Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

I told you last week about Mrs. H., the widow of an Egyptian pastor that Remember has supported for the last months.  Her husband was killed by a taxicab in an “accident” engineered by the secret police, leaving behind herself and two sons.  One of those sons was with his father at the time he died, and was also hit by the taxi, but survived.

As if that was not enough, at the time of this murder, Mrs. H.’s other son was in the hospital.  Three days before, he had been stabbed in the shoulder as he attempted to protect a Christian girl from the intimidation of a Muslim man.  This intimidation was part of an ongoing program by the church’s Muslim neighbors to force them to shut down—using tactics such as vandalism, threats, and outright violence.

This incredible story only goes on.  The H family refused to give in to the pressure and close the church.  A, the older son who had been stabbed, was taken to the police station, where he was stripped, blindfolded, and taken before the head of security.  The officer cursed his dead father, threatened to confiscate the church building, and threatened with death if he would not comply.  When A refused, he was sent to another police station and held without food.  God intervened through a judge, and after an entire day at the station without food, A was released.

We live in a culture that reveres courage, but I don’t know that I have ever heard a story of more courage than was shown by this 24 year old young man and his family.  Because of their willingness to risk everything for the gospel, and because of the intervention of God, they have won the grudging permission of the authorities to continue their ministry in an impoverished Cairo neighborhood.

Whether or not you realized it, you were a part of that courageous stand.  A told us, “We are very grateful for the brothers and sisters who contributed to meet our needs.  It means a lot to us here in Egypt.  Without your support and the help of others, we would not be able to serve the Lord here, the way that we are serving Him right now.”

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director

P.S.  As a final update, before I release you to your prayers, Remember’s website now has a new function that I wanted you to be aware of.  As a part of our expanding ministry to “give life,” as Mrs. H said, we have added a secure page to our website that you can use to donate using your credit or debit card.  If you would like to become a financial partner in our ministry, please visit our donation page.

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