Arrest of Pastor Lu Hama

(Mianyang, Sichuan, China – April 7, 2025) On April 25, 2025, the Kingdom intercession group “China’s 5pm” published a prayer letter signed by “Lu Hama’s family” stating that on March 23, 2025, Lu Hama was detained by police in Mianyang city, Sichuan province, on suspicion of “organizing others to smuggle people across the country’s border”.

On 23 March 2025, Lu Hama was detained by police in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, on suspicion of “organizing others to smuggle people across the country’s borders”, and has remained in detention for more than a month. They were deeply saddened by the news that Lu Hama had legally exited China with a passport issued by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China, and had entered Malaysia legally under the Malaysian visa-free policy, and that there was no such thing as smuggling across the border.

The prayer letter said that they were deeply saddened by the news, and that they were aware that it was difficult for them to rely on the Lord’s grace and mercy in order to find comfort and hope in this time of hardship.

Lu Hama’s Ministry and Family’s Response

According to her family, Lou Hama has been devoted to the Lord from her earliest days as a pastor to her later commitment to missionary care. At this moment, she is in the detention center, facing the unknown and uneasy, her heart may be full of fear and confusion. Her family would like to entrust her into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, praying that the Almighty God will surround her with His infinite love, so that she can feel the Lord’s presence, dispel the darkness in her heart, and give her the peace that passes all understanding, so that she can have faith that the Lord’s promise will never fail in her difficult situation.

A Call for Justice and Divine Intervention

Pray for God’s intervention in this incident, so that the truth can be clearly presented and all false accusations can be dispelled. May God guide those involved to uphold justice and handle the case in a fair manner, so that the scales of the law can objectively and accurately weigh the facts, and so that Lu Hama can be treated fairly and justly, and regain her freedom as soon as possible.

At the same time, they strengthened the faith of the whole family, filling their hearts with anxiety and worry with the love of Christ, giving them strength, comfort, and confidence in the days of waiting. With one heart and one mind, they prayed constantly for Sister Lu Hama, believing that God would hear them and accomplish everything according to His good will. May the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

A Broader Pattern of Persecution

In recent years, there have been a number of cases of Christians entering and exiting customs with legal passports and visas who have been charged with the crime of “sneaking across the border” or “organizing other people to sneak across the border,” which is usually a crime involving human trafficking.

Other Christian Leaders Sentenced

Pastors and Christians who have been sentenced on this charge include Pastor John Cao, who went to the impoverished areas along the China-Burma border to serve as a missionary and run a school;

Pastor Shen Shaochun of the Living Water Fellowship in Huaiyuan, Bengbu, Anhui Province, who went to Wabang, Burma, to teach and found the Living Water Primary School;

Pastor An Yankui of the Reformed Church of Taiyuan, and Pastor An Yenkui of the Reformed Church in Xincheng, Taiyuan, China. Pastor Shen Shaochun of the Living Water Fellowship in Huaiyuan, Bengbu, Anhui Province, Pastor An Yankui of the Reformed Church in Shicheng, Taiyuan, and co-workers Zhang Chenghao, Zhang Ligong, Wang Runyun, Wang Shijiang, Zhang Yaowen, and Song Shou, as well as Pastor Du Mingliang, a 76-year-old pastor of the Xinzhou house church in Shanxi Province. Their sentences ranged from six months to seven years.

Sun Chenghao, pastor of the house church in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, was also arrested and prosecuted on this charge, and a pre-trial conference will be held on April 29th. The crime of “sneaking across the border” or “organizing others to sneak across the border” has become a new pocket crime in the Chinese government’s crackdown on Christianity.

(Reported by special correspondent Ningmeng for ChinaAid)