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1.) Hidden Faces Of The Persecuted

    by Jerry Dykstra

    When you think of those being persecuted for their faith, who comes to mind? Quite possibly you think of pastors in prison. Evangelists tortured. Bold leaders who are beaten for their faith.

    But there's something missing in this picture. All the faces possibly belong to men. If so, that image is incomplete.

    The reality is that well over half of those with limited or no religious freedom today are made up of wives, mothers and daughters. But their faces are often unseen, their voices rarely heard.

    Yet these women are also arrested, imprisoned and tortured. Many, whose husbands have been locked up or martyred, are left behind to raise fatherless children in cultures that despise them. Some are illiterate, unskilled and unable to find work.

    The plight of women is especially difficult in the Muslim World. Women who become Christians are abandoned by their families and may even be murdered by male relatives.

    In Africa, women may be raped, mutilated and sold as slaves. In the State of the World's Mothers 2005 report, Africa was listed as the worst continent to be a mother or child.

    In China, the wives of evangelists often struggle alone while their husbands are away for months at a time. Or in jail.

    Also, according to a recent report, three times more women were killed on average in some tsunami-devastated countries than men and the scarcity of females has led to reports of forced marriages and rape. In 2005, ministering to these persecuted women is one of the four key goals of The Lighthouse Project - Open Doors' bold initiative for its 50th anniversary year.

    Open Doors - an international ministry which supports and strengthens Christians persecuted for their faith - seeks to provide literacy classes for women, open new safe houses to provide refuge, equip women who are leaders and much more.

    Another way of helping suffering women is by equipping them with vocational skills. Through indigenous crafts, they can earn a living and keep their families together. For example, some persecuted women in Vietnam have learned to make purses. Open Doors USA recently purchased those purses and the entire shipment was quickly sold here. Open Doors also helps by teaching sewing and tailoring skills so the women can support themselves.

    "An alarming percentage of women are abused, belittled and allowed no voice in their home and communities merely because of their gender and their faith," says Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA. "Yet these women are not without hope. Joining hands together we can help change their lives through teaching vocational skills, counseling and educating families and supplying them with resources to overcome oppressive cultural influences. The Lighthouse Project is an exciting initiative that will strengthen persecuted women and equip them for greater ministry."

    Open Doors USA also partners with women's church groups in the United States to support their sisters in Christ through various projects. One group of women from Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) encouraged persecuted women during a trip to Chiapas, Mexico this spring and another group from the church will visit later this month.

    An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors, celebrating 50 years of service to the Persecuted Christians in 2005, serves and strengthens the those suffering in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers.

    For more informaton go to their web site at:
http://www.odusa.org (http://www.odusa.org)