11/25/2021   Myanmar   (VOM) Following the military coup that occurred earlier this year in Myanmar, authorities have been searching for local church leader Maung, seeking to detain him for his faithful Christian witness and leadership of his church members. Fearing for his life, Maung is moving from house to house and is unable to support his wife and their two young children.   Please pray … Pray for Maung’s protection and that the Lord will strengthen his faith. Pray the Lord will meet his family’s needs, and pray for his church to be strengthened. Pray for peace and stability in Myanmar.

11/19/2020  Myanmar  (VOM) A Christian accused of speaking against Buddhism has been told that a verdict will be delivered soon. Aung Tun Oo was accused by two radical Mahbahtah monks of denigrating Buddhism in 2017. Since the case was registered, Aung Tun Oo has been summoned to the court 54 times. A VOM worker in Myanmar asked for prayers that God would cause the judge in the case to rule justly rather than give in to pressure from the radicals. The Mahbahtah monks are members of the most dangerous terrorist group in Myanmar. As Aung Tun Oo has been going through this grueling legal process, he has also suffered physical ailments.   Please pray … Pray that the Lord will move the heart of the judge to make a fair ruling in the case and not give in to pressure from the Buddhist monks. Pray that Aung Tun Oo will be released. Pray that the Lord will heal his body and encourage his heart.

2/20/2020  Myanmar  (VOM) A pastor in Wa state served two months of hard labor in a prison camp recently after religious authorities noticed an increasing number of people converting to Christianity. Pastor Sam often accompanied his wife to market days in the area, where she sold fresh fruit and vegetables and they both took the opportunity to share the Gospel with those they met. In time, however, authorities noticed more people turning to Christ, and decided to arrest the pastor. Although he fled before they were able to arrest him, authorities arrested his wife and burned their entire stock of Bibles. When Sam heard that his wife was arrested, he returned to take her place in prison, serving two months before his release. The situation in the region of Wa state is very difficult for Christians right now.   Please pray … Pray that God would give Myanmar’s Christians strength to stand firm in their faith. Pray that God would soften the hearts of Wa authorities and bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray for Pastor Sam and his wife, that they will be able to build up the new Christians in their faith and be able to share the Gospel with more people.  

10/29/2019  Myanmar  (ICC) On October 26, Pastor U Maung Maung, along with 57 others, was abducted by the ethnic militia Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Pastor U Maung Maung is from the Chin ethnic group, a minority ethnic group in Rakhine State that is primarily Christian. In the latest escalation of violence in the region where the Arakan Army (AA) has been fighting government troops for months, AA abducted 58 people from a boat carrying 165 civilian passengers and approximately 50 government personnel from Rakhine’s capital, Sittwe. AA is notorious for targeting religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims in Rakhine State. Earlier in 2019, AA abducted and killed two pastors. Local Christians fear that once Pastor U Maung Maung’s religious affiliation is discovered, he might face the same fate.   Please pray … Pray that Pastor U Maung Maung and the other abductees will be released or rescued. Pray that he will be able to encourage the other abductees and share his faith with them. Pray that the government will do all it can to rescue the abductees.  

1/10/2019  Myanmar  (VOM) In October, the United Wa State Army, an ethnic army operating in far eastern Myanmar, began arresting Christians and closing churches. After soldiers arrested 14 Christian leaders and detained them for questioning, the daughter of an army general offered to take their place as a form of bail. Though her father leads another army that has been forcing Christians out of the area, the young woman is a Christian. The United Wa State Army army agreed to let her take the place of the 14 Christians. The army offered to release the the general’s daughter if she agreed to stop speaking about Jesus, but she refused to agree to their terms and remains in prison.   Please pray … Pray for this courageous young woman who has sacrificed her freedom for the sake of other believers and the name of Christ. Pray that the Lord will keep her healthy and that her faith will touch the hearts of her captors. Pray that the Christians who were released will have the courage to continue to share their faith.  

12/6/2018  Myanmar  (VOM) Authorities in a Buddhist village recently established a law forbidding Buddhists from hiring Christians for work and from renting or selling anything to Christians. As a result, believers in the village are unable to buy food. Every day, village authorities pressure the Christians to return to Buddhism, promising that if they do they will be able to buy food again. The believers, however, are standing firm. “This is not a game,” one Christian replied. “We were baptized. We believe in Christ 100 percent and we will die believing.” When a Buddhist vendor sold a banana to a Christian recently, he was detained for three days and fined the equivalent of $65. The man later decided to become a Christian, asking another believer to teach him the Bible and baptize him, because he saw that the Buddhists were wrong.   Please pray … Pray that this man grows and stands firm in his faith despite the persecution he will likely face. Pray that all believers in the village will love those who persecute them and inspire other Buddhists to learn more about Jesus. Pray that Voice of the Martyrs will be able to provide these believers with food. […]

4/5/ 2018   Myanmar  (VOM) Several orphans from the Pa’O ethnic group were abducted by angry Buddhists after they distributed gospel tracts during a large Buddhist festival. The orphans, who live under the care of a Christian worker, had distributed gospel tracts in 18 Pa’O villages before being confronted by Buddhist monks at the festival. When the monks called for their arrest and attempted to shave their heads, the youth fled to their home with the Christian worker. But the monks sent villagers and Pa’O rebel army officers after the orphans, and four of them were taken. One managed to escape and return to his native village, while the other three were detained and had their heads shaved. After 10 days, another of the orphans was able to escape and return home. The two remaining boys are thought to be detained in a Buddhist monastery.   Please pray … Pray that the kidnapped boys will be able to escape and return home. Pray the orphans will continue to grow in faith and that their evangelistic efforts will bear fruit and lead others to Christ. Pray for the Christian worker as he cares for additional orphans and raises them as followers […]

2/8/18  Myanmar  (VOM) A Christian father of five in Myanmar was brutally murdered by unknown attackers recently. His wife, Aung, discovered his body on the side of the road, covered in blood, as she returned from collecting firewood for cooking. Than’s killers had slit his wrists, stabbed him in the chest and beat him severely. In early 2017, a villager known to hate Christians told Than’s family that it wasn’t wise for them to live in the animist village. And about a month before his murder, several members of the Palaung Army had visited the village several times and questioned villagers. The family has been shunned ever since Than and Aung accepted Christ and were baptized in 2008.   Please pray … Pray that God will meet the needs of Aung’s family and that they will remain firm in their faith. Pray that members of the community will witness their faith as Christ sustains them during this time.  

3/20/2017 Myanmar (Christian Times) Thousands of Christians are fleeing Myanmar because of the rising religious persecution. Myanmar’s government, which is lead by Aung San Suu Kyi, has been accused of covering up abuses against Christian minorities. It’s difficult for the international community to accurately assess the severity of the situation since Myanmar has largely blocked humanitarian aid. Please pray … Pray for the safety of the Christians fleeing Myanmar; pray that they will be able to find refuge. Pray that Myanmar will lift the blocks on humanitarian aid. Pray that God will uncover all abuses against Christian minorities in Myanmar.