May 2023 Persecution Magazine

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG
MAY 2023
PERSECU ION
Rising from the Rubble
ION
ICC HELPS PERSECUTED BELIEVERS RECOVER IN THEIR
TIME OF GREATEST NEED.
PERSECU ION
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECUTION.ORG 1

Contents
MAY 2023
ON THE COVER
Buildings are flattened in Turkey
from the devastating earthquake
and aftershocks that killed tens of
thousands of people in February.
Photo: First Hope Association in Turkey
FEATURES
08
10
14
16
IN THEIR TIME OF
GREATEST NEED
ICC assists persecuted
believers when there’s
no one left to turn to.
FULANI MILITANTS
KILLED THEIR
HUSBANDS, BUT NOT
THEIR JOY IN THE
LORD
BLACKMAILED BY
RADICAL ISLAM
Two stories of Christians
facing intimidation and
discrimination at the hands
of radical Muslims.
BANDAGING THE
BROKEN BODY
Radical Hindu
nationalists terrorize
Christians and shutter
churches.
RECURRING
04
06
“I HAVE SAID THESE THINGS TO YOU, THAT IN ME YOU MAY
HAVE PEACE. IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION.
BUT TAKE HEART; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.”
ICC NEWSROOM
YOUR HANDS AND FEET
JOHN 16:33
Your Source for Persecution News
ICC Projects Made Possible by Supporters
@persecuted @persecutionnews @internationalchristianconcern International Christian Concern
OUR MISSION: Since 1996, ICC has served the global
persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of
advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage
the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church
in the toughest parts of the world.
DONATIONS: International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all
donations tax-deductible). ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to
their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC
will redirect those donated funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the
donor’s original wishes.
2
MEMBER
Persecution | APRIL 2023
© Copyright 2023 ICC, Washington, D.C., USA. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce all or part of this publication is granted
provided attribution is given to ICC as the source.
STAFF
Publisher Jeff King
Editor Mike Anderson
Designer Hannah Campbell

We Go Where the Lord Leads
It’s a tragedy to lose your family’s home and everything
you own with it. It’s another thing for it
to happen in the dead of winter. It’s still another
level of tragedy when the government won’t help
you because you are a Christian.
Finally, it’s a catastrophe when it happens to all the
Christians you know at the same time! That’s the situation
for Christians living in Turkey.
Turkey is a Muslim country run by a radical who
hates Christianity and is essentially an enemy of the
U.S. and Europe. For that reason, the news about
Turkey has quickly faded from the headlines in spite
of the fact that 80,000 people died and huge masses
of people have nowhere to live.
That’s why we are assisting our brothers and sisters
there. We rolled up our sleeves to help them and
provided necessities like tents, food, generators, and
more to help families get through this immediate
crisis.
We go where the Lord leads, especially into the
dangerous places where Christians are hated and
attacked. I’ve had the privilege to be part of many
rescues, big and small, for more than 20 years.
Whether the masses in Turkey or the lone Christian
victim of persecution.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to offer you a
sincere, “thank you,” because none of this is possible
without you.
We are a partnership that together, act as the hands
and feet of God for his family at the front lines!
In Love,
JEFF
Jeff King, President
International Christian Concern
Author: The Last Words of the Martyrs and
Islam Uncensored
PERSECUTION.ORG 3

ICC Newsroom
YOUR SOURCE FOR PERSECUTION NEWS
Lone Protestant Church in Gaza Struggles to Survive
Gaza’s Christian community is struggling to survive
after years of steady decline in numbers. Only an
estimated 1,000 Christians remain in the Gaza
Strip, an area of more than two million residents –
the third most densely populated political unit in the
world. Internal pressures caused by radical Islamic
terrorists and other political and territorial factors
drive Christians out of the area.
Christians of all denominations have played a
vastly important role in healthcare, education, and
business in the Gaza Strip for centuries. Today, among
evangelicals, only one known Protestant church
continues. Its leadership has been struggling to lead
its flock ever since local Islamic militants martyred the
Bible Society’s Christian Bookstore’s manager in 2007,
which was followed by an exodus of church leaders.
Christians feel pressure from all sides and are in many
ways cut off from fellowship with and support from
the wider body of Christ. Pray for the church in Gaza
that they would remain strong under daily pressures
and threats.
More Than 70 Christians Killed in DRC in Two Weeks
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)
killed 72 Christians in Nord Kivu in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
in the span of two weeks.
Mulinde Esemo, a key church leader in
Butembo, DRC, said the past two weeks
have been a period of “great anguish” for
the body of Christ in Congo.
“We are living in a very tense situation
here in Eastern DRC, both in towns and
in the villages,” said Esemo. “Scores of
believers have been killed in cold blood
by the ADF rebels. It is a massacre like
one killing animals.”
Unabated, the ADF militants have
been on a killing spree as they push
their agenda of the Islamization of the
majority-Christian eastern side of the
DRC.
Esemo continued, “Families that fled
from all those villages are now living as
refugees here in Butembo, despite the
fact that the town and the suburbs are
overpopulated. Women and children
are the most affected since they are
most vulnerable. You will occasionally
hear them crying for the lack of food,
as the men look for casual jobs to buy
something for the families.”
Please consider partnering with
International Christian Concern (ICC) to
assist our brothers and sisters who are
suffering in the DRC and please continue
to pray for them.
4
Persecution | MAY 2023

HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE, PERSECUTION.ORG, FOR THE LATEST NEWS
More Than 36
Murdered in Brutal
ADF Attack
In the early hours of the morning
on March 9, rebels from the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked
a village in the eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC). At
least 36 people were killed during
the overnight attack.
Villagers were trapped in their
burning houses or murdered with
machetes and hatchets.
Militants Promise Attacks on Nigerian
Christians
Fifty-seven communities in northern
Nigeria were unable to vote at their
polling unit because of their Christian
faith, according to community leaders.
Boko Haram and bandits in Kaduna,
Borno, Yola, and Adamawa states have
displaced more than 200,000 Christians.
Other community sources report that
22 individuals were killed for supporting
Christian candidate Peter Obi of the
Labour Party in Borno State.
Moses David, a Christian rights activist
who supported Peter Obi’s candidacy,
spoke with ICC. He said that the election
was not free and fair, and he is worried
that Christians will not have a voice in
Nigeria again. He predicted Christians
will suffer more if nothing is done.
The attack took place in an area that
has been plagued with violent rebel
activity. The Islamic-affiliated ADF
made ICC’s 2022 comprehensive
Persecutor of the Year report for
worst “entities.”
14,000 Gather in Vietnam for
Evangelism Event
In March, more than 14,000 people in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, attended the
Spring Love Festival hosted by the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association.
The event made history. This was the
first time the communist Vietnamese
government permitted, outside of a
holiday, an evangelistic outreach with a
foreign speaker.
Rev. Franklin Graham, who is the
president and CEO of the association,
shared with the crowd, “God makes and
creates you and loves you and Vietnam.
Jesus is in the city tonight.”
Before the event, Graham reportedly
met with Deputy Prime Minister Le
Minh Khai and other officials to discuss
religious freedom in the country.
PERSECUTION.ORG 5

Your Hands and Feet
ICC PROJECTS MADE POSSIBLE BY SUPPORTERS
A Calamitous Quake
ICC Joins Massive Relief Effort Thanks to Your Support
7.8 magnitude earthquake and many aftershocks struck southeast
A Turkey near the Syrian border in early February.
By the (conservative) numbers:
• More than 50,000 people killed.
• More than 300,000 collapsed or heavily damaged buildings.
• More than two million people were displaced.
There is scant media attention two months later. The public turned its short
attention span to other things.
But the crisis continues for displaced families in the region that struggle
under extreme conditions. They lack adequate shelter, food, and necessities.
It’s a gut punch for Christians already facing threats in heavily Muslim
communities under a hostile government.
International Christian Concern (ICC) joined the massive relief effort through
local workers we trust. ICC spent tens of thousands of dollars on tents, food,
clothing, hygiene products, generators, and more, thanks to your support.
ICC is in this for the long haul. With so many churches destroyed and a
government that doesn’t want them there, we are committed to helping
the Christian community rebuild.
6
Persecution | MAY 2023

West Watch
A GLIMPSE AT ISSUES INVOLVING CHRISTIANITY IN THE WEST
Photo: First Hope Association in Turkey
Christian Finnish Member of Parliament on Trial
Again for “Hate Speech” One Year After Not-
Guilty Verdict
Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen must once again return to court
to defend her Biblical views of sexuality. Despite being found not guilty of
hate speech against the LGBT community by a Finnish trial court last year, the
prosecutors appealed and are seeking “tens of thousands of Euros in fines
and… insist that Räsänen’s and Pohjola’s publications be censored,” according
to ADF International.
Dr. Räsänen, a medical doctor, member of Finland’s legislature, and former
Minister of the Interior, published a Tweet in 2019 in response to the Finnish
Lutheran Church’s support of pro-LGBT pride event. Her Tweet questioned
the church’s support of the event and included a picture of a Bible verse from
Romans. Unlike many nations, Finland allows prosecutors to appeal a trial
court’s “not guilty” verdict.
Photo: ICC President Jeff King with Dr. Räsänen and her husband Niilo Räsänen
European Court of Human Rights Condemns
Russia for Persecution of Home Church Pastor
Europe’s top human rights body, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),
has found that Russia violated the right to religious freedom against a Christian
pastor. In 2016, Donald Ossewaarde was an evangelical pastor who was
arrested and fined, “after he invited locals to his house for worship, singing,
and Bible study,” according to ADF International.
Pastor Ossewaarde moved his family from their home state of Michigan to
Russia in 2005 to be missionaries. He was conducting a standard Sunday service
in his home when Russian police officers questioned and later arrested him for
illegal “missionary activity” in 2016. Russia has been increasing pressure on
foreign missionaries since a new law was passed in 2016.
In its condemnation against Russia, the ECHR said, “freedom to manifest one’s
religion includes… the right to express one’s religious views” and that missionary
work and evangelism is a protected right under European law “along with other
acts of worship.”
PERSECUTION.ORG 7

In Their Time
of Greatest
Need
ICC assists persecuted believers
when there’s no one left to turn to.
When we read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, we
see it as an act of love and satisfying their need for
food. They were hungry and left with nowhere to turn
for food. He didn’t provide them with food with a stipulation of
repayment or conversion into becoming his followers. He healed,
fed, and performed miracles simply out of love for the brothers
and sisters He saw in need.
Though we can’t perform miracles in the same way, when we
see our suffering brothers and sisters, we meet them in their
time of greatest need – whether it’s providing aid packages of
food to feed the hungry, medical care to bandage the broken, or
household supplies and rent to the homeless.
We often have the privilege to serve as a lifeline to believers of
the persecuted church. Though these situations of need come
from severe pain and distress, the work that follows is filled with
hope for a better tomorrow, and ultimately points to hope in a
better, more perfect eternity.
In the Bible, Paul so clearly and eloquently writes this to
church members in Corinth, saying, “For this light momentary
affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV).
Though trials of persecution are heavy on all our hearts, compared
to the eternal weight of glory, they will only be a memory of
momentary affliction. This is the good news that propels us to
bandage persecution’s wounds of our brothers and sisters.
In the following pages, you’ll read stories of persecution survivors
from all over the world who have been helped by International
Christian Concern (ICC). In the Middle East, one Christian family
began to struggle financially after the husband’s radical Islamic
employer refused to promote him unless he converted to Islam.
ICC provided the family with a small business.
Upon receiving the help to start the business, the wife expressed
to ICC that our visit was like a visit from Christ. One that was
undeserved but something they’re grateful for beyond words.
8
Persecution | MAY 2023

Types of Bandaging
A crucial aspect of our ministry involves
what we call ‘bandaging’ the church. These
are often immediate, and sometimes longer
term, needs that believers face in the wake
of persecution.
MEDICAL CARE
When believers are brutally attacked
for their faith, they need medical attention
as soon as possible. Because
Christians in high-conflict don’t areas
have immediate access to healthcare,
we make sure they get the care
they need.
FOOD PACKAGES
Food is essential. Sometimes food is
too scarce or expensive to acquire
for believers after a persecution incident.
In Nigeria, we empower Christian widows to provide for their
families after the loss of their husbands and breadwinners.
“All my life I’ve never seen the kind of Christian heart as exhibited
by ICC; because since the death of my husband, no one has shown
up to render the kind of help my children and I have received
from ICC,” said Monifa, a widow you will read more about in the
following pages. “I know that generally, life is difficult, but this
help would enable me and my children to get other things that
we would not have been able to.”
We strive as a ministry to provide Christlike care to as many
suffering brothers and sisters as we can, and that is all fueled by
supporters, including you. We are beyond grateful for the work
you enable us to do—together—throughout the world.
RENT AND HOUSE SUPPLIES
When believers lose their homes and
have nowhere to turn, we make sure
they’re able to sleep with a roof over
their head.
SMALL BUSINESS STARTUP
We don’t want to create dependence
on immediate relief aid. So, we assess
the skills of our persecuted believers
and supply them with tools and resources
to start a small business.
EDUCATION ASSISTANCE
We believe education holds the key
to unlocking cycles of generation persecution.
Unfortunately, education
is something only reserved for the
wealthy in many countries. Through
scholarships and other assistance,
we set children up with a second
chance at a brighter future.
Illustration iStock/Andry Djumantara
PERSECUTION.ORG 9

10
Persecution | MAY 2023

FOUR WOMEN RECLAIM THEIR
FUTURES WITH THE HELP OF ICC
AFTER FULANI MILITANTS KILLED
THEIR BELOVED HUSBANDS
One day not long ago, on the eastern
edge of Nigeria, Amara, her four
children, her pastor, and a handful of
others gathered inside a newly revamped,
cinderblock structure and dedicated the
space to the Lord.
And with that, amid smiles and “thank
yous,” Operation Poultry began.
After years of recovering from deep pain
and trauma, and struggling to survive and
support her family, Amara has joy and
hope – and dreams for the future.
ICC helped bring that hope with the
delivery of 150 chickens. With ICC’s aid,
Amara renovated and launched a poultry
farm. ICC equipped her with an ongoing
way to provide her family with nutrition
and steadily generate income.
The need for this helping hand came
after a tragic attack by radical Fulani
militants in February 2019. Four pastors
PERSECUTION.ORG 11

were headed to show support and offer
their condolences to the people of
another village recently attacked by the
Muslim militants. But on their way, the
militia gunmen ambushed and brutally
murdered the pastors, one of whom was
Amara’s husband.
To the militants, it was just a few more lives
in a decades-long slaughter. Depending
on who you ask, it’s estimated the Fulani
militants have killed between 50,000 and
100,000 Christians in the past 20 years
and displaced more than 3 million.
But to Amara and her children, and their
community, it was heart-wrenching
devastation and loss. The tragedy forced
Amara in an instant, with no forewarning,
into the role of being the sole parent
and provider for her children. The
economic conditions in the
area were difficult, and it was
a struggle just to survive.
They migrated west to a
different state, and with
some financial backing
from ICC, Amara had
the opportunity to relaunch
a poultry farm business that had
run down due to a lack of finances.
The day the chickens were brought in and
the business was dedicated to the Lord,
Amara expressed her delight and thanks:
“I am happy because it is something that
I least expected,” she said, “I am so much
happy about it, I am full of joy.
“My future plan and my prayer are that
this farm will grow and be a big farm
so that anyone who wants to see an
example, it will be an example for many,”
she said.
Amara and her children – three sons
and a daughter ranging from pre-teen to
young adult – recorded a quick video of
themselves clasping their hands together
and saying, “Thank you, ICC.” The smiles
and laughter are evident.
Joy and hope look like squealing, wiggly
piglets for Orisa and her children – also
victims of the Fulani militants.
Orisa lost her husband and her five
children lost their father in the same
attack in which Amara’s husband was
killed. Like Amara, Orisa also struggled to
support her family after the death of her
pastor husband. ICC knew setting Orisa up
with a piggery would provide her with the
means to support her family.
A location was found, building supplies
were bought, and masons started
constructing a cinderblock pen. Once
they were done, carpenters put a blue
corrugated tin roof in place. Everything
was ready! Ten piglets were ordered and
delivered, and Orisa’s pastor was invited
to pray and dedicate the new business to
the Lord.
“We did not expect this, but we thank
you. May God bless you,” said Emmauella,
Orisa’s daughter who bears the name of
her slain father, Emmanuel.
Their names mean “God with us,” and God
is surely with them. Despite the heartbreak
and subsequent hardship, these families
have endured. God, who never forsakes,
offers Himself to them to bind up their
hearts and souls, and He provides practical
12
Persecution | MAY 2023

healing and hope through ministries like
ICC that come alongside the suffering
persecuted.
Monifa, another woman made a widow
and left with five children that fateful day
in February, was also deeply moved by the
way she saw the Lord ministering to her
family through ICC.
“All my life I’ve never seen the kind of
Christian heart as exhibited by ICC,”
she said, “because since the death
of my husband, no one has shown
up to render the kind of help I and
my children have received from
ICC. It’s such a great assistance.”
Monifa was given what she needed
to set up a poultry farm business:
100 chicks and the construction of
a solid cinderblock structure for
her to house the chickens in.
“It’s such a great assistance,” she
said. “I know that generally, life is
difficult, but this help would enable
me and my children to get other things
that we would not have been able to.”
Monifa points out that her chickens are
doing well, and she said she is thankful
to the Lord and ICC.
“I say Thank You multiple times, I am
so grateful,” she said.
“All my life, I’ve never
seen this kind of
Christian heart as
exhibited by ICC,”
- MONIFA, WIDOW
AND MOM OF FIVE
PERSECUTION.ORG 13

Blackma
by Radic
Islam
We will often hear stories of Christians
living in areas of the Middle East
who are targeted and discriminated
against for their faith in Christ. This is
the case for Farah, Omar, and Arman.
Farah is a 50-year-old woman, who is
married to her husband, Omar. Together, they have two
married daughters and two sons. One of the sons, Mina,
is 22 years old and works in a blacksmith shop. The other
son is 12 and is still in school.
The family lives in a village that is 94% Muslim, leaving
them in the minority. Omar struggled to find a job in the
village, so he traveled to a larger city where he worked
at an iron factory, and because of his honesty and
intelligence, he was quickly promoted.
Two stories of Christians facing intimidation and
discrimination at the hands of radical Muslims.
He worked for seven years until a new
boss came along. This new boss was an
Islamic extremist and hated Christians.
He used to curse Omar and insult
Christianity, but Omar chose not to
respond to the harassment.
Omar’s new boss asked him to convert
to Islam to promote him. When Omar
refused, Hassan and some of the
workers accused Omar of negligence
and began to file complaints. One day
they gathered and beat him severely,
damaging his spine, and eventually, they
fired him.
Omar was unemployed due to his spinal
injury, and his son Mina supports the
house even though he earns only 50
pounds a day. The family wants to start a
clothing business to generate income to
support their daily expenses.
ICC rented a storefront and provided
14
Persecution | MAY 2023

iled
al
the startup materials and clothes
for Farah to sell while her husband
recovers from his injuries. She can
support her family with these profits.
“I thank God who helped me in my
difficult circumstance. I believe that
God has compensated me for all the
persecution and injustice that my
husband suffered, and I am confident
that through this project, I will be
able to provide for my family. Many
times I felt despair, but when your
staff visited me, I felt Christ’s visit
to me. [The staffer] listened to my
story and reassured me. Thank you
for your help, and may the Lord bless
you,” said Farah.
Arman, another follower of Jesus,
was an experienced tailor of more
than 10 years in the Middle East. But
a group of Muslim extremists burned
his shop down after they could not
convert him to Islam.
It started when a man walked into
Arman’s shop to discuss the Bible.
This “customer,” however, was
secretly trying to convert Arman to
Islam.
Islamic leaders soon followed and
came to Arman’s shop to pressure
him to convert. But he refused.
The extremists eventually gave up
and kicked him out of his shop,
forcing Arman to sell clothes for
several years in the open market.
In early 2022, Arman rented out a
new shop from a Christian owner,
but extremists found him again and
burned the shop and all his supplies.
After hearing of his hardship, ICC
helped Arman resupply his shop so
he could return to business.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
- ROMANS 8:18 (ESV)
PERSECUTION.ORG 15

Bandaging the
Broken Body
Radical Hindu Nationalists Terrorize
Christians and Shutter Churches
16
Persecution | MAY 2023

Church photo via Usplash/Paul Silvan to protect the true identity of the church
It’s an epidemic of violence toward
Christians in Uttar Pradesh, an Indian
state that has seen a sharp rise in
crimes against Christian communities
in recent years. In one attack, radical
Hindu nationalists left a church
building destroyed, the congregation
injured, and everything, including and
especially the Bibles, burned.
The furious mob demanded the
Christians leave the area and told them
that the police would not protect them
from their wrath. Sure enough, the
police stood by while the attack took
place. It was only after the damage was
done that police arrested the attackers
– only to release them later that day.
The mob would later rally and move
on to the neighboring village to
inflict more harm on the Christian
community.
There, several Christian families were
expelled from the village. Fearing for
their lives, they took shelter where
they could until the hostilities died
down. Hungry and traumatized, the
Christian families never waned in
their faith. They ultimately decided
to return to their village to repair the
damage from the attacks.
THE CHURCH AS ONE BODY
ICC found out about the attacks
shortly after and stepped in to aid the
Christian community. Food packages
for the affected families, rent for their
stay, and medical attention were
needed. ICC also
The church congregation gathers for prayer during
their first worship service in their new church building.
supplied building materials to repair
the church building.
In total, ICC served more than 30
Christians in the small community who
expressed their deep gratitude.
“When we saw things that were
brought to us like groceries and the
items for the church repair, I felt
scriptures being fulfilled in our lives.
When one part of the body suffers, the
other part shares and helps,” said one
member of the congregation. “I want
to really thank God and His servants
for not only meeting our physical
needs by providing food and church
building repairs but assuring us that
we were one alone. We are one body.”
The local pastor of the church also
shared his feelings, saying, “We have
a roof over our heads again. We have
resumed our Sunday worship after
almost three months of recovery,
thanks to people who graciously
supported the repair of our church.”
It was a full house with all the
congregants of the church gathering for
Sunday worship. The pastor continued
to share his gratitude, saying how the
congregation was in full attendance
after seeing God’s people come
together to help and pray for them.
A TERRIFYING TREND
What happened to these Christians
is all too common in India, especially
in Uttar Pradesh. Last year alone,
immense pressure from Hindu
nationalists closed more than 500
churches and house fellowships.
Politicians and media turn a blind eye
to the flagrant persecution of religious
minorities, only adding to the system
of oppression for those who suffer
because of their faith.
We continue to pray for our Indian
brothers and sisters and be inspired
and humbled by their resilience.
They cling to their faith, even when
it costs them everything. ICC will do
everything it can to bring attention to
this injustice, advocate for change, and
bring relief to God’s suffering children.
PERSECUTION.ORG 17

Stolen land
Redemption Comes in the Form of an ICC Supported Medical Clinic
18
Persecution | MAY 2023

“And after you have
suffered a little while,
the God of all grace, who
has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ,
will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen,
and establish you.”
- 1 PETER 5:10 (ESV)
Sara puts her left hand on the
back of a little boy’s head and
neck as she holds a flat wooden
tongue depressor in her other hand
and peers into a child’s mouth.
Her sage-colored attire is covered in
a leaf and floral pattern—the pink
flowers matching her lipstick. Her
head is covered with a loosely draped
scarf, and there’s a small nose ring
adorning the left side of her mature
face.
She and her husband, Victor, both
older adults, have embarked on a
new adventure together: opening
and operating a first aid clinic.
It may seem an unusual time of life to
start an endeavor like this, but when
Victor’s land was essentially stolen
from him, he was left without a way
to support Sara and himself.
Victor is a Christian in a South Asia
country where approximately 96% of
the population is Muslim. He used to
seek out work as a daily laborer as his
means of supporting his family, but
as he became older, that became less
and less of an option and he’d come
home empty-handed, having earned
nothing.
Victor’s financial hope for the future
had been six acres of farmland he
inherited from his father. His father
had leased the land to a Muslim man,
and then died before the lease was
up, meaning ownership of the land
transferred to Victor. When the lease
was up in 2021, Victor attempted to
regain possession of it—counting on
the financial support it would bring
him.
But Muhazzim, the man who had
been using the land, refused, claiming
that Victor’s father had sold him the
land.
Victor was shocked to hear this false
narrative—his father had not sold
that land to Muhazzim.
When Victor disagreed and stood his
ground, Muhazzim and several other
Muslims beat Victor and told him to
leave the land.
Muhazzim’s intimidation didn’t stop
there: he told Victor there would be
dire consequences if he took legal
action to repossess the land.
Besides being a victim of theft and
injustice, Victor, unable to work as
a daily laborer any longer, needed
this land; it was his only hope for
supporting his family.
But hope and relief came in another
form, through ICC’s assistance: how
did they feel about starting a first aid
clinic?
Sara held a medical certificate
that qualified her to run the clinic,
and together she and Victor could
establish and operate this clinic as an
enterprise that would support them.
They were deeply grateful for the
help, saying they could never repay
the favor.
“We are thankful to you guys [who]
help us in this hard time,” Sara said,
“we are able to earn by ourselves
instead of begging [from] others.”
ICC provided funds for construction
that was required to modify an
existing shop, and then they assisted
with purchasing the equipment
and supplies needed, such as a
stretcher, wheelchairs, a medical bed,
medicines, and medical instruments.
“I am thankful to [ICC] for this help,”
Victor said. “Now we are able to
survive. Our circumstances were not
good: Muslim people grab my land,
and we don’t have any earning option
before that, but [ICC] help us with
this clinic—God bless you.”
Even though it seems Victor will not
receive justice and regain his land, the
situation was not hopeless, because
with Christ it never is, He always
makes a way, and in this instance
He used ICC to come alongside and
lift the burden from this persecuted
couple by equipping them to support
themselves in a dignified way.
PERSECUTION.ORG 19

2020 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. #941
Washington, DC 20006-1846
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
THE MAIL MAN
We’d love to hear from you!
ICC
PO BOX 8056
SILVER SPRING, MD 20907
OR ONLINE AT
WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG
OR BY PHONE
800-ICC-5441
Giving via Will
Provide now for a future gift to ICC by including
a bequest provision in your will or revocable
trust. If you would like more information on
giving to ICC in this way, please give us a call at
1-800-ICC-5441.
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL Photo: CHRISTIAN First Hope Association CONCERN in Turkey