Somalia
Madobe was born in a Somali village. He was orphaned as a child and was raised as a Christian despite his Islamic family name. He eventually became a pastor of a small underground church in his home village.
One morning Madobe was brutally murdered by members of an Islamic extremist group called al Shabaab. Just two weeks prior, Madobe had narrowly escaped being kidnapped by the same group.
Madobe’s death is unique because he was not a convert from Islam… as are most of the Somalis executed for such reasons.
The al Shabaab militants who killed Madobe prohibited his body from being buried and ordered that it be left to the dogs to be an example to other Christians. They remarked, “Leaving his body outside is a warning to all that infidels are a disgrace to Muslims.”
The al Shabaab militia has recently embarked on a brutal campaign to rid the country of all non-Muslims.
Somali believers need your prayers more than ever since many militant groups have declared war against the church. So please pray that peace would come to this area. And pray that the church in Somalia would be strong in the face of such intense persecution and that the gospel would advance.
India
For Mary Nayak*, Sunday always involved accompanying her husband to the church he pastored in Kandhamal… a small village in the Indian state of Orissa.
This Sunday was no different… until her husband finished preaching. It was then that a large mob suddenly stormed into their village with one, singular objective: to attack and kill Christians.
Mary, her husband and her children narrowly escaped to the jungle where they remained without any food or shelter. They finally returned to their home after three days—when they felt it was safe.
Beaten severely
Calm had returned to the little village… or so they thought. It was just a few days later that a small mob returned and began hurling stones at Mary and some other women who were praying in the church. Mary ran outside trying to escape, but one of the stones struck her on her back and she immediately fell to the ground. That’s when the mob rushed at her and began to kick and beat her, only stopping because they thought she was dead. As soon as Mary’s husband heard about the attack, he rushed to the scene but the mob had disappeared. That’s when he saw her lifeless body lying in the middle of the road. He took her in his arms and quickly took her home. But he knew they couldn’t stay there for fear of the mob.
So he packed up the children, his severely injured wife and moved to Jagadalpur, Chhattisgarh state.
Getting help from Open Doors
It was there that Open Doors came in contact with Mary. Immediately, our team took Mary to a good hospital where she could get the proper treatment for her injuries.
Mary’s family currently has no sustainable income, and she and her husband are concerned for their children who are not going to school because they lack the necessary financial resources to send them. The family has rented a room with the help of local Christians, but they don’t know how long they can live there.
In 2009, Christians across India suffered 152 violent attacks just like the attack on Mary. That’s an average of three per week! With your support, Open Doors is able to assist believers like Mary who have experienced these horrific attacks firsthand.
In addition, your support helps us equip suffering believers like Mary to stand firm in their faith by providing Bibles and much-needed training. Yes, you are helping persecuted believers like Mary overcome extremism in places where faith costs most… places like Orissa. Thank you so much for your support!
Please pray for Mary and her family, and that Open Doors would be able to continue to support and encourage them in the midst of their struggle. Thank you!
*not real name to protect identity.
