Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: August 24, 2024
In Romans 5:1-2 we read:
'Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.'
As you reflect on these verses, pray that Christians around the world will be strengthened by the truth of the gospel today. May God increase their faith, their hope and their perseverance in whatever they are facing.
Vietnam: 11 Christians missing from police custody
Last month, friends and family of 11 Christians raised the alarm after losing contact with their loved ones in police custody. Some of them have been incarcerated for over a decade.
Among the missing are five Catholics: Runh, A Kuin, A Tik, Run and Dinh Kuh.
There are also four Montagnard* Protestants – all of whom should have been released at this point:
Siu Hlom (sentenced to 12 years in April 2011), Ro Mah Pla (sentenced to 9 years in March 2014), Rmah Bloanh (sentenced to 8 years in September 2014), and Rmah Khil (sentenced to 9 years in September 2014).
Also missing is Sung A Khua, a Hmong* Christian who should have been released in March 2021. He was sentenced to over two years in prison on 2 January 2019 for attending unsanctioned church services. He and his family have previously been expelled from the village for refusing to renounce their faith, and their home (which doubled as their church) was destroyed.
Another Protestant, Y Hriam Kpa, was arrested in July 2015 for refusing to close his church, which was not legally registered with the government.
Please pray:
- That the Vietnamese government will provide evidence of the safety and wellbeing of the missing prisoners and will release them without condition.
- That God would draw close to the 11 missing Christians and strengthen their friends and families as they wait for answers.
- For others around the world who have gone missing in connection with their religion or belief. As you’ll read in the Prayer Diary, this Friday marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
* The Montagnard and Hmong ethnic groups have long faced harassment and discrimination at the hands of the Vietnamese government, including restrictions on their indigenous languages. Those who are both ethnic and religious minorities (for example, Montagnard Protestants) often suffer the most severe abuses.
Please pray that the authorities would cease their targeting of indigenous religious communities immediately.