I know about five foreigners who have been kicked out of The Location because of Christian witness since the time I first moved here. All five of them worked in the same province. Some of them are back in The Location in different provinces. Some are gone indefinitely. But all of them ran into problems in the same area.
This area is the hotbed of opposition to Christians in The Location. This is also where VK was arrested and jailed for "human trafficking." Though he was released briefly, he was re-arrested and put back into prison. He remains there to this day.
What I've just learned today, is that I have been named.
I suspected this was the case after VK named my worker and my worker and I were called into the police together. I was away so he went without me. Since I've been back I haven't yet been called in. But I've been told that my name is now "loud" in that province. And I've been warned to lay low for a while.
VK's arrest is completely unjustified and he should be released immediately. At the same time, he did several things he could have done differently that would have completely avoided this whole situation. VK made three major mistakes: One, he lied to us about the people he was sending to work with us. One of them was not one we wanted. Two, he disrespected his village headman by sending one of the young men even though the village headman refused to sign that man's documents, which would allow him to go. Three, he announced openly at his church and elsewhere that these two young men were "going to study the Bible." We had told him to emphasize that they were going to work. We told him about the Bible studies we do, but there was no need to mention it to anyone else. Apparently VK thought he could get away with it and that it would impress others in his church.
Pray for VK. Pray also for me and my family. I need to remember that it could all end any day and that we might be called someday to walk away from everything here in The Location.
Showing posts with label Persecution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Persecution. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
Pastor Released!
I just found out yesterday that the pastor who was arrested in September has been released! Prasie God! A lot of people have been praying for him. Thank you, also, for praying for him. We pray more good news is on the way as 2010 approaches.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Update on Pastor
I really don't have any news to update you with, but I know some of you have been praying and would like to know what's going on.
We have one contact who is able to give us news about VK's situation. And the news is that nothing has changed. The funny/encouraging thing, however, is that our contact (let's call him SK) isn't too worried about it.
You see, here in The Location persecution is a part of the landscape for a Christian. Getting arrested? That's just part of the package you sign up for. SK doesn't think anything bad will happen, apparently, but it will just take time. VK seemed to have the same attitude when we last saw him regarding talking to the police. It's not his first time. When we had a dinner together with all of our disciples I asked the question, "What do you guys think--Is persecution a good thing or a bad thing?" Before they had time to think VK spoke up and said, "Good! It makes us strong. It keeps us from getting fat and weak." It was a good moment for our disciples to be a part of.
Please continue to pray for VK. But take heart--he is spiritually and mentally prepared for the trial is is going through. I will let you know whenever we hear anything more.
We have one contact who is able to give us news about VK's situation. And the news is that nothing has changed. The funny/encouraging thing, however, is that our contact (let's call him SK) isn't too worried about it.
You see, here in The Location persecution is a part of the landscape for a Christian. Getting arrested? That's just part of the package you sign up for. SK doesn't think anything bad will happen, apparently, but it will just take time. VK seemed to have the same attitude when we last saw him regarding talking to the police. It's not his first time. When we had a dinner together with all of our disciples I asked the question, "What do you guys think--Is persecution a good thing or a bad thing?" Before they had time to think VK spoke up and said, "Good! It makes us strong. It keeps us from getting fat and weak." It was a good moment for our disciples to be a part of.
Please continue to pray for VK. But take heart--he is spiritually and mentally prepared for the trial is is going through. I will let you know whenever we hear anything more.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Not Really Welcome
I didn't launch this blog to try to solicit money, support or prayers. I am not trying to get any help from anyone by what I write on this blog. For a couple reasons. One, we don't really have any big financial needs. Two, I want to write for the sake of writing what I really think--not in order to have an effect that somehow benefits myself. Even if I were trying to raise funds or something I would still be honest... but I might choose different things to write about or wonder about the effect of things I said. I want to save myself from that whole conundrum so that I can just write and log some of my thoughts related to missions and things I've learned over the years. I would like to write a book someday and not only does this blog allow me to keep track of my thoughts and experiences, but it also allows me the opportunity to "pre-publish" these ideas, get feedback and critique before ever putting them into a book.
The reason I'm telling you all this right now is because right now would be a good time for me to ask for prayers. I don't want to put that on anyone--I myself don't spend a lot of time praying for anonymous people on the internet. But anyway...
There is a certain sadness... depression... that comes when you live in a situation where you know you are not wanted. This is not a general consensus kind of thing here in The Location. It does not come from all quarters--many are delighted to have me here. Others see me as an opportunity to make money. And then there are some... mostly government people... who view me with suspicion. For what reason? Just because I'm a foreigner to The Location.
There is a certain brainwashing that comes with official training here in The Location. All police go through it. Military, too. Any official that wants to climb the ladder within the government must study in a certain school of thought. And all of these people are trained to be wary of outsiders. They see religion as politics--it is just one way the imperialists use to further their political agenda. And this is taught at all the schools, too. Every single college, even if it is a business or technical college, must teach courses in "politics." And the message is clear--If you love your country then do not work with foreigners; do not join their religion; do not allow yourself to be warped by their thinking.
The funny thing is, though, that this very teaching is their way to warp young people's thinking to parrot their message. They use the word "unity" to silence any opposition. Anyone who would criticize the government is destroying national unity and therefore must not be a patriot.
The Location is a wonderful place and when tourists come to visit they typically are surprised to find it so relaxed and laid-back. And they usually go away with a positive view of the situation here. But it takes time to see the depth of the oppression.
Lately a number of things have been said against me and we have run into some problems on a number of different fronts. Others I know have been kicked out of The Location. It could happen to us, too. A couple years ago a faithful man (national) and co-worker of a friend was detained and disappeared, never to be seen again. Last night I had a dream about being detained by the police and having others with me arrested, too. In real life I was once detained by the police and interrogated for a couple hours. It was pretty intense and stressful. Now I have a family and the thought of something like that happening to me again, or to them, weighs on me. Not heavily... just a constant weight over a long period of time.
Anyway, I know that who I am and what I stand for is not readily welcomed here, and there is an associated stress with that knowledge. I have come to realize this. And with that stress, over time, comes a certain kind of mild depression. I am dealing with all of this right now.
This morning I am thinking about David and what he faced as King of Israel. He had his enemies, yet he praised the Lord. This is what I choose to do, too. God's plan will not be thwarted and I take joy in that.
The reason I'm telling you all this right now is because right now would be a good time for me to ask for prayers. I don't want to put that on anyone--I myself don't spend a lot of time praying for anonymous people on the internet. But anyway...
There is a certain sadness... depression... that comes when you live in a situation where you know you are not wanted. This is not a general consensus kind of thing here in The Location. It does not come from all quarters--many are delighted to have me here. Others see me as an opportunity to make money. And then there are some... mostly government people... who view me with suspicion. For what reason? Just because I'm a foreigner to The Location.
There is a certain brainwashing that comes with official training here in The Location. All police go through it. Military, too. Any official that wants to climb the ladder within the government must study in a certain school of thought. And all of these people are trained to be wary of outsiders. They see religion as politics--it is just one way the imperialists use to further their political agenda. And this is taught at all the schools, too. Every single college, even if it is a business or technical college, must teach courses in "politics." And the message is clear--If you love your country then do not work with foreigners; do not join their religion; do not allow yourself to be warped by their thinking.
The funny thing is, though, that this very teaching is their way to warp young people's thinking to parrot their message. They use the word "unity" to silence any opposition. Anyone who would criticize the government is destroying national unity and therefore must not be a patriot.
The Location is a wonderful place and when tourists come to visit they typically are surprised to find it so relaxed and laid-back. And they usually go away with a positive view of the situation here. But it takes time to see the depth of the oppression.
Lately a number of things have been said against me and we have run into some problems on a number of different fronts. Others I know have been kicked out of The Location. It could happen to us, too. A couple years ago a faithful man (national) and co-worker of a friend was detained and disappeared, never to be seen again. Last night I had a dream about being detained by the police and having others with me arrested, too. In real life I was once detained by the police and interrogated for a couple hours. It was pretty intense and stressful. Now I have a family and the thought of something like that happening to me again, or to them, weighs on me. Not heavily... just a constant weight over a long period of time.
Anyway, I know that who I am and what I stand for is not readily welcomed here, and there is an associated stress with that knowledge. I have come to realize this. And with that stress, over time, comes a certain kind of mild depression. I am dealing with all of this right now.
This morning I am thinking about David and what he faced as King of Israel. He had his enemies, yet he praised the Lord. This is what I choose to do, too. God's plan will not be thwarted and I take joy in that.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Dependency Mission 07
A particular organization that is known worldwide has a program where they collect gift boxes filled with various novelties from people in the West to give as Christmas gifts to people in impoverished countries. A friend of mine here at The Location was contacted by a representative for this organization in a neighboring country. The rep was going to give my friend (a national and a Christian leader) charge of 200 boxes to distribute in The Location.
After bringing the boxes into the country my friend proceeded to give them to every family in his community who was of the same tribal group as him. These were his "target" people, so to speak, since he spoke their tribal language and had led people to Christ mostly from his same tribe. He hoped that by "showing the free love of Christ" people would be interested in following him. He wanted people to see that he was giving these things to them free of charge and that there would be no strings attached.
These activities almost got him put into prison. After distributing the boxes and being interviewed by the local television station (where he answered the question as to the boxes origin: from God) he was called in by the police. So was his wife. They endured long interrogations about the boxes, their involvement, their association with foreigners, the source of the boxes and what they were trying to accomplish. My friend was able to escape imprisonment but the police watched his every move from then on. They viewed him with suspicion and as a threat. Why?
In The Location to give someone something for free is to try to influence them to agree with you about something. That could be religion or politics. In fact, to the government authorities here, religion IS politics. In their eyes, spreading religion (specifically Christianity--the "Western Religion") is how foreigners (specifically "imperialist Americans") make poor peoples oppose their own government and become traitors to society.
So, those who give things away so easily will be forced out. Those who receive things will be persecuted.
In The Location a prevalent question national Christians are asked is, "What did you get to become a Christian?" They don't ask IF the person received something, just WHAT did they receive. It is assumed they did. For what other reason would they become a Christian? It is assumed that the reasons are: Money. Opportunity. Health care. English education. A job. Unfortunately, for too many, those are the exact reasons.
I have often said that our situation here in The Location (a "closed" country) forces us to do things right. In the next post I will share what I mean....
After bringing the boxes into the country my friend proceeded to give them to every family in his community who was of the same tribal group as him. These were his "target" people, so to speak, since he spoke their tribal language and had led people to Christ mostly from his same tribe. He hoped that by "showing the free love of Christ" people would be interested in following him. He wanted people to see that he was giving these things to them free of charge and that there would be no strings attached.
These activities almost got him put into prison. After distributing the boxes and being interviewed by the local television station (where he answered the question as to the boxes origin: from God) he was called in by the police. So was his wife. They endured long interrogations about the boxes, their involvement, their association with foreigners, the source of the boxes and what they were trying to accomplish. My friend was able to escape imprisonment but the police watched his every move from then on. They viewed him with suspicion and as a threat. Why?
In The Location to give someone something for free is to try to influence them to agree with you about something. That could be religion or politics. In fact, to the government authorities here, religion IS politics. In their eyes, spreading religion (specifically Christianity--the "Western Religion") is how foreigners (specifically "imperialist Americans") make poor peoples oppose their own government and become traitors to society.
So, those who give things away so easily will be forced out. Those who receive things will be persecuted.
In The Location a prevalent question national Christians are asked is, "What did you get to become a Christian?" They don't ask IF the person received something, just WHAT did they receive. It is assumed they did. For what other reason would they become a Christian? It is assumed that the reasons are: Money. Opportunity. Health care. English education. A job. Unfortunately, for too many, those are the exact reasons.
I have often said that our situation here in The Location (a "closed" country) forces us to do things right. In the next post I will share what I mean....
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