{"id":48268,"date":"2023-11-07T14:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T05:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=48268"},"modified":"2023-11-07T11:42:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T02:42:10","slug":"vomk-report-277","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/11\/07\/vomk-report-277\/","title":{"rendered":"CENTRAL ASIA: VEHICLES OFTEN THE ONLY SAFE PLACE FOR CHRISTIANS TO WORSHIP"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”48261″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”At a prearranged location, \u201cRob\u201d (name changed for security reasons) waits, watching for a familiar vehicle among the heavy traffic passing by on the street in front of him. When he sees his friend\u2019s car maneuver to the curb, he gets in and they drive around for a few hours. In this Central Asian country, where meeting in public could draw the attention of Islamic extremists, using cars is one of the safest ways for Christians to fellowship and worship. ” 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

\u201c<\/span>Secret believers in restricted nations use a number of discreet meeting places in order to practice their faith undetected<\/span>,\u201d says Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley, whose organization partners with Christians throughout Central Asia<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>VOM workers have heard of church meetings in the forest, in a rented vacation home in the country<\/span>,<\/span> and even in a chicken coop.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Rob and his friend cruise the neighborhood and talk freely about their faith, sticking to side streets to avoid police checkpoints and meeting only during the day for safety.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Rob pulls out his mobile phone and the two men begin to sing along exuberantly with recorded worship music. <\/span>\u201cPeople who watch Christians <\/span>drive by <\/span>and see them singing so passionately usually just <\/span>assume they\u2019re singing the latest pop song<\/span>s<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says Representative Foley. \u201cB<\/span>ut <\/span>for Central Asian believers, they can sing <\/span>heartfelt songs of praise to God <\/span>most freely when they are driving around,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”48265″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After worshiping in song, Rob and his friend listen to <\/span>an <\/span>audio Bible and then discuss what <\/span>they\u2019ve<\/span> heard. <\/span>Then they <\/span>pull into a restaurant parking lot for a few minutes to pray \u2014 with their eyes open. <\/span>Then<\/span> Rob\u2019s friend drops him off again at a street corner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worship and fellowship time is usually about an hour,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, <\/span>Rob <\/span>and other Central Asian Christians have had to become accustomed <\/span>to meeting other Christians in creative and covert ways because Christians in <\/span>most of Central Asia <\/span>are <\/span>generally the<\/span> only <\/span>believers in their homes and communities. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Apostasy from Islam is punishable by death, so if their faith is discovered, they will almost certainly be killed by authorities if not their own family members<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>An hour of fellowship in a car serves as a great encouragement as they practice their faith in secret.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A few hours after his first meeting, Rob is out on the street corner again, waiting for a different Christian friend. This time, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> one of the local church leaders he meets several times a week. As the church leader navigates through heavy traffic, Rob asks how his ministry is going and how he can pray for him. And then they pray, staring straight ahead watching people pass by them. <\/span>\u201cThis is how the<\/span>y pour out their praise and needs before the throne of God<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”48267″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”(file photo) Inside a car in Central Asia\u2014the safest place for believers to worship and fellowship\u00a0” 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 that a<\/span>s Rob and the other believers drive around their city of committed, conservative Muslims, they <\/span>are aware <\/span>that small groups of Christians are doing the same thing in other cities around their country. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>They are worshiping and praying together in the only safe place they have \u2014 their vehicle<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span> She says Rob told Voice of the Marty<\/span>r<\/span>s, <\/span>\u201cJesus said<\/span>,<\/span> \u2018W<\/span>herever two or three gather and wherever two or three call my name, I am with them<\/span>.<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]After being dropped at a street corner for the second time, Rob leans into the church leader\u2019s open car window. \u201cSee you on Tuesday, friend.\u201d Then he walks away from his \u201cchurch<\/span>\u201d\u2014<\/span>something<\/span> the auto makers <\/span>likely could<\/span> not have <\/span>imagined would become so meaningful to Christians in Central Asia.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Individuals interested in seeing the latest prayer requests from underground Christians in Central Asia can visit <\/span>www.vomkorea.com<\/a>\/en\/<\/span> and type \u201cCentral Asia\u201d in the search bar. Support for Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s work with underground Christians in Central Asia can be given via electronic transfer to:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

KB Bank: 463501-01-243303<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Account Holder: (<\/span>\uc0ac<\/span>)<\/span>\uc21c\uad50\uc790\uc758\uc18c\ub9ac<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please note \u201cCentral Asia\u201d on the transfer.<\/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=”48261″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”At a prearranged location, \u201cRob\u201d (name changed for security reasons) waits, watching for a familiar vehicle among the heavy traffic passing by on the street in front …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":48262,"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-48268","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\/48268","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=48268"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48271,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48268\/revisions\/48271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}