Persecution is rising in the Arabian Shores City. Though the city projects religious tolerance, believers from every ethnic background are being persecuted in some form or another. Officials control everything through mandatory ID tracking, including surveillance and metal detectors in approved churches. Authorities can demand member lists, arrest “non-compliant” people, and bar them from reentry. For others, it could mean arrest without release, or it could even mean death. Consequently, local citizens fear asking about other faiths, fearing the police, informants, or family retaliation. May the day come when the streets of the Arabian Shores City echo with songs of freedom, when churches can gather openly, and when every child can ask about God without fear! Pray that this oppression will not deter those whom God draws and that they will receive strength to pursue truth, knowing that it could cost them everything. Pray James 1:2-4 (ESV) over those in the Arabian Shores City who are experiencing persecution: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”