Posted: 2 April, 2010
Eritrea (MNN/ODM) ― Even Eritrea's military is not exempt from the sweeps done for Christians.
Jerry Dykstra with Open Doors tells us what happened last Saturday. "17 young men were gathered for prayer in southern Eritrea. They were apparently soldiers, and they had gathered in a prayer meeting. They were arrested, thrown in prison and moved to another Eritrean detention center."
Authorities caught up to the group in the town of Segenaite. The men serving their compulsory national military service belonged to various churches.
These arrests bring to 28 the reported number of Christians arrested for their faith since the beginning of March. The government is sending a message to believers: "They're systematically trying to force out the members of the church."
Open Doors sources say approximately 2,200 Christians remain in prison for their refusal to stop practicing their faith outside of the government-sanctioned religious groups.
Some were released, many of them for health reasons. Others were also released on very strict bail conditions. Additionally, many other Christians have been released only to be sent back to the military in anticipation of a renewed war with neighboring Ethiopia. At least 12 Christians have died while being incarcerated in Eritrean prison camps.
However, the effort to stop evangelism often backfires. Dykstra says believers don't recant their faith even while they're behind bars. Their message: "Even in the midst of suffering and imprisonment, the Gospel goes out."
What follows is a perfect example of what happens when followers of Christ find themselves in jail in Eritrea. Open Doors recently received the translation of a letter from a pastor of an Eritrean church written to his wife from prison.
My dearest wife,
God by His holy will has prolonged my prison sentence to five years and four months. I very much long for the day that I will be reunited with you my dear wife, our children, and God's people in the church.
My dear, listen to me--not only as a wife, but also as a Christian woman who has come to understand who God is and how deep and mysterious His ways are. Yes! I love you. I love the children, and I would love to be free in order to serve God. Bu, in here, God has made me not only a sufferer for His Name's sake in a prison of this world over which Christ has won victory, but also a prisoner of His indescribable love and grace.
I am testing and experiencing the love and care of our Lord every day. When they first brought me to this prison, I had thoughts which were contrary to what the Bible says. I thought the devil had prevailed over the church and over me. I thought the work of the Gospel in Eritrea was over. But it did not take one day for the Lord to show me that He is a sovereign God and that He is in control of all things -- even here in prison.
The moment I entered my cell, one of the prisoners called me and said, ‘Pastor, come over here. Everyone in this cell is unsaved. You are very much needed here.' So, on the same day I was put in prison, I carried on my spiritual work.
My dear, the longer I stay in here, the more I love my Savior and tell the people here about His goodness. His grace is enabling me to overcome the coldness and the longing that I feel for you and for our children. Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Am I out of my mind? Am I a fool?' Well, isn't that what the apostle had said, ‘Whether I am of sound mind or out of my mind, it is for the sake of Christ' (2 Cor. 5:13).
My most respected wife, I love you more than I can say. Please help the children understand that I am here as a prisoner of Christ for the greater cause of the Gospel.
-- From a pastor in bonds in Eritrea
Dykstra urges prayer for the future of the church in Eritrea. "Persecution, as is often the case is, brought greater unity to the church of Eritrea."
Open Doors reports that Eritrea is ranked No. 11 on this year's Open Doors World Watch List of 50 countries which are the worst persecutors of Christians. There is more information here.