Pastor Encounters Many Trials
June 17, 2009
A mob attempted to burn a missionary's house, like this one, in February 2009. |
In past months, Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Gunaratna Dutta endured several harsh threats from his local community. His village is in an area that is a hotbed of religious extremism and violence.
During a recent religious festival, violence broke out between opposing religious groups. As one group paraded their gods near the other's place of worship, those involved in the procession shouted hateful slogans against the worshippers, triggering their anger.
The worshippers reacted by killing several people in the procession, who in turn killed several of the worshippers. In the end, both groups laid blame for the incident upon Christians.
The mob locked the house from the outside and were preparing to burn it . . .Christian persecution in this region continued one night in February, when a mob of anti-Christian extremists came to Gunaratna's house, intending to burn it. The mob locked the house from the outside and was preparing to burn it when some villagers, drawn by the noise, came to see what was happening.
When they realized what the mob was about to do, the villagers shouted and chased them away. The mob scattered, leaving their oil cans behind. Gunaratna's life was spared, and after learning of the incident, the police promised to provide security for his family.
In March, the Christian community again came under attack. Some members of an anti-Christian extremist group came to Gunaratna's village and began threatening Christians who refused to turn their backs on Christ. With locals supporting their efforts, the extremists managed to bully five Christians into following their traditional religious customs.
It was a hard blow for Gunaratna, who is heartbroken about those who turned back to false gods and is struggling with discouragement. He requests prayer that the Lord would strengthen him and protect his family as he continues to serve. He also asks for prayer that his believers would stand firm for Christ against the threats of extremists. Finally, he requests prayer that God would work in the hearts of the extremists.
