Mexico (MNN) ― Violence in Mexico has claimed the lives of a U.S. missionary couple. Yesterday, John (76) and Wanda (67) Casias were remembered for their service to Christ in the Baptist church they founded.

Wanda was discovered in their home by their son on Tuesday evening, who noticed their car and some electronics were missing. His father was found dead in an outbuilding on the property. Both had electrical cords tied around their necks.

Violence has escalated in Mexico, forcing many missionaries to rethink their deployment. John Herrin served with The Mission Society in Monterrey until recently. "When we first moved to Monterrey over three years ago, it was one of the safest cities in Latin America, not just Mexico. And in a very brief time, the city just changed literally overnight. There's a sense of tension in the air, a sense of fear in the city."

Herrin says the increase in violence forced them to make some decisions about staying in Mexico. "When driver's training began to include how to respond to a shoot out and how to drop to the floor-board of the car, we realized we weren't sure our kids should be involved in this." This helped them make their decision to leave Monterrey.

Many American missionaries are leaving Mexico, Herrin says, and the church has had a great deal of uncertainty. "A lot of funding began to drop off, and the church began saying, 'What are we going to do?' Then, the violence began to hit, again the church said, 'What are we going to do?'"

Herrin says the Holy Spirit is empowering people. "The church there is stepping up. They are developing their own plan. They're going out, and they're reaching out. And they're doing things that they haven't done before because they haven't had to."

That may be the silver lining in all of this, says Herrin. "We're now [being reminded] that God is doing it. It's not me doing it. It's not those missionaries over there. This really is the continuation of God's church."

Herrin says he still goes back to Monterrey once a month for ministry. Pray for his safety as he travels in and out of Mexico. He says, "The easy thing [to do] is to give up and walk away. The thing that God calls us to is to be faithful. If God calls us to it, we need to be about it, and God will be with us. He'll carry us through it and over it."

In the meantime, pray for all missionaries working in Mexico. Pray especially for the Casias family, their church family in Mexico, and their supporters in Texas.

Source: Mission Network News

Vietnam--Four Christian Prisoners Released on "Vietnam Day"
Sources: VOM Contacts, Human Rights Watch

Psalm 146:6-8
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.

Within the next few weeks, VOM will provide medical checkups and any necessary treatment to four recently released Christian prisoners. The four men, who had been serving sentences of nine to 10 years each, were among 10,244 prisoners released in celebration of Vietnam's National Day on Sept. 2, 2011. One prisoner who was not released was 65-year-old Father Nguyen Van Ly. Father Nguyen received an eight-year prison sentence in 2007 but was released in March 2010 on medical parole after suffering three strokes. One year later, the government insisted that Father Nguyen return to prison, and on July 25, 2011, he returned to complete the remaining five years. Father Nguyen requires ongoing treatment for his health problems, which include a brain tumor and carotid atherosclerosis. Thank God for the release of the four Christians, and pray for their successful return to church and family life. Pray also for Father Nguyen's release and health.

Colombia--FARC Impedes Evangelism in La Macarena
Source: VOM Contacts

Joshua 10:25
Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight."

Members of the leftist FARC guerrillas have prevented VOM evangelist "Rolo" from entering La Macarena region with items such as radios, Bibles and Christian books, as violence in the area increases. "Aside from closing churches, they are burning buses" that try to come to the region, a VOM worker in the region said. "There are other towns that have the same problem right now," our worker added. Please pray for believers in the region around La Macarena, that God will preserve their lives and give them courage.

Sudan--Evangelist Beaten and Arrested
Source: Compass Direct News

Psalm 121
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Police beat and arrested a church leader in Khartoum recently, amid increasing harassment of Christians in Sudan following the 2011 secession of the largely Christian South Sudan. Evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan was arrested Jan. 17 on charges of using church property as his home. He was released on bail the same day. In a Jan. 3 letter to leaders of the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church, Sudan's Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments threatened to arrest all pastors who carry out evangelistic activities and fail to provide contact information for church leaders. About 350,000 people, most of them Christians, fled to South Sudan after its secession, and Christianity is now regarded as a foreign religion in Sudan. Pray for the few remaining believers in the north.

What do you do while imprisoned in solitary confinement for more than two years? The answer for one Pakistani Christian is “pray.” Asia Bibi has spent almost three years in prison on charges that she blasphemed Islam’s prophet Muhammad. She was convicted and sentenced to death, and she now awaits the ruling on her appeal. To protect her from other inmates, she has been kept in solitary confinement. She cooks her own food to ensure that no one tries to poison her.

VOM has supported Asia’s family during her long imprisonment and has stayed in touch with Asia through her faithful husband, Ashiq. In January, a VOM staff member was able to visit Asia in prison for the first time since she received the death penalty. Ashiq and the VOM worker spent 25 minutes with Asia, but they were separated by a tight metal screen.

Ashiq, Asia Bibi’s husband

“She had a smiley face full of joy and thanksgiving,” said the VOM worker. Asia said she was thankful for the visit and that she was happy and fine. She reported that jail officials were taking good care of her and that the superintendent, sympathetic to her extreme loneliness, promised to bring her any books she wanted. A female guard is with her at all times.

Asia told the VOM worker about another way she has been blessed. “There is a beautiful thing that happens every day in my cell. Two days after they announced my death penalty, I was brought into the death cell [death row]. Every morning around 3:30 or 4, a brown bird with a long beak appears and sits on the boundary wall. This bird also comes every evening around 5. He sits there for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Later on he became my friend. I talk to him and he also talks to me.

Ashiq and daughters

“As I watched this bird every day, I tried to understand the meaning of him coming day after day. I think this is a messenger from God giving me his message. When the bird comes, I feel encouraged and peaceful. I feel comforted after his visit. I think this is very significant sign from God.”

Asia is allowed to walk in the courtyard every day for a few minutes, but she is always accompanied by guards. Other prisoners attend religious services in the jail every week, but Asia is not allowed to attend. So in her loneliness, she prays.

“I am praying every day,” she said. “I am strong in my faith. I know that this is a test of my faith and I know to make gold, it must be purified; it has to be put in the fire.

“I am not worried about myself, but I am worried about the VOM workers who are helping me, which is very dangerous. I pray for them every day.

“I don’t know the names, but I know the people from USA are helping me; I pray for them also. I pray for the people around the world who are praying for me.” Asia also prays for the families of two men, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, both of whom were killed for their support of Asia.

“I am very thankful to them that they sacrificed their lives for me,” Asia said. She is also thankful for the financial support provided to her family. “I know you are the people helping me and my family and fighting my case in the court. I am very thankful to Lord for this.”

Asia asked how her two young daughters are doing. She wanted to make sure they are going to school and church, concerned they might stray from what she wants for them. Ashiq assured her that the girls are attending school and church. “I am thankful they are doing this,” she said.

Asia, Ashiq and the VOM worker finished their time together with prayer. They prayed for the court, the judge, the attorneys and the jail’s staff. And Asia prayed that God would bless her and make her life an example to the other prisoners.

She ended with, “I pray that God will forgive the people who blamed me. … I know God helps his people and he will release me. I want to appeal to the world to pray for a miracle to release me from jail and that I stand strong in my faith.”

Please join Asia in her appeal for release by signing the petition at www.CallForMercy.com. And above all, pray.

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LAHORE, Pakistan, January 30 (CDN) — A judge has denied bail to a young Christian man charged with desecrating the Quran under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws despite the lack of evidence against him, sources said.
 
Police in Shahdara, near Lahore, had arrested 23-year-old Khuram Masih on Dec. 5 and charged him with desecrating the Quran after his landlord, Zulfiqar Ali, alleged that he had burned pages of the book in order to prepare tea. Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment.
 
Masih’s previous lawyers, Muhammad Farhad Tirmizi and Liaqat John, on Jan. 3 petitioned for his bail. In their petition, they stated to Additional Sessions Judge Anjum Raza Syed that police had registered a false case against Masih based on hearsay, and that police had not found any incriminating evidence.
 
Judge Syed, however, refused to grant bail to Masih on grounds that the case was “very sensitive, and bail to the accused would fan religious sentiments and cause a great mishap.”
 
Asif Aqeel, executive director of the Community Development Initiative (CDI), an affiliate of the European Centre for Law and Justice, told Compass that the lawyers hired by Masih’s relatives should not have petitioned the trial court for Masih’s bail so soon.

Click here to read the full article at Compass Direct.

I am heartbroken over the continual persecution happening to Christians in Nigeria. Here is the latest news coming from Mission Network News. Please pray for Nigeria and spread the word about what is happening with Christians in Nigeria.

Nigeria (MNN) — Five more people are dead as Boko Haram continues its spread of terror across northern Nigeria. Churches have been attacked, Christians murdered, and now even Muslims are being targeted. Mostly those who are trying to protect Christians, or are sympathetic to them.

The most recent attack came when the Boko Haram Islamic Sect on Monday night invaded the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, barracks as well as a police station in Maiduguri, Borno State, killing five people including a soldier, two policemen and two civilians.

It's a quest to force the region into Sharia law

Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission Rae Burnett says missionaries they're supporting are reaching the unreached in these areas, but she's concerned that openness will end. "The fear is that the villagers will get word of this and be afraid to allow the Christian missionaries in. They've seen and appreciated the love of the Christians to be helpful to them. If Boko Haram gets word of it, they'll chase them out."

Up until just recently Boko Haram had been focusing on terror in major cities. But, that's changing, says Burnett. "Some of the villages in the north

This would destroy the work Christian Aid Mission has been able to do. It's already affected some of their partners. "Several of the missionaries have had to leave their fields because of the threats. Of course, these Boko Haram people have relatives everywhere. And if one of them is in one of these villages, then it can cause these missionaries trouble."

Christian Aid Mission supports national Christians who are focused on reaching the unreached. Burnett says, "Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, and there are many, many areas that have not been reached with the Gospel. The ministry that we have, primarily, helped has been so successful."

Burnett says, "They came into being to reach one particular tribe, and they've grown. Now they're reaching 14 tribes. Most of them are in the north, which has been extremely closed to the Gospel."

Christian Aid Mission supports Nigerian believers who have a plan to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your financial support can help keep them work in these areas while the doors are still open.

Source: Mission Network News

Imagine being one of only three Christian families in a village of 1500 families.  Now imagine you were having a conversation about faith and you shared about your love for Jesus Christ, with the Muslims you were working with.  Next, imagine that your Muslim coworkers were insisting that you recant your faith in Jesus Christ and become a follower of Allah.  Imagine that you were beaten and then mocked and ridiculed publically so that all of the community would know you follow Jesus Christ.  Finally, imagine that you were arrested for blasphemy, put in jail, and had a death sentence hanging over your head.

How would you feel?  Would you stand firm in your faith?  Would you continue to stand for Jesus?

Sadly, this is not something that needs to be imagined for Asia Bibi, because she's living it and  today she remains in jail and awaits a death sentence.

Her crime in Pakistan...believing in Jesus Christ.  The cost she's paying...imprisonment, mockery, abuse, beatings, and possibly death.

Are you praying for Asia Bibi?  Have you signed the Call for Mercy petition yet, saying that you are standing with her?  If not, we're looking to get one million signatures for her.  Sign the Call for Mercy petition now!

For more information on Asia and to read the lastest updates on how she is doing, please click here and download a PDF we've produced from our Be-A-Voice Network.

Please click here to write a letter to Asia Bibi using our very simple Prisoner Alert program.  Every letter makes an impact.  Thank you for caring.