Prayers have the power to protect. And true to the saying, a church in the Netherlands is on a crusade to do whatever it takes to protect a family from being deported, even if it means holding a marathon prayer service session. The Netherlands has a law wherein the police cannot enter the church while prayers are going on. Hence, to keep the cops out and protect the family, the prayer service has been continuing nonstop for past 800 hours and is expected to continue indefinitely.
The Armenian family, including three children, has been living in the Netherlands since 2010. The Tamrazyans now face deportation after their appeal for permanent asylum was turned down by the court. So, the Bethal church and community center in The Hague came up with this idea of holding round-the-clock nonstop prayer service to prevent the police from entering and arresting the Tamrazyans. Initially, only a handful of people were involved but as the news spread, more and more volunteers joined in. According to a tweet by Reverend Axel Wicke, a priest at the Bethel church, talks are going on with the government so they are hopeful that things might take a turn for the better.
