way of sharing the Gospel without the dangers of traditional evangelism, ICC supports a ministry that broadcasts the Christian message into Somalia through radio, social media, and Internet resources. By the grace of God, many have come to know Christ through this ministry.

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In 2013, a pastor in India was stabbed multiple times when his church was stormed by Hindu radicals. In addition to providing for his medical bills, ICC helped this pastor start up a Christian bookstore within his church. This has not only helped to sustain him and his family financially, but also spread the Gospel and serve his community. Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world to openly evangelize. Therefore, many pastors begin underground churches. In the beginning of 2016, ICC assisted two underground pastors in Afghanistan start up their own businesses so that they can continue their ministries without having to worry about finances. One pastor was given a taxi while the other received financial aid to start up a clothing business. After discovering a Christian gathering of Muslim-background believers in Indonesia, a group of radical Muslims attacked this church and the leaders were kicked out of the village. ICC stepped in and was able to provide one leader with a motorbike. This has given the church leader a means of transportation so that he can safely and economically minister to and follow up with the believers without having to stay overnight in the village.

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In response to the urgent need for the printed Word of God, ICC has partnered with representatives in northern Africa to establish an underground printing press. Through this project, which is still ongoing, ICC and its partners were able to print and distribute more than 75,000 Bibles in 2015. Due to the low rank that many Christians are forced into within Indian society, many cannot afford to purchase a Bible of their own. Along with local partners, ICC was able to purchase 260 Bibles in the language of Telugu to distribute to pastors throughout India. Many of these have been specifically given to Christians who have faced ongoing discrimination for their faith. In the predominantly Buddhist country of Laos, the tiny Christian population is beginning to boom. However, despite the growing interest in Christianity, many are left without access to the Word of God due to government restrictions. With the help of local partners, ICC was able to distribute more than 10,000 Lao Bibles. In addition to the Bible distribution, ICC has received reports of pastors being trained in order to more effectively share the Gospel.

Your Dollar$ at Work School for Kids Kids Care

or many Christian children in Peshawar, Pakistan, their lives were dramatically affected by events that took place on September 22, 2013. On that day, two suicide bombers from the Pakistani Taliban attacked their church, killing over 100 and maiming hundreds more. As is often the case, the surviving children were the victims most affected. ICC, in partnership with Voice of the Martyrs, has been supporting 30 Christian children whose parents were killed or handicapped by the violence by providing for all of their educational needs. This includes tuition, books, and other necessities these Christian children need to succeed in school. Without this assistance, it is likely that many of these children would have been forced to drop out of school, allowing the bombing of All Saints Church to leave a permanent mark on Peshawarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christian community.

Chinese Bibles

Bibles for the Persecuted

hina remains a nation where professing your faith and devotion to Jesus Christ can invite serious consequences from the communist regime. With the government cracking down on both registered and unregistered churches, it would seem that Christianity would be on the verge of a decline among the Chinese people. Yet, the opposite seems to be occurring in China as current models estimate that by 2030 China will have the largest Christian population in the world. Even though China has made major strides in opening itself up to the world, distributing Bibles in country remains a dangerous venture for everyone involved. Christian organizations risk having their ability to operate in country revoked. Furthermore, individuals working for these organizations face potential detainment by authorities. To help support these projections and our Christian brothers and sisters, ICC has been partnering with regional organizations to aid in the distribution of thousands of Bibles to Christians in China through its Bible Fund.

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JULY 2016

School for Fatherless Children

N Small Business

Kids Care

icholas, Faith, and John desperately miss their father Meshack. Meshack was traveling through dangerous territory in northeastern Kenya in December 2015, headed to the city of Mandera for a job to try to provide for his Christian family. Sadly, al-Shabaab militants attacked the bus that Meshack was riding. During the attack, when gunmen attempted

to separate Christians to execute them, brave Muslim countrymen helped the Christians disguise themselves, even declaring their willingness to die for the Christians. While these heroic acts saved many Christian lives, Meshack was one of two people murdered during the assault. His children are left without their dad, who was the primary breadwinner. ICC teamed up with the local community in Nakuru, Kenya to cover one year of school fees for his three children.

Community Rebuild

hen ISIS burst onto the scene in Iraq in 2014, thousands upon thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes in search of safer locations. Unfortunately, this meant that thousands of Christians were forced into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, dependent on aid distributed by the international community. Now, almost two years later, many of these Christians remain displaced, unemployed, and living in nearly the same conditions they faced when they first arrived at the IDP camps in 2014. To help normalize the lives of some of these Christian IDPs, ICC has started to initiate small businesses with displaced Christians in Iraq. Recently, ICC was able to help two young Christian men start a mobile phone repair shop and a small mechanic shop. These small shops will allow these Christian men to earn their own living and, hopefully, begin to rebuild the lives that were interrupted by ISIS. “I have twin daughters,” one of the beneficiaries recently shared with ICC. “My work is now very important as it allows me to cover their school expenses. Thank you so much for your help.”

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Cows for Suffering Families

Community Rebuild

n 2008, the Kandhamal District of India’s Odisha state was scene to the worst instance of Christian persecution in the country’s history. Anti-Christian riots swept across Kandhamal with mobs of enraged Hindus moving from village to village searching for Christians. As a result of nearly three months of rioting, over 5,600 Christian homes were destroyed,

over 300 churches were burned, and over 100 Christians were killed. This unprecedented violence displaced more than 50,000 people. Today, Christians in Kandhamal continue to face discrimination and persecution. Recently, ICC assisted several Christians by providing them with cows. These cows will act as a lifeline for these Christians as they will help plow fields, produce offspring that can be sold, and produce milk.

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Food and Medical Assitance to Victims of Easter Sunday Bombing in Lahore

Community Rebuild

his past Easter, Christians in Pakistan once again found themselves under attack by Islamic terrorists. A suicide bomber from a group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban attacked Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park as many Christian families celebrated the Easter holiday in Lahore. When the dust settled, over 70 were dead and over 300 more were wounded. Following the attack, a spokesman for the terrorist group left no question as to who was the target of the attack when he claimed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was our people who attacked the Christians in Lahore, celebrating Easter.â&#x20AC;?

The attack left many Christian families devastated. Out of the 70 killed, over 20 were Christians. Also, the wounds sustained by many of the victims were so serious that they were admitted to the ICUs of many hospitals across Lahore. In response, ICC called on its donors to raise money to support the Christians affected. In one month, ICC was able to raise more than $26,000.00. Initially, ICC divided its response into two phases. Short-term assistance to help stabilize the Christian families affected and long-term assistance geared at helping these families fully recover from the effects of the violence. In the weeks following the bombing, ICC

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provided food aid to many of the families. For those families whose loved ones were in the hospital for an extended period of time, ICC provided funds to help pay for the transportation to and from the hospital. In the long-term, ICC will seek to provide educational support to Christian families who find themselves under financial strain following the bombing. Also, ICC will help develop and initiate several small businesses for Christian families who lost their breadwinners or whose breadwinners were handicapped in the bombing.

JULY 2016

Your Dollar$ at Work

Business for Suffering Families

Community Rebuild

ife in Nyeri, Kenya is difficult. It’s a region marked with poverty and low wages. For quarry workers in this part of central Kenya, dozens risk their lives because the work offers more lucrative pay in dangerous Mandera, near the Somali border, smack in the middle of countryside filled with roving terrorists. Life is made even harder in Nyeri when families lose their primary breadwinner. Sadly, that’s what happened to seven families in Nyeri when al-Shabaab Islamist militants attacked a quarry compound in August

2015, targeting Christians. Of the 15 people killed during the assault, seven were from Nyeri County from the same village. When these families lost their husbands, brothers, and fathers, the specter of poverty deepened further. ICC stepped in to provide replacement businesses for these suffering families. Rather than risking their lives to quarry in northeastern Kenya, the grieving families strive forward in hope, thanks to the loving support of our donors. That is because ICC has provided dairy cows for these suffering families to make ends meet.

Cell Phone Business

Community Rebuild

magine being forced to flee across the country from your home because al-Qaeda fighters have announced a price on your head. The story sounds like something out of Hollywood, but it represents reality for pastors in northern Mali. For the past five years, Islamist terrorists have overrun the towns in this region, imposing Muslim law and targeting Christians for execution. Pastor Jonah (name changed for security) is one of these pastors. In God’s providence, he was visiting the US when terrorists came looking for him. However, feeling God’s call to go back and serve his people, Jonah and his family returned to Mali where they now live in the capital of Bamako, displaced from their homes. Even in the south, away from the insurgency, Jonah faces social exclusion, and job discrimination. ICC has stepped in to help Jonah and his family restart the business they were doing in Mali’s north before al-Qaeda overran their city. Jonah and his family now sell phone cards, freeing Jonah to shepherd his church in Bamako while estranged from his northern home.

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