In L province, on Feb. 15, 2005 the authorities evicted 11 people from their village and put them in prison. Six of these are adults and five of them are children. The believers in this village have been persecuted since April 2004. The authorities are forcing them to renounce their faith.  These people have been in this village for many years. There is no official word as to their sentence or trial. This case is not like any other we have heard of. Please pray for them!

 

Praise God that those 11 people who were evicted from NT village have been returned back to their village on February 26, 2005.  The police were ordered directly by the authorities in the capital city to release them immediately. 

 

Evicted – or not?
Mr. B, acting as a lay pastor, cried when he described the circumstances that his people and he are facing. It is an indescribable situation and unbelievable how their own people are treating them as animals.  The head of the village, the communist party members, the police and the district governor unanimously agreed to evict them from the HH village. Then the other villagers started stealing their fish at their fish ponds, their chickens, rice, and pigs.   They even let their animals eat in the Christians’ rice fields and corn fields. There was no way for them to defend themselves from those who have been harassing them day by day. Mr. B said that he will sell his wet rice field to a Hmong man for 30,000,000 Kip and prepare himself to leave the village when the time comes. I told him to please wait and not sell it yet until the end of March or April 2005.

 

These people had moved from P province 7 years ago. They are hard and diligent workers. The believers are advancing economically and socially. It is matter of jealousy and envy rather than a political dispute.  But when the matter reached the police and the district governor, it became labeled as a “religious problem”. There are many Khmu Christians facing a tremendous pain and hardship because of the local authorities who have been jealous and envious of them.      

 

Despite serious persecution, Mr. B and his team were able to evangelize in other areas.  At NP village 4 families have accepted Jesus Christ. There are 8 other families who are not yet believers but they are very interested and are waiting to see what happens to the 4 families believing families. Mr. B says there are 4 more villages which are waiting to see what happens.  If the authorities do not evict them this year in 2005, then over half of those 4 villages will accept Jesus Christ. 

 

Why?  Because they see the Christians’ daily life, and it is obviously different from theirs in many ways. Mr. B told me in confidence that God will help them reach out to people who need Jesus Christ. He also believes that God will intervene in their circumstances, and they will be able to continue to live in their NH village.