{"id":49182,"date":"2024-02-27T14:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T05:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=49182"},"modified":"2024-02-27T11:28:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T02:28:07","slug":"vomk-report-292","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2024\/02\/27\/vomk-report-292\/","title":{"rendered":"LAOS: PERSECUTORS DESTROYED THEIR HOMES, BUT THESE 10 CHRISTIAN FAMILIES ARE KEEPING THE FAITH"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49177″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea is reporting that the homes of all ten Christian families in a village in the South of Laos (name withheld for security reasons) were torn down one by one by fellow villagers over an eight-month period last year. According to Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, a building the families were using for church gathering was also destroyed, and the pulpit was burned, along with the Bibles the families had received from Voice of the Martyrs Korea. ” 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

\u201cThese families<\/span> had to leave <\/span>the<\/span>ir<\/span> village<\/span> and have been wandering for more than six months<\/span>, but they have not left the faith,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, the ten families had all become Christian <\/span>within the past five years<\/span> and <\/span>were <\/span>the only Christians in their <\/span>remote <\/span>village<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The tiny village where they liv<\/span>ed<\/span> is not accessible by car or foreign missionaries, but it is reachable by ordinary Lao people who share their faith with other ordinary Lao people,<\/span> and that\u2019s how they came to know Christ,<\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley. <\/span>\u201cIn 1994 there were 400 Christians in Laos, but by 2020 there were over 250,000, and <\/span>today <\/span>Lao Christians believe there <\/span>may <\/span>be over 400,000<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But <\/span>Representative Foley<\/span> says that <\/span>the <\/span>sharp increase has led to challenges for the Lao Christian<\/span>, especially those who like the ten families live in remote areas where they are the only believers<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of t<\/span>he tribal people are animists<\/span>. They also <\/span>worship <\/span>their <\/span>ancestors<\/span>,<\/span> like their deceased fathers or mothers<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>When families in their village become Christian,<\/span> other villagers claim to <\/span>experience things like sickness <\/span>as a result of<\/span> the local spirits being offended. <\/span>So<\/span> they <\/span>believe that <\/span>the Christian families <\/span>have to<\/span> renounce their faith or leave <\/span>the village <\/span>in order to<\/span> fix the problem.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49185″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]She says that a<\/span>fter <\/span>these ten families <\/span>became believers, other people in the<\/span>ir<\/span> village destroyed their homes <\/span>and church building <\/span>one by one <\/span>because the Christian families <\/span>refused to <\/span>r<\/span>enounce their faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, <\/span>the <\/span>ten <\/span>Christian families left <\/span>their village <\/span>last year <\/span>and <\/span>are <\/span>still <\/span>trying to find <\/span>place<\/span>s<\/span> to <\/span>resettle<\/span>, such as in rice field<\/span>s<\/span> or in the jungle.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cBut even as they wander, <\/span>they are still worshipping God<\/span>, and they are evangelizing those they meet,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cNow <\/span>their fellowship has increased to more than 100 people<\/span> from across the region, <\/span>and more people are continuing to come to Christ through them.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49181″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Lao Christians stand amidst the remains of their homes and church building which were destroyed by their fellow villagers last year. ” 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]She says a Voice of the Martyrs Korea field worker<\/span> visits them often and is in regular communication with them<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cOur worker himself also <\/span>donated some land for <\/span>them <\/span>to stay on <\/span>as long as they need, and another believer donated land on which they can build permanent homes,\u201d says Representative Foley. She noted that some of the families have found places to build homes in another village.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, the experience of these ten Christian families is not unique in Laos.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>One <\/span>of our Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>field worker<\/span>s<\/span> is <\/span>assisting<\/span> Christian members of <\/span>a <\/span>non-Christian <\/span>family in the <\/span>north of Laos<\/span>. T<\/span>he father passed away, and the mother, son, and daughters were left. The mother and <\/span>son <\/span>are animists, but the two daughters became Christians and kept attending worship services. The<\/span>ir <\/span>brother tried to chase them out of their family due to their faith.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49171″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Burning pulpit from a church recently destroyed by villagers in a remote Lao community. ” 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]Another <\/span>small rural <\/span>church <\/span>in Laos <\/span>faced a<\/span> violent <\/span>attack <\/span>from neighbors <\/span>last month<\/span>, according to Representative Foley<\/span>. During <\/span>the <\/span>morning worship service, villagers and relatives of the believers came and destroyed the church<\/span>, though further details cannot yet be shared due to safety concerns for the church members, says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Still, though persecutions like these against Lao Christians are not uncommon, Representative Foley says she sees a common <\/span>response<\/span> from <\/span>Lao Christians <\/span>to their persecutors<\/span>: forgiveness.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>They are not angry with their persecutors because <\/span>as Jesus says from the cross, the persecutors \u2018know not what they do\u2019,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>The<\/span> persecuted Christians see their<\/span> persecutors are sinners who <\/span>don’t<\/span> know Christ and <\/span>don’t<\/span> have <\/span>the <\/span>light <\/span>of the gospel <\/span>in their heart<\/span>s<\/span>. So, the families are <\/span>quite sincerely <\/span>not angry with the persecutors<\/span>,<\/span> and they are still praying for th<\/span>em<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49174″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Lao Christians gather at a recent worship service.\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 the suffering of the Lao believers <\/span>is not causing them <\/span>to abandon their faith. \u201c<\/span>They <\/span>believe <\/span>that God allowed th<\/span>ese things to happen in order <\/span>to make their faith strong so th<\/span>at<\/span> in the future they will be able to <\/span>endure and <\/span>also to <\/span>encourage those who <\/span>will be <\/span>persecuted like them<\/span>,\u201d she says<\/span>.<\/span> \u201cVoice of the Martyrs Korea will continue to stand with them <\/span>in their persecution<\/span>s<\/span>, <\/span>replacing their burned Bibles, <\/span>helping them to rebuild their homes and <\/span>churches, and <\/span>also <\/span>equipping <\/span>them to share their faith wherever the Lord leads them.\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 Lao Christians can visit <\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/country-profile\/laos\/<\/a><\/span>. Donations can be made to <\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/donation<\/span><\/span><\/a> 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=”49177″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea is reporting that the homes of all ten Christian families in a village in the South of Laos (name withheld for security …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":49178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","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\/49182","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=49182"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49188,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49182\/revisions\/49188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}