On the last
day of our stay in Orissa God enabled us to meet with our dear friend, who is one
of the victims of the recent violence against Christians in Orissa. For safety
reasons I can’t disclose her name, but she was married to one of covenant
brothers who served as a pastor in the district of Kandhamal and who was killed
by Hindu extremists. With her eyes filled with tears she told us a very sad
story.

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Today I am adding some testimonies from Orissa that has been collected by pastor Rakesh Joseph. We need to publish these testimonies to raise prayer support for our suffering brothers and sisters in India.

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We are hearing gruesome stories of the violence and persecution against Christian believers in Orissa. About 26.000 believers are in relief camps and more people are still hiding in the jungle. In the relief camps they are given food and shelter by the government. But some of the camps are being bombed from outside by the Hindu extremists. Some places the Hindus are sending in small children to poison the food and the water. Only 4 villages in the entire Kandhamar district are not affected by the violence against Christians.

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At the moment we are in Orissa. Here we are hearing real life stories from people directly affected by the persecution going on in this state. Today i will only enclose a report sent me by my friend Sunny from Orissa. There are a lot of different numbers in the air and no one seems to know exactly what is going on and the total scale of the violence. We read about it in the news papers and we watch programs on TV discussing what is going on. One thing is sure, many people have been killed, thousands of believers are in refuge camps, and there seems to be no end to the current crisis of secular India.

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There seems to be no end to the sufferings of our fellow believers in Orissa, India. The Hindu newspaper reports new attacks on three villages. At least two persons, including a woman, were killed and more than a dozen injured. About 300 houses were burnt down.
Conversion to Hinduism a condition for  Christians to return home in Kandhamal

Forced conversion of Christians by Hindutva groups has become the order
of the day in Kandhamal district. Not only have Christian families
suffered the loss of their homes, possessions and places of worship in
sustained attacks by marauding mobs of Hindutva supporters from August
24, they now cannot return to their villages unless they convert.

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During the World Watch conference in England last week we were given good reports from many countries in the world. In spite of all the difficulties and problems Christians are facing in most places, the Kingdom of God is advancing. In India Chandrakant and his co-workers have seen nearly 26.000 persons come to Christ, and the have started almost 200 churches. From Congo we also had encouraging reports of 200 churches being started by our brothers and sisters there in the last few years. In the Philippines Noralv Askeland is building a training centre that is soon finished and which will excellerate the planting of new churches in the Philippines as well as in many muslim countries. All over the world the Spirit is moving in powerful ways to bring people to Christ. I am so excited to be alive in a time like this!

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The new
theological seminary of the Methodist Church on Cuba was inaugurated during our
recent visit to Cuba. It was being hold in a massive building complex once
confiscated by the government after the revolution but recently given back to
the Methodist Church together with a permission to open a theological seminary.
This is the first seminary of this kind opened on Cuba since the revolution.

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I have just arrived back home in Norway after one wonderful week in Cuba. We have be seeing what God is doing in the beautiful island from the west to the east. When we arrived the hurricane Gustav had just past over the western part of the island. I was not a beautiful sight to see the devastation caused by the hurricane. In one city it seemed like all houses had their roofs damaged or totally removed. Many hoses had completely collapsed. The bold people were trying to clear up and use whatever they could to try to repair their houses even though many of them were beyond repair!

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We are constantly receiving bad news from Orissa. I have just received this report:

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Santo in Bhubaneswar is apprehensive about the prevailing atmosphere
in the state. He says that there is a fundamentalist rally
today in the capital and there are reports
that those on their way to the rally will indulge in violence. He had therefore
shifted to a safer place which however
he feels is no longer safe and hence
will be changing again soon. However he has not taken his family with him! He
says that the pastors, evangelists and priests are being targeted. Many Houses
have been burnt and churches too.

Prabhakar’s village Tiangia has been attacked and 4 people killed. Among those killed is
Dibya, the tailor!! I hope his wife and daughter are safe.

Continue to pray for our friends!