Police Raid

I was escorted out of church yesterday by police. So were many other church members. They didn't like that we were singing songs about God.

Weird you think? Did I mention that the "police" were three high school boys headed up by our mission president?!

So this month is prayer for the persecuted church month. For the beginning of the service (this is at Nazarene church not Iglesia) we had no hymnals, no cross, the buletin had no mention of any religious stuff, and our Bibles were taken away. We were not able to sing any songs that mentioned the LORD (we tried, that's why we were escorted out). Why in Oregon? Because a picture was being painted of how people in other countries go to church... except that they have real threat of being hauled off to prisons that are way worse than ours here. We had things REALLY comfortable yesterday, but it was a small demonstration of others around the world. We totally take for granted the fact that we are able to worship freely, read the Bible, teach our children the Word, and fellowship together. It would be SUPER hard to live in a country where we didn't have that freedom. In Mexico, we'll still have the freedom to do that. My friend Elsy, she will have it hard in Asia in a country where they are not allowed to proselytize. She's leaving for her country in January!

Anyhow, it's amazing what other believers go through to meet together and study the Word in countries where it's illegal. A good book about that is Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn. I just read it. It's a fiction book, based on true circumstances, about Chinese Christians and a non-believing UnitedStatesican who goes into the Chinese Christian community. I highly recommend it!

At Iglesia yesterday, even though the message wasn't specifically about persecution, the main point was "Fiel hasta la muerte." Faithful until death. How much are WE willing to suffer for Christ?