Russia (MNN) — There’s encouraging news to share about a South Korean missionary detained in Russia — and many are calling it an answer to prayer.

Ms. Park Tae-Yeon, 69, has been held by Russian authorities since January 15. Earlier this week, Mission Network News reported on her arrest and an online petition calling for her release. That story was picked up by South Korean media, and quickly reached people who could help.

(Photo courtesy of VOM Korea)

Eric Foley with The Voice of the Martyrs Korea says those headlines mattered.

“We really believe it is [an] answer to prayer. The Voice of the Martyrs Korea has confirmed that Ms. Park met for 40 minutes with a representative from the Korean consulate on the afternoon of February 3.”

Park is also in a better living situation now. “We can confirm that today, Ms. Park was moved from the detention center to house arrest after submitting a pledge not to leave Russia until the end of the investigation,” Foley says.

Park was targeted at the same time as Child Evangelism Fellowship in a months-long investigation by Russian officials. The charges against her remain unchanged, which means the hard work is still ahead.

Foley says the situation highlights a broader pattern.

Russian flag (Photo courtesy of Dimmis Vart/Unsplash)

“This is an example of the increasing restrictions on religious liberty, especially for evangelicals in Russia. So let’s make sure we’re praying for both of those situations — one, the release of Ms. Park, but also that this is really the tip of a very big iceberg.”

The Voice of the Martyrs Korea continues to collect signatures for a petition calling for Park’s immediate release. The ministry will deliver the petition to the Russian embassy shortly after the Lunar New Year.

Access the petition here.

Please pray for Park’s encouragement, protection, and full release. Pray also for Christian ministries in Russia, asking God to guard believers and keep the Gospel moving forward despite growing pressure.

Header photo of Ms. Park Tae-Yeon, courtesy of VOM Korea.

Russia (VOM Korea) — Ms. Park Tae-Yeon had her plane ticket purchased to return from Khabarovsk to Korea to retire at the age of 70 after 33 years of what she described as being “married to Russia”. However, authorities blocked her return home, arresting her on January 15 on immigration-related charges. Persecution watchdog organization Voice of the Martyrs Korea says the immigration charges are Russia’s way of diverting attention from what they say is a basic violation of religious freedoms. They’ve posted an online petition to the Russia Ambassador to Korea demanding Ms. Park’s immediate release, and they are urging all Korean Christians to sign it.

The petition can be accessed here.

At a press conference today at Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s Jeongneung office, the organization’s founders, Pastor Eric Foley and Dr Hyun Sook Foley, expressed concern for Ms. Park’s health as well as what they described as “the declining health of religious freedom in Russia”.

“Ms. Park Tae-yeon was arrested on an immigration-related offense, but numerous reports on state-affiliated Russian media show that authorities are prosecuting a much broader case against her publicly,” says Pastor Eric Foley. He highlighted a report on January 23, 2026 by the state-affiliated Russian media outlet RIA, which cites a Khabarovsk city official who told of a months-long investigation by law enforcement agencies into religious camps for children in Khabarovsk. That report says, “As a result of the investigation, the activities of a citizen of the Republic of Korea, who carried out missionary work while hiding behind plausible goals, were stopped.”

“Ms. Park is clearly among those targeted by that investigation,” says Pastor Foley. “By legally charging her with an immigration-related violation but prosecuting a much broader case against her through state-affiliated media, authorities are preventing Ms. Park, her family, and her representatives from understanding the full scope of the real case against her. They are also preventing Ms. Park from accessing appropriate legal resources for her defense. Further, the immigration charge against Ms. Park shields the Russian Federation from international accountability for its growing crackdown on basic religious freedoms in violation of established international norms.”

The Russian media reports claim that Korean missionaries brainwashed children, forcing them to copy the bible for hours. A Khabarovsk city official cited in the reports claims that “ideas alien to Russian traditional values were imposed on children under the pretext of education and training” and that the ultimate goal was to take the children to Korea.

Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley calls those charges “ridiculous”.

“Ms. Park Tae-yeon has been living with a sincere love for the country of Russia and its people since she arrived there in 1993. She has no prior criminal history. She has lived her whole life as a single person and has devoted herself to the locals for 33 years, to the point where she says she is married to Russia. She has practiced a life of caring for her neighbors, and her pure spirit of service has become an example for many people around him. Park Tae-yeon is a transparent and good person like a child, without political ideology or impure purpose.”

The Foleys criticized the Russian media reports for their portrayal of international ministry organization Child Evangelism Fellowship as brainwashing or pressuring children.

“Child Evangelism Fellowship has been operating around the world for more than 75 years, and they openly share their methods of evangelism through their website and books and training programs,” says Pastor Foley. “They have extensive training programs to ensure that children are never pressured or coerced, and they make sure that the wishes of children’s parents or guardians are always followed.” Pastor Foley says the videos released by Russian media which allegedly show Ms. Park and others interacting with children in Bible-related activities disprove the allegations of coercion.

“When you watch the videos, you don’t see tired children being brainwashed. You see children laughing and having a great time,” says Pastor Foley. “Child Evangelism Fellowship always says that children have a right to hear the gospel if they desire. That is one of many religious freedoms that Russia is gradually taking away from its citizens, and they are hiding that from the international community by accusing Christians of evil intentions and by imprisoning Ms. Park instead of letting her return home to retire after 33 years of genuine, caring service to the people of Russia.”

The Foleys says that Ms. Park has so far been denied access to the Korean consulate, which they note is a violation of Article 36 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

The Foleys say they will exhaust every effort to see Ms. Park freed. Voice of the Martyrs Korea has posted an online petition here. They’re urging all Korean Christians to sign it as soon as possible. They plan on delivering the petition to the Russian Embassy shortly after Chinese New Year, with copies also being sent to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Description: Ms. Park Tae-Yeon had her plane ticket purchased to return from Khabarovsk to Korea to retire at the age of 70 after 33 years of what she described as being “married to Russia”. However, authorities blocked her return home, arresting her on January 15 on immigration-related charges. Persecution watchdog organization Voice of the Martyrs Korea says the immigration charges are Russia’s way of diverting attention from what they say is a basic violation of religious freedoms. They’ve posted an online petition to the Russia Ambassador to Korea demanding Ms. Park’s immediate release, and they are urging all Korean Christians to sign it. The petition can be accessed here.

#ParkTaeYeon #Khabarovsk #ChildEvangelismFellowship #Petition #Russia #persection #religiousfreedom

Photo courtesy of VOM Korea

Header photo courtesy of VOM Korea.

The Supreme Court has issued several petitions for Rajasthan to justify the anti-conversion law’s constitutionality, which allows state officials to seize property and demolish homes based on allegations of forced conversion.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

John Pudaite, President and CEO of Bibles For The World (BFTW), says it’s part of a broader legal battle as India’s Supreme Court takes a magnifying glass to anti-conversion laws across multiple states.

“They are questioning how this current government — the BJP government — can continue to steamroll across the country and pass these anti-conversion laws, which are nothing but an attack primarily on Christianity,” he says.

This new scrutiny may also cause those who target Indian Christians using anti-conversion laws to think twice.

“As they felt impunity, they would attack the churches and attack the Christians,” says Pudaite. “People are realizing that the laws they thought covered them may not have as much strength…as they had hoped.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

Looking ahead, Pudaite urges the global Church to take this critical case, and others like it, before the Lord.

“We need to continue to pray for the Supreme Court and those justices, that they can be impartial in their evaluation of the evidence and of those laws. We can pray that they will not be politically influenced or otherwise influenced.”

Pudaite also encourages believers to keep the Gospel in sight — with hearts to reach their persecutors with the Gospel.

“Especially as we go into this Christmas season, pray that this may be a special time for the Body of Christ to be able to share the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ…. Pray that the true spirit of Christ in Christmas may be able to shine.”

Header photo: Architecture in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. (Photo courtesy of Dexter Fernandes/Unsplash)

On February 13, 2017, Koh’s car was surrounded, stopped and taken captive by a group of government men. The incident was caught on a nearby security camera. That is the last anyone has seen or heard of Pastor Koh, despite the tireless advocacy of his wife, Susannah, and the international attention his story has received. 

(Courtesy of VOM USA on Facebook.)

Recently, Susannah (Liew) Koh sued the government of Malaysia for negligence in Koh’s case. In 2019 the human rights commission in Malaysia said the special branch of the police were the ones who abducted Koh. But no further explanation for his disappearance has been given. They have been in court this week. 

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “Susannah told me [that] when she went to a lawyer and said, ‘I want to sue the Malaysian government,’ the lawyer looked at her and was like, ‘Are you crazy? This is the government that made your husband disappear, and now you want to sue them? What do you think is going to happen to you?’ And her boldness and her fortitude to say, ‘No, I want answers. I understand that it’s risky.’” 

Koh’s family has applied to the court to access a special task force report about his abduction. The file is currently classified. Please pray with the Kohs for truth to come out and for patience in the grueling process.

(Capture of Raymond Koh and his wife, courtesy TheStar.com)

“I know from [Susannah] saying it, how important it has been for her to know that she’s not alone and to know that the body of Christ is connected to her and is participating with her in this time of trial,” Nettleton says. 

“As the court hearings are happening literally this week, what what better time, what more strategic time is there to pray for justice and to pray that the truth will be revealed?”

If you haven’t already, you can join tens of thousands of people who have signed a petition to the Malaysian government for information about Pastor Koh. Learn more about the American Center for Law and Justice’s petition here, and about VOM’s petition at releaseraymond.com. 

“The [petition] call is the same one that Susannah Koh is making in court this week in Malaysia: Open the records, tell the truth. Explain what happened to this pastor who disappeared seven years ago,” says Nettleton. 

Header photo of the Koh family courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA.

Gone in 40 seconds.

Koh (center) with his family (Image courtesy of VOM on Facebook.)

As captured on a nearby surveillance camera, three black SUV’s surrounded his car and pulled him over. More assailants quickly arrived, and in less than a minute he was being driven away.

Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission would later blame the attack on on a special branch the Malaysian police, but no one has officially taken the blame. We still don’t know where Pastor Koh is.

Now, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) USA has released a petition, available for anyone to sign, demanding that the Malaysian government release any information about Raymond Koh and his whereabouts.

VOM’s Todd Nettleton says, “So on this anniversary, we want people to pray for Pastor Raymond, for his wife Susanna, and for their children, and we want people to sign that petition and ask the Malaysian government, ‘Hey, tell us what happened to pastor Raymond Koh.’”

Ethnicity and religion in Malaysia

(Screen capture courtesy of Prayercast)

Nettleton says, “We are certain he was targeted for sharing the Gospel,” and gives a look into Malaysian politics and culture to explain why.

Different ethnicities such as Chinese or Indian are allowed to be practicing Christians. But Nettleton says, “If you are an ethnic Malay person, you’re not supposed to hear the Gospel. You’re not supposed to be a Christian. Ethnic Malays are supposed to be 100% Muslim, so any person who is suspected of reaching out with the Gospel to ethnic Malays becomes a target and is seen as a troublemaker.”

Pastor Koh had been threatened previously for treating the Gospel as the good news of Christ, and not as a mere extension of ethnic identity. Nettleton says that several years before the abduction someone mailed him a box of bullets. “A very subtle way of saying, ‘hey, if you keep up your ministry activities, this is what’s going to happen to you.’”

Time to act

(Courtesy of VOM USA on Facebook.)

Nettleton hopes this is a good time to get information about Koh, because the government has a new leader since the abduction.

“And what we hope is that offers some opportunity for him to be open about what happened. It was not on his watch. Hopefully, he doesn’t feel obligated to cover up for the last person who might have been involved. And so, we hope that that change of government is an opportunity where the new government will say, ‘Okay, we’re willing to open the books, we’re willing to show you what we know about this situation.’” 

Please sign the petition, which VOM will deliver to the Malaysian embassy in Washington D.C. And please pray that information will be released about Raymond Koh.

Pray also that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would change Malaysia, and that Malays would see that their faith is not tied to their ethnicity.

Church in Malaysia (Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Abducting Raymond Koh

Todd Nettleton, a spokesperson for Voice of the Martyrs, USA, says people can watch security footage of the abduction online.

(Capture of Raymond Koh and his wife, courtesy TheStar.com)

“It involved at least five vehicles, at least 13 different men. The whole thing took less than 45 seconds. So, it was a very well planned, very practiced military-style operation to make this pastor disappear. And he hasn’t been seen or heard from since. His car has never been found,” Nettleton says.

VOM has launched a petition drive to get answers. The main question the organization is asking is this; where is Raymond Koh?

“It is located at RELEASERAYMOND.COM. So far, in the first just couple of weeks, we’ve had over 30,000 signatures. We are hoping to get to 100,000 before December when we deliver these to the Malaysian embassy, in Washington D.C.,” Nettleton says.

Petition Malaysia’s Government for Answers

VOM is running the petition drive now because the Malaysian government has changed hands. Nettleton says the current government may not have reasons to cover up the abduction of Pastor Koh. It is possible the new government will take down the veil and reveal the truth behind Koh’s disappearance.

“Earlier this year, the human rights commission in Malaysia blamed the abduction on the special branch of the police. Basically, the intelligence police. However, nobody has been arrested. Nobody’s been held accountable for that, and Pastor Raymond Koh is still missing,” Nettleton says.

“His family is still going to bed every night, not knowing where he is or what’s happened to him.”

VOM hopes the government will come clean, especially with thousands of names on the petition requesting answers. Will you sign your name?

Sign the Release Raymond petition here.

Sign the Petition, Next Steps

Pray for information on Raymond Koh’s condition and location to be revealed. Pray for Koh’s wife, Susanna, and the burden she bears of not knowing if Koh is sick or well, who is holding him captive, or if her husband is even alive. Ask God to encourage Susanna and her children, give them strength, and to preserve their faith.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, USA via Facebook)

Pray for God’s protection and encouragement of Raymond Koh, where ever he is. Pray he knows he is not forgotten by the Christian community, or by God.

“God has been faithful to them. Susanna talked about how God has been faithful and how God even, really convicted her to forgive the men who had kidnapped her husband,” Nettleton says.

Nettleton notes the confirmation page of the petition provides an address for people to send letters and cards of encouragement to Susanna Koh and her children. The Kohs have received notes from all over the world. It has been an amazing encouragement to them.

To listen to VOM’s interview with Susanna Koh (Raymond Koh’s wife), CLICK HERE.

Support VOM’s work here.

Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

Open Doors is a ministry supporting believers around the world who face religious persecution. It seems that Pastor Koh’s faith had something to do with his disappearance.

Curry says, “He’s the pastor who on February 13^th of 2017 was kidnapped in broad daylight in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

(Capture of Raymond Koh and his wife, courtesy TheStar.com)

“Now what makes this notable is he had received many threats against his life if he did not stop practicing his faith. He had a ministry helping drug addicts and AIDs victims there in Kuala Lumpur. And while he had a significant ministry, it was just a wonderful, charitable, endeavor. But it raised the ire of some extremists, or… we also wondered if perhaps it could have been government officials who on occasion have been harassing Christians within Malaysia.”

However, the investigation into Pastor Koh’s disappearance was at first misdirected and ineffective and now has been dropped altogether. A man named Lam Chang Nam was charged for the kidnapping, but the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) is looking into the case further. There are suspicions that the charges against Nam were made up.

Who is Behind Pastor Koh’s Kidnapping?

And now it’s looking more and more like the government played a role in the kidnapping.

“Two weeks ago we received notice of a whistleblower within the government who says he knows that the government took them, he was part of the group that did it. So, we’re appearing before the Malaysian group at the [United Nations] and appealing to them for answers to Pastor Raymond Koh’s kidnapping,” Curry said yesterday before the meeting.

He explains that Open Doors is doing everything they can to put pressure on the Malaysian government with the hopes that the case will move in the right direction.

“This is a new government. That’s important to remember. Two weeks ago, they had an election, and they elected a new Prime Minister. So things are shifting there. It’s possible that things could open up. And it seems to be that way.”

However, the whistleblower did not testify before the committee he was meant to, and Curry says it’s likely because he was scared for his life. The video caught on CCTV of Pastor Koh’s kidnapping showed a sophisticated, many-manned abduction. Curry says it was almost like a “military strike” and that the uniforms worn by the men resembled that of the Malaysian Secret Service.

Pushing for an Independent Investigation

After the meeting at the United Nations building in New York, Curry said via Facebook Live, “We met with Malaysian government officials to the UN, the permanent residents here at the UN, and they gave us every encouragement. We laid out and agreed upon a series of steps to continue to push this through the Malaysian government to make it a top priority.

(Image courtesy Open Doors)

“So, obviously the UN does not control the police force, but they are going to advocate with us and put forward our concerns of an independent investigation into the abduction of Pastor Koh.”

During the meeting, the team from Open Doors shared the video of Pastor Koh’s kidnapping:  “We watched the video with this Malaysian official from the UN. We showed it, he knows of the story but had not seen the video. He was shocked to see exactly what had happened.”

According to Curry, the official expressed grave concern after viewing the video. “He’s hopeful that this will become a significant issue– remain a significant issue with the new government.”

He also says this conversation has opened up a dialogue that will continue into Malaysia.

You can see the video, here.

The Danger Christians Face in Malaysia

But this story is not unique. In fact, Curry says at least three missionaries or pastors have been kidnapped in the last 18 months.

The environment in Malaysia right now is one hostile to Christianity, especially when it comes to changing or sharing faith. As we’ve mentioned before, there have been rumors that people converting from Islam are sent to “re-education camps” where Curry says they are essentially brainwashed into reverting to Islam. The pressure is coming both from the people and the government.

“Underground it’s fairly well known that the Malaysian government and some of the extremists within it have been pressuring the government to move towards stronger Sharia law.”

(Image capture courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Furthermore, Christians from Muslim backgrounds do experience quite a bit more pushback from society. And altogether, there have been signs that the government and radical Muslims are clamping down on Christianity. In fact, Malaysia is number 23 on the Open Doors World Watch List.

“Some of the things that Malaysia’s been experiencing have been issues where extremists will bring lawsuits trying to make sure that Christians can’t use the word “God” in their local language, effectively trying to stop the distribution of the Bible, the printed Word to Christians and Christian communities.”

Support the Search for Pastor Koh

As Open Doors advocates for Pastor Raymond Koh, they’re asking you to join them by signing a petition for his release. Curry says they want to get as many names in support of Pastor Koh in front of the UN and governments around the world. He says it’s about standing with believers in Malaysia and helping them fight for religious freedom.

To sign the petition, click here. 

Curry says that either the government needs to come clean and admit their part in his disappearance, or kick the investigation into high gear. Again, very little has been done by the government or police force to discover what happened to Pastor Koh.

“They need to answer why, or come forward with Raymond Koh.”

In addition to signing the petition, can you pray? Pray for Pastor Koh’s wife and family.

“They’re looking for their husband, they’re looking for their father. We want to lift them up. I think we need to pray for the Malaysian government at this time and for those people in Malaysia who are religious minorities, who are Christians trying to practice their faith peacefully. And I would pray for wisdom and boldness on behalf of the government officials, the new Prime Minister, that they would reveal the truth and some justice would come to the case of Pastor Koh and these other missionaries who’ve been abducted.”

Via Facebook Live Curry said, “Hebrews 13 says, care for those in prison for the name of Jesus as if it were your own family, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Over the last few months, the organization has been collecting signatures in their “Hope for the Middle East Campaign.” As of last week, they had gathered well over 800,000 signatures. The petition urges support for Christians in the Middle East, particularly Syria and Iraq, especially in light of the major rebuild that is just beginning in the war-torn nations. They will present the signatures to the UN Secretary-General and his office.

“So many Christians have been displaced and pushed out of their homes in the Middle East. And we want them to be part of their communities. What we’re really asking is that Christians have the same rights in civil society as everybody else, are part of the restoration and reconciliation within their countries—Iraq and Syria. Christians need to be part of that. And that they have a right to housing, you know, the basics of life and that they should not be discriminated upon in Iraq and Syria and the Middle East just because of their faith in Jesus.”

More specifically, the petition asks three things:

• The right to equal citizenship
• Dignified living conditions
• Involvement in reconciling and rebuilding their society

Why it matters to be a voice for the voiceless

The petition was created after Open Doors surveyed Christians in the Middle East on what their greatest needs were going forward.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Curry says the petition is not just about creating a bill and establishing international pressure on the issue, but also to create awareness of the situation and draw the Body of Christ into advocacy.

He explains that if we miss this opportunity to direct change going forward, we’ll be feeding into a negative cycle of oppression in the Middle East. Now is the time for action. But, he says, this isn’t just a calling for some portions of the Church, but all.

“The entire Body of Christ has been called to pray for and to reach out and care for people who are in prison for the name of Jesus. So it’s a universal calling; I think it’s important to recognize that. And so, when we are advocating, caring for, speaking out for people who are followers of Jesus, we are doing what the Lord has asked us to do. We are being obedient.”

While there is time

Another factor that can seem far away in the west is our own connection with persecution. Curry reminds us that it doesn’t take much stretching of the imagination to see how persecution could quickly hit home.

“Eventually this persecution may come to you and some of your family. And we need to recognize that we wish somebody would speak out on our behalf, this is our chance to do it for our brothers and sisters around the world.

“And it’s not a long stretch to imagine that persecution could increase in the west, that laws could be passed… all kinds of things which are going to be used to paint Christians as intolerant and all these sorts of things. That’s only going to grow. Aggressive secularism is going to impinge upon the rights of Christians over time, certainly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know that people around the world are going to be thinking and praying and lifting you up when your time comes? Absolutely, you would. That’s why we need to reach out and care for our brothers and sisters around the world.”

Learn more about this petition, here. And pray. Ask God to create a ripple effect among the Church and peoples of influence. Ask God to strengthen the foundation of believers in the Middle East so that those who haven’t heard of Jesus before can know him.

The uptick in conflict began on September 25 when the Kurdish people held a referendum vote for independence from Iraq.  The votes were overwhelmingly in support of independence.  The Iraqi government has called the vote illegal, and Iraqi forces began fighting to take back some of the land.

At the end of October, the two sides reportedly called a ceasefire and the Kurdish leader resigned.  However, disputes about who controls the borders are just one example of the tension threatening another outbreak of conflict.

The recent history of Christian displacement in Northern Iraq

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

But before the conflict calmed down, Christian Solidarity Worldwide raised some concerns about the town of Teleskuf where the Kurdish Peshmerga entered to hold off the Iraqi army. The news outlet said hundreds of Christians had had to flee to neighboring towns as the two armies fought and many of them were wounded.

So, even with ISIS mostly eradicated from Iraq and this most recent bout of fighting calmed down, the instability in the region continues. Open Doors USA’s Kristin Wright shares, “There’s certainly a very difficult and tense unfolding situation in Iraq right now, and unfortunately, Christians are caught in the middle of it.”

Going back home

This comes at a time when many Christians were ready to head back home and begin rebuilding their towns. Teleskuf was one of the first towns for Christians to return to and, with the help of Hungary and other international aid, they had already spent much time rebuilding before the fighting broke out.

Wright says that some Christians have decided to risk the insecurity anyway.  They are certainly familiar with instability and uncertainty. Before ISIS invaded Northern Iraq, the Nineveh plains had been viewed as a safe haven for Christians who had undergone attacks in the major cities.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Wright recalls the period of time soon after the ISIS began causing major displacements in Syria and Iraq in 2014. She visited some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps and met with Christians there.

“I met Christians who were living several families crowded together in … a trailer that sometimes they called a caravan. And those were the primary living conditions for Christians for a long time until Christians have started to return but … in some instances because of the violence and because of the tension, they’ve had to flee once more and that’s made the situation increasingly difficult.”

Wright asks us to imagine having to flee our homes with nothing but the clothes we had on. This is the common story among the people who’ve been living displaced for the last few years.  They’ve lived in limbo, wondering when, and if, they could return home.

“This has been basically years of displacement that the Christian community has been facing. That’s one of the areas that Open Doors is working to address. In the midst of the complexity and the tension that’s unfolding right now, we actually have Christians that are going back to their homelands and back to their hometowns along the Nineveh plain, these newly liberated villages that were once occupied by ISIS.

“And so, in spite of that major security risk and in spite of the ongoing tensions with the Iraqi government and so on, we have Christians that are actually working to return.”

Open Doors has been helping them since the beginning of their displacement. Today, they’re supporting 1,500 families a month with food, shelter, basic necessities, and more.

“As this tide turns and Christians begin returning to their homes, we’re shifting to another model and that is to build and rebuild homes along the Nineveh plain and help Christians to once again feel at home in the area that they came from and the area that they’ve occupied for thousands of years.

“It’s not an easy task for these believers to be going back to areas where even in some instances their neighbors betrayed them to ISIS. They’re going through something that’s incredibly serious.”

That is why they are also addressing the needs on a spiritual and emotional level—they are helping with shelter and economical support, but also with counseling and education. But along with that, comes advocacy.

Prayer and Advocacy go hand-in-hand

Open Doors USA asked the Christians they work with in both Syria and Iraq what needs to happen for them to feel hopeful and secure at home again. From their responses, they developed the petition called A Million Voices of Hope for the Middle East.

“They asked for three things. They asked for, number one, the right to equal citizenship moving forward. Number two, dignified living conditions… and number three, involvement in reconciling and rebuilding their society.

“And so, what that says to us is that Christians in Iraq and Syria do want a seat at the table. They want an opportunity to influence the future of their countries and to be a part of the future of their countries.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

So while many Christians have decided to leave the region because of the instability, others have decided to stay.

“We’ve talked to many Christians who’ve said that they want to stay because they want to be a light in the darkness, and they want to be a part of the rebuilding of their nation.”

Open Doors will be gathering signatures through most of December when they will present the petition to the United Nations.

“That doesn’t just mean that these are action items for the United Nations, these are action items for governments around the world, including the US government. And I’m excited to see that we have some movement on that in the last few days. If you look at the remarks of Vice President Pence and the Administration’s stated commitment to Christians in Iraq, then I think it’s very encouraging moving forward, we’re hoping to see some great action come out of it.”

People are encouraged to sign the petition and to pass it along to their friends. They are over halfway to their goal number of signatures so far and people from over 140 countries have participated. It’s a chance not only to stand up for believers facing persecution but also a chance to stand with them.

Meanwhile, Wright says it’s important to keep praying for Christians and to remember their needs and find ways to get involved.  “Your prayers do matter. They are heard by God and they’re felt by Christians on the ground.”

“Wherever you’re at today, even if you’re driving in your car, I really encourage you to lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ that are living in Iraq and pray for them, pray for the situation to be resolved, and pray for the safe return and for security on the ground and for the addressing of their needs through local churches.”

Also be praying for their mental, spiritual, and physical health as they decide to return home or remain in difficult situations.

And, Wright says, “If you want to take it a step further, we are actively building homes and working to restore life for Christians on the Nineveh plane.”

You can help with this rebuilding; click here for more information.

To sign the petition, click here.

The circular in question was issued nearly a decade ago in Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs. It states that churches should be required to register with the state; however, the directive has no teeth to it legally, and a church registry hasn’t even been set-up.

So what exactly is a circular? In a Western context, the word ‘circular’ sounds like it’s just a periodical or a newspaper.

(Photo capture courtesy of Prayercast)

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Marytrs USA explains, “My understanding is a circular like this is kind of a proposed law and it circulates through the different departments of the government and through the different parts of the parliament, but it wasn’t actually voted on and approved to become an official law.”

However, churches don’t always know that this circular can’t force them to stop meeting because they didn’t register. And the people harassing them know how to manipulate it.

“For maybe an uneducated pastor in a rural area, you get a bunch of people [who] come in, they look official, they have a document that looks official, and you feel frightened by that. So it’s really used as an intimidation factor more than carrying the force of law and being upheld by the courts or upheld by judges there. It’s really just a tool for intimidation.”

 VOM Korea is petitioning to dismantle the 2008 circular so it can’t be used to manipulate minority Christians in Sri Lanka anymore.

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Since the circular was issued, a new government in Sri Lanka was set up in 2015. There may be hope to successfully repeal the circular and its misuse with the most recent administration. Most of Sri Lanka is Buddhist accounting for 70 percent of the population, but the country still promotes freedom of religion.

“[With] the new government, so far, my understanding is the Christians there expected improvements in religious freedom, improvements in respect for the Evangelical Church, which makes up just a very small percentage of the population of Sri Lanka.”

Nettleton says there’s a few things you can do. “I think one of the things obviously is just to be aware of what’s going on. That helps us to pray effectively for Christians in Sri Lanka, being able to understand some of the challenges they face.”

You can also sign the petition with VOM Korea here!