After Mr Chu became a Christian in 2011, police arrested and beat him on his way back from Bible school. It wasn’t just him who suffered – his young nephews were also detained and beaten. All because in parts of Vietnam, local officials are determined to stop the spread of Christianity.

The UN urgently needs to investigate the true situation in Vietnam. Professor Heiner Bielefeldt is the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and it’s his job to visit countries around the world to report on whether they allow people to choose and change their religion freely, and worship in peace. We’re working closely with him as part of our Operation 18 campaign – a bold venture to ensure freedom of religion is respected around the world. But we know that your prayers are just as vital as our work with the UN, if we’re going to help Vietnam become a place where no-one has to fear arrest just for going to Bible school.

This week please:

• Pray for Mr Chu and his walk with God after the trauma of his experiences with the police;
• Ask God to protect our partners and contacts within Vietnam, whose work often puts them at risk;
• Pray for Vietnamese churches fighting official pressure as they try to spread the gospel;
• Thank God for the work of the Special Rapporteur and the work we’ve already been able to do with him;
• Ask God to change the hearts of the Vietnamese Government so that they will confirm a date for Professor Bielefeldt to visit Vietnam;
• Pray that the Government of Vietnam will cooperate fully with the UN before, during and after the Special Rapporteur’s visit;
• Pray especially for the Operation 18 campaign on the 18th August – could you encourage your church to pray too?
• Please add a note in your diary to pray for the Operation 18 campaign on the 18th of every month.