All 19 of the remaining South Korean hostages are now free. The Taliban released 12 hostages on Wednesday and the other 7 on Thursday. Now the discussion turns toward the issue of whether foreign missionary work should be allowed in countries like Afghanistan where the risks are great.
Protestant organizations in South Korea have said they will respect the new law banning missionary activities in Afghanistan after voicing appreciation for the government’s effort in freeing the Christian volunteers.
The Taliban has finally agreed to release the remaining 19 South Korean Christian hostages on two conditions: South Korea must (1) prohibit missionary work in Afghanistan and (2) withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Currently some 200 soldiers are “deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat.”
Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said South Korean and Taliban delegates at face-to-face talks Tuesday in the central town of Ghazni had “reached an agreement” to free the captives.
This story sounds almost like something from the book of Acts. Prasad, a new convert to Christ in Madhya Pradesh, India, was rejected by his family and went to study for ministry at a Bible college. Upon returning home over Christmas break, he faced incredible opposition from over 700 people from his village. But God gave him grace to stand firm and boldly proclaim the gospel.
Going home for Christmas break from his Bible college was a big decision for Prasad. His whole family had turned against him when he received Christ. They tried to force him to deny his new faith, and when he refused, they kicked him out of the family. But Prasad stood firm in his faith, and even went one step further. He decided to go to Bible college to become equipped for ministry himself.
Prasad now hoped to share the love of Christ in his village while he was home on his first Christmas break. Knowing he was coming, the villagers planned a meeting to pressure him into denying Christ. On the given day, about 700 people gathered with plans to beat him, and excommunicate him and his family from the village if he refused to turn his back on Christ. They summoned Prasad before the village council and the crowd.
We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in India—and for the triumph of the gospel through their lives and proclamation.
About 500 anti-Christian radicals attacked a Gospel for Asia Bible college in the eastern Indian state of Orissa on Wednesday evening, February 28. Gospel for Asia leaders in the area report the mob, which was mobilized by a Hindu nationalist group, systematically attacked the approximately 300 students and staff members present on the campus. Five students and the women’s dorm director were seriously injured. All have been hospitalized, and one student is in critical condition.
The rest of the student body and staff remain inside the dormitories. Local and reserve police have arrived on the scene, but have found it difficult to control the crowd, and the situation remains tense.
The attackers also disconnected the electricity and ransacked the campus, destroying the roofs of many of the school buildings.
“The magnitude of this attack is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” said Gospel for Asia President K.P. Yohannan. “This is one of the most severe situations we’ve dealt with, but our students and leaders are not discouraged.”
Instead, they are asking God to bless their enemies.
“Please pray that this will become an opportunity for us to share the love of Jesus to the people who are persecuting us,” one GFA leader from Orissa requests.
Hua Huiqi, a house church activist from Beijing, was arrested on February 8, 2007 for obstruction of justice. He has been a vital part of the house church, “passionately serving the ministry and assisting lots of persecuted Christians and oppressed peasants.”
Turan Topal and Hakan Tastan, two Christian brothers from Turkey, may be imprisoned for up to three years for sharing their faith—even though it is not illegal to do so. Please pray that God would vindicate them, and consider taking action by writing the Turkish Ambassador.
The Honorable Ambassador Nabi Sensoy
The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-612-6744 (fax)
All 19 of the remaining South Korean hostages are now free. The Taliban released 12 hostages on Wednesday and the other 7 on Thursday. Now the discussion turns toward the issue of whether foreign missionary work should be allowed in countries like Afghanistan where the risks are great.
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The Taliban has finally agreed to release the remaining 19 South Korean Christian hostages on two conditions: South Korea must (1) prohibit missionary work in Afghanistan and (2) withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Currently some 200 soldiers are “deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat.”
This story sounds almost like something from the book of Acts. Prasad, a new convert to Christ in Madhya Pradesh, India, was rejected by his family and went to study for ministry at a Bible college. Upon returning home over Christmas break, he faced incredible opposition from over 700 people from his village. But God gave him grace to stand firm and boldly proclaim the gospel.
