News Stories
Pray for us
01/08/2006 12:00 pm Jonathan Carswell <carswelljonathanSPAMFILTER@omf.net>
Pray for us
‘Pray for us,’ gasped a breathless voice as Joe answered the phone. ‘Please pray for us. This could be the last time I speak to you.’
‘We’re starting in an hour, and anything could happen. We may be arrested or killed. Pray for us. Please pray for us.’
As the phone went dead, Joe fell to his knees and prayed.
Two years ago the Christians in Province ‘A’ had belonged to a closely-knit church. But following the arrest and imprisonment of their senior leader, Udom, the church had despondently disbanded.
‘Your sentence will be 15 years,’ commanded the judge, as he told the guards to take Udom away.
As he was led to the cells Udom asked the judge what crime he had committed. ‘Treason,’ explained the judge, ‘because of your commitment to Jesus’.
"‘Do we believe in the God of Daniel?’ Joe asked. ‘He changes the seasons and the times; he changes the heart of rulers.
"
But two years later the Christian community eventually realised that they couldn’t simply wait for Udom to be released from jail. Not only was that another 13 years away, but it was very possible he might die before he was released. The conditions in the prison were not very good, extremely unhygienic, and for an aging man it was more than likely he would never see the light of day again.
The main goal of the police force in Laos is to stop any outward expression of faith by Christians. Even praying before a meal is an illegal act. But the Christians of Province ‘A’ decided that the church should reunite once more with a special Christmas celebration.
Preparations were quickly put together. It was pretty low-key, but in a province where a celebration of Jesus’ birth was distinctly risky, this was a major step forward for a fragmented and discouraged group of Christians.
The next week and a half were filled with talk of the forthcoming Christmas celebration. The Christians invited their neighbours, friends, family and also the village leaders and government officials. It was a dangerous thing to do at the best of times, but especially under the circumstances of their leader’s imprisonment.
The service was to be traditional yet discreet, relaxed and focused on Jesus' birth. The children would be entertained with games and sweets, while the adults would be read the Christmas narrative. This was to be a family affair, allowing all the community to feel at ease – despite the clear, but illegal, celebration of Christ's birth.
Mothers arrived with children strapped to their back. Fathers followed, and friends and colleagues trickled in. Finally in walked the leaders of the local government. Everyone was there; everyone wanted to know what would happen. One of the church members made a quick telephone call to ask Joe, a Christian brother in a neighbouring province, to pray.
No-one was killed that day. No-one was arrested. In fact the church began to realise that the village leaders didn’t oppose them, but tentatively allowed them to ‘get on with their thing’. The family of believers was reborn with that act of great boldness: a simple Christmas celebration.
As time went by the church began to see great fruit. Numbers swelled with new converts and before long they had a congregation of 40 believers.
But with growth came opposition. As the church leaders gathered for a training day there was much discussion about what they could do as the hostility against them became more and more antagonistic.
‘Do we believe in the God of Daniel?’ Joe asked. ‘He changes the seasons and the times; he changes the heart of rulers. He converted Nebuchadnezzar – we need to pray that God will turn this situation around.’
One week later, the leading official in that village who was threatening the church with imprisonment, was himself put into jail.
Names have been changed to protect identities
Jonathan Carswell
OMF Writer