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In some South East Asian countries, being a Christian means facing persecution. And yet, believers who have experienced the power of Jesus Christ decide that it is a life worth living, bracing against mockery, pressure by village chiefs, unfair behaviour towards them and even physical altercations.
Som’s* father was healed after members of a church prayed for him. His family had gone to the church as a last resort — no other ritual or medicine had helped. Som’s father was healed and the whole family started to believe in Christ. When Som moved to another village, they rejected him for following Jesus. Under immense pressure, he took a step back from his faith for a few years. But being blessed with another son after the death of his first-born daughter, Som felt incredibly thankful and decided nothing would pull him away from his Saviour ever again.
From that point, Som and his family faced increasing persecution. The village chief tried to force him and his wife to sign a document officially renouncing their faith and threatened them. Som refused, “If you want to kill me, kill me, but I will not go back.”
Under the scrutiny of the other villagers, Som was fined for even the smallest mishaps, “I didn’t know what to do, I only knew to pray.” He was presented with a final ultimatum: deny your faith or pay an exorbitantly high fine. Before a punishment was enforced, Som felt the courage to bring up his case at a regional village meeting. There, the leaders miraculously decided that no one should be forced to pay like this for their faith.
After the regional meeting, life was much better for Som and his family and Som felt prompted to buy a motorbike and share his faith with those in hard to reach places. When the motorbike broke earlier this year, he did not have the means to repair it. He prayed. Through connections, Som had previously been introduced to OM and attended their training on how to share the gospel with those who have never heard of Christ — another answered prayer for a man who yearned to know more about how to best minister to his community. After hearing about his situation, the team provided him with a new motorbike.
Today, Som’s village has a small fellowship that meets together, worships God and prays for their community. It started with his family and one other and has slowly been growing. Sometimes, villagers who are sick ask for prayer and repeatedly, Som has seen villagers experience the power of prayer, and give their lives to Jesus.
“We need to teach more believers how to pray,” Som says and he hopes to learn more through the OM trainings he attends. He is a witness of how prayer can change and save lives. To see more believers, no matter their circumstances, empowered through faithful prayer, that is Som’s prayer for his people.
Please pray that more Christians in South East Asia would courageously go where it is difficult to share Jesus Christ’s love. Pray that more Christians understand the importance of prayer and unity among believers. Pray for strength, courage and perseverance for the persecuted church in South Asia.
*name changed
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