Kids of Courage...From Voice of the Martyers

One day, Pastor K’Be’s children were watching TV in Vietnam where they lived. Their father’s picture appeared on the screen! They were excited!The TV announcer said their father was a “criminal.” The report said he was guilty of “crimes” against the government of Vietnam. Their excitement disappeared. The government wants to control Christian activity. They do not want Christians to have activities outside of churches that are registered with the government. Pastor K’Be preached at church meetings that took place in people’s homes. Not Ashamed The government put his picture on TV to shame him. The Bible tells us that the apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16, NIV). Pastor K’Be wasn’t ashamed either. The government also wanted to warn people who saw the TV report to stay away from Pastor K’Be. But it only made people more curious. They looked for answers about what Pastor K’Be believed, and they found out about Jesus. “The government is helping to spread the gospel,” said Pastor K’Be. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails,” (Proverbs 19:21, NIV). Encourage your children to pray for the persecuted Church...

Learning to Forgive... From: Kids of Courage

“Then God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry…?’ And he said, ‘It is right for me to be angry, even to death!’” (Jonah 4:9.)

Gracia Burnham was angry. A gang of violent Muslims had kidnapped her. Gracia did not even like to go camping. But the group forced Gracia and her husband Martin to live with them in the jungle. The jungle had no beds, bathrooms, stores, or air conditioning.

Gracia and Martin were missionaries in the Philippines. Before the men kidnapped them, Gracia homeschooled their three kids: Mindy, Zach, and Jeff. Martin, a pilot, flew mail and supplies to other missionaries in hard-to-reach places.

The men who kidnapped the Burnhams belonged to a group that wanted Muslims to have more power in the Philippines. They had the mistaken idea that they could get power by hurting innocent people. The kidnappers took Martin, Gracia, and other innocent people into the jungle. Friends and relatives took care of Mindy, Zach, and Jeff.

Rude Treatment
The kidnappers often behaved rudely to the Burnhams. At Christmastime, they made fun of Martin and Gracia because they would not be at home with their families on Christmas. They kept Martin on a chain like a dog. Martin and Gracia got very little food, even when the kidnappers had a lot to eat.

Gracia felt so angry that she wished bad things would happen to the kidnappers. She told Martin that she wished the men would suffer forever.

Martin was very wise. He reminded her that God does not want us to wish for our enemies to suffer. Gracia remembered that the Bible says, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14, 15, NIV).

When Gracia forgave her kidnappers, her anger went away. But it was not easy to forgive. From day to day, their captors forced them to endure new burdens. Gracia had to forgive again and again. After a while, she found it easier to not get as angry when she was mistreated.

About a year after the Burnhams were kidnapped, their struggle ended. Sadly, Martin died in a battle between soldiers from the Philippine military and the kidnappers.

Gracia was shot in the leg, but she was able to get away from the kidnappers and out of the jungle. She joined her children in the United States. Now she teaches others the lessons she learned in the jungle about forgiveness.

Sources include: To Fly Again by Gracia Burnham with Dean Merrill (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2005).

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.

Thanksgiving in North Korea -9/20/09

Take from Kids of Courage, which is part of Voice of the Martyers

Few Bibles
The man hiked to a place some distance from his home. He walked as quietly as possible to a secret spot on the ground that he knew well. After looking around to see if any strangers were watching, he knelt down in the dirt. He gently lifted a piece of sod out of a hidden hole in the ground. He brushed away leaves, then carefully removed a sack. Now he could read the Bible inside the sack.

Most Christians around the world do not have to go to so much trouble to have their devotions. But the Christian hiking in the woods lives in North Korea. People who own a Bible in his country can go to jail for years. The government punishes people for following Jesus.

Few Worship Services
“We can’t meet on Sundays,” said a North Korean Christian. “We only meet once or twice a month.”

Christians meet together in secret. If more than three people gather at a home, suspicious neighbors might report them to the police. Thankfully, Jesus promised, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20).

The Christians sing hymns together very softly so the neighbors will not hear. One elderly Christian had a special hymnbook. Her father gave it to her many years before. In the past, people in North Korea remembered the Christian teachings that missionaries brought to the land. “I am going to heaven,” the father said to his daughter. “Keep this book and we will meet together in heaven.” She kept the hymnbook for 60 years; then she gave it to another Christian.

Thanksgiving
Last November, Elizabeth, a North Korean Christian, joined with a few other believers for a worship service. She noticed one child in the group whose shoe was torn open. His foot was frozen. His family did not have enough money to buy new shoes.

The house had no heat. Sometimes the family skipped meals for many days in a row because they had no money for food. “The food problem is worse this year,” a North Korean Christian said. “And it was really bad last year.” Bad weather has destroyed food crops in North Korea. Also, government leaders do a poor job of getting food to those who need it. Many people are poor, hungry, and sick.

It is difficult for sick people to get medicine in North Korea. Soap, toothpaste, and other items that help keep people healthy are also scarce.

You might expect the Christians in North Korea to be sad about all their problems. But this group of Christians had gathered for a Thanksgiving celebration!

Elizabeth sang a hymn for the group. “The room was full of thanksgiving and the grace of God,” said one Christian.

“We have nothing to give to God except our hearts,” the Christians said.

Their Thanksgiving celebration had no turkey and dressing, no fruit and vegetables, and no pumpkin or apple pie. But Elizabeth said,

“Our hope is not more food, but to go to a church and worship in freedom.” Please remember the thankful North Korean Christians when you thank God for your own blessings.

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (Hebrews 13:3).

Voice of the Martyrs-Kids of Courage: North Korea: Daniel 9/8/09

Do you remember how old you were the first time you saw a Bible? Maybe not. Most American Christians were so young when they first saw a Bible that they can’t remember it.

Daniel is a 13-year-old North Korean boy. People in North Korea are not allowed to own Bibles.
Daniel remembers when he first saw a Bible. He was 12 years old. He first heard about Jesus when he was 12, too.

A Hard Life
Daniel is an orphan. Many people in North Korea do not have enough food to eat. North Korean orphans are especially hungry.

“My mom and dad died when I was 8 or 9,” Daniel said. “My sister and I lived as wanderers in the streets of North Korea. In the winter, we stayed in alleyways, train stations, and bus stations. When we lived like this, people said to us, ‘You are dogs and pigs.’ Life was bitterly sad. We longed for our parents.”

Daniel and some friends escaped to China by crossing a frozen river. They had no shoes, so they walked barefoot. Daniel’s feet were very cold. After walking on the ice, he lost his toes because of frostbite.

Food for the Hungry
Daniel was grateful when Christians in China gave him food to eat. But he was also hungry for the word of God. The Christians shared the Bible with him and showed him a movie about Jesus.

Now Daniel studies the Bible every day. He even memorized Psalms 1 and 23. “I like Psalm 23,” he said. “It teaches me that no matter where I go, God is with me. He provides everything I need.”

Danger in China
Not everyone is happy that Christians are now taking care of Daniel’s needs. The North Korean government does not like it when their citizens escape to other countries. Chinese police officers try to catch North Koreans and send them back to their home country. In North Korea, those who have tried to escape are punished harshly in prison.

“It’s hard not to go outside and play in China, even though it’s dangerous,” said Daniel. “When I see the Chinese police, I pray.”

Someday Daniel would like to go back to his homeland and share Bible stories with North Koreans. But he is not ready yet. He wants to study the Bible more.

Here is Daniel’s prayer:

“Father God, I thank you that you have brought me here. Please lead me so that I can go back to North Korea and spread your Word well. I pray in the name of Jesus who saved us from our sin. Amen.”