Bibles for Mideast missionaries brutally attacked; one in critical condition

Three young Bibles for Mideast missionaries were brutally attacked by a group of Muslim extremists yesterday evening in the Middle East. Returning home after Sunday services, they had stopped to share the gospel with someone standing under a street light.

Terrorists jumped from the darkness and beat the men with iron pipes, shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “kill them” in Arabic [‘Allahu Akbar’ is the Arabic phrase which translates directly as ‘Allah is Greater’ but is often mistranslated as ‘God is great’—Ed.]. All men have been hospitalized, one in critical condition.

Had it not been for passersby on a bus, the men may well have been killed. Passengers jumped out and fought the attackers, causing them to flee. The travellers then took the three men—Pastors Stephan and Samuel and evangelist named James—to hospital, with James the most critically injured.

The Friday before, 12 new believers from five Arab families had been baptized and on the Sunday had been worshipping and celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Please pray for them. 

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UPDATES!  Missionaries of Bibles for Mideast abducted in the Middle East
Abducted missionaries miraculously rescued from terrorists in Middle East!

 

12 Arabs in Middle East newly-baptized!

(June 10, 2016) By the grace of our Lord, 12 new believers from five Arab families in the Middle East were baptized this morning.  Pastors of Bibles for Mideast led the baptismal service, held after three days of prayer and fasting. It was a tremendous blessing.

Many people had taken part in the fasting and prayer. Please pray for all of them and their families. Pray also that the newly-baptized believers will grow in the Spirit.

And pray that the entire Middle East will experience the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Please also pray for the pastors and missionaries of Bibles for Mideast and our many underground churches.

Christian grocer and Police Superintendent’s wife latest murdered by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh

Report: Bibles for Mideast 

Unidentified attackers murdered 65-year-old Sunil Gomes in the village of Bonpara, home to one of the oldest Christian communities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. He had just returned from a Sunday worship service.

Murdered Bangladeshi grocer Sunil Gomes

"Sunil Gomes was hacked to death at his grocery store just near a church at Bonpara village," said the deputy police chief of the surrounding Natore district, Shafiqul Islam.

He ran a fruit and vegetable shop, served at his Bonpara church and was respected among villagers.

"I am shocked and saddened. My brother had no enemies,” says his brother Proshanto Gomes, a Christian minister in Dinajpur. “We ask what could have motivated his murder?"

Benedict, a Christian leader in Bonpara, says that "the faithful of the village live in brotherhood with the people of other religions. Why did they attack us?”

He calls for severe punishment for the extremists, who in the past have escaped justice.  "Two months ago, an elderly Christian couple was attacked, but the police did not arrest anyone." Benedict added.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the murder through its Amaq news agency, according to the SITE monitoring group, saying it was "part of a series of operations" in Bangladesh.

The local Christian community lives in fear. Only hours earlier the wife of Police Superintendent Babul Aktar—a man fighting hard against militants and drug cartels—had been stabbed

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Oikya Parishad, organized a human chain Sunday afternoon and imposed a seven-day ultimatum for the capture of the killers to draw government attention and ask for protection.

A relative consoles Ms. Khanam's children following her death

Sunil’s murder happened just hours after the wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Aktar was stabbed and shot to death by three bike-borne assailants as she walked her six-year-old son to a bus stop in southeast Bangladesh. Her husband has led several high-profile operations against terrorists and drug cartels in the region.

Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the murder of Sunil Gomez and the officer’s wife, Mahmuda Khanam.

Over 40 people have died in the past three years in a series of attacks targeting activists and non-Muslims. Attacks have increased recently, but Bangladeshi authorities hold political rivals and homegrown Islamist terrorists responsible and reject any involvement from foreign terrorist groups.

Members of Middle Eastern Muslim family now worship Jesus!

I am Majida*. I belong to a prominent family in the Middle East. We were proud of our family and our religion of Islam. Our house has a majlis [a place of sitting usually at the front of the house and used for various types of special gatherings—Ed.].  Our family also has its own masjid [mosque], because of the quote from the hadith** by Al-Bukhari: “Whoever builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, Allah will reward that person with a place in Paradise.”

I was very particular in practicing Islam, such as doing namaz [ritual Islamic prayers] five times a day, reciting from the Koran, fasting during the month of Ramzan, giving zakath [alms to the poor and needy]. Women of our house strictly obeyed the rules on wearing the traditional abaya with full head and face covering.

Although this is our religious background, the male members certainly did not follow all religious rules. My father and brothers had many friends who were alcoholic.

In my country, people of all religions, except Islam can get permits to buy and use alcohol. Recently I learned that the source of income for one of the emirates is selling alcoholic drinks, which is forbidden by our religion.

My father was addicted to drugs and had various bad habits. Very often he invited non-Muslim friends and drank with them in our majlis. My brothers also drank alcohol and used drugs. There was never peace in our home.

Further, my mother suffered with breast cancer and could not sleep because of the pain. I too had a large blister on my leg, which doctors couldn’t cure.

One day my father happened to meet a Christian pastor who worked with Bibles for Mideast. My father tried to explain to him about Islam, the Koran and the Hadith. The pastor showed interest in what he said, and then conveyed the message of Gospel. By this way, they became friends. Whenever they meet together, the pastor would give my father Christian leaflets. It was all about the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light, the true freedom and peace possible only from the Prince of Peace.

My father would leave the tracts on the table, and I would often read them.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed,” I read in one of them [John 8:36]. It was explained that the Son is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is able to free from sin, from sickness, from fear and from death.

That really struck me. I read it several times, sitting in a chair and thinking on it.

I began to feel sleepy. As I fell asleep, I saw Jesus come to me. He lifted my lower jaw and said with a smile, “I am your Savior. I love you, Follow me. My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Suddenly I opened my eyes. There was nobody. But I felt a real peace in my mind.  And I found the unhealed blister on my leg had disappeared!

Secretly I approached the pastor. He gave me a Bible and told me about salvation. I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior and Lord. And I asked the pastor to pray for the healing of my mother and the deliverance of my family members.

When I came back home I found my mother was sleeping well without having taken any sleeping capsules. When she woke up, she said a man from heaven had come with many angels, had then touched her and told her to be healed! There were nail marks in His hands, she said.

I told her about Jesus and she too accepted Him as her savior. When the doctor checked her, he of course wondered about her healing, and boldly I told him that it was Jesus who healed her.

I asked my father and brothers to attend three days of prayer meetings at an underground Bibles for Mideast house church with me. So very secretly we all went to attend the prayer service. My father and brothers stopped all bad habits. All of my family members came to believe in and accept Jesus Christ. We now all pray and read the Bible together at home.

What wonderful peace in the hearts and at home when Jesus comes into lives! Daily I see Jesus as a living person to whom I can tell everything of my life.   I have no words to narrate the miracles we see daily ever since our friendship with Jesus began. He alone is God. All praise and glory to Him alone.

Please pray for us to stand stable in this precious faith as we are preparing for baptism.

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* name changed for security reasons
* The hadith is a record (there are many collections) of the traditions or sayings of Mohammad, and second only to the Koran in authority for Muslims.

Woman from Hindu priestly family healed and saved by Jesus: now serves Him!

Elamma Antharjanam grew up in a Hindu Brahmin (priestly) family in India [Brahmin are the highest of the four Hindu castes; their traditional occupation being the spiritual guidance of people—Ed.] .  Her father Subrahmanyan Namboothiri was the head priest for 250 temples, and he and her mother married as children—child marriage being common then. Not until 30 years later did they have her, their only child, whom they named Saraswathi.

Saraswathi fanatically followed the tenets of Hinduism. She’d rise early each morning for the ritual bath in the temple pool, and then worship before the temple idols. As a young girl she even had her arm tattooed with images of Hindu deities.

Severe asthma plagued Saraswathi from childhood. None of the special treatments and potions or healing rituals her parents tried could ease their daughter’s suffering.

One day a woman named Kamalamma visited the family. She had converted from Hinduism to Christianity, and despite the persecution she endured from her own husband and community, she wanted to pray for teenaged Saraswathi. But the girl refused the prayers of a woman who could mean nothing but trouble, having abandoned Hinduism for foreign Jesus.

But the wheezing only got worse. During a particularly severe attack, she lost the ability to breathe and had to be rushed to hospital. And guess who visited her? Persistent, prayerful Kamalamma. This time, it was Saraswathi who requested prayer.

While the Christian woman prayed, Saraswathi became aware of a man standing before her. He had a small lamb straddling his left shoulder and a stick in his right hand. With a smile, he gently moved his hands over her head.

“Believe me my daughter,” the man said to her. “I am your Lord. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.” [Ps 16:4] She suddenly felt such relief!

Hindu tattoo cancelled out with the Word of God!

The young woman needed no convincing of her need to confess her sinful ways and accept Jesus as her personal Savior and Lord. And the asthma completely left her.

She surrendered herself fully to Jesus, was baptized, and took on ‘Elamma’ as a new name. But she faced many persecutions from her family and community, who finally drove her away them. 

She married a Christian man, Jacob, and both were fully engaged in serving the Lord Jesus. He recently entered into glory but Elamma continues faithful in the Lord’s ministry as an associate with Bibles for Mideast. Please keep her and the ministry as a whole in your prayers.