The following is an update received from the United Church of God:

On December 1st, there was a major disturbance in the village of UCG members, Manik & Rita Balaam.

Manik writes: “The Land Office sent the final Land Title Transfer Certificates of the Church and Graveyard to the village headman that he may give to us. Our village headman is a Hindu & when he received the certificates, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬. However, I nor any of our family and fellow Christians who meet with us each Sabbath, knew the headman had received our Title Certificates.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐛 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐢𝐧-𝐥𝐚𝐰. (He is a prospective member that had personally worked with Manik to successfully file government required paperwork to register the United Church of God in Bangladesh and to purchase a required plot of land for a future church building and land for a required graveyard.) They did not attack me as I’m an outsider who did not grow up in this village and recently moved into the area. They were searching and inquiring the names of whoever helped me to buy the lands for the church and graveyard.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩. 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬. The local police and local government arrived and handled the matter. They attempted to explain to the angry Hindus and Muslims that we maintain all the legal procedures to buy the lands for the Church and the Graveyard and even the District Commissioner had ordered us to buy lands for Church and graveyard in order to be registered. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙗 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥.

My father-in-law who was also beaten is now taking rest. 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 — 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬.

The police and government told us to file a case against them. But we told them we had already forgiven the villagers and we are following Jesus’ teaching not to file any case against others but to try to solve it. We want peace and live with them in peace. The government officers are very astonished at our decision. But they threatened the villagers and leaders that if they do anything to us then they will take serious steps. Still, the police are giving us security, from Thursday a police van staying on our main road to protect us and stop the villagers from getting together again. As now is a voting season, they don’t want it to become national news.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬’ 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬. The Hindu villagers said they will not buy from the Christian man’s shop and if they open it they will destroy it.”

In the near future Manik and fellow Christians hope to work with UCG Good Works program to drill a much needed well and open this to all nearby Hindu villagers. It is hoped this gesture will extend good will and be a positive step to peace.

Please pray for healing, peace, and God’s protection. This is a challenging time, and your prayers mean everything. Thank you for your love and concern!