Translators Martyred in Middle East

Four national translators were martyred for their work of sharing God’s Word with their people in the Middle East. The location is not being mentioned for obvious security reasons. Wycliffe Associates, the missionary organization the slain translators worked for, said that the office was ransacked, books burned, and all equipment destroyed, including the Print On Demand (POD) system used to print precious copies of Scripture.

The joy is that the computer hard drives containing the translation work for eight language projects was not destroyed. "The remaining translation team has decided to re-double their efforts to translate, publish, and print God's Word for these eight language communities," the ministry said in a statement as reported by Christian Persecution India. To make donations to Wycliffe Associates for the work to continue, click here.

"Ask the Lord to mend the wounded hearts and physical injuries of the surviving translation team members, and to bring greatly needed comfort to loved ones who are now grieving over the sudden loss of the slain workers. Pray for Him to strengthen and equip the other translators as they rise to the challenge of continuing with the eight language projects so that this tragedy will in no way restrict the Gospel from going forth throughout the Middle East. Also remember the perpetrators of this crime, praying that their eyes be opened to the truth, as well as the seriousness of what they have done, so they will experience sincere repentance, forgiveness of sin and, ultimately, eternal salvation".

Indigenous Missionaries Leave Legacy of Faith

Our missionaries need prayers. What is happening in the North Eastern part of Nigeria is a disaster; but most of the brunt is borne by Christians who are being targeted and killed. Read these wonderful testimonies about the lives of five ECWA missionaries who served and died in Nigeria. Take out time to pray for them during your family devotions and church prayer sessions.

From Morning Star News:

“These missionaries have been laboring in very dangerous, remote mission fields, far away from modern civilization,” said Elijah Ipole, head of media for the ECWA’s Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS). “Some have had to bury their loved ones while in mission fields. Some have had their properties looted or completely destroyed by the enemies of the gospel.”

Established in 1947 to empower indigenous African missionaries to take over missions work from foreign missionaries in Nigeria, EMS has lost five of its leaders to Boko Haram and other jihadists in the last four years, according to the ECWA president. One of them, the Rev. Isma Dogari, was murdered in Bauchi state in 2011. 

An EMS report describes his death:

“The Muslims took him to a mosque just by the roadside and, once inside, gave him a Koran and told him to denounce Jesus and live. But he refused and told them, ‘You need Jesus Christ in your lives.’ They then plugged his eyes, brought him out of the mosque, took him under a tree and asked him again to denounce his faith and live, but repeatedly he told them, ‘You need Jesus.’ At this point they stabbed Rev. Isma Dogari with a knife, slaughtered him and burned his corpse.” 

The Rev. Bukari Bunga, a director with EMS, told Morning Star News that Pastor Dogari was killed on April 10, 2011, while working in the Muntoshi Station. He was killed in Mararaban Liman Katagun. Other EMS missionaries killed by Muslim jihadists, according to Bunga, were pastor Ezra Ibrahim, killed in his station at Sabon Gida on Sept. 19, 2014; pastor Joshua M. Nana, killed in Bassa village in 2013; pastor Yunana Kinge, killed in Rafin Pa, Zankwa of the ECWA’s mid-central region on June 25, 2012; and pastor Yakubu Wazari, killed at Jos’ main market while taking his son to school on Jan. 8, 2011. He has served in Bani Kauwa II in Kasuwan Magani of the mid-central region.

“Please continue to pray for our missionaries, their families and the converts in the various mission fields, as you continue to bear in mind that the gospel is being preached by these missionaries in increasingly volatile and very deadly crises situations,” he wrote.

Rev. Yat Michael and Rev. Peter Yein Reith have been released.

The pastors,  Rev. Yat Michael and Rev. Peter Yein Reith, were arrested by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in December 2014 and January 2015 respectively. Rev. Yat Michael preached in the Evangelical Church in Bahri after which he was arrested. Rev. Peter Yein Reith was arrested after he submitted a letter of concern from leaders of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, inquiring about the whereabouts of the Rev. Yat. The brethren were brought to trial several times being charged with multiple spurious allegations.

Thank God they have been released.

However, we will continue to pray for the church in Sudan to remain strong and multiplying in the face of oppression and persecution.

See more here.

Special request: Please pray for the Nigerian church. May case of the Nigerian church not be like that of the Laodecian church (Rev.3). They saw themselves as rich, wealthy and lacked nothing but in the eyes of God, they were wretched, pitiful, poor and naked.