International Day of Prayer

North Korea

Pray for Christians inside North Korea. Nowhere in the world is Christian persecution so fierce as in North Korea.

Christians have to hide their faith; Christian parents can’t even share their beliefs with their children until they are old enough to understand the dangers.

Owning a Bible can get you killed or sent to a harsh labor camp. Teachers tell their students to spy on their own parents. In 2010 hundreds of Christians were arrested. Some were killed, others sentenced to labor camps.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians among the estimated 250,000 prisoners in the North Korean gulag. Despite the risks, the church is standing firm: there are an estimated 400,000 believers in North Korea who must meet in secret.

Asia Noreen Bibi

Pray for Asia Noreen Bibi, the mother of two and stepmother to three other children, who remains in a Pakistani prison after being sentenced to hanging under the country’s controversial blasphemy law.

She was convicted for allegedly insulting the Islam prophet Muhammad. Asia has denied the charge but was convicted two years ago and later sentenced to death.

She remains in prison. Her family has been forced to flee the country due to threats on their lives.

Extremist organizations have reportedly put a $350,000 reward for her death inside prison. Her husband Ashiq Masih and children are grieving and praying for her release, but the volatile situation inside Pakistan has not helped her status.

At left, she is pictured preparing for a hearing -- forced to wear a full Muslim veil. She was meeting with Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs -- a presidential cabinet position. He and Punjab state governor Salman Taseer were both assassinated after taking up Asia's cause and calling for the repeal of the blasphemy laws.