Today we continue to pray for the faithful believers in Syria who are ministering to widows and orphans in the name of Jesus while facing grave danger by government authorities and Muslim jihadists. A ministry contact in Syria shared with 8thirty8 this week the following: “Our small team continues its ministry now in *Syrian city* and we are praying for their safety in Jesus name for their children's ministry and women's ministry. We have 4 children groups and 4 groups of women...praise the Lord. The rooms are so full.” “I told our team to cancel this week of ministry because of clashes yesterday and cars were shot at. The team leader said, ‘We promised our brothers and they are waiting for us...it wouldn’t be right to disappoint them, but as we are on the way and find something not safe, we will turn back.’ Please pray for us.” Heavenly Father, this brave Syrian team of Christians is an example to us all. We pray that You would surround them with Your Angel Armies. Protect them from harm as they bring to the hope of Jesus to large groups of children and women in the midst of the danger and national turmoil. These children and women are from a Muslim background and are seeking You for the hope of their life. May they all be drawn into Your loving arms and come to know Jesus as their Savior. For Your glory we pray. Amen. “Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me. You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.” – Psalm 31:2-4 Photo representative | Unsplash (Aryan Ghauri) (fb)

Believers in India face persecution on a regular basis but today’s 8thirty8 story is especially sad. A Christian bride and groom had to flee their own wedding when it came under attack by Hindu nationalists in a village in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The wedding celebration, which was joyously planned for June 11th, was for a pastor’s relative. The sudden aggressive attack left the entire family traumatized and in shock. Fearing for their lives, loved ones of both the bride and groom locked themselves inside the house as the mob attempted to break down the door. In the chaos the groom fled for his life in one direction while the bride ran a different direction and hid herself in the nearby fields to escape the attackers. The attackers then poured fuel on the tires of a vehicle and tried to set it ablaze, causing panic among guests. Several other cars and motorbikes were also vandalized. When some family members of victims visited the police station for help, the police allegedly claimed that they did not have sufficient manpower to provide protection. The morning after the attack, the groom’s father secretly visited the village to return materials used for the wedding dinner. Villagers who were in the mob the previous night recognized the groom’s father and gathered another mob to attack him again, this time more brutally. He and two others were beaten severely and had to be hospitalized. Heavenly Father, how this attack on a Christian wedding in India saddens us. Weddings should be a celebration of the gift of marriage, a gift that you have ordained and given to us. The fact that this wedding celebration was attacked by those opposed to the Gospel is unfortunately too common in much of the world. Please bring healing to those injured in this attack and peace to the lives of the people who witnessed the brutality. May the story of this couple’s marriage be one of overcoming obstacles that the evil one puts in their way, and may the faith of the Christian community in this village be emboldened as they see that no earthly attack may stand against the power of the One True God. We ask that this attack might be seen clearly for what it is by everyone in the village, and we pray that future generations of new believers might say that this was what propelled them away from Hinduism and towards faith in you! In the name of your son Jesus, the Risen Savior, Amen. “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man no separate.” Mark 10:8-9 https://www.persecution.org/2025/06/16/hindu-extremists-attack-christian-wedding/ (fb)