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India

• Faithful Widow's Life Counts for Eternity

  Vani ministered to many imprisoned women and their guards.

  A 31-year-old widow in India is being remembered, following her recent death from a heart attack, for demonstrating bold faith -- a faith that compelled her to help numerous women in jail find freedom in Christ, including one of the prison guards.

  Vani, who is survived by an eight-year-old daughter, spent 15 days in jail roughly 10 months ago for sharing her faith. During this time in prison, Vani reached out with the love of Jesus to more than 70 women -- 14 of whom became believers. Even the jailer encouraged her to continue with this outreach after witnessing a dramatic change in the lives of several prisoners who accepted Christ.

  Vani was charged with kidnapping and forceful conversion of a child to Christianity. With a heart to help a troubled teenager, she introduced the girl to the Lord and to other believers who were willing to provide further support. The caring Christian woman was arrested when the girl's parents reported her to police.

  After being released from imprisonment, Vani returned to the jail every two months for a regular court appearance. While there, she shared snacks with the women, taking time to pray for them and the police officers. One guard who came to faith in Jesus invited Vani to her house for prayer. "Everything that happened this year...is good because it is taking me very near to my God," Vani told a VOM worker just this past January.

  During her time behind bars, Vani received assistance from VOM towards the cost of bail, household rent, her daughter's school fees, and in many other various ways. VOM is currently assessing how to best assist Vani's daughter following the sudden death of the child’s God-honouring mother.

  While we certainly join with those now mourning the recent loss of Vani, let us also thank God for the incredible impact this dear woman has made on the lives of both believers and those who have yet to know Jesus! May her faithful example continue to draw many more to our Lord, even after her death. Especially remember Vani's young daughter in your petitions to our loving Heavenly Father. May He surround this grieving child with devout Christians who will guide and counsel her as she discerns His call on her own life.

  Do you have a heart for faithful women like Vani who have suffered because of their unwavering commitment to Jesus? Click here to find out how you can minister to the women of the persecuted church.

• Christians Arrested for Allegedly 'Forcing' Conversions

  Christians in India are often accused and jailed for allegedly "forcing" conversions. Vani was jailed for several weeks after sharing her Christian faith with a young runaway.

  On December 28th, ten Christian workers and three young girls (under the age of six) were arrested in the central region of India and charged with "deliberate and malicious acts intended to hurt religious feelings." Hindu nationalists, who pressured police to arrest the Christians after a healing celebration, accused them of forcing conversions and insulting the gods and goddesses of the village. However, police have stated that they have no evidence of forced conversions. At last report, three of the Christians remain in prison while the others have been released on bail.

  Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Venkaiah Naidu, recently proposed a ban on all religious conversions -- not just "forced" or "fraudulent" ones. Throughout last year's Advent season, religious minority groups -- including Christians and Muslims -- were targeted in a reconversion campaign led by several Hindu nationalist groups. These reconversion drives caused political and religious tempers to rise and produced much heated debate.

  While thanking God for the Christians who have been freed from imprisonment, let us also pray that the remaining three believers will soon be released as well. May their unjust detention fail to hinder their efforts to share God's love, but instead spur them on to advance His Kingdom purposes throughout India. Please also pray that the Lord will strengthen the precious faith of the three young girls, encouraging their spiritual growth so they may be used mightily for His glory. Also remember to intercede for the Hindu nationalists who are striving to suppress religious freedom. May they, in response to God's holy conviction, also come to faith in His Son Jesus.

  For more information on India's persecuted church, please visit our website.

• Christians Beaten and Arrested by Hindu Radicals

  Pray that many will come to know the Lord in Madhya Pradesh. Flickr / Nagarjun Kandukuru

  Eight Christians have been imprisoned following a brutal attack in which a pastor and seven members of his congregation were stripped naked, whipped with belts, and punched before being arrested by local police.

• Christians Attacked by Hindu Militants

  This man was injured in the attack. Photo: World Watch Monitor

  Tensions remain high in a remote village of Chhattisgarh State after clashes between Hindu militants and followers of Christ. On October 25th, local officials summoned area Christians to a meeting in Madota Village under the pretext of resolving conflict over bans in the district on missionaries and non-Hindu religious activity. Dozens of villages in the district passed such bans earlier this year. (To learn more about these bans, you can read a previous prayer alert.)

• Couple Hospitalized Following Brutal Assault

  A Christian couple was hospitalized in northeastern Bihar state after being badly beaten by Hindu militants. After storming the home of Shri Lal Khatiyan and Asha Devi, the militants began attacking Shri and accusing him of paganism. When Asha intervened, she too was severely beaten. Later that day, about 100 Hindus armed with clubs reportedly took up positions around the village and threatened to kill any Christian who tried to file a police complaint.

  Another troubling factor for our persecuted family in India is a new tactic that's being used against them. According to sources, assailants are now intentionally wounding pastors and other Christians in ways that will ultimately cause them to die.

• Christian Couple Forced to Perform Hindu Ritual

  Kollol and his family

  In the month of June, 15 radical Hindus attacked a Christian couple during a prayer meeting in their home. "Kollol" and his wife were beaten and then dragged to a Hindu temple where they were forced to undergo a ritual "cleansing." During the ritual, the Hindus poured water on them to symbolize outward cleansing and dabbed red powder on their foreheads to mark them as devout Hindus. When the assailants force-fed the couple with food sacrificed to idols, Kollol's two teenage daughters began to protest. The young women were then beaten as well, to the point that they and their parents all required treatment at a hospital. Community members later evicted the family from the village, threatening to kill them if they returned.

• Non-Hindu Activities Outlawed in Villages Throughout Chhattisgarh

  The open practice of Christianity is now banned in Chhattisgarh, India.

  A number of villages in Chhattisgarh State have outlawed the open practice of Christianity -- a move of questionable legality that church leaders say has already led to increased anti-Christian violence. "The situation is becoming worse," explains the president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum. "The anti-Christian propaganda is becoming stronger."

• Believers Targeted for their Faith Throughout Country

  Around midnight on March 5th, approximately 30 Hindu militants forcefully entered the home of Pastor Ramsai Netam in Bhanupratappur, Chhattisgarh, accusing him of forcefully converting people and practising witchcraft. Dragging him to a cultural hall, the mob then beat the pastor, as well as his two sons who tried to protect him. The next morning, the police arrived at the scene and brought Pastor Ramsai to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a serious head injury. However, the police recorded the cause of the wound as an "injury sustained from falling from a tree."

• Christians Targeted in Violent Attacks

  Believers in India routinely face threats and violence from Hindu militants.

  Militant Hindus attacked believers in several incidents during recent weeks. On Christmas Day, approximately 20 assailants raided the home where a group of Christians had gathered for prayer, grabbing Bibles and ripping them apart while shouting and cursing at the group for "destroying the Hindu culture." The Hindus also called local police, accusing the believers of "forced conversions to Christianity." Police arrested Pastor Arjun, 24, and five other Christians, seizing 20 Bibles from the home as evidence. The six Christians were released on bail the following day but still face prosecution.

• Maimed Believer Acquitted of Blasphemy

  TJ Joseph after reattachment surgery Photo: AsiaNews

  TJ Joseph, a Christian professor accused of blasphemy in 2010, was finally acquitted on November 15th. The accused professor was suspended from his job in March of 2010 after he included questions in a test that were deemed offensive to several of his Muslim students.