Kids of Courage

Pray for prisoners

The previous post told about a family of eight children whose father was in prison for his Christian faith. Read the rest of the story below, then pray for persecuted Christian families whose fathers will be in prison on Father’s Day.

That evening, Mikhail and Olga oldest brother, Sergei, told them everything that had happened in the courtroom. “We can try again tomorrow,” Sergei told his brother and sister. “Maybe they’ll let you in then.”

The next morning, the family and their friends gathered at the courthouse. They waited and waited. No one came to open the door to the courtroom. Finally a man came and told them, “The trial is over! He was sentenced and taken to prison.”

Mikhail and Olga were disappointed again.

Mother led the children to the judge’s office and asked for a special meeting with her husband. The judge signed an order allowing the whole family 15 minutes with Father. Mikhail and Olga were delighted!

The family hurried to the prison where they gave the judge’s order to a guard. “Only the mother and one older child can go in,” said the guard, ignoring the judge’s order.

Fifteen minutes passed, Mother and Sergei came out of the visitors’ room, and the family returned home in silence. After supper, Mother said, “Children, I know you were very disappointed today. Remember, if we wish to be faithful to Jesus, we will have difficulty in our lives. But we have one sure comfort — an hour will come when the Savior brings us to Himself. Then no one will be able to separate us. In six months, we may be able to visit your Dad. Let’s ask Jesus for that.”

They knelt down and thanked God for His love and asked Him to give them strength. Mikhail and Olga prayed, too, hoping they would see their father soon.

(Source: When Will We See Our Father Again?: A True Story from the U.S.S. R.)

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand started The Voice of the Martyrs in 1967. VOM has helped and encouraged persecuted Christians for 50 years. VOM shared the following story with readers in the mid-20th century.

Many Christian families around the world today have similar struggles. You can read about some of them at www.prisoneralert.com. This Father’s Day, pray for Christian fathers who are in prison for their faith.

The children and their mother were sitting at the lunch table eating soup when a visitor knocked at the door. “The trial is happening right now,” the visitor told the family before hurrying away.

Mikhail and Olga, the youngest of the family’s eight children, were excited. “Can we go into the courtroom?” Olga asked her mother. “Will we really see Dad?” asked Mikhail. It had been five months since their father had been arrested because of his Christian activities. To the children, it seemed like forever.

The family and their church friends reached the courthouse at about the same time. “Nobody may enter!” an official who was guarding the door yelled at them.

“Please let us go in. My husband is on trial,” Mother pleaded. The official thought for a minute. “Okay,” he said. “You and the older children can enter, but not the two little ones. Court is no place for little kids.”

Mikhail and Olga began to cry. They were so disappointed that they could not see their father! Christian friends took care of them while the rest of the family was in the courtroom.

Read the rest of the story in the next post.