Kids of Courage...Items of Prayer -10/5/09

Mial Rose quickened her feet. She tried really hard to keep up with her older cousin Albert. Mial Rose felt excited her cousin asked her to go with him to the plantation factory. Workers at the factory get bananas ready to be shipped all over the world. The factory is near Mial Rose’s home in the mountains. Mial Rose lived with her parents and brothers and sisters in a small bamboo home high above a village in the Philippines. All around her home there were large banana trees. They had huge leaves, much bigger than Mial Rose. She lived in the jungle. She often had to walk around large trees on her way to church. Just like she and her cousin Albert were doing now. Scared in the Jungle As Mial Rose walked with her cousin Albert she heard a loud boom. More loud sounds followed. Mial Rose was scared as her cousin grabbed her hand and began to run. He pulled her along, running fast. That’s when men dressed in army uniforms jumped out of the jungle. They were not with the Philippine army though. They were part of a Muslim terrorist group. The men forced Mial Rose and her cousin to the ground. Albert covered Mial Rose trying to protect her. Mial Rose covered her ears as more booms sounded. They were gunshots. She began to scream. The armed men had shot her in the foot. She cried. The scary men suddenly began running as members of the real Philippine Army chased them. Mial Rose’s father found her on the ground. Her cousin was still. He had been shot as well. Mial Rose’s father picked her up and carried her to doctors who were waiting to help. More Villages Attacked Mial Rose and her cousin Albert were attacked on May 3, 2009. Muslim terrorists attacked three mountain villages that day. Attacks on Christians happen a lot on Mindanao, the place where Mial Rose lives. Muslim groups do not want Christians living there. They claim that the area belongs to them because they are Muslim. The country’s army tries to protect Christians but sometimes it cannot. That’s how Christians like Mial Rose and Albert get hurt. Help for Christian Victims Mial Rose spent more than three weeks in the hospital. Her mother had to change the bandage they put on her foot every day. It hurt each time. But Mial Rose was very brave. Thanks to her friends at VOM, Mial Rose received medicine and help from the doctor she needed to get well. Her cousin Albert also received medical help and is now well. Praise God he was not hurt too badly. Please pray for Christians like Mial Rose who are hurt by angry Muslims. Pray for their protection. Ask God to encourage them and give them strength to share Jesus Christ with the Muslims who live in their area. Luke 10:3 “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”

Capital Manilla Size The Philippines is an archipelago off the coast of Asia. An archipelago is a group of islands. The total area of the islands is about the same as the area of Arizona. Time At 6:00 a.m. U.S. Central Standard Time, it is 8:00 p.m. in the Philippines. Interesting Fact The people of Markina City, Philippines, say their city owns the world’s largest pair of shoes. The shoes are about 18 feet long and 6 feet high. Ten shoemakers worked on building them. Only an imaginary person more than 100 feet tall would fit into the shoes. (Goliath in the Bible was nine feet tall.) Religion About 80% of Filipinos are Catholic. The number of Protestant Christians is growing. Many Filipino Christians are bold missionaries to non-Christian countries. About 5% of Filipinos are Muslim. Some Muslims work with Christians to bring about peace in their land. Extremist Muslims have threatened and attacked Christians on the island of Mindanao.