Olvana Mission
The Olvana Mission (OM) is a group of Christian missionaries whose mission is to make the lives of rural Olvanans better while converting them to Christianity. The Olvanan central government is not extreme in its denunciation of religion, and will generally allow free religious practice as long as those practicing their faith do not seek to use it as a means to overturn the current political structure. The OM is on the cusp of going from a group tolerated by the Olvana government to one that the Olvanan Communist Party (OCP) will seek to suppress. Even though freedom of religion has been an integral part of the Olvanan constitution since 1977, the inability to hold large religious groups accountable has accentuated the occasional crackdowns on specific religious groups.
John Henry Brown from Europe founded the OM when he arrived in the extreme northeastern part of Olvana ten years ago. At the time, Brown was a 30-year old self-proclaimed missionary who just wanted to help the Olvanese people improve their lives. Brown grew up in a European commune whose purpose was to worship God in an agricultural setting. Brown learned to farm at an early age and in the commune learned all sorts of skills necessary to survive in nature without many resources. When Brown was 20, he left the commune to spread his vision of God’s work, working his way east before eventually arriving in northeastern Olvana. Brown has taught the Olvana people better farming techniques, helped dig wells for improved access to water, taught better hygiene to reduce sickness, and improved rural living in simple ways while trying to convert the people to his brand of Christianity. While Brown may seem peaceful, he will defend himself and his supporters with force because he believes his cause is just. Brown’s supporters will not give him away, but his presence bringing Christianity to the Olvanan people brings him in conflict not only with the Olvana central government, but with the Yellow Sashes and Olvana Jemaah Islamiyah as well. Brown and the OM do not normally attack other groups, but will not hesitate to defend what he is trying to build.
There are less than 1,000 active OM members, but many people support them because of the humanitarian projects they bring to rural Olvana communities. Brown and the OM are quick to point out the dichotomy between the good works the OM has brought with past expulsion and execution of Christians by the Olvanan government.