Grace

Workers from The Voice of the Martyrs recently went to Nigeria where they visited with Christians who have suffered in attacks by radical Muslims. Read more about their visit in the previous post, Nigeria: Visit Cut Short.

Four-year-old Grace (see photo) was one of the people injured in an attack. Her mother carried Grace on her back as the ran away from the Muslims, but the Muslims were able to get close enough to injure Grace’s arm. As a result of the attack, Grace is missing one arm.

Grace is now 6 years old, and she started going to school, but had to quit when she needed more medical care for her arm. She will continue to receive care as she needs it.

Nigerian Christians remain strong in their faith in God, and depend on him to comfort and care for them. Thank God for their faithful example to the Muslims around them. Pray for Grace and other Christians who are recovering from injuries. Pray for Grace’s future, education, health, and for her to always have joy in the Lord.

Earlier this month, workers from The Voice of the Martyrs visited Nigeria to help and encourage Christians there. A radical Muslim group called Boko Haram ordered Christians to leave northern Nigeria, and radicals have attacked Christians and churches. (Northern Nigeria is mostly Muslim, and the south is mostly Christian.)

However, Nigerian Christians asked the VOM workers to leave before their visit was over. In addition to the unrest caused by Muslim attacks, some citizens were protesting high gasoline prices. The Nigerians feared the airport would close and the workers would be trapped in the country.

Please pray for Christians in northern Nigeria who must wonder if they might be the target of future attacks. Pray for VOM workers who will continue to help and encourage Nigerian Christians in future visits.

Comoros is a nation of islands east of Africa. Almost all the people there are Muslims.

Musta Kim, a Christian in Comoros, recently lost his family, his health, and his freedom because of his faith in Christ. After his home was robbed, he called the police to report the burglary. The police came, but after they found a Bible and a “Jesus” film in his house, they arrested him! The police said he was guilty of practicing a forbidden religion.

Musta Kim spent eight months in jail. When he got out, his family would not take him back. In addition, he has a skin disease that he caught in prison.

Please pray for Musta Kim and other Christians in Comoros.

Russian Bible

In the 1970s, The Voice of the Martyrs mailed part of the Russian New Testament to people in communist Russia. The Bible portions were printed in tiny letters on printing presses in Finland. VOM workers sent the Scriptures from post offices all over the world to addresses they found in the Moscow phone book. (Moscow is the capital of Russia.)

At that time, communist officials seized Bibles and recycled them into toilet paper. VOM workers mailed the Scripture portions in long envelopes to disguise the contents.

Source: January 2012 The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter