Saturday, July 13, 2013

#578 (7/13) '’American Pastor Languishing in North Korea Labor Camp'’

URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:

ATTENTION: TODAY is the 5th day of the 30 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (see link below for resource material you can download.) Please join me in focusing prayers of these over one billion people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus.[NOTE: 1) You can download a  page of helpful basic information about Islam and Ramadan at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/Islam_reference_guide-1.pdf ; and 2) The following is from a 30-day prayer guide you can download at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/2013-ramadan-prayer-calendar-1.pdf (The following is from that prayer guide.)

Month of Ramadan, Day #5 -  BREAD OF LIFE (Somalia) “Jesus said to them,…‘it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.’” (John 6:32) Somewhere inside Somalia, secret believers arrive at the agreed meeting place. Under great care the leader opens a folded piece of paper and begins to share from it. This is the only copy of the written Word they have. In Somalia, wracked by famine, crime, and hopelessness, these believers cling to His Word. Pray today for these struggling believers, that although their stomachs may often be empty, they have the “Bread of Life.”

"Egypt Facing Civil War? "Some Fear Civil War As Violence Spreads In Egypt," http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1605 -- PRAY for the nation of Egypt, as it faces a crucial  moment, that the recent events would result in its becoming a true democracy and NOT an Islamic state. PRAY esp. that the peoples' freedoms, in particular the religious freedom of its minorities (specifically its oppressed Christians) would be protected.PRAY also: 1) For peace and stability in Egypt after the government overthrow, 2) That the U.S. will effectively reach out to the new government, and 3) For safety for Americans living in Egypt

"Angry Islamists Turn Wrath on Egypt's Christians,"  By George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/July/Angry-Islamists-Turn-Wrath-on-Egypts-Christians/  Friday, July 12, 201 - "Egyptian Christians are facing growing retaliation by angry Islamists for opposing ousted President Moham3med Morsi. His supporters say Christian leaders were behind his removal from office....On Thursday, the body of a Christian merchant was found decapitated in a cemetery. Last Saturday, a Coptic Christian priest was shot by gunmen in an outdoor market. Also, days after the military coup that removed Morsi from office, Muslim extremists in southern Egypt burned dozens of Christian homes and stabbed four believers to death. "It's part of the Brotherhood's mobilization that they are targeting Christians, that they are renouncing them as behind this. If the Brotherhood is able to portray what happened as a Christian-dominated or Christian-driven protest, then they get to gain massive support in the streets," Tadros explained.

Sat. July 13th -" Texas GOP Passes Abortion Bill, Dems Vow Fight," By Chris Tomlinson, Associated Presshttp://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/July/Texas-GOP-Passes-Abortion-Bill-Dems-Vow-Fight/ PRAISE GOD for the final passage of the bill that will, among other things, make illegal abortions before the 20th week (when babies are discovered to first feel pain) and which  will regulate abortion clinics just as any other medical facilities are required . And praise God that Gov. Perry will sign the bill. PRAY that 1) the bill survive ALL court challenges, and 2) that the passage of this law will spur other such laws throughout the country and eventually be made into a federal law. 

American Pastor Saeed Held Prisoner in Iran - June 5th Update - "Saeed's Wife Uses UN Speech to 'Plant Gospel'," by George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter, June 05, 2013, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Saeeds-Wife-Uses-UN-Speech-to-Plant-Gospel/?cpid=EU_CBNNEWSPM_2013_156"Prayers from Prison: American Pastor Held in Iran Releases Letter," May 22, 2013; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1458"...Abedini has been held at the brutal prison for 238 days, enduring long stints in solitary confinement, and, according to his supporters, beatings and torture at the hands of his jailers and fellow inmates. For months, he has been suffering from serious injuries, including internal bleeding from beatings with no proper medical attention, according to his family and attorneys."(Sources: Fox News, Assemblies of God website) Please PRAY:1) For the imprisoned Pastor Abedini, and for those Iranians who tend to his needs in prison to treat him more humanely. 2) For his family in Boise, Idaho. and their efforts to involve the U.S. State Department in securing Pastor Abedini’s release. And 3) For the impact of his witness upon believers and non-believers, in America and across the world. And if you have not yet, join the over 600,000 worldwide who have signed the petition asking for his release at www.SaveSaeed.org

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'’American Pastor Languishing in North Korea Labor Camp,’’  by Olivia Enos On July 10, 2013 [PRAY for  1)  God to use Pastor Bae to draw others to Him and otherwise accomplish His purpose through the pastor’s incarceration; 2) the pastor’s health to be sustained, 3) the pastor’s earliest possible release, and 4) God’s peace and comfort of  his family,]

In a newly released video interview [1], Kenneth Bae, a Christian pastor and Korean-American imprisoned in a North Korean labor camp, pleads for the U.S. government to take up his case and advocate for his freedom. Bae has been sentenced to 15 years [2] in a North Korean prison camp, where he has been subjected to forced labor since late May. Bae was likely given his sentence due to what was labeled by North Korea as subversive actions [3] toward the Kim Jong-un regime.

Bae pastored [2] and operated a church on the Chinese border town of Rajin (Rason City), where in 2009 he called on his congregation to pray that the walls of North Korea come down. He allegedly led a group of 250 students into North Korea to minister to North Koreans and distributed anti-regime literature, including a National Geographic special on escaping North Korea.

The U.S. [4] has called for the immediate release of Bae, but Pyongyang thus far has refused to release him. Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Google chief executive Eric Schmidt [5] requested Bae’s release during their recent visit to North Korea, but their actions evoked little response. Washington has made it clear that it is unwilling to send high-profile officials to Pyongyang to negotiate with the North Korean government. While Pyongyang insists that it will not use Bae as a bargaining chip against the U.S., news coverage and this latest interview indicate otherwise.

The Koreas used to be known as the “Jerusalem of the East,” [6] but since the split of the two countries, North Korea has become known for its systematic persecution of Christians. North Korea has state-sanctioned churches, but they arguably serve as a proxy for the communist regime and are run by North Korean officials.

Over the years, defector testimony, satellite images, and on-the-ground reports have confirmed the existence of North Korean labor camps [7] that imprison an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people. While the United Nations recently agreed to a commission of inquiry [8] into the North Korean human rights crisis, the international community has a greater responsibility than to just investigate human rights abuses. The human rights crisis in North Korea is severe, and Bae is just one of many victims of the brutal regime. This is yet another example of the North Korean regime’s systematic persecution of Christians and blatant human rights violations.
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/07/10/american-pastor-languishing-in-north-korea-labor-camp/

URLs in this post:
[1] video interview: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/03/world/asia/kenneth-bae-korea-interview/index.html
[2] 15 years: http://www.christianpost.com/news/us-christian-kenneth-bae-begins-15-year-sentence-in-special-prison-in-north-korea-96555/
[3] subversive actions: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/09/is-this-the-documentary-that-got-a-u-s-citizen-sentenced-to-hard-labor-in-north-korea/
[4] U.S.: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2013/04/208538.htm
[5] Bill Richardson and Google chief executive Eric Schmidt: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/10/16444596-google-boss-opens-north-korea-dialogue-but-no-us-prisoner-release?lite
[6] “Jerusalem of the East,”: http://www.persecution.org/2012/01/15/north-korea-from-the-jerusalem-of-the-east-to-the-worlds-top-persecutor-of-christians/
[7] labor camps: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/25/north-korea-a-neglected-human-rights-crisis/
[8] commission of inquiry: http://38north.org/2013/04/dhawk040113/

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