Persecution For Pursuing Jesus
In 2 Timothy 3:12, we learn that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” This truth is not meant to trigger fear, but it does require us to be wise and vigilant. It is why Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Likewise, we are “to be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18). We must pray for each other; fighting alone is not an option.
At iTEE Global, we have facilitators and students in dangerous environments. Every day in places like Myanmar, India, and Pakistan, persecution is dangerous, and life is fragile. Persecution may not be life-threatening in places like Canada or the US, but it still comes, and it still can cause trouble. In this issue, we are sharing testimonies from our students and facilitators, mostly so that you know how to better pray. Some names have been adjusted for their protection, but the Lord knows their name as we pray for them. Thank you.
Persecution in Southeast Asia
My name is Rachel. My name is Rachel. I was born into a Christian family, but my father died of a heart attack when I was three months old. I was educated at an orphan hostel and later completed a Bachelor’s of Education.
In 2009, a private school hired me to teach, but soon, other teachers questioned my faith, claiming God has no son. They told families I would misguide their children and make anything I touched impure. The parents asked the principal to fire me. He refused, but a few days later, he asked to see me. Parents and teachers were in his office, falsely accusing me with: “Why did you destroy our holy verses and throw them in the bin?” The principal told me to collect my belongings and go home. He called my mother and told her to get me to a secret place because the mob was plotting to kill me.
My mother sent me to the bus stop with essential belongings. “Go to your aunt’s place,” she said, which was five hours away. When I arrived at midnight, my aunt could see I was in severe mental stress. She tried to call my mother but to no avail. Meanwhile, a massive crowd came to my family’s home, demanding to know my location. They broke down the front gates and began destroying items in our home. They hit my mother and dragged her by the hair to the floor. They beat my brother, his wife and their small children.
Later, my sister-in-law moved back to her parents’ home for six months, and my brother went to another city to find work. My mother stayed but continued to face persecution. People were now telling her that they would continue their search to rape and kill me. She contacted my aunt and urged her to arrange a marriage for me.
When my aunt’s son came for a visit—he was working as an electrical repairman in an Islamic Gulf country—he agreed to marry me. It was a quiet ceremony without family members. He was able to arrange a tourist visa for me, but he was unable to secure a permanent visa. I had to return to my home country.
My aunt didn’t allow me to enter her home because her family had forbidden her to help me. For 45 days, I secretly stayed at a friend’s home. I then could return to my husband in the Gulf country, pregnant with my first child.
In the third month of my pregnancy, my husband was fired for being a Christian. This terminated his visa. For the remaining months of my pregnancy, we lived with beggars in tents without electricity or water. They were a loving, caring, and courageous people. For the year that we lived with them, I felt safe and happy. Sometimes, our families sent us money, which we used for medical care. We didn’t have money on my delivery day, but a nearby nurse helped me deliver.
When my son was five months old, my husband acquired a new working visa. In 2014, I became pregnant again, but I had a miscarriage. It seems I had been under too much stress. I knew we could neither remain permanently in this Gulf country nor return home, where people still wanted me dead. In 2016, a new school branch opened near us. I applied for a teaching job as an Urdu teacher—my native language—and was hired. I sent my son to their kindergarten. My husband was able to afford a shop, so we could pay the bills and help our families.
The principal advised me not to reveal my religion to any school members, but teachers had been living near my house. They knew my faith. By the third year, there was a new principal, and people started whispering against me. When my work visa expired, the school wouldn’t renew it, terminating my employment. People also refused to come to my husband’s repair shop because we are Christian. We could no longer afford water or send our son to school. Worse, we couldn’t return to our home country, even when my brother had a heart attack and my mother passed away. This is one of my biggest regrets.
Please pray for my family, especially my son, to have a better future and for him to spread the gospel worldwide. May God help us out of this critical situation and provide a place to worship him freely.
Persecution in Africa
My name is Christian. I am 20 years old, and I live in Africa. I’m the firstborn, and I’m currently in grade twelve. My father is deceased.
In 2015, my parents lost their jobs, and I was in school doing grade 8. I was sent back home for not paying school fees, and I stopped attending school. My family struggled.
I began working as a shepherd and a watchman for my relatives at 14 years of age, but they refused to help me. They wouldn’t even pay me for working for them.
They laughed at me because my clothes were like rags, and no one wanted me. Sometimes, we had nothing to eat. I was even thinking about committing suicide because people used to laugh at me, saying, “Ask your God to bless you.”
However, I didn’t give up and continued using the Doxology to praise our God, “from whom all blessings flow.” Now, I’m completing secondary school, and by the grace of God, I’m doing great.
I’m studying with iTEE and praying for any vacancy to do theology study in my country so that I can serve God and bring many lives to salvation. Let us pray for one another.
Persecution in North American
I am a facilitator who works for iTEE Global, but I also work as a substitute teacher at elementary schools. There is a mission field in our schools. I hear daily from students regarding parental
conflicts, addiction issues in their homes, and gender identity confusion.
The schools are teaching the theory that gender is a spectrum, and we need to be inclusive and disregard what the Bible teaches about gender being male and female. Staff accuse the Christians in the school of being homophobic and speak negatively about them. I treat all students the same and believe we are to display the love of Christ to all. However, because I disagree with the masses on gender identity, I have been spoken negatively about and shunned by other staff members, creating an unfriendly work environment.
Last year, one school held a gay pride parade in the school without notifying the parents. Music was blared over the PA system that promotes a gay lifestyle. A group of students who are heterosexual walked out of the school. I spoke to the group later and asked why they walked out. The students’ answers surprised me. They said, “We walked out because there are way more heterosexual students in this school, and we don’t get a special day or parade, so why should we be expected to celebrate their identity?” Later, this group of students was accused of being homophobic when, in reality, they just wanted their voices heard.
Increasing Persecution
With each passing day, we draw one day closer to the Lord’s return. As believers, we know that there will be many trials to face in the days to come. We have reported a few stories in this newsletter from students and faculty. However, there are many other stories of persecution that students were afraid to share for fear of further persecution. Students’ names were changed to help protect them.
For some countries, increasing persecution of believers has already begun. According to an article in the New Indian Express, on June 14, 2024, in Cuttack, India, a bomb was hurled into a Baptist Church while members were holding a meeting around 10 pm. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come to power again in India, and there are reports of renewed persecution there. The BJP is far right-winged, and its policies adhere to Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology, bringing great concern to Christian believers there.
On June 16, Christianpost.com reported that the Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing dozens of people in several villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with at least 80 Christians among the dead. One hundred fifty people have been killed since the beginning of June by the Allied Democratic Forces, according to Agence France-Presse.
iTEE Global works with students in both India and the DRC. Hebrews 10:33-34 (ESV) reminds us,
33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
As a learning community, we need to stand alongside our students as partners, helping them to be the light in the darkness in these countries, praying for their continued safety, and preparing the way for the Lord.
