Jesus and Salvation in Lydia’s West African Town

Feb. 13, '17: Update on the story of Lydia*

Some of the radical Muslims involved in performing the female genital mutilation (FGM) of 14-year-old Lydia came to her house Saturday evening pleading for forgiveness. They implored her father Yoonus (a missionary with Bibles for Mideast) to pray for their peace of mind, and for their inner and outer healing.  [Earlier related stories here:  URGENT CALL TO PRAYER for young Christian victim of female genital mutilation and Doctors Confirm Death  of Young Lydia … BUT GOD!]

The visitors explained that for the last three days and nights, all of the women who had been involved in the procedure seemed to have gone mad. Some shrieked that they saw blood everywhere, even when sitting alone. Attempting to prepare meals, they would scream, again seeing blood, and throw the food out. Given water, they would do the same. Knives in hand, some were approaching children, explaining the youngsters' need for circumcision, and promising to do it carefully this time.

The visitors had become convinced God’s anger was at the source of the trouble in their homes. So they invited the imam of the local mosque to come to their houses and pray for healing (shifa). Part of the ritual involves the sprinkling of water that the imam has breathed on. When one of the women responded by knocking him over, he decided he’d had enough.

The men were faring no better, suffering nightmares, lack of sleep, and extreme anxiety. When they finally decided they must visit Lydia and Yoonus to ask their forgiveness, the imam and community leaders advised against it. In desperation, the men went anyway.

Fear gripped Yoonus’ household as they saw the group approaching their home. It looked like only more trouble. But the gentle humility of the visitors quickly disarmed them. They listened as the men described the chaos in their homes and begged for forgiveness.

Yoonus explained that forgiveness from God alone would heal their hearts and homes. They must confess their sins before Him, turn to the Lord Jesus who died for those sins, and then God would forgive and save them. He shared how the Lord Jesus Christ was born and lived as a holy and sinless man, but took all our sins as His own and suffered and was crucified on the cross of Calvary because of those sins. He then rose from the dead, and so redeemed humanity from sin and death.

“You will be saved and you will also be healed if you accept Him as your saviour and Lord,” he boldly told them.

They listened quietly and intently as he told his own story of coming to Christ. They then readily confessed their sins before Jesus and accepted Him as saviour and Lord.

Lydia also shared her remarkable experience of healing with them.

At that point, Yoonus and Lydia prayed for the men.  All heard the tones of a turtle dove, and felt a gentle breeze blow over them, as Lydia prayed.

After some tea served by Lydia's mother, the company left peacefully. Upon arrival at their homes, they marvelled that their wives had become completely normal, greeting them happily. By God’s grace, each hadhad been freed from the torment. Members of all the affected families together praised and thanked the Lord Jesus.

But the imam and the community aren’t pleased with this. Please pray for the Lord’s mighty protection over the new believers.

Doctors confirm death of young Lydia … BUT GOD!

Doctors this morning (West Africa time) confirmed the death of Lydia (14), the daughter of Yoonus, a Christian missionary with Bibles for Mideast in Africa. She had been in a coma for six days after being brutally subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) by Muslim radicals on her way home from school  last week (see original story here). Brother Yoonus immediately contacted Pastor Paul Ciniraj, Director of Bibles for Mideast and Patron of the Assembly of Loving God.

An hour after Lydia’s death, workers removed her body from her hospital room. Her parents, brothers, sisters and other believers surrounded her, sobbing at the tragic loss of their beloved. Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff arrived to have a last look at young Lydia’s lifeless body, now draped in a white cloth.

Suddenly, someone noticed the fabric shaking. Could it be wind blowing in from outdoors? The trembling intensified, but now, clearly, the movement came from beneath the cloth.

Then, just as suddenly, Lydia herself threw off the white covering and stood from the bed. “Mummy, our Lord Jesus, our Lord and God Jesus Christ!” she exclaimed joyously.

“Ghost! Ghost!” someone screamed. A nurse and another hospital worker fainted to the floor. All, including the family, backed away in terror, believing a ghost had appeared.

“Mummy, I’m Lydia ... not a ghost,” Lydia reassured her mother. “I’m alive!  Jesus gave me my life back, and healed me! See, He’s just disappearing there on the clouds!” She pointed her finger towards the sky.

Her overjoyed mother embraced and kissed her repeatedly, praising the Lord Jesus. The rest of the family joined in, as the believers gathered round them sang and clapped ecstatically. Some even danced.

While hospital protocol forbad such rambunctious behaviour, no one dared utter a word … let alone of complaint. Amazed, the staff around the family simply had no idea what to do or say.

So Lydia continued with her story.

“My soul left my body and I was dead. Angels came to receive me to heaven. But Jesus appeared before me and said, ‘I cannot turn back from the prayers of my children. My eyes are upon my children and ears are open to their prayer. So I give you your life back, for the issues of death belong to me. You go,  and be my witness.’ Then he put his face right against and right into mine. He breathed into my nostrils, and my soul went in. Then he moved his nail-scarred hands over my body and healed me completely!”

Yoonus and his family, as well as Bibles for Mideast and the Assembly of Loving God Church thank each and every one of you who prayed for Lydia. Please keep the ministries in Africa, Asia and Middle East in your prayers always.

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Update on this story:  Jesus and Salvation in Lydia’s West African Town

URGENT CALL TO PRAYER for young Christian victim of female genital mutilation

Please pray for Lydia*, the 14-year-old daughter of Yoonus*, a missionary with Bibles for Mideast. Fanatic Muslim men and women captured Lydia as she walked home from school in western Africa, dragged her to a nearby home and subjected her to brutal female genital mutilation.  Now in a coma in hospital, Lydia struggles for life.

Yoonus, originally from another part of Africa, had been a Muslim scholar. One day while teaching his Muslim students, he had a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ and soon accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. His family followed him into the Kingdom.  Due to severe persecution in their native village, however, the entire family had to flee to their current home.

Yoonus has laboured hard to earn a livelihood, do underground evangelism among the locals, and to pray without ceasing.

The local Muslim community recently learned he had left Islam and was now leading Muslims to Christ. The Imam of the mosque, along with community leaders, urged him to return to Islam. They promised many gifts and services to his family should he renounce his new faith, but he stood fearlessly for Christ and refused.

Lydia also boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, the only Lord and Saviour for the entire world. She loved to speak of how He died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead to save everyone from sin and death.

This provoked them intensely, and resulted in their horrendous abuse of her. In their minds and according to Muslim tradition, every young woman must undergo female circumcision.

After the mutilation, they left her alone and with no further treatment. She lost copious amounts of blood and screamed in agony.  A local secret believer fortunately heard her screams, and took her to hospital. By the time she arrived she was in a life-threatening coma. Doctors will have a further report within 48 hours.

Please pray for Yoonus, her family, the believers there, and the medical staff looking after her.

*names changed for security reasons.

UPDATE Feb. 6, 2017:  Lydia is still in coma. Doctors have given up hope, but believers continue to pray and fast day and night. Please join with them. Thousands die every year in Africa alone in this savage tradition of FGM (female genital mutilation). Pray for an end to the savagery. 

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Exciting updates on this story:  Doctors confirm death of young Lydia … BUT GOD! and  
Jesus and Salvation in Lydia’s West African Town

Bibles for Mideast forms Assembly of Loving God (ALG) Church

The Christian missionary movement of the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Bibles for Mideast, has gathered its many underground house churches under one banner to form the Assembly of Loving God (ALG) Church. For now at least, it will continue to operate as an 'underground' church. The ministry has so far registered 176 underground house churches in the region, 103 in the Middle East alone.

A 12-member governing committee (representing Asian, African and Middle Eastern populations) has been formed as the ALG administration.. Pastor Paul will serve as Patron of the committee, Pastor Peter Haneef as President,  Pastor Steve Chandran as Vice President, Pastor James Irshad as General Secretary, Pastor John Divakar as Associate Secretary, Pastor Sam Habel as Treasurer and Mary Ramza and Elsa Queen as secretaries (all surnames pseudonymous).

Bibles for Mideast is not a church, but a missionary movement working tirelessly to spread the gospel to Muslims and other unreached people groups, distribute bibles free of cost, engage in evangelistic outreach and establish underground house churches. Once established, house churches come under the banner of the ALG Church.

May our most high God bless them and protect them under His mighty wings. And may our Lord Jesus Christ keep them in his nail-scarred hands and grant them wisdom and courage to lead and feed his precious lambs with love, humility and shalom by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Muslim prison officer dreams of Jesus' Glory and pastors wonderfully released

Our Lord Jesus Christ has wonderfully protected and released the recently-imprisoned pastors and believers from Bibles for Mideast. As reported last week, Pastors Irshad and Munvar, along with Farooq and Riyas (names changed for their protection) had been imprisoned in a secret jail in the Middle East (Bibles for Mideast Pastors brutally beaten, arrested and thrown in jail).  We praise and thank God for those fasting and praying for their release.

Police had forcibly entered the pastors’ room last week while they were praying and teaching a Bible class to new believers. The men, formerly local Muslims, had been attending worship services in the underground house church for the previous two months and were preparing for baptism.  After brutally beating them, police arrested and took the men to the local Shariah court.

Pastor Irshad describes below what happened in jail, and afterwards:

Police brought us to the religious (Shariah) court. We were accused of blasphemy charges against the prophet, as well as misguiding Muslims into a false religion. The court ordered we be imprisoned, and we were taken to a secret jail run by secret police.

We had a difficult first few days in prison. The jail wardens brutally beat and persecuted us. They tied our hands up through the hole of a steel bar which forced us into a bent position while they beat us. They served each of us only one Kubboos (local bread) each day. We never thought we’d ever get out alive.

We asked our Lord: “Where are You? Why won’t You come and save us?” We prayed, “If we have done any sin and iniquities, forgive us and purify us by your precious blood and save us from this situation.” And we repeated continuously, THE BLOOD OF JESUS IS OUR VICTORY!  We imagined the sufferings of our Lord, and it brought us comfort and peace.

On the third day, a top-ranking officer of the jails visited us. A tall, stout official, he asked the wardens to untie our hands. But we were unable to stand erect. The officer himself massaged our back with some lotion until we could raise ourselves up. He ordered the wardens to give us liberal servings of good food, and then disappeared into an office. We were sure our lives were about to end, and that his seemingly kind treatment was only a prelude to that.

He came back to us at night, alone this time, and sat down on the floor beside us (not an easy feat, but he managed). He then held our hands and asked us to pray for him. We looked at him with apprehension and fear.

The officer explained he’d had a dream about Jesus Christ the previous week! He saw the Lord Jesus sitting on a throne, he said, with an amazing orb of light rotating around Him. Millions of angels obeyed his orders. Large and small stars surrounded the orb. Jesus raised his hands and showed his nail-scarred palms, blood seeping out. The following two days he had the same dream. He began to think more and more about Jesus, and searched the internet for more information.

After three days, he had yet another dream. Jesus appeared before him and said, “My children are being tortured in your jail. I leave them before you. My children are the apple of my eyes.”

So he quickly cancelled all of his other plans and rushed to our jail. For three days he stayed in the official cottage of the prison, spending most of his time with us—praying, and learning more about Jesus and the Bible. And he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal saviour and Lord!

Whenever he visited, he would ask the jailer and wardens to leave us alone with him, so they figured we must be relatives. From then on they treated us well, apologizing for all they had done to us earlier. During this time, the officer also prepared and submitted our release papers before the court.  While the court initially rejected them, he continued to strongly argue our case and within two days we were discharged.

The official took us from the jail to his cottage, where we feasted and prayed together.  As our prayers finished, he asked that we baptize him.

“If you fully believe Jesus Christ, we can,” we replied.

“I believe in Jesus Christ who was crucified and died for me on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead,” he answered. “I believe in him as my Saviour and Lord with my whole heart and soul!” So we baptized him, along with Farooq and Riyas.

The official then drove us in his own car back to safety.

“Continue your great work for the Lord,” he advised us. “But you must be careful to keep all you do in ministry very, very secret. The ruling authorities, religious authorities, courts and police will not accept you and your works. But the Kingdom of God is near and we have an amazing eternity. So keep up your efforts.”

We can honestly say we are not distressed at all that our Lord did not appear before us during our hardships. For at all times we felt His presence and comfort. He was and is with us.

Our Lord said, “In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33] St. John describes in his epistle, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” [1John 5:4-5]

We thank all those who were fasting and praying for us.

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED.  ALL GLORY AND HONOUR TO HIM FOREVER AND EVER!  AMEN!!  HALLELUIAH!!!

(*names changed for security reasons)