PHILIPPINES: Pastor Shot by Muslim Extremist

On Saturday evening, Aug. 27, a Muslim extremist entered the home of a Christian pastor on Jolo Island and shot him four times in the stomach, according to VOM contacts. The pastor was rushed to the local hospital, but no doctor was available to perform surgery until the following Monday morning. VOM contacts had heard rumors that the Muslim attacker was planning to return and kill the pastor, and they were in the process of making arrangements to transfer him to a better equipped facility. However, the pastor succumbed to his injuries and passed away in the late afternoon following the surgery.

He leaves behind a wife and four children. Jolo is deep in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It is a perilous place for Christians, who rarely leave Jolo City because of the risk. Even in Jolo City, Christians are the minority and are in constant danger.

Please pray for God's comforting presence in this family's time of loss. Pray that He will be their sustainer and protector. Pray that this incident does not overwhelm or deter them in their faith in Christ. Pray also for the salvation of the Muslim attacker.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him....Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you." (1 John 3:1, 13)

VOM assists Christians in the Philippines through its Families of Martyrs fund and VOMedical, as well as by providing motorcycles for pastors.

 

 

A Voice of the Martyrs Volunteer

"I am a Christian. I am dying today".

Monica Dra and her husband heard the marchers outside their small home in Nigeria on July 26, 2009. They heard the chants of "Allahu Akbar" and wondered what the night would hold for them and other Christians in their village.

"We had heard rumors all night that there were going to be problems," Monica told VOM, "and now I could hear them walking and slaughtering people as they went." Monica's husband, Daniel James, grabbed her, and they ran outside to escape the radical Muslim mob. But the radicals grabbed Daniel and hacked him to death with a machete.

Monica began to run, with her Bible and hymn book tucked under her arm. But members of the chanting mob grabbed her and began striking her with machetes. Seeing a cross on a chain around Monica's neck, a militant began to chop at her neck, nearly decapitating her. By the time Monica got to the hospital, she could only breathe through the gaping wound left by the lethal blade.

"I thought, 'I am a Christian,'" she said. "I am dying today."

But Monica didn't die. After six surgeries to repair her throat and close the wound in her neck, doctors were able to save her voice. Through VOMedical, Monica, a poor widow with a 5-year-old child, received excellent medical care and post-op follow-up. Thanks to generous donations from VOM supporters, Monica is among the more than 600 Christians who have received medical care after being injured because of their Christian faith.

Monica now needs only one more surgery to regain her normal speaking voice. "Now that I have my strength back, I have forgiven my attackers," Monica said. "Now I have more courage to serve the Lord much more."

We don't know where the next attack will occur. Nigeria? Indonesia? China? But VOMedical is committed to serving those who are injured by acts of persecution. Your generous support enables us to act immediately, providing care and healing to our persecuted family members.

Please click on the V.O.M. link to the right and consider giving.

A Voice of the Martyrs Volunteer