Sadness

This week I was very saddened by two significant events. The senseless shootings at Virginia Tech & the killings of three Christian men in Turkey. As I'm sure you've heard about the VT incident, these other killings may be news to you.

The Christians were found bound and beaten, with their throats slit. Two of the men are Turkish nationals & one was German. My heart aches. I spent a year of my life in this country, reaching out to the Turks. These men worked at a book publishing company associated with the same organization I was a part of while there.

One of the men that was killed used to live in the city where I lived, Izmir. He recently moved to Malatya to spread the gospel in the eastern part of Turkey. Back in 2000 this same man was jailed for "insulting" Mohammed & Islam in Izmir. Of course this couldn't have been further from the truth. He was simply handing out bibles to those who requested one. Since no witnesses could be found who would agree & stick to the lies of authorities, the case was dropped.

Turkey is a country that is 99% Muslim. Although there are some freedoms to share the gospel & attend church, some people will do anything to stop Christianity from spreading. Although this is an extereme case & doesn't happen often, it confirms that there are still those who will stop at nothing to ensure that the gospel does not spread.

To read more about this horrible event, click here

Please join me in praying for:

1. Those who labor in Turkey for the Lord: for their protection, and for open doors to share God's love and Gospel in the aftermath of these atrocities.

2. The Turkish church: as it bears the loss of these dear brothers and key leaders, and continues to bear persecution

3. The families of the victims