A Prayer Like This Begins With Me (with Special Coverage of Brutal Violence in India)

Dearest Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

In your comfort zone, have you ever wondered how our brothers and sisters are doing on another side of the world...like India?

Well, I do find myself getting too comfortable with the abundant blessings from God from time to time and I must admit, they aint always free! It sometimes takes a whole lot of grace to appreciate His kinda blessings (hahaa!) that frequently comes with spices of life we usually call 'trials', 'tribulations' and 'whats-NOTS'. But hey, thats what makes life amazingly interesting! I particularly enjoy the generous SURPRISES that flow sparingly after all that 'jazz' and usually least expectedly, at His time. Where would rainbow be without the storm?

On a similar agenda and a more serious note, my heart once again calls out for your humble prayers, where there lies a Spiritual Warfare.

I have received numerous emails, information and prayer requests on the brutality against our brothers and sisters in Christ, the Children of God, in India. For your reading convenience, I have compiled them into the following so that you may too have an insight of the gravity of the unjustifiable violence taking place in Orissa and Mangalore, India.

You may have already heard the Orissa anti-Christian violences such as these :

1. NUN REPORTED BURNT ALIVE: A Christian woman, possibly a nun, was reported burnt alive on 25th August 2008 by a group of Vishwa Hindu Parishad mob which stormed the orphanage she ran in the district of Bargarh (Orissa). Police Superintendent Ashok Biswall has told this to news reporters. A priest who was at the orphanage was also badly hurt and is now being treated in hospital for multiple burns.

2. NUN RAPED: A young Catholic Nun of the Cuttack Bhubaneswar diocese working Jan Vikas Kendra, the Social Service Centre at Nuagaon in Kandhamal was reportedly gang raped on 24th August 2008 by groups of Hindutva extremists before the building itself was destroyed.

3. SENIOR PRIEST AND NUN INJURED: Fr Thomas, director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Kanjimendi, less than a kilometer away from the Social Service Centre, and another Nun were injured when the centre was attacked. They were taken to the police station in a disheveled state as the armed mob bayed for their blood. The Pastoral centre was then set afire.

4. BALLIGUDA CHURCH BUILDINGS DESTROYED AGAIN: On 24th August 2008 evening lynch mobs at the block headquarters of Balliguda, in the very heart of Kandhamal district, which had seen much violence between 24th and 26th December 2007, attacked and destroyed a Presbytery, convent and hostel damaging the properties.

5. The mobs in Balliguda caught hold of two boys of the Catholic hostel and tonsured their heads.

6. PHULBANI CHURCH DAMAGED: On 25th august 2008 morning followers of the late Lakshmanananda Saraswati damaged the Catholic Church in Phulbani, the district headquarter town.

7. MOTHER TERESA BROTHERS ASHRAM ATTACKED: mobs attacked the Mother Teresa Brothers' residence and hospital in Srasanada, destroyed once before and rebuilt two months ago, and beat up the patients. Fundamentalists have targeted Priests, religious and also the Faithful in Pobingia also.

8. BHUBANESWAR BISHOP'S HOUSE ATTACKED: On the morning of 25th August 2008, violent mobs made several attempts to enter the compounds of Catholic Church and Archbishop's house in the heart of the Capital of the State of Orissa. They could not enter because of the police presence. They threw stones at the guesthouse of Archbishop's House, damaging windows.

9. DUBURI PARISH: Another group of fundamentalists entered presbytery in Duburi parish, managed by the SVDs and destroyed and damaged property. Two priests of the parish are missing.

10. Mr. Jamaj Pariccha, Director of Gramya Pragati, is attacked and his property, vehicle etc. damaged, burnt and looted.

11. A Baptist Church in Akamra Jila in Bhubaneswar is also damaged.

12. Christian institutions like St. Arnold's School (Kalinga Bihar), AND NISWASS report some damage.

13. BOUDH DISTRICT [Adjoining Kandhamal]: Fundamentalists enter the Catholic parish church and destroy property. People are fleeing to safer places. But nothing seems safe.

14. Muniguda Catholic Fathers and Nuns' residence have been damaged.

15. Sambalpur HM Sister's residence (Ainthapalli) has suffered damage.

16. Padanpur: One priest is attacked and admitted to a hospital. Hostel boys and the in charge have moved away from the place.

17. Madhupur Catholic Church currently under attack.

18. SMALL CHURCHES: Attempted violence on small churches in various districts, including Padampur, Sambalpur near GM College, Talsera, Dangsoroda, Narayanipatara, Muniguda, Tummiibandh, Tangrapada, Phulbani, Balliguda, Kalingia, Chakapad, Srasanranda.

19. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN HOUSES ATTACKED: Houses attacked on forest hamlets of Balliguda, Kanjamandi Nuaguam (K.Nuaguam), Tiangia(G.Udayagiri), Padangiri, Tikabali.

20. KALAHANDI DISTRICT: houses burnt even though the district is more than 300 kilometers from the place where Swami Lakshmanananda was killed.

21. Pastor Sikandar Singh of the Pentecostal Mission beaten up and his house burnt in Bhawanipatna.

22. Kharihar: 3 Christian shops were looted and burnt. Pastor Alok Das and Pastor I M Senapati beaten up.

23. Aampani: Pastor David Diamond Pahar, Pastor Pravin Ship, Pastor Pradhan and Pastor Barik beaten up and chased away with theirfamilies.

24. Naktikani: Mob surrounds village to attack Christians. The government has sent forces, it is reported.

And many more....

Below is the link for some of the updated news and details of the suffering of Christians in Orissa who have been hunted by RSS, BJP, VHP & Bajarang Dal groups.

http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/

Also, if your heart may, please take some time to fill the petition to The President of India against these human violence.

http://www.petitiononline.com/RAJ1962/

What else may YOU & I do?

Let us PRAY for the conversion of many souls, especially those belonging to RSS, BJP, VHP & Bajarang Dal groups, so that all their zeal to destroy His Kingdom today would be crushed by the righteousness of God and of our hearts.

Join the following Daily 1 Minute Chain of Prayer (it may seem a bit long, but undeniably a good quality prayer!):

Psalms 68 : 1- 3

May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Encouraged by the promise given to us in Psalms 68, we come before you Lord Elshaddai and claim your mighty protection upon every single christian in India against the deceits and attacks of the evil one. Lord Elshaddai, we pray that you will blow up every plans, plots, schemes and attacks fashioned by evil minds against the Holy Catholic Church in India, by the power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, by the death of Jesus , by the power of His Holy Cross and by the power of His Glorious Resurrection.

Right now we invoke the apostolic promise given to St Peter in Matthew 16:18-19 : '..you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.' We BIND every demonic attack against the church in India, every leader and member from BJP, VHP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and any other religious fundamentalist / political group standing against this promise of God and the Holy Church founded on this rock.

'The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in Him I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence.' (2 Samuel 22:2). By the power of this word and by the power of the precious blood of Jesus we bind you Satan and command you to go to the feet of the cross. We destroy every plan against the catholic church in India by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every parish, diocese, religious and lay ministers in India, we bring under the protection of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Above all Lord, we pray that our very persecutors may transform to be the preachers of your Kingdom. May the same spirit that converted Saul to St Paul, start working on them right now. We pray very specially for every single member of BJP, VHP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and any other religious/political fundamentalist group to accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as their personal Lord, God and Saviour. Give us the grace to forgive and never to hate. Open our eyes to understand that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but the evil in disguise.

All Holy angels come and minister to your children in India and all around the world. Lord we pray that you will send millions and millions of angels in India to fight this battle for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel,defend the Church in India in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Just your friendly neighbour,
Adele
*One for All, All for One* (Jesus for Us, Us for Jesus)