AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER * DARFUR WOMEN DESCRIBE GANG RAPE HORROR * CHRISTIAN LEADERS IDENTIFY CHALLENGES THE CHURCH WILL FACE IN 2008 * KENYAN GOVERNMENT LOOKS TO CHRISTIANS TO FACILITATE HEALING AND RECONCILIATION * MULTIPLE WIVES WILL MEAN MULTIPLE BENEFITS IN BRITAIN * NEPAL GOVERNMENT SAYS 'WE MUST FINE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN'. * ERITREA GOVERNMENT IMPRISONS MORE THAN 2000 CHRISTIANS ----------------------------------------------- DARFUR WOMEN DESCRIBE GANG RAPE HORROR The seven women pooled money to rent a donkey and cart, then ventured out of the refugee camp to gather firewood, hoping to sell it for cash to feed their families. Instead, in a wooded area just a few hours walk away, they were gang-raped, beaten and robbed. Naked and devastated, they fled back to Kalma. "All the time it lasted, I kept thinking: They're killing my baby, they're killing my baby," wailed Aisha, who was seven months pregnant at the time. (The baby Aisha was expecting at the time is doing well. His name is Osman.) The women have no doubt who attacked them. They say the men's camels and their uniforms marked them as janjaweed - the Arab militiamen accused of terrorizing the mostly black African villagers of Sudan's Darfur region. Their story, confirmed by other women and aid workers in the camp, provides a glimpse into the hell that Darfur has become as the Arab-dominated government battles a rebellion stoked by a history of discrimination and neglect. Now in its fourth year, the conflict has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and rape is its regular byproduct. Sudan's government denies arming and unleashing the janjaweed, and bristles at the charges of rape, saying its conservative Islamic society would never tolerate it. In Sudan, as in many Islamic countries, society views a sexual assault as a dishonour upon the woman's entire family. "Victims can face terrible ostracism," says Maha Muna, the U.N. coordinator on this issue in Sudan. Some aid workers believe the janjaweed use rape to intimidate the rebels, and their supporters and families. "It's a strategy of war," Muna said in an interview. A senior Sudanese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from his superiors, acknowledged the janjaweed had initially received weapons from the government - something the government officially denies - and said authorities now are struggling to rein in the militias. Nasser Kambal, a prominent human rights activist offers a similar view. "I don't think raping was planned by the government. Killing and looting and torture, yes, but not rape," he said. UN workers registered 2,500 rapes in Darfur in 2006, but believe far more went unreported. The real figure is probably thousands a month, they said. Victims usually can't identify their aggressors, which makes prosecutions impossible. Only eight offenders were tried and sentenced for rape crimes by Sudanese courts in 2006. They received three to five years prison, and 100 lashes in accordance with Islamic law. Sheikas in Kalma said they report over a dozen rapes each week. Human rights activists in South Darfur who monitor violence in the refugee camps estimate more than 100 women are raped each month in and around Kalma alone. The workers warn of an alarming new trend of rapes within the refugee population amid the boredom and slow social decay of the camps. The sheikas say they are making some headway toward persuading families to accept raped women back into their embrace and let them report attacks to aid workers. Collecting firewood is becoming more perilous as the trees around the camp dwindle and women are forced to go ever farther afield for supplies. It is strictly a woman's task, dictated both by tradition and the fear that male escorts would be killed if the janjaweed found them. The seven women say they haven't left the camp since they were attacked. They have started their own small workshop and make water jugs out of clay and donkey dung to sell to other refugees. As they worked on their large pile of jugs and bowls, they said they are even poorer than before, because they now have to buy their firewood from other women. "But at least we never have to go out again," said Aisha. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- CHRISTIAN LEADERS IDENTIFY CHALLENGES THE CHURCH WILL FACE IN 2008 (Editors note: It is interesting to ponder on what the Church would be like and the influence it could have if we all applied these principles to our individual lives and the corporate life of the congregations to which we belong.) Sixty one key Charismatic/Pentecostal leaders in the American Church gathered recently to seek the face of God for 2008. They began their gathering by kneeling together to repent of the pride that has tainted the American church. At the end of their time together they made the following statement outlining the challenges they believe God had spoken to them about during their time in His presence. 1. We must open themselves to the experience of personal revival. We must rediscover the power of fasting. We must study the Word in order to hear from God more powerfully. We must get back to a simplicity of devotion to Jesus. 2. We must embrace humility by being genuine, touchable and accessible. God is raising up a new breed of leader today who will display "anointing without arrogance, boldness without brashness, and power without pride." 3. We are experiencing gracious judgment. Gracious judgment, is where God corrects us but leads us to repentance and obedience. We must be men and women of character in a world of compromise. 4. We must balance the prosperity message. God is calling us to a higher standard of ethics, integrity and corporate governance. We must teach our people "to give extravagantly, not expecting anything in return" instead of suggesting that people should "give to get." 5. It's time to get back to evangelism. Our priorities must return to soul-winning and discipleship. While stressing the absolute importance of the presence and power of God in our churches, we must guard against an inordinate emphasis on manifestations of the Holy Spirit. We must get back to the core doctrines of the Bible, and test all things. 6. We must root out racism in the church. Unless we develop a true "kingdom DNA" in our churches-by welcoming and celebrating all ethnic groups-we will not successfully impact our culture or enact biblical justice on issues such as immigration policy. 7. Holiness is not an option. We must learn to restore those who fall but we also must focus on how to prevent moral failure - which will require a new emphasis on holy living. 8. God is calling us to transform society. Western culture is becoming increasingly hostile to the Christian faith. We must not run from our calling to transform culture but engage in a kingdom mission to effect change. We believe that Christians for too long have viewed politics, education and the financial realm as evil when we must see those arenas as mountains to claim for Christ. In summary our faithfulness to God will be determined not by our prophetic conferences, the size of our churches, the trendiness of our music or whether we have gold dust appearing in our meetings. It will be judged by whether we make the salvation of men and women our priority. Source: Charisma Magazine ----------------------------------------------- KENYAN GOVERNMENT LOOKS TO CHRISTIANS TO FACILITATE HEALING AND RECONCILIATION Churches across Kenya are being asked to play a key role in bringing peace to the violence-torn nation in a desperate attempt to prevent all-out genocide. "Everyone, including politicians, expects the churches to play a big role in terms of reconciliation, healing, resettlement and trust building," said Canon Peter Karanja, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). Kenyan churches are seeking a long-term healing effort that will require the sustained engagement of international ecumenical partners. Said Anglican Archbishop of Kenya Benjamin Nzimbi: "We need your prayers for people to come back to their senses. We must bring Kenya back where it ought to be." Meanwhile rape is on the rise in Kenya. Hundreds of women have been the victims of sexual attacks. Many are gang rapes, carried out by groups of armed men. Staff in the Nairobi Women's Hospital alone are treating an average eight to ten rape victims a day. Almost half of the cases at the hospital's specialised clinic are girls under the age of 18. One case was a two-year-old baby girl. Crisis talks are currently underway between the rival parties. Please pray that peace will be restored to Kenya. Source: The Christian Post ----------------------------------------------- MULTIPLE WIVES WILL MEAN MULTIPLE BENEFITS IN BRITAIN Husbands with multiple wives may now claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review. Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal. The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate there may be up to a thousand polygamous partnerships in Britain, although no exact record exists. The decision has been condemned by the Tories. Under the deal, a husband with multiple wives may also claim additional housing benefit and council tax benefit to reflect the larger property needed for his family. In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Islamic law however permits men to have up to four wives provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them. Chris Grayling, Shadow secretary for Work and Pensions, said that the decision was "completely unjustifiable". "Multiple marriages are illegal in the UK, so to have a situation where the benefits system treats people in different ways is totally unacceptable and will serve to undermine confidence in the system. "This sets a precedent that will lead to more demands for the culture of other countries to be reflected in UK law and the benefits system." Mr Grayling also accused the Government of trying to keep the ruling quiet because the topic is so controversial. Source: UK Telegraph ----------------------------------------------- NEPAL GOVERNMENT SAYS 'WE MUST FINE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN'. Hindus have been launching a series of attacks against Christian organizations in Nepal. In a nation where 75 percent of the population is Hindu, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports of a small congregation of four Christians in a small village when Rajan expressed a faith in Jesus Christ. But that's back down to three now after he lost his family and crops, and was forced to leave his home and village, because of his conversion. "Hindu neighbours have dug up Rajan's cauliflower and potatoes," VOM reports. "He has lost his whole year's income. He was recently fined 6,000 rupees (about $100, a large sum in Nepal), after water from his field spilled over into a neighbour's field," the VOM sources reported. "Normally, this would not be a problem, but the neighbours consider water from Rajan's field unclean because he is a Christian. "Normally, we wouldn't fine you, but because you changed your religion and became a Christian, you need to pay 6,000 rupees," the villagers told him, according to VOM. They even turned Rajan's wife and family against him, and he was forced to leave his home, to stay with a pastor briefly, and then to move to another village. "When Rajan left his home to live with the pastor he was sad, but said his experiences had made Jesus more precious to him than before," the Voice of the Martyrs reported. "His pastor told us that as persecuted believers, they have learned that one of the results is that Jesus becomes much more precious to them." Source: Intercessors for America ----------------------------------------------- ERITREA GOVERNMENT IMPRISONS MORE THAN 2000 CHRISTIANS The Eritrean government has imprisoned more than 2,000 Christians. Some of the imprisoned Christians are kept in metal shipping containers and routinely tortured. As a result there have been cases of prisoners who have died, lost their sight, and/or have been paralysed. Due to the severity of persecution, many churches have gone underground and many Christians have been forced to flee the country. Thirty Christian youth belonging to the Pentecostal Church in the Red Sea port city of Massawa were arrested by the Eritrean government last week. The campaign to arrest Christians has spread to several other cities, including the capital city of Asmara, where detainees were being forced under torture to reveal the names of other believers. Source: Intercessors Network
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