Dear Rev Ilie Tomuta,

Greetings from New Delhi in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The November issue of Tortured for Christ comes to you carrying news from the persecuted world, views of our President and stories that inspire faith. Our editorial for the month questions the fear people have on the unknown future despite claiming their trust in the Heavenly Father. The theological section contains the first part of the biography of a committed Christian missionary, Amy Carmichael. This story is brought to you as a means to convey the importance of being in touch with our Inner Counsellor on a daily basis.

We bring to light the murder of a pastor in Jharkhand and another incident of attempt to murder a pastor in Bangladesh. The prayers by our readers for the families of the victims and those persecuted are a source of great strength that helps them affirm their faith despite facing such heinous circumstances. We are very grateful for your solidarity and participation in our mission.

Last but not the least; let me remind you of the need for your contribution in arranging Christmas gifts for the children at Michael Job Centre. We are looking forward to your support in this matter.

Yours in His service,

Dr. Mary Job

November 2015

PASTOR MURDERED IN JHARKHAND

Chamu Hasda Purty, a 54 year old pastor in the village of Sandih, district Khunti, Jharkhand, was killed by unidentified thugs who barged into his house and shot him. The murder took place in the late evening of October 12, but the Superintendent of the local police, Anis Gupta, released the news only on October 15. He claimed that the police have identified the killers and are on their trail. However, no arrests have been made so far. The pastor belonged to the Independent Pentecostal Church.

A Christian leader who is familiar with the conditions of Christians in these remote areas said, “We mourn the murder of Pastor ChamuHasda Purty. The situation in which the tiny Christian community lives is very difficult.” Some residents of the village (names withheld for security reasons) said that Pastor Purty recited prayers regularly. His religious services were attended by a large part of society, without distinction of creed or caste. His murder could be linked to personal grudges since he was highly respected in the community.

However, the district president of Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh, the national Christian forum, Subhash Kongari, who is also a lawyer, said that “The motive (behind these attacks) is to terrorize Christians. Every year we witness an average of two murders in the area and several other forms of violence. They are all part of an agenda to terrorize people so that they disassociate from Christianity.” This comment seems relevant in the backdrop of the fact that Jharkhand has a population of 33 million people out of which 1.4 million are Christians. Most of them are believers from different ethnic backgrounds. Also the total number of Christians living in Jharkhand is double the total percentage of Christians living all over India. Please pray for the family of the martyred pastor, and for peace to prevail among the Christian community of the area.

On October 5, a pastor in Bangladesh, Luke Sarker, of the local Baptist Mission’s Faith Bible Church of God, survived an attempt on his life by three suspected militants who attacked him in his house after pretending to want to learn about Christianity. The 52 year old priest said that two weeks ago the men had called him up to listen to his sermons and told him that they wanted to visit him to learn more. The assailants were aged between 25-30 years and they attacked the minister with a knife and tried to slit his throat at his home in the north-western district of Pabna, police said.

Pastor Sarker describes the incident: “The three sat in the drawing room for a while. As the conversation proceeded, my wife moved to another room. Then suddenly, one of them pressed my mouth and the other two tried to slit my throat. I bit the hand of one of them and screamed for help. As I started screaming, people rushed to the scene. . .and they fled.” As the assailants ran, they left their motorbike when the pastor’s wife and daughter shouted to the neighbours for help. The priest, who is also a homeopath practitioner, suffered injuries to his throat as a result of the attack.

Meanwhile, police arrested a 22-year-old suspect, for the attack. The suspect, Obaidur Rahman, was arrested this morning from AwtaparhaVillage in Ishwardi on a tip-off. Police had earlier said that the attackers could be members of a fundamentalist group. “We have launched an investigation. Until now it appears to be part of an effort to create political unrest,” special superintendent of police’s criminal investigation department Shahriar Rahman Kajol stated in a conference. The motorbike left by the attackers outside the house was carrying a registration number having a fake address, Kajol said.

The attack on the pastor came a week after an Italian and a Japanese man were killed in the country. The 66-year-old Japanese, HosiKoniyo, known for philanthropic work, was shot dead in north-western Rangpur on October 3, five days after an Italian aid worker was killed in the capital Dhaka. The fatal attacks on the two foreigners were claimed by militants though it was dismissed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who alleged that the Opposition alliance had killed them to tarnish her government’s image. Please remember the injured pastor, his family and members of his flock in your prayers.

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN OR FAITH IN THE KNOWN GOD

by Dr. Mary Job

On my recent visit to Coimbatore, one of the children at Michael Job Centre came to me with a very serious and sad face. I was immediately concerned as to what was troubling her, and took her aside to question her. “Is the world going to end?” she asked in a trembling voice. I asked her why she thought so, and she took out a crumpled newspaper cutting where there was an article about the Earth being shrouded in darkness from November 15th to 29th. She told me that if there would be no Sun for 15 days, surely the Earth would freeze and human life would end. I had also heard these rumours so I assured her that though her logic was right, no scientists had confirmed this occurrence and this was just a fake story. This child had seen much trauma in her life so I told her to repeat Psalm 23:4 if ever she felt afraid: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” My assurance worked, and the girl nodded and walked away happily.

This incident compelled me to think how much adults too fear the unknown. Moreover, we are more difficult to comfort and reassure because we consider ourselves more ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘armed with facts’ than children. We fear for our futures, our children’s futures, our careers, our relationships, our health, and accidents that may derail our lives. Most of the time we make decisions based on fear. Even a simple thing such as Medical Insurance is applied for in the fear that we might fall sick and have to pay huge medical bills in the event of hospitalization and operations. We have begun to rely heavily on ‘human knowledge and skill’ so we are afraid of the unknown. Yet, God wants us to be fearless of everything and do what He wishes each of us to do.

The Biblical leaders of the Old Testament like Abraham and Moses followed God’s commands irrespective of what their reasoning and logic told them to do. Abraham obediently followed God’s orders to move him and his family into an unknown land. He must have wondered at the wisdom of leaving all the comforts available at Ur and enduring the fear and insecurity of the unknown. But, his actions prove the extent of his faith. He preferred to follow where His Lord led him because he knew that while his knowledge was limited his God’s knowledge was limitless.

The story I now narrate illustrates man’s inclination to opt for the known and its unknowing implications. An Arab chief once told the story of a spy captured and sentenced to death by a General in the Persian army. This General had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and “the big, black door.” The moment for execution drew near, and guards brought the spy to the Persian General. “What will it be,” asked the General, “the firing squad or the big, black door?” The spy hesitated for a long time. Finally he chose the firing squad. A few minutes later, hearing the shots ring out confirming the spy’s execution, the General turned to his aide and said, “They always prefer the known to the unknown. People fear what they don’t know. Yet, we gave him a choice.” The aide asked curiously, “What lies beyond the big door?” The General smiled and said, “Freedom. But I have known only a few brave enough to take that door.”

Troubles, trials and tribulations will definitely come in this life because they are meant to come to test you. Whether you let them overcome you or whether you let your faith overcome your fears rest entirely in your hands. Maybe the Lord’s instruction is something you do not understand. Maybe His way is opposite to what you want to do. But, follow Him nevertheless because His way is never wrong. Isaiah 41:10 states clearly, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

THE LIFE OF AMY CARMICHAEL (PART 1 OF 2)

We have been studying about a meaningful relationship with our Risen Lord and how His Holy Spirit as our Counsellor can enable us in our day to day lives to ‘walk the talk’. We have Biblical examples of women who were touched and inspired by Jesus. One such example is the Samaritan woman about whom we read in Chapter 4 of John’s Gospel. She was not only a Samaritan with whom the Jews had no intention to associate, but also a woman of questionable character.

To Jesus, however, her background was not a reason to avoid her but was rather a bridge He used to reach out. Once she realised who Jesus was she rushed back to her town and invited the people to come and meet the man who told her about everything she had ever done (John 4:29). Many did come to see Jesus and believed in Him (John 39 & 42).

We can find several women who have been touched by our Lord and went on to became channels of blessings in different parts of the world. In this issue, we look into the life of one such person from Northern Ireland, who travelled to Donahvur in Tamil Nadu and dedicated her life to living and serving that small town and the people there.

Amy Beatrice Carmichael was born as the oldest of seven children in 1867 in Millisle, County Down in Northern Ireland to David & Catherine Carmichael. She grew up with a strong Christian foundation laid by her parents, teachers and church connections.

The Carmichael family with their prosperous flour mills provided employment for many families in the surrounding countryside and were also dedicated to their Christian witness in the neighbourhood. Amy’s mother frequently provided cakes and food for elderly and poor folk in the village and Amy helped her take some of these to needy neighbours. These little deeds of kindness undoubtedly influenced Amy and had a great impact on her as she went on to help many needy people in the later years of her ministry. Amy and her siblings were brought up in godly ways, and they were well-versed with the scriptures. When Amy was only three years old, she noticed that her mother’s eyes were blue but hers were brown. She prayed that the Lord would change the colour of her eyes to blue like her mother’s, but noticed that her eyes were still brown even after praying about it. She recalled that event much later as one of her earliest spiritual lessons about God’s answer to our prayers; that is that it need not be always a ‘yes’ but, can be ‘wait’ or sometimes even a ‘no’.

The Carmichael children had teachers who taught them reading, writing and arithmetic at home. One of them took time also to teach them scriptures and told stories of great men and women of God, which remained in Amy’s memory. A missionary wife who worked in India happened to spend some time in Millisle, and she gathered together children on Sunday afternoons and told them stories of life in India when Amy was still young. Amy always stayed back to hear more even after all the other children left.

In her early teens, Amy had to leave the comforts and security of home and go to a Wesleyan Methodist boarding school in England to complete her education. It was not easy for Amy to settle in to the strict regime at the new school, and she missed the warmth of her home and the company of her siblings. Despite being away from home she displayed leadership abilities, though mostly in mischievous ways. While in the boarding school, at the age of fifteen, she experienced the warmth of God’s love flowing into her life Amy silently prayed to receive Jesus into her life. Amy’s young life was transformed as she felt a sense of God’s love and presence in her life.

Amy’s father, David, was a prominent business man and moved from Millisle to the prosperous industrialised city of Belfast where he bought a larger mill. The new business brought added strain on Amy’s father and he eventually became ill. As his health continued to deteriorate, Amy and her brothers were brought back from their boarding schools. Her father eventually passed away in 1885, nine months before Amy’s eighteenth birthday.

His death affected Amy more than other members of the family. She took on more responsibility at home and became more active in her Christian life and service. She was involved in helping people in poor neighbourhoods of the city. Amy gathered boys and girls from the nearby streets and took them to her home where she taught them Bible stories and gave them something to eat before they returned to their homes.

Amy started a Monday evening Bible class for boys with the help of three others. At the same time she started a Sunday morning Bible class for deprived girls, most of whom worked in Belfast’s linen mills. They did not have fancy church-going dresses, so they covered their heads with black or grey shawls which they wrapped around themselves, earning them the nickname ‘shawlies’.

One day on her way home from the church with the rest of the family, she saw a poor, old woman carrying a heavy bundle in a dirty bag and staggering along the street. The whole family stopped when they saw this unknown lady, in stark contrast to the well-dressed church goers who completely ignored her as they passed by.

Instead of continuing home, Amy called her two brothers to help the struggling lady. As her brothers helped the elderly woman to carry the load, Amy spoke words of comfort and Christian compassion to her while walking in the wind and rain. Amy noticed the looks of disapproval people gave her as they wondered why the three respectable teenagers from the Carmichael family were associating with a pauper in public. Yet they continued to help this poor woman.

That morning Amy felt like she heard an audible voice about the fire that shall try every man’s work, and this changed her life forever. One of her brothers later recounted that Amy shut herself in her room when they arrived home, was on her knees and talked with God and settled once and for all, the future pattern of her life. Amy was deeply moved by what she saw, and from that point onwards she devoted her life to helping the poor and needy and began what turned out to be her lifelong missionary work.

Amy’s first major outreach was to the mill worker girls who were quite unlike the well-dressed people of the city. She started the Welcome Evangelical Church when she was in her twenties for these girls. She worked there till 1887 until she was convinced that her calling in life was to be a servant of the Lord. In the meantime, she was struck down by an illness called Noralgia which caused body pain and forced her to be in bed for several days. The illness made it difficult to follow her desire to be a missionary, but she ignored all her friends’ attempts to discourage her from going. She eventually left Belfast and travelled to India where she worked for fifty five years, and eventually died there, without ever having returned to her homeland.

Source: Amy’s Tin Tabernacle by Victor Maxwell.

HELP 354 DAUGHTERS!!!

GIVE THEM CHRISTMAS GIFTS ON 22nd DECEMBER 2015

This year we wish to give a packet of clothes for the daughters of MJC as a Christmas Gift. The package will include: (1) One complete set of blue uniform [blouse, pants, belt, tie, socks] (2) One complete set of white uniform [blouse, pants, belt, tie, socks] (3) One pair of white athletic shoes (4) One pair of black shoes for school (5) Three sets of undergarments (6) One casual/daily-wear dress (7) One Special Occasion/Sunday dress (8) Feminine Supplies (over 275 girls are above 12 years of age). This pack is the most valuable gift you can give the children as these are not things that can be broken and discarded in a few days, but necessities that the orphan children need and will use daily as they go to school, exercise on the athletic field and worship in the Chapel. Our current costs for the complete list above are about 4000 rupees per girl.

You can send Rs. 4,000/- in favour of :

MICHAEL JOB ORPHANAGE, Near Sulur Boat Lake,

Ravathur P.O., Coimbatore Dist, Tamil Nadu – 641103, INDIA.

A NOVEL WAY TO CELEBRATE

BIRTHDAY! WEDDING! WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

BIRTH OF A CHILD

with 354 girls from underprivileged and challenging backgrounds

Breakfast US$ 200 Lunch US$ 400 Dinner US$ 300

This will provide one meal to 354 daughters plus 142 staff members. Send in your photograph (hard or soft copy) and cheque one week before the occasion. The photograph will be shown on the large screen in the Dining Hall where all the daughters gather. The daughters will sing “Happy Birthday” or “Count your Blessings” with your name and pray for you. You can witness this through a DVD of the day’s celebrations which will be sent to you later.

Your donations for our daughters at Coimbatore can be sent by 

crossed Cheque/Draft in favour of:

 DR JOB’S MISSION INC.

1772 Willis Ave, Merrick, NY 11566, U.S.A

Founder: Dr. P.P. Job

Patron: Bishop Florin T. Cimpean

President: Mr. Thomas Koshy

Vice President: Rev. Ilie U. Tomuta

Secretary: Mr. Saji George

Treasurer: Mrs. Anitha George

 

Please visit our websites: www.mjc.ac.in