Philippines : Clarito Dela Cruz (26 July 2011)

26 June 2023

Clarito de la Cruz was a man from the Philippines who loved Jesus and worked hard to share the gospel. He helped his parents with their church’s evangelism programme, which was risky because they lived in a Muslim-dominated area of Mindanao. Christians in Mindanao are often treated badly for sharing their faith with Muslims. They can be kidnapped, beaten, and even killed. Despite this danger, De la Cruz lived out his faith every day by working hard to support his family as a driver.

One day, he was hired by a man and woman who pretended to be a married couple. They asked him to take them to a remote village, but when they arrived, they revealed themselves to be Muslim extremists. They tortured and killed De la Cruz because he was a Christian. They tried to force him to become a Muslim, but he refused.

Even though the Philippines is mostly a Christian country, Mindanao is mostly Muslim. Muslim extremists on the island want to create an Islamic state and often threaten Christians and missionaries. Despite the danger, Christians in Mindanao continue to share the gospel and trust that God will use their work to help people come to faith.

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