Fire in Rohingya Huts, but also in Many Hearts

This week, a fire ripped through the Kutupalong refugee camp of Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, burning nearly 3,000 huts and displacing about 12,000 Rohingya people. No casualties were reported this time, but devastating fires are common among the makeshift shacks stacked together in this and other refugee camps.

The estimated 1 million stateless Rohingya sheltering at Kutupalong fled across the Bangladesh border from western Myanmar when their government denied them citizenship and killed them by the tens of thousands. Other minority groups, including several mostly Christian tribes, have also been terrorized by the Burmese military and Buddhist extremists in the decades-long civil war, but none so severely as the genocide of this Muslim people group in 2017.

As if that’s not enough, about a dozen armed groups, including Myanmar’s Arakan Salvation Army, actively terrorize Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh through abduction, rape, murder and other violent crimes. In fact, masked men shot and killed a Rohingya leader this week.

But in the midst of so much tragedy, some from this unreached people group have found hope. When a Christian relief organization handed out solar-powered audio Bibles and other provisions to those in need, many Rohingya turned from Islam to Christ.

Now, in addition to fleeing their homeland and enduring terrorism in their camps, these new converts from Islam face additional persecution, this time from the Rohingya themselves. In a recent baptism service on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, secrecy was paramount in keeping these new believers safe from Muslims who would mean them harm. Some came from one direction, others from another. One by one, they darted into the water to be baptized and then snuck away.

Let’s praise God for these who have experienced new life in Christ and pray for their protection, and for many more lost Rohingya to know the Truth who sets them free.

• Pray believers will grow strong in faith and deep in the Word. Pray that as they listen to the audio recordings of the Bible God will reveal to them the meaning, disciple them by His Spirit’s leading, and help them commit whole passages to memory.
• Pray He will bless them abundantly, even multiplying their resources, so they will also bless their Muslim neighbors and show them Christ. Pray every Christian will be known by their love.
• Pray God will raise up from among these new believers pastors, evangelists, worship leaders and more who will love their neighbors so deeply and contagiously all Rohingya will feel drawn to Christ like moths to a flame.
• Pray for protection over both believers and seekers, that God will surround them with His angels and hide them from those who mean them harm.
• Pray every Rohingya heart will hunger for Truth and seek Him until they find Him. Pray the Lord will show up in their dreams. Pray He will guide them to Christians who can point the way to salvation.
• Pray that when the Rohingya hear the Good News they will know Jesus is the One they’ve been looking for and receive Him as their Savior.
• Pray for training centers being set up now to train church leaders among the Rohingya and other tribes. Pray for God’s protection over these trainings and those involved.
• Pray Christian relief workers and organizations will have favor with the government of Bangladesh and with the Rohingya.
• Pray the Lord will make the way for the war in Myanmar and accompanying atrocities to end soon, and those who are homeless to find their home in Christ.
• Pray He will awaken the Rohingya and all of Myanmar and Bangladesh to Truth, setting them free to know Him, enjoy His great love for them and love others through His love.

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Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through a donation, or by finding gifts for those you love at Mikaela’s online bookstore, click the buttons below:

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