Beauty From Ashes

I was greatly encouraged by reading a story this morning that was posted on Open Doors, an organization created “To strengthen and equip the Body of Christ living under or facing restriction and persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and to encourage their involvement in world evangelism…“, to provide awareness and to unite the church in prayer to be “One with Them” as commanded in Hebrews 13:1;3.

“Keep on loving one another as Christians….Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are”.
“A core value of Open Doors is and always has been that we are people of prayer.  It’s because we know that the greatest tool that will strengthen persecuted Christians and equip them to reach their communities with the love of Jesus… is prayer” (http://blog.opendoorsusa.org/; Prayer kit).

This is the story…it will warm your heart because God is faithful, merciful and will bring beauty out of ashes!

In 2011, Francis Namukubalo, a Ugandan evangelist, was brutally murdered by several Muslim extremists.

Francis was a Muslim Background Believer, and these men did not approve of him evangelizing in their region. Two of the people involved in the murder were some of his closest friends.

The murder left his wife widowed, alone to raise their three children, with one on the way. The entire family was heartbroken by the situation, unsure of what the future held.

Open Doors launched a letter writing campaign for the Namukubalo family, and thousands of Christians around the world sent letters filled with words of encouragement. This proved to be a great blessing to the family, and reminded them that the body of Christ around the world was praying for them.

Two years later, it is amazing to see how those prayers are actually working.

An excited William Masolo, the father of the late Francis Namukubalo, informed Open Doors of an evangelistic meeting that took place in his village.“God is proving to me that He is hearing the prayers of the saints for this region. For the first time since Francis death, we had a massive outreach in our village that lasted three days! The Muslims did not interfere with the meetings, and more than 30 people, including many Muslims, came to the Lord!”

He went on to say, “I know that the brethren around the world have been praying with us after reading the sad story of my late son Francis and how he shared my heart’s desire for the evangelization of this area. I just wanted to let you all know that God is hearing and responding to the prayers ­ thank you!”

In spite of the painful persecution that this family has had to endure, God is at work in their lives, and in the lives of their community.

“We now move onto the discipleship of these new believers. Please join us in praying for each one of them. That they would get fully grounded in the Lord, and never revert back to their old ways. May God also give us wisdom and Christ¹s love as we disciple them.”

Asked about the previous threats on his life as he seeks justice for his son¹s murder, he reported, “It seems that the fear of the Lord has finally hit their hearts, and they have stopped threatening me. I thank God for that even as I continue to exercise care in my movements. Thank you also for praying for my life ­ God is surely answering those, too!”

The prayers of the thousands of believers around the world have truly changed the situation in this Ugandan village. God has heard these powerful prayers, and is at work in mighty ways!

Thank you Lord for the ways that You are at work in this region, in spite of the persecution!

To write a letter of encouragement and prayer to a fellow believer go to: Open Doors/Write or
Voice of the Martyrs at Persecution.com