I don’t know if you are having a good day or a bad day.  It all seems relative when you hear real stories coming from believers in other parts of the world.  Several of our church members have connected with Rachel and Amol from India.  They passed this prayer email yesterday.  Let’s be praying, Mount Ararat.  God’s church is bigger than us!

Pastor Todd

(Check out this email)

Dear Friends,

Some have been asking for an update about the situation in Orissa, India. There was more on the front page of the newspaper this morning, however the newspaper tends to be bias to some groups. The following email received as a forward from my brother-in-law is a first hand account. Our newspaper said:

“Shoot at sight orders were issued on Wednesday is Orissa’s Kandhamal district as mobs defied curfew, blocked roads and attacked churches and Christain homes to avenge the killing of a Hindu leader. But despite crufew in most parts of the district, mobs set up road blocks abd also set fire to churches and vehicles, officials and witnesses said. The death toll as increaed to 11 after police recovered three more bodies of people attacked this week. The latest outbreack of violence was reported from rual areas where thre police have failed to reach- villagers had blocked the road with massive logs and trees.”

Please remember our 6 graduates who serve in Orissa. The young men have been sleeping the thier churches to protect them, and have not had any problems so far. 2 of the young men are still unreachable, as the live in a remote tribal area in Orissa.

Thank you for your prayers. I can imagine the people of Orissa would want nothing more at this time. Prayers and Peace.

Rachel

The forward:

The following was rec’d from Bernel Getter, who lives in the state of Chhattisgarh, which is next to the state of Orissa.Bernel started a children’s dorm for tribal children there about 2 years ago and 56 children are at that dorm and some more churches.  Just last year, Bernel had put a big iron fence and iron gate on the compound which he thinks saved these Children last night. 

“This past week end a prominent Hindu Priest at a temple convent was murdered by the Jungle Militia, called Naxalites.  The Hindu community has presumed that the Christians were in complicity with the said operation and state wide agitation against the Christian Community is taking place.  Church buildings are being set ablaze and Christians “beaten” for their faith.  A band of miscreants attempted to break into our iron gate at the Bargarh, Orissa Hostel premises, but settled for breaking down the cross on top of each gate pillar, when they could not break the gate open.  Roaming police personnel were alerted and placed 2 armed constables on the campus for the night.  No one slept throughout the night and n-either did we as we waited for calls. Five Christians were beaten up sorely near Rupa’s village.  Subsequent reports on their wounds and recovery are awaited.  Prayers requested for all.   –