Two years ago, I shared extensively on my blog about our new friends from The Persecuted Church who were arrested, interrogated and eventually deported from Uzbekistan for telling others about Jesus and planting secret churches. Many of my long-time readers, donated money, clothes and household items to help them set up their lives in Texas.
Reluctantly, they have made a home in America, but their hearts beat daily for their homeland. Our dear friends bare the burden of the secret church that still meets behind enemy lines.
They are currently teaching leaders and pastors in Ukraine for the next several weeks. Just 200 miles from the town they were deported from and where their parents and siblings still live, a violent outbreak of ethnic cleansing is killing thousands.
From our friends, “As many as 2000 people have been killed in the last several days, up to 400,000 displaced from their homes with 100,000 who have fled to Uzbekistan out of fear for their lives. Many are sheltering in camps or hiding in their homes in fear with thousands trying to cross the border in hope of saving their lives and their families.
There is death everywhere, arson, looting, rapings, threats from police and other officials raising the level of distrust and fear.”
For this we ask you to join us in prayer and our heavy, sad hearts over this at this time. It has brought tears and deep heaviness in us. These are our people for who we feel a very big part of in our lives and for which we ache at this time.
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against other powers that control…”
Would you join with me and pray for peace and protection of The Persecuted Church?
Praying right now…
Praying…
Sending up prayers now…
Oh, how heartbreaking. Thank you for posting this. We will pray.
How utterly devestating!! We will be including them, and all of those affected in our prayers today!! I just can’t even get over how terribly sad and horrible this is!
Why have we not heard about this on the news? “Ethinic Cleansing.” There is nothing cleansing about murdering another human being for religious beliefs different from your own…I will pray for them all.
Praying.
praying!
God, please shelter Your people in this area with protection and give them the peace that only You can give. Bring people into their lives who love You and can help care for them. Amen.
I’ll sure be praying….
Oh, what a reminder of how BLESSED we are to live in this country, where we are free worship how we choose and publicly express what we believe. This breaks my heart. I am praying. Our God is big- praying His name would continue to spread through this country, regardless of man’s efforts to hinder that.
Hi. I live in New Zealand and I run a writers club where we write to christians who are being persecuted. Thank you for sharing your story as it makes it so real hearing something like that.
It is heartbreaking to think that as we go about our daily lives something like this is happening to others. My prayers will be with them. Thank you for making us aware.
Praying tonight.
praying.
Oh sure thing Kristen. And pray that it never happens here as well.
praying
Just heartbreaking.
I’ll be praying for sure.
What makes me so angry is that this has only been reported widely on the news recently. My fiancee and I realised what was going on as he works for the newspapers. He and I were terrified that nothing was being done. Apparently, they have reached out for aid from the UN who said a few days ago in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t a serious enough problem….
The Voice of the Martyrs http://www.persecution.com/ is a great resource to stay informed of the persecution of Christians going on in the world today.
Thanks for providing a personal perspective on what I’ve been hearing on the news. It always makes the reality hit home when you hear about a real person who’s undergoing that particular tragedy.