{"id":47651,"date":"2023-08-16T14:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=47651"},"modified":"2023-08-17T14:46:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T05:46:37","slug":"vomk-report-266","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/08\/16\/vomk-report-266\/","title":{"rendered":"LAOS: AS CHINA\u2019S INFLUENCE LOOMS, VOMK WORKERS QUIETLY FULFILL 2,100 INDIVIDUAL REQUESTS FOR BIBLES"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47649″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Discrete, personal deliveries of Bibles to Laos Christians have replaced large scale Bible distribution campaigns, due to growing Chinese influence on the Laos government\u2019s religious enforcement policies. That\u2019s the word from Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. Her organization has been working with local Christian workers in Laos recently to quietly fulfill individual requests for Bibles from 500 church leaders and 1,600 church members in that communist country. 660 requests for hymnals were also fulfilled, she says. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cLaos not only shares a border with China. It shares a communist ideology<\/span>, and that includes <\/span>strong restrictions on religion,\u201d says Representative Foley. She points to the July 28 arrest in Laos of Chinese human rights attorney <\/span>Lu <\/span>Siwei<\/span> as he was on his way to the United States as a sign of China\u2019s influence on the Laos government. \u201cWe should not be surprised to see Laos adopt China-style religious restrictions to attempt to control its <\/span>rapidly growing<\/span> Christian population,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47641″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201c<\/span>In 1994 there were<\/span> 400 Christians in Laos, but <\/span>by 2020 <\/span>there <\/span>were <\/span>over 250,000<\/span>,<\/span> and by <\/span>the end of <\/span>2023<\/span>, Lao Christians <\/span>believe there will be over<\/span> 400,000<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>She says that sharp increase has led to challenges for the Lao Christian community.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Persecution and restrictions are the main external challenges,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>M<\/span>ost <\/span>persecution <\/span>of Christians <\/span>in Laos <\/span>is done by <\/span>family members or village authorities who are concerned that Christianity offends the spirits<\/span>.\u201d But Representative Foley notes that <\/span>it is not only the spirits who villagers worry about offending. Lao government <\/span>authorities <\/span>also <\/span>watch the growth of unregistered Christian congregations with concern<\/span>. \u201c<\/span>Similar to China, t<\/span>here is <\/span>a clear expectation and <\/span>growing pressure <\/span>by the government for <\/span>all <\/span>churches to <\/span>officially <\/span>register<\/span> their existence <\/span>and fully comply with all religious regulations,\u201d she says. Those regulations also govern a<\/span>ccess to Bibles<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cBibles are not sold in <\/span>regular <\/span>bookstores<\/span> in Laos<\/span>,\u201d she says. \u201cThe <\/span>registered <\/span>churches sell Bibles, and <\/span>some foreign groups have sought legal permission to <\/span>bring Bibles in <\/span>for mass distributions.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47643″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Lao believer is thrilled to receive a new Bible.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]But according to Representative Foley, buying a Bible from a registered church or receiving a Bible from a government-permitted distribution can expose church leaders and local believers to pressure from their fellow villagers or from government authorities. \u201cPublic acquisition of a Bible can be like a trail leading suspicious villagers or government authorities right to <\/span>the door of an unregistered pastor or b<\/span>eliever<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]She says this is why her organization, Voice of the Martyrs Korea, has been partnering with local Christian workers to enable Lao church leaders and individual believers to request Bibles. Voice of the Martyrs Korea recently received requests from <\/span>500 church leaders and 1,600 church members in <\/span>Laos, along with <\/span>requests for <\/span>660 <\/span>hymnals<\/span>. \u201cBy quietly providing individual Bibles to the Christians who requested them, we have been able to meet the need while keeping identities confidential and <\/span>thus keeping Christians <\/span>safe,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47646″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”In 1994 there were 400 Christians in Laos, but by 2020 there were over 250,000, and by the end of 2023, Lao Christians believe there will be over 400,000. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley notes that <\/span>due to the massive growth of Christianity in Laos, <\/span>the majority <\/span>of<\/span> congregations <\/span>do not have a trained pastor. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Most pastors have little schooling<\/span>,<\/span> and many do not have <\/span>Bibles,<\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The church leader is typically the oldest or wealthiest person in the community. In most villages, no church buildings are allowed. If village leaders notice that a house church is growing, they will try to stop it.<\/span> Christians have difficulty <\/span>providing for<\/span> themselves and their family. They <\/span>may be <\/span>unable to get jobs, most of which are through the government. Christians <\/span>may be <\/span>denied medical treatment, <\/span>education<\/span> and other social services. There are no open Bible schools in the country.<\/span>\u201d<\/span> Representative Foley says that t<\/span>he Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) is the only government-recognized church.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But Representative Foley says her organization believes that the best way to address the challenges facing the growing Lao Christian community is <\/span>privately and <\/span>quietly, through fulfilling individual requests for Bibles, rather than through large-scale efforts that require centralized coordination <\/span>with the official church<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s structures, as well as <\/span>government permission. \u201cEarly Korean Christian history shows the power of individual Bible distribution,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c15,000 copies of the Ross Bible were secretly distributed hand-to-hand before the first missionaries arrived, even with the <\/span>government actively trying to stop the spread of the faith.\u201d She says <\/span>that just as the Lao government often follows the Chinese government\u2019s religious policies, the Lao church can learn from the Chinese underground church. \u201cThe Chinese government has been able to confiscate the buildings of Chinese megachurches<\/span>, drive all Bible purchases to official channels, and cut off the large-scale initiatives of American and Korean missionaries seeking to help the Chinese church,\u201d she says. \u201cBut <\/span>it has been much harder for <\/span>the Chinese government <\/span>to <\/span>stop the house-to-house <\/span>spread of Christianity in the countryside<\/span>. For the past several years that has been our focus in China: privately supplying Bibles and Bible study materials to individual believers who request them. That approach the Chinese government still <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span> stop. The time has come for us to take the same approach in Laos.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47648″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Most Lao pastors have little schooling, and many do not have Bibles.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs Korea is now working on a plan to quietly get audio Bibles to Lao believers who request them. \u201cT<\/span>here are many <\/span>Lao Christians <\/span>who <\/span>are unable to <\/span>read or write<\/span>, <\/span>especially in the countryside<\/span>,\u201d she says. \u201cLocal workers are compiling a growing list of believers who want to receive those audio Bibles, and we will be working to fulfill those requests in the coming months.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Individuals interested in learning more about Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s work in partnership with Laotian Christians can visit <\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/country-profile\/laos\/<\/span><\/span><\/a>. Donations can be made to <\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/donate<\/a><\/span> or via electronic transfer to\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uad6d\ubbfc\uc740\ud589<\/span> 463501-01-243303<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uc608\uae08\uc8fc<\/span>: (<\/span>\uc0ac<\/span>)<\/span>\uc21c\uad50\uc790\uc758\uc18c\ub9ac<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please include the word \u201cLaos\u201d on the donation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47649″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Discrete, personal deliveries of Bibles to Laos Christians have replaced large scale Bible distribution campaigns, due to growing Chinese influence on the Laos government\u2019s religious enforcement policies. …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":47650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47651"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47687,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47651\/revisions\/47687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}