X* persecution on October, 2, 2017
X* is 37 years old. He has 5 children. One child is crippled.
In 2012, he took his family to live in a different village, where he accepted Christ. In 2016, he went back to his village. In the District, the authorities are very strict with anyone accepting Jesus. Whoever is a Christian in this area is not able to stay, since they are heavily persecuted by the authorities. Despite X* knowing about this problem, he kept a low-profile, and kept listening to Khmu FEB program alone.
Until one day, a woman in the village was very ill. X* went to secretly pray for her. She had been killing many pigs, which the witch doctor told her to do because the spirits demand it for her healing. Yet, it was hopeless and she was not cured. Then all of the sudden she was miraculously healed. The people in the village were puzzled. They asked her how she was healed. She replied, “X* told me about Jesus. Then he also prayed for me, and I got healed.”
Then many people came to X*, and asked him about Jesus. He told them about Jesus, and then later asked if they want to accept Jesus Christ. X* then took some of the families to meet the leaders in the church in the city to accept Jesus. (The church is the main church in the city that has much influence to the surrounding churches in the province). All 8 families accepted, 38 people in total. When the village head man and authorities heard of this, they started persecuting them.
The Christians in this village often call me to tell me of the messages on the radio program. They tell me how the messages touch their hearts, and encourage them daily.
· On July 12th, the KCC team went to and talked to the village authorities. The village authorities allowed them to continue to be Christians but the district governor did not care, and pressured them to renounce their faith
· On September 15th, the village and district police took the Christian families, put in them in a truck, and took them to the authorities’ office in the district to force them to renounce their faith.
· On September 29th, the police called X* personally. The police believe that if they can convince X* to renounce his faith, the rest of the Christians will follow his lead. The police and officials gave X* one condition that if he renounces his faith, they will give him a plot of land, because he has no land. Secondly, they will give him cows to raise. X* refused those 2 things that they offered him! He told them that he will continue to follow Jesus no matter what.
· On October 1st, X* went to church to attend the Sunday service. He told the leadership that the next day (Oct. 2nd), "I will have to go meet the police again, and I know they will put me in prison." The leadership encouraged him "to be strong, and do not renounce your faith. God will help you, and we will pray for you. We will not leave you alone. God will be with you!"
· On October 2nd, X* went to the police office. They arrested him, and put him in prison.
· On October 4th, X* wife went to visit her husband in prison. He told his wife that she must be strong in the Lord in taking care of their children. He also told his wife to tell all the Christians in the village to not renounce their faith but continue to be faithful to God. He will also will be strong and faithful.
Please pray for X*, his family, their needs, and all those Christians in the village to be strong, and faithful to God despite this crucial situation.
*Name and location have been changed for their protection.