Christians compose 33% of Lebanon’s population, the largest percentage of Christians in any Middle Eastern country, which has made Lebanon a place of refuge for many persecuted Christians from throughout the region. But the ongoing conflict in the region has created a dangerous environment for front-line workers there. “Bombing is happening on a daily basis in Lebanon,” said one front-line worker. “And one happened very close to one of our workers as he went to meet with some persecution survivors.”
Read MorePastor Benedict purchased land and in March 2023 began constructing a building for the church he had planted in the area. However, the chief monk of the local Buddhist temple opposed this work, which halted for a few months. When Benedict resumed construction in May 2023, the monk again opposed the work and informed the police, leading to the arrest of Benedict and six other Christians. They spent four days in jail, where they began a prison ministry.
Read MoreOn August 25, 2024, Islamic extremists killed 28 Christians and injured several others after opening fire on a Sunday night church service. Some who fled the attack are still missing. Later in the same week, extremists attacked an area outside the town of Kaya and killed at least 400 people. Then, during the last week of September, Islamists attacked a church located near the border of Burkina Faso and Niger.
Read MoreCai and Hien, whose story was published in the October 2024 issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine, have endured several years of persecution since placing their faith in Jesus in 2021. The persecution includes imprisonment, shunning by their community, denial of public services like electricity and water, and refusal to admit their children to school. In the early morning of November 5, 2024, after continuous threats, Cai and Hien’s house was set aflame, destroying their home and all their possessions.
Read MoreA voodoo practitioner in Benin built an altar directly across the street from a church. He regularly kills animals and places occult items he believes are infused with mystical powers on the altar, often on Sunday mornings. He also puts voodoo powder on the church’s steps, hoping to scare church members away, and plays music at a high volume on Sunday mornings to disrupt church services. In response, the church bought a sound system to drown out the music.
Read MoreSamal suffered a head wound and impaired movement in one arm after her drunken relative, Arman, attacked her with a shovel. Kazakh police arrested Arman and said he could face seven years in prison for the assault. While meeting with police, Samal, a new Christian, said she experienced an angelic vision during which she was encouraged to forgive Arman. Though she initially resisted, Samal eventually forgave her relative. When she did, her pain vanished, and her arm was healed.
Read MoreWhen Kashvi was visiting her Hindu sister-in-law in the hospital, sharing the gospel and praying with her, another person in the hospital heard her and called the police. Kashvi was arrested under state anti-conversion laws and spent three days in jail. While in jail, she said, she had no fear or worry. She had an opportunity to minister to a girl who had been in prison for two years. Many of the Hindu prisoners and some of the police officials also asked her to pray for them, and she was able to share the gospel with the police superintendent, who had asked her to pray for him after noticing her character and honesty.
Read MoreDuy and Sua are a minority couple in Vietnam. When Sua decided to place her trust in Christ in 2016, her marriage nearly collapsed because Duy didn’t want his wife to follow this “foreign faith.” God miraculously intervened, however, and Duy became not just a believer but a committed evangelist. His family kicked them out, and their village would not let them have good land for building, so they built a house at the foot of a hill outside town. On August 5, 2023, a rockslide destroyed part of their house, killing their 2-year-old and 2-month-old daughters and injuring Sua and their 6-year-old daughter.
Read MoreFazal, a displaced Afghan Christian, was recently arrested in Central Asia for his Christian activities. Police eventually released him after he paid a significant fine. Front-line workers say Fazal has been very active in sharing his faith with other displaced Afghans. Since his arrest, Fazal has moved from house to house to avoid authorities, and he fears being returned to the Taliban. “If I go to Afghanistan, the Taliban will kill me,” he said. “There is no clear future right now … but I know Jesus is always with me.”
Read MoreAs Musa was serving as an imam in his village in East Africa, he kept hearing about his son, Saad, preaching the gospel throughout the village. Saad’s bold witness angered other local Muslim leaders, who warned Musa to stop Saad from evangelizing. Though Musa didn’t find any fault with his son’s evangelistic activities, he decided to confront Saad about them. But when Musa went to Saad, something surprising happened. Saad was studying the Bible with his pastor, and Musa watched and listened as Saad and the pastor discussed different verses. “He was so impressed at what he was hearing,” a front-line worker said.
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