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.

Stay informed

Receive weekly emails with the latest prayer points from the persecuted church

    Submit a Prayer

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recent articles

    Read More

    The Testimony of a Sunday School Teacher

    Revival and rapid church growth have characterised China’s churches since the 1990s. About 130 million Chinese are Christians, most of whom worship within the house church movement. Millions of othe...

    Read More

    Remembering Martyrs: Twenty-One Christians Martyred by ISIS

    The wor...

    Read More

    SYRIA: Christians Contend with New Warnings

    Syria has suffered through a brutal civil war between government forces and anti-government Muslim factions. During the conflict, which began in 2011, more than 750,000 Christians fled the country. Th...