The following is a disturbing email I received. Whatever you believe, you cannot believe there isn't a sanctity of life. Whatever you believe, you actually have the freedom to believe in it. We do not face such terrors here on American soil because of the freedoms we have, paid for with the costly price of our troops, past and present. It's not Veteran's Day or Memorial Day, but remember the sacrifices which have been made since the American Revolution. Freedom is not free, my friends.
Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.We have never seen anything like this. We knew that
Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India
as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the
continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went
about His work. But none of our staff imagined that they
would see this kind of carnage... And it seems to be
totally under the radar of the Western Media.
Let me explain. A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his
attendants, who were zealously going around the villages
of Orissa and 'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were
gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last
weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry
rose up...'Kill the Christians!' And the horror began...
In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds
of churches being blown up or burned and many, many dozens
of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other
reason than they bare the name of Christ.
Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News
India Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in
Orissa... they are right in the middle of all this chaos.
In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer
protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to
kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not
allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our
Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our
gate, etc. They have promised to come back and 'finish
the job.' Our kids and staff are locked inside and have
stayed that way with doors and windows shut for the past 3
days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the
Lord in prayer. More police have come to offer
protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local
sympathizers got to our dream center and gave our staff
and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time
to even grab a change of clothes or any personal
belonging. As they fled, the bloodthirsty mob came to kill
everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral
there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came
looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu
people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that
there were no Christians in this area. So they left. We
had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.
All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids
and staff huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics
are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others
were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic orphanage, the
mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a
computer teacher in the house and burned them to death.
Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and
left on the road... even women and children. At another
orphanage run by another organization, when this began,
the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and
simply fled, leaving all the children and staff behind.
Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said:
'We stay with our kids... we live together or die
together, but we will never abandon what God has called us
to do.' More than 5000 Christian families have had their
homes burned or destroyed. They have fled into the jungles
and are living in great fear waiting for the authorities
to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.
This will continue for another 10 days... supposedly the
14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many
more Christians will die and their houses destroyed. Many
more churches will be smashed down. The Federal government
is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm
down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God can
calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of
persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that
means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds
are confused and totally bewildered at what is happening
around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the
jungles and are unable to come and get them during these
trying times. Through all this, I am more determined
than ever to continue with our goal: the transformation of
a community by transforming its children. Orissa will be
saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can take these
thousands of throw-away children and help them to become
disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region.
It is a long-term goal, but it is strategic thinking in
terms of the Great Commission.
What can you do? First, please uphold all this in
fervent prayer. Second, pass this e-mail on to as many
friends as you can. We must get the word out and increase
our prayer base for this is spiritual warfare at its most
basic meaning. We are literally fighting the devil in
order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are
crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across
Orissa.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it
on and help us to get as many people to partner with us on
this cutting edge effort to fulfill His mandate: Go and
make disciples of all nations...
Prayer works!
