[Faith-talk] [Christian-Community] urgent prayer

[debby phillips]

Hi all, it doesn't matter whether these brothers and sisters are 
Catholic or Protestant, but what does matter is that they are 
being asked to give up a lot, sometimes their very lives.  Our 
media doesn't want to talk about the fact that it's Christians 
that are being killed, too.  They talk about Muslims that do not 
believe as ISIS does that are being killed, but in many cases, 
it's people who are lovers of Jesus Christ.  I've tried to 
imagine what it would be like to have people going house to house 
among known Christians and asking the children to decide.  How 
terrible as a parent to watch your children be martyred in front 
of you.    Blessings,    Debby

 ---- Original Message ------
From: Betty Mata via Christian-Community 
<christian-community at ultragroups.us
Subject: [Christian-Community] urgent prayer
Date sent: Sat, 4 Oct 2014 13:07:38 -0400

Hi Everyone;

  This is from e-mails sent by missionaries in Irac.  From Blair 
Cook ISP
president: ( ISP is a Ministry of Campus Crusade) Dear All, I 
have received
these two emails from our missionary friends, one yesterday and 
one this
morning.  I just wanted to pass it on so that as many people as 
possible can
pray specifically for our brothers and sisters.  Much love and 
blessings.
Blair A friend just got a text message from her brother asking 
her to shower
him and his parish in prayer.  He is part of a mission and ISIS 
has taken
over the town they are in today.  He said ISIS is systematically 
going house
to house to all the Christians and asking the children to 
denounce Jesus.  He
said so far not one child has.  And so far all have consequently 
been killed.
But not the parents.  The UN has withdrawn and the missionaries 
are on their
own.  They are determined to stick it out for the sake of the 
families - even
if it means their own deaths.  He is very afraid, has no idea how 
to even
begin ministering to these families who have seen their children 
martyred.
Yet he says he knows God has called him for some reason to  be 
his voice and
hands at this place at this time.  Even so, he is begging prayers 
for his
courage to live out his vocation in such dire circumstances.  And 
like the
children  accept martyrdom if he is called to do so.  She asked 
me to ask
everyone we know to please pray for them.  These brave parents 
instilled such
a fervent faith in their children that they chose martyrdom.  
Please surround
them in their loss with your prayers for hope and perseverance.

She was able to talk to her brother briefly by phone.  She didn't 
say it but
I believe she believes it will be their last conversation.  Pray 
for her too.
She said he just kept asking  her to help him know what to do and 
do it.  She
told him to tell the families we ARE praying for them and they 
are not alone
or forgotten -- no matter what.  Her e mail broke my heart.  
Please keep all
in your prayers.  Thanks

This came this morning...  Just a few minutes ago I received the 
following
text      message on my phone from Sean M.  who leads Crisis 
Relief
International (CRI).  We then spoke briefly on the phone and  I 
assured him
that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our 
contacts.

"We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh).  It fell to ISIS and 
they are
beheading children systematically.  This is the city we have been 
smuggling
food too.  ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is 
within 10
minutes of where our CRI team is working.  Thousands more fled 
into the city
of Erbil last night.  The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil.  Our 
team is
unmoved and will stay.  Prayer cover needed!"
Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of 
Northern Iraq
from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic 
goals for mass
conversion or death for Christians across this region.  May I 
plead with you
not to ignore this email.
Do not forward it before you have prayed through it.  Then send 
it to as many
people as possible.  Send it to friends and Christians you may 
know.  Send it
to your prayer group.  Send it to your pastor and phone him/her 
to pray on
Sunday during the service - making a special time of prayer for 
this.  We
need to stand in the gap for our fellow Christians.

Jean Lesley


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