It is with a heavy heart that we share the death of Koun, a Lao Christian who went missing earlier in October this year under suspicious circumstances in Khammouane province. After a four-day search, local Christians found Koun’s body and motorcycle in a ditch off a jungle road. Police have dismissed the case as a motorcycle accident, but Christians say Koun’s death is part of the crackdown against the rapidly growing Christian church.

Koun, 26, had recently decided to follow Jesus and was baptized in April. He is the third Christian to be killed in the past three years. In October 2022, Pastor See was found dead near a forest in the same province after two men visited his house. Village authorities had previously warned him to stop his religious activities. In July 2024, Thongkham Philavanh, a Khmu pastor, was shot dead by two masked men in Oudomxay province. Thongkham’s wife, Sengdala, believes her husband was silenced for his faith and ministry.

Local church leaders in Laos had asked for prayers for Koun after he went missing. According to his father, two strangers had escorted the young man from his home. The late Pastor See had discipled and trained KK, Koun’s elder brother, and started a church in his house. Church leaders said KK is a faithful house church leader who led his entire family and others to Christ in a mainly animistic village. The family now believe that the killers had wanted to target KK, and instead kidnapped and killed his brother.

Christians in rural areas of Laos are viewed with suspicion and are often arbitrarily detained and harassed. Some are expelled from their villages and have their property confiscated for refusing to renounce their faith. Many Christians have indeed recanted their faith and denied Jesus under pressure from the government. Local officials often turn a blind eye to abuse of Christians, with government officials denying that Christians suffer any discrimination or violence.

Many local leaders say they are being watched and are living in fear for their lives. Koun’s death has shaken the Christian community. The senseless death of the young man is a reminder of the deep pain and risk that our brothers and sisters in Laos face every day.

KK and his wife are asking for prayer as they consider moving to the capital, Vientiane, for the safety of their family and that of other believers in their rural village.

 

禱告

Father,  we pray for your comfort, peace, and strength for Koun’s family as they grieve their tragic loss. We pray against the evil schemes of the enemy and bind them in the name of Jesus. Please protect your people and let your angels guard and keep them from all danger. We pray for the Christian community in Laos, especially pastors and church workers who are anxious and living in fear. We also pray for the safety of KK and his family and all the believers in the area. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan country, bordered by India and China. Its economy relies heavily on foreign aid and tourism. In 2008, its first Constituent Assembly abolished the 240-year-old monarchy and declared Nepal a federal democratic republic. While rooted in their ancient traditions and religions, the Nepali continue to search for hope and enlightenment. They have one of South Asia’s highest per capita usage of social media.

A recent ban on social media brought young people to the streets, but they also came with pent-up grievances over social inequality. At least 34 people were killed in clashes  and more than 1300 have been injured across Nepal between the police and protesters.

The root cause of the “Gen Z protests” was the public’s frustration with the perceived corruption of government officials and their families, their displays of wealth, as well as allegations of mismanagement of public funds. Demonstrators set fire to the parliament building, and government buildings and houses of political leaders were attacked and vandalized around the country.

For the past 10 years, Nepal has been ruled by the same three elderly leaders prime ministers on a rotating basis. Between them, they have led the country on 12 separate occasions. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and several other ministers have since resigned. The wife of former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal is in critical condition after getting trapped in their burning home. The military has now taken control. Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital, Kathmandu, has just reopened.

Church leaders are distraught and traumatised by the events. One church leader we spoke to broke down and cried: “I have no words to express the sadness in my heart.” He pleaded with us to stand in the gap and pray for the country during this difficult time. It appears that all church activities and Christian institutions are temporarily closed. There are also reports that several Christian communities and churches were threatened during the political protests and violence.

Most people in Nepal see Christianity as a Western religion that undermines traditional culture and society, and appeals only to lower castes. Converts from Hinduism and Buddhism face increasing pressure from their families and community, and are viewed as deviating from the faith of the ancestors. The state media and government officials see growth in conversions to Christianity as dangerous and think the Christian faith will destroy Nepalese culture.

The church has grown rapidly since 1951, when missionaries were allowed into the country, and congregations have been spreading all over the country. A main reason for growing numbers has been prayer for the sick and the resulting healings. However, the government introduced a strict anti-conversion law in 2018; Christians now navigate a fine line to speak of Christ. As a result, local and foreign Christians have had to limit their evangelistic activities.

家庭小組禱告

Father God:

We lift up our dear brothers and sisters in Nepal as the country goes through this tremendous upheaval. May you grant them peace, strength, and courage, so that their faith would remain strong and not buckle under pressure. May they continue to place their hope in the Lord. May there be unity in and among the Nepali churches as they face this crisis together. May they ground themselves in the living hope of Christ.

May there be a complete end to the violence, and may a just and upright government to be set in place. May the nation’s leaders demonstrate wisdom and humility, and let justice, unity, and hope prevail. May tensions quickly ease and the everyday life of citizens be restored safely and peacefully. May there be comfort and healing for the families who have lost their loved ones.

May your angels surround your people, and protect them from all harm and danger, and from fear and uncertainty. May you grant wisdom and guidance to them as they continue faithfully to serve you and minister to the community. May there be peace and protection over all the people.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV)

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

(Psalm 116:15 ESV)

For many Sri Lankan Christians, Easter is a day of mourning and remembrance—a day to honour those who were targeted and killed for their faith 21 April 2019. ISIS-related suicide bombers had targeted three churches and three five-star hotels, killing at least 270 and injuring 500. One victim died from her injuries in 2024. Most of the victims were Sri Lankan and at least 45 were foreign nationals.

This year, radio and television channels across the country muted their broadcasts for two minutes as a mark of respect. Armed police and military personnel were on high alert as churches across the country observed the anniversary of the Easter bombings. Just days before Easter, a gunman opened fire at a church near the capital, Colombo. No one was injured, but police said windows of the church were damaged. A suspect was arrested.

There were several memorial programmes for the victims. In Colombo, hundreds of their relatives marched from St. Lucia’s Cathedral to St. Anthony’s Shrine, one of the churches attacked. The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said the Roman Catholic Church had formally recognised 167 church members killed in the bombings as “heroes of faith”, a designation given to individuals who died for their religious faith.

Earlier in March, Sri Lanka deported two Indian pastors for allegedly violating visa regulations by engaging in preaching activities. Pastor Edwin Glory Thomas and Pastor Johnson were arrested when officials raided the Christ Evangelical Church in Matakal West, Jaffna district during their seventh anniversary celebrations. The pastors were questioned and subsequently deported. Their arrest followed a complaint lodged by a local group, which claimed that the two had breached their tourist visa conditions by conducting religious work. They should have obtained official clearance with a religious visa. In another incident in March, police raided a church in Nuwara Eliya and ordered two foreign pastors without religious visas, one Indian and one Malaysian, to leave the country with immediate effect.

家庭小組禱告

親愛的主，

We thank you for the beautiful country of Sri Lanka. We remember the people there at the time of remembrance of the sad and terrible event that took place six years ago. We think of those who were killed for your name, and also those who are being arrested and persecuted for speaking your Word. As the country continues to recover from political and social turmoil, we ask that your presence be strongly manifested there, and that your name will continue to be lifted up.

We think of the families that lost loved ones, including little children, in the Easter bombings and other attacks, and lift them up to you. May your comfort be ever present in their lives. We especially lift up the survivors, including Elaisha Debbie, the little girl who lost her eyesight, her parents, and one brother. Please continue to give them strength and hope. Pour your spirit upon the church in Sri Lanka and bring revival there. May all levels of society experience a deep change—from the government to the lowly worker, from the common man to the women and children, let praise ring out. May the church be empowered to continue the good work you have begun in them.

We commit Sri Lanka into your hands in Jesus’ name.

阿門。

“Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.” (Prov 22:8)

On 3 February, the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill was tabled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Rajasthan State Assembly to stop religious conversions allegedly made “by fraud, force, or inducement”. The Bill was passed during the Budget session and the law has since been enacted.

Opponents of the Bill argue that it violates the rights to personal liberty and autonomy, to freedom of speech and expression, and to privacy and freedom of faith.

India is a secular nation, and its Constitution protects the right of each Indian citizen to freely practice and spread their faith peacefully. The Indian Constitution also states that changing one’s religion due to personal conviction, marriage, or divorce is acceptable so long as the decision is made voluntarily and without the use of pressure or force.

The Bill will make it far more difficult for an individual to convert to another religion by requiring an extended bureaucratic process to do so and imposing harsh penalties on those seen to be in violation of any of the statutes of the new law.

According to the Bill, those who want to convert to another religion will have to first give two months’ advanced notice to the District Magistrate. Then, a notice of 30 days for any ceremony for the conversion must be made by the “converter” who is performing the ceremony, followed by an affidavit by the converted person to the District Magistrate within 60 days.

Penalties for those found to be involved in unlawful conversion include up to three years in jail with a minimum fine of 10,000 rupees (USD 115) for the converted and five years in jail with a minimum fine of 25,000 rupees (USD 287) for the converter. According to Forbes, the average monthly salary in Rajasthan is 19,740 rupees (USD 227).

Criticism of the law relates to it appearing to reverse the principle of the assumption of innocence by placing the burden of proof — that a religious conversion was not affected through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or marriage — on the person who has “caused” the conversion.

The offences covered by this Bill are classified as cognizable and non-bailable, and triable by a court. This means that the accused may be arrested without a warrant and that obtaining bail may be difficult.

Rajasthan now joins 11 other states in India — Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh — in having an anti-conversion law.

These state governments have used the criminal code to stop church services and prayers at the sickbed of a Christian. Misuse of the anti-conversion laws against innocent citizens has led to 1,000 or more people, including women and children, spending time in jails. Many of those who have been arrested are pastors, and others from several groups who are first-generation converts to Christianity, often tribal or marginalised people.

In 2024, more than 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups submitted an urgent appeal to the President and Prime Minister of India to curb the activities of violent mobs that have targeted Christian gatherings across the country. At least 14 incidents targeting Christians were reported during the Christmas season, ranging from threats and disruptions to arrests and outright attacks. The appeal also pointed to the misuse of anti-conversion laws leading to the arrest and harassment of over 110 clergy members.

According to Christian groups such as the Evangelical Fellowship, United Christian Forum, and Persecution Relief 834 incidents against Christians have documented in India last year. The actual number may be several times higher, as police refuse to register complaints and victims are scared to even approach the authorities.

 

家庭小組禱告

親愛的主，

We pray for justice in India and a reversal of the laws that so negatively impact our Christian brothers and sisters living there. We pray that those in authority will not abuse their power or use these laws to unfairly prosecute those who seek to know you and live their lives in you.

And we pray that you will grant protection for pastors and ministers and all those who are spreading the gospel in India, that they may be able to continue their good work and bring more people to faith, without being treated unjustly.

We ask all this in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

阿門。