Pastor Dun* lay on the ground covered in his own sweat and blood. Authorities ordered him to sign a paper promising to never return to the village to worship God. He refused again, and they brought out the electric batons, beating him over the head and shattering his knee. As his shrieks echoed through the village, Dun’s wife rushed into the room to stop the beatings. Soon she was also on the floor, unconscious, after being pushed against the wall.
Persecution in Vietnam
Despite severe beatings from morning until afternoon, local authorities could not break Dun and the other Vietnamese Christians. It was their last effort in silencing a growing church movement in the rural village. Previously, officials had refused to register the church and collected the names of all the members for several rounds of interrogations. Many were afraid and abandoned the faith, but others would not be intimidated.
Pastor Dun and other Christians in Vietnam knew that their fellow believers needed support, so they came from a nearby village to worship and encourage the church. Dun was no stranger to the authorities, especially after being a part of several church plants in the area. Though they sought to tear him down and silence the movement of God among the villagers, officials could not deter Dun and his fellow believers from worshipping God. Today, there is still a church in this village and believers remain faithful to the Lord despite persecution.
Pray for Vietnamese Christians
Pray for church leaders like Dun to be bold in their faith and encourage their congregations to stand up for Christ no matter the obstacle, and for the gospel to continue to spread in remote areas like Dunn’s village and for more churches to be planted. Additionally, Pray for good relationships between church leaders and authorities. Recently, Christians have received more freedoms than in the past. Ask also that the authorities could have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
For more on Vietnam and how to pray for the people there, visit PrayForVietnam.org.
