Burkina Faso: Christians chased from homes by jihadists find strength in new Bibles

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Pastor Foley

“What happened to us weakened our faith, but we are lifted through our local brothers and sisters and this gift.” That is the word from Zalissa, a Christian refugee from the north central region of Burkina Faso who along with her family was forced to “run for our lives” during a jihadist attack on her village.

The gift received by Zalissa and her family—and 2,713 other displaced Evangelical Christian families in Burkina Faso–was a pair of Bibles in her native dialect. The Bibles in the Moore, Gourmachema, Diula, and Fulfude dialects were given by Voice of the Martyrs Korea in partnership with its sister mission Voice of the Martyrs Poland. Those groups have been working in cooperation with local churches in Burkina Faso to try to care for the country’s small beleaguered evangelical Christian refugee population amidst what some aid groups are calling one of the most neglected refugee crises in the world.

“Only one-fifth of the Burkinabe population is Christian, but they are the ones most affected by the attacks of the Muslim extremists,” says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley. She says thousands of Christians have had to flee their homes since 2023, and many have lost their lives in the attacks. According to the National Emergency Response and Rehabilitation Council (CONASUR), a Burkina Faso state agenda, the total number of displaced people in Burkina Faso has now topped 2 million, with more than 300,000 Burkinabe being displaced in a single week.

With the United Nations estimating 20% of the population of Burkina Faso needing humanitarian aid, international groups have mobilized to provide food, water, and shelter.

But according to Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, her organization has partnered with Voice of the Martyrs Poland and local churches to focus on one overlooked need for Evangelical Christians: Replacing their Bibles.

“During the intense persecution, many of these Christian families lost their most treasured possession – their family Bible,” says Representative Foley. She says that without the Bible it is difficult for Christians like Zalissa to make sense of the persecution and difficulties they are experiencing. “As Zalissa told Voice of the Martyrs, fleeing from her home weakened her family’s faith, but receiving the Bible—and the hospitality of the local church—‘lifted’ them up.”

Zalissa (second from left) and her family receive Bibles after being forced to flee from their home due to attacks by Muslim extremists.

Representative Foley noted that some of the Christian refugees were receiving Bibles for the first time, including Fatimata, the mother of a family who found refuge in Tamsin, in north central Burkina Faso.

“For many years, we prayed and asked God to provide Bibles for us, but we could not afford them,” Fatimata told Voice of the Martyrs. “So, we are so happy to thank donors from Europe, Asia, and America. Thank you so much to each of you.”

Representative Foley noted that the Christians received Bibles not only for their own families, but also to give to their unsaved neighbors. She says the request came from the Christian refugees themselves and was the reason Voice of the Martyrs Korea decided to participate in the project.

“These Burkina Faso believers rightly value the Word of God,” says Representative Foley. “Even as jihadists continue to hunt them down, they are focused not on their own safety but on glorifying God by spreading his word.”

Fatimata (third from left) and her family receive Bibles after finding refuge in Tamsin.

Representative Foley says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea sees Bible distribution in major zones of conflict as one of the ministry’s core competencies and most important responsibilities. “Voice of the Martyrs Korea is not a mission organization but instead a partner with local Christians living under persecution or pressure,” says Representative Foley. “Any time a major conflict threatens an area, that’s when people in that area instinctively turn to God and become open to the Bible. Sometimes missionary organizations evacuate their personnel in such times, or they urge their missionaries to be cautious. But local Christians have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Even as refugees, they still have to find work and provide food to their families and gather as church. God then seems to give these ordinary local Christians a special boldness to preach the gospel and share the Bible with their neighbors.”

Representative Foley says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea is also currently conducting Bible distribution campaigns with Christians in Laos and Ukraine. Individuals interested in supporting Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s Bible distribution efforts can give at https://vomkorea.com/en/donation/.

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China: Elderly parents thankful their daughter can experience Christ’s sufferings in prison

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Pastor Foley

Li Yanping, 61, of the Baode House Church in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, began a seven-year prison sentence at Shanxi Women’s Prison on March 15, 2021 for allegedly illegally organizing others to cross the national border—the typical charge given by Chinese police for Christians who lead trips to Christian conferences abroad. According to her husband who was able to visit her in prison recently, Sister Li is in overall good health except for calcium deficiency and growing memory difficulties. But according to her elderly parents, Sister Li is receiving something precious in prison.

Li Yanping and her husband from the Xinzhou Baode House Church (Source: “China’s Five O’clock in the Afternoon”)

“They are grateful that their daughter is able to share the sufferings of Jesus Christ,” says Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley.

Representative Foley says that while the idea of Chinese Christians viewing imprisonment and suffering for their faith as a privilege may sound unusual or extreme to Christians in other parts of the world, it has biblical backing.

“In Acts 5:40-41, after the Apostles were beaten by the Jewish ruling council, scripture says they were ‘rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name’,” says Representative Foley. “The Apostle Paul, who wrote many of his letters while in prison, said in Philippians 1:12 that his imprisonment ‘has actually served to advance the gospel’.”

Representative Foley says the gospel is advancing through Sister Li Yanping’s imprisonment.

“Sister Li’s husband, Zhao Chundan, says that even though his wife is not permitted to read the Bible in prison, and even though her memory loss has progressed to the point where she can no longer remember many scriptures, she is still preaching the gospel to her fellow prisoners,” says Represenative Foley. She says that seven or eight of Sister Li’s cellmates have now become believers.

But Representative Foley says that Christians in the rest of the world should not romanticize or minimize the pain and suffering of Christians suffering for their faith in prison. “The founding scripture verse of Voice of the Martyrs is Hebrews 13:3: ‘Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering’,” says Representative Foley. “When Paul was in prison, he asked Timothy to come quickly and to bring his coat and his scrolls. Everyone had left him, and no one was present to care for him. Even today, Christian prisoners and their families are primarily dependent on the body of Christ to care for them.” 

Representative Foley says that in the case of Sister Li Yanping, her husband says she has particular concern for her parents.

“Sister Li’s parents are in their 80’s,” says Representative Foley. “She hopes that the members of her church and her family will take on the roles she would normally fill as their daughter in caring for them,” says Representative Foley.

Representative Foley says that Christians around the world can help care for Christians in prison by praying for them as according to the scriptures, by writing them letters when their prison addresses are known and they are able to receive mail, and by providing aid to them and their families through reputable organizations.

Voice of the Martyrs Korea offers a free resource on ten biblical ways to pray for persecuted and imprisoned questions at www.vomkorea.com/en/prayer. It lists prisoners of faith who can currently receive letters, as well as instructions on how to write them, at https://vomkorea.com/en/prisoner-profiles/. Representative Foley says that while Sister Li is not currently able to be listed, five other Chinese Christian prisoners are included, as well as Christian prisoners from Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea. Information on how to donate to support families of martyrs and prisoners can be found at https://vomkorea.com/en/donation/.

Individuals interested in learning about Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with the house church Christians of China can visit https://vomkorea.com/en/china/.

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Central Asian pastor honored by VOMK for this year’s Day of the Christian Martyr

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Pastor Foley

A Central Asian pastor remembered as a peaceful witness for Jesus Christ is this year’s Voice of the Martyrs Korea Day of the Christian Martyr honoree.

The ministry held a press conference last week at its Seoul office to honor martyred pastor Sergei Bessarab with a plaque on its Martyrs Timeline and a video available for use by churches, small groups, and families to commemorate this year’s Day of the Christian Martyr. The video is available at www.vomkorea.com/en/dotcm.

“According to church tradition, June 29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul, so Christians around the world take time this week to honor the legacy of those who have sacrificed their lives for the advancement of the gospel,” said Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley.

Representative Foley said that this year her organization is honoring Pastor Sergei Bessarab, who was martyred in Central Asia on January 4, 2004.

“Five years before his death, Sergei Bessarab had gone to prison five times, but not for his faith in Christ,” said Representative Foley. She says that one day a fellow prisoner shared the gospel with Bessarab, who eventually surrendered his life to the Lord.

“After being released from prison, Bessarab and his wife Tamara felt called to gospel ministry and began preaching around Central Asia, before settling on a particular city to plant a church in,” said Representative Foley. The city had over 100 mosques but no Christian presence, she added.

Pastor Bessarab faithfully preached the gospel, and his new church grew to almost 60 people. But according to Representative Foley, some in the city were not happy with the pastor’s faithful witness.

“On January 12, 2004, after returning from a prayer meeting, Pastor Sergei came into his house and stopped by a window,” said Representative Foley. “Suddenly shots rang out and he fell dead, having been shot at point blank range.  This was less than a year after Sergei and Tamara moved to town.”

Almost immediately, Tamara began to see fruit from Sergei’s life and death.

“During Sergei’s funeral, my son gave his life to Christ,” Tamara told Voice of the Martyrs. “The fact that Sergei was always prepared to sacrifice life for his faith, and eventually did that, showed my son that faith in Christ is worth our firm stance, even under the threat of death.”

Pastor Sergei preaching at his church in Central Asia.

Representative Foley said that most people expected that Pastor Bessarab’s death would lead to the closure of the church he had planted. “On the contrary, his death filled the church, and it became a living witness of God’s faithfulness,” said Representative Foley. She said that Bessarab’s wife Tamara continues ministry to the present day, despite her own serious health problems.

According to Representative Foley, the Day of the Christian Martyr is an opportunity for churches around the world to learn about Christians facing martyrdom today, particularly in the more than 70 countries where there are restrictions on the practice of the Christian faith. She said Voice of the Martyrs Korea tries to highlight a martyr from a different country or region on the Day of the Christian Martyr each year so that Christians can better understand the extent and types of persecution currently being faced by other Christians around the world. Pastor Bessarab is the first Central Asian martyr Voice of the Martyrs Korea has highlighted, according to Representative Foley.

Pastor Sergei’s family surround a picture of Pastor Sergei after his death.

A short video about Pastor Bessarab is available at www.vomkorea.com/en/dotcm for individual viewing as well as use by churches and small groups, in commemoration of the Day of the Christian Martyr as well as for general use year round, Representative Foley said.

“Today, many local believers in Central Asia are facing increasing restrictions, persecutions, and even martyrdom due to their faithful witness for Christ,” said Representative Foley. “But the Lord is continuing to raise up bold local pastors to lead his churches there. Sadly, many churches around the world still have not yet heard the stories of Central Asian pastors like Pastor Bessarab.” She said that is why her organization is highlighting Pastor Bessarab’s martyrdom. “We want believers around the world to be encouraged and strengthened by learning more about how the Lord is working in the Central Asian towns and villages that are well beyond the reach of foreign missionaries,” said Representative Foley.

Voice of the Martyr’s Korea video on Pastor Sergei Bessarab’s faithful witness 

Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s previous honorees on the Day of the Christian Martyr include Colombian lay evangelist Rocio Pino, who was martyred on March 6, 2011 by the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia; North Korean underground Christian Cha Deok Sun, who was martyred between 2005-2010; and Somali evangelist Abdiwelli Ahmed, a convert to Christianity from Islam who was martyred in Kenya on February 27, 2013.

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